Zadir Rza oglu Rzayev (), known as Zaur Rzayev (10 October 1937 – 29 January 2010), was an

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

military officer,

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

of the

Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Azerbaijani Armed Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri) were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) had originally formed ...

. He had served as the commander of the first Azerbaijani military unit created on the basis of Military Unit 18110 of the former

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

, deputy commander of the 2nd Army Corps, front commander and the first deputy

minister of defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Life and service

Early years

Zadir Rza oglu Rzayev was born on 10 October 1937 in Şürük,

Lankaran District Lankaran District (, tly, Lankon rəyon, script=Latn) is one of the 66 districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary g ...

of the

Azerbaijani SSR Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...

, then

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. In 1955, he entered the faculty of physics and mathematics of the Azerbaijan Pedagogical University, but dropped out of the university due to his family's economic difficulties. He studied at the

Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School The Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School (BVOKU) was one of the military academies of the USSR. It trained military personnel in a number of specializations. It was located in Baku in the Azerbaijan SSR. History On November 29, 1939, the s ...

from 1958 to 1962, and graduated from there with honors.

Red Army

In 1962, he was promoted to lieutenant and sent to serve in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

stationed in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. Rzayev then entered the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in 1971 and graduated in 1975. From there he was sent to the

Transcaucasian Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , ...

as a deputy regiment commander, and later to Baku as a deputy head of the military department of

Baku State University Baku State University (BSU) ( az, Bakı Dövlət Universiteti (BDU)) is a public university located in Baku, Azerbaijan. Established in 1919 by the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the university started with faculties of history an ...

to train Azerbaijani officers. Rzayev, who rose to the rank of colonel, was appointed head of the department.

First Nagorno-Karabakh War

On 9 October 1991, Rzayev went to the frontline of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War as the commander of the first military brigade of the

, known as the "

First Battalion ''Panzer Elite Action: Fields of Glory'' (sometimes just ''Panzer Elite Action'') is a video game, developed by ZootFly and published by JoWooD Productions. It was released in Europe in 2006, but was not released in North America. Gameplay ''Pa ...

", which he created on his own initiative. In 1992, he led the liberation of 12 villages in

Aghdara Martakert ( hy, Մարտակերտ, also , ) or Aghdara ( az, Ağdərə ) is a town ''de facto'' in the breakaway Republic of Artsakh as the administrative capital of its Martakert Province, ''de jure'' in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, in ...

and 40 in

Lachin Lachin ( az, Laçın, , ; hy, Բերձոր, translit=Berdzor; ku, Laçîn) is a town in Azerbaijan and the administrative center of the Lachin District. It is located within the strategic Lachin corridor, which links the disputed region of N ...

, as well as a successful counter-offensive in

Beylagan Beylagan District ( az, Beyləqan rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the centre of the country and belongs to the Central Aran Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Fuzuli, Aghjabadi, Zardab, Imis ...

and Fuzuli as a corps commander. Rzayev was awarded the rank of major general by the decree of the

Azerbaijani President The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of Azerbaijan. The Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of executive power, commander-in-chief, "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies", a ...

Abulfaz Elchibey Abulfaz Elchibey ( az, Əbülfəz Elçibəy; 24 June 1938, in Nakhchivan – 22 August 2000, in Ankara) was an Azerbaijani political figure and a former Soviet dissident. His real name was Abulfaz Gadirgulu oghlu Aliyev (Azerbaijani: ''Əbülf ...

on 19 October 1992. He was called to Baku in November of that year and was appointed deputy commander of the 2nd Army Corps. Rzayev was later appointed the front commander and first deputy

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

on 16 June 1993. Rzayev was seriously injured in a car accident in

on 29 August 1993 and was treated in a military hospital for 3 months. Zaur Rzayev died on 29 January 2010 at the age of 72.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rzayev, Zaur 1937 births 2010 deaths People from Lankaran District Azerbaijani generals Azerbaijani military personnel of the Nagorno-Karabakh War