Kuznechova Group

Preliminary data*This article contains partial preliminary information and will be changed as time goes on.*
> *This article is **unfinished**. It may experience rapid changes in information or structure in short periods of time. (6/30/2023)*
>
>

The **Kuznechova Group** (Russian: *Кузнечова Групп*) was a prominent anti-Soviet military force in the Soviet Civil War from 1983 to 1991. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the group evolved into the Kuznechova International, serving as a nucleus for post-Soviet developments. Formed in the Latvian SSR in February 1983, the Kuznechova Group was founded by Markov Kazimir, Asiman Hajiyev, Joseph Niblisima, and former KGB director Arkady Genrikh.

Kazimir assumed leadership as the first commander of the Kuznechova Group, a position he held until his assassination on 27 August 1990, in Mingecevir, Azerbaijan SSR. Following his assassination, Hajiyev succeeded Kazimir as leader of the group. During the war, the Kuznechova Group received covert sponsorship from Western powers, which provided support in the form of arms and resources.

The group, under Hajiyev, led the ending of the Caucasus Campaign. Returning to the Azerbaijan SSR, he collaborated with local leaders to organize a coordinated resistance against the Soviet occupation. Hajiyev emerged as a commanding force within the pro-Western faction and, alongside Kazimir, assumed overall command of the anti-Soviet forces in the region. The Caucasus Campaign, which spanned from June 1984 to January 1991, saw the recruitment of over two million Kuznechova soldiers from across the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Civil War ended on 25 December, 1991 following the signature of the Peredacha Accords, signed by Sashok Vitya, Genrikh, Hajiyev, Niblisima, and posthumously, Kazimir, formally marked the end of the conflict and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Hajiyev advocated for amendments to the accords that would prevent the transfer of the Caucasus to the Iranian State, however these requests were rejected by the Soviet government.

The uprisings and conflicts that initially ignited the Soviet Civil War peaked during the Moscow Stage on December 12, 1991, and the Battle of Moscow on November 16, 1991. The Kazakh branch of the Kuznechova Group successfully seized control of the Semipalatinsk nuclear site during the Semipalatinsk offensive in May 1990. This was later discussed in the Peredacha Accords, wherein the Kuznechova Group committed to dismantling captured nuclear weapons while the republics agreed to return and disarm 75% of their nuclear arsenal.

The Kuznechova Group was dissolved and transferred into Kuznechova International by Hajiyev in September 1992, gradually transforming into an international peacekeeping and military organization, and was sponsored by the United Nations in 1998.

## History

### Riga Stage

The Riga Stage occurred in Riga, Latvian SSR, on February 17, 1984, and largely marked the beginning of the Soviet Civil War. This operation was executed under the leadership of all four leaders of the group and was covertly managed. The objective of the operation was to seize control of the administrative center of Riga and establish the authority of the Kuznechova Group within the Latvian SSR.

On the day of the stage, approximately 4,500 armed recruits, supported by 15 acquired tanks, entered the administrative center of Riga to assert control over the SSR. The initial phase of the operation proceeded without bloodshed, as Soviet officers within the building surrendered to the advancing Kuznechova forces. However, the situation escalated when Soviet reinforcements, comprising armoured vehicles and troops, were dispatched to suppress the rebellion.

A standoff occurred between the Kuznechova Group and the Soviet forces, leading to a day-long conflict for control of the city. The Kuznechova Group, with an estimated force of 4,500 troops, faced off against approximately 75 surrendered Soviet guards and around 750 additional reinforcements, supported by six tanks. The exact number of casualties incurred during the conflict varies, with estimates ranging from 100 to 250 individuals.

A power struggle in 1986 resulted in a short-lived three-month ouster of the Kuznechova regime, followed by another brief removal in 1988 that lasted for two weeks. The Soviet government never officially acknowledged the fall of the SSR government in Latvia, maintaining its stance of authority over the region.