Sea reconnaissance point Russian island. Marine reconnaissance points for special purposes. A Brief History of Navy Special Forces

27.10.2019

The flag of Kholuy Pacific Fleet Special Forces is a unique novelty in the collection of flags of the Voentorg online store "Voenpro", representing 42 OMRPSpN.

Characteristics

42 OMRpSN
Navy Special Forces
42 OMRpSN

The history of 42 separate naval reconnaissance points for special purposes began on March 18, 1955. At first, he, like other parts of the special forces of the fleet, previously formed at the KBF and the Black Sea Fleet, was called the "Marine reconnaissance point." In the 1970s, naval reconnaissance points were named RPSpN, retaining the point numbers. The 42nd MRP was originally commanded by Petr Prokopevich Kovalenko.

Many believe that the history of the point dates back to 140 OMRO Pacific Fleet, which at the end of the Second World War was commanded by V. Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. After the creation of 42 OMRPSpN, he repeatedly visited military unit 59190. However, as many as 10 years passed between the time of the existence of the 140th OMRO Pacific Fleet and the formation of the 42nd MCI.

Maly Uliss Bay near Vladivostok was assigned as the location of the unit at the time of its founding, but there were no premises there. During 1955, the post changed its location more than once, choosing a convenient location. Only at the beginning of December 1955, the personnel were relocated on Russky Island to Kholuai Bay - the place of permanent deployment of military unit 59190.

Subsequently, the state changed several times. By the end of the 1990s, there were about 300 members. Kholuai special forces of the Pacific Fleet consisted of 3 detachments and several ships. Each detachment of the Kholuy naval special forces had its own specialization and 4 groups each, commanded by a midshipman. Later, the state was transferred to the company structure. The structure included ships: MTL - marine topred and 5 boats, and for landing in the surface version, the Kholuai naval special forces used inflatable boats SML-8.

Combat service takes place on ships of the Pacific Fleet. Staying with all the necessary equipment and weapons on board the ship meant that the Kholuy naval special forces were ready to land in the area of special events or in the area of \u200b\u200breconnaissance at any time. Groups carry out military service and on submarines. Such business trips last about 2 months. The combat service of the naval special forces Kholuy on surface ships lasts up to six months.

In 1982, a group of naval special forces carried out special tasks for the tactical exercises "Team Spirit-82". Until 1995, it was fundamentally not used in a combat situation, the fighters were not even in Afghanistan. But the scouts fought in the first Chechen campaign. A group of 10 people acted successfully, but 3 of them died. All members of the group were awarded awards of the Russian Federation. Ensign Andrey Vladimirovich Dneprovsky, a Khalulayevite who died from a bullet from Dudayev's sniper, was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia. The second group of Khalulaevs, trained for action as part of a marine regiment, was not used.

Throughout its history, military unit 59190 has been considered an elite one. A potential enemy practically does not have the opportunity to penetrate the territory of military unit 59190. Khalulayevtsy - this is how the combat swimmers of the Navy are popularly called, they undergo special parachute and diving training. There are legends about them, they say that Kholuai’s naval special forces can capture an aircraft carrier without a single noise, and also that a Khalulai man is able to cut his throat with a piece of paper. Kholuy is not just special forces, he is a detachment of underwater saboteurs who have high intelligence.

Special Forces of the Marine Corps of the Russian Federation are specialized forces that are part of the Russian Navy. The soldiers of this unit have special training in order to conduct reconnaissance and subversive activities at sea and areas close to the coastline. They are sometimes called combat swimmers, but in fact, their specialty sounds like “reconnaissance diver” correctly. Most of their operations are aimed at reconnaissance of enemy positions, therefore, units such as ground intelligence are subordinate to the General Staff of the GRU.

Tasks and structure of the special forces of the Russian Navy

Many realize that the special forces are more prepared and perform tasks that cannot be performed by other units, but to fully understand it is necessary to know what missions the Russian special forces of the Marine Corps perform.

Missions performed by naval special forces:

Landing operations that are carried out on the water.
Mining coastal bases of the enemy and his ships.
Reconnaissance or destruction of naval or coastal missile attack facilities or objects by which they are controlled.
Reconnaissance of the location of the enemy in sea or coastal areas, regulation of air strikes and the work of ship artillery.

When a country is not in a state of war, it seems that these skills are not in demand, but this is not entirely true, of course, they are not massively used, but naval special forces help counter terrorist organizations. After all, hostage-taking on ships or resort areas can cause quite a lot of panic.

The Marine Corps is working out interaction with other military formations, which helps to develop coordination of actions in case of local or global conflicts.

At the moment, the special forces of the Navy include 4 MCI (marine reconnaissance point). Their number corresponds to the number of fleets that exist in the Russian Federation.

Name:

Military unit 59190 -42 is a separate marine reconnaissance point for special purposes in the Pacific Fleet. Located in the Vladivostok region.
561OMRP Special Forces in the Baltic Fleet. Located in the village of Parusnoe, Baltic region.
420 OMRP SpN in the Northern Fleet. Located in the village of Polyarny, Murmansk region.
Military unit 51212 - 137 OMRP Special Forces in the Black Sea Fleet. Located in the city of Tuapse.

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The location of naval reconnaissance points is not accidental, they are located on the territory in such a way that it would be more convenient for the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to work with them in this region. A fully staffed staff should consist of 4 autonomous groups of 14 people.

It is important to note that the technical staff that ensures the serviceability of equipment and communication with combat groups is 20% larger than the number of fighters.

In each point there are 3 groups, each of which has its own specialization. Of course, they can perform general missions, but personalized training allows you to get the greatest advantage over the enemy.

Specialization:

The preparation of the first group is aimed at the most rapid and complete destruction of objects located in coastal areas. At the same time, their training is connected not only with water, but is also in many respects similar to the one that the ground detachments of the GRU go through.
The preparation of the second group is aimed at the inconspicuous collection of information about the location of the enemy.
The training of the third group is unique, and includes a large number of trainings for moving inconspicuously in the water, which is very important, because the main task of such fighters is mining.

But all these units, although they differ in-depth skills in a certain area, but at the same time have common skills. So, all of them should work well when landing from the air, land or sea. Therefore, physical and psychological health is especially important, which is why they get into these troops only after the most difficult tests.

Selection in the naval special forces

A soldier undergoing contract service, a cadet of a naval school, or a conscript who wants to connect his life with work in the army can get into the naval special forces. But it is important to understand that in order to overcome all the loads, a certain physical form will be required.

Body type:

Height should be approximately 175 cm.
Weight fluctuates around 75-80 kg.

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First, the profiles of those who are not suitable for scuba diving are screened out. Whether it's health problems or an inappropriate physique. After that, the remaining applications carefully study the psychological conclusion. Personal qualities are especially important for special forces.

Stages of testing for suitability for service in the Marine Corps of the Russian Federation:

First, they check the physical form, and select only those who have completed the task. A man must go through a forced march of 30 km, carrying 30 kg of ammunition.
Those who have withstood the physical test are subjected to psychological stress, this is necessary in order to find out their reaction to a long stay in an unusual situation, with an unknown enemy. The easiest way is a night in the cemetery, when applicants must spend the dark time of the day among the graves. This place influences the psychological state quite strongly, and 3% of the participants are eliminated.
Testing with a simulated torpedo tube. To pass the test, it is necessary to swim in a narrow enclosed space of 12 m. The width of the pipe is 53 cm, which is very narrow for a person in a light diving suit. Together with the surrounding water, this test reveals even the slightest manifestation of claustrophobia or hydrophobia.
Blowing off the helmet takes place underwater, when the competitor must first dive to a shallow depth and open the mask so that the water fills the helmet. After that, the mask is returned to its place, and the water is bled through a special valve. Quite a serious test, showing whether the candidate can remain calm in critical situations on which his life depends. In this case, both the passed test and the failure of the first attempt are considered normal results. But if the candidate cannot cope with himself several times, then he is eliminated.

For the final test of physical endurance and mental toughness, applicants are required to swim 1.5 km underwater using a diving suit. In this case, the air cylinder had a pressure of 170 atmospheres. When a person was in a calm state, used the correct breathing technique, the pressure decreased only by 4-6 atmospheres. But if a man did not breathe correctly (through his mouth), panicked or showed another state of altered consciousness, then the pressure could drop to 30 atmospheres.
Special forces are not saboteurs of a loner, so mutual trust and an atmosphere in the team are important for them. Due to the fact that there were quite a lot of previous tests, and it was impossible to complete them in 1 day, the remaining fighters already know each other quite well. Therefore, everyone is given lists with fellow students, and they are asked to determine with whom they would like to work in pairs. The higher the number, the less desire to cooperate with this person. Those with the most points are eliminated.

