Former Minister of State of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Ruben Vardanyan was detained by the Azerbaijani military while trying to leave for Goris, Syunik region of Armenia. This information was confirmed by Vardanyan's wife.

She said that he "was arrested and taken prisoner by the Azerbaijani authorities at the border while trying to leave Artsakh". According to her, the former state minister was detained at a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor.

According to the Russian media, he was detained at the border while trying to leave the region with other refugees and go to Goris in Armenia. When the shelling of Nagorno-Karabakh began, Vardanyan, who was in the unrecognized republic, was one of the first to report the shooting, and later recorded a video calling on the UN to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan and Armenia to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh's independence.

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The Kremlin said that they have no information about Ruben Vardanyan's detention.

"If this is the case, we will defend his rights if he has Russian citizenship," said the press secretary of the Russian president.