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Among the multitude of armed formations, which have sprang up
in the post-Soviet sphere, the Defense Army of Karabakh turned
out to be one of the most battle worthy.
Itogi.ru
No. 42(322)
October 26, 2002
Transcaucasia / Armies of the World
Today people are starting to forget about Nagorno-Karabakh. But
this small and strongly crisscrossed land, lost in the Caucasian
heights, which by population size is second to any Moscow region
(according to the latest information the population of NKR is
only 145,128), played a colossal role in recent history. It was
exactly here that the physical deterioration of the last world
empire started. It was also here that the first war developed
in the post-Soviet sphere, which put under the doubt the very
idea of the existence of such a community of people as the Soviet
People. After begetting a hurricane, Artsakh - the historical name
of Nagorno-Karabakh - was destined to vanish from the political
map of the world: the Azeri side had a massive military and
economic superiority. But thanks to its army, Nagorno-Karabakh
not only survived, but also enlarged its own borders...
While getting ready to go to Karabakh, it was not our goal to
identify who is to blame in conflict, which flickers to this
day. We were interested exclusively in "technical" issues: how
was it formed and according to what principles does the army of
the state function, which instead of official borders has front
lines and is not accepted de-jure anywhere.
More Than Guerrillas
There is no need to explain to the participants of enforcement
of a "constructive order in Soviet Transcaucasia" who are the
fedayees. Armed with anything they could get their hands on and
unclear who they were controlled by, the bearded guerrillas
(partisans) stood against a no less exotic Azeri fighting
force. In the beginning stages, military weapons were a big rarity
here and the character of the military actions was very similar to
gang fighting on a city level using common makeshift weapons. In
those times Soviet generals didn't hide their contempt towards
this "wild war" and its participants. Up to the point when blood
still wasn't being shed in abundance and humor on military themes
wasn't too dark, in many headquarters spread throughout
"smoldering" Caucasus, the Karabakh conflict was referred to as
the battle between shepherds and cattle breeders.
The irony was present even when the fighting sides transferred
into tanks and planes, when instead of gradoboykas (Translator's
note: guns used for agricultural purposes) they started using
frontline artillery - as the military warehouses and equipment
in the region turned out to be more than sufficient. True, in
Moscow they still hoped that these "peoples' military
specialists" will never be able to adapt the modern military
hardware which they inherited after the division of Soviet
Union. But the hopes were dispersed when the so-called Karabakh
War, which in Artsakh is considered Patriotic, went according
to all rules of military art...
They don't wear beards in the NKR Army any more. It is not
outlawed, but it is also not encouraged. The outward appearance
is clean cut - the camouflage is sawn on the local fabric from
Greek material, thus strikingly resembling NATO. And if we put a
Russian soldier next to one from Karabakh, the visual comparison,
unfortunately, won't be in our favor. At the least, we didn't
see a single soldier with a pitiful appearance, the likes of
which are abundant even in Moscow. People wear the uniform with
dignity here, even women and instructors of military-sporting
schools: 70 percent of the population directly or indirectly
are considered potential "military assets".
Big Little Army
The military budget of NKR is an impressive 20 percent of
GDP. These kinds of spending percentages are not permissive,
neither in the United States nor Russia. But to make up for
it, in the past ten years, gone like a moment, they created
here a well functioning military structure: infantry, armored,
rocket-artillery forces, air defense forces, rear logistical
services and all the necessary military services including,
a reconnaissance battalion and a special forces unit formed on
the base of national guard...
In reality, here they know not only the appropriate place for
a joke, but also the appropriate time. They warned us still
in Yerevan that Karabakh Armenians are not only the most kind
hearted but also the most warlike: from the four famous Soviet
Armenian marshals, three were from Karabakh. People here, as is
appropriate for the highlanders, are serious with a no-nonsense
character. If the decision is taken that everybody must go through
military service, everybody does it, regardless of the position
of the parents, two years from start to finish.
Ohanian's Line
We should assume that the Defense Minister of NKR doesn't
contradict his commander-in-chief all the time. But in any case,
even for the president it is hard to pressure his military
minister so easily. The point is that General-Lieutenant Seyran
Ohanian is not simply a bureaucrat in uniform, but one of the
thirteen national heroes, whom people respect no less than
general director of AVPK "Sukhoy" (Sukhoy, famous Russian fighter
and attack plane design bureau) Michail Pogosian, who also has
Karabakhi roots.
Seyran Ohanian has marched from cadet to battalion commander in
the Soviet Army. He served in the military group in Germany,
Kirovabad, then in 336th Stepanakert Mechanized Infantry
Regiment. He says that when the time came to make a choice, he
went to defend his smaller homeland, as he would probably do if
he had to, the socialist Fatherland. He was in the command of a
regiment, afterwards, during the heaviest fighting, he commanded
the Mardakert front. He didn't leave the battlefield even when he
was badly wounded and lost a leg. But in 6 months, he was back
fighting and after signing of the ceasefire, he kept himself
busy by building military fortifications. He spent his days and
nights in the field, and worked at such a pace, that even people
with two legs couldn't keep up with him. It was with his active
participation that the military training center, of which even
the elite Moscow facilities can be jealous, was built from zero.
They almost worship their commander in AOK. For example, the
massive system of defensive fortifications, which today similar
to Maginot Line encircles the entire borders of Karabakh, is
unofficially called Ohanian's Line. During the war, they say,
Azeris were offering one million dollars for the head of the
commander of Mardakert front.
