19th Special Purpose Company. Training company for special purposes. Participation in military operations

In 1953, during a large-scale reduction of the Armed Forces of the USSR, 35 separate special-purpose companies were disbanded. The 11 remaining companies were distributed as follows:
66th OrdnSpN
67th Special Forces
75th OrdnSpN(military unit 61272, Northern Military District, Olonets);
77th OrdnSpN(military unit 71108, Baltic Military District, 11th Guards Army, Kaliningrad, RSFSR);
78th Special Forces(military unit 61290, Belorussian Military District, 28th Army, Grodno, Belorussian SSR);
81st OrdnSpN(military unit 61321, Carpathian Military District, 13th Army, Lutsk, Volyn region, Ukrainian SSR);
82nd Special Forces(military unit 71116, Carpathian Military District, 38th Army, Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk), Ukrainian SSR);
85th Special Forces
86th OrdnSpN
91st Special Forces(military unit 51423, Central Asian Military District, Kazandzhik);
92nd Special Forces(military unit p/n 51447, Northern Group of Forces, Shekon, Poland).

In addition, the remaining companies were transferred under the control of the High Command of the Ground Forces. The total number of personnel is 1,320 people.

The disbandment of so many combat units was a heavy blow to military intelligence as a whole. So, on January 11, 1957, Major General N.V. Sherstnev sent a memo to the Chief of the General Staff, in which he pointed out that the companies were not able to provide versatile combat training, and proposed instead of 11 companies to create 3 special forces and one air squadron of district subordination. The number of the detachment would be about 400 people.

The then Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov appreciated the potential of special intelligence and pinned great hopes on it in a possible war. Published on his direct orders, the directive of the Chief of the General Staff No. ОШ / 1/224878 of August 9, 1957 and the directive of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of August 25, 1957, 5 separate special-purpose battalions were formed, subordinate to the commander of military districts and groups of troops. The base and personnel of 8 special-purpose companies were turned to the formation of battalions.

In accordance with the directive of the Chief of the General Staff No. OSH / 1 / 244878 of August 9, 1957, the following were formed:
26th Special Forces(military unit p / p 24584, Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, Weber-Havel), formed on the basis of the 66th and 67th Special Forces, the number of battalions in the state No. 04/26 was 485 people, commander: lieutenant colonel R.P. Mosolov;
27th Special Forces(military unit p / p 42551, Northern Group of Forces, Strzegom, then Legnica), formed on the basis of the 92nd Special Forces, the number of battalions in the state No. 04/25 was 376 people, commander: Lieutenant Colonel M. P. Pashkov;
36th Special Forces(military unit 32104, Prykarpatsky Military District, Drohobych, Lviv region), formed on the basis of the 81st and 82nd Special Forces, the number of battalions in the state No. 04/25 was 376 people, commander: Lieutenant Colonel Shapovalov;
43rd Special Forces(military unit 32105, Transcaucasian Military District, the city of Manglisi, then - the city of Lagodekhi, Georgian SSR), formed on the basis of the 85th and 86th Special Forces, the number of battalions in state No. 04/25 was 376 people, commander: lieutenant colonel I.I. Geleverya;
61st Special Forces(military unit 32110, Turkestan Military District, Kazandzhik, then - Samarkand, Uzbek SSR), formed on the basis of the 91st Special Forces, the number of battalions in the state No. 04/24 was 253 people, commander: Lieutenant Colonel Tormtsev.

Three companies were kept separate, while they were transferred to the new state No. 04/23, the number of companies was 123 people:
75th OrdnSpN(military unit p/p 61272, Southern Group of Forces, Nyiregyhaze);
77th OrdnSpN(military unit 71108, Baltic Military District, Kaliningrad);
78th Special Forces(military unit 61290, Odessa Military District, Simferopol).

A separate special-purpose battalion included three special-purpose companies, a special radio communications platoon, a training platoon, and a logistics platoon.

A separate special-purpose company included a directorate, two reconnaissance platoons, a training reconnaissance platoon, a communications platoon, an automobile and economic department. A total of 112 people, incl. 9 officers and 9 conscripts, 6 vehicles (1 GAZ-69, 1 GAZ-51, 4 GAZ-63), 1 R-118 radio station based on ZIL-157. They were armed with AKS-47 assault rifles, PD-47 parachutes, then D-1 and D-1-8.

Separate battalions and special-purpose companies were stationed in the border districts and groups of troops and were subordinate to the commanders of the districts and groups. The combat training of the newly formed units began on December 1, 1957.

For the training of special forces officers, the Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, by directive NGSH No. 1546 of August 9, 1957, ordered the formation of a second airborne school (in addition to Ryazan) by January 15, 1958 in the GRU General Staff system (in addition to Ryazan) and deploy it in the city of Tambov. As you know, this attempt was the reason for the removal of the marshal from his post, and the school was never created.

The second wave of formation of special forces units occurred in 1961. In order to strengthen the special intelligence of the districts, in addition to the existing units, by directives of the General Staff No. Org / 3 / 61588 of August 21, 1961 and No. OSH / 2 / 347491 of August 26, 1961 By October 1, 1961, 8 more separate special-purpose companies were formed:
791st OrdnSpN(military unit 71603, Siberian Military District, Berdsk);
793rd OrSpN(military unit 55511, Moscow Military District, Voronezh);
799th OrdnSpN(military unit 55577, North Caucasian Military District, Novocherkassk, Rostov Region);
806th OrSpN(military unit 64656, Zabaikalsky Military District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia);
808th OrSpN(military unit 71606, Privolzhsky Military District, Kuibyshev);
820th OrSpN(military unit 55576, Kyiv Military District, Chernihiv);
822nd OrSpN(military unit 74973, Ural Military District, Sverdlovsk);
827th OrSpN(military unit 55505, Far Eastern Military District, Belogorsk).

Thus, by the end of 1961, the GRU special forces consisted of 5 separate battalions and 11 separate companies, which included 2,870 people in the state.

The reason for the creation of special forces units in the Armed Forces of the USSR was the appearance in service with a potential enemy of mobile nuclear attack weapons for operational-tactical and tactical purposes. Spetsnaz was conceived as a means of detecting the means of his nuclear attack behind enemy lines and having the ability to independently destroy him.

