The Armed Forces of South Ossetia is the military of the

partially recognised state A sovereign state is a state that has the highest authority over a territory. It is commonly understood that a sovereign state is independent. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may also refer to a constituent country, or a ...

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

. 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 of

, largely considered to be within internationally recognized Georgian territory. According to the 2017 agreement with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, 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.

History

The Ossetian

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...

() was organized on 15 November 1991 to participate in the defence of the national capital of

Tskhinvali Tskhinvali ( ka, ცხინვალი ) or Tskhinval (, ; , ) is the capital of the disputed ''de facto'' independent Republic of South Ossetia, internationally considered part of Shida Kartli, Georgia (except by Russia and four other UN m ...

. Just a week later, Georgian President

Zviad Gamsakhurdia Zviad Konstantines dze Gamsakhurdia ( ka, ზვიად კონსტანტინეს ძე გამსახურდია; ; 31 March 1939 – 31 December 1993) was a Georgian politician, human rights activist, dissident, profes ...

ordered over 10,000 soldiers to the republic. When it was created, it was mostly a loosely organized group of guerillas. 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 The National Guard of Georgia (GNG, ka, საქართველოს ეროვნული გვარდია, ''sak'art'velos erovnuli gvardia'') is the gendarmerie, guard of honour, and military reserve force branch of the Defense ...

. 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 Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

Unit and the Artillery Division.

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 Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

to the north of

.The Russian Air Force didn't perform well during the conflict in South Ossetia
Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies 2008-11-15 According to

Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies The Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST); ) is an independent, for-profit Russian think tank located in downtown Moscow. CAST conducts research and analysis on Russian conventional arms trade, Russia's defense industry, mi ...

, 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. 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.Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia
September 2009), 211 According one estimate, the losses of the South Ossetian military forces, militia, and volunteers in the war amounted to 150 dead. According to a 2012 statement by the

President of Russia The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

, 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.

Partial incorporation into Russian Armed Forces

In March 2015, members of the

Parliament of South Ossetia The Parliament of South Ossetia is the unicameral legislature of the partially recognized Republic of South Ossetia. The 34 members of parliament are elected using a mixed system of Party-list proportional representation (17) and single-member d ...

put forward a proposal to dissolve South Ossetia's military and fold it into the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

, but the proposal was ultimately rejected by South Ossetian President

Leonid Tibilov Leonid Kharitonovich Tibilov (; ; ka, ლეონიდ თიბილოვი, Leonid Tibilovi; born 28 March 1951) is a South Ossetian politician who served as the third president of South Ossetia from 2012 to 2017 after winning the 2012 So ...

and Defense Minister Ibrahim Gassayev. The South Ossetian units were to be incorporated into the Russian military but remain separate units. 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.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

On March 26, 2022, South Ossetian President Anatoliy Bibilov began sending troops whom have served in units under Russian command to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

to assist

with its invasion of Ukraine. 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, including "Storm Ossetia", "Alania", and " Pyatnashka". Anatoly Bibilov consistently voiced support for the war, calling it "our operation" and emphasizing historical and cultural ties with Russia However, morale among South Ossetian troops deteriorated over time. Reports indicate widespread

desertion Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...

, particularly as it became clear that the campaign in Ukraine would be prolonged and bloody. Rising casualties further fueled panic among South Ossetia’s population, contributing to increased desertion and a decline in combat effectiveness.

Army

The South Ossetian military has a total of 16,000 soldiers. 2,500 soldiers are on

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. Indian The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...

and 13,500 are

reservist A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person ca ...

Formations

Army Headquarters

* General Staff * Intelligence Company * Communications Battalion * Transport Battalion * Special Forces Company * Sniper Company * Engineering Company * Security Company *

Guard of Honour A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

* Military Brass Band South Ossetia parade

Regular Army

* 10 Battalion * 11 Battalion * 13 Battalion * 15 Battalion * Tank Brigade * Logistics Brigade

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

soldiers and 13,500

members within the South Ossetian Army (SOA). 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

*Dark Green: All Standard South Ossetian Armed Forces Personnel *Light

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

: Russian Airborne Troops and the joint 4 Air Mobile Brigade in

Combat uniform

All uniforms are donated by the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

, 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

At the beginning of the 2008 South Ossetia War, the armed forces possessed the following equipment: * 15

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s: 5

T-55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet medium tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2 ...

s and 10

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...

s) * 24

self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

s: 12 122mm 2S1 "Gvozdikas and 12 152mm 2S3 "Akatsiya"s * 6 122mm BM-21 "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 rocket launcher, launchers which are fixed to a single weapons platform, platform, and shoots its rocket (weapon ...

s * 12 122mm D-30

howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

s * 4 100mm MT-12 "Rapira"

anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...

s * 30 mortars * 52 armoured combat vehicles

BRDM-2 The BRDM-2 (''Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina'', Боевая Разведывательная Дозорная Машина, literally "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle") is an amphibious armoured scout car designed and developed ...

BMP-1 The BMP-1 is a Soviet Union, Soviet Amphibious vehicle, amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle that has been in service from 1966 to the present. BMP stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1'' (), meaning "infantry fighting vehicle, 1st ...

and

BTR-70 The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier () originally developed by the Soviet Union during the late 1960s under the manufacturing code GAZ-4905. On August 21, 1972, it was accepted into Soviet service and would later be widely exp ...

* 6 9K31 "Strela-1" mobile, short-range, low altitude surface-to-air missile systems * 10

ZU-23-2 The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23×152mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for ''Zenitnaya Ustanovka'' (Russian: Зенитная Установка) – anti-aircraft mount. The GRAU index is 2A13. Develo ...

short-range air defense cannons * 4

Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. Russian production of t ...

helicopters *

Otokar Cobra The Cobra () is a armoured tactical vehicle developed by Turkish firm Otokar. The vehicle has some subsystems from the Humvee. The Cobra is the first generation of the Cobra family of vehicles, a second generation named Otokar Cobra II is also pr ...

personnel carrier (captured from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in the

Russo-Georgian War The August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia,Occasionally, the war is also referred to by other names, such as the Five-Day War and August War. was a war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation and the ...

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

Retired equipment

IS-2 The IS-2 (, sometimes romanization of Russian, romanized as JS-2The series name is an abbreviation of the name Joseph Stalin (); IS-2 is a direct transliteration of the Russian abbreviation, while JS-2 is an abbreviation of the English or Germa ...

tank – phased out of service since 1995. *

IS-3 The IS-3 (also known as Object 703) is a Soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944. Its semi-hemispherical cast turret (resembling that of an upturned soup bowl) became the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks. Its pike nose design would also be mir ...

tank – phased out of service since 1995. * T-10 tank – phased out of service since 1995. * PZR Grom missile – captured during the Russo-Georgian War. Probably no longer in service.

References

External links

Photogallery of the 20 September 2008 military parade in TskhinvaliArmed Forces the Caucasian countries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Of South Ossetia Military of South Ossetia