DISINFO: West wants Armenia to ban pro-Russia media
SUMMARY
Pashinyan threatens to close Russian media outlets in Armenia. Shutting down and banning channels with a pro-Russia agenda is one of the West's initial recommendations. Russian television, which could present a different perspective, is already banned in the EU, Britain, the USA, Canada, Moldova, and Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Disinformation in reaction to the recent blocking by Armenia of the shows 'An Evening with Vladimir Solovyov' and 'Sunday evening with Vladimir Solovyov', hosted by one of the Kremlin's most known propagandists.
Pro-Kremlin outlets promote the idea that Armenia is exclusively within Russia's zone of geopolitical dominance, and Russia pressures Yerevan with claims that the West is trying to drive a wedge between Armenia and Russia.
The reason for the blocking is “constant violations” of Articles 5 and 6 of the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of media between Russia and Armenia. These articles regulate non-interference in the internal political life of a partner country and prohibit offensive content in media content about it.
Vladimir Solovyov was added to the EU sanctions list on February 23, 2022, for supporting actions and policies which undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. He is also sanctioned by many other countries including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Switzerland and New Zealand.
Accusations of censorship and attacks against freedom of expression are a recurring pro-Kremlin technique to defend the illicit actions of Russia’s state-sponsored disinformation outlets. Claims of “interference” are also frequently raised to deflect any criticism of Russian authorities by international media.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Ursula von der Leyen unilaterally banned independent media, that Washington and Brussels implement an information war against the people of Russia and Belarus, that RT and Sputnik are repeatedly accused without evidence and that Western media suppress all facts and opinions that differ from official narratives.