In addition to the destruction of nuclear attack weapons, other tasks facing the special forces in the first years of its existence were: reconnaissance of the concentration of enemy troops and objects in its deep rear; conducting sabotage at enemy rear facilities and communications, creating panic and disorganizing the work of the rear; organization and leadership of the national liberation movement; destruction of prominent military and political figures of the enemy. However, the latter task was subsequently removed from the guidance documents.

In accordance with the directive of the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky No. Org / 2 / 395832 of October 24, 1950, separate special-purpose companies are created under combined arms and mechanized armies, as well as under military districts that did not have army associations. In pursuance of this directive, in 1950 - 1953, according to state 04/20, 46 special-purpose companies were formed (41 army and 5 front-line in the border military districts of the western direction - the Baltic, Leningrad, Belorussian, Carpathian and Odessa):
66th OrdnSpN(military unit p/p 71060, Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, 3rd Shock Army, Güzen);
67th Special Forces(military unit p/p 61249, Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, 8th Guards Army, Halle);
68th Special Forces(military unit p/n 51198, Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, 1st Guards Mechanized Army);
69th OrdnSpN(military unit p/n 71063, Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, 2nd Guards Mechanized Army, Alt-Strelitz), commander: Captain F.I. Gredasov;
70th Special Forces(military unit p/p 61253, Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, 3rd Guards Mechanized Army);
71st Special Forces(military unit p/p 51200, Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, 4th Guards Mechanized Army);
72nd Special Forces(military unit p/p 71097, Central Group of Forces);
73rd Special Forces(military unit p/p 61256, Northern Group of Forces);
74th OrdnSpN(military unit 71104, Ural Military District, Separate mechanized army, Aramil settlement, Sverdlovsk region, RSFSR);
75th OrdnSpN(military unit 61272, Belomorsky Military District, settlement of Nurmalishche, Olonetsky district, Karelian-Finnish Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic);
76th Special Forces(military unit 51404, Leningrad Military District, settlement of Promezhitsy, Pskov region, RSFSR);
77th OrdnSpN(military unit 71108, Baltic Military District, 11th Guards Army, Kaliningrad, RSFSR), commander: Captain S. Tokmakov;
78th Special Forces(military unit 61290, Belarusian military district, 28th army, Grodno, BSSR);
79th Special Forces(military unit 51407, Belorussian Military District, 5th Guards Mechanized Army);
80th Special Forces(military unit 71109, Belarusian Military District, 7th mechanized army);
81st OrdnSpN(military unit 61321, Carpathian Military District, 13th Army, Lutsk, Volyn region, Ukrainian SSR);
82nd Special Forces(military unit 71116, Carpathian Military District, 38th Army, Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk), Ukrainian SSR);
83rd OrdnSpN(military unit 61338, Carpathian Military District, 8th Mechanized Army, Zhitomir, Ukrainian SSR);
84th OrdnSpN(military unit 51410, Odessa Military District);
85th Special Forces(military unit 71126, Transcaucasian Military District, 4th Army, Baku, Azerbaijan SSR);
86th OrdnSpN(military unit 61428, Transcaucasian Military District, 7th Guards Army, Yerevan, Armenian SSR);
87th OrdnSpN(military unit 51462, Turkestan Military District);
88th Special Forces(military unit 51422, Far Eastern Military District, 37th Guards Airborne Corps);
89th Special Forces(military unit 71127, Far Eastern Military District, 1st Separate Red Banner Army);
90th Special Forces(military unit 61432, Trans-Baikal Military District, 6th Guards Mechanized Army);
91st Special Forces(military unit 51423, Primorsky Military District, 5th Army, Talovy settlement), commander: Major Rusinov;
92nd Special Forces(military unit 51447, Primorsky Military District, 25th Army, Art. Fighter Kuznetsov, Budennovsky District, Primorsky Territory), Commander: Major S.I. Dubovtsev;
93rd Special Forces(military unit p/p 71138, Primorsky Military District, 39th Army, Port Arthur, China);
94th Special Forces(military unit 61442, Far Eastern Military District, 14th Army);
95th Special Forces(military unit 61508, Separate Airborne Army, 8th Guards Airborne Corps);
96th OrdnSpN(military unit 71200, Separate Airborne Army, 15th Guards Airborne Corps);
97th Special Forces(military unit 71143, Separate Airborne Army, 38th Guards Airborne Corps);
98th Special Forces(military unit 61453, Separate Airborne Army, 39th Guards Airborne Corps);
99th OrdnSpN(military unit 51413, Arkhangelsk Military District, Arkhangelsk, RSFSR);
100th Special Forces(military unit 71145, Kyiv Military District, 1st Guards Army, Nizhyn, Chernigov Region, Ukrainian SSR), commander: Captain P.A. Malyakshin;
195th OrdnSpN(military unit 61503, Moscow Military District);
196th OrdnSpN(military unit 51425, Privolzhsky Military District);
197th OrdnSpN(military unit 51506, Ural Military District);
198th OrdnSpN(military unit 71147, South Ural Military District);
199th Special Forces(military unit 61504, East Siberian Military District);
200th Special Forces(military unit 51428, West Siberian Military District);
226th OrdnSpN(military unit 51511, North Caucasian Military District);
227th OrdnSpN(military unit 71185, Donskoy Military District, Novocherkassk, Rostov Region, RSFSR), commander: Captain A.A. Snegirev;
228th Special Forces(military unit 61507, Tauride Military District);
229th OrdnSpN(military unit 51440, Gorky Military District);
230th Special Forces(military unit 71187, Voronezh Military District).

Organizationally, the special-purpose company included three special-purpose platoons, a training platoon and a communications platoon with a telephone and radio interception group. The number of personnel according to the state No. 04/20 of a separate special-purpose company (in the troops, for reasons of secrecy, they were simply called reconnaissance companies) was 112 people, including 9 officers, 10 sergeants and foremen of long-term service (ensigns in the Soviet Army then not yet) and 93 sergeants and conscripts.

