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My path to special forces. Airborne special forces: history and structure and separate regiment

July 25 is the Day of Formation of the 45th Separate Airborne Special Forces Regiment, now the 45th Separate Guards Order of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky Airborne Special Forces Brigade.

The 45th Separate Guards Order of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky Special Purpose Regiment of the Airborne Troops (45th Guards Special Purpose Special Forces Airborne Forces) was formed in February 1994 on the basis of the 218th Special Assault Regiment and the 901st Special Assault Regiment.

901st separate air assault battalion for special purposes.

The 901st ODSB was formed on the basis of an order from the Chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces on the territory of the Transcaucasian Military District by the end of the 70s.
Then this battalion was moved to Czechoslovakia, where it was included in the structure of the Central Military Command. On November 20, 1979, the Oremov Laz garrison in Slovenia became the new location of the 901st Separate Specialized Assault Brigade (some sources indicate the garrison in Rijeka as the location).

The battalion was equipped with approximately 30 BMD-1 airborne combat vehicles. In March 1989, the number of TsGV troops began to decline, and this process affected 901 ADSB. At the turn of March and April, the entire battalion was moved to Latvian Aluksne, where it was enrolled in the PribVO.

1979 - formed on the territory of the Transcaucasian Military District as the 901st separate airborne assault battalion
1979 - transferred to the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia
1989 - transferred to the Baltic Military District (Aluksne)
May 1991 - transferred to the Transcaucasian Military District (Sukhumi)
August 1992 - transferred to the command of the Airborne Forces headquarters and renamed the 901st separate parachute battalion
1992 - transferred as a separate battalion to the 7th Guards Airborne Division
1993 - during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, he performed tasks for the protection and defense of military and government facilities on the territory of Abkhazia
October 1993 - transferred to the Moscow region
February 1994 - reorganized into the 901st separate special forces battalion
February 1994 - transferred to the newly formed 45th separate special forces regiment (Airborne)

218th separate air assault battalion for special purposes

In 1972, the 778th separate special-purpose radio company of 85 people was formed as part of the Airborne Forces. The main task of this unit was to drive the landing aircraft to the drop point, for which groups of this company had to land behind enemy lines ahead of time and deploy the drive equipment there. In 1975, the company was reorganized into the 778th OR REP, and in February 1980 - into the 899th separate special-purpose company with a strength of 117 people. In 1988, the 899th Special Forces Regiment was reorganized into the 899th Special Forces Company (with a staff of 105 people) as part of the 196th Airborne Forces. The company was later deployed to the 218th separate air assault battalion.

July 25, 1992 - formed in the Moscow Military District. The permanent deployment points were located in the Moscow region.
June-July 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in Transnistria
September-October 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in North Ossetia
December 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in Abkhazia
February 1994 - transferred to the newly formed 45th separate special-purpose airborne regiment

History of the 45th Guards. separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces.

By July 1994, the regiment was fully formed and equipped. By order of the Commander of the Airborne Forces, in order of historical continuity, the day of formation of the 45th regiment is specified to be considered the day of formation of the 218th battalion - July 25, 1992.
On December 2, 1994, the regiment was transferred to Chechnya to participate in the liquidation of illegal armed groups. Units of the regiment took part in hostilities until February 12, 1995, when the regiment was transferred back to its permanent location in the Moscow region. From March 15 to June 13, 1995, a combined detachment of the regiment operated in Chechnya.

On July 30, 1995, an obelisk was unveiled on the territory of the regiment's deployment in Sokolniki in honor of the soldiers of the regiment who died during the fighting.
On May 9, 1995, for services to the Russian Federation, the regiment was awarded a diploma from the President of the Russian Federation, and servicemen of the regiment as part of the combined airborne battalion took part in the parade on Poklonnaya Hill dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany.
From February to May 1997, the combined detachment of the regiment was in Gudauta as part of a peacekeeping mission in the zone of separation of the Georgian and Abkhaz armed forces.
On July 26, 1997, the regiment was awarded the Battle Banner and Certificate of the 5th Guards Airborne Rifle Mukachevo Order of Kutuzov III Class Regiment, disbanded on June 27, 1945.

On May 1, 1998, the regiment was renamed the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces. The 901st separate special forces battalion was disbanded in the spring of 1998; in 2001, a line battalion was created on its basis
special purpose as part of the regiment (called “901st” according to old habit).

From September 1999 to March 2006, the regiment's combined reconnaissance detachment took part in the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus.

On February 2, 2001, the regiment was awarded the pennant of the Minister of Defense “for courage, military valor and high combat skills.”

On August 8, 2001, on the territory of the regiment in Kubinka, in the presence of the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Georgy Shpak, a new memorial complex was opened in memory of the soldiers of the regiment who died while performing combat missions. Every year, on January 8, the regiment celebrates the Day of Remembrance of Fallen Soldiers.
In April-July 2005, it was decided to transfer to the 45th Regiment the Battle Banner, the title “Guards” and the Order of Alexander Nevsky, which belonged to the 119th Guards Parachute Regiment, which was disbanded in the same year. The ceremony of transferring the honors took place on August 2, 2005.

In 2007, the 218th separate special forces battalion was reorganized into a linear battalion, losing its numbering and status as a separate military unit. Since that time, the regiment has consisted of two line battalions.

The name of the regiment was returned to the 45th separate special purpose regiment of the Airborne Forces.

In August 2008, units of the regiment took part in the operation to force Georgia to peace. Regimental officer, Hero of Russia Anatoly Lebed was awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree.

On July 25, 2009, on the day of the regimental holiday, a small consecration of the throne of the garrison church of the 45th separate guards regiment, consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Blessed Heaven,” took place in Kubinka.
By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 170 of February 9, 2011, the regiment was the first in modern history to be awarded the Order of Kutuzov.

The presentation of the award took place on April 4, 2011 at the regiment's headquarters in Kubinka. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev personally attached the badge and ribbon of the order to the regiment's St. George banner.

In May-June 2012, the regiment's reconnaissance platoon participated in joint exercises with the Green Berets at the American military base of the 10th Special Forces Group, located at Fort Carson.

In the spring of 2014, a separate reconnaissance detachment of the regiment took part in the operation to annex Crimea to the Russian Federation.

During the general increase in the number of Russian Airborne Forces at the end of 2014, the 45th separate regiment was deployed into a brigade.