The secret unit "Kholuy" of the Pacific Fleet, also known as 42 MCI Special Forces (military unit 59190), was created in 1955 in Maly Uliss Bay near Vladivostok, later relocated to Russky Island, where scouts-saboteurs are still undergoing combat training. There are many legends about these guys, their physical training is admired, they are called the best of the best, the cream of special forces. Each of them could become the main character of an action movie. Today, RIA PrimaMedia publishes a material by military historian and journalist Alexei Sukonkin about the legendary part of the "Kholuy". In 1993-94, he served in the special forces unit of the ground forces, but from time to time their part was also in the naval special forces.
Foreword
“Suddenly for the enemy, we landed at a Japanese airfield and entered into negotiations. After that, we, ten people, were taken by the Japanese to the headquarters of the colonel, the commander of the aviation unit, who wanted to make hostages out of us. I joined the conversation when I felt that with us, the representative of the Soviet command, captain 3rd rank Kulebyakin, as they say, "pushed up against the wall." Looking into the eyes of the Japanese, I said that we had fought the entire war in the west and had enough experience to assess the situation, that we would not be hostages "But we'd rather die, but we'll die together with everyone at the headquarters. The difference is, I added, that you will die like rats, and we will try to escape from here. Hero of the Soviet Union Mitya Sokolov immediately stood behind the Japanese colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Pshenichnykh locked the door with a key, put the key in his pocket and sat down on a chair, and Volodya Olyashev (honored master of sports after the war) lifted Andrei together with the chair and put it right in front of d Japanese commander. Ivan Guzenkov went up to the window and reported that we were not high, and Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Agafonov, standing at the door, began tossing an anti-tank grenade in his hand. The Japanese, however, did not know that there was no fuse in it. The colonel, forgetting about the handkerchief, began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after a while signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison.
This is how the naval intelligence officer Viktor Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, described just one military operation in which a handful of daring and brave naval intelligence officers of the Pacific Fleet forced a large Japanese garrison to lay down their arms literally without a fight. Shamefully capitulated three and a half thousand Japanese samurai.

It was the apotheosis of the combat power of the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Detachment, the harbinger of the modern naval special forces, which everyone knows today under the incomprehensible and mysterious name "Holuai".
origins
And it all started during the Great Patriotic War. Then the 181st reconnaissance detachment successfully operated in the Northern Fleet, performing various special operations in the rear of enemy troops. The crowning achievement of this detachment was the capture of two coastal batteries at Cape Krestovoy (which blocked the entrance to the bay and could easily defeat the landing convoy) in preparation for the landing in the port of Liinakhamari (Murmansk region - ed.). This, in turn, ensured the success of the Petsamo-Kirkenes landing operation, which became the key to success in the liberation of the entire Soviet Arctic. It is even hard to imagine that a detachment of several dozen people, having captured only a few guns of German coastal batteries, actually ensured victory in the entire strategic operation, but, nevertheless, this is so - for this reason, the reconnaissance detachment was created in order to sting the enemy with small forces in the weakest spot...
The commander of the 181st reconnaissance detachment, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Leonov, and two of his subordinates (Semyon Agafonov and Andrei Pshenichnykh) became Heroes of the Soviet Union in this short but important battle.

In April 1945, part of the personnel of the 181st detachment, led by the commander, was transferred to the Pacific Fleet to form the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet, which was supposed to be used in the upcoming war with Japan. By May, the detachment was formed on Russky Island in the amount of 139 people and began combat training. In August 1945, the 140th reconnaissance detachment participated in the capture of the ports of Yuki and Rashin, as well as the naval bases of Seishin and Genzan. As a result of these operations, chief foreman Makar Babikov and midshipman Alexander Nikandrov of the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and their commander Viktor Leonov received a second Hero star.
Nevertheless, at the end of the war, all such reconnaissance formations in the Soviet Navy were disbanded as they were supposedly unnecessary.
But soon the story turned around...

From the history of the creation of special purpose units:
In 1950, separate special-purpose companies were formed in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in each army and military district. In Primorsky Krai, in particular, three such companies were formed: the 91st (military unit No. 51423) as part of the 5th combined arms army stationed in Ussuriysk, the 92nd (military unit No. 51447) as part of the 25th combined-arms army stationed at the Fighter Kuznetsov station and the 88th (military unit No. 51422) as part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps stationed in Chernigovka. The special-purpose companies were tasked with searching for and destroying the most important military and civilian facilities, including enemy nuclear weapons, deep behind enemy lines. The personnel of these companies were trained in military reconnaissance, mine-explosive business, and made parachute jumps. For service in such units, people were selected who, for health reasons, were fit for service in the airborne troops.

The experience of the Great Patriotic War showed the indispensability of such units for decisive action on enemy communications, and in connection with the unleashing of the Cold War by the Americans, the need for such units became very clear. The new units showed their high efficiency already at the first exercises, and the Navy became interested in units of this kind.

Rear Admiral Leonid Konstantinovich Bekrenev, head of intelligence of the Navy, wrote in his address to the Minister of the Navy:
"Given the role of reconnaissance and sabotage units in the general system of reconnaissance of fleets, I consider it necessary to carry out the following measures: ... to create ... reconnaissance and sabotage units of military intelligence, giving them the name of separate naval reconnaissance divisions."

At the same time, captain of the first rank Boris Maksimovich Margolin theoretically substantiated such a decision, arguing that "... the difficulties and duration of the training of scouts - light divers make it necessary to prepare them in advance and systematic training, for which special units should be created ...".

And so, by the Directive of the Main Naval Staff of June 24, 1953, such formations of special intelligence are being formed in all fleets. In total, five "reconnaissance points for special purposes" were formed - in all fleets and the Caspian flotilla.
In the Pacific Fleet, its own reconnaissance point is being created on the basis of the directive of the General Staff of the Navy No. OMU / 1 / 53060ss of March 18, 1955.
However, June 5, 1955 is considered the "Day of the unit" - the day when the unit completed its formation and became part of the fleet as a combat unit.

Holuay bay
The word "Kholuai" itself (as well as its variations "Khaluai" and "Khalulai"), according to one version, means "dead place", and although disputes on this subject are still ongoing and sinologists do not confirm such a translation, the version is considered quite plausible - especially among those who served in this bay.

In the thirties, on Russky Island (at that time, by the way, its second name, Kazakevich Island, which disappeared from geographical maps only in the forties of the twentieth century, was also widely practiced) was the construction of antiamphibious defense facilities for Vladivostok. Defense facilities included coastal long-term firing points - bunkers. Some specially fortified bunkers even had their own names, for example, "Stream", "Rock", "Wave", "Bonfire" and others. All this defensive splendor was served by separate machine-gun battalions, each of which occupied its own sector of defense. In particular, the 69th separate machine-gun battalion of the Vladivostok Coastal Defense Sector of the Pacific Fleet, located in the area of Krasny Cape in Kholuai (New Dzhigit) Bay, served firing points located on Russky Island. For this battalion in 1935, a two-story barracks and headquarters, a canteen, a boiler room, warehouses and a stadium were built. Here the battalion was stationed until the forties, after which it was disbanded. The barracks were not used for a long time and began to collapse.

And in March 1955, a new military unit with very specific tasks was settled here, the secrecy of whose existence was brought to the highest limit.

Birth of a legend
The formation of the 42nd Marine Special Purpose Reconnaissance Point of the Pacific Fleet began in March and ended in June 1955. During the formation of the duties of the commander, captain of the second rank Nikolai Braginsky temporarily performed, but the first approved commander of the new unit was ... no, not a scout, but the former commander of the destroyer, captain of the second rank Pyotr Kovalenko.
For several months, the unit was based on Ulysses, and the personnel lived on board the old ship, and before leaving for the permanent deployment point on Russky Island, reconnaissance sailors at the submarine training base underwent an accelerated diving training course.
On July 1, 1955, the single combat training of future reconnaissance divers began in the unit under the training program for special forces units. A little later, the combat coordination of groups began.

In September 1955, the newly formed naval special forces took part in their first exercises - having landed on boats in the Shkotovsky region, naval reconnaissance reconnaissance of the Abrek naval base and elements of its anti-sabotage defense, as well as highways in the rear of the conditional "enemy".
Already at that time, the command of the unit came to the understanding that the selection for naval special forces should be as tough as possible, if not cruel.
But those who survived were immediately enlisted in the elite unit and began combat training. This test week became known as "hellish". Later, when the United States created its SEAL units, they adopted our practice of selecting future fighters as the most optimal, allowing us to quickly understand what this or that candidate is capable of, whether he is ready to serve in parts of the naval special forces.
The meaning of this "personnel" rigidity boiled down to the fact that commanders initially had to clearly understand the abilities and capabilities of their fighters - after all, special forces operate in isolation from their troops, and a small group can only rely on themselves, and, accordingly, the importance of any team member rises many times. The commander must initially be confident in his subordinates, and subordinates in their commander. And that's the only reason "entry to the service" in this part is so strict. It shouldn't be otherwise.
Looking ahead, I will say that nothing has been lost today: the candidate, as before, will have to go through serious trials that are inaccessible to most even physically well-trained people.

In particular, the candidate must first of all run ten kilometers in heavy body armor, meeting the running standard provided for running in sneakers and sportswear. If you don't fit in, no one will talk to you anymore. If you ran on time, then you immediately need to perform 70 push-ups from the lying position and 15 pull-ups on the horizontal bar. Moreover, it is desirable to perform these exercises in a "pure form". Most of the people, already at the stage of jogging in a bulletproof vest, choking from physical overload, begin to wonder, "do I need this happiness, if it happens every day?" This is where true motivation comes in.

At the end of the test, the candidate is placed in the ring, where three hand-to-hand combat instructors fight with him, checking the person for readiness for the fight - both physical and moral. Usually, if a candidate has reached the ring, this is already an "ideological" candidate, and the ring does not break him. Well, and then the commander, or the person replacing him, is already talking to the candidate. After that, the harsh service begins ...

