Moment grim-faced Putin squirms in his seat as Armenian PM hails the significance of democracy and social media freedom throughout Kremlin assembly
Armenia’s prime minister made Russian despot Vladimir Putin squirm in his seat by extolling the virtues of democracy and social media freedom to his face at a Kremlin meeting.
In an extraordinary sequence, the Russian dictator – famed for rigging elections and blocking the internet – scratched and fidgeted during a lecture from a smirking Armenian premier Nikol Pashinyan.
A deeply uncomfortable Putin, 73, was made to listen to the former street protester and political prisoner boast of the benefits of democracy in his ex-Soviet state.
‘Regarding our domestic political processes, you know, Armenia is a democratic country… this has become a routine thing for us,’ said Pashinyan, 50.
‘We actually hold municipal elections twice a year – highly politicised.
‘People also vote for or against political parties… but this is a fundamental issue for us.’
Po-faced Putin tapped his feet, shuffled his legs, clasped his hands, picked his fingernails and scratched his head as he faced the unusual ordeal of a democratic leader with the audacity to publicly mock him inside his citadel of power.
Pashinyan did not mention the current savage crackdown on the Russian internet but instead simply extolled Armenia’s web openness, his message clear.
A deeply uncomfortable Putin, 73, (pictured) was made to listen to the former street protester and political prisoner boast of the benefits of democracy
The Russian dictator scratched and fidgeted during a lecture from a smirking Armenian premier Nikol Pashinyan (pictured, left)
‘Our social media, for example, is 100 percent free,’ he told the writhing Putin.
‘There are no restrictions whatsoever.’
Pashinyan, on a visit to Moscow, then made clear to Putin – in power as president or premier for more than a quarter of a century – how he could be ousted in an Armenian election.
‘And I would like to point out that, for example, we have parliamentary elections coming up, elections for members of parliament, and based on the results of these elections, [the prime minister is chosen].’
Pashinyan, an adept user of social media, calmly told the tyrant: ‘I’m confident that following our upcoming elections, democracy in Armenia and people’s power in Armenia will be further strengthened.’
Putin’s entourage – led by veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, 76 – look on uneasily.
The Russia ruler’s most prominent foes like charismatic anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny and ex-deputy PM Boris Nemtsov have ended up dead.
The brave Pashinyan lecture came as Putin is dismantling social media freedom in Russia, seeking to block the country’s most popular platform, Telegram, because it refuses to open its algorithms to his security service.
Instead, Russians are being forced onto state-approved MAX – a surveillance tool app bristling with spyware, which is controlled by the FSB security service and, astonishingly, owned by a member of Putin’s extended family.
Despite Kremlin denials, VPNs – virtual private networks – are also facing a clampdown.