Battle path

1994-1995 - First Chechen war
1997 - Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
1999—2006 — Second Chechen War
2008 — Georgian-Ossetian conflict
2010 — ensuring the safety of Russian citizens on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic

Commanders

Kolygin, Viktor Dmitrievich - 1994-2003
Kontsevoy, Anatoly Georgievich - 2003-2006
Shulishov, Alexander Anatolyevich - 2006-2012
Pankov, Vadim Ivanovich - 08.2012 - present.

Regimental awards

August 2, 2005 - The title “Guards” and the Order of Alexander Nevsky were transferred from the disbanded 119th Guards Parachute Regiment.

February 9, 2011 - Order of Kutuzov “For the successful completion of combat missions of the command and the courage and heroism shown by the regiment personnel.”

Heroes

218th separate battalion (before inclusion in the regiment)
For courage and heroism in carrying out peacekeeping missions in 1992, many servicemen of the battalion were awarded government awards.

901st separate battalion (before inclusion in the regiment)

Order "For Personal Courage" - 43 people
Medal "For Courage" - 21 people
Medal "For Military Merit" - 27 people

45th separate regiment

Heroes of the Russian Federation:

Hero of the Russian Federation Vadim Alekseevich Gridnev

Hero of the Russian Federation Ermakov Vitaly Yurievich (posthumously)

Hero of the Russian Federation Zhidkov Dmitry Vasilievich (posthumously)

Hero of the Russian Federation Lais Alexander Viktorovich (posthumously)

Hero of the Russian Federation Lebed Anatoly Vyacheslavovich

Hero of the Russian Federation Andrey Anatolyevich Nepryakhin

Hero of the Russian Federation Vadim Ivanovich Pankov

Hero of the Russian Federation Alexey Viktorovich Romanov

Hero of the Russian Federation Rumyantsev Alexey Viktorovich (posthumously)

Hero of the Russian Federation Pyotr Karlovich Yatsenko (posthumously)

Awarded for completing combat missions:

Order of St. George - 1 person
Order of Courage - more than 100 people
Order of Military Merit - more than 40 people
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" - 3 people
St. George's Cross - about 40 people
Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree with swords - 60 people
Medal "For Courage" - 174 people
More than 180 people received the Suvorov Medal
More than 60 people received the Zhukov Medal

Regimental combat losses

During participation in hostilities, the regiment lost 43 people killed, more than 80 servicemen were wounded.

Thanks to cinema and television, most Russians know about the existence of special forces units that are subordinate to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU special forces). However, these special units are far from the only ones in the Russian armed forces; it’s just that their “colleagues” are less known and not so “publicized.” At the same time, in their professionalism and combat experience they are hardly inferior to the famous GRU special forces. First of all, we are talking about special forces units of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation or special forces of the Airborne Forces.

Special units of the Airborne Forces appeared quite a long time ago, during the Great Patriotic War. In February 1994, on the basis of two separate special-purpose battalions, an airborne special forces regiment was formed. Closer to our time, this unit took an active part in both campaigns in the North Caucasus, and was later involved in the war with Georgia in 2008. Its permanent location is Kubinka, near Moscow. At the end of 2014, the airborne regiment was deployed into a brigade.

Despite the fact that the tasks performed by the GRU special forces and the Airborne Special Forces are largely similar, there are still differences between these units. However, before talking about the airborne special forces, a few words should be said about the history of special forces in general.

History of special forces

Units for special operations were created in the USSR almost immediately after the Bolsheviks came to power. The units were engaged in reconnaissance and subversive work in hostile territory. Pro-Soviet partisan detachments were created in neighboring countries, the work of which was supervised by military intelligence from Moscow. In 1921, a special department was created in the Red Army, which was engaged in collecting intelligence information for the leadership of the Red Army.

Having survived several reorganizations, the intelligence department of the Red Army in 1940 was finally transferred to the subordination of the General Staff. The GRU special forces were created in 1950.

Special units of the Airborne Forces appeared in the 30s, immediately after the appearance of this type of troops in the USSR. The first part of the Airborne Forces was formed in 1930 near Voronezh. Almost immediately, an obvious need arose to create our own airborne reconnaissance unit.

The fact is that the Airborne Forces are designed to perform specific functions - operations behind enemy lines, destruction of particularly important enemy targets, disruption of enemy communications, seizure of bridgeheads and other operations of a predominantly offensive nature.

To conduct a successful landing operation, preliminary reconnaissance of the landing site is necessary. Otherwise, the operation is in danger of failure - this happened many times during the Great Patriotic War, when poorly prepared landing operations cost the lives of thousands of paratroopers.

In 1994, on the basis of two separate airborne special forces battalions, the 901st and 218th, the 45th separate airborne special forces regiment was formed. A few words should be said about the units that made up the regiment.

The 218th battalion was formed in 1992, and before joining the airborne special forces regiment, it managed to take part in several peacekeeping missions: in Abkhazia, Ossetia and Transnistria.

The history of the 901st battalion is much longer and richer. It was formed in 1979 in the Transcaucasian Military District as a separate air assault battalion, then was transferred to Europe, to the site of the intended theater of operations. At the end of the 80s, the Baltic states became the location of the unit. In 1992, the 901st battalion was renamed a separate parachute battalion and transferred to the subordination of the Airborne Forces headquarters.

In 1993, during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, the 901st battalion was located on the territory of Abkhazia, after which it was transferred to the Moscow region. In 1994, the unit became a separate special forces battalion and became part of the 45th Special Forces Regiment.

The regiment's military personnel took part in both Chechen campaigns and in the operation to force Georgia to peace in 2008. In 2005, the 45th Special Forces Regiment received the honorary title “Guards,” and the unit was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. In 2009 he was awarded the St. George Banner.

In 2014, an airborne special forces brigade was formed on the basis of the 45th separate regiment.

More than 40 servicemen from the unit were killed in various conflicts. Many soldiers and officers of the regiment were awarded orders and medals.

Why do you need airborne special forces?

The functions of the Airborne Special Forces are very similar to those performed by their colleagues from the units of the Main Intelligence Directorate. However, there are still differences. And they are associated with specific tasks that the Airborne Forces must solve.

Of course, airborne special forces can conduct sabotage and reconnaissance operations behind enemy lines, but first of all they must prepare the possibility of landing for the main airborne units. The concept of “prepare” in this case is interpreted very broadly. First of all, we are talking about reconnaissance of the landing area: management is obliged to have maximum information about where the paratroopers will land and what awaits them there.

