EntranceA separate operational brigade structure. Shumilov brigade of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
June 4 is a memorable date.
Education Day 34th OBRON.
The history of 34 OBRON (military unit 3671), stationed in the village of Shumilovo, Bogorodsky district, Nizhny Novgorod region, begins in 1962, on June 4, when, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee, a training battalion of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation was formed. In 1968, the battalion was transformed into the 57th regiment of the Internal Troops (training) to train military signalmen and junior commanders for units guarding important government facilities. Since 1988, military unit 3671 personnel began to be involved in eliminating local conflicts on the territory of the USSR.
In 1992, the regiment was reorganized from a training regiment into an operational regiment, and in 1966 it was transformed into the 34th Internal Troops Brigade.
In 1988, the 34th Obron took part in the operations of the Internal Troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the period 1989 - 1990, the Shumilov Brigade - in Armenia, from 1992 to 1994, 34 OBRON - in the conflict zone between Ossetia and Ingushetia.
34 OBRON in Chechnya
The combat path of the 34 OBRON - Shumilov brigade after the collapse of the USSR was continued by two Chechen campaigns, during which the use of the Internal Troops proved their high combat effectiveness.
The first of them began for the personnel of the 34th ObrON in the summer of 1994. Many bloody battles befell the soldiers and officers of the 34th Obron in Chechnya. One of the most difficult alterations was the fighting in 1995 in Gudermes, which was captured on December 10 by Raduev’s militants. The assault on the city, in which the 34th ObrON took part, lasted almost two weeks, and only on the 23rd Gudermes was liberated.
In 1996, 34 OBRON - in Grozny. Soldiers of the Shumilov brigade fought in the southern part of the city and on Minutka Square.
In September 1999, the 34th ObrON covered the border between Dagestan and Chechnya, and from October to December the Shumilov brigade, together with airborne units, took part in hostilities on the territory of Chechnya. For two months, with the participation of 34 OBrON, special operations were carried out in Mirny, the villages of Dubovskaya, Borozdinovskaya, Kargalinskaya, Shelkovskaya and other settlements.
In January 2000, the 34th Internal Troops Brigade was transferred to the Argun Gorge, and in August 2001 - to the city of Argun. 34 OBRON was located in Argun until 2006, being a guarantor of calm and stability in the region.
In 2006, 34 OBRON returned to its permanent location, to military unit 3671 in Shumilovo. During the Chechen campaigns, more than a hundred personnel of 34 OBRON were awarded medals and orders, 42 were awarded the Order of Courage, and two servicemen were awarded the title of Hero of Russia. The losses of the Shumilov brigade amounted to 90 people.
Promotion of the Kizlyar group
Group No. 3 (Kizlyar), under the command of the commander of the 8th Guards Army Corps, Lieutenant General Lev Yakovlevich Rokhlin, included:
- combined detachment of the 8th Guards. ak,
– 49th operational regiment of explosives,
– 57th operational regiment of explosives,
– 63rd operational regiment of explosives.
In total, the following were involved in the Kizlyar direction: personnel - 4053 people, 16 helicopters, 7 tanks, 162 armored personnel carriers, 28 guns and mortars.1
No. 5 - Kizlyar, Hanamat-Yurt, Nizhny. Gerzel, Gerzel-Aul, Novogroznensky,
No. 6 - Terekli-Mekteb, Cormorant, Lugovoe, Chervlyonaya-Uzlovaya, Vinogradnoye, Petropavlovskaya.2
Promotion of the group
Commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General Anatoly Sergeevich Kulikov Route No. 5: Kizlyar, Hanamat-Yurt, Nizhny. Gerzel, Gerzel-Aul, Novogroznensky
Commander of the Military Forces, Colonel-General Anatoly Sergeevich Kulikov: “In the Khasavyurt direction, only active defense was envisaged in the event that the Chechen illegal armed groups, being forced out of the rebellious republic, tried to break into Dagestan. The Nizhny Novgorod residents were advancing to these positions from the Babayurt area”4.
Commander of the 2nd MSB 57th Mon VV, Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Ivanovich Seregin: “On December 11, our battalion moved out from Baba-Yurt towards Khasavyurt. Our group’s task was to organize a checkpoint on the road leading from Dagestan to Chechnya. We deployed a checkpoint on the highway and almost immediately But we realized that we couldn’t cope with the task - due to the busy traffic and aggressiveness of drivers, traffic jams were created. The situation itself became tense. Local citizens constantly appeared at the bridge where we were located. At first everything was fine. They asked questions, advised us to leave. Then they began to threaten that the cars would be set on fire. I decided to go to the regiment's location. On the road to Khasavyurt, the trailing armored personnel carrier was blocked."5
Commander of the Air Force, Colonel General A.S. Kulikov: “The tactical technique used by militants in all armed conflicts, starting with Karabakh, was simple and extremely effective: first, a wave of hysterical women and teenagers rolled onto the combat vehicles, and only then, from behind them, armed men appeared.<...>acted by local Chechens-Akkins, who constitute the majority in the Khasavyurt region of Dagestan and from whom we, for obvious reasons, did not expect either active help or sympathy."6
Help arrives
Head of reconnaissance of the 57th Air Force, Major Vyacheslav Sergeevich Afonin. The column of the 57th Air Force was attacked, and the attackers seized primarily weapons and ammunition. A group from the 57th Infantry Division under the leadership of the chief of reconnaissance of the 57th Airborne Infantry, Major Vyacheslav Sergeevich Afonin, came to their aid.