As a former special forces officer told me, having expressed a desire to serve in this unit in front of the head of intelligence of the fleet, he immediately had to do push-ups from the floor 100 times right in the admiral's office - Rear Admiral Yuri Maksimenko (head of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet in 1982-1991), despite the fact that the officer went through Afghanistan, and was awarded two military orders. This is how the chief of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet decided to cut off the candidate if he did not complete such an elementary exercise. The officer completed the exercise.

At various times, the unit was commanded by:
Captain 1st rank Kovalenko Petr Prokopevich (1955–1959);
Captain 1st rank Guryanov Viktor Nikolaevich (1959–1961);
Captain 1st rank Petr Ivanovich Konnov (1961–1966);
Captain 1st rank Klimenko Vasily Nikiforovich (1966–1972);
Captain 1st rank Minkin Yuri Alekseevich (1972–1976);
Captain 1st rank Zharkov Anatoly Vasilyevich (1976–1981);
Captain 1st rank Yakovlev Yuri Mikhailovich (1981–1983);
Lieutenant Colonel Evsyukov Viktor Ivanovich (1983–1988);
Captain 1st rank Omsharuk Vladimir Vladimirovich (1988-1995) - died in February 2016;
Lieutenant Colonel Gritsay Vladimir Georgievich (1995–1997);
Captain 1st rank Sergey Veniaminovich Kurochkin (1997–2000);
Colonel Gubarev Oleg Mikhailovich (2000-2010);
Lieutenant Colonel Belyavsky Zaur Valerievich (2010-2013);
Let the name of today's commander remain for the time being in the coastal fog of military secrets ...

Teachings and service
In 1956, naval scouts began to master parachute jumps. Usually, the training camp took place at the airfields of naval aviation - by subordination. During the first training camp, all personnel performed two jumps from a height of 900 meters from Li-2 and An-2 aircraft, and also learned how to land "assault" from Mi-4 helicopters - both on land and on water.
A year later, naval reconnaissance officers had already mastered the landing of submarines lying on the ground through torpedo tubes, as well as returning to them after completing the task at coastal facilities of a mock enemy. Based on the results of combat training in 1958, the 42nd naval reconnaissance point became the best special unit of the Pacific Fleet and was awarded the passing pennant of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.
In many exercises, scouts developed the necessary skills, acquired special knowledge and expressed their wishes regarding the composition of equipment. In particular, back in the late fifties, naval intelligence officers formulated requirements for weapons - they should be light and silent (as a result, samples of special weapons appeared - small-sized silent pistols SMEs, silent grenade launchers "Tishina", underwater pistols SPP-1 and underwater assault rifles APS, as well as many other special weapons). Also, the scouts wanted to have waterproof outerwear and shoes, and the eyes had to be protected from mechanical damage with special goggles (for example, four types of goggles are included in the kit today).

By this time, they had already decided on the specialization, which was conditionally divided into three areas:
- part of the personnel was represented by reconnaissance divers, who were supposed to be engaged in reconnaissance of enemy naval bases from the sea, as well as to mine ships and port facilities;
- some of the sailors were engaged in conducting military intelligence - in other words, having landed from the sea, they acted on the shore as ordinary land intelligence officers;
- the third direction was represented by radio and electronic intelligence specialists - these people were engaged in instrumental reconnaissance, which made it possible to quickly detect the most important objects behind enemy lines, such as field radio stations, radar stations, technical observation posts - in general, everything that emitted in broadcast any signals and were to be destroyed in the first place.

For reference:
"Triton" - the first carrier of open-type divers. Diving depth - up to 12 meters. Travel speed - 4 knots (7.5 km / h). Range - 30 miles (55 km).
"Triton-1M" is the first carrier of closed type divers. Weight - 3 tons. Diving depth - 32 meters. Travel speed - 4 knots. Range - 60 miles (110 km).
"Triton-2" is the first group carrier of closed type divers. Weight - 15 tons. Diving depth - 40 meters. Travel speed - 5 knots. Range - 60 miles.
Currently, these models of equipment are already outdated and withdrawn from service. All three samples were installed as monuments on the territory of the unit, and the decommissioned apparatus "Triton-2" is also presented at the street exposition of the Museum of Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.
Currently, such underwater carriers are not used for a number of reasons, the main of which is the impossibility of their covert use. Today, the naval special forces are armed with more modern submarine carriers "Siren" and "Proteus" of various modifications. Both of these carriers allow a covert landing of a reconnaissance group through the submarine's torpedo tube. "Siren" "carries" two saboteurs, and "Proteus" is an individual carrier.

Insolence and sport
Some of the legends about "Kholuy" are connected with the steady desire of the servicemen of this unit to improve their reconnaissance and sabotage skills at the expense of their own comrades-in-arms. At all times, the "holuai" brought a lot of problems to the daily duty personnel serving on ships and in the coastal units of the Pacific Fleet. Often there were cases of "training" abductions of orderly, duty documentation, theft of vehicles from careless military drivers. It cannot be said that the command of the unit specifically set such tasks for the scouts ... but for the successful actions of this kind, reconnaissance sailors could even receive a short vacation.
No, of course, no one is thrown anywhere with one knife, but during special tactical exercises, groups of intelligence officers can be thrown into other regions of the country, where they are given various training reconnaissance and sabotage tasks, after which they need to return to the unit - preferably unnoticed . At this time, the police, internal troops and state security agencies are intensively looking for them, and citizens are announced that they are looking for conditional terrorists.
In the unit itself, sports have been cultivated at all times - and therefore it should not be surprising that at present, practically at all naval competitions in power sports, martial arts, swimming and shooting, prizes are usually occupied by representatives of the "Kholuai". It should be noted that preference in sports is given not to strength, but to endurance - it is this physical skill that allows the marine scout to feel confident both on foot or ski crossings, and in long-distance swimming.
Unpretentiousness and the ability to live without frills, even gave rise to a peculiar saying on the "Kholuay":
"There is no need for something, but you can limit yourself in something."

Return of the legend
In 1965, twenty years after the end of World War II, Captain First Rank Viktor Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, came to the unit. Several photographs have been preserved, in which the "legend of the naval special forces" is captured with the military personnel of the unit, both with officers and sailors. Subsequently, Viktor Leonov would visit the 42nd reconnaissance point several more times, which he himself considered a worthy brainchild of his 140th reconnaissance detachment.

In 2015, Viktor Leonov returned to the unit forever. On the day of the 60th anniversary of the formation of the reconnaissance point, a monument to the real legend of the naval special forces, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Nikolayevich Leonov, was unveiled on the territory of the military unit in a solemn ceremony.

Holly in our time
Today, "Kholuy" in a new guise, with a slightly changed structure and number, after a series of organizational events, continues to live its own life - in its own special, "special forces" way. Many cases of this part will never be declassified, and books will be written about some more. The names of the people who serve here today are closed to the public, and rightly so.

Naval scouts even today sacredly honor their combat traditions, and combat training does not stop for a second. Every day, the “holuaevites” are engaged in a variety of activities: they train diving (both real in the sea and in a pressure chamber), achieving the proper level of physical fitness, practicing hand-to-hand combat techniques and methods of covert movement, learning to shoot from a variety of types of small arms, studying new equipment , which is supplied to the troops in abundance today (there are even combat robots in service now) - in general, they are preparing at any moment by order of the Motherland to complete any task.
Thanks for the article.

Foreword
“Suddenly for the enemy, we landed at a Japanese airfield and entered into negotiations. After that, we, ten people, were taken by the Japanese to the headquarters of the colonel, the commander of the aviation unit, who wanted to make hostages out of us. I joined the conversation when I felt that with us, the representative of the Soviet command, captain 3rd rank Kulebyakin, as they say, "pushed up against the wall." Looking into the eyes of the Japanese, I said that we had fought the entire war in the west and had enough experience to assess the situation, that we would not be hostages "But we'd rather die, but we'll die together with everyone at the headquarters. The difference is, I added, that you will die like rats, and we will try to escape from here. Hero of the Soviet Union Mitya Sokolov immediately stood behind the Japanese colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Pshenichnykh locked the door with a key, put the key in his pocket and sat down on a chair, and Volodya Olyashev (honored master of sports after the war) lifted Andrei together with the chair and put it right in front of d Japanese commander. Ivan Guzenkov went up to the window and reported that we were not high, and Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Agafonov, standing at the door, began tossing an anti-tank grenade in his hand.
The Japanese, however, did not know that there was no fuse in it. The colonel, forgetting about the handkerchief, began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after a while signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison.- this is how the naval intelligence officer Viktor Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, described just one military operation in which a handful of daring and brave naval intelligence officers of the Pacific Fleet literally without a fight forced a large Japanese garrison to lay down their arms. Shamefully capitulated three and a half thousand Japanese samurai.
It was the apotheosis of the combat power of the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Detachment, the harbinger of the modern naval special forces, which everyone knows today under the incomprehensible and mysterious name "Holuai".

origins
And it all started during the Great Patriotic War. Then the 181st reconnaissance detachment successfully operated in the Northern Fleet, performing various special operations in the rear of enemy troops. The crowning achievement of this detachment was the capture of two coastal batteries at Cape Krestovoy (which blocked the entrance to the bay and could easily defeat the landing convoy) in preparation for the landing in the port of Liinakhamari (Murmansk region).
This, in turn, ensured the success of the Petsamo-Kirkenes landing operation, which became the key to success in the liberation of the entire Soviet Arctic. It is even hard to imagine that a detachment of several dozen people, having captured only a few guns of German coastal batteries, actually ensured victory in the entire strategic operation, but, nevertheless, this is so - for this reason, the reconnaissance detachment was created in order to sting the enemy with small forces in the weakest spot...
The commander of the 181st reconnaissance detachment, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Leonov, and two of his subordinates (Semyon Agafonov and Andrei Pshenichnykh) became Heroes of the Soviet Union in this short but important battle.