In addition, scouts, if necessary, prepare a landing site. This could be the capture of an enemy airfield or a small bridgehead. If necessary, sabotage is carried out in the area, infrastructure is destroyed, communications are disrupted, chaos and panic are created. Airborne special forces can also conduct operations to capture and briefly hold important objects behind enemy lines. Most often, such work is carried out during offensive operations.

One more difference should be noted between the special forces of the GRU and the Airborne Forces. Units of the Main Intelligence Directorate can operate anywhere on the planet (it’s not for nothing that they have a globe on their emblem). Airborne special forces usually operate closer, within the flight range of airborne transport aircraft, usually no further than two thousand kilometers.

Airborne special forces are rightfully considered the elite of the Russian army. Therefore, the requirements for training and equipment of fighters are very strict. Not everyone is able to pass the selection process and become a fighter in this unit. An airborne special forces fighter must be resistant to stress, endurance, and have excellent command of all types of weapons. The special forces have to operate deep behind enemy lines, without any support from the mainland, carrying tens of kilograms of weapons, ammunition and equipment.

The unit's fighters are equipped with the best types of weapons, ammunition, and equipment of Russian and foreign production. They don't spare money for special forces. It should be noted that any special forces (Russian or American) is a very expensive “pleasure”. The Vintorez sniper rifle, Kalashnikov assault rifles of the 100 series, large-caliber rifles of domestic production - this is not a complete list of small arms used by reconnaissance officers.

Among the units of the Russian Airborne Special Forces, the 45th Separate Guards Order of Kutuzov Order of Alexander Nevsky Special Purpose Regiment, or military unit No. 28337, occupies a special place. Firstly, some of them belong to the elite special forces troops, which are almost completely transferred to a contract basis. Secondly, there is simply enormous competition among conscripts who want to join the ranks of military unit 28337. And thirdly, the 45th Special Purpose Regiment is the youngest of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation.

Official sleeve insignia of the regiment

Story

The military unit, formed on the basis of two separate battalions in February 1994, is currently stationed in the city of Kubinka, Moscow region (former academic town). In 2007, the unit was reorganized into the linear 218th special forces battalion, but in 2008 the name of the 45th separate guards regiment was returned to it.
Despite the fact that military unit 28337 was formed 10 years ago, its soldiers and officers took part in the fighting in Chechnya and South Ossetia (August 2008).

Stand “Combat path of the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces”

Youth competitions are regularly held at the base of the military unit. The special forces group, formed on the basis of the regiment, has also been participating in international competitions between special forces units since 1995. The military unit regularly conducts demonstrations in parachute jumping and hand-to-hand combat at events in Moscow and the region.

Memorial complex in memory of the regiment soldiers who died while performing combat missions

Awards

1996 – 3rd place in the overall competition of the Partnership for Peace program (Bulgaria);

1997 – champion of the “Partnership for Peace” program competition (Bulgaria);
2005 – Challenge Battle Banner, rank “Guards”, Order of Alexander Nevsky (from the disbanded 119th Guards Parachute Regiment);
February 2011 – Order of Kutuzov “For the successful completion of combat missions of the command and the courage and heroism shown by the regiment personnel.”

Presentation of the Order of Kutuzov to the 45th OGPSN

Eyewitness impressions

Currently, there are practically no soldiers on active duty in military unit 28337; it is being transferred to a contract basis. The contract is for a period of three years, the criteria for selecting fighters are moral, physical and psychological preparation, as well as the ability to react in a difficult environment and the desire to serve in special conditions.

Regiment soldiers training on an obstacle course

In order to conclude a contract for military service in the 45th Guards Regiment, the candidate is required to:

Be between 18 and 40 years old and have Russian citizenship;
Have a certificate of form A-1 for health reasons;
Submit a report or statement of desire to serve in the Airborne Special Forces, indicating the unit;
Arrive at the unit itself and undergo an interview with the regiment commander and the head of the personnel department;
Pass physical fitness tests (pull-up, cross-country standards, etc.);
Pass psychological tests for service compatibility in special airborne units.

Passing the obstacle course

Such demands do not stop almost anyone - military unit 28337, judging by reviews, even attracts girls. True, few people want to go to “hot spots” and pass physical training standards, but there are plenty of people who want to work in a first-aid post, as a psychologist or as a radio operator in the unit.
Those rare representatives of the fair sex who serve in the ranks of the 45th Separate Guards Regiment undergo the same training as men and live in similar conditions. However, many contract soldiers with families are provided with housing in the garrison.

Parachute jumping and helicopter landing simulators

The paratroopers do not have part of the barracks; its function is performed by the soldiers' dormitory. It consists of several blocks (two adjacent rooms, designed for 4-6 people in each). The soldiers' dormitory has showers, bathrooms, a gym, a recreation room and classrooms for military training.
Eyewitnesses say that military unit 28337 currently includes two battalions. One of them is engaged in providing support for the regiment, and the second is in training soldiers.
Those who served in the military unit also note that talking on the phone with relatives in the evening is allowed here.

Training room in part

During the training period, mobile phones are kept by the company commander.
Shoes are issued along with the uniform, but you can purchase them yourself. Jumping boots made by foreign armies are allowed.

As for classes, special forces paratroopers of military unit 28337 master not only practical skills, but also a theoretical course in military affairs. However, more attention is paid to the physical training of soldiers, for example, forced marches over long distances, when soldiers carry equipment and equipment on themselves.
The specific operating conditions of the unit require knowledge of certain military equipment and weapons. Therefore, both domestic models of machine guns and the collection of captured weapons from the Armored Museum in Kubinka are carefully studied by soldiers. The military unit also trains intelligence officers, so field exercises are regularly held.

Celebrations on the occasion of the regiment's anniversary

On April 15, 2014, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Vitaly Yarema said that a unit of the 45th Guards Regiment of the Russian Airborne Forces, stationed in Kubinka, Moscow region, is operating in the East of Ukraine. His military personnel have been identified.

Most likely, reconnaissance and sabotage platoons from both battalions are operating on the territory of Ukraine.

BSNews offers readers information about this military unit based on open source materials:

45th Separate Guards Order of Kutuzov Order of Alexander Nevsky Special Purpose Regiment- military unit of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Formed in February 1994 on the basis of the 218th and 901st separate special forces battalions.

