CORRECTED: Ruben Vardanyan of ‘Troika Laundromat’ fame appointed state minister of breakaway Artsakh Republic
Correction: An earlier version of this news brief incorrectly reported that Ruben Vardanyan had replaced Arayik Harutyunyan as the president of Nagorn-Karabkah. In fact, Harutyunyan has appointed Vardanyan as state minister. Meduza apologizes for the mistake.
The ultra-wealthy entrepreneur and investor Ruben Vardanyan has been appointed the new minister of state in the breakaway republic of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.
Arayik Harutyunyan, the president of the unrecognized republic, announced Vardanyan’s appointment on Artsakh’s official website.
In early September, Vardanyan gave up his Russian citizenship and moved to Nagorno-Karabakh with an Armenian passport. By late October, he had consented to becoming Harutyunyan’s minister of state.
Ruben Vardanyan is the former owner of the Troika Dialog investment company and founder of the Skolkovo business school. In 2021, Forbes estimated his worth to be a billion dollars, ranking him 116 among Russia’s 200 richest people.
In 2019, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) published a series of investigations about Vardanyan and his “Troika Laundromat,” tracing $4.5 billion in hidden transfers to Russia’s most influential people.
Follow Meduza in English on Twitter to stay up to date.
Meduza survived 2024 thanks to its readers!
Let’s stick together for 2025.
The world is at a crossroads today, and quality journalism will help shape the decades to come. Real stories must be told at any cost. Please support Meduza by signing up for a recurring donation.