At a briefing for journalists on January 12, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russia regrets the lack of proper response of the Armenian authorities and law enforcement agencies to the recent march of 'fascist youth' in the center of Yerevan.

"We perceived with deep concern the procession of a group of fascist youths in the center of Yerevan on January 1. We are certainly surprised that Armenian law enforcement forces did not prevent the participants of the gathering, who literally demonstrated their orientation on camera, in the presence of the media, raising their hands in Nazi salute," the foreign ministry said.

"Russia is convinced that it is necessary to suppress any manifestations of Nazism at the root," Zakharova emphasized, recalling that almost 80 years ago, Russians and Armenians, as well as representatives of other peoples of the USSR, stood in a united formation during the Great Patriotic War and won the victory over fascism.

At the same time, the diplomat drew attention to the fact that Armenia, together with like-minded people, annually speaks at the UN General Assembly in support of the Russian resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism and neo-Nazism. "We are aware of this principled position of our friends, our brothers in Armenia. Preservation of historical truth is an effective tool to prevent the revival of the brown plague," the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out.

As previously reported by Caucasus Watch, on January 1, a deserted demonstration took place in Yerevan to commemorate the birthday of Garegin Nzhdeh, an Armenian figure convicted of collaborating with Nazi Germany during World War II. The participants, identified as Neo-Nazis, marched through the streets chanting the "Sieg Heil" slogan. Armenia leads in having numerous monuments and streets named after Nzhdeh, who served under Nazi command and ensured the compliance of the Armenian legion in regions such as the Caucasus, Crimea, and France.

Read also: Controversy in Yerevan: Neo-Nazi Group Marks Garegin Nzhdeh's Birthday Amid Condemnation