901st OBSpN

1979 - formed on the territory of the Transcaucasian Military District as the 901st separate airborne assault battalion

1979 - transferred to the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia

1989 - transferred to the Baltic Military District (Aluksne)

May 1991 - transferred to the Transcaucasian Military District (Sukhumi)

August 1992 - transferred to the command of the Airborne Forces headquarters and renamed the 901st separate parachute battalion

1992 - transferred as a separate battalion to the 7th Guards Airborne Division

1993 - during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, he performed tasks for the protection and defense of military and government facilities on the territory of Abkhazia

October 1993 - transferred to the Moscow region

February 1994 - reorganized into the 901st separate special forces battalion

218th OBSPN

July 25, 1992 - formed in the Moscow Military District. The permanent deployment points were located in the Moscow region.

June-July 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in Transnistria

September-October 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in North Ossetia

December 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in Abkhazia

February 1994 - transferred to the newly formed 45th separate special-purpose airborne regiment

On December 2, 1994, the regiment was transferred to Chechnya to participate in the liquidation of illegal armed groups. Units of the regiment took part in hostilities until February 12, 1995, when the regiment was transferred back to its permanent location in the Moscow region (Kubinka). From March 15 to June 13, 1995, a combined detachment of the regiment operated in Chechnya.

On July 30, 1995, an obelisk was unveiled on the territory of the regiment's deployment in Sokolniki in honor of the soldiers of the regiment who died during the fighting.

On May 9, 1995, for services to the Russian Federation, the regiment was awarded a diploma from the President of the Russian Federation, and military personnel of the regiment as part of the combined airborne battalion took part in the parade on Poklonnaya Hill dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany.

From February to May 1997, the combined detachment of the regiment was in Gudauta as part of a peacekeeping mission in the zone of separation of the Georgian and Abkhaz armed forces.

On July 26, 1997, the regiment was awarded the Battle Banner and Certificate of the 5th Guards Airborne Rifle Mukachevo Order of Kutuzov III Class Regiment, disbanded on June 27, 1945.

On May 1, 1998, the regiment was renamed the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces. The 901st separate special-purpose battalion was disbanded in the spring of 1998; in 2001, a linear special-purpose battalion was created on its basis as part of the regiment (called “901st” according to old habit).

From September 1999 to March 2006, the regiment's combined reconnaissance detachment took part in the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus.

On February 2, 2001, the regiment was awarded the pennant of the Minister of Defense “for courage, military valor and high combat skills.”

In April-July 2005, it was decided to transfer to the 45th Regiment the Battle Banner, the title “Guards” and the Order of Alexander Nevsky, which belonged to the 119th Guards Parachute Regiment, which was disbanded in the same year. The ceremony of transferring the honors took place on August 2, 2005.

On February 1, 2008, the regiment was named the 45th Separate Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Special Purpose Airborne Regiment.

In August 2008, units of the regiment took part in the operation to force Georgia to peace. Regimental officer, Hero of Russia Anatoly Lebed was awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree.

On July 20, 2009, in accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of December 18, 2006 No. 1422, the regiment was awarded the St. George Banner.

In April 2010, the battalion tactical group of the regiment carried out a combat mission to ensure the safety of Russian citizens on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic.

By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 170 of February 9, 2011, the regiment was the first in modern history to be awarded the Order of Kutuzov. The presentation of the award took place on April 4, 2011 at the regiment's headquarters in Kubinka. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev personally attached the badge and ribbon of the order to the regiment's St. George banner.

In May-June 2012, the regiment's reconnaissance platoon participated in joint exercises with the Green Berets at the American military base of the 10th Special Operations Forces Group located at Fort Carson.

Battle path

1994-1995 - First Chechen war
1997 - Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
1999—2006 — Second Chechen War
2008 — Georgian-Ossetian conflict

Weapons and personnel

As of 2009, the regiment has 655 soldiers and officers, 15 BTR-80 and 1 BTR-D.

Commanders

Guard Colonel Kolygin Viktor Dmitrievich (1994-2003)
Guard Colonel Anatoly Georgievich Kontsevoy (2003-2006)
Guard Colonel Shulishov Alexander Anatolyevich (2006-2012)
Guard Colonel, Hero of Russia Vadim Ivanovich Pankov (08.2012 - present)

Combat losses

901st separate battalion (before inclusion in the regiment)

During the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in 1993, 8 military personnel were killed and about 20 were wounded.

45th separate regiment

During participation in hostilities, the regiment lost 43 people killed, more than 80 servicemen were wounded.

Sergeant of the 45th separate special purpose reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces Valery K., grenade launcher of the 4th reconnaissance group of the 1st reconnaissance company of the 901st separate battalion of the Special Forces.

By the time I was drafted into the army (June 1994), I already had a sports rank in rock climbing and prizes at youth competitions in the city of Apatity, Murmansk region - I lived there until the mid-90s. That’s why they took me to the 45th regiment, I didn’t fit in height, they took guys with a height of 180 cm, but in those years there was a wild shortage of people, besides, I had already done several parachute jumps, we jumped in the winter of 1989 at the Murmashi airfield. In general, a kid came with jumping and rock climbing skills - practically a ready-made saboteur. The military commissar says to me: “You are not the right height, but with your athletic training, we can send you to special forces. Understand, it will be very difficult for you... Are you ready?” And in the parachute club where we trained, the instructors were Afghans, healthy, cheerful men in vests, some with military awards. Of course, I also wanted to be like them! I say: “Of course, I can handle it!” And from the very beginning, I was determined to go to a combat company, and not to support. That's how I ended up in the 45th Regiment.

901 SEPARATE SPECIAL PURPOSE BATTALION

The 45th regiment at that time consisted of two battalions - 218 separate battalion (commander - Major Andrei Anatolyevich Nepryakhin, future Hero of Russia) and 901 separate battalion (commander - Major Nikolai Sergeevich Nikulnikov), a three-company composition of 4 reconnaissance groups in each company. The regiment also included auxiliary units - a communications company (signalmen were scattered among reconnaissance groups), a special weapons company, an armored personnel carrier driver and gunner, and AGS crews. The reconnaissance company numbered 52-54 people, so a combined detachment of about 150 people operated in Grozny: 2nd company (commander - captain Andrei Vladimirovich Zelenkovsky) 218 special forces, 1st (commander - senior lieutenant Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Nikolakhin) and 3rd ( commander - captain Cherdantsev) of company 901 special forces.

