Passers-by treat Russians' pacifist action in Gyumri as inappropriate

On July 31, more than 20 Russian citizens held a pacifist march in the Armenian city of Gyumri. Their action found no support among local residents, the organizers have reported.

The march in Gyumri was organized by the Russians who had moved to Armenia, Marina Dyachkova, one of the organizers of the action, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "On Friday (July 29) I wrote a letter to the Gyumri Mayoralty about my plans to hold a march. On Saturday, I received an answer that since the letter was unofficial they said that could not help in any way. This morning I already called the police on duty unit and informed them about the action. They expressed their readiness to ensure the safety and accompanied us all this time," she said.

About 20 people took part in the march; about the same number of policemen accompanied them and prompted how to walk along a predefined route. The marchers gathered in front of the Drama Theatre named after Vardan Adjemyan; then they marched along the Sayat Nova and Nikolai Ryzhkov Streets, chanting pacifist slogans, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Some residents of Gyumri were outraged that the pacifist action was accompanied by policemen. "Is Putin to blame for what is happening? Why are you accompanying them? Let them stop this farce," a woman from Gyumri said, in particular, addressing the police. Similar appeals to policemen were voiced out by some other passers-by.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 31, 2022 at 06:55 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.