Paid campaign against justice The “dirty laundry” of the oligarch-swindler

Armenian oligarch Ruben Vardanyan, who worked in Russia for a long time but refused to renounce his Russian citizenship, has repeatedly been the subject of our publications. Meanwhile, the campaign in his defense continues, despite accusations of numerous crimes. Undoubtedly, the significant financial resources of the Vardanyan family play a major role in attracting new supporters to this campaign.

In particular, Mane Tandilyan, a representative of the "Aprilu Yerkir" party, which features the logo of Armenia, the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), and the seven districts of Azerbaijan previously occupied by Armenia, has reminded everyone of herself. At one time, she received funding from Vardanyan, who sought to promote his people in Armenian politics. However, Tandilyan failed to overcome the electoral threshold to enter the Council of Elders of Yerevan and, in simpler terms, suffered a defeat. Now, she has to "repay" the money invested in her. In this context, a frankly absurd statement appeared: Tandilyan announced a hunger strike in Freedom Square, calling on Ruben Vardanyan to abandon his hunger strike. Thus, the topic of hunger strikes is ultimately turning into a farce. It is worth recalling that the former leader of the Karabakh junta, Arayik Harutyunyan, also staged a sit-in in Khankendi but lasted only a few days.

The same is likely to happen with Vardanyan: he will end his hunger strike "at the request of the broad Armenian public." However, attempts to pressure the course of the trial through the dissemination of blatantly false and primitive information will not stop.

An example of this is the request by the Armenian website VERELQ to the Department of Information and Press of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking for a comment on the trial of Vardanyan and other former leaders of the Karabakh junta. The question directed to this Armenian media contained many provocative formulations, including the use of mythical terms like "Artsakh" and "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (“NKR”).

It is clear that the response from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs likely did not satisfy the Armenian provocateurs and Vardanyan's defenders. The Department of Information and Press of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded them that Vardanyan and the other former leaders of the Karabakh junta are not Russian citizens, thereby essentially indicating the inappropriate nature of the Armenian media's request.

Subsequently, the Russian side used standard diplomatic phrasing, expressing no willingness to intervene in the trial of Vardanyan and his associates. Formally, this is correct — he indeed has no connection to Russia today. However, the situation was different in the past. For example, an investigation by OCCRP revealed that the Russian private bank "Troika Dialog," led by Vardanyan, transferred billions of dollars from Russia to at least 35 bank accounts in Lithuania's Ūkio bankas.

The main payments are associated with Ruben Vardanyan, his family, and his inner circle — large businessmen and politicians known as "young reformers" or "systemic liberals."

In an interview with DW, the author of the investigation "Troika Laundromat," Paul Radu, noted that "bank accounts were registered in the names of poor Armenian citizens, from which transactions totaling tens of millions of dollars and euros were made, and these Armenians had no idea they were the formal owners of these millions." (Deutsche Welle)

$400,000 was transferred to the account of the "Troika" company — Brightwell Capital — as a debt and then invested in the authorized capital of the Russian firm "Novagro," whose main asset was a building in the center of Moscow that housed the first office of the Skolkovo business school. Ruben Vardanyan was one of its founders.

In January 2023, senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, Janusz Bugajski, wrote in a column for The Washington Times that Vardanyan was one of the wealthiest people in Russia and a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bugajski accused him of transferring funds to influential figures within Putin’s inner circle, facilitating financial operations that strengthened the positions of the Russian elite.

Members of the European Parliament have called for sanctions against Ruben Vardanyan, the former head of the Russian investment bank "Troika Dialog." In 2022, 46 members of the U.S. Congress also advocated for personal sanctions against him.

Furthermore, Vardanyan has been added to the "Peacemaker" sanctions database in Ukraine. A statement on the website notes that he is a member of the board of directors of the "Volga-Dnepr" company — a key Russian company involved in supporting actions that threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine.

British Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman stated: "Vardanyan is complicit in the aggression against Ukraine" (Unian). The Washington Times noted that in September 2022, he renounced his Russian citizenship to avoid Western sanctions but was later added to Ukraine's sanctions list for supporting Russian occupation forces. In an interview with BBC HARDtalk, Vardanyan openly refused to condemn Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.

But that was not all. The Vardanyan family, having spent significant financial resources, attempted to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize (!?). The National Interest published an article criticizing this nomination. The author, a political science professor at the National University of Ukraine, Taras Kuzio, emphasized that among Vardanyan's "achievements" were the sanctions imposed by Ukraine and his role in managing the "Volga-Dnepr" airline, which had contracted with the Russian military, funding operations against Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Additionally, 18 members of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada sent a letter to the Nobel Committee, urging them to reject Vardanyan's candidacy. "We consider it absurd to nominate for the Peace Prize a person who supports terrorism and separatism, is involved in corruption, and sponsors Russian aggression," the statement said. MP Yulia Yatsyk also expressed her outrage on Facebook: "Can there be a greater absurdity than the nomination of Ruben Vardanyan?"

