1.
Leonid Tibilov
–
Leonid Tibilov is a South Ossetian politician who is the President of South Ossetia after winning the 2012 South Ossetian presidential election. Leonid Tibilov headed the South Ossetian KGB from 1992 to 1998 and he was then a first deputy prime minister and co-chaired a Georgian-Ossetian peacekeeping commission. Tibilov stood at the 2006 presidential election losing to Eduard Kokoity, before the 2012 election Tibilov distanced himself from the outgoing President Kokoity. Tibilov is reported to be loyal to Russia and pledged to consult Russia before appointing a government if he was successful at the election, in the first round of the 2012 Presidential election, Tibilov received 42. 5% of the vote to lead David Sanakoyev. In the second round, Tibilov was elected president with 54% of the vote
Leonid Tibilov
–
Leonid Tibilov
2.
Stanislav Kochiev
–
Stanislav Jakovlevich Kochiev is a South Ossetian politician, who is a former presidential candidate and former chairman of the Parliament of South Ossetia. Kochiev was born in Kurta, and went to school in Tskhinvali and he graduated in 1977 and went to work as a high school history teacher. In 1980, Kochiev joined the branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1991, after South Ossetias declaration of independence, Kochiyev headed the Committee on National Affairs, Kochiev was elected first secretary of the Communist Party of South Ossetia, the party he still leads today. First elected into parliament in the 1990 election, he has been a member ever since, in the 2004 election, the Communist Party was defeated and Kochiev was replaced as speaker with Znaur Gassiev. Although the Communist Party did not fare better in the 2009 election. The Communist Party fared poorly in the 2014 election, losing all its seats, Kochiev was replaced as speaker by Anatoly Bibilov of United Ossetia. In the presidential election of 2001, Kochiev finished second with 25% of the vote, Kochiev lost the runoff 40% to 53%. Kochiev is married and has one daughter
Stanislav Kochiev
–
Stanislav Kochiev
3.
Tskhinvali
–
Tskhinvali is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region in Georgia. It has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia and three other UN members, South Ossetia is a de facto independent state that controls its claimed territory, in part with the support of Russian troops. Despite this, it is recognised by all other UN members as part of Georgia and it is located on the Great Liakhvi River approximately 100 kilometres northwest of the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The name of Tskhinvali is derived from the Old Georgian Krtskhinvali, from earlier Krtskhilvani, literally meaning the land of hornbeams, from 1934 to 1961, the city was named Staliniri, after Joseph Stalin. Modern Ossetians call the city Tskhinval, the other Ossetian name of the city is Chreba, the area around the present-day Tskhinvali was first populated back in the Bronze Age. The unearthed settlements and archaeological artifacts from that time are unique in that they reflect influences from both Iberian and Colchian cultures with possible Sarmatian elements, by the early 18th century, Tskhinvali was a small royal town populated chiefly by monastic serfs. Tskhinvali was annexed to the Russian Empire along with the rest of eastern Georgia in 1801, located on a trade route which linked North Caucasus to Tbilisi and Gori, Tskhinvali gradually developed into a commercial town with a mixed Jewish, Georgian, Armenian and Ossetian population. In the 1917 it had 600 houses with 38. 4% Jews,34. 4% Georgians,17. 7% Armenians and 8. 8% Ossetians. The town saw clashes between Georgian Peoples Guard and pro-Bolshevik Ossetian peasants during the 1918-20 period, when Georgia gained brief independence from Russia. Soviet rule was established by the invading Red Army in March 1921, subsequently, the town became largely Ossetian due to intense urbanisation and Soviet Korenizatsiya policy which induced an inflow of the Ossetians from the nearby rural areas into Tskhinvali. According to the last Soviet census, Tskhinvali had a population of 42,934, during the acute phase of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, Tskhinvali was a scene of ethnic tensions and ensuing armed confrontation between Georgian and Ossetian forces. The 1992 Sochi ceasefire accord left Tskhinvali in the hands of Ossetians, in late June,2008 Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer predicted that Vladimir Putin would start a war against Georgia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia supposedly in August. At 8,00 am on 1 August, a Georgian police vehicle was blown up by an explosive device on the road near Tskhinvali. In response, Georgian snipers assaulted some of the South Ossetian border checkpoints, killing four Ossetians, Ossetian separatists began intensively shelling Georgian villages on 1 August, with a sporadic response from Georgian peacekeepers and other troops in the region. During the night of 1/2 August, grenades and mortar fire were exchanged, the number of Ossetian casualties rose to six and the number of injured to fifteen, including several civilians, the Georgian casualties were six injured civilians and one injured policeman. The Russian deputy defence minister, Nikolay Pankov, had a meeting with the separatist authorities in Tskhinvali on 3 August. An evacuation of Ossetian women and children to Russia began on the same day, on 5 August, Georgian authorities organised a tour for journalists and diplomats to demonstrate the damage supposedly caused by separatists. That day, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Yuri Popov declared that his country would intervene on the side of South Ossetia, the destruction of the village of Nuli was ordered by South Ossetian interior minister Mindzaev
Tskhinvali
–
The monument to the victims of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict
Tskhinvali
–
A vintage photo of Tskhinval' by D. Rudnev, 1886.
Tskhinvali
–
A building in the city after the
Battle of Tskhinvali. August 18, 2008
Tskhinvali
–
21 August 2008.
Valery Gergiev with
Mariinsky Theatre opera in Tskhinvali.
4.