The formation of individual companies took place both from scratch and on the basis of pre-existing reconnaissance units. For example, the 76th separate special-purpose company of the Leningrad Military District was formed on the basis of a training reconnaissance and sabotage platoon of the 237th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 76th Guards Airborne Division (Leningrad Military District, Pskov), and the 69th I am a separate special-purpose company of the 2nd Guards Mechanized Army - based on a separate reconnaissance battalion of the 9th Guards Tank Division. Responsibility for the formation and training of special forces units was assigned to the intelligence departments of the headquarters of the respective military districts.

When training personnel, the main attention was paid to reconnaissance, sabotage, airborne training and mine-blasting with the use of special means.

The general leadership of the special forces was entrusted to a specially created direction under the 2nd department of the 3rd directorate (military intelligence) of the 2nd Main Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. It was headed by Colonel P.I. Stepanov.

“... in despotic states, governments
create two armies: one to fight their
enemies, and the other in order to keep in
obedience to one's own people."
J. Fuller,
British military historian

“There were no police special forces in the USSR -
democracy was not developed…”
V. Vlasenko,
colonel, veteran of the Internal Troops

Donetsk special forces - fighters of the 23rd separate special-purpose battalion of the NGU, 1998

In the late 1970s in the USSR, new, until then unknown, types of crimes are spreading: the seizure of aircraft by terrorists, the taking of hostages in correctional labor institutions, and so on. To act in such extreme situations, specially trained groups of military personnel were required, ready for skillful, decisive and quick actions to neutralize dangerous criminals. This was very relevant in connection with the forthcoming Summer Olympic Games in 1980.

The first attempt to create such a unit in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dates back to 1973. Then, as part of a special operation to free hostages taken at Bykovo Airport, Moscow Region, a combined operational military detachment (SOVO) was formed. However, at the end of the operation, it was disbanded.

But special forces were needed. As a result, in accordance with the order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs of December 29, 1977, on the basis of the 9th (sports) company of the 3rd battalion of the 2nd motorized rifle regiment named after. The sixtieth anniversary of the Komsomol (military unit 3186), which was part of the famous Separate Motorized Rifle Orders of Lenin and the October Revolution of the Red Banner Special Purpose Division of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky (military unit 3111, Reutovo, Moscow Region), a special-purpose training company (URSpN) was formed. This unit, which later became the Vityaz special forces detachment, was intended primarily to develop and apply training programs for special forces units of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The first special unit proved to be quite successful, and a decision was made in the Combat Training Directorate of the GUVV on the further development of the special forces. By order of the head of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR dated April 10, 1979, special-purpose training units were created for operations in critical situations in motorized rifle and special motorized units. They were trained according to the general program of combat and political training, during physical training, the emphasis was on studying the techniques of hand-to-hand combat, which were necessary to detain especially dangerous criminals.

In Donetsk, the URSpN was formed in 1990 as part of the 50th separate operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395).

Fans of military history know that the history of the Soviet armed forces is fraught with many secrets and mysteries. The origin (so to speak) of the 50th motorized rifle regiment is also a mystery.

The fact is that this part had, as it were, two stories: real and mythological, so to speak legendary. Moreover, the highlight (or, as they would say now, “trick”) is that the mythological history has become the official history of the part, and the real one has been safely forgotten.

According to the official (that is, mythological) version, this military unit was created in 1926 to protect the western border of the USSR in the city of Sebezh as the 11th Sebezh border detachment of the OGPU. Then the 11th border detachment was part of the NKVD troops of the Leningrad District and was stationed in the village. Red Leningrad region. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, by order of the NKVD of the USSR No. 001419 dated September 25, 1941, the border detachment was reorganized into the 11th border regiment. In the period 1941 - 1945. the unit performed combat missions to protect the rear of the Northern, Northwestern, Volkhov, 2nd Baltic and 1st Ukrainian fronts, and then proceeded to guard the rear of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOVG). In May 1946, the unit became known as the 11th Infantry Regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to another (real, but forgotten) version, the 11th Infantry Regiment of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs was formed by order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 0012 dated January 12, 1949 in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Germany) to protect uranium ore mining and enrichment facilities . And he had nothing in common, except for the number, with the 11th border regiment.

It is no longer possible to establish which of the political officers (namely, they most often dealt with the history of military units) attributed the heroic military past to the regiment. But everyone liked this “past” and successfully took root.

By order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 004 of January 21, 1957, in connection with the disbandment of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Germany, the 11th Infantry Regiment was withdrawn to the territory of the USSR and stationed in the city of Stalino (since 1961 - Donetsk).

By order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 0507 of August 22, 1957, the 11th rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs was reorganized into the 67th separate motorized rifle division of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395).

By order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 0055 of November 28, 1968, the 67th division was transformed into the 510th separate motorized rifle battalion of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395).

In the late 1980s - early 1990s. parts of the internal troops took an active part in establishing law and order in the course of numerous interethnic conflicts on the territory of the USSR. But it was hard for them to cope with official workloads. The command of the internal troops, having carried out analytical calculations, came to the conclusion that it was necessary to increase the organizational strength of operational units.

As a result, by order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 03 of January 18, 1990, the 510th battalion was deployed into the 50th separate operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395).

And immediately, the servicemen of the newly created regiment had a chance to take part in ending the Armenian-Azerbaijani armed conflict in the city of Nakhichevan, having made three business trips in the confrontation zone: in the spring and summer of 1990 and in the spring of 1991.

By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR No. 1465-XII of August 30, 1991 “On the subordination of internal troops stationed on its territory to Ukraine”, units and subunits of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs stationed on the territory of the republic came under the jurisdiction of Ukraine.

On November 4, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine No. 1774-XII "On the National Guard of Ukraine". According to the law, the National Guard was entrusted with the functions of protecting the constitutionality and inviolability of Ukraine, participating in the aftermath of accidents and natural disasters, protecting borders, especially important state facilities, embassies and consulates of foreign states, and public order.

By order of the Commander of the NSU No. 02 dated January 2, 1992, the 11th regiment of the NSU (military unit 4111) was formed on the basis of the 50th separate operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395). At the same time, the special forces regimental company was deployed into a special-purpose battalion.

Sleeve patches of the special forces battalion of the 11th regiment of the NSU, 1992 - 1998.

In accordance with the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 158 “On measures to protect the state border of Ukraine with the Republic of Moldova” dated March 17, 1992, the servicemen of the special purpose battalion of the regiment took part in the protection of the Ukrainian border in the zone of the Transnistrian armed conflict.

