Arrested Ruben Vardanyan was accused of financing terrorism

A citizen of Armenia, former Minister of State of Nagorno-Karabakh Ruben Vardanyan was brought to justice on charges of financing terrorism, illegally crossing the state border to commit terrorist attacks and organizing illegal armed groups. The State Security Service of Azerbaijan reported this.

The day before, Vardanyan was detained by Azerbaijani border guards. Previously, he was a citizen of the Russian Federation, a billionaire on the Forbes list. Vardanyan has repeatedly criticized Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for “surrendering” Karabakh and called on the Russian leadership to provide support to the region and Armenia.

Today it was announced that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will officially cease to exist in 2024. Nikol Pashinyan said that there will be no Armenians left in the region in the coming days: “This is an act of ethnic cleansing and deprivation of the homeland, which we have already talked about more than once.” Almost half of the Armenian population of the unrecognized republic left for Armenia.

Последние новости
Following Moscow's criticism, Karapetyan demanded the annulment of the Armenian election results
Politics
Following Moscow's criticism, Karapetyan demanded the annulment of the Armenian election results
12 June 2026

The Strong Armenia party, affiliated with Russian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan, sent a request to the Central Electoral Commission demanding the annulment of the Armenian parliamentary election results.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for the release of Azerbaijani independent press representatives
Human rights
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for the release of Azerbaijani independent press representatives
12 June 2026

The International Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed strong disapproval of the prison terms requested by the prosecutor for nine activists and journalists from Toplum TV, which range from 13 to 16 years. Gulnoza Said, CPJ program coordinator, emphasized that such harsh punishments demonstrate the Azerbaijani authorities' desire to respond to courageous reporting and sow a climate of fear.
Muslim Murdiyev's mother called on the president and the head of Chechnya to protect him in prison
Human rights
Muslim Murdiyev's mother called on the president and the head of Chechnya to protect him in prison
11 June 2026

15-year-old Chechen boy Muslim Murdiyev was transferred from a Moscow pretrial detention center to a juvenile correctional facility in the Volgograd region. The boy's mother appealed to Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov, asking them to ensure her son's safety.
Arrested Azerbaijani opposition journalist Afgan Sadigov has been banned from communicating with his relatives
Human rights
Arrested Azerbaijani opposition journalist Afgan Sadigov has been banned from communicating with his relatives
11 June 2026

Arrested Azerbaijani opposition journalist Afgan Sadigov has been banned from making phone calls and communicating with his relatives. He is currently being held in a pretrial detention facility in the Kurdakhani village of Baku, his wife reported.