The Russian Embassy in Armenia has expressed indignation over the desecration of the Great Patriotic War memorial in Gyumri.

“We received with deep indignation the news about the desecration of the Mother Armenia memorial in Gyumri dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. This blasphemous act cannot be considered as simple ‘hooliganism’. This is a deliberate attack on our shared historical memory and an attempt to insult the Great Victory [in World War II],” the Russian embassy said in a statement.

The embassy added that this incident has received a very negative response from the city authorities and the public of Gyumri.

In addition, the Russian diplomatic mission expressed hope that the Armenian authorities will give a clear assessment of the incident, as well as take exhaustive measures to bring the perpetrators to account and prevent similar provocations in the future.