The Artsakh Defence Army ( hy, Արցախի Հանրապետության պաշտպանության բանակ, Artsakhi Hanrapetut’yan pashtpanut’yan banak) is the defence force of the breakaway
Republic of Artsakh
Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a list of states with limited recognition, breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan ...
(
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked country, landlocked region in the Transcaucasia, South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik, and covering the southeastern range o ...
). Established in 1992, it united previously disorganized self-defence units which were formed in the early 1990s with the goal of protecting the ethnic
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
population of Artsakh from attacks by
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
and
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
i armed forces.
History
Establishment
The Artsakh Defence Army was founded on 9 May 1992. It created "its own central command and military structure distinct from the
Armenian Army
The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...
." Its founders included
Robert Kocharyan
Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( hy, Ռոբերտ Սեդրակի Քոչարյան ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh from ...
(the former President of Armenia, he was the first commander-in-chief of the Army);
Serzh Sargsyan
Serzh Azati Sargsyan ( hy, Սերժ Ազատի Սարգսյան, ; born 30 June 1954)[Of ...](_blank)
(former Prime Minister and President of Armenia);
Vazgen Sargsyan
Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan ( hy, Վազգեն Զավենի Սարգսյան, ; 5 March 1959 – 27 October 1999) was an Armenian military commander and politician. He was the first Defence Minister of Armenia from 1991 to 1992 and then from 1 ...
(Armenia's Defence Minister 1992–93, State Minister in Charge of defence 1993–95, Armenia's Prime Minister 1998–99);
Monte Melkonian
Monte Melkonian ( hy, Մոնթէ Մելքոնեան; November 25, 1957 – June 12, 1993) was an Armenian-American revolutionary and left-wing nationalist militant. He was the leader of an offshoot of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation ...
(responsible for
Martuni Province
Martuni Province ( hy, Մարտունու շրջան) is a province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
History
The territory was formed from the Soviet-era raion of Martuni District within t ...
);
Samvel Babayan
Samvel Andraniki Babayan ( hy, Սամվել Անդրանիկի Բաբայան; born 5 March 1965) is an Armenian military commander and politician from Nagorno-Karabakh. He was one of the founders and main commanders of the Artsakh Defence Army ...
(Nagorno-Karabakh's Defence Minister from 1994 to 2000) and others.
Many of the men who served in its ranks and in the officer corps during the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
were seasoned veterans of the
Soviet military
The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...
and had fought in the
Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
.
[ Giragosian, Richard. "Armenia and Karabakh: One Nation, Two States." '' AGBU Magazine'' 19/1 (May 2009), pp. 12–13.]
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The formal formation of the NKR Defence Army was rooted in the concept of the ''Jokat'' (volunteer
detachment).
With the early outbreak of hostilities prior to 1992, Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh began forming small detachments of volunteers, often self-described as ''
Fedayeen
Fedayeen ( ar, فِدائيّين ''fidāʼīyīn'' "self-sacrificers") is an Arabic term used to refer to various military groups willing to sacrifice themselves for a larger campaign.
Etymology
The term ''fedayi'' is derived from Arabic: '' ...
'', inheriting the name of the fighters who actively resisted the Ottoman Empire in the final decades of the nineteenth and early decades of the twentieth centuries.
At the outset these detachments were small groups of no more than 12–40 men. For example, during
Operation Ring
Operation Ring (russian: link=no, Операция «Кольцо», translit=Operatsia Kol'tso; hy, «Օղակ» գործողություն, ), known in Azerbaijan as Operation Chaykand ( az, Çaykənd əməliyyatı) was the codename for th ...
,
Shahumyan
Shahumyan Province ( hy, Շահումյան, Shahumyan, also spelled ''Shaumyan'' and ''Shahumian'') is a claimed province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The capital of the province was K ...
was defended by a force as small as 22 men under the command of
Tatul Krpeyan __NOTOC__
Tatul Zhorzhiki Krpeyan ( hy, Թաթուլ Ժորժիկի Կրպեյան; 21 April 1965 – 30 April 1991) was an Armenian commander. He was the self-appointed leader of paramilitary units in Getashen and Martunashen villages in Shahum ...
