Armenian volunteer units during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War

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The term fedayee was originally used during the Armenian national movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Still, it was also used to refer to the Armenian irregular forces in the early 1990s when the dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh was turning into the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Contents

Role

According to some estimates, the detachments played one of the decisive roles in the victory of the Armenian army, as they were the main force that fought in the first years of the war. These volunteer units formed the basis for the Armed Forces of Armenia.

List

Here is a list of the major Armenian volunteer detachments during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

NameIn ArmenianTranscribedNumber
(max. est.)		CommanderNotes
Armenian National Army Հայոց Ազգային Բանակ (ՀԱԲ)Hayots' Azgayin Banak (HAB) Razmik Vasilyan The Armenian National Army (ANA) was formed on 24 April 1989 in Yerevan, on the 74th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. It was dissolved in 1990. 15 freedom fighters were killed from the military unit. [1] [2]
Yerkrapah Volunteer Battalion [3] «Երկրապահ» կամավորական ջոկատ«Yerkrapah» kamavorakan jokat Vazgen Sargsyan Name means "'The country is safe' volunteer brigade"
Liberation ArmyԱզատագրական բանակAzatagrakan banak300 Leonid Azkaldian It was formed in January 1991 in Yerevan by volunteers from Armenia, the diaspora, and Artsakh. It was a large special operations force whose declared goal was to preserve the self-determination of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. [4] [5]
Crusaders [6] «Խաչակիրներ» ջոկատ«Khachakirner» jokat Garo Kahkejian
The Deers«Եղնիկներ» ջոկատ«Yeghnikner» jokat400 Shahen Meghrian
Shushi Independent Battalion «Շուշի» առանձնակի գումարտակ«Shushi» arandznaki gumartak Jirair Sefilian Formed from mostly Syrian and Lebanese Armenians. Most were members of the ARF.
Tigran the Great International Military Regiment«Մեծ Տիգրան» միջազգային ռազմական գունդըTigran Mets400 Armenak Armenakyan Created in 1990 under the command of Vazgen Sargsyan, this regiment consisted of 40 volunteer detachments. [7]
Davit of Sasun Battalion«Սասունցի Դավիթ» կամավորական ջոկատ«Sasunts'i Davit'» kamavorakan jokat500 Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan
DashnaktsakannerԴաշնակցականներDashnakts'akanner200 Tatul Krpeyan Members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashanktsutyun).
Sasun«Սասուն» ջոկատ«Sasun» jokat100 Sasun Mikaelyan The name is ref. Sason.
Cossack DetachmentIt consisted of 85 Cossacks who left Kuban voluntarily for Armenia. 14 died during the liberation of the village of Vank. .
Ossetian Battalion Օսական ջոկատ Ōsakan jokat Mirza Abayev
Ashot the IronԱշոտ ԵրկաթAshot Yerkat'250Karapet Jadoyan [8] name ref. Ashot II of Armenia
General AndranikԱնդրանիկ ԶորավարAndranik Zoravar400name ref Andranik
RevengersՎրիժառուներVrizharuner200
HaydatՀայդատHaydat200
MushՄուշMush300Name ref. Muş
Nork-MarashՆորք-ՄարաշNork-Marash200name ref. Nork, Yerevan and Kahramanmaraş
Malatia-SebastiaՄալաթիա - ՍեբաստիաMalat'ia - Sebastia200 Vahan Zatikyan name ref; Malatia-Sebastia District
Arabo Battalion ԱրաբոArabo200 Simon Achikgyozyan
(followed by Manvel Yeghiazaryan)		name ref. Arabo
Glorious WarriorsՊարապած մարտիկներParapats martikner300 H.G. Mkrtchyan
Detachment of HrazdanՀրազդանյան ջոկատHrazdanyan jokat200 Zarzand Danielian
TseghakronՑեղակրոնTs'eghakron Hagop Khachatryan
Daredevils of SassounՍասնա ծռերSasna tsrer Samvel Gevorgyan name ref. Sason
Suicide SquadՄահապարտների ջոկատMahapartneri jokat150Alexander Tamanyan
NartՆարտNartname ref. Nart saga?
Black PantherՍեվ հովազSev hovaz Ruben Egoyan
CobraԿոբրաKobraB. Agasaryan, N. Gulyan
AknalichԱկնալիճAknalichname ref. Aknalich
Echmiadzin detachmentname ref. Echmiadzin
Hadrut detachmentname ref. Hadrut (town)
Sisian detachmentՍիսական կամավորական զորամիավորումSisakan kamavorakan zoramiavorumIt was formed in August 1992 in Sis, from the union of the detachments of the villages of the region. 87 freedom soldiers were killed from the military unit.
Kapan detachmentname ref. Kapan
Martakert detachment Norayr Danielian name ref. Martakert
Nikol DumanՆիկոլ ԴումանNikol Duman Armen Martirosyan
5th Vanadzor Motorized Rifle Volunteer BrigadeՎանաձորի 5-րդ մոտոհրաձգային կամավորական բրիգադVanadzori 5-rd motohradzgayin kamavorakan brigadIt was formed on November 28, 1992. [9] [10] It liberated more than 50 settlements of Artsakh. [11] Among its notable members was journalist Vardan Drikyan.
Artsvik-10 Battalion Sedrak Saroyan
Army of Independence It was founded in late 1989 by members of the Union for National Self-Determination, including Ashot Navasardyan, Movses Gorgisyan, Azat Arshakyan, and Razmik Markosyan.

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References

  1. ↑ Հակոբյան, Թաթուլ (2018-08-27). "Հայոց ազգային բանակի (ՀԱԲ) զինաթափումը. 1990-ի օգոստոս". ANI Armenian Research Center. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "Հայոց Ազգային Բանակ (ՀԱԲ) ռազմական կազմավորման 18-ամյակը | Հայ Արիական Միաբանության". www.hayary.org (in Armenian). Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  3. ↑ Shale Asher Horowitz, From Ethnic Conflict To Stillborn Reform: The Former Soviet Union And Yugoslavia, 2005, p. 83
  4. ↑ "Video: Leonid Azgaldyan, A Soldier of Independence". Hetq . 21 June 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "IN THE MEMORY OF LEONID AZGALDYAN". Hay Zinvor newspaper, Defense Ministry of Armenia. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  6. ↑ Bonner, Raymond (4 August 1993). "Foreigners Fight Again in the Embattled Caucasus". New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "«Մեծն Տիգրան» գունդը հավաքագրում է կամավորների". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). 26 June 2012. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  8. ↑ (in Armenian) ԶԱԴՈՅԱՆ ԿԱՐԱՊԵՏ ՄԿՐՏՉԻ Archived 2016-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Վանաձորի 5-րդ մոտոհրաձգային կամավորական բրիգադը 25 տարեկան է , retrieved 2021-04-18
  10. ↑ "ԼԵԳԵՆԴԱՐ 5-ՐԴԸ". Hay Zinvor. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  11. ↑ "Վանաձորի 5-րդ մոտոհրաձգային կամավորական բրիգադը 25 տարեկան է". loritv.am. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
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