Soviet Union
–
The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. It was nominally a union of national republics, but its government. The Soviet Union had its roots in the October Revolution of 1917 and this established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and started the Russian Civil War between the revolutionary Reds and the counter-revolutionary Whites. In 1922, the communists were victorious, forming the Soviet Union with the unification of the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, following Lenins death in 1924, a collective leadership and a brief power struggle, Joseph Stalin came to power in the mid-1920s. Stalin suppressed all opposition to his rule, committed the state ideology to Marxism–Leninism. As a result, the country underwent a period of rapid industrialization and collectivization which laid the foundation for its victory in World War II and postwar dominance of Eastern Europe. Shortly before World War II, Stalin signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact agreeing to non-aggression with Nazi Germany, in June 1941, the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, opening the largest and bloodiest theater of war in history. Soviet war casualties accounted for the highest proportion of the conflict in the effort of acquiring the upper hand over Axis forces at battles such as Stalingrad. Soviet forces eventually captured Berlin in 1945, the territory overtaken by the Red Army became satellite states of the Eastern Bloc. The Cold War emerged by 1947 as the Soviet bloc confronted the Western states that united in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949. Following Stalins death in 1953, a period of political and economic liberalization, known as de-Stalinization and Khrushchevs Thaw, the country developed rapidly, as millions of peasants were moved into industrialized cities. The USSR took a lead in the Space Race with Sputnik 1, the first ever satellite, and Vostok 1. In the 1970s, there was a brief détente of relations with the United States, the war drained economic resources and was matched by an escalation of American military aid to Mujahideen fighters. In the mid-1980s, the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, sought to reform and liberalize the economy through his policies of glasnost. The goal was to preserve the Communist Party while reversing the economic stagnation, the Cold War ended during his tenure, and in 1989 Soviet satellite countries in Eastern Europe overthrew their respective communist regimes. This led to the rise of strong nationalist and separatist movements inside the USSR as well, in August 1991, a coup détat was attempted by Communist Party hardliners. It failed, with Russian President Boris Yeltsin playing a role in facing down the coup. On 25 December 1991, Gorbachev resigned and the twelve constituent republics emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union as independent post-Soviet states
Soviet Union
–
Vladimir Lenin addressing a crowd with Trotsky, 1920
Soviet Union
–
Flag
Soviet Union
–
Stalin and
Nikolai Yezhov, head of the
NKVD. After Yezhov was executed, he was
edited out of the image.
Soviet Union
5.
South Ossetia
–
It has a population of 53,000 people which live in an area of 3,900 km2, south of the Russian Caucasus, with 30,000 living in its capital city of Tskhinvali. South Ossetia declared independence from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, the Georgian government responded by abolishing South Ossetias autonomy and trying to re-establish its control over the region by force. The crisis escalation led to the 1991–92 South Ossetia War, Georgian fighting against those controlling South Ossetia occurred on two other occasions, in 2004 and 2008. The latter conflict led to the Russo–Georgian War, during which Ossetian and Russian forces gained full de facto control of the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast. In the wake of the 2008 war, Russia, followed by Nicaragua, Venezuela, Georgia and a significant part of the international community consider South Ossetia to be occupied by the Russian military. South Ossetia relies heavily on military, political and financial aid from Russia, Russia does not allow European Union Monitoring Mission monitors to enter South Ossetia. South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia are sometimes referred to as post-Soviet frozen conflict zones, the Ossetians are believed to originate from the Alans, a Sarmatian Iranian tribe. In the 17th century, Ossetians started migration from the North Caucasus to Georgia, Ossetian peasants, who were migrating to the mountainous areas of the South Caucasus, often settled in the lands of Georgian feudal lords. The Georgian King of the Kingdom of Kartli permitted Ossetians to immigrate, in the 1770s there were more Ossetians living in Kartli than ever before. This period has been documented in the diaries of Johann Anton Güldenstädt who visited Georgia in 1772. The Baltic German explorer called modern North Ossetia simply Ossetia, while he wrote that Kartli was populated by Georgians, Güldenstädt also wrote that the northernmost border of Kartli is the Major Caucasus Ridge. The Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, part of which was the territory of modern South Ossetia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801. Following the Russian revolution, the area of modern South Ossetia became part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, although the Ossetians were initially discontented with the economic policies of the central government, the tension soon transformed into ethnic conflict. The first Ossetian rebellion began in February 1918, when three Georgian princes were killed and their land was seized by the Ossetians, the central government of Tiflis retaliated by sending the National Guard to the area. However, the Georgian unit retreated after they had engaged the Ossetians, Ossetian rebels then proceeded to occupy the town of Tskhinvali and began attacking ethnic Georgian civilian population. During uprisings in 1919 and 1920, the Ossetians were covertly supported by Soviet Russia, but even so, were defeated. Between 3,000 and 7,000 Ossetians were killed during the crushing of the 1920 uprising, according to Ossetian sources ensuing hunger, the drawing of administrative boundaries of the South Ossetian AO was quite a complicated process. Many Georgian villages were included within the South Ossetian AO despite numerous protests by the Georgian population, while the city of Tskhinvali did not have a majority Ossetian population, it was made the capital of the South Ossetian AO
South Ossetia
–
Historical Russian map of the Caucasus region at the beginning of the 19th century
South Ossetia
–
Flag
South Ossetia
–
Fragment of the historical map by
J. H. Colton. The map depicts Caucasus region in 1856. Modern South Ossetia is not labeled. Modern North Ossetia is labeled as "Ossia".
South Ossetia
–
Map of South Ossetia (November 2004).
6.
Alma mater
–
Alma mater is an allegorical Latin phrase for a university or college. In modern usage, it is a school or university which an individual has attended, the phrase is variously translated as nourishing mother, nursing mother, or fostering mother, suggesting that a school provides intellectual nourishment to its students. Before its modern usage, Alma mater was a title in Latin for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele. The source of its current use is the motto, Alma Mater Studiorum, of the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world and it is related to the term alumnus, denoting a university graduate, which literally means a nursling or one who is nourished. The phrase can also denote a song or hymn associated with a school, although alma was a common epithet for Ceres, Cybele, Venus, and other mother goddesses, it was not frequently used in conjunction with mater in classical Latin. Alma Redemptoris Mater is a well-known 11th century antiphon devoted to Mary, the earliest documented English use of the term to refer to a university is in 1600, when University of Cambridge printer John Legate began using an emblem for the universitys press. In English etymological reference works, the first university-related usage is often cited in 1710, many historic European universities have adopted Alma Mater as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The University of Bologna Latin name, Alma Mater Studiorum, refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. At least one, the Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg, Austria, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been called the Alma Mater of the Nation because of its ties to the founding of the United States. At Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, the ancient Roman world had many statues of the Alma Mater, some still extant. Modern sculptures are found in prominent locations on several American university campuses, outside the United States, there is an Alma Mater sculpture on the steps of the monumental entrance to the Universidad de La Habana, in Havana, Cuba. Media related to Alma mater at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of alma mater at Wiktionary Alma Mater Europaea website
Alma mater
–
The Alma Mater statue by
Mario Korbel, at the entrance of the
University of Havana in
Cuba.