I can characterize all my immediate commanders as very professional, cruel and very cheerful people (such a complex combination). I am immensely grateful to them, and to this day, a quarter after the Grozny battles, I remember them. But this is never forgotten...

“Healthy, bald, with their appearance and habits they were more reminiscent of bandits than officers of the Red Army. It was not for nothing that at that time citizens in black Mercedes were constantly grazing at the checkpoint with offers to earn extra money - to kill someone in Moscow...” 1

I now understand that, by and large, all our officers were real Soviet officers, in the best sense of the word. One of my acquaintances served ten years later in 2005 in GRU intelligence, and he told how their company commander extorted money from personnel. So, in principle, this could not happen in our country; the consciousness of people in that early post-Soviet period did not allow it.

Hazing was very cruel. Officers approached this phenomenon in different ways: some tried not to pay attention, others, as the company's political officer Bannikov, fought as best he could (in the evening he climbed into the window of his office on the first floor, and when, after lights out, they began to press the young people, he jumped out office with a rubber stick and dispersed the old-timers), some of the officers, on the contrary, tried to use this phenomenon to their service. Our commander of the 4th group, Captain Vladimir Vladimirovich Glukhovsky, was engaged in serious education, and he turned our group into a truly well-coordinated team.

“Army friends... All this is a myth, a fiction, do not believe anyone who says that only in the army can you find real friends. Who can you call a friend here? Mordvin Evdokimov, who before the army made a living robbing passers-by at Moscow train stations and fled to the army from prison? The psychotic Tatar Zimadeev, who is also a karateka? He knows how to somersault over a fence and at the same time shoot from a machine gun. For all everyday disputes, he has one argument - a kick to the head of a Kazakh named Batyr, who speaks Russian. with difficulty? Or my fellow countryman from St. Petersburg Kokorin, who spent his entire childhood in a special boarding school and at the age of twenty did not know the multiplication table? They could not be my friends.” 1

“In the unit, where they didn’t take guys less than one meter tall and where there was a cult of physical strength, they began to hate me immediately, simply because of my short stature.

With the arrival of night, after lights out, the old-timers came up with the idea that it was I who should clean their boots and hem their collars. Of course, because it seemed to them that it was much easier to mentally break a person who was chest-high and thirty kilograms lighter.

All attempts to “agree” ended in a simple beating.

I didn’t say anything afterwards, I just walked up and hit back once, knowing that in a few seconds I would be looking at the interior of the barracks from some unusual angle, lying with my head turned between the nightstand and the bed.

But I had to take this shot over and over again.

They were a little discouraged by the fact that I packed a parachute faster than anyone else in the company, could accurately navigate the map, could translate phrases in English from a manual for interrogating prisoners of war, could pull myself up the most on the crossbar and never died on forced marches.

Who gave this little nerd a grenade launcher? Are you completely crazy? - officers from another battalion reacted to me. After all, in addition to the machine gun, I also had to carry a grenade launcher with ammunition.

Everything is fine! Are your grenade launchers dying on the march? - Lieutenant Shepherd protected me with the castle of our reconnaissance group.

Well, they die, the soldiers constantly carry them in their arms...

But ours won’t die! He is our only “undying” one! “The shepherd was the only one who believed in me, maybe because he was just as short and thoughtful.

I was stubborn and patient, and after a year even those who hated me began to respect me." 1

Hazing is a complex, reciprocal phenomenon in which not only old-timers are to blame, and not all forms are bad. And whoever has not seen this will never understand. Later, reconnaissance groups tried to form guys from the same conscription, but this did not always help.

“Being a soldier of the smallest stature, and even serving in the fourth reconnaissance group, means always and everywhere being last in line.

To the bathhouse, to the dining room, to receive uniforms.

And now, I stood in the central aisle in front of the storeroom, anxiously watching a stack of tattered pea coats melting away.

A year ago, our unit left Abkhazia, and the thrifty company commander took out a whole truckload of what seemed then unnecessary junk. These peacoats have come a long way and if they could talk they could tell a lot.

Are these bullet holes? - a colleague of my conscription, standing opposite the window, looked into the light at the mysterious holes in the peacoat he had just received.

What is this, blood?.. - he turned to us showing strange brown spots on the fabric.

I won't wear this!!

Take it! Don't wander around! - one of the “old men” said sternly - “it will get cold in the forest at night, put it on, and you will be glad!”

The first three-day reconnaissance mission awaited us, and since we were called up in June, we were not entitled to winter uniforms.

In the army everything is on schedule.

The transition to winter uniforms is scheduled for October 15, which means that until that moment everyone wears summer camouflage, and it doesn’t matter that it’s already the end of September and there are frosts in the mornings.

You're out of luck! - the company commander said cheerfully, pointing to the empty shelves of the rack; he issued these pea coats personally.

Maybe... maybe there was at least one shot left?

No more pea coats! Take a raincoat from OZK, it will be warmer for everyone to spend the night - he handed me a rubber package.

It was a very cold three days.

When I went to bed, I covered my head with this cloak and from breathing it became covered from the inside with perspiration, which by morning turned into frost.

On the third day of continuous trembling, I heard, I almost felt a strange click in my head, as if some kind of switch had been switched.

And with that click, I suddenly stopped shaking and felt warm.

I will only acquire the ability to freeze again only about seven years after leaving the army." 2

"EVERYONE WAS READY THREE DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE"

I remember very well how the deployment took place here in Kubinka, to the PPD battalion. On the twentieth of November 1994, on Saturday, we were in the garrison cinema on the territory of a tank unit. During the film show, a messenger came running and shouted into the audience: “First company, go out!”

We ran out and went to the company location. The training camp was already underway there. It was announced that a joint reconnaissance group was moving to Chechnya. The first reconnaissance group was assembled from us; they laid out the equipment in the central aisle for inspection. The mood before the departure was combative; they turned to the company commander with a request to include us in the combat formation. To which he replied: “Don’t worry, we’ll all fly there soon.” (One couple, however, got drunk. And the most pumped-up and bullish ones. Overnight they turned from centers into schmucks. But then no one condemned them. But they remained outcasts until the end of the service.) Then a new composition of the advanced detachment was formed, in which included our group. Before departure, everyone was ready three days in advance and slept on rolled-up mattresses. The bed linen was handed over, and we lay with our weapons on nothing but armored nets. Before departure, we wrote letters to our parents that we were going to Pskov for jumping. Maybe in Moscow (the 218th battalion was stationed in Sokolniki) there were parents at the checkpoint, but we had no one. On November 27 the departure took place. Upon arrival in Mozdok, we spent the night at the location of the VV unit. This night was very memorable because the BB guys in the barracks had a TV on the wall, and the singer Freddie Mercury was playing there. Then we moved to the checkpoint at the airfield, and soon everyone else arrived, and we moved to the boathouses near the takeoff. On the very first night, my grandfathers poked me a little with a knife in order to take away cash, but bad luck - I didn’t have any cash! Looking ahead, I will immediately say that during the hostilities in Grozny, hazing disappeared completely; in those conditions, hazing was impossible.