In April 1945, part of the personnel of the 181st detachment, led by the commander, was transferred to the Pacific Fleet to form the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet, which was supposed to be used in the upcoming war with Japan. By May, the detachment was formed on Russky Island in the amount of 139 people and began combat training. In August 1945, the 140th reconnaissance detachment participated in the capture of the ports of Yuki and Rashin, as well as the naval bases of Seishin and Genzan. As a result of these operations, chief foreman Makar Babikov and midshipman Alexander Nikandrov of the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and their commander Viktor Leonov received a second Hero star.
Nevertheless, at the end of the war, all such reconnaissance formations in the Soviet Navy were disbanded as they were supposedly unnecessary.

But soon the story turned around...

From the history of the creation of special purpose units: In 1950, separate special-purpose companies were formed in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in each army and military district. In Primorsky Krai, in particular, three such companies were formed: the 91st (military unit No. 51423) as part of the 5th combined arms army stationed in Ussuriysk, the 92nd (military unit No. 51447) as part of the 25th combined-arms army stationed at the Fighter Kuznetsov station and the 88th (military unit No. 51422) as part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps stationed in Chernigovka. The special-purpose companies were tasked with searching for and destroying the most important military and civilian facilities, including enemy nuclear weapons, deep behind enemy lines. The personnel of these companies were trained in military reconnaissance, mine-explosive business, and made parachute jumps. For service in such units, people were selected who, for health reasons, were fit for service in the airborne troops.

Rear Admiral Leonid Konstantinovich Bekrenev, head of intelligence of the Navy, wrote in his address to the Minister of the Navy: "... given the role of reconnaissance and sabotage units in the general system of fleet reconnaissance, I consider it necessary to carry out the following measures: ... to create ... reconnaissance and sabotage units of military intelligence, giving them the name of separate naval reconnaissance divisions ..."
At the same time, Captain First Rank Boris Maksimovich Margolin theoretically substantiated such a decision, arguing that "... the difficulties and duration of the training of scouts - light divers makes it necessary to prepare them in advance and systematic training, for which special units must be created ...".

In the Pacific Fleet, its own reconnaissance point is being created on the basis of the directive of the General Staff of the Navy No. OMU / 1 / 53060ss of March 18, 1955. However, June 5, 1955 is considered the "Day of the unit" - the day when the unit completed its formation and became part of the fleet as a combat unit.

Holuay bay
The very word "Kholuai" (as well as its variations "Khaluai" and "Khalulai"), according to one version, means "dead place", and although disputes on this subject are still ongoing and sinologists do not confirm such a translation, the version is considered quite plausible - especially among those who served in this bay.

In the thirties, on Russky Island (at that time, by the way, its second name, Kazakevich Island, which disappeared from geographical maps only in the forties of the twentieth century, was also widely practiced) was the construction of antiamphibious defense facilities for Vladivostok. Defense facilities included coastal long-term firing points - bunkers.
Some specially fortified bunkers even had their own names, for example, "Stream", "Rock", "Wave", "Bonfire" and others. All this defensive splendor was served by separate machine-gun battalions, each of which occupied its own sector of defense.
In particular, the 69th separate machine-gun battalion of the Vladivostok Coastal Defense Sector of the Pacific Fleet, located in the area of Krasny Cape in Kholuai (New Dzhigit) Bay, served firing points located on Russky Island. For this battalion in 1935, a two-story barracks and headquarters, a canteen, a boiler room, warehouses and a stadium were built. Here the battalion was stationed until the forties, after which it was disbanded. The barracks were not used for a long time and began to collapse.

And in March 1955, a new military unit with very specific tasks was settled here, the secrecy of whose existence was brought to the highest limit.

The first deputy head of the GRU, Colonel General I. Ya. Sidorov, receives the report of the commander of the special forces group.

In open use among the “initiates”, the unit was called the “Irtek Recreation Center” of the Main Naval Base “Vladivostok”. The unit also received the code name of military unit No. 59190 and the open name “42nd Naval Intelligence Special Purpose Point”. the people used to have a "folk" name for the unit - "Kholuai" - after the name of the bay.

So what was that part? Why is there a lot of various legends around it, both then and today, sometimes bordering on fantasy?

Birth of a legend
The formation of the 42nd Marine Special Purpose Reconnaissance Point of the Pacific Fleet began in March and ended in June 1955. During the formation of the duties of the commander, captain of the second rank Nikolai Braginsky temporarily performed, but the first approved commander of the new unit was ... no, not a scout, but the former commander of the destroyer, captain of the second rank Pyotr Kovalenko.

For several months, the unit was based on Ulysses, and the personnel lived on board the old ship, and before leaving for the permanent deployment point on Russky Island, reconnaissance sailors at the submarine training base underwent an accelerated diving training course.

Arriving at the location of the unit in Holuay Bay, the reconnaissance sailors first of all took up ... construction work, because they had to somehow equip their housing, and no one was going to help them in this matter.

On July 1, 1955, the single combat training of future reconnaissance divers began in the unit under the training program for special forces units. A little later, the combat coordination of groups began.

Already at that time, the command of the unit came to the understanding that the selection for naval special forces should be as tough as possible, if not cruel.
Candidates for service, who were called up from the military registration and enlistment offices or transferred from the training units of the fleet, were waiting for severe trials - during the week they were subjected to extreme loads, which were reinforced by severe psychological pressure. Far from everyone survived, and those who could not stand it were immediately transferred to other parts of the fleet.

But those who survived were immediately enlisted in the elite unit and began combat training. This test week became known as "hellish". Later, when the United States created its SEAL units, they adopted our practice of selecting future fighters as the most optimal, allowing us to quickly understand what this or that candidate is capable of, whether he is ready to serve in parts of the naval special forces.
The meaning of this "personnel" rigidity boiled down to the fact that commanders initially had to clearly understand the abilities and capabilities of their fighters - after all, special forces operate in isolation from their troops, and a small group can only rely on themselves, and, accordingly, the importance of any team member rises many times. The commander must initially be confident in his subordinates, and subordinates in their commander. And that's the only reason "entry to the service" in this part is so strict. It shouldn't be otherwise.

Looking ahead, I will say that nothing has been lost today: the candidate, as before, will have to go through serious trials that are inaccessible to most even physically well-trained people.

There are no discounts for officers either - everyone passes the tests. The main supplier of command personnel for Kholuai are three military schools - the Pacific Naval (TOVVMU), the Far Eastern Combined Arms (DVOKU) and the Ryazan Airborne (RVVDKU), although if a person wants, then nothing prevents an officer from other schools to enter the service in the naval special forces - there would be a desire.
As a former special forces officer told me, having expressed a desire to serve in this unit in front of the head of intelligence of the fleet, he immediately had to do push-ups from the floor 100 times right in the admiral's office - Rear Admiral Yuri Maksimenko (head of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet in 1982-1991), despite the fact that the officer went through Afghanistan, and was awarded two military orders. This is how the chief of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet decided to cut off the candidate if he did not complete such an elementary exercise. The officer completed the exercise.

Teachings and service
In 1956, naval scouts began to master parachute jumps. Usually, the training camp took place at the airfields of naval aviation - by subordination. During the first training camp, all personnel performed two jumps from a height of 900 meters from Li-2 and An-2 aircraft, and also learned how to land "assault" from Mi-4 helicopters - both on land and on water.

A year later, naval reconnaissance officers had already mastered the landing of submarines lying on the ground through torpedo tubes, as well as returning to them after completing the task at coastal facilities of a mock enemy. Based on the results of combat training in 1958, the 42nd naval reconnaissance point became the best special unit of the Pacific Fleet and was awarded the passing pennant of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

In many exercises, scouts developed the necessary skills, acquired special knowledge and expressed their wishes regarding the composition of equipment. In particular, back in the late fifties, naval intelligence officers formulated requirements for weapons - they should be light and silent (as a result, samples of special weapons appeared - small-sized silent pistols SMEs, silent grenade launchers "Tishina", underwater pistols SPP-1 and underwater assault rifles APS, as well as many other special weapons). Also, the scouts wanted to have waterproof outerwear and shoes, and the eyes had to be protected from mechanical damage with special goggles (for example, four types of goggles are included in the kit today).

In 1960, the staff of the unit was increased to 146 people.

Special underwater carriers began to enter the naval special forces - in other words, small underwater vehicles that could deliver saboteurs over long distances. Such a carrier was the two-seat Triton, later also the two-seat Triton-1M, and even later the six-seat Triton-2 appeared. These devices allowed saboteurs to quietly penetrate directly into enemy bases, mine ships and moorings, and perform other reconnaissance tasks.
These were very secret devices, and the story was all the more "horrible" when the officer of the naval special forces, covertly escorting containers with these devices (in civilian clothes under the guise of a regular freight forwarder) suddenly heard with a tremor in his knees how a slinger was in charge of reloading a container from a railway platform on the truck, loudly shouted to the crane operator: “Petrovich, lift carefully, there are NEWTs” ... and only when the officer pulled himself together, calmed down and calmed down a little, he realized that no top-secret information had been leaked, and the unlucky slinger just had meaning THREE TONS of the weight of the container (that's how much the "Triton-1M" weighed), and not the most secret "Tritons" that were inside ...

