Dadash Rzayev
Encyclopedia
Dadash Rzayev Garib oglu was Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan
from February to June 1993 and is currently the Chairman of Confederation of Azerbaijani Officers in Reserve. His active service in the army lasted for 40 years, 37 of which were in the Airborne Troops.
. A year later his studies were interrupted and he was conscripted to military service at Soviet Airborne Troops stationed in Belarus
for a period of 3 years. After military quarantine
, he was directed to confidential state Officers School in isolated location in Kazakhstan
for a period of one year. After completion of his course, he returned to the military service. Six months before completion of his service, he was sent to continue his military education at School of Airborne Troops. He graduated from the school in 1959. While a cadet he has been awarded with Order of the Red Star
for excellence in his studies.
, Russian SFSR. He was then promoted to Captain. Unlike other officers, he ran a 40 km distance to shooting range
in front of his tabor of soldiers and always did exercises prior to his soldiers during the trainings for encouragement purposes. Soldiers of his tabor always received higher grades when commander of the army checked the statistics. After completion of Frunze Military Academy, he served as Commander of airborne regiments in Kaunas
, Lithuania and then in Baku
, Azerbaijan. After that, he was appointed First Deputy to Commander of 12,000 men division. Rzayev was then assigned to troops in Lviv
, Ukraine where he established airborne brigade. During this time he was promoted to the rank of Colonel
. During the Ogaden War
, Soviets provided assistance to Ethiopian government and Rzayev was sent to Ethiopia as an "agricultural expert". He created an airborne brigade for the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense
and led some combat operations. He's said to have played a significant role in formation of Ethiopian troops. During the Soviet war in Afghanistan
, he supervised 4 tabors.
and transported food to isolated areas. He received his rank of a General in 1991. At the end of 1991, the new Defense Minister
Valeh Barshadly
appointed Rzayev his deputy. On September 25, 1991 President Ayaz Mutalibov appointed him Commander of National Self-Defense Forces. Rzayev was the author of the military oath of allegiance
which was taken by him and the first unit of the independent Azerbaijani Army known as The First tabor based on unit 18110 of the Soviet Army
, on December 8, 1991 in the Martyrs' Alley
. Once Barshadly became the Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces, he ordered him to create northwestern military corpus. Rzayev took the assignment and created a 12,000 men corpus in the Tovuz
region. During the Karabakh conflict, he personally led the operation which captured the village of Bashkend
. On February 21, 1993 he was appointed Minister of Defense by President
Abulfaz Elchibey. On June 17 he was sacked by President Abulfaz Elchibey and on July 16, 1993 he was accused in the report of the investigative commission of the parliament
of being a part to skirmishes during the Ganja revolt of June 1993 and was removed from the position of Minister of Defense. He retired from active service in the army in 1995.
and remained in the ministry working at Military Scientific Center of the Ministry of Defense. However, 30 generals, colonels and high ranking officers, including Rzayev were laid off in 2009 due to ongoing reforms in the ministry.
tanks to foster the domestic military production in Azerbaijan.
base of Technical Sports Organization of Azerbaijani Military Volunteers and jumped when the plane reached the altitude of 1,000–1,200 meters. He was the oldest person at 74 to jump off with a parachute on the territory of post Soviet states
and the third person in the world to do it at that age.
Minister of Defense (Azerbaijan)
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan is the Azerbaijani government ministry, associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan , and the...
from February to June 1993 and is currently the Chairman of Confederation of Azerbaijani Officers in Reserve. His active service in the army lasted for 40 years, 37 of which were in the Airborne Troops.
Early life
Rzayev was born in 1935 in Delimemmedli city of Goranboy Rayon, Azerbaijan. He never planned a military career but always wanted to be a pilot. In 1953, he was enrolled at Azerbaijan Technical UniversityAzerbaijan Technical University
Azerbaijan Technical University is a public university, specialized in engineering, located in Baku, Azerbaijan. The University has 9 schools and 54 departments, 884 faculty members and approximately 6500 students....
. A year later his studies were interrupted and he was conscripted to military service at Soviet Airborne Troops stationed in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
for a period of 3 years. After military quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
, he was directed to confidential state Officers School in isolated location in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
for a period of one year. After completion of his course, he returned to the military service. Six months before completion of his service, he was sent to continue his military education at School of Airborne Troops. He graduated from the school in 1959. While a cadet he has been awarded with Order of the Red Star
Order of the Red Star
Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
for excellence in his studies.
Soviet Army
Rzayev started his military career when he held the rank of Lieutenant. After graduating from military school, he was first sent to the 106th Guards Airborne Division at TulaTula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
, Russian SFSR. He was then promoted to Captain. Unlike other officers, he ran a 40 km distance to shooting range
Shooting range
A shooting range or firing range is a specialized facility designed for firearms practice. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more supervisory personnel, called variously a range master or "RSO – Range Safety Officer" in the United States or a range conducting officer or "RCO" in the UK...
in front of his tabor of soldiers and always did exercises prior to his soldiers during the trainings for encouragement purposes. Soldiers of his tabor always received higher grades when commander of the army checked the statistics. After completion of Frunze Military Academy, he served as Commander of airborne regiments in Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania and then in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, Azerbaijan. After that, he was appointed First Deputy to Commander of 12,000 men division. Rzayev was then assigned to troops in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, Ukraine where he established airborne brigade. During this time he was promoted to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. During the Ogaden War
Ogaden War
The Ogaden War was a conventional conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1977 and 1978 over the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. In a notable illustration of the nature of Cold War alliances, the Soviet Union switched from supplying aid to Somalia to supporting Ethiopia, which had previously been...
