On October 7 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 24 articles, 5 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 8 of the Armenian side, 11 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 8 out of 11 materials are neutral, 3 are pro-Armenian, none is pro-Azerbaijani.
“Gazeta ru” published 38 articles, 8 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 12 of the Armenian side, 18 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 13 out of 18 materials are neutral, 4 are pro-Armenian, 1 is pro-Azerbaijani.
“Ria Novosti” published 62 articles, 19 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 27 of the Armenian side, 16 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 12 out of 16 materials are neutral, 4 are pro-Armenian, none is pro-Azerbaijani.
“TASS” published 57 articles, 17 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 24 of the Armenian side, 16 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 14 out of 16 materials are neutral, 1 is pro-Armenian, 1 is pro-Azerbaijani.
“Regnum” published 45 articles, 10 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 16 of the Armenian side, 19 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 13 out of 19 materials are neutral, 6 are pro-Armenian, none is pro-Azerbaijani.
As of yesterday, more pro-Armenian articles and comments were published in the Russian press. Russian and Russian-based experts mainly spoke about the settlement of the Artsakh conflict through negotiations.
The statement of Armenian football player Henrikh Mkhitaryan appeared in the Russian press. According to the statement, the football player called on Russian President Putin, French President Macron, US President Trump to stop the war: “Azerbaijanis are attacking the civilian population. Their fate will always be distorted,” Mkhitaryan added.
According to media reports, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated that the specific timetable demanded by Azerbaijan for the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Artsakh is simply infeasible.
“TASS” news agency has made a report on how the residents of Gandzak live in shelters. “TASS” agency acted unilaterally it this case, as Stepanakert, Shushi, Hadrut, a number of other cities are being bombed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, the Azerbaijani side has launched a well-planned fight against the civilian population, but the TASS report has not referred to the above-mentioned cities.
