Armenian authorities have opened a criminal case against Russian blogger Nadezhda Pirozhkova over her criticism of the country's traditional Vardavar festival. The investigation was launched on the grounds that the blogger spread hate speech against the Armenian people.
In a video posted on Instagram on July 12, Pirozhkova harshly criticized the Vardavar tradition. "This is not a sign of culture; it is disrespect to those who do not want to participate. If I am in your country, I am not obliged to follow traditions. This is outright aggression!" she said. In a story shared the same day, she showed moments when water was poured on her and described the Armenian people as a "pack of rats."
The posts quickly went viral, garnering more than 250,000 views. They drew strong backlash from both the Armenian public and the Russian diaspora. Most of the more than 5,000 comments on the post were condemnatory. Russian blogger Galina Tish also reacted, saying: "Civilized people! You love to say such things about Armenia. Then why do you come here? Because there is gasoline, the internet works, and you can buy clothes?"
Following the backlash, Pirozhkova apologized on July 14. "I understand that many people took this as disrespect to the Armenian people, and I am truly sorry. That was not my intention, and it still isn't," she said. However, most of her followers did not find the apology sincere, and calls were made for the blogger to be deported or imprisoned.
Armenia's Investigative Committee confirmed it had opened a case under the article covering the crime of publicly spreading hate speech. The offense carries a penalty of up to four years in prison. Pirozhkova was released after three days in detention and is now under supervision with a travel ban.
Vardavar is a summer festival in Armenia where people have fun by pouring water on each other. According to tradition, water is believed to have healing properties on that day and to bring luck to the person who gets wet.
Pirozhkova used the controversy to boost her blog traffic. Her follower count, which was around 1,000 in May 2026, surpassed 68,000 after the incident. The blogger, who changed her profile bio to "That Nadya Vardavar," is trying to generate income by posting videos titled "Why an entire country hates me" and selling products on blog management under the name "visibility steps."
According to her own account, Pirozhkova settled in Armenia with her husband and child after the "situation everyone knows about" in Russia, and later separated from her husband. She says she cannot access her documents due to a problem with her landlord. She also states that she cannot return to Russia because she has debts there and fears a travel ban could be imposed.
