"UNION OF ARMENIAN YOUTH" UNDERGROUND ORGANIZATION(1978-1980)

In the 1960s, the formation of several dissident underground groups during the dissident movement that gained traction in several USSR countries helped to coordinate and govern the dissident fight. The same was true in Soviet Armenia, where active dissident activities articulated the goals and objectives of Armenian patriotic circles. These ranged from the defense of human rights to the promotion of national problems to the fight for Armenia's independence. The 1978 establishment of the " Union of Armenian Youth" (henceforth referred to as the UAY) was one of the dissident underground groups in Soviet Armenia with a distinct function and importance. The UAY had an oath wording, a charter, and a program. Restoring Armenia's independence, reunifying the occupied Armenian areas that had been taken from Armenia and given to Turkey, and separating Soviet Armenia from the USSR were the organization's primary objectives. The plan called on the country to declare the Communist Party illegal. The aim of this article is to present the organization's founding process, ideological underpinnings, and priorities—as well as the activities of its members and subsequent developments following their disclosure by the State Security Committee (henceforth, KGB).