Alma mater
–
John Legate's Alma Mater for Cambridge in 1600
Alma mater
–
Alma Mater (1929, Lorado Taft),
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
7.
Ossetian language
–
Ossetian, also known as Ossete and Ossetic, is an Eastern Iranian language spoken in Ossetia, a region on the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains. It is a descendant of the Scythian, Sarmatian and Alanic languages. Ossetian speakers number about 577,450, with 451,000 speakers in the Russian Federation recorded in the 2010 census, Ossetian belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-European family of languages. Within Iranian it is placed in an Eastern subgroup and further to a Northeastern sub-subgroup, the other Eastern Iranian languages such as Pashto and Yaghnobi show certain commonalities but also deep-reaching divergences from Ossetic. From deep Antiquity, the languages of the Iranian group were distributed in a vast territory including present-day Iran, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Ossetian is the sole survivor of the branch of Iranian languages known as Scythian. The Scythian group included numerous tribes, known in ancient sources as the Scythians, Massagetae, Saka, the more easterly Khorezmians and the Sogdians were also closely affiliated, in linguistic terms. Ossetian, together with Kurdish, Tati and Talyshi, is one of the main Iranian languages with a community of speakers in the Caucasus. It is descended from Alanic, the language of the Alans and it is believed to be the only surviving descendant of a Sarmatian language. The closest genetically related language may be the Yaghnobi language of Tajikistan, the names of ancient Iranian tribes in fact reflect this pluralization, e. g. Saromatae and Masagetae. The earliest known sample of Ossetian is an inscription which dates from the 10th to 12th centuries and was found near the River Bolshoi Zelenchuk at Arkhyz. The text is written in the Greek alphabet, with special digraphs, the scholarly transliteration of the Alanic phrases is, dæ ban xʷærz, mæ sfili, xsinjæ kurθi kændæ and du farnitz, kintzæ mæ sfili, kajci fæ wa sawgin. Equivalents in modern Ossetian would be Dæ bon xwarz, me’fšini ‘xšinæ, kurdigæj dæ. and farm neč, the passage translates as, The Alans I greet in their language, Good day to you my lords lady, where are you from. Good day to you my lords lady, where are you from, and other things, When an Alan woman takes a priest as a lover, you might hear this, Arent you ashamed, my lordly lady, that your cunt is being fucked by a priest. Arent you ashamed, my lady, to have an affair with the priest. Marginalia of Greek religious books, with parts of the book translated into Old Ossetic, have been recently found. Heavy-stem nouns possessed a long vowel or diphthong, and were stressed on the first-occurring syllable of this type. This is precisely the situation observed in the earliest records of Ossetian presented above and this situation also obtains in Modern Ossetian, although the emphasis in Digor is also affected by the openness of the vowel. The trend is found in a glossary of the Jassic dialect dating from 1422
Ossetian language
–
Ossetian text from a book published in 1935. Part of an alphabetic list of proverbs. Latin script.
Ossetian language
–
Ossetic text written with Georgian script, from a book on Ossetian folklore published in 1940 in South Ossetia
Ossetian language
–
The first page of the first issue of the Ossetian newspaper "
Ræstdzinad ". Sjögren's Cyrillic alphabet. 1923
8.
Russian language
–
Russian is an East Slavic language and an official language in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and many minor or unrecognised territories. Russian belongs to the family of Indo-European languages and is one of the four living members of the East Slavic languages, written examples of Old East Slavonic are attested from the 10th century and beyond. It is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia and the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages and it is also the largest native language in Europe, with 144 million native speakers in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Russian is the eighth most spoken language in the world by number of native speakers, the language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Russian is also the second most widespread language on the Internet after English, Russian distinguishes between consonant phonemes with palatal secondary articulation and those without, the so-called soft and hard sounds. This distinction is found between pairs of almost all consonants and is one of the most distinguishing features of the language, another important aspect is the reduction of unstressed vowels. Russian is a Slavic language of the Indo-European family and it is a lineal descendant of the language used in Kievan Rus. From the point of view of the language, its closest relatives are Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Rusyn. An East Slavic Old Novgorod dialect, although vanished during the 15th or 16th century, is considered to have played a significant role in the formation of modern Russian. In the 19th century, the language was often called Great Russian to distinguish it from Belarusian, then called White Russian and Ukrainian, however, the East Slavic forms have tended to be used exclusively in the various dialects that are experiencing a rapid decline. In some cases, both the East Slavic and the Church Slavonic forms are in use, with different meanings. For details, see Russian phonology and History of the Russian language and it is also regarded by the United States Intelligence Community as a hard target language, due to both its difficulty to master for English speakers and its critical role in American world policy. The standard form of Russian is generally regarded as the modern Russian literary language, mikhail Lomonosov first compiled a normalizing grammar book in 1755, in 1783 the Russian Academys first explanatory Russian dictionary appeared. By the mid-20th century, such dialects were forced out with the introduction of the education system that was established by the Soviet government. Despite the formalization of Standard Russian, some nonstandard dialectal features are observed in colloquial speech. Thus, the Russian language is the 6th largest in the world by number of speakers, after English, Mandarin, Hindi/Urdu, Spanish, Russian is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Education in Russian is still a choice for both Russian as a second language and native speakers in Russia as well as many of the former Soviet republics. Russian is still seen as an important language for children to learn in most of the former Soviet republics, samuel P. Huntington wrote in the Clash of Civilizations, During the heyday of the Soviet Union, Russian was the lingua franca from Prague to Hanoi
Russian language
–
Russian language street sign in
Russia.
Russian language
–
Russian minimarket in
Limassol, Cyprus; translation: "Teremok market. Russian goods. Phone number: 96 74 19 63"
Russian language
–
This page from an "ABC" book printed in Moscow in 1694 shows the letter
П.
