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Ruben Vardanyan, one of the former so-called “state ministers” of the Armenian administration in Karabakh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Azerbaijani court on Tuesday.
The verdict was delivered at the Baku Military Court, where Vardanyan was tried on charges including “financing terrorism,” “participation in the formation and activities of illegal armed groups,” and “committing war crimes.”
The court ruled that Vardanyan be sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.
A billionaire businessman who previously lived in Russia and held Russian citizenship, Vardanyan renounced his Russian nationality in September 2022, moved to Karabakh and assumed office as a so-called “state minister” in the Armenian administration there.
Vardanyan, who was reported to have a criminal background involving money laundering, illegal arms trafficking and drug trafficking, made provocative statements against Azerbaijan on his social media accounts.
Following Azerbaijan’s counterterrorism operation launched on Sept. 19, 2023, Vardanyan was detained and arrested while attempting to cross into Armenia.
After regaining control of the region, Azerbaijani authorities arrested several separatist leaders on war crimes charges. Armenia has demanded their release.
The Baku Military Court said Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison “under articles of the criminal code relating to crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, as well as articles connected with terrorism, and financing of terrorism.”
Vardanyan has rejected the charges and declared himself a political prisoner.
A former Russian banker who built his fortune as a co-founder of Moscow-based investment bank Troika Dialog, Vardanyan led Karabakh’s self-declared Armenian administration between November 2022 and February 2023.
Forbes magazine estimates his family’s wealth at $1.1 billion.
His trial opened in January 2025 and was held separately from proceedings against 15 other former separatist officials, who were sentenced earlier this month to terms of up to life imprisonment in a separate war crimes case.
Armenia has called for the release of the detainees and said it would pursue “all possible steps,” including international legal action, to protect their rights.
Last year, Amnesty International raised concerns over Vardanyan’s detention conditions and fair trial guarantees, citing allegations that he was held in solitary confinement and pressured to sign documents in a language he does not understand.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a peace agreement last year, mediated by United States President Donald Trump.
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