The general picture of the coverage of the Karabakh conflict in the Russian media from October 5 to 6

From October 5 to 6, 2020, “Media Advocate” initiative monitored the publications of 5 leading Russian media outlets to find out how the Russian media covered the actions unleashed by Azerbaijan. The following media outlets were monitored: “Lenta ru”, “Gazeta ru”, “Ria Novosti”, “Regnum”, and “TASS”.

“Lenta.ru” published 43 articles, 13 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 15 of the Armenian side, 15 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 10 out of 15 materials are neutral, 3 are pro-Armenian, 2 are pro-Azerbaijani.

“Gazeta ru” published 65 articles, 13 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 25 of the Armenian side, 28 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 19 out of 28 materials are neutral, 6 are pro-Armenian, 3 are pro-Azerbaijani.

“Ria Novosti” published 139 articles, 33 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 48 of the Armenian side, 58 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 34 out of 58 materials are neutral, 14 are pro-Armenian, 10 are pro-Azerbaijani.

“TASS” published 81 articles, 23 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 29 of the Armenian side, 26 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 18 out of 26 materials are neutral, 2 are pro-Armenian, 3 are pro-Azerbaijani.

“Regnum” published 91 articles, 17 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 28 of the Armenian side, 46 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 37 out of 46 materials are neutral, 7 are pro-Armenian, 2 are pro-Azerbaijani.

According to media reports, the representative of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (Syria) Abdusalam Ali noted that the statement of the Azerbaijani National Security Service that Armenia uses mercenaries from Iraq and Syria in Artsakh does not correspond to reality. According to him, the purpose of this statement is to justify Turkey’s involvement in the conflict.

The statement of Syrian President Bashar Assad that Turkey is the main initiator and provocateur of the Karabakh conflict received a wide response in the Russian media.

Some time ago, the Armenian government submitted a request to the European Court of Human Rights to apply an interim measure against Turkey. The ECtHR upheld Armenia’s request to urge Turkey to refrain from violating the rights of the civilian population protected by the Convention.

The Russian media also referred to the statement made by Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, according to which the supply of military equipment to Turkey is suspended.

According to the publications, UFC champion Ronda Rousey supported Armenia. She, in particularly, wrote: “Show your solidarity in this global effort to raise awareness. Express your outrage regarding the unprovoked attacks by Azerbaijan, assisted by Turkey and the overt desire for ethnic cleansing of Armenians from their ancestral homeland Artsakh.”