 Azerbaijan's border service confirmed on September 27 that it had detained a former top official in the separatist ethnic Armenian administration of Karaba, Ruben Bardenian, as he tried to leave for Armenia. The Bardenian has been taken to Baku and handed over to other state agencies, etc. Bardenian, a billionaire investment banker, served as the head of Karaba's separatist government between November 2022 and February 2023, Karaba in an internationally recognized part of Azerbaijan. Baku regained control over the region after disarming illegal Armenian formations in Karaba in a lightning operation last week. The separatist region's representatives held talks with Baku over the region's reintegration to Azerbaijan.