Russia says citizens may be warned against visiting Armenia if ‘systematic arr

Russian tourists may be cautioned against visiting Armenia if the ‘the systematic detentions of Russian citizens in Armenia at the request of third countries’ continues, Russian Senate chair Valentina Matvienko said in a conversation with newly appointed Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Ruben Rubinyan on Thursday. While Matvienko did not mention any specific incidents by name, she appeared to be referring to a recent case in which a Russian citizen was mistakenly arrested in Armenia after a request from the US.

The warning came as Armenia’s relations with Russia have been in the midst of a prolonged rocky spell. Under the leadership of recently re-elected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia has increasingly sought closer ties with the West, drawing rebukes and various forms of pushback from Russia. At the same time, Armenia has maintained it wants a multi-vector foreign policy that would allow the longstanding friendly ties with Russia to remain in place.

Matvienko’s warning was not mentioned in the official Armenian readout of the call, which instead focused on discussions of the ‘importance of continuity of parliamentary dialogue and cooperation on issues of mutual interest’.

Rubinyan also referenced more sensitive issues, urging Russia to address what he called the ‘unjustified’ restrictions the Kremlin has placed on the import of Armenian goods.

In the leadup to the June parliamentary elections, Russia began restricting the import of a variety of Armenian goods, claiming health risks and other associated problems. The measures, which have continued since the election, have been widely seen as politically motivated and a sign of Russia’s displeasure with Pashinyan and Armenia’s geopolitical orientation.

Russian media coverage of the talks, however, did not cover those issues, instead focusing on Matvienko’s warning, apparently referencing a July case in which a Russian national was arrested in Armenia after the US mistakenly identified him as a hacker.

Although not connected to a third-party request, another arrest of a Russian national in Armenia drew considerable attention, both in Armenia and abroad.

In late July, Russian blogger Nadezhda Pirozhkova was charged with hate speech after she shared a video complaining about how she was splashed unwillingly during Armenia’s Vardavar water festival while calling the festival itself ‘aggressive’ and referring to Armenians as being ‘rat-like’.

Pirozhkova has been placed under house arrest pending the results of the investigation, and if convicted, faces from one to four years in prison.