Commander of the RG 57 pon VV, warrant officer Sergei Eremin: “They said that in the area of one of the outposts where the battalions were deployed,<...>A crowd has gathered and weapons are being dismantled."7
The commander of the RR 57 pon VV captain Vladimir Bogdasarov: “What I saw clearly was a chain of about 50 people across the field, probably carrying out ammunition, flamethrowers, weapons<...>They simply seized a car with ammunition and, accordingly, my first thought was to stop this outrage. We moved forward to cut across this crowd, which was already... running away with this ammunition and weapons."8
Commander of the 2nd MSB 57th Mon VV, Lieutenant Colonel V.I. Seryogin: “The vehicles that arrived in time scared off the attackers. We were completely blocked only by the rallying crowd in Khasavyurt itself. The residents were not armed, but behind them stood groups of people ready to fight. We could not shoot at women and old people.”9
Private 57 Pon VV Ivan Ogolikhin Some soldiers, at gunpoint, were pulled out of their cars and taken prisoner.
Private 57 Pon VV Ivan Ogolikhin: “When we were surrounded, they completely blocked us, i.e. we had no way back or forward. At first we were confused and didn’t know what to do, break through or what... But we didn’t fire either open. Most of them were civilians - ordinary residents of the city. It was impossible to shoot at them. We were asked to surrender, hand over our weapons and were told that nothing would happen to us, they would then send us home."10
In total, according to Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, “47 soldiers and officers were captured.”11
Lost Crew
Private 57th VV Marat Baimukhametov: “The column of our armored personnel carriers began to move. Mine was the second to last one. They started shooting at the column. Someone pulled the company commander off his armor. He gave the order to disarm. ... I was the most experienced, sat down in the radio operator’s place and took command when he realized that no one was giving orders anymore, and they started shooting at us in the back... He ordered the armored personnel carrier to be taken out of the column, and we drove at random, blindly. It was impossible to determine anything: all the instruments in the armored personnel carrier were at that moment they were defeated. We drove through the Chechen fields for eight hours in a row. Finally we saw a village and began to descend towards it. Already in the village the engine stopped, this saved us - there was a cliff ahead, if we had moved a little more we would have died. It was eleven in the evening. In the village We were dressed in civilian clothes."12
[Presumably, we are talking about the same crew] Private Marat Dikhmukhamedov: “There were 10 of us on the BMP on the Dagestan border. The Chechens came and demanded that we surrender. Our colonel gave up, and we were left without a commander and a map. There was no one to give order. Then Russian helicopters arrived and fired at us. We didn’t even know where we were. And Grachev<...>said that there should be no prisoners of war, because this is not a war. That's how we decided to go to the other side. None of us wanted to die under bullets in vain."13
Release of some prisoners of war
ZKVR 57 pon VV Major Oleg Kamalovich Dedegkaev The prisoners were kept in a school in Khasavyurt15, and were also distributed in groups to the houses of the local population. Even in the afternoon of December 11, ZKVR 57 Mon VV, Major Oleg Kamalovich Dedegkaev went twice to negotiate the release of prisoners, and by the evening, for the third time, he himself was captured.
Commander of the Air Force, Colonel General A.S. Kulikov: "58 military personnel internal troops were taken hostage, and four armored personnel carriers and one truck were captured and driven to Chechnya."16
Commander of the Air Force, Colonel General A.S. Kulikov: “The situation could have turned out to be much more difficult if not for the timely actions of the deputy commander of the internal troops, Lieutenant General Stanislav [Fedorovich] Kavun, who was sent by me to Khasavyurt immediately after it became known about the incident [on the morning of December 12]. This courageous the officer, disregarding the danger, went out to meet the extremists and found convincing arguments that made it possible to rescue the majority of our military personnel from captivity."17
As a result of negotiations, about forty people were released.
Lieutenant General Stanislav Fedorovich Kavun during the transfer of prisoners
Those remaining in captivity
Even before the negotiations, Lieutenant General S.F. Kavun sent a group of prisoners to Grozny as a “gift to Dudayev”18.
