Ruben Vardanyan: Armenian Separatist Leader Sentenced to 20 Years in Azerbaijan
Baku, Azerbaijan – A court in Azerbaijan sentenced Ruben Vardanyan, the former state minister of the dissolved Armenian separatist administration of Nagorno-Karabakh, to 20 years in prison on Tuesday, according to state media reports.
The 57-year-old billionaire was convicted on 19 charges, including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, and terrorism, Azerbaijani authorities stated. Prosecutors had initially sought a life sentence for Vardanyan, who served as state minister of the breakaway region until its seizure by Azerbaijan in September 2023.
Vardanyan denied all charges leveled against him. In October 2025, he dismissed his legal counsel, characterizing the proceedings as a “farce,” according to reports. During his final statement to the court earlier this month, Vardanyan focused on the necessitate for Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation, asserting that lasting peace could only be achieved “when We find two equal neighbors.”
His family released a statement calling the verdict “horrifying but expected,” alleging that the trial was conducted behind closed doors and did not meet standards of a fair trial.
Vardanyan’s arrest occurred in September 2023 as he attempted to abandon Nagorno-Karabakh during Azerbaijan’s military offensive. While in pre-trial detention, he staged two hunger strikes in protest of his prosecution. Prior to his involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh politics, Vardanyan was a prominent figure in Russian finance, founding the investment bank Troika Dialog and the Skolkovo business school. He renounced his Russian citizenship in 2022 before assuming the role of state minister.
The sentencing of Vardanyan follows similar verdicts earlier this month for 15 other former leaders of the Nagorno-Karabakh administration. Several, including former president Arayik Harutyunyan, former foreign minister David Babayan, former parliament speaker David Ishkhanyan, and former defense army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, received life sentences.
The Azerbaijani takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 triggered a mass exodus of approximately 100,000 ethnic Armenians, who fled the region fearing retribution and repression. The Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh did not intervene during the offensive. The self-declared republic, which had existed since 1991, formally ceased to exist on January 1, 2024.
In the wake of the Azerbaijani takeover, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a declaration recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, encompassing 86,600 square kilometers, including Nagorno-Karabakh.