Hikmat Izzat oghlu Mirzayev (; born 29 February 1968) is an Azerbaijani military officer who serves as Deputy Minister of Defense and commander of the

Azerbaijani Land Forces The Azerbaijani Land Forces () are the land force component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been trying to create professional, well trained, and mobile armed forces. Based on 2013 statistics, th ...

since 2024. He is a

colonel general Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

of the

Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Azerbaijani Armed Forces () is the military of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. It was re-established according to the country's Law of the Armed Forces on 9 October 1991. The original Azerbaijan Democratic Republic's armed forces were ...

and the former commander of the

Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

from 2014 to 2024, and participated in the 2016 Nagorno–Karabakh clashes and the

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, surrounding occupied territories. It was a major esca ...

, during which he led Azerbaijani forces in the 2020 battle of Shusha. He received the title of the Hero of the Patriotic War.

Life and service

Hikmat Mirzayev was born on February 29, 1968, in Bilasuvar. On 19 January 2002, by the decree of the President

Heydar Aliyev Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev (10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) was an Azerbaijani politician who was a Soviet party boss in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic from 1969 to 1982, and the third president of Azerbaijan from October 1993 to ...

, Mirzayev was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel. On 29 April 2015, as the commander of the Special Forces, Major General Mirzayev, took part in the ceremony of presenting battle flags to the newly created military units of the Azerbaijani Special Forces. He led the Azerbaijani Special Forces during the April 2016 clashes in Nagorno–Karabakh. On 4 October 2020, President

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev (born 24 December 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the fourth president of Azerbaijan since 2003. He is also the leader of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005. The son and second child of former Aze ...

, in his position as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, congratulated Mirzayev, as well as Major General Mais Barkhudarov, and the personnel they led on the capture of the city of

Jabrayil Jabrayil (, ) is a ghost city in Azerbaijan, nominally the administrative capital of Azerbaijan's Jabrayil District. A town with Azerbaijani majority and Armenians, Armenian plurality at various times during the Russian Empire, Russian imperial ...

and nine villages of

Jabrayil District Jabrayil District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the south-west of the country and belongs to the East Zangezur Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Khojavend, Fuzuli, Qubadli, Zangilan, and t ...

. On 17 October, by decree of President Aliyev, Mirzayev was awarded the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

On 8 November, Aliyev congrulated him on capture of Shusha. On 10 December, Mirzayev led the servicemen of the Special Forces of the Ministry of Defense who marched in the Baku Victory Parade. On January 11, 2024, Hikmat Mirzayev was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Defense and commander of the

Personal life

He is married. He has two children.

Awards

* On 24 June 2003, Mirzayev was awarded the

For Heroism Medal The "For heroism" Medal () is a medal of Azerbaijan. Description There is an in-profile picture of a soldier with a helmet on head and a bayonet in hand against the background of an eight-pointed star. "For heroism" inscription is carved along ...

by the decree of President Heydar Aliyev No. 887 for "special merits in protecting the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, for the distinction in the performance of his official duties and the tasks assigned to the military unit." * On 24 June 2015, Mirzayev was awarded the For service to the Fatherland Order. * On 17 October 2020, Mirzayev was promoted to the military rank of

by Ilham Aliyev. * On 9 December 2020, Mirzayev was awarded the Hero of the Patriotic War Medal by the decree of the President Aliyev. * On 7 November 2024, Mirzayev was promoted to the military rank of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirzayev, Hikmat People from Bilasuvar District Azerbaijani generals 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Heroes of the Patriotic War