Commander of the 2nd MSB 57th Mon VV, Lieutenant Colonel V.I. Seryogin: “At one in the morning, out of nowhere, correspondents from ORT, CNN, and then NTV suddenly arrived. And they began to film us, asking why we had come here. We answered that we had arrived to guard important government facilities on the territory of Dagestan. ..<...>At about six in the morning on the twelfth of December we were woken up. I see two Volgas and a foreign car parked on the street. Eight of us officers were put into cars. Chechens stood around in the uniform of the presidential guard, hung with weapons. And they took us from Khasavyurt towards Chechnya along the Rostov-Baku highway."19
Deputy commander of the company 57 mon VV, senior lieutenant Boris Boltnev: “Closer to the morning, it was still dark. Maybe it was 5-6 hours,<...>We were transported to Grozny."20
Commander of the 2nd MSB 57th Mon VV, Lieutenant Colonel V.I. Seryogin: “[In Grozny] We were placed in the basement of the library [archive?] next to the Government House of Chechnya. The next day they brought eleven more people, the crew of an armored personnel carrier, which got lost at night and “flew” into Chechnya.”21
List of prisoners (military unit 3671)
commander of the company 57 pon VV captain Andrei Dmitrievich Romanov1. ZKVR 57 pon VV Major Oleg Kamalovich Dedegkaev [died in 1995 due to wounds received in captivity]
2. head of reconnaissance 57 mon VV Major Vyacheslav Sergeevich Afonin [missing in captivity]
3. commander of the 2nd MSB 57th Mon VV, Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Ivanovich Seregin [released 08/19/1995]
4. Captain Oliferenko
5. commander of the company 57 pon VV captain Andrei Dmitrievich Romanov22 [found killed in Grozny]
6. deputy commander of company 57 mon VV senior lieutenant Boris Boltnev [released]
7. Junior Sergeant Kalachev
8. Junior Sergeant Mukhametgalin
9. Junior Sergeant Cheremnykh
10. private 57 mon VV Ivan Ogolikhin [released a month later]
11. private 57 pon VV Marat Baimukhametov (Baimukhammedov)
12. Private Asylguzin
13. Private Gaziev
14. Private Goryukhin
15. Private Kostin
16. Private Oboskalov
17. Private Pyzhyanov
18. Private Yakubov
19. Private Agapov [released 12/24/1994]
20. Private Kachan [released 12/24/1994]
21. Private Khaliulin
Dissenting opinion of Lieutenant Colonel Seregin
Commander of the 2nd MSB 57th Mon VV, Lieutenant Colonel V.I. Seryogin: “Now, in the same situation, in the same place, my first command would be: “Fire!”
Captain Romanov Andrey Dmitrievich
(24.05.1964 — 24.04.1995)
Born in the city of Bogorodsk, Nizhny Novgorod region.
Andrei was the only child in the family; he was raised by his mother, Liliya Alexandrovna, who worked as a tanner at a chrome leather factory in Bogorodsk. His father died when Andrei was seven months old.
Andrei grew up kind, attentive, and studied well at school. He loved to read, studied music (he graduated from a music school with a degree in button accordion), and in the winter he went skating and skiing. At school he was an instructor in preparing junior classes for the game “Zarnitsa”. Since childhood I dreamed of being a military man. He participated and repeatedly won in school and city competitions “Come on, guys,” and played in the folk instrument orchestra at the city House of Culture. In high school, he became more persistent, responsible, and always completed whatever he started.
After graduating from Bogorodskaya high school No. 6 was called up for active military service, and in 1983 he entered and in 1987 graduated from Novosibirsk Higher command school Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR. According to distribution, he was sent for further service to the 57th regiment of internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (now the Shumilov brigade - the 34th Separate operational brigade of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation).
Got married. His wife, Valentina Vasilievna, is a physics teacher at school No. 107 in Nizhny Novgorod. The Romanov family has two daughters: Anastasia (born in 1979) and Ksenia (born in 1992).
Service in the Shimilov brigade was both dangerous and difficult. The officer also had to fly to “hot spots” former USSR. Together with his subordinates, Captain Romanov participated from December 1993 to February 1994 in maintaining the state of emergency in the city of Nazran, Ingush Republic.
In mid-1994, the Shumilov brigade was sent to Dagestan. At this time, the rebel General Dudayev and his supporters carried out a coup in Chechnya. Chaos and lawlessness reigned on the territory of the Chechen Republic.
On December 11, 1994, Romanov was sent to Khasavyurt as part of a combat column brigade. On December 12, on the central square of Khasavyurt, the column was met by a huge aggressive crowd, in front of which were women and children. Under their cover were armed militants. The situation was reported to the command. An order was received: do not open fire. Four armored personnel carriers and a car were torn away from the column. 58 military personnel, including five officers, were captured. The soldiers were later released. Nothing was known about the fate of the officers. Later it turned out that the captured officers were in Shali (territory of Chechnya).