. These volunteer
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
would initially arm themselves with whatever was available, including hunting shotguns borrowed from local farmers and even home-made rifles. In the later stages of the war, these units armed themselves with
AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...
s,
RPGs RPG may refer to:
Military
* Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon
**''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade launc ...
and sometimes
MANPADs, transforming the defence force into a highly mobile and flexible force that was capable of waging
guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...
. Likewise, these units initially had no heavy military equipment, but later started taking over large quantities of Azerbaijani tanks and
armored personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world.
Acc ...
s that were abandoned on the battlefield. Most of these captured tanks and APCs later became part of the NKR Defense Army's equipment. Improvization, multi-functionality, creativity, strong-morale, focus on defensive tactics, adaptation, flexibility, high-mobility and a native knowledge of the mountainous terrain are all important factors in understanding the combat success of these small units.
The initial purpose of these detachments, made up of volunteers, was mainly to defend Armenian civilian population, each in a particular village or town. Each of them was operating independently with no central command or leadership. Yet, these units would regularly collaborate in joint operations such as the battle of Khojaly in February 1992 or the June 1992 surprise counter-offensives during
Operation Goranboy
Operation Goranboy was a large-scale military offensive by Azerbaijan in the summer of 1992. Its aims were to take complete control of the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and put a decisive end to the secessionist Nagorno-Karabakh Republic ...
. The increasing scale and intensity of Azerbaijani attacks, the devastation caused by
Grad multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a volle ...
s firing from
Shusha
/ hy, Շուշի
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg
, image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govhar ...
and the
Lachin
Lachin ( az, Laçın, , ; hy, Բերձոր, translit=Berdzor; ku, Laçîn) is a town in Azerbaijan and the administrative center of the Lachin District. It is located within the strategic Lachin corridor, which links the disputed region of Nag ...
, the blockade from mainland
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
had broadened the notion of
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...
beyond the mere defence of a small village. Capturing Shusha and Lachin as well as turning the tide of Operation Goranboy became, for the Armenians, not only a matter of security, but that of survival. For the successful conduct of such large-scale operations, the detachments had to be consolidated under a single, unified command.
Mient Jan Faber argues that "August 1992 marked the watershed between purely voluntary Armenian Karabakh forces reinforced by volunteers from Armenia and an organised NKR army with its own central command and a military structure distinct from the Armenian army."
Post war
The Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army's primary role after the conclusion of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994 is the protection of the NKR from foreign and domestic threats. Though the war ended with the signing of a
cease fire
A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...
between Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan and the ''de facto'' independence of the NKR, the Azerbaijani leadership repeatedly threatened to restart hostilities to retake the region. Violations of the cease fire along the line of contact were frequent and often resulted in the deaths of several soldiers and civilians each year. One of the most significant breaches of the ceasefire occurred in
Martakert
Martakert ( hy, Մարտակերտ, also , ) or Aghdara ( az, Ağdərə ) is a town ''de facto'' in the breakaway Republic of Artsakh as the administrative capital of its Martakert Province, ''de jure'' in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, i ...
on 8 March 2008, when up to sixteen soldiers were killed. Both sides accused the other of starting
the battle. In June 2010,
new skirmishes broke out between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops along the line of contact, resulting in the deaths of four Armenian servicemen.
[OSCE, EU Condemn Karabakh 'Armed Incident']
" ''RFE/RL
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
''. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010. Clashes in summer 2014 resulted in the deaths of six Armenian and thirteen Azerbaijani servicemen. On 12 November 2014, a Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army
Mi-24
The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been o ...
attack helicopter participating in the week-long joint Armenian–NKR Unity 2014 military exercises was
shot down by the Azerbaijani military, killing all three crew members. On 1 April 2016 large scale clashes began along the line of contact, which lasted for four days and came to be known as the
Four-Day War
The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, also known as the Four-Day War,, IPA: ʰɑroɾjɑ pɑtɛɾɑzm az, Dördgünlük müharibə April War,; or April clashes, began along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact on 1 April 2016 with the Artsakh ...
