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Yerkrapah

FieldValue
unit_nameYerkrapah
imageYerkrapah logo.png
image_size201
datesJuly 1993—present
countryArmenia
roleParamilitary
size5,000-30,000
current_commanderSasun Mikayelyan
notable_commandersVazgen Sargsyan
Manvel Grigoryan
mottoDefenders of the Land
battlesFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War
Four-Day War
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

Manvel Grigoryan Four-Day War Second Nagorno-Karabakh War Yerkrapah Volunteer Union ( «Yerkrapah» kamavorakan miut'yun, YeKM) or Yerkrapah Union of Veterans, meaning Defenders of the Land, is an Armenian non-governmental group that consisted of 6,000 veterans of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, formed by Vazgen Sargsyan. The Yerkrapah is a large and influential veteran group. The Yerkrapah Union was actively involved in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, although after the death of Sargsyan, Yerkrapah's influence in Armenian politics began to decline. Yerkrapah had incorporated between 5,000 and 30,000 veterans. According to Thomas de Waal, after 1994 "the veterans' group Yerkrapah became the most powerful organization in the country."

Military operations

Yerkrapah serves as part the reserve of the army. It sent thousands of armed volunteers fight during the April War of 2016, as well as the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020.

Political involvement

By 1998, the Yerkrapah parliamentary faction, led by Vazgen Sargsyan as "the power behind the throne", was the largest faction in the National Assembly (it had 69 members). The faction was made up of members of the union. That summer, merged with the Republican Party of Armenia, absorbing the much smaller party in name and legal status. Yerkrapah as a political movement lost their nominal political influence by 2001.

On 25 February 2008, a cohort of top army leaders led by the then-Chief of the General Staff Seyran Ohanyan left the Yerkrapah Union, protesting against its involvement in politics. The move came after the deputy chairman Myasnik Malkhasyan and some other members gave their backing to ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the protests following the disputed 2008 Armenian presidential election. Then-Yerkrapah chairman and deputy defense minister Manvel Grigoryan also supposedly met with Ter-Petrosyan, who claimed that he had Grigoryan's support.

In 2019, Chairman Sasun Mikayelyan insisted that the organization shall not serve as an 'appendage" of the ruling party, warning of consequences of what happened when the previous governments "tried to make Yerkrapah serve the authorities".

Youth wing

On 9 September 2014, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Education and Science, and Yerkrapah signed a memorandum to implement "Patani Yerkrapah" (Youth Protectors of the Land) patriotic clubs in Armenian educational institutions. Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, stressed the importance of the clubs in contributing to youths' knowledge of Armenian history.

Yerkrapah Day

Yerkrapah Day (Armenian: Երկրապահի օր) is a professional holiday for all members of Yerkrapah, celebrated annually in Armenia on 8 May. The official status of Yerkrapah Day holiday was conceived after the entry of a law which President Robert Kocharyan signed on 6 January 2001 and which the Parliament of Armenia approved on 24 July that year. It is associated with Shushi Liberation Day. Yerkrapah Day is not a non-working day if, depending on the year, it does not fall on a weekend.

Chairmen

  • Vazgen Sargsyan (1994-1999)
  • Manvel Grigoryan (1999-2019)
  • Sasun Mikayelyan (2019-present)

References

References

  1. "Համառոտ բնութագիր ''(Brief description)''". Official site of Union of Yerkrapah Volunteers.
  2. [https://armenian.usc.edu/2020-wars-bloodiest-day-october-10/ 2020 War's Bloodiest Day: October 10]
  3. P. Croissant, Michael. (1998). "The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict: causes and implications". Bloomsbury Academic.
  4. "Armenian War Veterans Divided Over 2008 Election". Armtown.
  5. Lowell, Barrington. (2006). "After Independence: Making and Protecting the Nation in Postcolonial & Postcommunist States". University of Michigan Press.
  6. Levitsky, Steven. (16 August 2010). "Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War".
  7. De Waal, Thomas. (2003). "Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War".
  8. ""Yerkrapah" and other volunteer regiments ready to head to frontline".
  9. (2018-07-12). "The Yerkrapah Union of Volunteers at a Crossroads".
  10. Carley, Patricia. (December 1998). "Nagorno-Karabakh: Searching for a Solution". [[United States Institute of Peace]].
  11. Fuller, Liz. (12 May 1998). "Caucasus Report: May 12, 1998".
  12. Astourian, Stephan H.. (2001). "From Ter-Petrosian to Kocharian: Leadership Change in Armenia". University of California, Berkeley.
  13. Panossian, Razmik. (2006). "The Armenians: From Kings and Priests to Merchants and Commissars". Columbia University Press.
  14. (22 July 1998). "Yerkrapah turns into political party". [[The Jamestown Foundation]].
  15. "History of the Party". The Republican Party of Armenia.
  16. (2002). "Ethnicity and territory in the former Soviet Union: regions in conflict". Frank Cass.
  17. "Top Army Officers Quit Yerkrapah Union".
  18. (28 October 2019). "Կարևոր վկան պետք է չեզոքացվի. գեներալ Մանվել Գրիգորյանի առեղծվածը".
  19. "Armenian War Veterans Pick New Pro-Government Leader".
  20. (September 9, 2014). "Armenian Schools to Have Patriotic Clubs".
  21. [http://www.newsarmenia.ru/arm1/20080508/41873597.html Новости — Армения]{{Dead link. (July 2025)
  22. (2006-05-08). "В Армении отмечают день "Еркрапа"". [[REGNUM News Agency.
  23. [http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=1274&lang=rus Legislation: National Assembly of RA]
  24. [http://www.calend.ru/holidays/0/0/1986/ День Еркрапа в Армении — 8 мая. История и особенности праздника в проекте Календарь Праздников 2010]
  25. "National Assembly of Armenia {{!}} Official Web Site {{!}} parliament.am".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

armenian-militant-groups first-nagorno-karabakh-war paramilitary-organizations-based-in-armenia
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