The general picture of the coverage of the Karabakh conflict in the Russian media on October 15

On October 15, 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 18 articles, 6 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 5 of the Armenian side, 7 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts which all were neutral.

“Gazeta ru” published 20 articles, 8 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 5 of the Armenian side, 7 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 6 out of 7 materials are neutral, 1 is pro-Armenian, none is pro-Azerbaijani.

“Ria Novosti” published 60 articles, 26 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 28 of the Armenian side, 6 were calls, statements of different countries and structures, as well as comments of state officials and experts. 5 out of 6 materials are neutral, none is pro-Armenian, 1 is pro-Azerbaijani.

“TASS” published 27 articles, 8 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. 7 out of 11 materials are neutral, 3 are pro-Armenian, 1 is pro-Azerbaijani.

“Regnum” published 41 articles, 17 of which were the publications of the Azerbaijani side, 13 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, 2 are pro-Armenian, 1 is pro-Azerbaijani.

For a long time now, Russian media have been writing about terrorists fighting on the side of Azerbaijan, which launched a large-scale attack on Artsakh. The media say that the participation of terrorists in the conflict is unacceptable.

Russian media also published a statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who expressed the hope that Artsakh would be able to resist.

The interview of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev given to Dmitry Kiselyov was also neutrally presented.