The last operation of the MTR in Syria. One day on the front lines in Syria with Russian elite special forces. Secret losses of the MTR

The specificity of the actions of the MTR is such that it is inappropriate to discuss them publicly. This, of course, is not the classic covert operations of the special services in famous style“if anything, we didn’t do it, we don’t know you and didn’t send anyone there.” But in global world, where information is distributed almost instantly, it is not necessary to disclose the details of such actions - both for operational reasons and for the sake of the safety of fighters and their families.

Nevertheless, we have a certain set of official and semi-official information about the tasks and actions of the Russian special forces in Syria. The first messages about Russian special forces appeared in the country on the second day of the official start of the operation. On October 1, 2015, a source said that special forces groups were involved in "protecting the perimeter" of Russian military facilities in Syria. Also, in the performance of these tasks, according to the interlocutor of the agency, the military personnel of the 810th separate brigade marines Black Sea Fleet and the 7th ("Novorossiysk") Airborne Assault Mountain Division.

The source's reports partially received official confirmation in June 2016, when the Minister of Defense presented the Order of Zhukov to the 810th brigade. In a long list of merits, the minister and the fact that the units of the brigade "performed a special task of the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic."

New information about the work of the MTR in Syria, unfortunately, arose in connection with the death of officers of these units. March 17, 2016, President Putin in the Kremlin relatives of the dead soldiers, among whom was Yulia Zhuravleva. The death of her husband, special forces officer Fyodor Zhuravlev, was reported in the American press as early as November 2015.

At the same reception in the Kremlin, one of the officers of the 929th flight test center (Akhtubinsk), Viktor Rodionov, who was awarded the star of the Hero of Russia, said: “One of my comrades, Zhuravlev, died. When you talk about him, you remember how much he did to guide our long-range missiles so that they hit the target accurately. Seems to be, we are talking about the episodes of November 17, 19 and 20, 2015, when Russian Long-Range Aviation first used in Syria cruise missiles air-based Kh-555 and Kh-101. Zhuravlev, as far as one can judge, died on those days.

Immediately after that, on March 24, about the death near Palmyra of another air controller from the MTR - a senior lieutenant. According to scarce information, on March 17, the commando was surrounded by militants and called fire on himself. In April, his body was handed over through the Syrian Kurds Russian authorities, May 5 delivered to Chkalovsky. On May 6, Prokhorenko was buried at home, in the Orenburg region.

Then, in March 2016, the commander Russian group in Syria, the colonel general gave a "ceremonial" interview "". There, he casually remarked: “I will not hide the fact that units of our Forces are also operating in Syria. special operations. They carry out additional reconnaissance of objects for strikes Russian aviation, are engaged in guiding aircraft to targets in remote areas, and solve other special tasks.

In December 2016, the Rossiya-24 TV channel showed reportage about the actions of the Russian SOF in Syria. In fact, this was the first detailed official report on the participation of Russian special forces in battles. According to the report, they are hunting for field commanders, provide guidance to aircraft, and also provide support to Syrian troops with trained snipers. As one of the officers said in the story, in November 2015, MTR fighters were involved in a search and rescue operation against Konstantin Murakhtin, the navigator of the Su-24 bomber shot down by the Turkish Air Force.

Obviously, the named episodes of the actions of the Russian special forces in Syria were not exhausted. The MTR soldiers performed a lot of routine tasks day in and day out, from conducting classic special operations to securing humanitarian cargo, missions of the reconciliation center of the parties and the like.

It should be understood that the presence of Russian ground troops in Syria was not exhausted. Thus, in November 2015, information was disseminated about the deployment of Russian artillery units in the country. During the report of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to the President, there were slides with a map of hostilities. Near locality Hamrat, on the territory of the place of permanent deployment of the artillery unit of the Syrian army, the positions of the 5th howitzer were marked artillery battery 120th Guards Artillery Brigade. In the video footage, this map demonstrated since 04:03.

