Billionaire Ruben Vardanyan, a former minister in the government of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and former Russian citizen who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Azerbaijan, has appealed to the Armenian Ombudsman, Anahit Manasyan, through his family. While in a Baku prison, Vardanyan reported his recent meeting with the Azerbaijani Ombudsman, Sabina Aliyeva.
Ramazan Mkhtse, a lawyer and activist from Cherkessk, has become the subject of new criminal cases. He has been charged with publicly calling for attacks on state security and publicly disseminating "fakes" about the Russian Armed Forces.
The charges stemmed from a video posted by Ramazan Mkhtse on his YouTube channel. Specifically, the video claimed that Russian troops had destroyed cities in Ukraine. Investigators determined that his actions were motivated by political hatred and hostility toward the Russian Federation.
In 2025, Ramazan Mkhtse was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for disseminating "fakes" about the Russian army. The charges stemmed from a video titled "Time to Change! No to War!" The court ruled that the video was intended to discredit the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine.
The sentence was handed down in absentia because Ramazan Mkhtse is currently abroad. He is a lawyer and activist dedicated to preserving Abaza culture and has previously been awarded a certificate of honor by the parliament of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.