, Soviets provided assistance to Ethiopian government and Rzayev was sent to Ethiopia as an "agricultural expert". He created an airborne brigade for the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense
Ministry of Defense (Ethiopia)
The Ministry of National Defense of Ethiopia is a cabinet level office in charge of defense related matters of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia...
and led some combat operations. He's said to have played a significant role in formation of Ethiopian troops. During the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
, he supervised 4 tabors.
Azerbaijani Armed Forces
Rzayev came back to Azerbaijan and started working at Karabakh Public Relief Committee which supplied him with a helicopter. He visited villages in KarabakhNagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
and transported food to isolated areas. He received his rank of a General in 1991. At the end of 1991, the new Defense Minister
Minister of Defense (Azerbaijan)
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan is the Azerbaijani government ministry, associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan , and the...
Valeh Barshadly
Valeh Barshadly
Valeh Barshadly Eyyub oglu also spelled as Valeh Barshadli, was the first Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan after restoration of its independence in 1991.-Early life:...
appointed Rzayev his deputy. On September 25, 1991 President Ayaz Mutalibov appointed him Commander of National Self-Defense Forces. Rzayev was the author of the military oath of allegiance
Oath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country. In republics, modern oaths specify allegiance to the country's constitution. For example, officials in the United States, a republic, take an oath of office that...
which was taken by him and the first unit of the independent Azerbaijani Army known as The First tabor based on unit 18110 of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
, on December 8, 1991 in the Martyrs' Alley
Martyrs' Lane
Martyrs' Lane, Alley of Martyrs or Şəhidlər Xiyabanı , formerly The Kirov Park, is a cemetery and memorial in Baku, Azerbaijan dedicated to those killed by the Soviet Army during Black January and later to those killed in Nagorno-Karabakh War.-History:In the closing days of World War I fighting...
. Once Barshadly became the Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces, he ordered him to create northwestern military corpus. Rzayev took the assignment and created a 12,000 men corpus in the Tovuz
Tovuz, Azerbaijan
Tovuz is the capital of Tovuz in Azerbaijan.-History:The city takes its name from the turkic Oghuz tribe....
region. During the Karabakh conflict, he personally led the operation which captured the village of Bashkend
Artsvashen
Artsvashen , also Romanized as Artzvashen, is an exclave of Armenia's Gegharkunik province which has been controlled by the Azerbaijani army since 1992. The official Azerbaijani name for the village is Bashkand. Its size is about 40 square kilometers, and it is completely surrounded by the...
. On February 21, 1993 he was appointed Minister of Defense by President
President of Azerbaijan
The country of Azerbaijan is a presidential republic, with the President of Azerbaijan as the head of state, and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan as head of government...
Abulfaz Elchibey. On June 17 he was sacked by President Abulfaz Elchibey and on July 16, 1993 he was accused in the report of the investigative commission of the parliament
National Assembly of Azerbaijan
The National Assembly , also transliterated as Milli Majlis is the legislative branch of government in Azerbaijan. The unicameral National Assembly has 125 deputies: previously 100 members were elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies and 25 were members elected by proportional...
of being a part to skirmishes during the Ganja revolt of June 1993 and was removed from the position of Minister of Defense. He retired from active service in the army in 1995.
and remained in the ministry working at Military Scientific Center of the Ministry of Defense. However, 30 generals, colonels and high ranking officers, including Rzayev were laid off in 2009 due to ongoing reforms in the ministry.
Confederation of Officers in Reserve
Rzayev has since been the Chairman of Confederation of Azerbaijani Officers in Reserve. The organizations has branches in 65 regions of Azerbaijan. As the chairman, Rzayev has been an outspoken proponent of appointment of military training course teachers in secondary schools by the Ministry of Defense, not Ministry of Education so as to improve the quality of knowledge of youth before they are conscripted for active duty. He has also been a proponent of aligning the Azerbaijani army according to NATO standards. Rzayev is confident that existing Azerbaijani manufacturing plants have a capacity to start producing the T-72T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
tanks to foster the domestic military production in Azerbaijan.
Guinness world records
In 2009, Rzayev made headlines after parachuting from an airplane at the age of 74. This was his 1506th time on parachute. He first did it on January 16, 1955 as a cadet. Rzayev took off on an airplane from the BalakanBalakan
Balakan is a rayon of northwestern Azerbaijan, located between Georgia and Russia. It borders Georgia to south and Dagestan of Russia to east and north...
base of Technical Sports Organization of Azerbaijani Military Volunteers and jumped when the plane reached the altitude of 1,000–1,200 meters. He was the oldest person at 74 to jump off with a parachute on the territory of post Soviet states
CIS
CIS usually refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a modern political entity consisting of eleven former Soviet Union republics.The acronym CIS may also refer to:-Organizations:...
and the third person in the world to do it at that age.
See also
- Azerbaijani Army
- Ministers of Defense of Azerbaijan RepublicMinister of Defense (Azerbaijan)The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan is the Azerbaijani government ministry, associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan , and the...
- Safar AbiyevSafar AbiyevColonel General Safar Akhundbala oglu Abiyev is the current Defense Minister of Azerbaijan, considered as one of the longest serving defense minister in the Commonwealth of Independent States.-Biography:General Safar Abiyev was born in Baku...