For reference:
"Triton" - the first carrier of open-type divers. Diving depth - up to 12 meters. Travel speed - 4 knots (7.5 km / h). Range - 30 miles (55 km).
"Triton-1M" is the first carrier of closed type divers. Weight - 3 tons. Diving depth - 32 meters. Travel speed - 4 knots. Range - 60 miles (110 km).
"Triton-2" is the first group carrier of closed type divers. Weight - 15 tons. Diving depth - 40 meters. Travel speed - 5 knots. Range - 60 miles.
Currently, these models of equipment are already outdated and withdrawn from service. All three samples were installed as monuments on the territory of the unit, and the decommissioned apparatus "Triton-2" is also presented at the street exposition of the Museum of Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.

Currently, such underwater carriers are not used for a number of reasons, the main of which is the impossibility of their covert use. Today, the naval special forces are armed with more modern submarine carriers "Siren" and "Proteus" of various modifications. Both of these carriers allow a covert landing of a reconnaissance group through the submarine's torpedo tube. "Siren" "carries" two saboteurs, and "Proteus" is an individual carrier.

Insolence and sport
Some of the legends about "Kholuy" are connected with the steady desire of the servicemen of this unit to improve their reconnaissance and sabotage skills at the expense of their own comrades-in-arms. At all times, the "holuai" brought a lot of problems to the daily duty personnel serving on ships and in the coastal units of the Pacific Fleet.
Often there were cases of "training" abductions of orderly, duty documentation, theft of vehicles from careless military drivers. It cannot be said that the command of the unit specifically set such tasks for the scouts ... but for the successful actions of this kind, reconnaissance sailors could even receive a short vacation.

There are many fairy tales about how special forces "with one knife they throw it away in the middle of Siberia, and he must survive and return to the unit".
No, of course, no one is thrown anywhere with one knife, but during special tactical exercises, groups of intelligence officers can be thrown into other regions of the country, where they are given various training reconnaissance and sabotage tasks, after which they need to return to the unit - preferably unnoticed . At this time, the police, internal troops and state security agencies are intensively looking for them, and citizens are announced that they are looking for conditional terrorists.

In the unit itself, sports have been cultivated at all times - and therefore it should not be surprising that at present, practically at all naval competitions in power sports, martial arts, swimming and shooting, prizes are usually occupied by representatives of the "Kholuai". It should be noted that preference in sports is given not to strength, but to endurance - it is this physical skill that allows the marine scout to feel confident both on foot or ski crossings, and in long-distance swimming.
Unpretentiousness and the ability to live without frills even gave rise to a peculiar saying on "Kholuay": "There is no need for something, but you can limit yourself in something."
It contains a deep meaning, which largely reflects the essence of the Russian Navy's naval intelligence officer - who, being content with little, is able to accomplish a lot.

Healthy spetsnaz chauvinism also gave rise to a special audacity of scouts, which became the pride of the fighters of the naval special forces. This quality was especially clearly manifested during the exercises, which were and are being carried out almost constantly.

One of the admirals of the Pacific Fleet once said: "The guys of the naval special forces were brought up in the spirit of love for the Motherland, hatred for enemies and the realization that they are the elite of the fleet. Not to feel their own superiority over others, but in the sense that huge public funds are spent on them, and their duty, in if anything, justify these costs ... ".

I remember, in my deep childhood, in the mid-eighties, on the embankment near the C-56, I saw a sailor wandering alone, who had a parachutist badge on his chest. At that time, a ferry was loading on the pier, next to Russky Island (there were no bridges then). The sailor was stopped by a patrol, and he presented his documents, gesticulating frantically, pointing with his hand at the ferry, which was already raising the ramp. But the patrol, apparently, decided to detain the sailor for some fault.
And then I saw a whole performance: the sailor sharply pulled the cap on the senior patrol over his very eyes, snatched his documents from his hands, slapped one of the patrolmen in the face, and rushed headlong to the departing ferry!

And the ferry, I must say, had already moved away from the berth by one and a half to two meters, and the sailor-paratrooper overcame this distance in a graceful jump, grabbed the rails of the ferry, and there the passengers already pulled him on board. For some reason, I have no doubts in which part that sailor served ...

Return of the legend
In 1965, twenty years after the end of World War II, Captain First Rank Viktor Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, came to the unit. Several photographs have been preserved, in which the "legend of the naval special forces" is captured with the military personnel of the unit, both with officers and sailors. Subsequently, Viktor Leonov will visit the 42nd reconnaissance point several more times, which he himself considered a worthy brainchild of his 140th reconnaissance detachment ...

Combat use
In 1982, the moment came when the Motherland demanded the professional skills of naval commandos. From February 24 to April 27, a full-time special forces group performed the tasks of combat service for the first time, being on one of the ships of the Pacific Fleet.

In 1988 - 1989, for 130 days, a reconnaissance group equipped with Siren submarines and all the necessary combat equipment was in combat service. A small reconnaissance ship from the 38th brigade of reconnaissance ships of the Pacific Fleet delivered the Kholuayevites to the place of the combat mission. It is too early to say what these tasks were, because they are still hidden by a veil of secrecy. One thing is clear - some enemy has become very ill these days ...
In 1995, a group of servicemen of the 42nd Naval Reconnaissance Special Purpose Point took part in a military operation to restore the constitutional regime in the Chechen Republic.

The group was attached to the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet operating there and, according to the opinion of the senior head of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps group in Chechnya, Colonel Sergei Kondratenko, acted brilliantly. Scouts in any critical situation kept their cool and courage. Five "holuaevites" laid down their lives in this war. In 1996, a monument to servicemen of the unit who died in the line of duty was erected on the territory of the unit.

- These are units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with special training and designed to conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations in coastal areas in the interests of the Navy and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff.

Marine special forces units are in the fleets of many militarily strong countries: the USA, Great Britain, Israel, China, and Turkey. Russia is no exception, having inherited most of the naval power of the USSR. At present, special forces units of the Navy are among the most combat-ready and trained for their tasks in the Russian Armed Forces.

Navy special forces soldiers are often called combat swimmers, but the correct name for their military specialty is "scout diver". Being, like the GRU special forces, first of all, highly professional security intelligence, Russian naval special forces very different from army special forces. Both the one and the other are subordinate to the GRU General Staff, their personal goes through a rigorous selection and rigorous training for actions behind enemy lines. But the structure, combat missions and areas of combat training are different for ground and naval special forces units. There are nuances in the requirements for the selection of personnel.

In open sources, there is very little information on the special forces of the Navy. For obvious reasons, the activities of the naval special forces in the USSR and Russia have always been secret. However, some can be found in the public domain. It happens that special forces veterans themselves share information. For example, in the magazine "Kommersant-Vlast" No. 14 for 2002, an interesting interview was published with Rear Admiral Gennady Zakharov, who in 1967-1990. served in the naval special forces of the USSR. In 1967, G. Zakharov was appointed commander of the MCI in the Black Sea Fleet. The information given by him in the interview is trustworthy, since it was obtained, which is important, "first hand", and fits in with data from other sources.

Speaking of "combat swimmers" and "naval special forces", you should immediately define the terms. After all, combat swimmers solve specific tasks not only as part of reconnaissance and sabotage units. Actually, the special forces of the Navy are reconnaissance and sabotage units that are operationally subordinate to the GRU. Sometimes the name “Dolphin Squad” is found in the literature, but according to the combat swimmers themselves on specialized forums on the Internet, this is nothing more than an invention of journalists.

The special forces of the Navy should not be confused with OSNB PDSS (special forces for combating underwater sabotage forces and means; previously called OB PDSS). These units also include combat swimmers trained in underwater combat and mining / demining, but the tasks of the OSNB PDSS are directly opposite to the special forces of the Navy - protecting ships and objects of their fleet from enemy underwater special forces. The term "combat swimmers" is correct to use in relation to the personnel of the OSNB PDSS.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NAVY SPECIAL FORCE

Naval reconnaissance and sabotage units began to be created before the Second World War by many major powers: Great Britain, Italy, and a little later - Germany. The USSR was no exception. The first experiments on the creation of underwater reconnaissance units were carried out in the Pacific Fleet in 1938. Then a group of scouts in light diving equipment was fired from the submarine's torpedo tubes at a depth of 15-20 m in order to cut the anti-submarine network to overcome submarine anti-submarine barriers. Then the group was supposed to go ashore and carry out sabotage against the coastal facility using real weapons and explosives. Similar exercises were held before the Great Patriotic War and in the Black Sea Fleet. Reports on these exercises have been preserved, and served as the basis for the reconstruction of the naval special forces of the USSR in 1953.

However, by the beginning of the war, the Soviet Navy still did not have specialized reconnaissance and sabotage submarine units. They had to be created in a hurry, since the difficult situation required naval intelligence to deploy active operations on the coasts and territories captured by the enemy. On August 11, 1941, the first Soviet unit of combat swimmers was formed in Leningrad - a special purpose company (RON). In July of the same year, reconnaissance detachments began to form in the fleets. However, these units mostly operated on the coast, landing from the sea or air. They observed the movements of enemy convoys, carried out sabotage against coastal facilities.

But the RON fighters specialized in the use of diving equipment and were leaders in this direction. They themselves made much of the necessary equipment: wetsuits, breathing apparatus, sealed containers for weapons.