Andrei’s mother, Liliya Aleksandrovna, went to Chechnya to look for her son. In Gudermes, she accidentally met Basayev (a militant field commander). To the question: “Where is my son?”, the leader of the militants angrily replied: “I don’t know where your son is. If I had known, I would have strangled him with my own hands.” The search was never successful.
In April 1995, Andrei Romanov, shot by militants, was found by soldiers of the Vladikavkaz SOBR in the basement of a destroyed house in Grozny.
Awarded: medals for 70 years of the USSR Armed Forces (1998), “For impeccable service, 3rd degree” (1991), “For excellent service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (1992), Order of Courage (posthumously, 1995) .
He was buried in the cemetery of Bogorodsk, Nizhny Novgorod region.
Our memory of our military friends remains in our hearts - List of deaths in Afghanistan and Chechnya
Military personnel Shumilov brigade The Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation is a real stronghold of the constitutional order in our state, a symbol of reliability and stability.
Internal troops
Internal troops is a stronghold of stability in Russian society. By fulfilling assigned service and combat missions in a timely and high-quality manner, the troops are developing, and their role in the internal security system is steadily increasing.
To be a patriot, a defender of the Fatherland, home, and loved ones is the first duty of a man. Over the centuries, our great-grandfathers, grandfathers, and fathers blocked the enemy’s path and showed vivid examples of courage and bravery.
Those who serve today are the continuers of bright traditions. And among them are the Shumilovites of the Volga District of the Internal Troops.
Brigade history
June 18, 1962 is the beginning of the history of the Shumilov brigade located in the village of Shumilovo, Bogorodsky district, Nizhny Novgorod region. By decree of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee, a training battalion of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation was created.
1968 The battalion was transformed into the 57th Regiment of the Internal Troops (training), whose task was to train military signalmen and junior commanders for units guarding strategic government facilities.
1992 The training regiment is being transformed into an operational regiment.
1994 The regiment was reorganized into the 34th Obron VV.
The brigade's combat path
1988 The beginning of strength tests for soldiers and officers of the unit is Yerevan. There, armed with special shields and rubber batons, the Shumilovites turned out to be a living wall dividing 2 warring nationalist groups, taking blows from stones, iron rods, the first accusations from the newly created democratic press and shouts of curses from the raging crowd.
1988 The Spitak earthquake, where residents of the Volga region, together with soldiers of other parts of the internal troops, had to maintain law and order, resist criminals and marauders who wanted to profit from people’s grief, help rescuers clear away the rubble, and organize the security of distribution points for water, food and humanitarian aid.
1989-1991. Participation of the regiment in operations in Nagorno-Karabakh and Moldova.
1992-1994. Participation in the Ossetian-Ingush conflict.
And in ninety-four it began first Chechen and burst into flames Chechnya…
Capture of Grozny in March 1996, battle in Chernorechye.
The battles in Grozny on Minutka Square in August 1996 and this is only a small part of the memories of those events.
A little military formations, who in peacetime made such sacrifices on the altar of the Fatherland and paid a terrible price for the territorial integrity of the country, the peace and tranquility of its citizens. More than 80 soldiers of the brigade, having fulfilled their military duty to the last, died in hot spots from bullets and mines of militants. DB veterans and those who continue to remain in service have something to be proud of: hundreds of military personnel were awarded military orders and medals, two became Heroes of Russia.
1998 The brigade is part of a mobile grouping of the combined military forces of the Internal Troops, ready, if necessary, at the first order to be where it is needed and to carry out any of the tasks assigned to it. What in last years it has been successfully demonstrated more than once.
1999 Second Chechen company. On August 15, the brigade was alerted and transferred to Dagestan to cover the administrative border with the Chechen Republic in the Kizlyar and Khasavyurt directions. Several attempts by militant groups to invade Dagestan were repulsed by units in the summer and autumn of that year.
With the entry of troops into the territory of Chechnya in November 1999, its battalions, together with units Russian army took an active part in the destruction of the main forces of bandits in the mountainous, southeastern part of the republic.
February 2000 to August 2001, the brigade carries out combat missions in the Argun Gorge, ensuring the safe passage of military columns along one of the main transport arteries of the Chechen Republic and continuing to deliver effective attacks on militant bases.
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The detachment was created in September 2009 on the basis of the 351st separate operational battalion (SON) of the brigade. People gathered from different places: some moved from BON or other parts of the formation, some came from “ big land" Among the candidates for special forces were thrill-seekers who wanted to try themselves in action, romantics, and simply those who wanted to make money. Some came on the recommendation of senior superiors, but cronyism did not work here. There was one condition for everyone: if you want to serve here, show yourself in action. That is why the core of the newly formed unit was made up of special forces transferred from the 7th, 15th, 17th detachments, and the reconnaissance battalion of the brigade.