Russian language
–
The
Ostromir Gospels of 1056 is the second oldest
East Slavic book known, one of many medieval
illuminated manuscripts preserved in the
Russian National Library.
9.
Russia
–
Russia, also officially the Russian Federation, is a country in Eurasia. The European western part of the country is more populated and urbanised than the eastern. Russias capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world, other urban centers include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod. Extending across the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe, Russia spans eleven time zones and incorporates a range of environments. It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, the East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants, in 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of states, most of the Rus lands were overrun by the Mongol invasion. The Soviet Union played a role in the Allied victory in World War II. The Soviet era saw some of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century, including the worlds first human-made satellite and the launching of the first humans in space. By the end of 1990, the Soviet Union had the second largest economy, largest standing military in the world. It is governed as a federal semi-presidential republic, the Russian economy ranks as the twelfth largest by nominal GDP and sixth largest by purchasing power parity in 2015. Russias extensive mineral and energy resources are the largest such reserves in the world, making it one of the producers of oil. The country is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, Russia is a great power as well as a regional power and has been characterised as a potential superpower. The name Russia is derived from Rus, a state populated mostly by the East Slavs. However, this name became more prominent in the later history, and the country typically was called by its inhabitants Русская Земля. In order to distinguish this state from other states derived from it, it is denoted as Kievan Rus by modern historiography, an old Latin version of the name Rus was Ruthenia, mostly applied to the western and southern regions of Rus that were adjacent to Catholic Europe. The current name of the country, Россия, comes from the Byzantine Greek designation of the Kievan Rus, the standard way to refer to citizens of Russia is Russians in English and rossiyane in Russian. There are two Russian words which are translated into English as Russians
Russia
–
Kievan Rus' in the 11th century
Russia
–
Flag
Russia
–
The
Baptism of Kievans, by
Klavdy Lebedev
Russia
–
Sergius of Radonezh blessing
Dmitry Donskoy in
Trinity Sergius Lavra, before the
Battle of Kulikovo, depicted in a painting by
Ernst Lissner
10.
Military officer
–
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. In this sense, officers are not enlisted, but hold appointments from their government that typically remain in force indefinitely unless resigned, the proportion of officers varies greatly. Officers typically make up between an eighth and a fifth of modern armed forces personnel, in 2013, officers were the senior 17% of the British armed forces, and the senior 13. 7% of the French armed forces. In 2012, officers made up about 18% of the German armed forces, historically, however, armed forces have generally had much lower proportions of officers. During the First World War, fewer than 5% of British soldiers were officers, in the early twentieth century, the Spanish army had the highest proportion of officers of any European army, at 12. 5%. Within a nations armed forces, armies tend to have a proportion of officers. For example,13. 9% of British army personnel and 22. 2% of the RAF personnel were officers in 2013, having officers is one requirement for combatant status under the laws of war, though these officers need not have obtained an official commission or warrant. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons, in an armed forces environment, a superior officer is an officer with a higher rank than another officer, who is a subordinate officer relative to the superior. Non-commissioned officers in positions of authority can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se, many advanced militaries require university degrees as a prerequisite for commissioning, even from the enlisted ranks. In the Israel Defense Forces, a university degree is a requirement for an officer to advance to the rank of lieutenant colonel, the IDF often sponsors the studies for its majors, while aircrew and naval officers obtain academic degrees as a part of their training programmes. In the United Kingdom, there are three routes of entry for British Armed Forces officers, the first, and primary route are those who receive their commission directly into the officer grades following completion at their relevant military academy. The third route is similar to the second, in that they convert from an enlisted to a commission, but these are taken from the highest ranks of SNCOs. LE officers, whilst holding the same Queens Commission, generally work in different roles from the DE officers, in the infantry, a number of Warrant Officer Class 1s are commissioned as LE officers. For Royal Navy and Royal Air Force officer candidates, a 30-week period at Britannia Royal Naval College or a 30-week period at RAF College Cranwell, Royal Marines officers receive their training in the Command Wing of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines during a grueling 15-month course. The courses consist of not only tactical and combat training, but also leadership, management, etiquette, until the Cardwell Reforms of 1871, commissions in the British Army were purchased by officers. The Royal Navy, however, operated on a more meritocratic, or at least socially mobile, AOCS also also included the embedded Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate and Naval Aviation Cadet programs. NAVCADs were personnel who held associates degrees, but lacked bachelors degrees, nAVCADs would complete the entire AOCS program, but would not be commissioned until completion of flight training and receiving their wings. After their initial tour, they would be assigned to a college or university full-time for no more than two years in order to complete their bachelors degree
Military officer
–
A commissioned officer and a non-commissioned officer prepare for a mission in Afghanistan.
Military officer
–
The
Royal Navy officer training academy
Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, also known as HMS Britannia
Military officer
–
A
platoon from the Australian
29th Battalion being addressed by their Commanding Officer in August 1918
11.
