Entry of Artik Mayor to Russia Banned for 50 Years: 'Hraparak'

At the beginning of this year, media outlets reported that the Mayor of Artik, Ananik Voskanian, who is a protégé of General Manvel, previously a member of the Republican Party, had decided to dismantle a monument dedicated to the fallen in the Great Patriotic War, which was built in 1965. This was reported by the newspaper 'Hraparak'.

The news caused a stir and spread even in Russian media, being viewed in the context of strained Armenian-Russian relations. Later clarifications emerged that the monument was intended to be removed from Freedom Square in the city center, relocated, and restored in another part of the city, in Friendship Park.

However, it turns out that the clarifications were not convincing enough for the Russians, and months later they decided to punish the mayor of Artik. Recently, he traveled to Russia to attend an event for a relative, where he was detained for two days at the airport before being informed that his entry to the Russian Federation was banned for 50 years.

Details can be found in the original source.