politics
February 18, 2026
Ex-Russian billionaire handed 20-year sentence in Azerbaijan
A court in Azerbaijan has handed billionaire and former Russian citizen Ruben Vardanyan a 20-year prison term
TL;DR
- Ruben Vardanyan, a billionaire and former Russian citizen, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- He was convicted of multiple crimes, including waging aggressive war, terrorism, and violent seizure of power, related to his role in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
- Vardanyan was detained in September 2023 while attempting to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory that Azerbaijan regained control of in 2023.
- His family stated the sentence was "horrific, but expected" and condemned the closed-door trial as unfair.
- Vardanyan, 57, co-founded the investment firm Troika Dialogue, which was acquired by Sber in 2011.