“Silence the enemy’s voice”: Protesters in Armenia demand shutdown of Russian TV channels
Shut down Russian TV channels in Armenia
A group of protesters gathered outside Armenia’s Ministry of High-Tech Industry, holding signs that read “No to enemy channels” and “Silence the enemy’s voice.” The protest was organized by the “For the Republic” party. The participants demanded that the government shut down Russian TV channels.
“Foreign TV channels, broadcast on the public multiplex at the expense of taxpayers, are insulting Armenia on air. This has already crossed all boundaries. We demand that our authorities shut down these channels. The hate-filled rhetoric spread by these media outlets is part of a hybrid war against Armenia,” said Arman Babajanyan, leader of the “For the Republic” party.
The protesters brought not only banners but also TV sets, covered with images from Russian broadcasts.
As a symbolic rejection of what they called “Russian garbage,” they crossed out the images on the screens and threw the TVs into trash bins.
The issue of shutting down Russian TV channels resurfaced in mid-June. It followed comments made by Russian state TV host Vladimir Solovyov on the channel Rossiya-1 after the arrest of Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan. Solovyov began by expressing support for the businessman, then harshly criticised Armenia’s authorities and warned the country of “the fate of Artsakh,” essentially threatening its destruction.
His remarks sparked widespread outrage in Armenian society. Many Armenian politicians and political analysts publicly responded. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan described Solovyov’s comments as “blatant interference in Armenia’s internal affairs and an attack on its sovereignty and democracy.” He stated that an official note had been sent to the Russian side.
However, it remains unclear whether the Armenian government intends to remove Russian TV channels from the public multiplex.
Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan said the issue should be seriously considered:
“If there are channels that allow themselves to meddle in Armenia’s internal affairs, perhaps we should respond in kind—at the very least by banning their broadcast in the homes of our citizens.”
Earlier, Armenian journalist organizations issued a joint statement calling for an end to the broadcast of Russian TV channels. They also urged expert discussions on how to protect Armenia’s information space from foreign hybrid attacks.
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“There should be no fascist propaganda in Armenia”: details from the protest
Arman Babajanyan, head of the “For the Republic” party, described the position of Russian media as part of a hybrid war:
“Wars are waged by enemies. Russia’s state policy is hostile toward Armenian statehood. Its strategic goal is to eliminate Armenian statehood. Russian media pursue the same goal.”
Ruben Mehrabyan, the party’s deputy chairman, stated that “there should be no fascist propaganda in Armenia in any language.” He believes Russian TV channels should also be removed from cable networks, and that the operations of “Sputnik Armenia” should be banned entirely:
“The Armenian government must no longer allow Russia to attack us from within.”
Artur Sakunts, head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, said that “the disinformation spread by the Russian propaganda machine in Armenia poses a threat to the country’s security.”
Protesters declared that it’s time for the Armenian government “to show political will and move from statements to concrete actions.”
Currently, three Russian TV channels are broadcast on Armenia’s public digital multiplex: “RTR-Planeta,” “Channel One Worldwide Network,” and “RTR-Culture.” Their broadcasting is carried out under the Cooperation Agreement on Mass Communications, signed by Armenia and Russia in 2020.
Article 5 of the agreement specifically requires:
- the exclusion of programs containing offensive content toward the peoples and national values of the signatory states,
- the exclusion of interference in the internal political affairs of the other country.
Violations by the Russian side are routinely recorded by Armenia’s Television and Radio Commission. However, this body does not have the authority to suspend or terminate broadcasts. Only the Ministry of High-Tech Industry can make that decision.
Moreover, the agreement contains no clause allowing for unilateral termination.
The Television and Radio Commission reports systematic violations by two Russian channels
“The information space of Armenia must be free from manipulative, propagandistic, and provocative influence by any foreign forces, as well as from attempts to interfere in Armenia’s domestic political affairs,” stated the Television and Radio Commission.
The commission members reported that for a long time, several programs on the channels RTR-Planeta and Channel One. World Network have been:
- systematically violating both the provisions of the intergovernmental agreement between Armenia and Russia and Armenia’s national legislation,
- acting in ways that contradict the traditional, mutually respectful allied relations between Russia and Armenia.
“The Television and Radio Commission continues to receive numerous complaints and appeals demanding that the regulatory body prevent the transformation of Armenia’s public media space into an environment of lawlessness—where insults, disinformation, profanity, the justification of violence, and violations of basic human rights become the norm and negatively influence public consciousness and behavior,” the statement reads.
“The hostile and lawless atmosphere consistently created by the broadcasts of these channels does not contribute to fostering mutual understanding, respect, and appreciation between the peoples of our two countries.”
Moreover, the Armenian commission stated that it had made attempts to resolve the issues through constructive dialogue. However, these efforts yielded no results:
“We must acknowledge that these two Russian TV channels [RTR-Planeta and Channel One] continue to include disinformation and content that stirs up tension in their programming.”
Background: Solovyov’s remarks and the sharp response from Armenia’s parliamentary speaker
Two shows hosted by Russian TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov have been blocked from Armenia’s public multiplex since last year due to their anti-Armenian content. However, the journalist’s recent comments during an episode of Evening with Solovyov sparked outrage and spread widely across Armenian social media. Solovyov was commenting on the arrest of Russian businessman and billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who faces charges of incitement to seize power:
“My close friend Samvel Karapetyan is facing absolutely unprecedented pressure from a corrupt, vile, pathetic government. A government that betrayed Armenia’s history, surrendered Artsakh, and turned its back on everything sacred in the Armenian people’s history. Armenians, remember who you are. A powerful nation with a strong Christian tradition. We are not interfering in Armenia’s internal affairs. But do the people of Armenia still take any part in their country’s fate? Or will they soon meet the same fate as Artsakh?” he said.
Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan responded strongly to Solovyov’s remarks:
“This grotesque TV figure thinks he has the right to insult the country’s leadership, incite the Armenian people to take political action against their lawfully elected government, exploit emotions, and spew this cheap nonsense wrapped in a pathetic theatrical performance—and then simply claim, ‘this is not interference in internal affairs’? And that’s it? This is direct interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Armenia—an intentional spread of hatred and insults toward Armenia’s leadership and its people.”
According to Simonyan, such actions on a state-owned TV channel severely damage relations between the two countries and “evoke deep disgust” among the Armenian public:
“I hope that my Russian colleagues, with whom I have repeatedly discussed such incidents, will respond, and that Armenian society will hear a clear apology on the same channel, delivered in the same extravagant ‘artistic’ style.”
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Shut down Russian TV channels in Armenia