. According to several sources they were the worst since 1994. These clashes culminated in the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...
, in which the Artsakh Defence Army was defeated while fighting against the
military of Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani Armed Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri) were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) had originally formed ...
.
In May 2021, President
Arayik Harutyunyan
Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan ( hy, Արայիկ Վլադիմիրի Հարությունյան; born 14 December 1973) is an Armenian politician who has been serving as the President of Artsakh since 2020. He was formerly the 1st State Minister fr ...
announced plans to transform the Defense Army into a professional combat force.
Structure
The
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
serves as the chief administrative body of the Defence Army.
Chiefs of Staff
* Lieutenant General
Anatoly Zinevich
Anatoly Vladimirovich Zinevich (; uk, Анатолій Володимирович Зіневич; ; 20 November 1932 – 1 August 2000) was a Soviet, and later Armenian General-Lieutenant of Ukrainian origin, for whom "Armenia became the second ...
(1994–1997)
* Major General
Kamo Vardanyan The name Kamo may refer to the following:
Places
Japan
(Note: ''kamo'' (wiktionary:鴨#Japan, 鴨), is the common word for ''duck'' in Japanese, but the following names do not necessarily mean ''duck'' and are not necessarily written with that Ka ...
(-11 September 2021)
Defense Districts
* Central Defense District
* Hadrut Defense District
*Martuni Defense District
*Askeran Defense District
*Shahumyan Defense District
Central Defense District
NKR self-defense detachments were formed on 22 February 1988. At the end of 1991 and at the beginning of 1992, more than ten volunteer detachments and detachments were formed in Stepanakert and included more than a thousand fighters. Motorized regiments were then formed on the basis of the following structure:
* 1st Motorized Rifle Battalion
* 2nd Motorized Rifle Battalion
* 3rd Motorized Rifle Battalion
In September 1989, the Central Defense District (also known as the Stepanakert Defense District) was formed on the basis of those battalions. The 8th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade is part of the district, being formed on 14 October 1992. It is named after "Commander
Vazgen Sargsyan
Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan ( hy, Վազգեն Զավենի Սարգսյան, ; 5 March 1959 – 27 October 1999) was an Armenian military commander and politician. He was the first Defence Minister of Armenia from 1991 to 1992 and then from 1 ...
".
Hadrut Defense District
Its first battalion was formed on 16 July 1992. The district was formed in September 1992, in accordance with the order of the Chairman of the Committee for Self-Defense of the Artsakh Republic in August 1992.
Martuni Defense District
It was formed in September 1991 by the order of the President on the basis of self-defense detachments and platoon operating in the region. The Mataghis Military Unit is part of the district. It was based in the
Madagiz
Madagiz ( hy, Մատաղիս, Mataghis) or Sugovushan (, ), is a village in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population prior to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
settlement of the
Martakert Province
Martakert Province ( hy, Մարտակերտ) is a province of the Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The population is mainly Armenian. The province has 43 communities of which one is considered urban and 42 a ...
. In May 2017, the commander and two deputies of the military unit were dismissed after 3 soldiers drowned after their UAZ-315195 vehicle fell into a reservoir. Among its notable commanders was
Mikael Arzumanyan
Mikael Alberti Arzumanyan ( hy, Միքայել Ալբերտի Արզումանյան; born 12 June 1973) is a Lieutenant General from the Republic of Artsakh, who formerly served as the Commander of the Artsakh Defence Army and Minister of Defence. ...
, the current Commander of the Defense Army, serving as the commander of the unit at the age of 22.
