A glitch at a Gyumri fountain caused it to play a Russian-language criminal underworld song, triggering harsh criticism from the Armenian government.
A viral video showed the musical fountains in downtown Gyumri moving to the tune of the song “Dolya Vorovskaya”—a track often associated with criminal culture and thieves. The city municipality later explained the incident as a technical malfunction.
Several high-level officials reacted, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who posted on Facebook: “A thief should be in jail, not playing with fountains.”
Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan wrote that the city received the fountain “from the air” and now has no idea how to handle it, describing the situation as a classic case of being overwhelmed by unfamiliar responsibility.
“I advise against repeating today’s disgrace—using a song glorifying criminal subculture to operate a fountain. Armenia is a state, and you should feel the presence of the state every day,” Khudatyan warned.
Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan also weighed in, reminding that the fountain was financed by the Armenian government through its “Tourism Infrastructure Development” program.
“It seems Vardanik and his entourage need a reminder that they live in a state where criminal behavior is punishable by law,” Papoyan wrote.
According to the Gyumri municipality, the specialist in charge failed to control the music due to a system error.
“The issue has now been resolved, and if necessary, disciplinary action will be taken against the responsible party after receiving a written explanation. We apologize to the residents of Gyumri for the inconvenience caused,” the official statement said.
