Azerbaijan arrested Ruben Vardanyan, his wife confirms

Azerbaijan’s authorities have arrested Ruben Vardanyan, a Russian-Armenian businessman and philanthropist who served as Artsakh’s state minister for around four months, his spouse Veronika Zonabend has confirmed.

He was arrested at the Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor on Wednesday morning.

"This morning my husband was arrested and captured by Azerbaijani authorities while trying to leave Artsakh along with thousands of other Armenians fleeing the Azerbaijani occupation,” the woman said in a statement.