Shahumyan Defensive Region
The Yeghnikner ("The Deers") Detachment was founded on 11 March 1993 and is considered to be one of the most elite units of the army of the unrecognized republic. It originated from a partisan unit created by Shahen Meghryan, which was formed on 25 June 1992 from self-defense detachments of the district villages. Among its symbols were the coat of arms of the Meliks of Gulistan and its unit banner. The Shahumyan Defensive Region (SDR) was formed by the Chairman of the Self Defense Committee in March 1993, originally incorporating two battalions Between 1993 and 1994, SDR units participated in battles and operations in
Martakert
Martakert ( hy, Մարտակերտ, also , ) or Aghdara ( az, Ağdərə ) is a town ''de facto'' in the breakaway Republic of Artsakh as the administrative capital of its Martakert Province, ''de jure'' in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, i ...
and
Shahumyan
Shahumyan Province ( hy, Շահումյան, Shahumyan, also spelled ''Shaumyan'' and ''Shahumian'') is a claimed province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The capital of the province was K ...
.
On 2 October 2021, President Arayik Harutyunyan conferred the title of
Hero of Artsakh
Hero of Artsakh ( hy, Արցախի հերոս, Artsakhi heros) is the highest title of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh. According to the official website of the President of Artsakh, the title Hero of Artsakh "is awarded for exceptional se ...
on the commander of the Yeghnikner unit Karen Jalavyan. After the 2020 war, rumors on the Internet claimed that the unit had to leave its positions, which was denied by the commander.
Askeran Defense District
Askeran Defense District was formed by the order of the NKR IPC President of August 14, 1992. There are 4 rifle battalions in the district:
* 1st Rifle Battalion
* 2nd Rifle Battalion
* 3rd Rifle Battalion
* 4th Rifle Battalion
Personnel
The Artsakh Defence Army is currently composed of around 20,000 officers and soldiers and maintains a "constant state of readiness, undergoing more serious combat training and operational exercises than any other former Soviet army."
The Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army maintains a small air force with a personnel of around 250 men.
The Army is a conscript force, with there also being a growing number of professional officers.
Personnel units
Special Forces
The Special Forces of the Artsakh Defense Army was established in 2000. Based on the previous National Guard, it carries out both of planned and unplanned combat operations. Among its notable commanders were Samvel Harutyunyan. On 11 August 2010, a memorial fountain was unveiled in Aygestan community of Askeran region on August 10 in memory of the fallen soldiers of the Special Forces. The memorial was built with the financial means of the former and current servicemen of the detachment. Their professional holiday is on 5 November.
Engineer Battalion
The Defense Army has an engineering battalion that is involved in the clearance of minefields of strategic importance. It was formed on 1 February 1995. Roles Aghajanyan was the first head of the Defence Army engineering services.
Educational institutions
*
Vazgen Sargsyan Military University
The Vazgen Sargsyan Military University ( hy, Վազգեն Սարգսյանի անվան ռազմական համալսարան) is a higher educational institution functioning in the system of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia. Its mission is to ...
*
Kristapor Ivanyan Military College
Kristapor Ivanyan Military College ( hy, Քրիստափոր Իվանյանի ռազմական քոլեջ), is a college and military educational institution based in Stepanakert and operated by the Artsakh Defense Army.
Background
It is named a ...
*
Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University
The Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University ( hy, Արմենակ Խանփերյանցի անվան ռազմական ավիացիոն համալսարան) is a higher educational institution of the Armenian Air Force functioning under t ...
*
Yerevan State Medical University
The Mkhitar Heratsi Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU, hy, Երեվանի Մխիթար Հերացու անվան Պետական Բժշկական Համալսարան), is an Armenian medical university located in Yerevan, Armenia.
History
On ...
Military Faculty
Equipment
The Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army's equipment consists of infantry, tanks, artillery and anti-aircraft systems. The Karabakh army's heavy military hardware includes: 186
[DeRouen, Karl and ]Uk Heo Uk Heo is a university distinguished professor of political science in the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.Uk Heo
Univ ...
