Russian Pro-Azerbaijani Political Analysts Express Discontent with Ruben Vardanyan: 'Hraparak'

'Hraparak' newspaper reports: 'For several days now, Russian and Azerbaijani media have been discussing that Azerbaijan has sent a note of protest to Russia. The complaint is related to anti-Azerbaijani statements made by Russian political analysts and experts during the broadcast of the program “Big Game” on the Russian “First Channel.”

Specifically, the Azerbaijanis are unhappy that during the program, Russian experts referred to Artsakh as the Republic of Mountainous Karabakh, which was also indicated on the presented map, where Artsakh is shown as a separate entity. The Azerbaijanis believe that the Russians distorted the map and have therefore decided to send a note of protest to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This situation has also received considerable attention from certain Russian political circles, especially those engaged in pro-Azerbaijani and anti-Armenian lobbying in Russia. They have begun criticizing the policy of the Russian “First Channel” for allowing anti-Azerbaijani statements on air, claiming that this contradicts the official position of Russia and personally President Putin.

Interestingly, however, is the fact that pro-Azerbaijani lobbyists have specifically highlighted the name of Ruben Vardanyan, a Russian businessman recently appointed as the state minister of Artsakh. Russian political analysts believe that all of this is happening because of Ruben Vardanyan's influence, as he allegedly secures pro-Armenian propaganda on Russian television.

For instance, Russian political analyst Sergey Markov wrote on his Telegram channel that the managers of Russian TV channels pay more attention to Ruben Vardanyan and his financial resources regarding Armenian and Azerbaijani topics than to Putin himself. Pro-Azerbaijani Russian analysts believe that Russian media are under the influence of the 'network' created by Ruben Vardanyan, which they argue serves the interests of Armenia rather than Russia, pointing out that although he has renounced his Russian passport, his established 'network' remains prominent in Russian media.

We contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting their position regarding the Azerbaijani note of protest. They told us to send a written inquiry. We are awaiting their response.'

For more details, refer to the newspaper's current issue.