AnewZ exposes financial schemes tied to Ruben Vardanyan in new documentary photo / video

The television channel AnewZ has presented a new documentary film titled “The Oligarch’s Design”, dedicated to examining how financial resources, political leverage, and deliberately constructed narratives can influence conflicts and shape public perception.

According to Caliber.Az, the documentary focuses on Ruben Vardanyan, tracing his trajectory from a representative of Moscow’s financial elite to his involvement in separatist processes in Karabakh. The creators stress that the film is based exclusively on verified sources and the results of investigative work. They emphasise that the project does not seek to impose evaluative judgments, but rather aims to document decision-making mechanisms, thereby contributing to greater transparency, accountability, and a deeper public understanding of the developments under review.

Speaking earlier at a press conference, Rufat Hamzayev, director of AnewZ TV, provided details about the scope and production of the project. “From January, we began filming this documentary. We conducted the investigation in accordance with international standards. Filming took place in eight countries — Armenia, Ukraine, the United States, Israel, and a number of other countries, including Azerbaijan. Around 100 people worked on the creation of the film. Today, its premiere will take place,” 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).