Georgian SSR
–
Georgia, formally the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, also commonly known as Soviet Georgia was one of the republics of the Soviet Union from its inception in 1922 to its breakup in 1991. From November 18,1989, the Georgian SSR declared its sovereignty over Soviet laws, geographically, the Georgian SSR was bordered by Turkey to the south-west and the Black Sea to the west. Within the Soviet Union it bordered the Russian SFSR to the north, Armenian SSR to the south, on November 28,1917, after the October Revolution in Russia, there was a Transcaucasian Commissariat established in Tiflis. A moderate, multi-party democratic system led by the Social Democratic Party of Georgia operated in the Democratic Republic of Georgia, but in February 1921, the Red Army invaded Georgia. The Socialist Soviet Republic of Georgia was established on February 25,1921, on March 2 of the following year the first constitution of Soviet Georgia was accepted. From March 12,1922 to December 5,1936 it was part of the Transcaucasian SFSR together with the Armenian SSR, in 1936, the TSFSR was dissolved. In 1936, the TSFSR was dissolved and Georgia became the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, lavrentiy Beria became head of the Georgian OGPU and purged Georgia until he was transferred to Moscow in 1938. Reaching the Caucasus oilfields was one of the objectives of Hitlers invasion of the USSR in June 1941. The country contributed almost 700,000 fighters to the Red Army and he abolished their respective autonomous republics. The Georgian SSR was briefly granted some of their territory until 1957, the decentralisation program introduced by Khrushchev in the mid-1950s was soon exploited by Georgian Communist Party officials to build their own regional power base. A thriving pseudo-capitalist shadow economy emerged alongside the official state-owned economy, corruption was at a high level. Among all the republics, Georgia had the highest number of residents with high or special secondary education. Although corruption was hardly unknown in the Soviet Union, it became so widespread, shevardnadze ascended to the post of First Secretary with the blessings of Moscow. He was an effective and able ruler of Georgia from 1972 to 1985, improving the official economy, Soviet power and Georgian nationalism clashed in 1978 when Moscow ordered revision of the constitutional status of the Georgian language as Georgias official state language. Bowing to pressure from street demonstrations on April 14,1978. April 14 was established as a Day of the Georgian Language, on April 9,1989, Soviet troops were used to break up a peaceful demonstration at the government building in Tbilisi. Twenty Georgians were killed and hundreds wounded and poisoned, the event radicalised Georgian politics, prompting many - even some Georgian communists - to conclude that independence was preferable to continued Soviet unity. On October 28,1990, democratic elections were held
Georgian SSR
–
Map of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1931-1943
Georgian SSR
–
Flag
12.
Tbilisi
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Tbilisi, commonly known by its former name Tiflis, is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of roughly 1.5 million inhabitants. Founded in the 5th century by the monarch of Georgias ancient precursor the Kingdom of Iberia, Tbilisi has since served, with intermissions, as the capital of various Georgian kingdoms and republics. Under Russian rule, from 1801 to 1917 Tiflis was the seat of the Imperial Viceroy governing both sides of the entire Caucasus. Tbilisis varied history is reflected in its architecture, which is a mix of medieval, classical, Middle Eastern, Art Nouveau, historically, Tbilisi has been home to people of diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, though it is overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox Christian. Archaeological studies of the region have indicated human settlement in the territory of Tbilisi as early as the 4th millennium BC, according to an old legend, the present-day territory of Tbilisi was covered by forests as late as 458. One widely accepted variant of the legend of Tbilisis founding states that King Vakhtang I Gorgasali of Georgia went hunting in the wooded region with a falcon. The Kings falcon allegedly caught or injured a pheasant during the hunt, King Vakhtang became so impressed with the hot springs that he decided to cut down the forest and build a city on the location. The name Tbilisi derives from Old Georgian Tbilisi, and further from Tpili, the name Tbili or Tbilisi was therefore given to the city because of the areas numerous sulphuric hot springs that came out of the ground. King Dachi I Ujarmeli, who was the successor of Vakhtang I Gorgasali, Tbilisi was not the capital of a unified Georgian state at that time and did not include the territory of Colchis. It was, however, the city of Eastern Georgia/Iberia. During his reign, King Dachi I oversaw the construction of the wall that lined the citys new boundaries. From the 6th century, Tbilisi grew at a steady pace due to the favourable and strategic location which placed the city along important trade. Tbilisis favourable and strategic location did not necessarily bode well for its existence as Eastern Georgias/Iberias capital, in the year 627, Tbilisi was sacked by the Byzantine/Khazar armies and later, in 736–738, Arab armies entered the town under Marwan II Ibn-Muhammad. After this point, the Arabs established an emirate centered in Tbilisi, in 764, Tbilisi, still under Arab control was once again sacked by the Khazars. In 853, the armies of Arab leader Bugha Al-Turki invaded Tbilisi in order to enforce its return to Abbasid allegiance, the Arab domination of Tbilisi continued until about 1050. In 1068, the city was again sacked, only this time by the Seljuk Turks under Sultan Alp Arslan. In 1122, after fighting with the Seljuks that involved at least 60,000 Georgians and up to 300,000 Turks. After the battles for Tbilisi concluded, David moved his residence from Kutaisi to Tbilisi, making it the capital of a unified Georgian State, from 12–13th centuries, Tbilisi became a dominant regional power with a thriving economy and a well-established social system/structure
Tbilisi
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Historical center of Tbilisi
Tbilisi
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Detail from the Nautical chart by
Angelino Dulcert, depicting Georgian Black Sea coast and Tiflis, 1339.
Tbilisi
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View of Tbilisi by French traveler
Jean Chardin, 1671.
Tbilisi
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Mikhail Lermontov, Tiflis, 1837.
13.
76th Guards Air Assault Division
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The 76th Guards Air Assault Division is a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based in Pskov. The division traces its lineage back to the 76th Guards Rifle Division, the division fought in the Battle of Kursk, the Battle of the Dnieper, Operation Bagration, the East Pomeranian Offensive, and the Berlin Offensive. Postwar, it was converted into an airborne division, the division moved to Pskov, its current base, in 1949. The division was involved in Black January and the January Events in Lithuania, after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union the division became part of the Russian Airborne Troops. The division fought in the First Chechen War, Second Chechen War, the division became an air assault division in 2006. It was involved in the Annexation of Crimea and the War in Donbass, the 76th Air Assault Division was originally established in 1939 as the 157th Rifle Division. On 1 March 1943 it became the 76th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the Battle of Stalingrad, Major General Alexander Kirsanov commanded the division. The division fought in the Battle of Kursk, fighting in the part of the Kursk Bulge. Until 3 July the division was part of the Bryansk Front in the area of Belyov, on 12 July the division began the crossing of the Oka. By the end of the day the division had captured bridgeheads, the division received thanks from the Supreme Commander for this action. On 8 September, the division began to advance from the Oryol area to Chernigov, after three days the division had advanced 70 kilometers and reached the village of Tolstoles on 20 September, three kilometers northeast of Chernigov. The division then helped capture the city and advanced to the west, by an order of the Supreme Commander on 21 September the division was thanked and awarded the honorific Chernigov. The division then advanced into Belarus and it became part of the 1st Belorussian Front. On 17 July 1944 it began an attack northwest of Kovel, on 21 July the vanguard of the division moved north towards Brest in heavy fighting. On 26 July, troops advancing from the north and south linked up 20 to 25 kilometers west of Brest, German troops in the area were surrounded. For its actions in the capture of Brest, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, on 25 January 1945, the division, as part of the 2nd Belorussian Front, blocked the route out of Toruń, surrounding German forces. In late February, the division attempted to cut the road out of Konitz, German troops were able to escape in the fighting. On 23 March the division captured Sopot and advanced to the Baltic Sea, by 25 March it had captured Oliwa and was advancing towards Danzig
76th Guards Air Assault Division
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76th Guards Air Assault Division shoulder sleeve insignia.
