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| Armed Forces of South Ossetia | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Armed Forces of South Ossetia | |
 South Ossetian soldiers on parade (2018) | |
| Motto | "We shall never surrender!" |
| Founded | February 23, 1992 |
| Headquarters | Tskhinvali |
| Leadership | |
| Supreme Commander in Chief | Alan Gagloyev |
| Minister of Defence | Lieutenant General Yury Yarovitsky |
| Personnel | |
| Active personnel | 1,600 |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | N/A |
| Foreign suppliers |  Russia Soviet Union (Former) |
| Related articles | |
| History | |
| Ranks | Military ranks of South Ossetia |
TheArmed Forces of South Ossetia is the military of thepartially recognised state ofSouth Ossetia. It includes an Army and an Air Corps.
The South Ossetian Army was formed in 1992, and is the primary defense force in the breakaway republic ofSouth Ossetia, largely considered to be within internationally recognizedGeorgian territory.
According to the 2017 agreement withRussia, parts of the South Ossetian forces were integrated with Russia's4th 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]
TheOssetianRepublican Guard (Russian:Республиканская гвардия Осетии) was organized on 15 November 1991 to participate in the defence of the national capital ofTskhinvali.[2] Just a week later, Georgian PresidentZviad Gamsakhurdia ordered over 10,000 soldiers to the republic. When it was created, it was mostly a loosely organized group ofguerillas.[3] It was a participant in the1991–1992 South Ossetia War, providing 2,400 guardsmen to fight against forces from theNational 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 theMilitary Intelligence Unit and the Artillery Division.[5]
The South Ossetian military fought against the Georgian forces in the2008 Russo-Georgian War. At the time of the major Georgian offensive, the bulk of the Ossetian force was concentrated in the settlement ofJava to the north ofTskhinvali.[6] According toCentre 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 committedserious 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 thePresident of RussiaVladimir Putin, Russia had been training the South Ossetian militias as part of theRussian General Staff's 2006–2007 plan to rebuff Georgia in case of war.[10]
In March 2015, members of theParliament of South Ossetia put forward a proposal to dissolve South Ossetia's military and fold it into theRussian Armed Forces, but the proposal was ultimately rejected bySouth Ossetian PresidentLeonid 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 PresidentAnatoliy Bibilov began sending troops whom have served in units under Russian command toUkraine to assistRussia with itsinvasion of Ukraine.[13][14] The Armed Forces of South Ossetia played an active role, deploying fighters to the conflict zone. These fighters participated in combat as part of the 4th Guards Military Base stationed in the region, as well as in various volunteer and mercenary groups,[15][16][17] including "Storm Ossetia", "Alania", and "Pyatnashka".[18][19]
Anatoly Bibilov consistently voiced support for the war, calling it "our operation" and emphasizing historical and cultural ties with Russia[20][21]
However, morale among South Ossetian troops deteriorated over time. Reports indicate widespreaddesertion, particularly as it became clear that the campaign in Ukraine would be prolonged and bloody.[22][23][24][25] Rising casualties further fueled panic among South Ossetia’s population, contributing to increased desertion and a decline in combat effectiveness.[26][27]
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The South Ossetian military has a total of 16,000 soldiers. 2,500 soldiers are onactive duty and 13,500 arereservists.
There are 2,500active duty soldiers and 13,500reservist members within the South Ossetian Army (SOA).[28] Training within the SOA is conducted by both experienced South Ossetian troops and members of theRussian 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 the4th Guards Military Base (ru:4-я гвардейская военная база). TheRussian Airborne Troops are reported to have established an active military base outside ofJava, South Ossetia and are reported to have trained SOA recruits since the summer of 2009.
All uniforms are donated by theRussian Ground Forces, the tri-colouredFlora pattern is standard issue throughout the SOA. It is planned that the SOA will wear a variant of the UkrainianBDU camouflage.
At the beginning of the 2008 South Ossetia War, the armed forces possessed the following equipment:[29][30][31][32]
After the Russo-Georgian War, some of the tanks captured from Georgia's forces have been transferred to the South Ossetian military.
South Ossetia's armed forces will become part of the Russian armed forces but will retain separate units, the self-declared republic's authorities have announced. The plan appears to be a compromise worked out between the de facto leadership in Tskhinvali and their patrons in Moscow [...] In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his de facto South Ossetian counterpart Leonid Tibilov signed an agreement on "alliance and integration" which included a provision calling for "certain units of the armed forces of South Ossetia to enter the structure" of the Russian military.
