AnewZ documentary exposes Ruben Vardanyan’s financial crimes PHOTO / VIDEO

International broadcaster AnewZ has produced a documentary examining the financial dealings and political activities of Ruben Vardanyan.

According to local media, the channel is holding a press conference to present The Oligarch's Design, which traces Vardanyan’s trajectory from a figure in Russia’s financial elite to his involvement in political processes in the Karabakh region.

The documentary highlights Vardanyan’s role in the Troyka Laundromat case, drawing on verified materials and investigative findings, while also exploring other aspects of his influence, financial networks, and activities.

Speaking at the press event, AnewZ TV director Rufat Hamzayev said production began in January this year.

“Since January, we have been filming this documentary. The investigation was conducted according to international standards. Shooting took place across eight countries, including Armenia, Ukraine, the United States, Israel, and Azerbaijan. Around 100 people were involved in making the film. Today marks its premiere,” he said.

Following successful counter-terrorism operations in the Karabakh, Azerbaijani special services have detained several former officials of the collapsed Armenian separatist regime.

Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian businessman known for financially and politically supporting separatism, was the first high-profile arrest. He was detained on September 27 at the Armenia-Azerbaijan conditional border after attempting to flee.

During the 2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan war, Vardanyan was in Karabakh, publicly discussing his backing of the separatist regime. In September 2022, he moved to Karabakh illegally after renouncing his Russian citizenship. From November 2022 to February 2023, he assumed the role of “state minister” of the self-declared Armenian entity in the region, actively promoting recognition of so-called “Artsakh” and calling for armed resistance.

Vardanyan faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Articles 100.1, 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation and forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenary activity), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18 (violations of international humanitarian law norms during an armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, 120.2.12 (intentional murder), 29.120.2.1, 29.120.2.3, 29.120.2.4, 29.120.2.7, 29.120.2.11, 29.120.2.12 (attempted intentional murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1, 218.2 (creation of a criminal group), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 270-1.2, 270-1.4 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278.1 (forcible seizure or retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279.1, 279.2, 279.3 (creation of armed formations not provided for by law), and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border).

By Aghakazim Guliyev