On their account, the RON naval special forces have many outstanding operations. They took part in the Shlisselburg landing, carried out additional reconnaissance of the "Road of Life" on Lake Ladoga, search for and neutralization of bottom mines in our fairways. During one of the raids in the Strelna area, RON reconnaissance diver V. Borisov discovered the deployment of German V-2 missiles, with which the Germans were preparing to shell Leningrad. The coordinates of the firing positions were transferred to the command, after which they were destroyed by naval artillery fire of the Baltic Fleet.

During the operation "Barge haulers", RON fighters secretly mined a pier with military equipment and working enemy sappers in the Peterhof area. After the mines were blown up, the group led by A. Korolkov successfully returned to the base.

Another well-known RON operation was a sabotage against colleagues - Italian combat swimmers, carried out on the night of October 4-5, 1943. Having landed on the coast of the Strelna dam, reconnaissance saboteurs destroyed ready-to-use Italian radio-controlled boat mines and a ground communication and observation post. Unfortunately, one of the subgroups, led by senior lieutenant Permitin, died in this operation.

In August 1944, reconnaissance divers carried out another most difficult operation - to raise the German submarine U-250, which was flooded in the Vyborg Bay. This submarine was of interest to the Soviet command, since the surviving and captured commander of the boat, V. Schmidt, gave conflicting testimony, and German aircraft bombed the submarine flooding area several times, trying to destroy it. The difficulty was that the work had to be carried out at the maximum depth, and the design of the boat itself, according to some reports, provided for its undermining in the event of an attempt to rise. Nevertheless, Soviet scuba divers coped with this task as well. After lifting the boat, the newest German T-5 torpedoes, previously unknown to the military specialists of the USSR and allies, were found in its torpedo tubes. Their combat characteristics significantly exceeded the torpedoes of that time, and at the time the T-5 was discovered, they had already destroyed 24 British ships and several Soviet ones.

Despite the successful actions of the Soviet naval special forces, the RON was disbanded at the end of 1945.

The reconstruction of the special forces of the Navy began in 1952, when it became clear that the fleets of a potential enemy included such units and were actively developing them. The initiator of the formation of naval reconnaissance and sabotage units was Rear Admiral V.K. Bekrenev. On May 29, 1952, the issue of creating special forces units was considered by the Minister of the Navy, Vice Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov and approved in the "Plan of Action to Strengthen Naval Intelligence", presented by Rear Admiral Bekrenev on January 24, 1953. At a meeting with the heads of departments of the GRU MGSH, the minister confirmed the decision to create separate naval reconnaissance divisions in the fleets, primarily in the Black Sea and Baltic fleets.

In September 1953, in the area of Kruglaya Bay, Sevastopol, the 6th Marine Reconnaissance Point - MRP was located (in 1968 it was reorganized into the 17th Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet with a deployment on Berezan Island, the city of Ochakov). From that moment, the formation of the special forces of the Navy in its modern form began. In 1954, the 457th MCI was created in the Baltic Fleet (Sailing village, Kaliningrad region), and in 1955 - the 42nd MCI in the Pacific Fleet (initially - Maly Uliss Bay, the final location - Russky Island, Vladivostok ). The methods of training reconnaissance divers are being recreated, and new equipment for them is being developed.

Since 1953, a laboratory of six employees has been allocated at the Institute of the Navy, which carries out developments exclusively in the interests of naval special forces. Until the end of the 1960s, the laboratory created a large number of breathing apparatus and stationary breathing systems. Since 1957, active development of water vehicles (self-propelled underwater vehicles, sealed containers, navigation and communication devices, devices and devices for the use of divers' carriers) began. As a result, the Soviet naval special forces received modern equipment.

The correctness of the decision to recreate the naval special forces was confirmed already in 1955, when, during the visit of the Soviet squadron to Portsmouth, England, in the immediate vicinity of the Ordzhonikidze ship with N.S. Khrushchev saw a combat swimmer on board. The command was given to turn the propellers of the ship, as a result of which the diver was torn apart. They allegedly turned out to be Lieutenant Commander of the British Navy Lionell Buster, nicknamed "Crabbe", an experienced combat swimmer. At that time he was retired. According to one version, Crabbe wanted to study the design of the Ordzhonikidze propellers, according to another, he even wanted to mine the ship. According to G. Zakharov, Buster was indeed engaged in espionage in favor of England, but he did not die in Portsmouth, but was only noticed by the ship's watch. Crabbe was later caught by the KGB and spent several years in a prison in East Germany.

The creation of naval special forces in the 50s. it was difficult. Lacked, above all, material resources. Experience has also been largely lost. Nevertheless, in 1960 the structure of the MCI was basically formed. In 1969, the 431st MCI of the Caspian Flotilla was deployed from 50 reconnaissance divers, in 1983 - the 420th MCI in the Northern Fleet (Severomorsk). In 1967, a training detachment was formed in the Black Sea Fleet, which was engaged in the development and development of equipment for naval special forces.

Throughout the entire period of its existence, the special forces of the USSR Navy were engaged in intensive combat training. Tests of new mine-explosive devices and delivery vehicles for reconnaissance divers were constantly going on.

The commandos took part in mine-explosive work in the Suez Canal during the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1974-1975. participated in the development of regulations on the actions and combat training of reconnaissance divers, constantly conducted exercises on penetration and training mining of various objects on the territory of the Kaliningrad region, as well as in Liepaja, Tallinn, Baltiysk, ensured the security of the country's leadership during meetings and negotiations of the heads of the United States and USSR in Reykjavik in 1986 and Malta in 1989, held a huge number of other events.

Here it is impossible not to mention the 1988 exercise on the penetration and mining of the Leningrad NPP in Sosnovy Bor. Then, despite the training resistance of the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the task of infiltrating and conditionally destroying the object was successfully completed with the simultaneous use of two groups that landed from the sea and land. Interestingly, during the exercise, one of the groups was accidentally discovered by an elderly mushroom picker. In wartime, the person who discovered the group would most likely have been killed on the spot. But under the conditions of the exercises, it was necessary to include the mushroom picker in the group, which, however, led him to complete delight. He wore part of the equipment of the special forces, cooked food, prepared firewood, clarified routes and carried out other assignments until the scouts successfully completed their mission. According to the conclusions and analysis of this exercise, the security of the LNPP was fundamentally revised and strengthened.

The facts of the combat training biography of the 17th Special Forces Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet until 1992 are curious. The special forces of the Black Sea Fleet were the first in the USSR to conduct an exercise and work out the task of releasing a ship (hydrofoil) captured by terrorists in 1988 with the transfer of the experience gained to the Alpha anti-terror unit. The Black Sea special forces were the first to conduct exercises and solve various problems using combat dolphins and other marine animals. One of the officers of the unit subsequently even became the commander of a newly formed military unit - a dolphinarium in the Cossack Bay of Sevastopol.

With the collapse of the USSR, the 17th Naval Special Forces Brigade, stationed on about. Pervomaisky, suffered a difficult fate. During the confusion that began after the collapse of the Union, the command of the brigade, not interested in moving from the warm sea somewhere closer to the Arctic Ocean, decided to swear allegiance to Ukraine. Many officers who did not agree with this decision were transferred to the Baltic, the Pacific Ocean, and some simply quit. Their place was taken by people who were not so professionally trained, often even very far from the sea and from the special forces, but nationally conscious. After the transfer of the brigade to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the level of its combat training began to fall catastrophically. But that was not the worst. In the summer of 1995, during the aggravation of Russian-Ukrainian relations related to the division of the Black Sea Fleet, the brigade was ordered to single out and arm 15 sabotage groups, which began a "demonstration of strength" - practicing training tasks near the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. In the event of the withdrawal of Russian ships to the sea, these training tasks were to become combat ones. And the most well-trained group of 10 officers and midshipmen was ordered to seize the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the event of the outbreak of hostilities. Thus, the naval special forces of Ukraine almost found themselves drawn into a fratricidal war. Fortunately, the fighting did not start.

Currently, Ukraine, having a dwarf navy, still has naval special forces units, including:

73rd Naval Special Operations Center of the Ukrainian Naval Forces, Ochakiv (former 17th Brigade, then, from the mid-90s - 7th Brigade), consisting of four detachments: underwater mining, underwater mine clearance, reconnaissance and sabotage combat, special communications .
801st Separate Detachment for Combating Submarine Subversive Forces and Means, Sevastopol;
units of combat swimmers as part of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine "Omega" and "Skat".

True, according to the testimony of the Ukrainian naval special forces themselves, the level of his training is low. It is possible that the 73rd Naval Operations Center is waiting for further reorganization and reduction.

More fortunate was the 431st separate naval reconnaissance point for special purposes (OMRP SpN), which was stationed in Baku. He was taken to Russia. From 1992 to 1998, he was deployed near the city of Priozersk, Leningrad Region, and then transferred to the city of Tuapse, Krasnodar Territory.

As for the MRPs stationed on the territory of Russia, the collapse affected them to a much lesser extent than the 17th special forces brigade of the Special Forces, and in general, the special forces of the Russian Navy retained a high combat capability.

OBJECTIVES AND STRUCTURE OF THE RUSSIAN NAVY SPECIAL FORCE

The tasks of modern naval special forces include:

support of amphibious operations;
mining of enemy ships, his naval bases and bases, hydraulic structures;
search and destruction of mobile operational-tactical means of nuclear attack, search and destruction of objects of operational control, other important targets in the coastal zone;
detection of the concentration of enemy troops, other important targets in the coastal zone, guidance and adjustment of air strikes and naval artillery on these targets.

