Yerkrapah
| Yerkrapah | |
|---|---|
| Active | July 1993—present |
| Country | Armenia |
| Role | Paramilitary |
| Size | 5,000-30,000 |
| Motto(s) | Defenders of the Land |
| Engagements | First Nagorno-Karabakh War Four-Day War Second Nagorno-Karabakh War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Sasun Mikayelyan |
| Notable commanders | Vazgen Sargsyan Manvel Grigoryan |
Yerkrapah Volunteer Union (Armenian: «Երկրապահ» կամավորական միություն, ԵԿՄ «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."