Letters torn from Gyumri memorial "Mother Armenia" discovered in trash PHOTO

Gold-colored letters removed from the “Mother Armenia” memorial complex in the Armenian city of Gyumri were discovered in a trash container on June 10, according to Caliber.Az, citing local media reports.

Armenia’s Interior Ministry has launched an inquiry into the incident. Narek Sargsyan, press secretary to the interior minister, said the case has been referred to the preliminary investigation authorities.

“The police of the Interior Ministry are taking measures to clarify the circumstances of the incident and to identify the persons who committed the alleged crime,” he said.

Sargsyan added that investigators are examining all possible scenarios, including the possibility of provocation.

“Operational-search measures are being carried out,” he said.

The incident follows earlier condemnation from the Russian Embassy in Armenia, which expressed “deep outrage” over what it described as the desecration of the memorial dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. The embassy characterised the act as a deliberate attack on shared historical memory.

By Tamilla Hasanova