Armed Forces of South Ossetia

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Armed Forces of South Ossetia
Flag of the Armed Forces of South Ossetia.gif
Flag of the Armed Forces of South Ossetia
South Ossetia parade.jpg
South Ossetian soldiers on parade
Motto "We shall never surrender!"
FoundedFebruary 23, 1992
Headquarters Tskhinvali
Leadership
Supreme Commander in Chief Alan Gagloyev
Minister of Defence Colonel Inal Sabanov
Personnel
Active personnel1,600
Industry
Domestic suppliersN/A
Foreign suppliersFlag of Russia.svg  Russia
Related articles
History
Ranks Military ranks of South Ossetia

The Armed Forces of South Ossetia is the military of the partially recognised state of South Ossetia. It includes an Army and an Air Corps.

Contents

The South Ossetian Army was formed in 1992, and is the primary defense force in the breakaway republic of South Ossetia, largely considered to be within internationally recognized Georgian territory.

According to the 2017 agreement with Russia, parts of the South Ossetian forces were integrated with Russia's 4th Guards Military Base stationed in the territory, while the size of the entity's remaining military is to be agreed with the Russian authorities. [1]

History

A South Ossetian soldier in 2011. South Ossetian Soldier.jpg
A South Ossetian soldier in 2011.

The Ossetian Republican Guard (Russian:Республиканская гвардия Осетии) was organized on 15 November 1991 to participate in the defence of the national capital of Tskhinvali. [2] Just a week later, Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia ordered over 10,000 soldiers to the republic. When it was created, it was mostly a loosely organized group of guerillas. [3] It was a participant in the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War, providing 2,400 guardsmen to fight against forces from the National Guard of Georgia. [4] On 17 November 1992, the Supreme Soviet of South Ossetia approved the formation the Ministry of Defence to lead the military. The first combat units of the national armed forces were formed in February 1993. The first units in the MoD was the Military Intelligence Unit and the Artillery Division. [5]

2008 South Ossetia War

The South Ossetian military fought against the Georgian forces in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. At the time of the major Georgian offensive, the bulk of the Ossetian force was concentrated in the settlement of Java to the north of Tskhinvali. [6] According to Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, what thwarted the Georgian operation in the end was the resistance offered by peacekeepers and lightly armed South Ossetian units that stayed behind to defend the capital. [6] Also Russian regular army forces entered the fighting on August 8 and drove deep into Georgia proper, occasionally accompanied or followed by South Ossetian militia who committed serious human rights violations, particularly in the Georgian villages of South Ossetia. [7]

According one estimate, the losses of the South Ossetian military forces, militia, and volunteers in the war amounted to 150 dead. [8] [9] According to a 2012 statement by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Russia had been training the South Ossetian militias as part of the Russian General Staff's 2006–2007 plan to rebuff Georgia in case of war. [10]

Partial incorporation into Russian Armed Forces

In March 2015, members of the Parliament of South Ossetia put forward a proposal to dissolve South Ossetia's military and fold it into the Russian Armed Forces, but the proposal was ultimately rejected by South Ossetian President Leonid Tibilov and Defense Minister Ibrahim Gassayev. The South Ossetian units were to be incorporated into the Russian military but remain separate units. [11]

On 31 March 2017, defence ministers of the two countries signed agreements whereby some units of the armed forces of South Ossetia would go under Russia′s command. [12]

On March 26, 2022, South Ossetian President Anatoliy Bibilov began sending troops whom have served in units under Russian command to Ukraine to assist Russia with its invasion of Ukraine. [13] [14]

Army

A South Ossetian military colour guard during a parade in Donetsk in 2018. 2018-05-09. Den' Pobedy v Donetske f066.jpg
A South Ossetian military colour guard during a parade in Donetsk in 2018.

The South Ossetian military has a total of 16,000 soldiers. 2,500 soldiers are on active duty and 13,500 are reservists.