In 1995, the management and units of the regiment moved from the street. Oil on the street. Kuprin, to the barracks of the former Donetsk Higher Military-Political School of Engineering Troops and Signal Corps. Army General A.A. Epishev. In 1996, the 11th regiment of the NSU included a special-purpose battalion (military unit 4111 "C"), which remained on the street. Oil, 2 motorized rifle battalions (2 companies each), fire support division, anti-aircraft division (armed with ZU-23-2 installations), combat support company, logistics company, repair company, communications company. The military equipment of the units of the regiment was very diverse and consisted of three types of armored personnel carriers BTR-60PB, BTR-70 and BTR-80.

"Show-off" - demonstration performances of special forces

In 1995 - 1996 as part of the further improvement of the organizational and staffing structure of the NGU, which suffered significant "losses" when transferring part of its units to the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, separate special-purpose units were created as part of the guard. The first such unit was the 17th separate special-purpose battalion of the NSU "White Panther" (military unit 2215), formed on April 4, 1995 on the basis of the special-purpose battalion of the 1st regiment of the NSU (military unit 4101, Kyiv) in with. New Petrivtsi, Vyshgorodsky district, Kyiv region. And the second was the 23rd separate special-purpose battalion of the NSU "Grom" (military unit 2243), formed on December 26, 1996 on the basis of the special-purpose battalion of the 11th regiment of the NSU (military unit 4111, Donetsk).

Sleeve patch and a special emblem on the headgear (beret) of the 23rd Separate Special Forces Battalion of the Novosibirsk State University

Two years later, during the next reform in the guard, by order of the KNGU No. 365 dated December 26, 1998, the 11th regiment of the NGU was transformed into the 26th brigade of the special purpose of the NGU (military unit 4111).

In accordance with the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 1586/99 "On the transfer of units of the National Guard of Ukraine to other military formations" of December 17, 1999 and the Law of Ukraine No. 1363-XIV "On the disbandment of the National Guard of Ukraine" of January 11, 2000, by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine No. 37 "On the acceptance of formations, military units, institutions, institutions of the National Guard of Ukraine and their subordination into the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine" dated January 19, 2000, the 26th brigade and the 23rd separate special forces battalion of the NGU became part of VV MIA of Ukraine.

After some time, the 26th brigade was reorganized into the 44th operational regiment of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (military unit 4111), and the 23rd separate battalion became part of it, becoming the regiment's line special forces battalion.

Subsequently, the 44th regiment was reorganized into the 34th separate operational battalion of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (military unit 4111), which was disbanded on November 20, 2004. Its personnel as a linear operational battalion was merged into the 17th special motorized police regiment of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (military unit 3037).

But this sad story of the "death" of the Donetsk special forces was not without a curiosity. Now the political officers (that is, deputies for educational work) of the 17th motorized police regiment “privatized” the legendary version of the formation of the 50th separate motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and deduce a new genealogy from the 11th border regiment of the NKVD during the Great Patriotic War simply on the basis the fact that the operational line battalion of the regiment once belonged to the glorious cohort of the special forces of the Internal Troops.

Former commander of the 23rd Special Purpose Battalion of NSU A.S. Nadtochy

And, finally, a few words about another little-known division of the Donetsk special forces. By order of the commander of the National Guard of Ukraine No. 85 dated April 15, 1998, a Separate Special Purpose Reconnaissance Company (military unit 2240 “R”) was formed as part of the 4th division of the NGU (military unit 2240, Donetsk). The personnel of the company consisted of 7 officers, 1 ensign, 12 contract soldiers and 52 soldiers and sergeants of military service. Athletes and strong guys from special forces throughout the division were selected into the company. Airborne training with parachute jumps was organized for the military personnel of the company at the OSOU (Society for Assistance to the Defense of Ukraine, former DOSAAF) airfield near the city of Mospino, after which the scouts were handed airborne blue berets. In 1999, the company was renamed the Separate Intelligence Unit for Special Purpose and Anti-Terror. After the transfer of the units of the NSU to the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, its traditions are inherited by the special-purpose intelligence company of the 17th special motorized police regiment (military unit 3037), although it already consisted entirely of contract soldiers, and parachute jumps were made at the OSOU airfield near Volnovakha at your own expense...

Separate reconnaissance unit of the 4th division of the Novosibirsk State University, Mospino, 1998

In just a few years, units and subunits of the Special Forces have experienced an amazing round of development: from a serious reduction and reassignment to the formation of new brigades and even battalions, re-equipment with the latest models of weapons and military equipment, communications equipment, reconnaissance and surveillance devices. But, even despite the successful actions of "polite people" in the Crimea, the Russian special forces have a lot of serious problems.

Everything that has been happening since 2009 in special forces units and subunits has received from the special forces themselves the rather apt name “chaotic throwing” or, even more simply, “chaos”. As they joke in the units and subunits of the Special Forces: “ At first they withered, but now we are trying to bloom in a new way. But everything is somehow unsuccessful».

wild brigades

From the very beginning, announced by the ex-Minister of Defense and the former Chief of the General Staff, the transition to a new look, the special forces brigades underwent a sudden reduction and reorganization. Moreover, units and subunits of the Special Forces, by a strong-willed decision of the leadership of the military department, were reassigned to the intelligence department of the Ground Forces, leaving the structure of the GRU of the General Staff. But the department responsible for the special forces remained in the GRU.

In 2009, the 12th (city of Asbest) and 67th (Berdsk) special-purpose brigades were disbanded, and the 24th special forces brigade managed to change several locations in just a year and a half, moving first from near Ulan-Ude to Irkutsk, and then to Berdsk, losing with each movement of military personnel who did not want to continue serving in the new garrisons.

According to some reports, it was planned to disband the youngest brigade - the 10th brigade from the Krasnodar Molkino, created in 2003 to solve special tasks in the North Caucasus. True, the situation in the region forced them to abandon these plans. But still, one of the detachments of the brigade was transferred to the newly formed experimental 100th reconnaissance brigade.

In other units and subunits of the special forces, the positions of officers and ensigns were reduced, and the number of conscripts who replaced contractors increased significantly. At one time, unit commanders had a special schedule for the dismissal of contract soldiers, for which they were asked at each meeting.

