She fled Russia for Armenia, then insulted its summer water festival. Now Russian blogger Nadezhda Pirozhkova faces up to four years in prison for ‘incitement to hatred.’

Armenia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against Nadezhda Pirozhkova, a Russian national who publicly criticized the traditions of the Vardavar holiday. The agency confirmed the case to the Russian news outlet Vot Tak.On Vardavar, the Armenian summer holiday that falls 14 weeks after Easter, getting soaked with water is the whole point — and no one is supposed to take offense. “The water is believed to have healing properties on this day,” the outlet Novosti-Armenia said, “so being doused only brings good luck.”On July 12, Pirozhkova posted a reel on Instagram complaining about the tradition of dousing people with water during Vardavar. “This isn’t a manifestation of culture, it’s a manifestation of disrespect toward people who don’t want to participate in it. […] If I’m in your country, I’m not obligated to follow some traditions. This is a direct display of aggression!” Pirozhkova said.According to Vot Tak, she also posted a story showing water being poured over her, in which she called Armenians “rat-like” — a detail that made its way into a write-up by the propaganda outlet Sputnik Armenia, which was also covering the criminal case against her. The story has since disappeared. Meduza couldn’t find it.Pirozhkova’s comments sparked widespread outrage. Her reel about Vardavar drew more than 250,000 views and over 5,000 comments, which have since been closed, and was condemned by both Armenians and members of the Russian diaspora. “My civilized ones! Those who love saying things like that about Armenia. So why do you keep coming here? Oh right, there’s gasoline, the internet works, and you can buy clothes?” blogger Galina Tish said in response to Pirozhkova’s video.On July 14, Pirozhkova posted an apology: “I understand that many saw this as disrespect toward the Armenian people. And I really am sorry. I did not have that intention, and I do not have it now.” Most commenters doubted her sincerity: some said she should leave Armenia if she doesn’t like the local way of life, others called for her to be deported or jailed, and some comments included insults.Pirozhkova is using the situation to promote her blog. In recent reels, she has said the viral videos about Vardavar boosted her reach and drew new followers. She has discussed what it’s like to endure a wave of negativity, why she keeps posting, and whether it’s acceptable to “capitalize on the Armenia hype.” Her profile bio now reads “That Same Nadya 🇦🇲 Vardavar,” and one of her recent videos is titled “Why an Entire Country Hates Me.”Pirozhkova makes no secret of her attempts to profit from her Instagram presence. The blogger has said she came to Armenia from Russia with her husband and child after the war [in Ukraine] began — what she calls “the situation everyone knows about.” She has since separated from her husband and lost access to her documents because of a dispute with her landlord. Pirozhkova has said she also can’t return to Russia because she has debts there and fears being barred from leaving the country as a result — a restriction that would keep her from seeing her child in Armenia. In her stories, she sells info products on blogging and ”the facets of being seen.”The criminal case against her was filed under a statute covering public statements that incite hatred, an offense punishable by up to four years in prison. Pirozhkova has said she was detained for three days before being released. She is now under a travel ban.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.