Billionaire Ruben Vardanyan published a video message on his social networks in which he announced the renunciation of Russian citizenship and moving to the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) against the backdrop of aggravation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Recall that the countries have not yet signed a peace agreement, despite the end of the active phase of the Second Karabakh War in November 2020.
I made a decision, realizing the risks I was taking, to renounce Russian citizenship and move to Artsakh (the self-name of the NKR — Note ed.). This decision was very difficult, but so right. I hope my Russian partners and friends will accept this decision of mine as the decision of their friend.
Vardanyan explained his move with a desire to support local residents. He noted that the conflicting parties must go through “a gradual way to reduce the degree of hatred.” He also expressed gratitude to Russia for the presence of peacekeepers on the territory of the unrecognized republic and appealed to the world community to pay attention to the conflict between Yerevan and Baku.
The news was commented on by former Tatler columnist Yunia Pugacheva in her telegram channel.
Perhaps we are also observing optimization to preserve assets and fortunes, because it is known that Ruben Karlenovich created holder structures not only for himself, but also for a very large group of Russian officials and oligarchs just from the time of Troika. And maybe we're watching the — “the new president of Armenia/prime minister”, since it is obvious that the current political situation in Armenia is unstable and its pro-Russian position is due to the hopelessness of both the geographical position and the material. And, apparently, the Kremlin does not see a reliable comrade in any of the current Armenian politicians. But Ruben Karlenovich — It's another matter, your man.
It is quite obvious that simply going to Artsakh to protect the interests of Armenia did not require at all to give up a Russian passport. Unlike Ukraine, there are no problems with dual citizenship in Armenia. Since it is almost impossible to get out of Russian citizenship (it takes years), it is clear that Vardanyan had support in this matter. (author's spelling and punctuation preserved. — Ed.)
Ruben Vardanyan — Russian billionaire of Armenian origin, one of the founders of the Troika Dialog brokerage company, which was bought by Sberbank in 2011. Forbes estimates his fortune at $1 billion. In 2021, Vardanyan took 116th place in the list of the richest people in Russia according to the publication.