The 120th artillery brigade of the Russian army is permanently stationed in Yurga ( Kemerovo region). Judging by the entry on the map, a battery of six 2A65 Msta-B 152mm towed howitzers has been in the area since 14:00 on November 6, 2015. Russian Msta-B howitzers were captured by video cameras already in early November 2015, but it was believed that this was a material part transferred to the Syrian army.

Russian military engineers took an active part in the campaign, engaged in mine clearance of cities liberated from terrorists - Palmyra, Aleppo, again Palmyra and a number of others, however, according to unconfirmed reports, engineering divisions they also participated in assault operations, ensuring the targeted destruction of terrorist strongholds in fortified areas and urban areas, as well as blocking communications.

In general, information about the actions of Russian ground units in Syria is very fragmentary and incomplete - as well as about the actions of their American counterparts in Iraq (and certain regions of Syria). It remains only to hope that detailed history the campaign is yet to be written.

They didn't draw much attention to themselves. On Victory Day, the streets of the capital are traditionally crowded with people military uniform at awards. Clean-shaven faces, clean, open eyes, a free springy gait... They approached the monument to the heroes of the film "Officers" in front of the National Defense Center, put flowers and took "under the visor", giving military salute bronze prototypes of the heroes of the past. A group of young people, having waited for their turn, joyfully clung to the monument and arranged a memorable photo session. If they knew that two steps from the film officers are the real living heroes of the present time, they definitely wouldn’t let them leave without a selfie. It is about people like these two lieutenant colonels and two captains Vladimir Putin said at the Victory Parade:

“We feel a blood, piercing kinship with the generation of heroes and winners. And addressing them, I will say: you will never be ashamed of us. Russian, Russian soldier and today, as at all times, showing courage and heroism, he is ready for any feat. There are such warriors here today, in parade crews on Moscow's Red Square. The country is proud of you!”

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to name full names these heroes. Yes, and they probably would have refused a selfie. Daniil, Evgeniy, Roman and Vyacheslav are officers of the Special Operations Forces (SOF), the elite of the Russian armed forces. Recently, the President signed a Decree on awarding them with high state awards. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel as a group commander was awarded the title Hero of Russia.

I have always been struck by the modesty with which real heroes talk about their exploits. Nothing special, just work.

"HAVE WORKED GREATLY"

It was a standard day, a routine, - Daniel shrugs.

There was information that in one of the districts of the province of Aleppo in Syria, attacks by militants of Jebhan al-Nusra (banned in the Russian Federation terrorist organization, - ed.) to the defensive positions of government forces, - recalls Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny. - We received the task to advance to that area in order to conduct reconnaissance, to identify places of concentration of terrorists, equipment for guiding our aircraft. Settled in and started working.

Group Russian special forces out of 16 people, being close to the front line, she calculated the buildings in which the enemy settled, strong points, armored vehicles, ammunition depots, and movement routes. The fighters promptly transmitted all the information with the coordinates to the headquarters and corrected the air strikes. With the help of aviation, three tanks were destroyed, one MLRS battery ( jet system salvo fire- Auth.), improvised launchers, two warehouses of terrorists.

In general, they worked fruitfully, - Eugene smiles. - But one fine morning, everything sharply worsened. A massive shelling of our positions began. The Grad installations, mortars, artillery, tank shelling were used.

FIGHTED 4 ATTACKS. I HAD TO RUN

The Syrian troops withdrew due to the confusion between the units. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel decides to stay at the forefront.

The drone found a shahid mobile (a car filled with explosives, driven by a suicide bomber - ed.) moving towards our positions, he says. - But our experienced birdmen worked on time. The car bomb exploded before reaching us.

Anti-tank gunners are a subgroup of special forces specializing in anti-tank guided missiles(ATGM - Auth.). Her commander, Captain Roman, explains the specifics of the Syrian work.

