Turkish engineer called on New York professor to reconsider position on Vardanyan case

Turkish engineer whose developments are used by the United States Navy and United States Air Force, founder of Integrated Polymer Industries, developer of coatings ensuring the low observability of B-2 strategic bombers, researcher and writer Ergün Kırlıkovalı sent a letter to New York University professor and writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb, addressing the systemic misconceptions surrounding the "philanthropic" activities of Ruben Vardanyan.

In his letter, E. Kırlıkovalı outlined his position regarding Taleb's statements and Vardanyan's activities.

Azertag publishes the text of the letter:

"Dear Nassim Nicholas Taleb!

I am writing to you in connection with your recent statement published on the social network X, in which you announced your refusal to deliver a lecture in Baku, citing the fact that Ruben Vardanyan continues to remain in custody.

It appears deeply ironic that an author who has dedicated his career to warning the world about hidden financial risks, narrative traps, and systemic blindness has himself fallen under the influence of a carefully constructed information narrative.

A comprehensive analysis of Ruben Vardanyan's financial network, the history of his activities, and his subsequent political moves indicates that his widely known image as a philanthropist is largely what you yourself would call a "narrative shield" — a tool concealing illegal financial activity and contributing to the undermining of geopolitical stability.

Let us turn to the facts.

The investment bank Troika Dialog, with which Vardanyan was associated, was at the center of a money laundering scheme known as the "Troika Laundromat." According to investigations by international financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, this network, using mechanisms of multi-layered "stratification" of financial flows, offshore structures, intermediary banks, and shell companies, facilitated the illegal transfer of billions of dollars out of Russia and systematically concealed the identities of the ultimate beneficiaries.

Furthermore, the results of banking investigations indicate that within this scheme, personal data of ordinary citizens were used, who often were not even aware that corporate accounts had been opened in their names. Through these accounts, funds were transferred along complex international financial routes.

In addition to systematic financial violations, Vardanyan's activities have serious legal and international consequences.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, his name appeared in a number of international monitoring mechanisms in connection with accusations of providing material, technical, and logistical support to key sectors of the Russian economy serving military needs.

His inclusion in the Ukrainian database "Myrotvorets" characterizes him not as a bystander, but as a person who provided