Upon arrival in Mozdok, they immediately went on guard to protect the personal train of Defense Minister P. Grachev, as well as his helicopter and the plane on which he flew to Moscow. So they changed constantly: to and from guard duty, to training, to shooting. In Grozny we operated with three companies, the other two were replacements, and one company was in reserve. Reserve companies guarded Grachev's train.

“Winter. Mozdok. Chill wind with sleet. We’ve been there for three days now. We can’t hide from it anywhere, because we’re at the airfield.

My friend and I are standing guard. There is no one to replace us, since our company is chasing a Chechen reconnaissance group through the forests.

The day before yesterday we guarded the plane of the Minister of Defense, yesterday we guarded the helicopter of the Minister of Defense, today we are guarding the mobile headquarters of the Minister of Defense.

We wait for the inspector to leave, take off our helmets and sit in them like in pots. Back to back. It's warmer this way. As I fall asleep, I think that a Chechen reconnaissance group will find us and cut our throats. “And then everything will end...” I think, even with some relief, and fall into sleep. The snow covers us with a wet blanket." 1

Of course, in addition to guarding facilities, the personnel of some reconnaissance groups carried out reconnaissance missions of the approaches to Grozny.

Once, my 4th reconnaissance group carried out a mission to search for an exposed Chechen reconnaissance group. True, they were not found.

On December 30, Captain Glukhovsky gave the order to prepare for a flight to mountainous areas, scheduled for tomorrow, December 31. In addition to the ammunition, we were each given a kilogram of forty different charges of explosives; it was assumed that we would have to start blowing up some bridges, the details were not specified. On the 31st we were ready to take off, and at approximately 14:15 a combined detachment of about 30 people boarded two Mi-8s. But an hour later, the takeoff was canceled, nevertheless, the order was given to be at the airfield. At about 17-18 the command came to load again, and this time we took off. We spent almost an hour in the air. We were covered by three Mi-24s. In the mountains, at the time of landing, the pilot discovered a Chechen armored personnel carrier standing in the bushes, and our helicopter took off sharply and left the landing point. The militants were apparently afraid of the Mi-24 and did not open fire. For a long time it was a mystery to me where they wanted to send us for the first time, and after 20 years, from some source, I learned that they were planning to land on the central stadium of Grozny, exactly where the reserve of Dudayev’s forces was located. We were very lucky that the flight was cancelled.

“There were about 20 of us left from the special operations department. Guys from the 45th reconnaissance regiment were supposed to act with us. They alerted us again and brought us to the airfield in Mozdok to deliver us by helicopter to the center of Grozny, to the stadium. It was then assumed that that we will take Dudayev’s palace in much the same way as we took Amin’s palace in December 1979.<...>We never flew to the center of Grozny. As they say, as above, so below. A terrible inconsistency in the actions of different types of troops was revealed. It turned out that the helicopters could not take off, because one helicopter pilot had not yet had lunch, another had not yet refueled, and the third was completely on duty. As a result, already on January 1 at 00 hours 10 minutes we were given the order: “Get to the cars!” - the city had to be entered by land.<...>By the evening of that day, having already entered the city with a tank column, we learned from our scouts that by the time of that failed landing, the stadium planned as a springboard for it was full of well-armed and at the same time not subordinate to anyone: it was on December 31 that the the weapons available in warehouses were also distributed there without restrictions to everyone who wanted to defend “free Ichkeria.” So our three helicopters would most likely have been burned over this stadium.” 3

The leadership developed a “brilliant plan”: when we start sending troops into the city from the north, the militants will “get scared” and run to the south, where pre-established ambushes will await them on the main roads. It was these ambushes that we had to organize, and this explains the distribution of 40 kilograms of explosives for each person.

We are celebrating the New Year near the boathouses after the failed landing in the mountains. Somewhere there in the dark in the ranks is me.

Returning to Mozdok on the evening of the 31st, we immediately took over guarding Grachev’s train. I celebrated the New Year guarding this train. There were BB posts across the field, and when the chimes struck, they opened fire with tracers in our direction, apparently believing that there could be no one in the field. My friend and I fell behind a thick poplar, branches cut down by bullets fell on us, he took out a can of beer stolen from an “officer’s” gift, and lying behind the poplar, we drank it in honor of the coming New Year.

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Here, by the way, is a very good video filmed by an officer from the 901st battalion. All our officers are here, almost all the guys from our group. I will comment on this video, summarizing the “peaceful” part of the service - from the PPD in Kubinka to the location in the boathouses at the Mozdok airfield. There were a lot of videos on the regiment on the Internet, but these videos disappear from time to time, perhaps the owners delete accounts.

Loading before departure on the battalion's central parade ground.

01:00. Battalion commander Nikulnikov and the commander of the 3rd company Cherdantsev stands with his back.

01:46. Senior Lieutenant Konoplyannikov, commander of the first reconnaissance group. On January 5, 1995, in the hospital, he will receive a bullet in the head, the Sphere will save him: the bullet will pierce steel, Kevlar, lining, all layers, and, having pierced the skin, will stick into the skull, but all the consequences will be a hefty bump.

01:53. A high officer - Major Cherushev, in my opinion he will later become a battalion commander after Nikulnikov.

14:21. Boxes with gifts from Menatep Bank. We called the black round hats “menatepovki”. Ironically, just before the storming of Grozny, they sent us gifts from “Menatep” - such cardboard boxes, they were brought on the 30th. The boxes were “officers” and “soldiers”. They all had writing materials: notebooks, pens, and also sweaters and hats like this. The "officer's" boxes also contained a bottle of champagne and a can of imported beer. Whoever compiled these kits had a very good understanding of what a soldier needed. Many years later, to be honest, I am stunned, knowing the arrogance of the current oligarchs: to send a gift to a soldier and also consult with a knowledgeable specialist about what exactly the soldier needs. This had to come down... The fact is that a fucking soldier's helmet only fits on the top of the head with a fur army earflap, and the whole point of the helmet disappears, but here they sent caps - the consultant clearly understood the situation.