(eds.) ''Civil Wars of the World: Major Conflicts since World War II''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2007, p. 151.[Hans-Joachim Schmidt,]
Military Confidence Building and Arms Control in Unresolved Territorial Conflicts
, PRIF Reports No 89, Frankfurt am Main,
2009, p.12. tanks, 68
armoured vehicles, 98
artillery pieces of calibres over 122mm, 44
multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a volle ...
s
(most likely
BM-21 Grad
The BM-21 "Grad" (russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit= hail) is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first comba ...
), and an anti-aircraft defence system of an unspecified type
WM-80
The WM-80 is a multiple rocket launcher formerly used by the People's Liberation Army of China and sold to other states like Armenia.
The MRL system was developed by Norinco on Chinese designed Type 83 ( WM-40) 273mm. It adopts a modular design, ...
,
Scud-B
The R-17 Elbrus, GRAU index 9K72 is a tactical ballistic missile, initially developed by the Soviet Union. It is also known by its NATO reporting name SS-1C Scud-B. It is one of several Soviet missiles to carry the reporting name Scud; the most ...
: at least 4 launchers.
As for infantry, most rely on the
AK-74
The AK-74 (Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974) is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily associated with the Soviet U ...
rifle and older
AKM
The AKM () is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It is the most ubiquitous rifle of the Kalashnikov rifles. It was developed as a replacement to the AK-47 introduced a decade prior.
Introduc ...
s in reserve for standard-issue rifles. Other basic weapons consist of
Makarov PM
The Makarov pistol or PM ( rus, Пистоле́т Мака́рова, r=Pistolét Makárova, p=pʲɪstɐˈlʲet mɐˈkarəvə, t=Makarov's Pistol) is a Soviet semi-automatic pistol. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it ...
pistols,
PK machine guns, and
RPG-7
The RPG-7 (russian: link=no, РПГ-7, Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot) is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. ...
rocket launchers, all mostly supplied by Armenia. The Nagorno-Karabakh military is deeply integrated with the
Armenian military, and the NKR depends on the
Armenian Army
The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...
to ensure its survival as an independent national entity. Armenia considers any act of aggression against Karabakh as an act of aggression against itself.
Ground Forces
Small arms
Armored combat vehicles
Artillery
Air Forces
Military holidays
Shushi Liberation Day
Shushi Liberation Day () is a national holiday celebrated in Armenia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh. It is commemorated on both 8 and 9 May as a way to celebrate the anniversary of the Capture of Shusha and the Siege of Stepanakert (r ...
(9 May) and Homeland Defender's Day (28 January) are two military holidays celebrated by the Defence Army. The former commemorates the founding of the military as well as the Capture of Shusha and the traditional
Victory Day celebrations commemorating the surrender of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
at the end of the
Great Patriotic War
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...
in 1945. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as a "triple holiday". An annual
military parade
A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...
[Պաշտպանության բանակի զորահանդեսները](_blank)
/ref> is held in the capital, with a reception being held at the local House of Officers in the capital.
Whereas the Armenian Army
The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...
celebrates Army Day
Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day.
Africa
Egypt
In Egypt, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 6 October, ...
on 28 January, the Defence Army celebrates Homeland Defender's Day on the same day.
See also
*Land mine situation in Nagorno-Karabakh
The region of Nagorno-Karabakh and areas around it are considered to be some of the most heavily mined regions of the former Soviet Union. Mines were laid from early 1990s by both Azerbaijani and Armenian forces during and after the First N ...
References
External links
Important Facts about the NKR Defence Army (Nagorno Karabakh Army)
Office of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Washington, D.C.
Official website of NKR Ministry of Defence
Official YouTube Channel of the NKR Defence Army
{{Military of Europe
Military units and formations established in 1992
Military of the Republic of Artsakh
Military of Armenia