Russia Sentences 23-Year-Old Armenian Man to 9½ Years Over Online Posts Linked to Artsakh Anger

A 23-year-old Armenian-Russian citizen has been sentenced to nine and a half years in prison in Russia over online comments he allegedly posted out of anger at Moscow's failure to protect Armenians during Azerbaijan's 2023 military offensive in Artsakh.

Gevorg Grigoryan, who was born in Armenia and lived in Russia's Zabaykalsky region, was convicted by the Second Eastern District Military Court on charges that included spreading false information about the Russian military, rehabilitating Nazism and making calls for terrorism and extremism.

The sentence was reported Thursday, October 29, by the independent Russian news outlet Mediazona, citing an acquaintance of Grigoryan who requested anonymity.

According to the acquaintance, Grigoryan posted the comments on Armenian-language websites after becoming frustrated with Russia's response to Azerbaijan's September 2023 offensive in Artsakh.

Russian peacekeepers were stationed in the region at the time but did not intervene to stop the offensive, which forced more than 120,000 ethnic Armenians to flee their homes.

In one comment attributed to Grigoryan, he reportedly said Hitler should have killed all Russians. In another, he warned that Russian troops could enter Armenia after Ukraine.

Russia's Investigative Committee accused him of posting statements containing insults based on nationality and openly supporting Nazi ideology.

Authorities detained Grigoryan in June 2025 and placed him under house arrest. He initially faced charges of rehabilitating Nazism and inciting hatred, and his case was expected to be heard in a civilian court in Chita, a city in eastern Russia.

Investigators later expanded the charges, and the case was transferred to a military court in August 2026.

Despite the more serious accusations, Grigoryan remained under house arrest throughout the proceedings. His relatives had hoped he would avoid imprisonment, even after prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence, the acquaintance told Mediazona.

Grigoryan admitted guilt and expressed remorse, according to the same source. The court sentenced him to nine years and six months in a general-regime penal colony.

The case comes as Russia continues to prosecute people over statements about its armed forces and government policies. Laws introduced following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have made certain forms of criticism of the military punishable by lengthy prison terms.

Russia's response to the 2023 offensive in Artsakh remains a major source of tension between Moscow and Yerevan. Armenia has accused its longtime security ally of failing to fulfill its commitments, while Russia has rejected accusations that its peacekeepers abandoned their responsibilities.

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