The announcement of charges against Ruben Vardanyan continued in the Baku Military Court today.
The trial in the criminal case against war criminal Vardanyan, accused of torture, mercenarism, violation of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing terrorism and other crimes, in underway.
The charges were announced on February 13 by Nasir Bayramov, Head of the Department for the maintenance of public prosecution of the Prosecutor General's Office.
According to the indictment, Ruben Vardanyan illegally crossed the border of Azerbaijan outside the checkpoint in September 2022, arriving from Armenia in the direction of the Lachin region and settling in the territory of the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers were temporarily stationed.
Vardanyan is accused of collecting funds - both his own and those of foreign citizens - from the Aurora Foundation and other organizations allegedly operating for "humanitarian purposes". The funds were used to supply illegal armed groups with weapons and military equipment, which were illegally imported into the territory of Azerbaijan.
It was also announced that the defendant allocated monthly salaries to members of the so-called "local self-defense units" and other armed groups not provided for by the legislation of Azerbaijan, consisting mainly of professional military personnel. Vardanyan conspired with the founder of the terrorist organization VoMa, Vladimir (Vova) Levanovich Vartanov, and financed the training of this organization's instructors for the committing terrorist acts against citizens of Azerbaijan.
Vardanyan also reached an agreement with the responsible persons of the company "AKVA", operating in Russia, on the establishment of mass production of guided anti-aircraft missiles and systems, target detection stations, battery and radio transmitting units, and other devices for use against civilian and military targets in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as well as on the creation of a joint venture.
He negotiated and gave instructions on the acquisition of helicopter-type UAVs for use by illegal armed groups in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, on the construction of a plant for the drones production, as well as on the acquisition and supply of electronic warfare systems to illegal armed groups.
In a personally drafted action plan, Ruben Vardanyan proposed launching the terrorist operation "Nemesis-2" to commit terrorist acts against representatives of the diplomatic corps of Azerbaijan in foreign countries and citizens performing their official and public duties.
The announcement of the indictment will continue in court on February 17.
