Ruben Vardanyan was charged with financing terrorism

Former state minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), billionaire and former head of the Russian investment company Troika Dialogue, Ruben Vardanyan, has been charged with financing terrorism. The State Security Service of Azerbaijan reported this, transmits TASS.

It is specified that he was arrested.

Vardanyan was detained On September 27, on the border of Azerbaijan while trying to travel from Karabakh to Armenia. Initially, his wife reported this, but later the information was confirmed by the Azerbaijani border service. The department clarified that Vardanyan was taken to Baku and handed over to “the relevant government authorities to make an appropriate decision.”

On the same day, the government of Armenia appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to oblige Azerbaijan to provide data on the condition and location of Vardanyan.

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov September 27 saidthat Vardanyan has Russian citizenship, so Russia should be informed of his detention. He added that Moscow will protect Vardanyan’s rights. At the same time, the Kremlin representative did not comment on the refusal of the former NKR State Minister to renounce Russian citizenship.

In the fall of 2022, Vardanyan announced his decision to renounce Russian citizenship and move to Nagorno-Karabakh. Vardanyan explained his move with a desire to support local residents who are “in a difficult psychological state.”