A ministry statement said the ambassador was told it was “absolutely inadmissible” to provide the means, during an EU-sponsored gathering on Monday for “the ringleader of the Kyiv Nazi regime, V Zelensky, to voice terrorist threats against Russia” in connection with Russia’s Victory Day commemorations.

The statement said there was “justified indignation” in Moscow over Zelensky’s “outrageous behaviour” and the absence of Armenian criticism.

Russia’s defence ministry had earlier responded to what it saw as threats by Zelensky by saying Moscow’s military would launch a retaliatory strike against Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted ceremonies marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova doubled down on that statement, telling diplomatic missions to take Moscow’s warnings seriously and evacuate their staff in good time.

In his comments in Armenia, Zelensky noted that Moscow had said its commemorative parade would proceed without displays of military hardware, adding: “It will be the first time in many, many years they cannot afford military equipment and they fear drones may buzz over Red Square. This is telling”.