According to the original plan, approved by the former National Guard, two or three contract servicemen were enough for a group of 12 people - a deputy group commander, a sniper and a signalman. As the soldiers of the special forces themselves say, at first they broke everything, and then they began to build a new system, not fully understanding what they wanted in the end.

In 2009, the so-called national special-purpose battalions appeared in several combined arms brigades. In particular, in the 19th brigade such a battalion is staffed by servicemen of Ingush nationality, and in the 18th and 8th brigades - mainly by Chechens.

Even more chaos in the reform of special forces units brought the Olympics in Sochi. To ensure it, the Ministry of Defense began the formation of a special-purpose brigade - the 346th ObrSpN and a separate regiment - the 25th OpSpN. According to some reports, the main task of these military units was to protect the Sochi region from possible terrorist raids from the Greater Caucasus Range.

It is noteworthy that until 2012, before the appointment of Sergei Shoigu as Minister of Defense, in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation there was only one special-purpose regiment - the 45th Special Forces Special Forces of the Airborne Forces, although formally (despite the name) was not part of the structure of the units and subunits of the GRU special forces. And the 25th regiment, stationed in Stavropol, has become a unique military unit. According to some reports, at the stage of formation, his companies were “cut into” areas of responsibility in the mountains. The regiment coped with the task of protecting the Olympics "excellently", however, like other units and subunits of the Special Forces involved.

Since 2013, the special forces, having returned under the wing of the GRU, began, as the servicemen themselves joke, “to multiply rapidly.” Literally in two years, the national battalions of the Special Forces appeared as part of the 4th and 7th military bases. It is noteworthy that these units are recruited mainly from residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, although, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, only those who have passports of citizens of the Russian Federation.

In the reconnaissance battalions of several brigades, in particular the 34th motorized rifle (mountain) battalion, special-purpose companies appeared. After an unsuccessful experiment from the 100th reconnaissance brigade, the Special Forces detachment returned to the 10th special forces brigade, and in its place a reconnaissance battalion with two special forces companies was formed. Until recently, the 33rd reconnaissance brigade (mountain) also existed on the same staff. True, this military unit was once again reorganized, but already into an ordinary motorized rifle brigade.

It should be noted that each combined-arms, air assault brigade (regiment) has a company of snipers, which is also formally a special forces unit. At the same time, in the North Caucasian 8th, 18th, 19th motorized rifle brigades, in addition to sniper companies and special forces battalions, there are also groups of snipers - as they say in the North Caucasus Military District, motorized rifle-special forces brigades.

Despite the return of units and subunits of the Special Forces to the structure of the Main Intelligence Directorate, a paradoxical situation arose with their subordination. For example, Special Forces brigades are subordinate to the GRU, and various battalions and companies are simultaneously subordinate to brigade commanders, intelligence chiefs of the army and the district, and in some cases, to the chief of staff and personally to the district commander. At the same time, the GRU is responsible for their training, and also, under certain conditions, for combat use.

Whatever the warrior, then Rambo

In fact, in two years, a kind of special forces took place in the Russian Armed Forces, when special forces units appeared even in motorized rifle and tank brigades. It is clear that the need not only for trained intelligence officers, but also for signalmen, special miners, etc. has increased many times over. We must not forget about the snipers, who must complete special courses, until recently held only in the suburbs.

One of the attempts to solve the problem of training specialists was to expand the capabilities of specialized training centers for reconnaissance and Special Forces soldiers in each district. For example, in the North Caucasus District, the Daryal center specializes in mountain training, and a similar military unit in the Central Military District specializes in actions in winter conditions, in particular in wooded and hilly areas.

But as special forces officers admit, the main problem is the small proportion of contract servicemen, especially in the newly formed sniper companies, as well as companies and battalions of the Special Forces. Often, there are two or three contractors for several dozen conscripts. Not much better with personnel in the brigades of the Special Forces, although there the commanders from the beginning of the creation of a new look made every effort to preserve the backbone of the established military teams.

It is worth noting that despite the widespread belief that all Special Forces brigades were contract brigades before the new look, the percentage of recruits in Special Forces units was quite large. Only the North Caucasian 10th and 22nd Special Forces units could boast of a high proportion of professionals. Although in August 2008, the 108th detachment of the Special Forces of the 22nd brigade, urgently transferred to South Ossetia, had to be reinforced with consolidated reconnaissance groups of contract servicemen from other parts of this detachment of Special Forces.

Until recently, of the four companies and individual platoons in the detachments of the special forces of the brigades, only one company was fully contracted, not counting individual military personnel, in particular, armored personnel carrier drivers, signalmen, miners, etc. All other units consisted of conscripts. It is clear that they tried not to attract conscripts to carry out combat missions, therefore, for the task of the brigades, it was difficult to put up one Special Forces detachment from three special forces companies, a special weapons company and individual platoons.

True, by now a decision has been made to “not spread a thin layer” of contract servicemen over the entire brigade (battalion), but to form a so-called contract detachment or company.

One of the most acute problems is the training of special forces snipers. Even in the companies of snipers of combined arms brigades, several Austrian Steyr-Mannlicher SSG-04 rifles are currently in the state. they train for several months at courses in the Moscow region, where they not only master Steyr, but also undergo special tactical training, topography, camouflage, etc.

So far, only officers and contract servicemen are being sent to the courses, since the conscript will most likely be transferred to the reserve upon completion of the courses. Classes are quite difficult, they require not only physical endurance, but also a high level of intelligence from candidates. Alas, it is not always possible to pick up such a contingent. Often, military personnel return to their units expelled. It is noteworthy that the snipers of one of the motorized rifle brigades received certificates of completion of the courses, but according to the results of the training, they were not trusted with complex and expensive Austrian rifles.

Soldiers of unconventional warfare

Not only the structure and composition of the units and subunits of the Special Forces, but also the tasks, have undergone changes. Despite the fact that the documents regulating the combat use of special forces remain classified as "Secret" and even "Top Secret", you can learn from open sources that one of the main tasks of the units and subunits of the Special Forces is to conduct so-called special intelligence. It is not only about observation, but also about conducting ambushes, raids and searches deep behind enemy lines. At present, these tasks have been supplemented by work in zones of local conflicts.

