Artsakh`s Cultural Heritage Ombudsman called on Moscow to respond to  destruction of WWII monuments by Azerbaijan in occupied NKR

ArmInfo. Artsakh's Cultural Heritage Ombudsman and Vice President of the Azgayin Historical and Cultural NGO, Hovik Avanesov, sent official letters to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to Armenia  Sergey Kopyrkin regarding Moscow's position on the protection of the  historical memory of the Great Patriotic War.

"The statement by the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Armenia regarding the incident at the Mother Armenia memorial in Gyumri  naturally raises questions about the consistency and integrity of  Russia's position on protecting the historical memory of the Great  Patriotic War. Any act of vandalism against monuments dedicated to  the heroes of the Great Patriotic War deserves unconditional  condemnation, regardless of where it occurs. However, such a position  cannot be selective. Protecting the memory of the millions who died  fighting Nazism requires a unified approach, not politically  motivated assessments," Avanesov's letter reads.

He recalled that in recent years, particularly since the occupation  of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, the international community has witnessed  the systematic destruction, dismantling, and desecration of monuments  to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, memorials to Soviet  liberator soldiers, and other sites that are an integral part of the  shared historical heritage of the peoples of the former Soviet Union.  This is not a matter of isolated incidents of vandalism, but of  Azerbaijan's consistent policy of eliminating material evidence of  shared historical memory.

"In occupied Artsakh, the destruction of symbols of the Great  Victory, erected in honor of soldiers who fought against Nazism,  continues. Such actions represent not only an attack on historical  monuments, but also an attempt to erase the memory of the shared  heroism of the peoples of the Soviet Union, to sow discord in  historical consciousness, and to create conditions for a revisionist  re-examination of the results of World War II. This raises questions  that the Russian side has not yet answered. Why was the destruction  of monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War in the  temporarily occupied territory of the Republic of Artsakh not  accompanied by equally decisive statements from the Embassy of the  Russian Federation or the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Why  was there no official public condemnation of the dismantling and  desecration of memorials to Soviet soldiers, no demands to hold those  responsible accountable, and no demands to prevent further  destruction of monuments? Why does a single act of vandalism provoke  an immediate reaction, while the long-term systematic destruction of  dozens of Great Victory memorials remains virtually without a  fundamental official assessment," the letter continues. Avanesov.

He added that the destruction of monuments has been repeatedly  documented by public organizations, independent experts, and media  outlets, and confirmed by satellite monitoring. Avanesov noted that  despite this, the Russian side has chosen to remain silent, which is  perceived as a manifestation of political selectivity.

He added that it is impossible to convincingly defend the memory of  Victory while simultaneously ignoring the destruction of monuments to  Soviet soldiers in the temporarily occupied territory of Artsakh.

"We call on the Russian Federation to take a consistent and  principled position, publicly assess all instances of the destruction  and desecration of Great Patriotic War memorials in the temporarily  occupied territory of the Republic of Artsakh, resolutely condemn any  attempts to destroy monuments to the common Victory, regardless of  who commits them or where, and promote accountability for those  responsible in accordance with international law," Avanesov's  statement continued.