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.’ — Meduza

Actualizare: 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.

Următoarele precizări oficiale vor arăta cât de mult se schimbă tabloul inițial și ce efect practic are informația publicată acum. Până atunci, faptele confirmate rămân reperul principal.