14.
North Ossetia
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The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania is a federal subject of Russia. Its population according to the 2010 Census was 712,980 and its capital is the city of Vladikavkaz. The term of Alania quickly became popular in Ossetian daily life through the names of various enterprises, in November 1994, the name of Alania was officially added to the republican title. The republic is located in the North Caucasus, the northern part of the republic is situated in the Stavropol Plain. 22% of the territory is covered by forests. Mount Kazbek is the highest point, with Mount Dzhimara being the second highest, natural resources include minerals, timber, mineral waters, hydroelectric power, and untapped reserves of oil and gas. Average January temperature, −5 °C Average July temperature, +24 °C Average annual precipitation, 400–700 millimeters in the plains, the territory of North Ossetia was first inhabited by Caucasian tribes. Some Nomadic Alans settled in the region in the 7th century and it was eventually converted to Christianity by missionaries from Byzantium. Alania greatly profited from the Silk Road which passed through its territory, after the Middle Ages, the Mongols and Tartars repeated invasions decimated the population, now known as the Ossetians. Islam was introduced to the region in the 17th century by Kabardians, conflicts between the Khanate of Crimea and the Ottoman Empire eventually pushed Ossetia into an alliance with Imperial Russia in the 18th century. Soon, Russia established a base in the capital, Vladikavkaz. By 1806, Ossetia was under complete Russian control, the Russians rule led to rapid development of industry and railways which overcame its isolation. The first books from the area came during the late 18th century, the Russian Revolution of 1917 resulted in North Ossetia being merged into the Soviet Mountain Republic in 1921. It then became the North Ossetian Autonomous Oblast on 7 July 1924, in World War II, it was subject to a number of attacks by Nazi German invaders unsuccessfully trying to seize Vladikavkaz in 1942. The North Ossetian SSR declared itself the autonomous republic of the Soviet Union on June 20,1990 and its name was changed to Republic of North Ossetia-Alania in 1991. Some 70,000 South Ossetian refugees were resettled in North Ossetia and that led to the Ossetian–Ingush conflict. As well as dealing with the effects of the conflict in South Ossetia, North Ossetia has had to deal with refugees, the bloodiest incident by far was the September 2004 Beslan hostage crisis, in which Chechen insurgents attributed to Shamil Basayev seized control of a school. In the firefight between the terrorists and Russian forces that ended the crisis,335 civilians, the majority of them children, a physical education teacher called Yanis Kanidis was also killed in the siege after saving the lives of many children
North Ossetia
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North Ossetian landscape Kwyrttaty kom
North Ossetia
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Flag
North Ossetia
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Cableway in Tsey canyon
North Ossetia
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Seat of the Republic's Government
15.
2008 South Ossetian war
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The Russo-Georgian War was a war between Georgia, Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The war took place in August 2008 following a period of worsening relations between Russia and Georgia, both constituent republics of the Soviet Union. The fighting took place in the strategically important Transcaucasia region, which borders the Middle East and it was regarded as the first European war of the 21st century. The Republic of Georgia declared its independence in early 1991 as the Soviet Union began to fall apart, following the war, a joint peacekeeping force of Georgian, Russian, and Ossetian troops was stationed in the territory. Meanwhile, a stalemate developed in the region of Abkhazia. By August 1,2008, Ossetian separatists began shelling Georgian villages, to put an end to these deadly attacks and restore order, the Georgian Army was sent to the South Ossetian conflict zone on 7 August. Georgians took control of most of Tskhinvali, a separatist stronghold, Georgia later stated it was also responding to Russia moving non-peacekeeping units into the country. Russia accused Georgia of aggression against South Ossetia, and launched a land, air. Russian and Ossetian forces battled Georgian forces in and around South Ossetia for several days, Russian and Abkhaz forces opened a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge held by Georgia. Russian naval forces blockaded part of the Georgian coast and this was the first war in history in which cyber warfare coincided with military action. An active information war was waged during and after the conflict. President of France Nicolas Sarkozy negotiated an agreement on 12 August. Russian forces temporarily occupied the Georgian cities of Zugdidi, Senaki, Poti, the South Ossetians destroyed most ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia and were responsible for an ethnic cleansing of Georgians. Russia recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia as separate republics on 26 August, in response, Russia mostly completed its withdrawal of troops from Georgia proper on 8 October. In the aftermath, Russias international relations were largely unharmed, the war displaced 192,000 people and while many returned to their homes after the war,20,272 people remained displaced as of 2014. Russia has, since the war, occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia in violation of the agreement of August 2008. In the tenth century AD, Georgia for the first time emerged as a concept in the territories where the Georgian language was used to perform Christian rituals. After the Mongol invasions of the region, the Kingdom of Georgia eventually was broken up into several kingdoms, in the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire gradually annexed the Georgian lands
2008 South Ossetian war
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Russian
BMP-2 from the
58th Army in South Ossetia
2008 South Ossetian war
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Location of Georgia (including Abkhazia and South Ossetia) and Russian
North Caucasus
2008 South Ossetian war
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Destroyed Georgian tank in Tskhinvali
2008 South Ossetian war
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Georgian servicemen leaving South Ossetia (August 2008)
16.
