Why do you think Ruben Vardanyan popped up in Karabakh? Who sent him there? If you believe that a Russian oligarch who helps the Kremlin and those with connections to it to launder and move money abroad has the luxury of making such decisions on his own, you are either very naive or do not understand the Russian system and the way it functions. By the way, it is worth noting that many “experts” in the West, with scholarly titles, etc., who discuss and write about Russia, do not really have a profound understanding of Russia, which Moscow actually very smartly takes advantage of, luring these poor souls into its corridor of reflexive control.
Every Russian oligarch who has been given the opportunity to make billions has his own PERSONAL OBLIGATIONS to the Kremlin. In Russia, evading, gaming, and ignoring one’s obligations results either in death or, in the best case, in a prison sentence. The Kremlin uses oligarchs as its pockets to finance its operations, including information operations. For example, oligarch Vladimir Potanin finances campaigns to discredit Western sanctions against Russia. Through trusted people, he has broad connections with large PR firms in the West, through which he approaches Western journalists, mass media, bloggers, analysts, etc.
Regarding South Caucasus, particularly Karabakh, Russia cannot allow losing its influence there. At the same time, Moscow cannot trust Pashinyan or the Armenian diaspora, and even more so, the puppets in Karabakh who call themselves “president” or “ministers.” It needs its own man, who has the name, experience, connections, and most importantly, money, so who could it be? The answer is obvious. But Moscow’s scenario did not go ahead according to the plan, as Baku clearly understood Moscow’s game and took measures to disrupt it. At this stage, Baku has generally succeeded. By the way, the separatist puppets in Khankendi should be grateful to Baku, as the Azerbaijani government, having weakened Vardanyan, extended their existence.
Ruben Vardanyan is just one piece in Moscow’s global game, not the most important, but also not the minor one. After Azerbaijan established a checkpoint in Lachin and closed the Lachin road for the free movement of the Armenian military personnel, military supplies, and separatist leaders, Vardanyan became trapped. Ukraine also wants to question him as an essential figure in the Kremlin’s scheme of shadow financing. With consideration of all these circumstances, it becomes pretty clear that Vardanyan has very few options, and therefore he is forced to spend more of his personal funds on the smear campaign against Azerbaijan. There are Western “experts,” “journalists,” “lawyers,” “analysts,” and “politicians” who display Ukrainian flags on their avatars while at the same time gaining financial or other benefits from cooperation with Vardanyan. Although they rhetorically support Ukraine, in reality, they cooperate with those who recognize the LPR/DPR, help the Kremlin evade sanctions, and are on Ukraine’s sanctions list. This certainly very well illustrates the commitment of these people to the principles that they declare, but that is another story. Having established the checkpoint and then closed the Lachin route, including for the Russian peacekeepers, and offered them an alternative route of Agdam-Khankendi, Azerbaijan also seriously enraged Moscow by limiting Moscow’s ability to deliver weapons to the Armenian military and armed separatist units in the region. At the moment, Moscow cannot afford a direct confrontation with Azerbaijan. Therefore they act through Vardanyan, the separatist authorities, and its wide network of influence in the West. I don’t know how long this situation will continue, and I don’t know either what the outcome will be because I’m not a clairvoyant. I also call on the authorities of Azerbaijan to use all the capacities of the Agdam-Khankendi road to provide medical and humanitarian aid to Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian descent who live in the area of temporary responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
I am firmly convinced that most of these people became hostages of the geopolitical interests of Moscow and its puppets in the region. Liberation of the South Caucasus from the Russian presence may start from Karabakh.
Azerbaijan was one of the first Soviet republics that initiated the withdrawal of Russian troops after the collapse of the USSR.
Ali Hajizade