In peacetime, the tasks of the naval special forces include the fight against terrorism and the exchange of experience with other special units and power structures of Russia.

Currently, the special forces of the Russian Navy include four MCIs - one for each fleet:

Military unit 59190 - 42nd OMRP Special Forces in the Pacific Fleet (Russian Island, Vladivostok);
561st OMRP Special Forces in the Baltic Fleet (Sailing district, Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region);
420th OMRP Special Forces in the Northern Fleet (Polyarny settlement, Murmansk region);
Military unit 51212 - 137th (former 431st) OMRP Special Forces in the Black Sea Fleet (Tuapse).

MRPs are territorially part of the fleets, but are operationally subordinate to the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

According to the peacetime staff, the MRP includes 124 people. Of these, 56 fighters, the rest are technical personnel. The proportion of technical personnel in the units of the naval special forces is significantly higher than in the special forces of the GRU. Fighters are divided into groups of 14 people, which are autonomous combat units. Those, in turn, include smaller groups of 6 people: 1 officer, 1 midshipman and 4 sailors.

There are three squads in the MCI, each with its own specific actions:

The first detachment specializes in the destruction of coastal facilities. As a rule, the reconnaissance divers of the detachment get to the target underwater, and then act like ordinary GRU saboteurs.

The second detachment specializes in performing purely reconnaissance missions.

The third detachment is engaged in underwater mining. This implies a covert approach to the object of attack under water. Specialized diving training is most important for the third group.

Larger than the MRP, the naval special forces unit is the Special Forces brigade. In the USSR, one brigade of special forces of the Navy, the 17th, was deployed, its number was 412 people. Now the Russian Navy does not have deployed naval special forces brigades, but it is believed that in the event of a war, the 42nd OMRP Special Forces in the Pacific Fleet will be deployed into a brigade.

As for OSNB PDSS, they are based on large naval bases. Territorially, they report to the commander of the naval base, and operationally - to the head of the anti-submarine warfare department of the fleet combat training department.

The composition of the teams is as follows:

160th OOB PDSS (Vidyaevo, Federation Council): 60 people.
269th OOB PDSS (Gadzhiyevo, Federation Council): 60 people.
313 OOB PDSS (settlement Sputnik, Kola Peninsula, Northern Fleet): 60 people.
311th OOB PDSS (Petropavlovsk, Pacific Fleet): 60 people.
313th OOB PDSS (Baltiysk, BF): 60 people.
473rd OOB PDSS (Kronstadt, BF): 60 people.
102nd OOB PDSS (Sevastopol, Ukraine, Black Sea Fleet): 60 people.

OSNB PDSS includes a platoon of divers-miners, a platoon of combat swimmers and teams of radio technicians. The OSNB PDSS fighters are armed with AK-74 assault rifles, special models of underwater and two-medium weapons (APS, ADS, SPP-1 pistols), silent weapons (Val assault rifle, APB pistols, PSS), anti-sabotage grenade launchers "DP-64", means of mining and demining, technical means of detecting and countering saboteurs.

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT OF THE MARINE SPECIAL FORCE OF RUSSIA

Marine special forces are designed to operate in three elements: at sea, on land and in the air. The reconnaissance and sabotage group can be transported to the target by any of these three ways, or by a combination of them: by land, by air (with the help of parachutes from aircraft and by assault from helicopters) and by sea (from submarines, surface ships and boats of the Navy Russia). The personnel of the naval special forces are trained in landing in the most difficult, deadly conditions: for example, with a parachute from an ultra-low altitude directly into the sea, going ashore in the dark in a storm.

For this, the special forces of the Navy use special equipment:

individual and group underwater carriers of divers (Proton, Sirena-UM, etc.) with cargo containers (KT-2, MKT, etc.);
parachutes of ordinary types and diving (D-6, PO-9, SVP-1 with PV-3, etc.);
breathing apparatus of closed cycle and open type (IDA-71u, IDA-75p, AVM-5, etc.). At the same time, personnel performing combat missions work with only closed-cycle devices. Open-type devices are used only for safety net.

Despite the great successes of the USSR in creating equipment for underwater special forces, it never got rid of a number of shortcomings. According to G. Zakharov, Western combat swimmers use dry-type devices - "mini-submarines" for transportation to the target. The Soviet industry, on the other hand, took the path of developing "wet" type apparatuses. With such a device, a combat swimmer can hold out in warm water for four hours, in cold water - no more than one and a half. Soviet underwater mines, with high combat qualities, could not dock with the carrier, and they had to be transported on a conventional towing cable, which broke off, got tangled in screws, etc.

It is known that from 1975 to the 1990s. The Navy was armed with two-seat ultra-small submarines "Triton-1" and "Triton-2". They were released 38 units. But at present, these devices have been withdrawn from the composition of the fleet and scrapped.

After the collapse of the USSR, another domestic sample of an ultra-small submarine was presented - project 865 "Piranha". However, only two submarines were built, and one of them was almost acquired through a figurehead by the famous drug lord Pablo Escobar. In 1999, both submarines were cut into scrap metal. Therefore, now the Russian naval special forces, apparently, continue to use "wet" type vehicles as an underwater vehicle.

In addition to the regular models of small arms of the RF Armed Forces, the special forces of the Russian Navy are armed with:

AKS-74M with GP-3 and NSPU-3;
Silent weapons (PB, APB, AKMS with PBS);
Special underwater weapons (pistols SPP-1, SPP-1M, special underwater machine APS);
Scout knife shooting NRS-2;
A variety of engineering weapons (both various army mines and specialized underwater SPMs, UPMs, etc.).

The firepower of naval special forces groups can be reinforced with heavy weapons: MANPADS, grenade launchers, ATGMs and other weapons.

For communication under water, underwater sonar stations for underwater communication (MGV-6v) are used. In addition, the special forces of the Navy are equipped with reconnaissance, navigation, etc. devices.

LANDING OF THE MARINE SPECIAL FORCE ON THE WATER: ORDER AND TECHNIQUE

Landing on water is, perhaps, one of the most difficult and dangerous elements of the training of naval special forces.

The commandos on board the aircraft are in full diving gear. When jumping on a parachute, they are dressed in a GK-5M2 wetsuit. GK-5M-1, it does not have a volumetric helmet lock, instead there is an obturator with a VM-5 mask. Personal weapons are in rubber cases, equipment is in IKD-5 containers.

During the flight, the paratroopers are supplied with oxygen from the on-board system of the aircraft. When approaching the landing area, the group commander inspects the personnel and orders to signal readiness for landing. After that, the paratroopers disconnect the hoses of the onboard oxygen equipment and begin to breathe from their IDA-71P devices. On command, the landing party leaves the transport compartment, the group leader is the last to jump. Landing is carried out on parachutes PV-3, specially designed for landing divers. It differs from a conventional landing parachute in an increased area, since the mass of a diver in full gear can reach 180 kg. After the opening of the main parachute, the IKD-5 container and the reserve parachute are released and go down on fifteen-meter strands. When the container touches the water (this is immediately noticeable by the slowing down of the fall), the skydiver opens the triggers of the locks, which release the free ends of the main parachute.

After diving into the water, divers disconnect the reserve parachute and the main pack, pull the containers to themselves by the strand. This is followed by a short ascent, the scuba divers are connected by strands into a hitch, and begin to move with the help of fins in the direction of the coast. Ahead of them is a landing, camouflage of diving equipment, a rapid retreat inland from the coastline and reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines. As for the main parachutes, they will get wet and sink in 20-30 minutes, thus ceasing to unmask the group.

SELECTION FOR MARINE SPECIAL FORCES, SPECIFICITY OF SERVICE AND COMBAT TRAINING

In the USSR, naval special forces units were recruited on conscription. Then it was completely justified. Young people came to the army already quite physically prepared, many had ranks in parachuting and scuba diving. Considering that the term of service in the fleet was three years, during this time it was possible to train a sufficiently qualified reconnaissance diver. Now the term of service in both the Russian army and the navy is one year, the quality of conscripts has fallen very much, so recruiting naval special forces with conscripts does not seem like a good idea. Although, according to the guidelines of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the recruitment of reconnaissance military units of the Special Forces and the Basic Forces can be carried out from citizens serving both on conscription and under contract.

G. Zakharov describes the selection of conscripts as follows. Officers of the naval special forces: the commander of the MRP, the commander of the detachments, the physiologist and the physical training instructor began work with the naval selection committee. Selected candidates were chosen. Naturally, good health was required. Particularly large tried not to take. A candidate with a height of about 1.75 m and a weight of 75-80 kg was considered optimal. Such people withstand the greatest relative loads. We studied the questionnaire and psychological qualities. Orphans and children from incomplete families were eliminated. Preference was given to people from large families: service in the naval special forces is very dangerous even in peacetime.

Also, suitable candidates were selected in the "training" of the Marine Corps. But one must understand that endurance, courage and excellent physical data do not guarantee successful service in the naval special forces. Here, a kind of psychological stability is especially important. It happens that a brave and enterprising person on land is completely lost in the underwater environment.

Screening of candidates was carried out in several stages.

First: march "thirty" - running for 30 km with a weight of 30 kg.

Combat training in the 561st OMRP

Then an elementary test for psychological stability "Night at the cemetery." The soldiers must spend the night at the graves. It was not passed by three or four candidates out of a hundred. Zakharov describes a case in which three candidates dug up a grave and began looking for gold in it. Interestingly, they were left in the unit. In the future, these turned out to be the most psychologically stable people.