So we ran around in these hats. In general, it turned out that all the uniforms and equipment were very poorly suited for active combat operations. Upon arrival at the PPD in Kubinka, these caps were taken to the warehouse by order.

A few years later, in the St. Petersburg metro, I saw a man wearing such a hat. I stood and looked at him for a long time, trying to understand whether he was in Grozny...

15:41. On the right in the frame is Lieutenant Andrei Gridnev, the future Hero of Russia. I remember how Gridnev just came to the unit from school as a young lieutenant, he was only 21 or 22 years old, he was assigned to our company as Konoplyannikov’s deputy, he was immediately very motivated to serve. From the first days, Gridnev was seriously involved in training and educating the guys from the group, they regularly ran with him, ran extra cross-country races, and every evening he came and forced them to douse themselves with ice water (in fact, we didn’t have hot water in the company at that time). They called it “Karbyshev’s bathhouse”. He gave the impression of a very tough person. But I remember when his wife arrived at the unit, when he had already settled into the officer’s dormitory, and we were helping him bring in furniture and things, he, secretly from his wife, took a box with jars of raspberry jam, and in the dark around the corner of the dormitory, he handed it to us, saying : “Here, guys, eat some jam!” I remember being very touched. After Konoplyannikov was wounded on January 5, Gridnev will take command of the reconnaissance group and will successfully lead it. The guys from the group recalled that he was very lively in battle, they laughed, saying: “The battle is being fought by Lieutenant Gridnev and ten of his squires,” because he was constantly running from one fighter to another, shooting from a grenade launcher, then from a machine gun, then He will take the rifle away from the sniper, the guys laughed that if they start giving him shells, he will throw shells at the militants’ positions even without a gun. And when I found out that he was given the Hero star, I was not surprised at all.

15:53. Company commander Nikolakhin and on the left in a winter hat and camouflage uniform are the deputy company commander and the commander of the combined group of snipers (included soldiers armed with SVD and VSS) Konstantin Mikhailovich Golubev, who will die on January 8, 1995. They were friends, and Nikolahin was very upset about his death.

16:11. Our political officer Bannikov waves his hand.

16:15. A big mustachioed guy is the battalion's main demolition bomber, I don't remember his name. When classes on subversive training were taking place, he said: “Explosives can be made from last year’s leaves; whoever stays for a contract, I’ll tell you how.” Behind him is a healthy guy - our machine gunner Yura Sannikov, from Siberia, a very kind guy, one of two in the company with a higher education.

The camera moves to the right, and we again see Gridnev and Lieutenant Gonta, a tough guy, on the second trip he will be the commander of a combined reconnaissance group, in which I will be, we will destroy the ambush at height 970 in the Serzhen-Yurt area under his leadership. Then I will have a good relationship with him. In Grozny he was the commander of the second reconnaissance group. At the very edge of the frame on the right is Dima T., a sergeant from our reconnaissance group, who after the assault on Grozny transferred to the RMO. Now in Europe he is a chef in one of the hotels.

17:20. Formation of officers of our 1st company. The tallest in the ranks is Glukhovsky! Vladimir Glukhovsky, at the age of 27 at that time, was already a very experienced officer, commanding a reconnaissance group in Transnistria in a separate 818th special forces company, subordinate directly to the commander of the 14th Army Lebed, which carried out complex combat missions, and was disbanded after the withdrawal from Transnistria. Glukhovsky was sent to our regiment, and it so happened that he, a captain, a former group commander, who was already wounded, fell under the subordination of the junior senior lieutenant Nikolakhin. Glukhovsky was a man of character, very energetic and treated war as a sport. I never saw him scared or tired, although he sometimes slept less than we did.

Behind Glukhovsky, the last one in the ranks is his deputy. Vadim Pastukh. On his second trip in the summer of 1995, Shepherd will be the commander of a group providing support for a detachment of drones. And the commander of this unit will be Sergei Makarov, the second in line. In the event of a drone being shot down by militants, Shepherd’s group was to ensure its search and return.

"THE CITY WAS DESTROYED, MANY HOUSES WERE BURNED"

I don’t remember exactly, but it seems that on January 1, 1995, on the Urals, we moved to Grozny with two companies: the 2nd 218th battalion and our 1st 901st battalion. The second company, under the leadership of Major Nepryakhin, entered first. The third company of our battalion entered Grozny one or two days later than us.

I always thought that they entered the city late in the evening on January 1st. The day before there was turmoil: departures, arrivals, train security... Perhaps one day (December 31, 1994) slipped out of my memory.

Before leaving for Grozny, near the boathouses, we tied the Urals with boxes of sand, and it was during the day, I remember exactly. The thaw began, and, by the way, they brought “sphere” helmets by car, which the officers immediately snapped up, but they brought few helmets, so not even all the officers had enough. Apparently, this happened on the afternoon of January 1, and we set out, accordingly, on the second, because on December 31 we were closely busy with these attempts to fly somewhere, and the Urals were not tied with boxes that day. But I was always sure that the entrance to the city took place on the first of January.

In the video there are metal trusses of a cannery; there were infantry machine gunners on all the platforms, who began firing bursts at any sound.

Then, if the 218th battalion reached the canned food facility approximately at the time indicated on the timer in the video frames of Lyubimov’s film, then it turns out that our company arrived at night after them. Nepryakhin says in the video that they entered with a fight. And then we, the first company of the 901st battalion, moved separately (our column was not large, just a few vehicles). Grozny is only about 100 kilometers from Mozdok.

We moved in a column behind the second company of the 218th battalion, already in the dark. The city was destroyed, there was no electric lighting, but many houses were burning. At one point, a mortar shell exploded in front of our Ural. The driver stopped, and immediately a second mine fell behind the car. I saw how Glukhovsky, who was sitting at the edge of the body, ran to the cabin and began banging on it with his fist, shouting: “Forward!” The driver drove off, and where we were standing, the third mine exploded. One of the mines hit a private house, which was located on the left side in the direction of travel. We entered the cannery late at night on January 1st. The company was located in a two-story building on the second floor. My friend and I were immediately put on guard to guard the Urals. The mortar shelling continued and several mines exploded nearby.

