Ruben Vardanyan

Ruben Vardanyan is an Armenian philanthropist, social entrepreneur and public figure whose work has spanned business, education, humanitarian initiatives and long-term development projects in Armenia and Artsakh. Before entering public service, he built an international career in finance and was one of the leading figures behind Troika Dialog. Over the following decades, he increasingly focused on philanthropy and institution-building.

Vardanyan and his family, together with partners, supported major projects in Armenia including UWC Dilijan, the Wings of Tatev project, the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology and numerous educational, cultural and development initiatives. He is a co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, established in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to those who saved lives during it. His work made him one of the most internationally recognized Armenian philanthropists of his generation.

In 2022, as pressure on Artsakh intensified, Vardanyan moved to Artsakh and later became State Minister. He served during the Azerbaijani blockade, when more than 100,000 Armenians were cut off from Armenia and faced severe shortages of food, medicine, fuel and other basic necessities. After leaving office, he remained in Artsakh and continued supporting humanitarian and development programs rather than leaving the population during the blockade.

Following Azerbaijan’s September 2023 attack on Artsakh and the forced displacement of its Armenian population, Vardanyan left Artsakh for Armenia together with Major General Davit Manukyan. Both were traveling in the same car when Azerbaijani forces stopped them at the illegal checkpoint near the Hakari Bridge in the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor, took them hostage and transferred them to Baku. Unlike the other Artsakh leaders, he was subjected to a separate closed-door sham trial on dozens of charges that he rejected as fabricated and politically motivated. In 2026, a Baku military court illegally sentenced him to 20 years in prison. His case has since been taken to the European Court of Human Rights. He remains an illegally held Armenian hostage in Azerbaijan.