To make it clear, a bulldozer was walking in front of the shahid-mobile, sheathed with three or four layers of steel sheets, between which sand was poured. A hit from an RPG-7 does not inflict great harm such a car. And behind him is a car stuffed with explosives. As a rule, this is the BMP-1. We took a position on the right flank, the operator of the Kornet ATGM hit the BMP from the first missile. The explosion was so strong that even the bulldozer ahead went out of order! After that, I had to immediately change position. The enemy had a large number of ATGM (anti-tank missile systems, - ed.) mainly of foreign production. After our shots for 30-40 seconds, a rocket flew in from the other side. I had to run. Over the next hour and a half, we managed to destroy a tank that was working from a nearby high-rise in our group. We must pay tribute, the comrades there are not quite simple. They didn't stay in one position for long. To hit the tank, I had to sweat. And in the evening they destroyed more anti-aircraft installation Zu-23 in a car. Special thanks to our Kornet complex, which once again showed its best side.

During daylight hours, a small group of Russian Special Operations Forces successfully repelled four terrorist attacks. At the same time, according to the most conservative estimates, there were about 300 people advancing.

Moreover, these were highly trained people, - Lieutenant Colonel Daniel is sure. - Later, during the inspection, it turned out that the terrorists were very well equipped. Imported form, go-pro cameras on their heads, medicine is very expensive. There were also black mercenaries. In general, according to experience, local Syrians do not have enough money for this. Yes, and on the field they behaved in such a way that serious preparation was visible. And weapons, in addition to Soviet and Chinese, are American and Israeli.

With the onset of darkness, the group commander decides to mine the approaches to their positions. Armed with night vision devices and thermal imaging equipment, sappers under the cover of snipers advanced 500 meters from leading edge. Towards the enemy. Barrage of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines Captain Vyacheslav's subgroup installed in a controlled version. And it turned out - not in vain.

"ON ANOTHER IT IS IMPOSSIBLE"

It dawned a little, the attacks of the militants continued, the second, third wave went, - Vyacheslav says somehow casually. - We consistently undermined the barriers, destroying several units of armored vehicles and personnel.

It is almost impossible to calculate exactly how many militants were killed. According to our commandos, at night the terrorists are trying to carry their dead from the battlefield. But only on the approaches to the shelters of the MTR soldiers were found about 30 corpses. The special forces held out in positions for more than a day when government forces approached. The terrorists were not in the mood to attack further. The Russians handed over their lines to the Syrians and retreated to their original position without loss.

Did you make a conscious decision to take the fight or was it spontaneous? I asked the group leader.

We already know their psychology, we know that they cannot attack for a long time, - says Lieutenant Colonel Daniil. - We were confident in our abilities, the terrain allows us to keep the defense. It is much more difficult to attack, so they were in a losing situation.

What if you left?

The militants would occupy the dominant heights, it would take weeks to retake these positions again. Plus, the losses of the Syrian army would be much higher.

Under those conditions it was only decision, - Eugene is sure. - There was no other way to do it.

On February 27, our country celebrated the Day of the MTR of Russia and were made public rare footage the work of special forces of the Special Operations Forces of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in Syria.

Elite Russian Army captured in all its glory - the details of modern equipment and weapons are clearly visible. On the footage, special forces soldiers operate in the urban environment of war-torn Aleppo and in the desert area of ​​the province of Homs - near ancient Palmyra.

The military in the hands of camouflage weapons with the latest sniper and collimator sights, as well as silent firing devices. In addition, in the frame of the armored vehicles "Tiger", anti-tank complex and sniper rifles.

MTR of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is an elite of elites, a concentration of experience, the latest technologies and modern methods military labor.

The Special Operations Forces of the Ministry of Defense as part of the Armed Forces of our country are essentially special forces top level among all military special units. MTRs were created in 2009. Their tasks are mainly sabotage and reconnaissance operations. They are able to operate under water, on land and in the air, landing from many kilometers of heights and stealthily approaching the enemy from the depths of the water.