There were already infantry at the plant, the remnants of some units. In the darkness, we met a surviving warrant officer from the Maikop brigade, who told us about the death of their column, about how the Chechens shot the crews of the vehicles leaving the burning equipment. The cannery was generally a safe place, despite periodic shelling. All the stories about compote from this factory - however, we drank compote all the time, no one broke these cans (Obviously this refers to a scene from A.G. Nevzorov’s feature film “Purgatory”, 1997: “Why are you destroying banks, huh?”)

Over time, the plant became a kind of springboard where suitable units were pulled up.

“[The plant] was a series of barracks-type premises, but built very thoroughly. Some of them housed unit headquarters, others housed units withdrawn from battle and their armored vehicles. Some of the warehouses were still filled with canned juices and compotes. there was a constant stream of people carrying away the cans." 4

After entering the cannery, Glukhovsky ordered to find wooden pallets, and from these pallets to build a floor for sleeping in the two-story building where we were located. It must be said that Glukhovsky took the organization of everyday life very seriously and always forced the creation of the most comfortable conditions possible for sleep and rest. He immediately dispatched one of our soldiers to make lamps from shell casings. It turned out that this ancient, proven method of lighting has no alternative. Later, when the building is hit by a mortar, we will move to the basement, and there, too, our commander will force us to equip sleeping places, build a stove from a barrel, and make a dozen lamps from shell casings. This habit of making our locations as comfortable as possible will remain with us until the end of our service.

On the same day they will bring in a captured artillery spotter. Then there was a version about “a captain dressed in a uniform,” I don’t know if these are different people or not. But the spotter is not a myth, and I have seen it myself.

Officer 22 Special Special Forces Vyacheslav Dmitriev:“For some time we were tormented by mortar fire, from which there was no escape. This continued until the spotter was caught. One of the sentries noticed a man of Slavic appearance in the uniform of a captain of the Russian army, who alone entered and then left the territory again The cannery was checked, the unit number in the documents did not match the number of the military units that entered Grozny, and the artillery compass and the Japanese radio station dispelled all doubts. During the interrogation, it turned out that he was a Ukrainian mercenary. Some said. that he was sent to Mozdok to a filtration point of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, others that he was shot here, behind the barracks. In those conditions, both could be true.” 4

The captured spotter will boast: “Welcome to hell!” There were rumors that infantrymen took him on the roof of either a five-story building or a nine-story building nearby; he had a walkie-talkie with him, but this is also unlikely, rather he was “rummaging around” near the plant, and apparently lost his sense of smell from impunity. He was a Chechen with a big nose, unshaven, spoke with an accent, was dressed in black trousers and a long black leather jacket with pockets. Now I think it wasn’t a mercenary, but most likely one of the locals, such as a surveyor or a retired military man; you can’t teach a simple shepherd to use a compass so quickly. I'll see him the next day. The spotter was kept in the basement of the house where we lived at first. There, near the porch, the next morning I saw him and didn’t recognize him, his face was very badly damaged, he cried and said: “Don’t kill me, I’m a soldier like you!” A tall, thin general spoke to him gloomily.

It became psychologically difficult already on January 2: constant lack of sleep, knee-deep mud, shelling from mortars, snipers. Even to smoke - I had to hide.

On January 2, if I’m not mistaken, the first reconnaissance group received the task of moving to the Petropavlovskoye Highway area (but this is not accurate information). The fact is that troops were planned to approach the highway, and the militants set up ambushes there, and it was necessary to carry out counter-ambush measures.

Major Sergei Ivanovich Shavrin, FSK Special Operations Directorate:"The task of the corps commander (commander of the 8th Guards AK, Lieutenant General L.Ya. Rokhlin) He entrusted us with a difficult task: to ensure the safety of the column routes along which military equipment and troops advanced. This is Lermontovskaya street (Lermontov Street, adjacent to Petropavlovskoye Highway). There are houses and a private sector on one side, and modern buildings on the other. Militants in groups of 5-6 people made their way into houses and fired at the columns. And the street is completely clogged with combat vehicles, tankers, and vehicles with ammunition. In general, every shot results in a hit and a lot of damage and losses. From our team together with special forces paratroopers, we formed four groups and cleared the neighborhood of bandits. They set up ambushes, and when they discovered militants, they entered into battle. The bandits are afraid of open battle and avoid it. They have one tactic: bite and run, bite and run... They soon realized that there were ambushes, special forces there, and it was unsafe there. And the bandit raids stopped. Several blocks along the road were clear." 3

On one of the night outs, machine gunner Sergei Dmitruk, from the first reconnaissance group, died, number 3 or 4, I don’t remember exactly. The first loss in our company.

The mentioned cleansing of the private sector, where exactly, I don’t know exactly, maybe somewhere in the area of the Petropavlovskoye Highway. The voice of the commander of the first reconnaissance group of our company, Konoplyannikov: “Slash to the right, Mustafa!” Mustafa is the nickname of a sniper from the VSS Radik Alkhamov from Bashkiria. Radik was very kind and very slow, but he was transformed in the ring at hand-to-hand combat competitions. He was small in stature, very sinewy, with prominent muscles, like Bruce Lee. Radik was a hand-to-hand champion in the battalion; they pitted huge guys against him and he defeated them all! When we jokingly asked: “Radik, why are you so slow?”, he drawled and answered: “The sniper must be slow!”

I remember in the morning I went on some errand to the plant, and saw a car trying to break through the bridge over the Sunzha at full speed - a white “six” with four men in it. I don’t know if they were militants, but this maneuver was tragic for them: it turns out that our tank was standing opposite the bridge behind a concrete fence in a caponier and with the first shot the hood with the engine was torn off the “six”, the driver and passenger in the front seat were killed, and two passengers They jumped out of the back seat and rushed back across the bridge. Immediately, heavy fire was opened from all the metal trusses of the plant on those escaping, and I saw how the bullets began to tear their clothes. I sat with my neck craned and looked over the fence, which wildly infuriated Glukhovsky: “Do you want a bullet in the head?!” - He hit me on the helmet with the butt of his helmet.

And the next moment a mine flew into the territory of the plant and a shrapnel cut off one of our Ural drivers, he fell as if he had been knocked down. The guys immediately grabbed him and carried him to the doctors. Only upon arrival in Kubinka did we learn that he had survived.

SOURCES

1. God comes himself.-M., Printing house "News", 2012.-112 p., ill. Page 107.