Alexander Pracht
A Russian military court has sentenced a 23-year-old Armenian national to nine years and six months in prison over social media comments criticizing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the exiled Russian publication Mediazona reported Thursday.
Gevorg Grigoryan, a dual Armenian-Russian citizen, was sentenced under laws criminalizing the justification of Nazism, calls for terrorism and the dissemination of what Russian authorities describe as false information about the Russian military. The latter offense was introduced shortly after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine to crack down on dissent and criticism of the country’s aggression, as part of Moscow’s broader wartime censorship campaign.
Grigoryan was arrested in June 2025, his friend, who asked to remain anonymous, told the publication.
In his social media comments, Grigoryan allegedly suggested that “Hitler should have destroyed Russia” and speculated that Russia would invade Armenia next. According to the friend, he posted the comments out of frustration over Russia’s inaction during the September 2023 hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted in the region’s complete depopulation as Armenians fled following a nine-month Azerbaijani blockade and a military offensive.
Grigoryan pleaded guilty in court and said he regretted his actions, his friend told Mediazona.
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