Ruben Vardanyan (politician)

Ruben Karleni Vardanyan (Armenian: Ռուբեն Կառլենի Վարդանյան, Russian: Рубен Карленович Варданян; born 25 May 1968) is a Russian-Armenian oligarch and a politician who served as the State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), an unrecognized state in the South Caucasus, from 4 November 2022 until 23 February 2023. Vardanyan was close to Vladimir Putin and likely had influential access to him. Vardanyan continued his support and work in Artsakh following his dismissal from the post of State Minister in 2023. Vardanyan has engaged in efforts to promote economic and social advancement in Armenia and Republic of Artsakh, focusing on long-term development projects.

Prior to his political career, Vardanyan was a businessman and philanthropist. He is the former chief executive officer and shareholder of the Troika Dialog investment bank, which was the hearth of the Troika Laundromat. In 2021, his net worth was estimated by Forbes at $1 billion.

In September 2023, following the Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and subsequent flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, Vardanyan was detained by Azerbaijani authorities in the Lachin corridor. A number of internationally renowned public figures and organizations have called for the release of Vardanyan along with other former de facto Nagorno-Karabakh officials, considering his detention to be politically motivated or in violation of international laws.