Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan kidnappings. Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan (Tajik:Қувваҳои Мусаллаҳи Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон) is the national military of the Republic of Tajikistan. It consists of National Army, Mobile Forces, Air Force, Presidential National Guard, border and internal troops. There are also significant Russian forces in the country principally the 201st Motor Rifle Division. Unlike the other former Soviet states of Central Asia, Tajikistan did not form armed forces based upon former Soviet units on its territory. Instead, the Russian Ministry of Defence took control of the Dushanbe-based 201st Motor Rifle Division. Control simply
Dissolution of the Soviet Union the former national anthem Tautiška giesmė was later reinstated. On February 20, 1988, after a week of growing demonstrations in Stepanakert, capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (the Armenian majority area within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic), the Regional Soviet voted to secede and join with the Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia. This local vote in a small, remote part of the Soviet Union made headlines around the world; it was an unprecedented defiance of republican and national authorities. On February 22, 1988, in what became known as the "Askeran clash", thousands of Azerbaijanis marched towards Nagorno-Karabakh, demanding information about