Yerevan Denies Russian Media Reports Claiming Pashinyan's Grandfather Fought Against the Red Army

On May 9, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted on his Facebook page a photo of his grandfather. "Nikol Pashinyan, 1913-1943. Served in the 554th Infantry Regiment of the 138th Infantry Division. Eternal glory to those who fell for the homeland," he wrote.

A number of Russian media outlets reported that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's grandfather fought against the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War.

Pashinyan's press secretary, Mane Gevorgyan, called these reports unacceptable lies. "The spread of such false information that tarnishes the memory of a veteran who fought for the freedom of the homeland is sacrilege, especially in the year of the Great Victory anniversary," Gevorgyan emphasized.

The denial was published on the Telegram channel of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Gevorgyan, such materials are disseminated by certain circles for political purposes. "A superficial analysis of the sources of dissemination shows that the authors of this falsehood aim to drive a wedge between Armenian-Russian fraternal relations, and in pursuit of their goals, they do not hesitate to slander veterans and heroes of the Great Patriotic War," added Gevorgyan.

Gevorgyan specifically pointed out that the Prime Minister's grandfather is Nikol Arakelyan Pashinyan, not "om Nikolay Vardan Pashinyan," as mentioned in the reports.