If you look at the US charter FM 3-18 Special Forces Operations, adopted in May 2014, you will find that the so-called special intelligence is not on the short list of the US Green Berets, whose main task, as indicated in chapter 3 field charter, conducting unconventional warfare, literally - unconventional hostilities. The second most important task is the training of foreign specialists, and the third is counterinsurgency.

The experience of counterterrorist operations in the North Caucasus has proved that it is time for spetsnaz units to move from special intelligence to work in a much broader spectrum. According to some reports, the new combat regulations of the Special Forces units have new sections that regulate the assigned tasks.

However, such an expansion of functions does not always find understanding not only among the special forces themselves, but also - more importantly - among the military command and control bodies responsible for planning the combat use of units and subunits of the Special Forces, who traditionally believe that their main task is to conduct reconnaissance, as well as protect headquarters , mobile command and control posts.

Although the annexation of Crimea to Russia last year once again proved that special forces are not only intelligence behind enemy lines, but also a tool for solving complex military-political tasks. The special forces were not abandoned for the purpose of reconnaissance, but blockaded military units, acted against hostile elements, organized local self-defense forces - in fact, they waged the same unconventional warfare prescribed in American charters. But, despite the tasks declared in the new Russian documents, the combat training program in most units and subunits of the Special Forces is still focused mainly on reconnaissance.

It is worth noting that in the US Army, the "green berets" are grouped into special forces assigned to certain regions of the globe. In particular, the 1st Special Forces Group based in Fort Lewis operates in the Pacific region, the 10th is focused on Europe, the Balkans, etc.

Depending on the military specialty, the training of an American commando takes from one year (engineer, heavy weapons specialist) to two years (medic). The structure of not only groups, but the entire command of special operations is optimized for unconventional warfare.

The question is, is such special forces expedient in the Russian army? What non-traditional combat operations can be carried out by a special-purpose company as part of a reconnaissance battalion, which actually performs the task of previously existing reconnaissance and airborne companies, or a sniper company of a combined arms or even an airborne assault brigade, moreover, staffed mainly by military conscripts?

It must be admitted that the vast majority of the newly formed units and subunits of the Special Forces are more likely not special forces, but some kind of military intelligence agency with increased capabilities. But the success of the “polite people” in Crimea led the leadership of the Ministry of Defense to a paradoxical conclusion: instead of structuring a chaotic mass of various companies, battalions, regiments and brigades of special forces and clearly allocating tasks and areas of responsibility between them, special forces continue.

True, judging by the latest decisions of the military department, in particular, the reorganization of the 45th reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces into a separate reconnaissance brigade, as well as changes in the organizational and staffing structures of units and subunits of the Special Forces, most likely, the quantity is still beginning to turn into quality.

Return status

In less than six years of cuts and reorganization, units and subunits of the Special Forces have grown, even becoming part of the combined arms brigades. True, the special forces have so far created a large number of difficulties: there is no established structure, there are no trained specialists.

« There are never too many special forces. This is a handy tool for complex work.”, - such a phrase can summarize the opinion of many servicemen about what is happening now in special forces units and subunits.

Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that in the course of a few years, despite all the difficulties, the Russian Armed Forces have created well-prepared special forces units capable of solving even such complex tasks as non-traditional military operations, which was proved by the events in the Crimea. The conclusion suggests itself: the special forces must be the elite. And by definition, there can't be too many. So let military intelligence remain intelligence, without any "specials". It will not diminish her authority.

You probably don't know what it was. But-fact! True, it lasted less than a day.
Because it was the most, that neither is, the most typical "war by mistake"

In short:

1983
year. The "Kabul" special forces company, with the support of two DSBs, was sent
to dismantle a village located in the Zaranj region for building materials.
Information was received that this settlement was used
"spirits" as a base camp, and at the same time the final point on
routes of large caravans from Iran. At such "points" caravans
ceased to exist as a whole and disintegrated into many
small caravans, and to catch 6-7 donkeys on the passes "berets" on
yuh did not rest.

As usual, for information support
operations were answered by KHAD (Afghan bloody gebnya, which, unlike
the Afghan army brought at least some benefit to the Limited
contingent). Its agents were supposed to place a day before the operation
in the mountains triangular panels, the sharp ends of which would point to
village Further, the pilots, using these landmarks, go to the target, "air
cavalry" went and ....

Here at this stage of preliminary
preparations and there were misunderstandings. Whether the KhADovtsy got lost and wandered into
the territory of a neighboring state, or whether the Iranians had a similar
the manner of marking border outposts - most likely, he will not know the truth
no one .... The pilots then swore with one voice that the relief they saw
their terrain one to one corresponded to those demonstrated to them
before the operation, aerial photographs and mock-up.

In short, the valiant Soviet special forces made a surprise attack on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

village
crumbled in a few minutes and without loss - there are clearly no "guests" here
waited. In the process of collecting trophies, the brave "Soviet Rambo" drew attention
to the fact that some of the dead "spirits" are dressed in some obviously unfamiliar
them a uniform, and even with shoulder straps (the latter in the conditions of a guerrilla war
- is an obvious nonsense). Taking their eyes off the ground, the fighters with surprise
found in the middle of the village a house not marked on their plans in
european style with a tricolor flag on the roof - iranian post
border guard. Interrogation of prisoners finally clarified the situation -
"How in Leningrad?!?".

They "missed" by 15 kilometers,
and at the same time they also committed an act, you understand, aggression. In the asset "Kabulskaya
company", however, could record for itself the fact that irritated by all
according to the rules, the village was still used by the Mujahideen as a transshipment
bases on the same caravan route - but who cares? because
in the morning the home team paid a return friendly visit to
as part of a motorized infantry battalion with the support of two Phantoms.

Fight
in this situation, the spetsnaz of desire, of course, did not have a company
considered it useful to make a maneuver "accelerated withdrawal from the occupied
position", in simpler terms - try to VERY quickly move away
international incident. Because the spetsnaz arsenal is calculated
a lot for something - but not for conducting full-fledged hostilities
against superior enemy forces, which also has aviation.