Soviet School
At the time of our visit, on General Ohanian's work desk there
was a book by Marshal Shtemenko, "General Headquarters in
War Years". "We take all that is positive from the experience
of the Soviet Army and are actively filtering out all that is
negative." By the way, the 200 thousand strong army of Azerbaijan,
as is known, is energetically reorganizing according to the
Turkish style. Even their military step is Turkish nowadays.
Today, Soviet style (one regiment - one defense region) regiments
of AOK are countered by two Azeri corps, each with five-six
brigades. Brigades are formed by six to eight battalions. But
if opportunity comes, the breakthrough attack will be carried
out by the elite units, including the Marines, which are now in
the rear and are carrying out intense military training under the
direction of Turkish instructors - who are not the worst military
specialists in the world. That is why the "euphoria of victory",
ruling now in Stepanakert, seriously concerns Karabakh command.
Today Azerbaijan's army is several-fold larger in number, than
the armed forces of Armenia and NKR together. But in Karabakh,
they think that these forces are not sufficient to break through
the Ohanian's Line so easily. Besides, here they prepare for
the possibility of war in real terms: exactly once a week, no
matter what, soldiers and officers of Artsakh conduct live-fire
training exercises in the field. They are also replenishing their
supplies of armaments, even though in the 'pyramids' (armories)
there are still war-time machine guns. But the main problem is
the officer cadres.
From three thousand officers of AOK only forty have served in
the Soviet Army. Three hundred more went through training in
Yerevan military academy and in Russian establishments of higher
learning. Recently Boris Davidov, commander of 4th regiment,
graduated with honors from All-Military Academy in Moscow. In
the peaceful past Davidov was the graduate of Timiriazevsk
Academy. Behind the shoulders of the Deputy Defense Minister
lieutenant-colonel Aleksan Aleksanian are the Polytechnic
Institute and the academic courses "Vistrel" (Shot). Students
from Azerbaijan don't neglect Russian military academies either,
but as Moscow instructors communicated to "Itogi", officers from
Karabakh are working harder than all the others.
In Soviet times there was an axiom: if three Armenians served in
a subdivision at the same time, it meant a guaranteed disorder
and brothel in the whole stationed division, if there were more
Armenians - an utter lawlessness would ensue. In simple terms, it
was thought that it would be impossible to create a regular army
purely "comprised of Armenians", because it was thought, these
people were spoiled by the warm climate and abundance of food and
wealth. For AOK this axiom turned out to be false. At one time,
Alexander Lebed (famous Russian General and elected governor of
Krasnoyarsk, who brokered ceasefire in the first Chechen War),
who visited Karabakh after the war, acknowledged, that the
battle readiness of AOK is higher than the Russian Army, and
there is more order. It was not hard to compare the two, because
the military life and methods of training are almost identical.
Flying Russian Style
During the war Karabakhis shot down several dozen Azeri planes and
helicopters and unfortunately, one of their own MiGs. Following
that, they themselves would joke bitterly: "After that military
loss the Armenian Air Force was reduced exactly by a half". In the
beginning of the war the Armenian military aviation was comprised
only of two planes. By the way, that unfortunate pilot remained
alive. He parachuted and landed on the town square where he was
given a good beating until the anxious defenders of Stepanakert
figured out what had happened. Now, as the unfaltering sense of
humor of the Armenian Radio (a line of famous jokes in Soviet
Union) confirms, during every flight over the capital of NKR, he
sends advance notification to the Air Defense Forces of Karabakh,
which are part of Armenia's Air Defense Forces, and thus part
of CIS'.
It is not a secret that the planes of Azeri Air Force were
manned mainly by Russian and Ukrainian crews, who were flying
for money of course. Some of them were captured. Participants
of the Karabakh War say that they could visually tell when the
planes were flown by Russians: the bombs were released not on
populated areas but in the mountains. One of them even landed
his plane on the Armenian side. He didn't become national hero
of course, but he got some applause for making some money and
in the process not harming fellow Christians...
On the Border Clouds Are Menacing...
"We have won only due to our high spirit!" - says General
Ohanian. In the beginning the defense detachments of Karabakh had
no military experience, no weapons - the main military warehouses
were on the Azeri side, furthermore just before their pullout,
the Soviet Interior Troops carried out a thorough combing of
Karabakh. That is why they were fighting practically with bare
hands and trophies, until they secured supplies from Russia
(remember the scandalous and criminal cases about arms shipments
of Pavel Grachev's times). Monte Melkonian, (Armenian born in
Lebanon and Harvard graduate) the legendary in Karabakh commander
of 2nd regiment, used to make his subordinates account for
destroying enemy tanks instead of capturing them intact.
Experience came later. And now, the opponents of the NKR Defense
Minister are arguing that the military training should be built
on the basis of their own military traditions. Seyran Ohanian
prefers a compromise: own military experience plus classic Soviet
military tactic. According to his opinion, the next war will be
different - more professional. Here is how they picture the future
battles in Stepanakert. Before, they thought that with the start
of the hostilities the first line of trenches will be taken by
the experienced reservists and the new recruits will take the
second line of defense. The thinking was that the "old timers"
will not dare to retreat. General Ohanian thinks differently:
in order to facilitate the merging of experience and training,
reservists and new recruits should be mixed in one unit...
According to Karabakh reconnaissance, there were intense ground
works on the other side of the frontlines at night and in the
morning Azeri positions became closer. In some areas two opposing
armies are separated only by fifty meters. A tank can cover
that distance in one swing. But colonel Davidov is sure that his
subordinates will hold: "You can't run from a submarine!" Really,
Karabakhis have nowhere to retreat.
Source: http://www.itogi.ru/paper2002.nsf/A...21_13_2330.html
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