This also caused outrage in Russia. Igor Korotchenko, the editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, called Vardanyan's nomination "a desire of the Armenian lobby" and an attempt to exert pressure on the judicial authorities of Azerbaijan, considering the serious accusations of financing terrorism and the numerous pieces of evidence against him.

Regarding Vardanyan's role in the Karabakh region, Nikolai Marchenko, deputy editor-in-chief of Bivol and former correspondent for Kommersant, noted that the Kremlin used complex political maneuvers to strengthen its influence in conflict zones. He pointed out that Vardanyan, as part of the oligarchic group, promoted rhetoric that did not contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

The Washington Times and News.ru reported that Vardanyan is accused of illegally seizing copper, molybdenum, and gold deposits in Karabakh, which belonged to Azerbaijan, and subsequently plundering these resources with the support of the Russian military. Moreover, according to The Washington Times, he attempted to provoke a humanitarian crisis by inciting Armenians to participate in anti-Azerbaijani demonstrations and falsely claiming that ecological protests were a blockade organized by Baku with the aim of starving Armenians.

The aforementioned British Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman, during a debate on the Karabakh issue on January 24, 2023, stated that through Vardanyan, Russia sought to strengthen its military influence both in the South Caucasus and in Ukraine. "A key issue is how Ruben Vardanyan, a Russian oligarch of Armenian origin, has been parachuted into Karabakh, apparently by Russia, and given a ministerial role."

i24News reported that Vardanyan held significant influence and was a key tool of the Kremlin in maintaining control over the region. According to the publication, this allowed Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Azerbaijani territory to effectively exercise power and pose a constant threat to the country. Geopolitical Monitor argued that Vardanyan's statements indicated his opposition to recognizing Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan within the framework of a future peace agreement with Armenia.

It is not surprising that the head of the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Verkhovna Rada, Anna Skorokhod, stated that Vardanyan deserves punishment not only for his actions in Karabakh but also for financing Russia's aggression against Ukraine. "Vardanyan is Putin's wallet, a sponsor of aggression against Ukraine, and a former leader of the illegal separatist entity in Karabakh. I hope that official Baku, where he is currently on trial, will remember that this man deserves punishment not only for Karabakh but also for his involvement in the aggression against Ukraine and financing the main dictator of the 21st century," she wrote on her Facebook page.

Member of the Servant of the People party, Mykola Halushko, also remarked: "A trial is currently underway in Baku against the leaders of the Karabakh separatists. One of them is Putin's puppet and wallet, Ruben Vardanyan. This man is a double enemy of Ukraine." His fellow party member, Yuriy Kamelchuk, in his TikTok and YouTube videos, stated: "This person is beyond reproach. If he were not under arrest in Azerbaijan, he should be delivered to Ukraine or Lithuania."

The words of Kamelchuk were supported by MP Oleksandr Fediyenko, who emphasized that Vardanyan is not a "local issue" for Azerbaijan and that his trial in Baku "holds great significance for the international community." MP Ihor Kryvosheyev reminded that an OCCRP investigation had been conducted into Vardanyan, and sanctions lists had been prepared in the US, EU, and Ukraine. The Navalny Foundation accused him of bribery amounting to $50 million.

Moreover, according to The Washington Times, Vardanyan has ties to Tehran, which supports Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. "His links with Iran can be traced through Russia’s Gorchakov Foundation, which organizes events in various countries, including Armenia, with the participation of government-approved speakers from Tehran."

This is the true portrait of a person accused in Azerbaijan of serious crimes. Even a brief acquaintance with his biography puts those who try to defend him in an absurd position. His trial is proceeding objectively and transparently, and its fair decision, as we can see, will be supported in many countries around the world.

At the same time, it is clear that a person involved in such global schemes, as outlined above, with a personal fortune exceeding $1 billion, possesses serious connections in various organizations and countries around the world. Through his dirty money, he has created an image of a "benefactor" and "philanthropist," as well as a co-founder of the humanitarian initiative "Aurora." Many of its members are now defending Ruben Vardanyan, demanding his release. They consciously ignore his separatist activities, statements that call for actions against the Azerbaijani state, and his promises to carry out something akin to another "Nemesis" operation, which poses a direct terrorist threat to Azerbaijani and Turkish citizens. Their "blindness" and "deafness" are understandable. Vardanyan is, to them, someone who generously showered them with money. Western politicians, parliamentarians from various countries, journalists, and political analysts were on his payroll.

However, the fact that Vardanyan ended up in the dock is the result of his conscious choice. He alone must bear responsibility for his actions. Despite the campaign in his defense, run by those he generously funded, there is no doubt that the dirty campaign by Vardanyan's relatives and the consultants they paid to attack our country will end in failure. But we will remember those who, even if for money, stood against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state.