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Russian billionaire of Armenian descent Ruben Vardanyan is an accomplice to aggression against Ukraine, reads a report of the public association “Back to Garabagh,” Report informs.
The document reads citing Conservative UK MP Bob Blackman that Vardanyan deserves to be on the list of those subject to international sanctions due to the war in Ukraine.
“We have to understand that this is someone who has been sanctioned as part of Russia's involvement in Ukraine, and it is believed that Russia is trying to strengthen its capabilities in terms of its war effort. His companies have been well used and well involved in the whole process of expanding the military presence in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh,” the British MP said.
“Known for his active pro-Russian stance, Ruben Vardanyan was included in the Ukrainian 'Peacekeeper' sanctions database for his assistance to the Russian invaders and his involvement in crimes committed by the Russian authorities against Ukraine and its citizens.
Vardanyan also has links with Tehran, which is helping Moscow in its regular attacks on Ukraine. His ties to Iran can be traced through Russia's Gorchakov Foundation, which organizes events in various countries, including Armenia, with government-approved speakers from Tehran,” reads the report.
The report did not ignore Vardanyan’s early criminal activities. Ruben Vardanyan, born in Yerevan on 25 May 1968, was once the head and main partner of Troika Dialog, an investment company that created an extensive network of offshore companies involved in money laundering from Russia. Since 2011, Forbes has included him in its ranking of Russia's richest people.
The system, dubbed the Troika Laundromat by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, involved at least 75 offshore companies and exported about $4.8 billion between 2006 and 2013, often through fictional deals, with the help of a now-defunct Lithuanian bank, according to the OCCRP's investigative journalists.
Sergey Roldugin, a cellist and friend of Vladimir Putin, was among the ultimate recipients of the funds.
“For more than two decades, Ruben Vardanyan was the face of Western-style investment banking as the founder of Troika Dialog during the birth of Russian capitalism, with successes that earned him billionaire status and ties to the Kremlin,” reads the report.
“In September 2022, Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship to avoid Western sanctions, but Ukraine included him on its sanctions list for providing logistical support to the Russian occupation army.
After renouncing his Russian citizenship to avoid Western sanctions, Vardanyan came to 'power' in Karabakh and illegally seized copper, molybdenum and gold deposits in the region, which belongs to Azerbaijan. The resources, guarded by the Russian military, were plundered in violation of environmental regulations. The Azerbaijani authorities demanded that experts be given access to the deposits, but this was repeatedly blocked," reads the report.
There are reasonable grounds to suspect that Vardanyan has committed offences under Articles 214-1 (Financing terrorism), 279.3 (Participation in the creation and activities of paramilitary groups or groups not provided for by law) and 318.1 (Illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, according to the report.
Who is Ruben Vardanyan?
— Back to Garabagh (@Back2Garabagh)
"Back to Garabagh" Public Union has prepared a report about fraudful Ruben Vardanyan ️