The command of the detachment immediately determined its personnel policy: those who want to become a real special forces professional, we will work with them - teach, help, coach, and those who are disappointed and understand that service in special forces is not for them - we will not detain them! Team unification, limited by strict time frames, took place according to the principle: at a minimum - a story, at a maximum - showing and training until you sweat. And soon about half of the “applicants”, those who entered the wrong door, dropped out...
If you want victory, prepare for war
The senior assistant to the chief of staff of the detachment for combat training, Major Roman Fedyaev*, remembers well the period of formation of the new special forces team. The combat experience behind him greatly helped the officer: while still a member of the 17th special forces detachment, Fedyaev took part in counter-terrorism operations in Dagestan and Chechnya, for which he was awarded two Orders of Courage.
- In our unit we devote a lot of time to training in combat and special training, which necessarily take place with the build-up of the situation, with the development of introductory actions that may arise in a real battle,” says Major Fedyaev. - The detachment commander often conducts or controls the course of training himself. This, of course, has a positive effect on their quality. But if the detachment sat without real combat work, then the fighters would do it without much interest. And when we are in surgery for one week, and studying for the next, eliminating mistakes, there is no need to convince someone to give their all. People themselves ask: “Commander, teach, advise.” Because they know: if you can’t fight competently, you won’t complete the assigned task and will lose your life very quickly. They correctly understand the essence of the problem - in a combat situation they will not be given any concessions...
The banal truth is that the one who prepares better for war wins. The bandits are well prepared for it. Major Roman Fedyaev highly appreciates their fighting qualities. Operational information and reports only confirm this: the enemy is very serious. Therefore, no moody moods and relaxation! The enemies are not yesterday’s shepherd tractor drivers, as was the case in the first Chechen campaign, but trained and well-trained terrorists. However, the guys from the “thirty-four” manage to outplay them. In just 10 months of last year, they took part in more than two dozen special operations, destroyed several forest bases and caches, seized and destroyed a large number of weapons, ammunition, improvised explosive devices. The special forces also neutralized several members of the bandit underground, while avoiding losses on their part.
Work for the seasoned
In an unannounced protracted guerrilla warfare When the “irreconcilables” hide in the forests and mountains, feeling at home there, it is very difficult to achieve victory. The forest often acts as an ally of bandits: it hides, feeds, heals them, and also stores many surprises fraught with mortal danger. Sometimes well-practiced tactics and honed skills don’t help here - something more is needed: improvisation, super sense, instant reaction. Because he preempted it, that means he won. After all, sometimes the outcome of a clash is decided by a split second!
The most experienced, experienced warriors of the “thirty-four” possess these qualities. At the dawn of the formation of military special forces, guys like them were called seasoned. One of them can be considered the commander of the 2nd special forces group, Major Alexander Devyanin*, who was recently promoted to the position of chief of the detachment’s reconnaissance. The officer’s personal record includes several dozen reconnaissance and search activities and targeted checks, during which 16 people were detained on suspicion of involvement in the gang underground, over ten units of various small arms, about 2 thousand small arms ammunition were seized, several homemade explosive devices were neutralized . Last spring turned out to be especially fruitful for this kind of surprises...
In March 2010, Devyanin and his group worked in the forests of the Urus-Martan region of Chechnya. We were looking for another base for the nomadic “commander of the southwestern front” Tarkhan Gaziev with his headquarters. While searching, Alexander sensed danger with some animal instinct. He stopped the chain, called sappers, and demanded that they examine the dubious area. He himself removed the top layer of earth, under which the sappers actually discovered a mine trap - if it exploded, the detachment would definitely have suffered its first losses. Moving further, Devyanin was the first to discover a carefully camouflaged cache of ammunition, where the special forces found six shots from a grenade launcher, a machine gun belt loaded with cartridges, two grenades...
Ten days later, during reconnaissance and search activities in the Achkhoy-Martan region, another seasoned warrior distinguished himself - the platoon commander of the 3rd special forces group, senior warrant officer Oleg Chmykh*. He already had 28 similar operations under his belt, during which, on suspicion of involvement in bandit groups, 13 people were detained, six units of various small arms, about 1.5 thousand small arms ammunition were seized, several mines and improvised explosive devices were neutralized.