Georgian Armed Forces
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The Georgian Armed Forces is the name of the unified armed forces of Georgia. The Georgian military is a force consisting of the Georgian Land Forces, Georgian Special Forces and a paramilitary organization. The armed forces of Georgia are under the authority of the Georgian Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces consisted of the Regular Army and Peoples Guard in 1918-1921. On March 23,1994, Georgia was one of the first former Soviet Republics to join the NATO Partnership for Peace program, the Georgia Train and Equip Program training was conducted using U. S. Special Operations Forces and U. S. Marine Corps forces from May 2002 to May 2004, during this time approximately 2,600 Georgian soldiers, including a headquarters staff element and 5 tactical units, received training. Another assistance program, the Georgia Security and Stability Operations Program, was launched in January 2005 as a continuation of the of 2002-2004, Georgian contingents were involved in the Kosovo Force and continue to participate in the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Georgia also views a large-scale foreign invasion and the spillover of conflicts from Russia’s North Caucasus as the worst potential near- and long-term scenarios, on August 8,2008 the Georgian military conducted an operation in Georgias breakaway region South Ossetia. The operation led to a conflict with forces from the Russian Federation and resulted in the defeat. Following the military operations, Russia recognized independence of the regions, the military budget of Georgia increased more than 50 times over the period from 2002 to 2007, reaching over 7% of Georgias GDP. In the resulting conflict with Russia, Georgia was driven out of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. According to Defence Minister Davit Kezerashvili, Georgia lost $400 million of material worth, Russian forces confiscated a total of 1,728 firearms. Out of its original 200 T-72 tanks, more than 35 were lost, a total of 50 pieces of military equipment were captured, and some others destroyed. Parts of Georgias relatively modern artillery and anti-aircraft units were captured, Russian forces sank four Georgian naval vessels in the port of Poti, a coast guard gunboat in a naval skirmish, and hauled away nine rigid-hull inflatable boats. The Georgian Air Force lost two L-29 jet trainers, one AN-2 airplane, and four helicopters, all destroyed on the ground. Despite these mostly non combat losses, President Mikheil Saakashvili claimed that Georgia had lost less than 5% of its military hardware, Georgia immediately began a process of re-armament after the war. The conflict was followed by a very quick replenishment program of the gaps in the single GAF arms components with an additional massive re-equipment. Two Georgian naval vessels sunk in Poti were raised and returned to service, although their heaviest armaments were 25-30mm cannons. The Georgian Navys remaining operational units were merged into the Georgian Coast Guard
Georgian Armed Forces
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U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
Victoria Nuland meeting with Georgian defense ministry leadership, 3 December 2013
Georgian Armed Forces
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Ministry of Defence of Georgia logo
Georgian Armed Forces
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Structure of the Georgian Armed Forces as of 2014
Georgian Armed Forces
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Georgian soldiers in Afghanistan
17.
South Ossetian presidential election, 2011
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Presidential elections were held in South Ossetia on 13 November 2011. A referendum was held on the same day, a run-off was held on 27 November, but the result were invalidated by the Supreme Court of South Ossetia. A new election was scheduled for 25 March 2012, incumbent president Eduard Kokoity was constitutionally barred from serving a third term in office. Attempts were made to call a referendum to change the constitution, another attempt to change the constitution by a two-thirds majority in parliament was blocked by parliamentary chairman and Communist Party of South Ossetia leader Stanislav Kochiev. Kokoity himself stated he had no intention in seeking a third term, Kokoity made it clear that he would not disappear from the South Ossetian political scene. Days before the election, candidate Ivar Bestaev withdrew from the election and this left 16 candidates, but in the following days five more candidates withdrew, including Chigoev. Anatoly Bibilov claimed to be backed by Russia, Dzhioyeva campaigned on the deficit of fuel, lack of cellular network in parts of the republic and misappropriated funds provided for the post-war reconstruction of South Ossetia by Russia. Polling stations were open from 8,00 until 20,00, there were 86 such stations, located all over the country, as well as in Moscow and Sukhumi. Special polling stations were opened for South Ossetian citizens living in North Ossetia–Alania, in South Ossetia, a turnout of 50% +1 vote is required for an election to be valid. This threshold was reached around 16,00, the two most successful participants were Bibilov, with 25. 44% of votes cast, and Dzhioyeva, with a 25. 37% share of the vote. They went through to a runoff on 27 November, which was needed as no candidate had achieved a majority in the first round, preliminary results released on 27 November show Dzhioyeva in the lead, with 8955 votes to Bibilovs 6205. However, the Unity Party filed a complaint at the Supreme Court of South Ossetia, the Supreme Court subsequently declared the election invalid. A new election date was agreed upon for 25 March 2012
South Ossetian presidential election, 2011
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Nominee
South Ossetian presidential election, 2011
18.
Alla Dzhioyeva
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She previously served as the Education Minister in 2002–2008. She won the 2011 presidential election, but the Supreme Court annulled the results, alla Dzhioyeva was born on August 23,1949 in Staliniri, South Ossetian AO, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union. Dzhioyeva then returned to Tskhinvali to work as a Russian language and she eventually became the schools director, occupying this position until 2002. In 2001, Dzhioyeva became a supporter of Eduard Kokoity, one of the candidates in the 2001 presidential election, having won it, Kokoity appointed Dzhioyeva to be education minister in February 2002. On the other hand, Dzhioyeva refused any form of cooperation with Georgia, nevertheless, the countrys Georgian language schools continued to function. Dzioyeva is also credited with launching a project to introduce the Ossetic language immersion classes in some schools. Dzhioyeva has been a supporter of reunification of South and North Ossetia, in 2006. Dzhioyeva was fired by Kokoity on February 4,2008, the following day, she was charged with several offences and placed under house arrest on March 28. She remained detained until April 29,2010, when a court found her guilty of fraud and official misconduct and she received 24 months probation and was fined 120,000 rubles. Dzhioyeva appealed to the Supreme Court, the current status of the appeal is unknown, Dzhioyeva has continuously maintained that her arrest and prosecution were politically motivated after she became a vocal critic of Kokoity. Dzhioyeva remained a critic of Kokoity in 2010–2011 and decided to run in the 2011 presidential election. Its first round took place on November 13 with Dzhioyeva running against 10 other candidates, including Anatoliy Bibilov, Bibilov and Dzhioyeva secured 25. 44% and 25. 37% of the votes respectively and advanced to the runoff. The second round took place on November 27, according to the preliminary results, Dzhioyeva secured 56. 74% of the votes, while Bibilov received 40%. At that point, the South Ossetian Supreme Court ordered the Central Electoral Commission not to publish the results, on November 29, the court annulled the election and barred Dzhioyeva from running in the next one. Amidst the ensued political crisis, Dzhioyeva announced that due to the fact she had received the most votes and she formed a state council to serve as the new government of South Ossetia, and her supporters took to the streets in protest of the sanctions taken against her. During one of the demonstrations, Dzhioyeva obtained the protocols from the Central Electoral Commission, Dzhioyeva and her supporters demanded Kokoitys resignation and international recognition of Dzhioyevas victory, while her supporters engaged in demonstrations on Tskhinvalis central square. At the same time, she entered negotiations with the president. Dzhioyeva announced her withdrawal from the deal in January 2012, condemning the planned runoff as illegal, acting president Vadim Brovtsev accused her of trying to plot a coup d’état
Alla Dzhioyeva
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Alla Dzhioyeva during the first round of the 2011 South Ossetian presidential election.