Necessary
to say that in this operation the "Kabul company" practically had no
losses. But pizdyuly their "at home" were waiting for the grandest. Iran demanded
apologies, bloodshed and the convening of an extraordinary UN assembly. Moscow "did
face" and apologized.

But these guys walked around Kabul as heroes. "If not for the order, they would have reached Tehran," yeah.

However, this is already from the field of "hunting tales" and "war songs".

BUT
on the account of the "Kabul company" in addition to the "Soviet-Iranian war" was
many really successful and beautiful operations and 8 years "across the river"
- more than all parts of the special forces of the Limited Contingent of the Soviet
troops in Afghanistan.

URSN (Special Forces Training Company listen)) - the first special forces unit in the internal troops of the Soviet Union.

According to the staff of the URSN, it was the 9th company of the 3rd motorized rifle battalion of the 2nd motorized rifle regiment of the Separate Motorized Rifle Division of the Special Purpose of the VV of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR named after. F. E. Dzerzhinsky (OMSDON).

In the 70s and 80s, in the troops of the Moscow garrison and among the employees of the Moscow Central Internal Affairs Directorate, it was better known as the "Ninth Company" - the special forces of the internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Story

The question of creating special forces units first arose in preparation for the 1980 Olympics, which was to be held in Moscow. Everyone remembered the failure of the police operation to free the hostages in Munich, when the entire Israeli team, taken hostage by terrorists, died.

At that time, the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not have a full-time unit capable of solving the tasks of releasing hostages, detaining or eliminating highly trained armed groups. True, in 1973 SOVO (combined operational military detachment) was formed to solve special problems. He took part in the operation to free hostages held by terrorists in a hijacked plane at Bykovo Airport. However, this formation was created temporarily, urgently, for a specific task. Soldiers of various units, as well as employees of various services, gathered in the detachment for the duration of the task. Accordingly, coherence, interaction and professionalism in such a unit were lame.

Considering all of the above, on December 29, 1977, a special-purpose training company (URSN) was created. The first company commander was Captain V. A. Maltsev (in 2002, Major General, Deputy Head of the Operations Directorate of the Main Command of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia), and one of the platoon commanders, Lieutenant Sergey Lysyuk, the future commander of the Vityaz, Hero of Russia. The choice for the 9th company was not accidental. In terms of the level of general physical training of the fighters, it certainly surpassed the rest of the units not only of the 2nd regiment, but of the entire division. The company, was a sports unit that served as a base, a reserve for the Dynamo society, was staffed exclusively by conscripts who, at the time of the call, had a sports category of at least a candidate for master of sports in athletics, gymnastics, boxing, wrestling (sambo, judo), bullet shooting and other sports disciplines.

There were three platoons in the company, twenty people each: the 1st - construction, the 2nd - to prepare for action in the gym and for a demonstration show to the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Boxers, wrestlers, acrobats, gymnasts, etc. were selected for the platoon. The 3rd platoon was also athletic, but focused on handling weapons. He prepared like a fireman. The armament was regular. But in the 3rd platoon, there were additionally two AKM assault rifles with PBS.

It was in this unit that, for the first time in the Soviet Union, the maroon beret was adopted as a uniform headdress. By the spring of 1978, by order of the deputy commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lieutenant General Sidorov, 50 berets were brought from Gorky. 25 green and 25 maroon. The form was normal. Only the 2nd platoon was dressed in a uniform for areas with a hot climate. It differed from the usual one in that straight-cut trousers with ankle fasteners and boots are worn. This form was considered the highest chic. Later, the right to wear the specified headgear was granted only to fighters who had reached a certain level of combat and physical training. To this end, the applicant had to pass the Trials. URSN is the first special forces unit in the internal troops of the Soviet Union. It was in this company that the traditions of the special forces of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were born. It was this company that served as the foundation for the creation in the future of all parts of the special forces of the USSR MV and, subsequently, the Russian MV. It was on the basis of the UBSN, after the company was reformed into a battalion, that the first Vityaz unit was formed. In fact, URSN is the founder of the special forces of the explosives.

At the first stage, a program was created that provided for actions in various emergency situations at the Olympic Games, namely, when hostages were taken in ground transport, on an airplane. The materials of the program were based on the experience and developments of the special forces of the KGB, the Airborne Troops, and foreign anti-terrorist units.

Intensive classes made it possible to prepare the company for the Olympics to perform the assigned tasks with high quality. The company at that time often trained together with the USSR KGB Group "A" (Alpha) being created at that time. The URSN fighters were superior to the Alfa in physical training, but the Alphas were better in firepower. It should be recalled here that officers served in Alpha, and conscripts served in URSN.

URSN, or, as it was also called, the 9th company, was a legend not only of the Dzerzhinsky Division, but also of the internal troops as a whole.

Participation in military operations

• The operation to free the hostages held by armed criminals in a school near Izhevsk in the summer of 1981. None of the hostages were hurt.

• Suppression of riots on the basis of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict in Ordzhonikidze on October 21, 1981, the detention of the instigators.

• Protection of investigators of the Prosecutor General's Office who were involved in the "Uzbek case" in 1984.

• On September 20, 1986, together with Group A of the KGB of the USSR, participation in the operation to apprehend armed criminals who killed several policemen and free the plane they seized in Ufa.

• February 1988 - the suppression of Armenian pogroms in the city of Sumgayit of the Azerbaijan SSR, the detention of the organizers of the riots, active participants.

• July 4. Operation to unblock the runway and air traffic control tower of Zvartnots airport in Yerevan, seized by extremists in order to prevent the arrival of military transport aircraft with OMSDON units. The airport was unblocked without bloodshed, which allowed the planes to land safely and turn around in time for the arriving units.

• September 1988 - protection of the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, senior officials of the ministry.

• The second half of 1988 - special measures to suppress the activities of illegal gangs in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and the city of Baku.

• In 1989, a conflict broke out in the Ferghana Valley between Uzbek extremists and Meskhetian Turks. As a result of the skillful actions of the soldiers and officers of the company, the lives of hundreds of people of different nationalities were saved, many crimes were prevented, a large number of weapons were seized, the instigators of the riots were arrested, and gangs preparing terrorist attacks against civilians were liquidated.

