Republic of Komi
The Komi Republic is a federal subject of Russia and is situated to the west of the Ural Mountains.
According to the data of 2002 census of population, more than two thousand Armenians live in the Republic of Komi.
On December 9 2005 a memorial khachkar (cross-stone) was opened in the forest tract of Syktyvkar, the capital of Komi, in Dimitrov street. The stele made of red tufa was brought to the capital of Komi from Armenia and was placed in the place of the future Armenian Cultural Center. According to head of "Van" Republican Armenian National-Cultural Autonomy Vardan Musinian, the center will include a church and the office of the organization.
The town administration allotted rather an uneasy place for the khachkar in the respect of crime: the khachkar was placed in the forest tract dividing the Syktyvkar town cemetery and Dimitrov street.
Early in the morning of December 27 2005, unknown malefactors destroyed the khachkar in Syktyvkar: they pricked all over the monument with sharp subjects, after which overthrew and broke it.
According to the "Yerkramas" ("Territory") newspaper of Armenians of Russia, Vardan Musinian called that an act of vandalism and declared about the intention to restore the monument.
"If necessary, we will build ten such monuments," he declared.
Law-enforcement bodies were searching for the malefactors.
Sources[edit | edit source]
ARMENIAN MONUMENT AGAIN DESTROYED IN RUSSIA, Noyan Tapan, Armenians Today, December 29, 2005