In a statement, Vardanyan’s office in Yerevan said he made the decision after Azerbaijani authorities allowed him to telephone his wife, Veronika Zonabend.

“During the short conversation, the family informed him about growing pressure exerted on Azerbaijan by various officials from all over the world,” it said. “After learning about the global movement to free Armenian prisoners and heeding the family’s requests, Ruben Vardanyan reluctantly agreed to end the hunger strike.”

According to the family, Vardanyan began refusing food on April 5 to demand the immediate release of himself and seven other political and military leaders of Karabakh who were also arrested when Baku recaptured the region last September.

The statement said Vardanyan’s prison conditions “continue to deteriorate” and he still lacks access to adequate medical care.

“We are deeply concerned about my father’s deteriorating health but we are not at all surprised by his bravery,” it quoted his son David as saying.

David Vardanyan, who was interviewed by CNN earlier this week, expressed hope that “this growing international attention will lead to his and other Armenian prisoners’ release in the near future.”

Ruben Vardanyan, who held the second-highest post in Karabakh’s leadership from November 2022 to February 2023, was arrested at an Azerbaijani checkpoint on the main road connecting Karabakh to Armenia as he fled the region along with tens of thousands of its ordinary residents. He was subsequently charged with “financing terrorism,” illegally entering Karabakh and supplying its armed forces with military equipment. He denies the accusations.

Born and raised in Armenia, Vardanyan is a former investment banker who made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s and 2000s. He is also known as a philanthropist who has financed many charity projects in Armenia and Karabakh.

The 55-year-old tycoon renounced his Russian citizenship, relocated to Karabakh and was appointed as state minister shortly before Baku blocked traffic through the Lachin corridor. He made defiant statements during and after his short tenure, urging the Karabakh Armenians to resist Azerbaijani efforts to force them into submission.