State Duma calls on Armenian authorities to punish authors of poster insulting Putin

Those who hang posters with insults directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin should be punished in the harshest manner, Alexey Chepa, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs, told NEWS.ru.

Chepa noted that these people are acting for money, not in the interests of their country.

“There are always provocateurs. I would like to urge the Armenian authorities to prevent those who are trying to escalate the situation, who do not act in their country’s interests, and who are motivated by money. These provocateurs must be punished severely. If they don’t do this, such provocations will recur in the country and may lead to internal unrest,” Chepa stated.

A group of Armenian activists hung a poster in Yerevan with insults directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Arman Babajanyan, leader of the pro-European For the Republic Party, posted a photo of it on his Facebook page. The poster was displayed on the Kyiv Bridge and near the Russian embassy in Yerevan.

The website noted that the action was carried out immediately before Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Yerevan, which is scheduled for May 20-21.