Formations

Army Headquarters

  • General Staff
  • Intelligence Company
  • Communications Battalion
  • Transport Battalion
  • Special Forces Company
  • Sniper Company
  • Engineering Company
  • Security Company
  • Guard of Honour
  • Military Brass Band
    Members of the South Ossetian armed forces during a parade in Tskhinvali in May, 2009 South Ossetia parade.jpg
    Members of the South Ossetian armed forces during a parade in Tskhinvali in May, 2009

Regular Army

  • 10 Battalion
  • 11 Battalion
  • 13 Battalion
  • 15 Battalion
  • Tank Brigade
  • Logistics Brigade
South Ossetian security forces parading on Theatre Square in full dress uniform. Parade Pobedy v Tskhinvale 03.jpg
South Ossetian security forces parading on Theatre Square in full dress uniform.

Reserve Army

  • 17 Battalion
  • 18 Battalion
  • 19 Battalion
  • 20 Battalion
  • 21 Battalion
  • 22 Battalion
  • 23 Battalion
  • 25 Battalion
  • 26 Battalion

Personnel and training

There are 2,500 active duty soldiers and 13,500 reservist members within the South Ossetian Army (SOA). [15] Training within the SOA is conducted by both experienced South Ossetian troops and members of the Russian Airborne Troops. In August 2009 the SOA and Russia reorganized the 4 Air Mobile Brigade, as a joint forces brigade, which would have an active Russian military base in South Ossetia. This brigade has also been reported as the 4th Guards Military Base (ru:4-я гвардейская военная база). The Russian Airborne Troops are reported to have established an active military base outside of Java, South Ossetia and are reported to have trained SOA recruits since the summer of 2009.

Uniform

Beret colours

Combat uniform

All uniforms are donated by the Russian Ground Forces, the tri-coloured Flora pattern is standard issue throughout the SOA. It is planned that the SOA will wear a variant of the Ukrainian BDU camouflage.

Equipment

Armoured vehicles during the September, 2009 parade in commemoration of the declaration of independence in Tskhinvali Parade in Tskhinvali 2009.JPG
Armoured vehicles during the September, 2009 parade in commemoration of the declaration of independence in Tskhinvali

At the beginning of the 2008 South Ossetia War, the armed forces possessed the following equipment: [16] [17] [18] [19]

After the Russo-Georgian War, some of the tanks captured from Georgia's forces have been transferred to the South Ossetian military.

Retired equipment

See also

Related Research Articles

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South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia–State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked country in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated population of just over 56,500 people (2022), who live in an area of 3,900 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), with 33,000 living in the capital city, Tskhinvali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tskhinvali</span> Capital city of South Ossetia

Tskhinvali or Tskhinval is the capital of the disputed de facto independent Republic of South Ossetia, internationally considered part of Shida Kartli, Georgia. Tskhinvali Region, known historically as Samachablo, was always part of the Georgian state as a single military and administrative entity. It is located on the Great Liakhvi River approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Ossetia war (1991–1992)</span> 20th-century war

The 1991–1992 South Ossetia War was fought between Georgian government forces and ethnic Georgian militias on one side and the forces of South Ossetian separatists and Russia on the other. The war ended with a Dagomys Agreement, signed on 24 June 1992, which established a joint peacekeeping force and left South Ossetia divided between the rival authorities.

Joint Control Commission for Georgian–Ossetian Conflict Resolution (JCC) was a peacekeeping organization, operating in South Ossetia and overseeing the joint peacekeeping forces in the region. It was disbanded on October 10, 2008.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russo-Georgian War</span> 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia

The August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia, was a war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation and the Russian-backed separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The fighting took place in the strategically important South Caucasus region. It is regarded as the first European war of the 21st century.

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References

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  2. "Республиканская гвардия Осетии". 12 February 2017.
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  12. Подписано соглашение о вхождении части подразделений армии Южной Осетии в ВС РФ TASS, 31 March 2017.
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