Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
The wife of the former minister of state of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, ex-citizen of the Russian Federation, billionaire Ruben Vardanyan reported that contact with him had been lost.
People around the businessman confirm this information, and TV presenter Tina Kandelaki wrote on the social network: “Friends, my friend, former Minister of State of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan was arrested by the Azerbaijani military.” According to media reports, he was detained today by the Azerbaijani side at a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor.
At the end of 2022, Vardanyan decided to withdraw from his status as a citizen of the Russian Federation. He left Russia and became the Minister of State of Nagorno-Karabakh, calling on the Russian leadership to provide support to the region and Armenia. He later left his post under pressure from Azerbaijan.