• In 1990, in the temporary detention center of Sukhumi, a group of prisoners sentenced to death took the employees of the temporary detention center hostage, after which they opened the cells with the arrested, took possession of the weapons stored in the detention center, which had previously been confiscated from the population, and demanded transport. The operation to free the hostages was carried out jointly by employees of the special unit of the KGB of the USSR "Alpha" and URSN fighters. As a result of the operation, the organizers of the riot were destroyed, none of the hostages were injured. One Alpha employee and one URSN fighter were wounded.

The Fergana events prompted the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to increase the organizational and staffing structure of the special forces unit of the VV. In 1989, the URSN was reorganized into a battalion (UBSN), on the basis of which, on May 5, 1991, the formation of a special unit "Vityaz" began. Later, other special forces units were created in the internal troops, but the day the URSN was created can rightfully be considered the birthday of the entire military special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

Notes

Sources

• On June 19, solemn events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the formation of a separate operational division of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia will be held.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

At the peak of development, the special forces of the GRU General Staff consisted of sixteen separate brigades (obrSpN) for special purposes (one in each military district or group of troops) and separate companies (orSpN) - one in each combined arms army. With the exception of the Red Banner Transcaucasian Military District, where there were two (12th and 22nd, Kandahar) brigades.

Each special forces unit included a separate company - a company of special mines - the most formidable (and secret) weapon of special forces - portable nuclear land mines. To get to serve in such a company was equally difficult and honorable - a kind of elite of the elite ...

Specialists (signalmen and sappers), junior command personnel, as well as warrant officers for special forces units were trained in the city of Pechory (Leningrad Military District) in the 1071st Special Purpose Training Regiment (disbanded in 1999). In 1985, the 467th separate special-purpose training regiment was formed in the city of Chirchik (Uzbek SSR, Turkestan military district). They trained both sergeants and many specialists - reconnaissance snipers, gunners, AGS-17 grenade launchers, sappers and radio operators, as well as ordinary reconnaissance officers.

Officers for special forces were trained on the basis of the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. Initially, it was one company of cadets. Since 1981, in connection with the war in Afghanistan, on the basis of platoons of the famous ninth company, the 13th and 14th companies were formed, which were later consolidated into a battalion. Since 1994, the battalion in full strength was transferred to the Novosibirsk Higher Combined Arms Command School and deployed to five companies (the First Chechen began). Before the collapse of the USSR, in 1991, officers for special forces were trained by the intelligence department of the Kyiv VOK. The graduates of other combined-arms (infantry, in other words) schools were not closed to special forces. Graduates of the Baku, Alma-Ata, Tashkent, Far East and other schools served no less valiantly in special forces.

Specialist officers came from specialized schools. Engineers were provided by the Tyumen Higher Military Engineering Command School. Signalers - Cherepovets Higher Military Command School of Communications. The Perm Higher Military Command and Engineering School of the Missile Forces supplied specialists to the special mining companies (jokingly, the commander of the special mining group was called the "commander of the atomic bomb", the group was not numerous - only four scouts). Motorists came from Chelyabinsk, airborne service specialists from Ryazan, from the Faculty of Engineering.

Served in parts of special forces and naval officers. Each of the four fleets of the USSR Navy and the Caspian flotilla had naval special forces units. From separate brigades in the part of the Navy, companies were regularly seconded to undergo naval training. And the personnel of individual companies of special forces (as well as reconnaissance battalions of combined arms divisions) underwent airborne training at the training base of individual brigades. In addition, the usual rotation of officers in military districts took place. As a result, in a small officer corps, almost everyone knew everyone, if not personally, then through one handshake. This contributed to the formation of a special corporate spirit.

The retraining of special forces officers took place at the legendary "SHOT" courses in the city of Solnechnogorsk, Moscow Region, for officers of special mining companies - in Zagoryansky. Some of the officers could continue their studies at the Military Academy. Frunze or at the Military Academy of the Soviet Army (otherwise it was called the Military Diplomatic Academy). Graduates of the latter often went to the Foreign Intelligence Service of the GRU General Staff or to the corps of military attaches.

The main purpose of special forces is reconnaissance and sabotage activities in the rear of regular enemy troops. The primary targets are nuclear attack facilities, command and control posts, headquarters, high-precision weapon complexes, airfields and air defense facilities. The concept of the combat use of special forces did not provide for its actions to combat partisans, bandit groups, illegal armed formations, militants, and so on. However, it was the special forces units that turned out to be the most adapted to counterguerrilla warfare in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan and Chechnya due to their high morale, professionalism and flexible tactics. The special forces have to perform tasks that are not at all characteristic of them - guarding arsenals and airfields, escorting columns, personal protection of senior officers of the district headquarters and the headquarters itself, searching for and destroying armed deserters. (There were also quite exotic tasks, such as searching for the missing artillery ammunition with a special charge) The assignment of typical tasks of infantry or commandant companies to scouts was most often associated with the degradation of the personnel of motorized rifle units and, as a result, the inability to perform their tasks.

At the end of the 90s, special mining companies were abolished in the brigades. Separate companies were abolished. The training regiment and the ensign school were disbanded. Since 2010, there has been no recruitment of cadets to the Novosibirsk VOK for the special intelligence department. The recruitment of officers of special forces units to military academies and special courses has been stopped. The military-political leadership of the country also decided to disband separate special forces brigades. Today, there are four of them left in the Armed Forces of the country! The Russian Federation is not the USSR, the territory is smaller and there seems to be no global enemy, but it is very reckless to do so, I think!

In fact, special forces units remained the only units capable of resisting irregular armed formations in local conflicts. The price of combat experience of special forces is more than eight hundred dead scouts! And it turns out no one needs it! And this is at a time when the Caucasus is blazing, and sparks fly to the central part of the country. Personally, I do not understand such decisions. A gift for the holiday was the recent decision of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense to abolish the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff. We don't need military intelligence! So decided Serdyukov. The Supreme Commander approved! Of course, the officers have not gone away - they joined the ranks of the FSB and the FSO, Vympel and regional anti-terrorist centers, OMON, and so on. Others joined the orderly ranks of the personal guards of the oligarchs, someone went into business, someone into crime. But this is another story, this is not the history of special forces.

Happy holiday! Happy 61st Anniversary of the Special Forces!