{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.irregular-military","code":"thing-q1673189","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1673189/","name":"irregular military","alternateNames":["Opryshoks","Russian irregular forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine","Braunschweiger Gruppe","Ayyār"],"kind":"thing","status":"research-draft","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.ORG"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"Armed forces that are not part of a state s regular military, including militias, guerrillas, partisans, paramilitaries, private military companies and volunteer units, historically such as the Ukrainian opryshoks, the medieval Islamic ayyar bands and the German Braunschweiger Gruppe, and in recent conflicts such as the various Russian irregular forces in the invasion of Ukraine; irregular forces vary in legality, organisation and conduct, and international humanitarian law sets conditions for their combatant status, described here at the level of public reference sources.","purpose":"Let an agent explain irregular military forces as a category, relay their kinds, history and legal status from historical, legal and public sources with attribution, describe notable examples neutrally, and decline operational or recruitment detail.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Outside regular forces","Varied legality","Guerrilla or auxiliary roles","Contested status"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What irregular forces are.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and kinds.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What are irregular military forces, and how do militias, guerrillas, partisans, paramilitaries and private military companies differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about the category and its public study, or about operational or recruitment matters the model does not cover?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"status","name":"Status","description":"Legal status.","findings":[{"id":"status-finding","name":"Status","description":"Status.","questions":[{"text":"How does international humanitarian law treat irregular combatants, and what conditions apply?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits combatant status?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","layers":[{"id":"historical","name":"Historical","description":"Historical bands.","findings":[{"id":"historical-finding","name":"Historical","description":"Historical.","questions":[{"text":"Who were the opryshoks, the ayyar and the Braunschweiger Gruppe, as historians describe?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"modern","name":"Modern","description":"Modern conflicts.","findings":[{"id":"modern-finding","name":"Modern","description":"Modern.","questions":[{"text":"What is publicly reported about Russian irregular forces in the invasion of Ukraine and similar groups elsewhere, with claims attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation attributed and neutral?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"law","name":"Law","description":"Law and accountability.","layers":[{"id":"regulation","name":"Regulation","description":"Regulation.","findings":[{"id":"regulation-finding","name":"Regulation","description":"Regulation.","questions":[{"text":"How do states and international frameworks regulate militias and private military companies?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"accountability","name":"Accountability","description":"Accountability.","findings":[{"id":"accountability-finding","name":"Accountability","description":"Accountability.","questions":[{"text":"How are abuses by irregular forces investigated and prosecuted, as courts and inquiries document?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits war crimes?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Theory and culture.","layers":[{"id":"theory","name":"Theory","description":"Theory.","findings":[{"id":"theory-finding","name":"Theory","description":"Theory.","questions":[{"text":"How do scholars analyse irregular warfare and insurgency, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits irregular warfare?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"culture","name":"Culture","description":"Culture.","findings":[{"id":"culture-finding","name":"Culture","description":"Culture.","questions":[{"text":"How are partisans and guerrillas portrayed in literature and film?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits war in fiction?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe irregular military forces and their history from attributed sources.","Report documented abuses with attribution to named investigations."],"mustNot":["Provide operational, tactical or recruitment detail for armed groups.","Help any group recruit, finance or arm fighters.","Use partisan labels for a group while presenting them as neutral.","Present contested accounts of a conflict as settled."],"requiresHuman":["Any use of such information in security or legal decisions."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Irregular forces have committed and suffered serious abuses.","Labels such as militia, partisan or terrorist carry political weight."],"affectedParties":["Civilians in conflict zones","Child soldiers and recruits","Victims of abuses"]},"owners":{"steward":"No single owner; states and commanders answer for forces under their control.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q17149090","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q176799","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"armed organization","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"military unit","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"regular army","type":"related","note":"a state s formal forces"},{"target":"international humanitarian law","type":"related","note":"for combatant status"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.irregular-military","Wikidata: Q1673189 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673189)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Geneva Convention criteria: command, distinctive sign, open arms, laws of war list - for combatant status","Additional Protocol I: 1977 year - on irregular combatants"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Armed forces outside the regular military","Militias, guerrillas, partisans, paramilitaries, private military companies; opryshoks, ayyar, Braunschweiger Gruppe, Russian irregular forces in Ukraine","Regular forces are state armies; police are civil; criminal gangs lack political aims in most definitions","Not a visible object; armed groups outside regular armies."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the category and kinds","relay history and legal status","describe examples neutrally","decline operational detail"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Agents providing operational or recruitment detail","Partisan labelling of groups","Presenting contested accounts as settled","Documented abuses by some groups, to be attributed"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols on combatant status","National laws on militias and private military companies","UN Mercenary Convention and Montreux Document"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Not applicable; a category of armed forces.","militias and home guards","guerrillas and partisans","paramilitaries and auxiliaries","private military companies and volunteer units such as those among Russian irregular forces in Ukraine","historical bands such as the opryshoks and ayyar","Freikorps-type units such as the Braunschweiger Gruppe"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1673189: irregular military","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673189","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Irregular military","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregular_military","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should militia, guerrilla and private military company be separate primary entries?","How should legal and historical sources be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming specific historical and current groups; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1673189/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1673189/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T06:18:08Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}