Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to the demolition of marine artist Ivan (Hovhannes) Aivazovsky's statue in Stepanakert by Azerbaijani authorities by sharing his paintings on her Telegram channel.
“Aivazovsky’s artworks. Somewhere they remove his monument; I remove the ignorance of those who’ve never seen his paintings,” she wrote, according to RBC.
Mikhail Shvydkoy, the Russian President’s special envoy for international cultural cooperation, called the incident “a demonstrative unfriendly act towards Russia.”
He reminded that the monument was erected in 2021 in Nagorno-Karabakh by Russian peacekeepers deployed under the November 9 declaration, which was also signed by the President of Azerbaijan.
Konstantin Zatulin, deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on CIS Affairs, labeled the dismantling of Aivazovsky’s monument by Azerbaijani authorities in Stepanakert as a case of state-sponsored vandalism.
The Artsakh Agency for Tourism and Cultural Development reported the destruction of the monument to Armenian-native marine painter Ivan (Hovhannes) Aivazovsky, which had been installed in Stepanakert.
“The destruction of the monument is yet another sign of the systematic eradication of Armenian cultural presence in Artsakh. We continue to document, record, and publicize these acts of cultural destruction, believing they won’t be forgotten and that the international community will deliver a proper assessment. We remember. We have recorded it. We will return,” the agency stated.