Pipe check. Hard test. Candidates must swim through a tube simulating a submarine torpedo tube. Its length is 10-12 m, width is 533 mm. At first, the pipe is not completely filled with water. At the final stage, the fighter must swim in light diving equipment through a pipe filled with water. For some, this becomes the moment of truth in terms of suitability for service in the underwater special forces. Andrey Zagortsev in the story "Sailor of the Special Forces" describes exactly such a case that happened to him when he, a physically strong and resourceful young man, "in civilian life" scuba diving, fell into a panic when he found himself in a pipe. The case ended with a loss of consciousness and pulling the candidate out of the pipe with the help of a safety cable. Tellingly, swimming in "clear" water did not cause him any inconvenience, but when swimming in a confined space, it turned out that the main character was prone to claustrophobia. G. Zakharov tells about a fatal case with a “pipe”, when a fighter, having overpowered himself, nevertheless dived into it, but from fear he earned a massive heart attack. All this is important for understanding what the fighters of the naval special forces have to face.

Helmet purge. Go under the water, open the helmet to fill it with water, close the helmet and blow the water out through the evacuation valve. This is a typical situation. Some, as soon as the water reached the nose, jumped out to the surface like a bullet. If a candidate could not pass the test the first time, he was not eliminated, but the failure of several attempts meant that the person would not serve in the naval special forces.

Control swim. This is the most serious, and at the same time indicative test. If the previous two tests an unsuitable person could still somehow slip through, then this one objectively showed the capabilities of everyone. After passing the light diving training, candidates were given a one-mile underwater swim. Air was pumped into the cylinder of the oxygen apparatus at a pressure of 170 atmospheres. With normal calm breathing, oxygen had time to regenerate and the balloon at the finish line showed a pressure of 165 atmospheres. If a person is psychologically broken, breathes through his mouth, he “eats” all the air and comes to the finish line with a pressure of 30 atmospheres.

The last test was called the "weak link". For fighters of naval special forces, psychological compatibility is very important. The fighters sit down in the classroom, each is given a list of the group and a pencil. And the fighter must write a number against each surname: with whom he would like to go on reconnaissance in pairs in the first place, with whom - in the second, and with whom - and last. The questionnaires are anonymous. After that, the points were summed up and those who scored the highest points were eliminated.

Those who failed the tests were no longer sent back to their units. It was necessary for someone to carry out household work in the naval special forces.

As you can see, the qualities required for service in the special forces of the Navy are somewhat different from the stereotyped image of a commando. These are not necessarily supermen and masters of hand-to-hand combat, but above all, psychologically stable people, although ordinary combat training in naval special forces is at its best.

G. Zakharov gives an interesting example of the role of psychological stability in the work of naval special forces:

“I had such a fighter Valya Zhukov - a laughingstock, only the lazy one did not tease him. And somehow the submariners asked me for three divers to participate in the tests of the rescue submarine. If they had not been cut into scrap later, the crew of the Kursk would have been saved. Tests in the ocean. I gave three of the best guys. They started working normally, according to the program, and suddenly someone asks: “How many are there under the keel?” And there are two and a half kilometers. As we heard, everything ached for two at once - they don’t go under water, and that’s it. Although there is no difference - at least 100 m, at least 5 km. And at least something for Vale Zhukov. getting out of the water. He was also the best combat orderly for me, coped with wounds and fractures, as if he had been a paramedic all his life before. But there are only a few such ultra-resistant people. The rest had to be trained hard. "

The process of combat training in the special forces of the Navy goes on continuously. The training program is rich and includes diving, airborne, navigation and topographic, mountain special, marine, physical training, fire training (including possession of weapons by the armies of a potential enemy), mine blasting, hand-to-hand combat, the ability to survive in conditions various theaters of military operations, knowledge of the armed forces of a potential enemy, radio work and much more, which is indispensable in modern warfare. Considerable time is devoted to the study of actions under water: underwater penetration into enemy territory and evacuation into the water, orientation, observation in conditions of poor visibility, pursuit of the enemy and separation from pursuit, camouflage on the ground.

The acquired skills are developed during practical training.

According to G. Zakharov, mortality in the process of combat training was not a rare occurrence. If the commander of the MRP lost no more than two or three people a year, he was not punished, but simply verbally scolded. Although this does not mean that the special forces of the Navy treated human lives with disdain. On the contrary, instructions were developed in case of emergency situations, the personnel memorized the procedure in such cases to the smallest detail.

The first and second detachments trained at various coastal facilities until all actions were honed to perfection. The third detachment first of all learned to operate in an aggressive aquatic environment.

In Soviet times, underwater special forces were constantly involved in checking the state of security of strategic facilities, anti-sabotage protection of ships and ground facilities of the fleet. As a rule, the “defending” side was given maximum data on the groups that would work (composition, object and time of action), however, the special forces regularly managed to penetrate the objects and perform training tasks. Sometimes it was necessary to go for a military trick - to “surrender” one of the comrades, and while the “caught saboteur” was solemnly led to the headquarters of the unit, the main part of the group worked. One of the former fighters of the naval special forces recalls on an Internet forum how a group in the exercises entered the destroyer under the guise of inspectors; on another occasion, the commandos drove into the harbor in an UAZ, the numbers of which and the driver were well known at the checkpoint; the author of the post himself once escorted "a comrade dressed in a uniform ... a police captain straight to the office of the commander of the military unit."

Even in conditions when the time and place of the attack were known, and several hundred people were waiting for the saboteurs in full combat readiness at the facility, the Special Forces groups managed to complete the task. If the group worked without warning, the result was all the more predictable.

COMBAT USE

Almost all combat operations of the Soviet and Russian naval special forces are secret, very little is known about them in the public domain. G. Zakharov, for example, claims that he did not have to fight

During the Cold War, Navy special forces performed tasks in the same places as other "military advisers" from the USSR: in Angola, Vietnam, Egypt, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and other countries, often at the request of their governments. In Angola and Nicaragua, swimmers guarded Soviet ships and advised local armed forces.

When the war in Afghanistan began, many Navy special forces officers asked to be sent "for combat experience", but the leadership did not respond to these requests. Instead, officers who had been in Afghanistan were sent to the special forces units of the Navy to transfer combat experience. And really, what was the point of throwing people with diving training into a meat grinder, sending them on two-week raids in the mountains or the desert, if ordinary units of the Airborne Forces and Special Forces of the GRU were available?

After the collapse of the USSR, everything changed. At the time, the grouping of Russian troops had to be assembled “from the world on a thread”, and apparently this explains the fact that the naval special forces still got into the “land” war. During the First Chechen campaign, the personnel of the 431st OMRP operated as part of the 8th company of the 879th airborne infantry regiment of the 336th detachment of Baltic Fleet, formed from the sailors of the Leningrad naval base. The company was commanded by captain 1st rank V., a submariner by profession. The infantry officers of the Vyborg Antiamphibious Defense Regiment, who were supposed to go to war, refused to do so. The Marine Corps Brigade of the Baltic Fleet at that time was in a state of collapse. The personnel of the 8th company was recruited from sailors of ship specialties, far from land combat operations. Under these conditions, due to the lack of full-time scouts, the reconnaissance support for the actions of the 8th company was entrusted to the 431st OMRP, whose fighters operated as part of the 1st (reconnaissance) platoon. By the way, the captain of the first rank V. does not directly mention that it was the special forces of the Navy that acted as part of the 8th company, but other sources point to this, and the very logic of events. In conditions when a company was formed with great difficulty from sailors who did not have infantry training, there was simply nowhere else to take trained scouts.

The reconnaissance platoon was commanded by a special forces officer of the Navy Guards. Art. Lieutenant Sergei Anatolyevich Stobetsky. The company was supposed to leave for Chechnya in January 1995, but due to organizational problems, it was transferred to Khankala only on May 4. At this time, a truce was announced, during which the militants managed to regroup and "lick their wounds", and on May 24 hostilities resumed. Federal troops launched an offensive on the mountainous part of Chechnya, where militant groups were hiding. The 8th company began to advance in the direction of Shali-Agishty-Makhkety-Vedeno. The 1st reconnaissance platoon acted in the vanguard, occupying key points, and behind it platoons of marines with heavy equipment pulled up. Serious clashes with gangs began in the mountains. The company was forced to take up positions and dig in. On the night of May 29-30, the positions of the 8th company came under fire from the Vasilek automatic mortar. The company suffered heavy simultaneous losses: six dead, twenty wounded. Among the dead was the commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the Guards. Art. Lieutenant Stobetsky.

It is often argued that the special forces of the Navy took part in the battles in Chechnya not in the first, but in the second campaign. However, if the participation of naval special forces in the first Chechen war is confirmed by facts, and an officer died during the hostilities, then there is nothing concrete about participation in the second. Rather, on the contrary, by this time the combat effectiveness of the RF Armed Forces had increased compared to the deplorable state in which it was after the collapse of the Union, and it no longer made sense to send naval special forces to the mountains.

Also, the special forces of the Russian Navy are sometimes credited with blowing up and sinking part of the Georgian ships in the port of Poti during the war in South Ossetia, but this is not so. Georgian ships were flooded by scouts of the 45th separate guards regiment of the Special Forces of the Airborne Forces. Marine special forces, this mission would fit perfectly. And the "land" special forces carried it out, although successfully, but not in the most optimal way. Georgian ships should have been sunk on the high seas, but since the airborne scouts were not qualified to operate ships, they sank them at the piers.