# Armenian volunteer units during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War

The term fedayee was originally used during the Armenian national movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Still, it was also used to refer to the Armenian irregular forces in the early 1990s when the dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh was turning into the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

## Role

According to some estimates, the detachments played one of the decisive roles in the victory of the Armenian army, as they were the main force that fought in the first years of the war. These volunteer units formed the basis for the Armed Forces of Armenia.

## List

Here is a list of the major Armenian volunteer detachments during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
| Name | In Armenian | Transcribed | Number (max. est.) | Commander | Notes |
| Armenian National Army | Հայոց Ազգային Բանակ (ՀԱԲ) | Hayots' Azgayin Banak (HAB) | | Razmik Vasilyan | The Armenian National Army (ANA) was formed on 24 April 1989 in Yerevan, on the 74th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. It was dissolved in 1990. 15 freedom fighters were killed from the military unit. |
| Yerkrapah Volunteer Battalion | «Երկրապահ» կամավորական ջոկատ | «Yerkrapah» kamavorakan jokat | | Vazgen Sargsyan | Name means "'The country is safe' volunteer brigade" |
| Liberation Army | Ազատագրական բանակ | Azatagrakan banak | 300 | Leonid Azkaldian | It was formed in January 1991 in Yerevan by volunteers from Armenia, the diaspora, and Artsakh. It was a large special operations force whose declared goal was to preserve the self-determination of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. |
| Crusaders | «Խաչակիրներ» ջոկատ | «Khachakirner» jokat | | Garo Kahkejian | |
| The Deers | «Եղնիկներ» ջոկատ | «Yeghnikner» jokat | 400 | Shahen Meghrian | |
| Shushi Independent Battalion | «Շուշի» առանձնակի գումարտակ | «Shushi» arandznaki gumartak | | Jirair Sefilian | Formed from mostly Syrian and Lebanese Armenians. Most were members of the ARF. |
| Tigran the Great International Military Regiment | «Մեծ Տիգրան» միջազգային ռազմական գունդը | Tigran Mets | 400 | Armenak Armenakyan | Created in 1990 under the command of Vazgen Sargsyan, this regiment consisted of 40 volunteer detachments. |
| Davit of Sasun Battalion | «Սասունցի Դավիթ» կամավորական ջոկատ | «Sasunts'i Davit'» kamavorakan jokat | 500 | Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan | |
| Dashnaktsakanner | Դաշնակցականներ | Dashnakts'akanner | 200 | Tatul Krpeyan | Members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashanktsutyun). |
| Sasun | «Սասուն» ջոկատ | «Sasun» jokat | 100 | Sasun Mikaelyan | The name is ref. Sason. |
| Cossack Detachment | | | | | It consisted of 85 Cossacks who left Kuban voluntarily for Armenia. 14 died during the liberation of the village of Vank. . |
| Ossetian Battalion | Օսական ջոկատ | Ōsakan jokat | | Mirza Abayev | |
| Ashot the Iron | Աշոտ Երկաթ | Ashot Yerkat' | 250 | Karapet Jadoyan | name ref. Ashot II of Armenia |
| General Andranik | Անդրանիկ Զորավար | Andranik Zoravar | 400 | | name ref Andranik |
| Revengers | Վրիժառուներ | Vrizharuner | 200 | | |
| Haydat | Հայդատ | Haydat | 200 | | |
| Mush | Մուշ | Mush | 300 | | Name ref. Muş |
| Nork-Marash | Նորք-Մարաշ | Nork-Marash | 200 | | name ref. Nork, Yerevan and Kahramanmaraş |
| Malatia-Sebastia | Մալաթիա - Սեբաստիա | Malat'ia - Sebastia | 200 | Vahan Zatikyan | name ref; Malatia-Sebastia District |
| Arabo Battalion | Արաբո | Arabo | 200 | Simon Achikgyozyan (followed by Manvel Yeghiazaryan) | name ref. Arabo |
| Glorious Warriors | Պարապած մարտիկներ | Parapats martikner | 300 | H.G. Mkrtchyan | |
| Detachment of Hrazdan | Հրազդանյան ջոկատ | Hrazdanyan jokat | 200 | Zarzand Danielian | |
| Tseghakron | Ցեղակրոն | Ts'eghakron | | Hagop Khachatryan | |
| Daredevils of Sassoun | Սասնա ծռեր | Sasna tsrer | | Samvel Gevorgyan | name ref. Sason |
| Suicide Squad | Մահապարտների ջոկատ | Mahapartneri jokat | 150 | Alexander Tamanyan | |
| Nart | Նարտ | Nart | | | name ref. Nart saga? |
| Black Panther | Սեվ հովազ | Sev hovaz | | Ruben Egoyan | |
| Cobra | Կոբրա | Kobra | | B. Agasaryan, N. Gulyan | |
| Aknalich | Ակնալիճ | Aknalich | | | name ref. Aknalich |
| Echmiadzin detachment | | | | | name ref. Echmiadzin |
| Hadrut detachment | | | | | name ref. Hadrut (town) |
| Sisian detachment | Սիսական կամավորական զորամիավորում | Sisakan kamavorakan zoramiavorum | | | It was formed in August 1992 in Sis, from the union of the detachments of the villages of the region. 87 freedom soldiers were killed from the military unit. |
| Kapan detachment | | | | | name ref. Kapan |
| Martakert detachment | | | | Norayr Danielian | name ref. Martakert |
| Nikol Duman | Նիկոլ Դուման | Nikol Duman | | Armen Martirosyan | |
| 5th Vanadzor Motorized Rifle Volunteer Brigade | Վանաձորի 5-րդ մոտոհրաձգային կամավորական բրիգադ | Vanadzori 5-rd motohradzgayin kamavorakan brigad | | | It was formed on November 28, 1992. It liberated more than 50 settlements of Artsakh. Among its notable members was journalist Vardan Drikyan. |
| Artsvik-10 Battalion | | | | Sedrak Saroyan | |
| Army of Independence | | | | | It was founded in late 1989 by members of the Union for National Self-Determination, including Ashot Navasardyan, Movses Gorgisyan, Azat Arshakyan, and Razmik Markosyan. |