[1] The Ossetian Republican Guard (Russian: Республиканская гвардия Осетии) was organized on 15 November 1991 to participate in the defence of the national capital of Tskhinvali.

[3] It was a participant in the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War, providing 2,400 guardsmen to fight against forces from the National Guard of Georgia.

[4] On 17 November 1992, the Supreme Soviet of South Ossetia approved the formation the Ministry of Defence to lead the military.

At the time of the major Georgian offensive, the bulk of the Ossetian force was concentrated in the settlement of Java to the north of Tskhinvali.

[6] According to Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, what thwarted the Georgian operation in the end was the resistance offered by peacekeepers and lightly armed South Ossetian units that stayed behind to defend the capital.

[11] On 31 March 2017, defence ministers of the two countries signed agreements whereby some units of the armed forces of South Ossetia would go under Russia′s command.