This time, carefully moving through the spring forest that had awakened from hibernation, Oleg walked at the head of a reconnaissance patrol. He himself determined his place at the front of the group, as if feeling that today his experience, dexterity, and trained eye would be needed in the vanguard. He noticed a tripwire - a thin fishing line stretched across the road, stained with mud, at the opposite end of which death was lurking, he noticed at the last second; it was masterfully camouflaged. Oleg cursed - he knew that in the detachment of the local “commander” Aslan Byutukaev, whom our guys were hunting, there were skilled demolitionists. Balancing on one leg in a heron pose, barely maintaining his balance, with a taxiway stuffed to capacity behind his back, he gave the command: “Attention: a mine has been detected on a tripwire!” And then, in the absence of time, without waiting for the sapper, he neutralized it himself, which showed his versatility...
There are dozens of such examples, quite ordinary, inconspicuous at first glance, because they ended quite happily. Strong guys serve in the “thirty-four”, reliable, proven, united. Their skills are growing every day. And this is the primary merit of the detachment commander. It’s not for nothing that his subordinates, soldiers and officers, call him their “engine” behind their backs.
Inner strength
The detachment commander, Colonel Vitaly Merkulov*, graduated with honors from the North Caucasus Military Command Institute of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, then from the Combined Arms Academy. He took part in military operations in Chechnya and was awarded the Suvorov medal.
Since his cadet years, Vitaly saw himself only in special forces. When he had the opportunity to choose a place of service, without hesitation, he asked to join the legendary “Rosich” - the 7th special forces detachment of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. He arrived, introduced himself to the commander, Colonel Igor Semin, and was almost immediately sent on a business trip.
“Senior comrades helped me “grow into” the situation: they advised me, shared their experience,” Merkulov recalls. - All this happened in a completely calm, natural manner, without pumping or hassle...
No one bothered the lieutenant with excessive care and petty things. No one, in the good sense of the word, poked their nose into his affairs, did not bother him to stew in his cauldron, that is, in his unit, into the life of which he immediately plunged headlong. On the other hand, the platoon commander was always visible, and if he made a mistake somewhere, then no one drowned him, no one ran to “hand over” his comrade to the commander. On the contrary, they helped and supported the young platoon commander in a brotherly way. And then - swim again yourself. It was a very good, real special forces school, from which Merkulov graduated with honors. And in his “thirty-four” he set things up in the same way.
“Of course, even with a great desire, but without the help of my comrades, without the support of my subordinates, I would not have been able to achieve anything in life, in service,” the commander admits. - Each of my colleagues at Rosich was capable of action, had strong convictions and strong moral principles. Almost everyone had an inner core. People correctly understood the purpose of their service in the detachment, they served exclusively for the idea - for the good of the Fatherland. This is perhaps the main distinguishing quality of a real special forces soldier, and it is this that I cultivate in my subordinates today...
When Vitaly Vladimirovich was offered the position of commander of the 34th special forces detachment, he agreed immediately. And not only because, like any military man, he was accustomed to obeying orders. The officer was interested in starting such a big thing in a new place - forming a unit.
The brigade command and, above all, the brigade commander personally provided enormous assistance in the formation of the detachment. He delved into all the subtleties and strictly demanded that all his subordinates carry out the planned tasks. After his words “Tomorrow in the detachment everything should be like this!” Management officers came to Merkulov’s unit and promptly, within 24 hours, resolved all issues. The team would hardly have been able to complete many of the tasks in such a record time on their own: everyone knows perfectly well how much time it takes various approvals between deputies and heads of services, walking around offices, collecting all the necessary signatures... But this does not mean that the brigade management officers worked for Merkulov, replaced him. There was no end of worries, especially at first. Sometimes the commander simply lost his sense of reality, forgetting what time of day it was outside, what day of the week - the load was so great then. But the commander and his subordinates coped with the task: the “thirty-four” quickly fell into a working rhythm.
“Previously, we were exclusively executors of the brigade commander’s iron will, now we are participants in the dialogue,” Colonel Merkulov shares his thoughts. - They listen to us, our opinion is taken into account. The trust shown is worth a lot: we do not have the moral right not to complete the task, to let the brigade commander down. In accordance with his decision, the detachment’s personnel are engaged exclusively in combat training and are focused on performing service and combat missions. We were relieved of a secondary, mainly economic burden, such as cleaning the territory. To my subordinates, as well as to me personally, such a fighting spirit, rich life to your liking.
Being a persistent and purposeful person himself, Vitaly Merkulov values these qualities most in people. Let’s say one fighter, when he joined the squad, had already done pull-ups 30 times, but over the course of a year he didn’t add more. And the other, starting five times, added a little every month, and by the end of the year it was equal to the first. And it is his commander who will note, because he does not need record holders, but people who know how to achieve their goals and work on themselves. In real combat, heroism, resourcefulness, and self-control are often demonstrated by those servicemen who are not distinguished by external luster: small, frail, inconspicuous in appearance, but with inner strength. And it’s very difficult to see it in people.
