|Ruben Vardanyan and Vladimir Putin | Archived photo: Sergey Zhukov | POOL | Image source: Kommersant
Can billionaire lobbyists turn the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize into a tool for public relations campaigns and promotion of personal or group interests?
This concerning question has arisen in connection with a recent bid to nominate Russian businessman Ruben Vardanyan for the award – a symbol meant to recognize true contributions to world peace, hope, and inspiration.
In April 2023, Kremlin-dependent Russian media outlets reported that an unnamed group had nominated Ruben Vardanyan for the Nobel Peace Prize. Simultaneously, a PR campaign was launched, portraying Vardanyan as a “dove of peace”: a philanthropist, a fighter for Armenian rights, and an upstanding individual.
The sheer volume of positive publications about Vardanyan in such a short timeframe made the PR campaign undeniably apparent. It seems Vardanyan’s lobbyists aimed to simply turn the revered Peace Prize into an instrument for PR purposes.
The narrative presented in these articles outwardly appears quite convincing. It is designed to create a positive characterization of Vardanyan and is intended for those who have heard little or nothing about him.
However, for those aware of Vardanyan’s ties to Vladimir Putin from the infamous Troika Laundromat corruption and organized crime scandal exposed by the OCCRP, as well as his co-ownership of KAMAZ (a company supplying the Russian military), his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize has sparked surprise and outrage.
Parliamentarians from Several Countries Unite Against Discrediting the Nobel Peace Prize
➤ Ukrainian members of parliament have written an open letter expressing that it is unacceptable and absurd to nominate for the Nobel Peace Prize an individual who supports terrorism, has been involved in corruption scandals, sponsors Russian aggression, and is an enemy of Ukraine.
The letter from the Ukrainian deputies was also supported by the head of the Lithuanian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), who signed a corresponding appeal to the Nobel Committee. This appeal states: “We cannot allow big money and white PR of a person with a questionable reputation to become a gateway to the ranks of Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Nobel Peace Prize laureates have proven through their lives and labors that peace, freedom and democracy are invaluable ideals.”
Additionally, 71 members of the Lithuanian Seimas (parliament) wrote in their appeal to the Nobel Committee about the individual in question, stating that it is unacceptable to nominate someone who “took a direct part in the implementation of the policy of misanthropic regimes.”
The letter from the Lithuanian MPs reads: “We are convinced that Vardanyan’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is a Russian influence operation to whiten the criminal’s reputation. This is proven by the launch of news into the information space by Russian primary sources – Sputnik and RBC. A person with such an unscrupulous reputation cannot be a contender for the most prestigious peace award in the world.”
Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevičius commented to NEWSROOM IN: “His candidacy will likely not be considered by the Nobel Committee. I don’t wish to discuss him further, as that gives extra attention. Vardanyan is undoubtedly Putin’s ally – I’ve followed him closely and know this figure well.”
One Lithuanian MEP told NEWSROOM IN anonymously: “I have heard about this. Lobbyists in the European Parliament were collecting some signatures in support of it. I don’t know if they succeeded. It’s sad that people have bad memory and don’t remember the high-profile investigation on the “Panama Papers” scandal, where Vardanyan was one of the main figures. We Lithuanians remember him well – we have a good memory for Putin’s accomplices.”
An MEP from Latvia also noted anonymously to NEWSROOM IN: “Vardanyan is a Nobel prize nominee? I hope no one will seriously consider his candidacy. Is Putin’s personal wallet now considered ‘holy’?! This is ridiculous. I understand money can buy many things, but surely not the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Members of Romania’s Parliament and MEP Cristian Terhes protested to the Nobel Committee, asking to withdraw Ruben Vardanyan’s candidacy from 2024 Nobel Peace Prize nominees immediately.
Claudia Bencescu, a member of NLP parliamentary group, wrote: “Russia’s unjustified aggression against the Ukrainian people has persisted for over two years. The entire Western world supports Ukrainians in their struggle for justice. Daily, we witness crimes and horrors occurring in our neighboring nation. Amidst this nightmare, nominating supporters of Russia’s repressive regime for the Peace Prize insults the world. This cannot be allowed. Slava Ukraini!”
Translated by Aivaras Goodman