Ruben Vardanyan accused of planning "Nemesis-2" terror plot against Azerbaijani diplomats Details of the court session in Baku / PHOTO

On February 13, the court hearing on the criminal case against Ruben Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia accused under several articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including torture, mercenarism, violation of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, and financing of terrorism, continued.

The open court session took place at the Baku Military Court, located within the Baku Court Complex, under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov as members of the judicial panel (reserve judge Gunel Samadova). The defendant was provided with a translator to communicate in his preferred language, Russian, as well as legal counsel for his defense, Caliber.Az reports via Azertag.

The court session was attended by the victims, their legal successors and representatives, prosecutors representing the state prosecution, as well as the Head of the Apparatus of the Cabinet of Ministers, Rufat Mammadov, who participated as the representative of the victim on behalf of the Azerbaijani state.

At the beginning of the session, Ruben Vardanyan and his defense lawyer, Avraam Berman, requested the court to provide conditions for a confidential meeting.

The court granted the motion and announced a recess for the confidential meeting.

After the recess, Ruben Vardanyan stated that he was refusing the state-appointed defense lawyer, Azer Maharramov, and that his legal defense would continue under his contracted lawyer, Avraam Berman.

The prosecution and the victim’s representative did not object to the motion.

Following deliberation, the court granted the request.

The session then proceeded with the announcement of the concluding part of the indictment by the prosecutors representing the state prosecution.

During the latest court hearing, the indictment outlined that the Armenian state, its government institutions, officials, military forces, and illegal armed groups were directly involved in and responsible for acts committed under their leadership, oral and written orders, directives, and instructions. It also detailed their material, technical, and personnel support, as well as centralised administration and strict control over operations carried out on Azerbaijani territory in violation of domestic and international legal norms, with the intent of committing military aggression against Azerbaijan.

Furthermore, the indictment covered episodes related to the aggressive war waged by Armenia and the aforementioned criminal group, including the leadership, direct and indirect involvement of individuals such as Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikayeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikayeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Musheghi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Karamyan, Monte Charles Melkonian and others.

The hearing also addressed the damage inflicted on the Azerbaijani Army's defence arsenal, Azerbaijan’s ecology and natural environment, as well as the landmining of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territories under occupation. Additionally, specific charges brought against Ruben Vardanyan were announced, along with the number of civilians and military personnel killed or subjected to attempted murder.

The Assistant to the Prosecutor General for Special Assignments, Tugay Rahimli, announced the damage inflicted on Azerbaijan’s defense arsenal, ecology, and natural environment by the criminal organization involved in Armenia’s aggressive war, as well as the number of civilians and military personnel who were killed or targeted for killing.

It was stated that from the late 1980s until September 20, 2023, Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories resulted in the destruction of trees, shrubs, and other greenery, the pollution of water sources, reservoirs, and lakes, as well as the devastation of agricultural lands. These actions caused a total material loss exceeding 13.4 billion manats ($7.9 billion) to Azerbaijan’s ecology and natural environment.

Between 1988 and 2024, a total of 18,351 individuals were deliberately killed, including 3,053 civilians and 15,298 military personnel. Among them were 17,607 men, 744 women, and 401 children. Additionally, 55,177 people suffered various degrees of bodily injuries, including 3,710 civilians and 51,467 military personnel. Among them were 54,103 men, 1,074 women, and 457 children.

During the period of aggressive war against the Republic of Azerbaijan, deliberate material damage exceeding 908 million manats ($534 million) was inflicted on the defense arsenal of the Azerbaijani Army, with military assets being destroyed, rendered unusable, or seized.

Subsequently, Nasir Bayramov, Head of the Department for the Protection of State Prosecution at the Prosecutor General’s Office, announced the specific charges brought against the defendant, Ruben Vardanyan.

According to the indictment, in September 2022, Ruben Vardanyan illegally crossed into Azerbaijani territory from Armenia, bypassing official border checkpoints, and entered the Lachin district. He then settled in the area of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh economic region where Russian peacekeeping forces were temporarily deployed.

Vardanyan allegedly collected funds, both for himself and for citizens of various foreign countries, under the guise of humanitarian initiatives through organizations such as the Aurora Foundation and We Are Our Mountains, among others. Using these funds, he provided financial and logistical support to illegal armed formations and groups that were not recognized under Azerbaijani law, supplying them with military equipment and provisions. Additionally, he unlawfully acquired and smuggled military weapons and hardware into Azerbaijan, storing them in pre-established military warehouses.

Additionally, Vardanyan allocated and distributed monthly salaries to members of so-called "local self-defense units," which were not recognized under Azerbaijani law, as well as to other armed groups primarily composed of professional military personnel.

Furthermore, he colluded with Vladimir (Vova) Levanovich Vartanov, the founder of the terrorist organization VoMa, and provided funds for the organization of training sessions led by VoMa instructors. These trainings were specifically designed to prepare individuals for carrying out terrorist acts against Azerbaijani citizens.

Moreover, Vardanyan negotiated with officials of the AKVA company, operating in the Russian Federation, to establish large-scale production of guided anti-aircraft missiles and systems, target detection stations, battery and radio transmission units, and other military devices. These were intended for use against civilian and military targets in Azerbaijan’s occupied sovereign territories. He also planned to create a joint enterprise for this purpose.

Additionally, he facilitated discussions and issued directives for the procurement of helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for illegal armed groups operating in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories. This included efforts to construct a UAV manufacturing plant and to acquire electronic warfare systems for subsequent delivery to these illegal formations.

At the same time, Ruben Vardanyan personally drafted an operational plan advocating the launch of the "Nemesis-2" terrorist operation, which aimed to carry out acts of terrorism against Azerbaijani diplomatic representatives abroad, as well as citizens fulfilling their official duties and public service obligations.

Continuing with the announcement of the charges, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev, along with state prosecutors Fuad Musayev, Vusal Abdullayev, and Tarana Mammadova, highlighted the deliberate mining of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territories occupied by Armenia. They emphasized that this act was a means of prolonging military aggression and noted that a portion of the mines planted in these areas had been manufactured in Armenia.

Given the extensive volume of the indictment, the court stated that its announcement would continue in the next session.

The next hearing has been scheduled for February 17.

Ruben Vardanyan has been charged under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan for multiple offences, including Article 100 (Planning and waging an aggressive war), Article 107 (Deportation or forcible displacement of the population), Article 109 (Persecution), Article 112 (Unlawful deprivation of liberty in violation of international law), Article 113 (Torture), Article 114 (Mercenarism), Article 115 (Violation of the laws and customs of war), Article 116 (Violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflicts), Article 214 (Terrorism), and Article 214-1 (Financing of terrorism). 

Additionally, he is accused under Article 218 (Establishing a criminal organisation), Article 228 (Illegal acquisition, possession, transportation, and sale of weapons, ammunition, explosive substances, and devices), Article 270-1 (Acts threatening aviation security), Article 278 (Violent seizure and retention of power, forcible alteration of the constitutional order), Article 279 (Creation of armed groups and formations not provided for by law), and Article 318 (Illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan), along with other charges.

By Vugar Khalilov