But the colonel mastered this tricky science. That is why he has soldiers and officers serving in his detachment who will follow their commander through thick and thin. That is why the “thirty-four” is ready to solve service and combat missions of any complexity.
***
*The names of the military personnel have been changed.
Roman ILYUSCHENKO
Photo by Viktor BOLTIKOV, Alexander KUZNETSOV and from the squad archive
The operational units of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs were formed in accordance with the order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 03 dated January 18, 1990. They were intended to solve operational tasks that required immediate and decisive action (detainment of especially dangerous criminals, release of hostages, suppression of riots, etc. ). The operational units were a kind of elite of the Internal Troops. Their special status is evidenced by the fact that as early as April 10, 1979, by order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, to decide special tasks Special-purpose training companies (“special forces”) were created as part of the motorized rifle regiments of the Internal Troops. In addition, during participation in the prevention of armed conflicts and riots in the territory of the former USSR in 1988 - 1991. These units acquired enormous service and combat experience.
Separate motorized rifle order of Lenin and October revolution Red Banner named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky operational division of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs(military unit 3111, Reutovo, Moscow region):
- 1st motorized rifle Red Banner operational regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3179, Reutovo, Moscow region);
- 2nd motorized rifle named after. Sixtieth anniversary of the Komsomol operational regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3186, Reutovo, Moscow region);
- 4th operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3419, Reutovo, Moscow region);
- 5th operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3500, Moscow).
5th operational motorized rifle division of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs(military unit, Baku, Azerbaijan SSR):
- 451st motorized rifle regiment of the Order of the Red Star for operational purposes of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3219, Tbilisi, Georgian SSR)
- 454th operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3218, Baku, Azerbaijan SSR);
- 456th operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs;
- ?-th training motorized rifle regiment for operational purposes of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3645, Baku, Azerbaijan SSR).
100th operational motorized rifle division of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs(military unit 3660, Novocherkassk, Rostov region):
- 45th operational training motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3722, Persianovka village, Rostov region);
- 46th operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3654, village of Cossack Camps, Rostov region);
- 47th operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3655, village of Cossack Camps, Rostov region);
- 48th operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3656, village of Cossack Camps, Rostov region).
3rd separate operational brigade of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3661, Fergana, Uzbek SSR);
5th separate operational brigade of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3670, Kamenka village, Kaskelensky district, Alma-Ata region, Kazakh SSR);
21st separate operational brigade of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3641, Sofrino village, Moscow region);
22nd separate operational brigade of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3642, Kalach-on-Don, Volgograd region);
24th separate operational brigade of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3700, Snechkus, Lithuanian SSR);
47th separate operational brigade of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3702, Krasnodar).
10th separate motorized rifle Rymniksky orders of Kutuzov, Bohdan Khmelnitsky and Red Star operational regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3238, Lvov, Ukrainian SSR);
38th separate motorized rifle regiment for operational purposes of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3408, Tashkent, Uzbek SSR);
50th separate operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395, Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR);
57th separate operational training motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3671, Bogorodsk, Moscow region);
63rd separate motorized rifle regiment for operational purposes of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3689, Yerevan, Armenian SSR);
64th separate motorized rifle regiment for operational purposes of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 5485, Chimkent, Kazakh SSR);
290th separate motorized rifle Novorossiysk Red Banner named after. Lenin Komsomol operational regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3217, Kiev, Ukrainian SSR);
339th separate motorized rifle regiment for operational purposes of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3220, Leningrad);
362nd separate motorized rifle Red Banner operational regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3214, Minsk, Belarusian SSR).
At the beginning of November, a delegation from the Moscow region visited the 46th separate operational brigade (OBRON) on a patronage visit.
The delegation included representatives of 19 municipalities Moscow region and members of the All-Russian public organization veterans "Combat Brotherhood".
The reason for the next meeting of chiefs from the Moscow region with the personnel of the 46th OBRON was the 11th anniversary of the formation of the brigade.
From the very beginning of the emergence of this combat military formation, the Moscow Region and the “Combat Brotherhood” took patronage over the brigade and its individual units.
In 2000, local battles were still going on at the current location of the brigade, near the Grozny Severny airport. In the entire district, there is not a single building left suitable for living and housing personnel. Therefore, the soldiers were located in army tents, carried out assigned combat missions and at the same time adjusted their daily life. And then the governor of the Moscow region, Boris Gromov, decided to provide patronage assistance to the 46th OBRON.
2. Early in the morning of October 31, 2011, 70 veterans, artists and journalists arrived at the military airfield to go to the Chechen Republic. 
3. Military transport Il-76MD being loaded. 
4. They loaded not only gifts to soldiers, but also to enemies. 
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6. The transport Il-76MD was filled to capacity with cargo. 
