Anti-Armenian Vandalism Raises Tensions in Southern Russian

Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, DC
Aug 3 2005

(August 3, 2005)

Recent incidents of vandalism targeting ethnic Armenians in Russia’s
Northern Caucasus have raised inter-ethnic tensions, according to
separate reports by the Regnum news agency. The latest incident took
place on July 29, 2005. According to a Regnum report the next day,
29 gravestones in the cemetery of Verkhny Yurt (Krasnodar region) were
toppled and defaced. Most of the gravestones marked the final resting
places of ethnic Armenians. Local police believe the vandalism was the
work of a mentally ill person, and point to the words “schizophrenia”
painted on many of the gravestones. The local Armenian community,
however, sees the incident as an act of ethnic hatred and are demanding
that police treat it as such.

Considering the fact that on July 16, an Armenian church was burned
down by arsonists in the city of Budyonnovsk, according to a July
19 Regnum report, the attitude of local Armenians to the cemetery
vandalism is understandable.