On July 1, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan responded to criticism from his Russian colleagues over his proposal to consider halting the broadcast of Russian TV channels in Armenia.

Writing in Russian on social media, Simonyan dismissed common narratives that blame Western influence or human rights issues for the "destruction of the century-old friendship." Instead, he identified certain Russian state TV channels and journalists as the primary source of damage to bilateral relations. He listed their repeated offenses, including: insulting Armenia’s elected authorities, unfavorably comparing Armenian society to Russia’s, questioning Armenia’s sovereignty, calling for unconstitutional rallies, and interfering in Armenia's internal affairs.

Simonyan challenged his Russian counterparts to imagine a reverse scenario where Armenian state TV insulted Russian leadership or questioned its territorial integrity. He argued that Armenian citizens endure such content from Russian channels daily. This, he asserted, is what truly undermines Armenian-Russian relations—not Western actors or Armenians themselves.

Simonyan concluded with a direct appeal for an honest reflection on the root cause of the tensions. "This must stop!" he insisted. “Either you stop it, or we will.”