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8. The plane is ready for takeoff. Mozdok accepts. Last roll call before landing. 
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10. Luxury seat on a military transport aircraft...))) 
11. The first people who met us at Mozdok airport were local dogs. 
12. Upon arrival in Mozdok, representatives municipal districts Moscow region went to their sponsored units to personally deliver the gifts and awards they had brought from the All-Russian Military Organization "Combat Brotherhood" to the fighters of the formation. Grozny, Gudermes, Urus-Martan, the villages of Shelkovskaya, Chervlennaya and Naurskaya - the geography of deployment of individual units of the 46th brigade is extensive. 
13. The heads of delegations, artists and journalists had to go to Grozny on turntables.
The rest of the delegates rode in a convoy with their cargo. 
14. - Loading is completed, the throttle is advanced,
It's hard to lift the car... 
15. Chechnya. 
16. Transport and combat helicopter Mi-8, the workhorse of war. 
17. In addition to transport missions, the Mi-8 can also be used for transporting troops, for evacuating the wounded from the battlefield, for support ground forces. It has proven itself well in military conflicts. 
18. Our house. We spent three nights here. 
19. Early in the morning of November 1, veterans raised the banner of “combat brotherhood” over the unit. 
20. Formation before the start of events. 
21. In terms of its quality and combat composition, the 46th brigade today is considered a unique formation not only within the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, but also among army formations. North Caucasus District The Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which includes the brigade, is today not only the most numerous in the internal troops, but also the most belligerent. 
22. The commander of the OGV (s) for conducting counter-terrorism operations on the territory of the Russian Investigative Committee is the first deputy commander of the North Caucasus Regional Command of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Lieutenant General Sergei Melikov. 
23. Over the 11 years of its existence, more than 480 servicemen of the brigade were awarded state and government awards for their courage and heroism. 
24. Lieutenant General Sergei Melikov, State Duma deputy, first deputy chairman of the All-Union Military Organization "Combat Brotherhood" Dmitry Sablin, commander of the formation Major General Alexey Khoruzhin, deputy of the Parliament of the Chechen Republic General Suleimenov Ibragim Abdurakhmanovich. We congratulated the soldiers on their 11th anniversary. 
25. At the end, the guests were shown a ceremonial defile of a military orchestra, a theatrical performance by the ensemble of the Garrison House of Officers of the formation, and the creativity of children's groups - preschoolers attending the Zvezdochka kindergarten and pupils of the Bars military-patriotic club. 
26. Ceremonial passage. 
27. Only contract soldiers serve in the brigade. 
28. After the official part, laying flowers at the monument to the fallen soldiers of the brigade. 
29. Now at modern Russia There are only three military units awarded state awards. The first order - the "Order of Suvorov" - was awarded in February of this year to the 45th separate special reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces, stationed in the Moscow region, the city of Kubinka. The second unit awarded the Order of Zhukov for the events in 2008 in South Ossetia is the 10th separate GRU special forces brigade stationed in Krasnodar. And the third unit, also awarded the Order of Zhukov, is the 46th separate operational brigade, Grozny. 
30. Dmitry Sablin congratulates the soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion.
Dmitry shook hands with each fighter and congratulated them on the holiday 
31. On the brigade parade ground, military personnel of individual units of the formation were awarded. Representatives of the municipalities of the Moscow region, who have been providing constant patronage assistance to the brigade since the formation of the Obron, presented their sponsored medals of the All-Russian Military Organization "Combat Brotherhood" - "For Military Valor", as well as valuable gifts. 
32.
33. The ceremonial events to celebrate the 11th anniversary of the formation of the 46th separate operational brigade ended with a festive concert, in which the song and dance ensemble of the Garrison House of Officers of the brigade took part, as well as the groups “Walk the Field”, “Ne” who arrived with the delegation arrows" and singer Alexander Varzhel. 
34. "Not arrows." 
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36. The next morning we went to Khankala to congratulate another unit of the brigade. 
37. Singer Alexander Varzhel. 
38. "Not arrows" are lit. After this trip I became their fan. Well done girls! 
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40. Four days at the location of the 46th OBRON flew by like one - the next patron’s landing came to an end. 
41. On the morning of November 4, the delegation from the Moscow Region had a three-hour trip from Grozny to Mozdok, from where it was expected to fly, as they say here, to the “mainland” - to Moscow. 
42. Oh, how I wanted to try local fruits, but the column did not stop. 
43. On the way we encountered columns of military equipment. A replacement is on the way. 
44. We are already in Mozdok. 
45. Waiting for board at the Mozdok airfield. 
46. I noticed a knife on the scout that accompanied the convoy. I asked to see it, it turned out to be a personalized knife, a gift from Ramzan Kadyrov. But I never found out what the inscription “right side of the mountain” was. 
47. Home! 