19.
South Ossetian presidential election, 2012
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A presidential election was held in South Ossetia on 25 March, with a runoff scheduled on 8 April 2012. This election would choose the first full president since the country gained partial international recognition, the date was set by the parliament after the 2011 election was annulled by the Supreme Court after Alla Dzhioyeva was disqualified following allegations of electoral violations by Anatoly Bibilov. A deal was reached on 9 December 2011 under which the incumbent Kokoity stepped down at the end of his mandate and was replaced by Prime Minister Vadim Brovtsev as acting president. Though Dzhioyeva was previously barred from running again, she was allowed to register in the re-run of the election. However, Kokoity and his supporters reneged on parts of the deal, no candidate participating in the 2011 election registered, including the previous leaders Dzihoyeva and Bibilov. There were four registered candidates, Leonid Haritonovich Tibilov, candidate in the 2006 election, david Georgievich Sanakoyev, human rights commissioner. Dmitriy Nikolayevich Medoyev, ambassador of South Ossetia to Russia and backed by Russia, stanislav Yakovlevich Kochiyev, chairman of the Communist Party of South Ossetia and speaker of the Parliament of South Ossetia. Dzhioyeva did not register to run in the election after she was in hospital with allegations of being beaten, Tibilov and Sanakoyev disagreed with former President Eduard Kokoity who said that South Ossetia would eventually be a part of Russia. Sanakoyev said, In November–December, it very clear that those supported by Kokoity did not win. A week before the election, a poll by the IR media centre suggested Medoyev or Tibilov would win. In addition to Russian observers the election said that it would call on the Council of Europe. First round turnout was over 65%, with expatriate voting still to be counted, without an absolute winner the election was set for a run off. The second round occurred on Easter with 84 voting centres opening at 8,00 for the 35,000 registered voters. The preliminary result with 95. 64% of the ballots counted, indicated Tibilov winning with 53. 74%, or 15,257, of the votes, with Sanakoyev getting 42. 98%, or 12,272, of the votes. After the first round, Tibilov said that todays figures show that my candidacy is taken normally, lets hope the second round confirms this. He also denied having Russian backing, but said that he would consult Russia in choosing his new government, Georgia – Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said that South Ossetia staged a farce. No one will recognise these elections, no matter who wins, Minister for Reintegration Eka Tkeshelashvili said of that the election that it was a continuation of farce and an imitation of elections in the Russian-occupied ethnically-cleansed region. Russia – After the first round, the Public Chambers Maxim Grigoryev said that there were not material breaches, united States – The embassy in Georgia said it does not recognise the election
South Ossetian presidential election, 2012
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Nominee
20.
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
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Nagorno-Karabakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh, is an unrecognised republic in the South Caucasus. The region is considered by the UN to be part of Azerbaijan, the dispute was largely shelved after the Soviet Union established control over the area and created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923. During the fall of the Soviet Union, the region re-emerged as a source of dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in 1991, a referendum held in the NKAO and the neighbouring Shahumian region resulted in a declaration of independence. Large-scale ethnic conflict led to the 1991–1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War, which ended with a ceasefire that left the current borders, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is a semi-presidential democracy with a unicameral legislature. Its reliance on Armenia means that in many ways it functions de facto as part of Armenia, the country is very mountainous, averaging 1,097 metres above sea level. The population is predominantly Christian, most being affiliated with the Armenian Apostolic Church, several historical monasteries are popular with tourists, mostly from the Armenian diaspora, as most travel can take place only between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is a democracy, whereby the executive power resides with both the President and the Prime Minister. The president is elected for a maximum of two-consecutive five-year terms. The current President is Bako Sahakyan, in the most recent presidential elections, held on 19 July 2012, Sahakyan was reelected to a second term. The President appoints a potential Prime Minister who is approved by a majority vote in the National Assembly. The National Assembly is a unicameral legislature and it has 33 members who are elected for 5-year terms. Three organisations have members in the parliament, the Democratic Party of Artsakh has 18 members, Free Motherland has 8 members, Nagorno-Karabakh is heavily dependent on Armenia, and in many ways de facto functions and is administered as part of Armenia. On 3 November 2006, the then-President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arkadi Ghukasyan and it was held on 10 December of the same year and voters overwhelmingly approved the new constitution. According to official results, with a turnout of 87. 2%. The First article of the document describes the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as a sovereign, more than 100 non-governmental international observers and journalists who monitored the poll evaluated it positively, stating that it was held to a high international standard. Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis asserted that the poll will not be recognized, and is therefore of no consequence. The outcome was also criticised by Turkey, which traditionally supports Azerbaijan because of common ethnic Turkic roots, another referendum was held on 20 February 2017, with a 87. 6% vote in favour on a 76% turnout for instituting a new constitution. The new name implies a claim to the areas controlled beyond the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, the referendum is seen as a response to the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
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The NKR National Assembly in Stepanakert
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
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Flag
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
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The NKR Presidential Palace
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
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The NKR Ministry of foreign affairs in
Stepanakert
