Gurgen Dalibaltayan

Gurgen Harutyun Dalibaltayan (; 5 June 1926 – 1 September 2015) was an Armenian military commander. He was the Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces during the 1992 Battle of Shusha, a battle to capture the city from Azerbaijan. He is credited with devising a strategy to assault the strongly fortified town of Shusha using diversionary attacks against adjacent villages to draw out the defenders of the town while the commander of troops, Arkady Ter-Tatevosyan, encircled the town and cut off reinforcements. His strategy is generally considered impossible, or at least implausible, as he was originally outnumbered. General military tactics suggest a force of three times the defender's size to successfully storm and win. The capture was a success and proved to be a turning point in the war in favor of Armenia. The date Shusha was captured, 9 May 1992, is celebrated as Victory Day in Armenia, also coincidentally coinciding with the end of the Great Patriotic War during World War II.

Following the war, he worked as the Advisor to the President of Armenia and the chief military inspector from 1993 to 2007. As of 2007, he was the Senior Advisor to the Minister of Defense.

Personal life He was married to Shushanik Dalibaltayan (née Khachatryan). They have two children, a daughter Varduhi (b. 1952) and a son Varazdat (b. 1954). Dalibaltayan was an honorary citizen of Yerevan. He died on 1 September 2015 at the age of 89.

Awards Order of the Red Banner Order of the Red Star Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class Order of the Combat Cross, 1st degree (1998) Medal "For Services to the Fatherland" Medal "For Distinguished Service", 1st class Medal "For Distinguished Service", 2nd class Order of Nerses the Gracious Order of the Combat Cross, 1st degree (2000) National Hero of Armenia (2021, posthumously)