Armed with groups special purpose MTR is located wide range weapons from small arms to the latest armored vehicles, high-precision sniper systems and anti-tank missile systems.

For many years, the fact of the existence of a new type of troops was hidden, but during the counter-terrorist operation in Syria, the Russian leadership officially recognized the presence of Special Operations Forces in the Middle East. The combat experience of the military who went through this war is already being studied, because even according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, it is thanks to the actions domestic special forces in Syria, in a short period of time, very great successes have been achieved, including improving the accuracy of air strikes of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation.

"Russian Spring" wrote many times about the participation of Russian elite units in battles with international terrorism in various parts of Syria, and published photos and videos from this theater of operations.

It is known that the Syrian Arab Republic is testing the latest special means designed for reconnaissance, detection and destruction of the enemy: infrared sights, thermal imagers, small reconnaissance drones and even combat robots are used.

All the experience of our military-industrial complex and special training for decades has been merged together. MTR operations in the SAR are best characterized by the words "military surgical intervention": being deep behind enemy lines, with the help of high-precision sniper weapon the special forces achieve the most important results, comparable to weeks of air strikes.

Stories like this are usually not made public. They are silent about them. Like the participants in the actions themselves, so did the top military leadership.

Only after the passage of time, the seal of secrecy is removed from some documents, and then the world will know the truth...
And before that, only tales and legends circulate among the military, among ordinary people. These stories are passed from mouth to mouth, told with a good snack, in the kitchen and often become the subject of heated discussions. Was it, was it not?

In 2016, a special forces group was abandoned behind militant lines, in the area adjacent to Palmyra. The task included additional reconnaissance on the ground and coordination of the actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces to deliver air strikes to support the Syrian army.

It was ordered to enter into fire contact only in case of emergency. But, if anything, in case of detection, air support for the MTR (Special Operations Forces) is guaranteed.

According to introductory intelligence, there were American, maybe even British and French special forces in the same area, who instructed the militants, but, of course, did not climb under the blows themselves. In which case they simply disappeared in unknown directions.

The group on foreigners received no special instructions. But very often it turned out that it was necessary to release instructors by virtue of some specific and not always beautiful agreements. War is a disgusting thing, especially when there is no open confrontation in the sense in which politicians paint it.

After a while, our guys discovered a fortified area of ​​militants. The sniper, while watching through the scope, added to the report of the scouts that among the terrorists there are clearly American, and maybe British specialists. Determined by equipment. Moreover, in front of the eyes of foreigners, the militants had just executed two Syrians in the military uniform of government forces. Shot in the back of the head.

Commander, these of course do not kill themselves, but they do not interfere. This is (followed by a mate) some kind of ... Can we immediately give our VKS to cover so that the staff officers do not find out? And then, as always, they will begin to communicate through their channels, with requests and other things ...

We don’t have direct instructions on the Americans, but you yourself know that if they find out that they were mixed up, politicians from the other side will raise such a howl - mother don’t cry.

So, nothing better than militants. They do not live according to the laws of war. The Germans in the Second World War were even kinder ...

German to German is different. Like Amer Amer. But these... yes, these agree. Sokol, inform ours that you have discovered a fortified area with a large concentration of manpower and equipment. Some militants did not notice the foreigners. Apparently they are preparing an attack on Palmyra. It is necessary to cover as early as possible, before the advance of the column, while the fees are going on. Well, you know...

Yes, Commander!

In principle, the commander was not very cunning. The fighters were obviously going somewhere. It might happen to the city. The Americans, of course, will not go on the attack. Likely to leave the area. Turntables will be called, as has happened more than once. And look-fistula.
Twenty minutes later, two units of Sushki swept over the heads of the MTR fighters and hell broke loose over the fortified area ... Several approaches and the fighters went beyond the horizon.

The SOF soldiers looked at the smoking ruins and moved on. There is still a lot of work ahead...

They say that some in the United States were very indignant that the Russian Aerospace Forces covered the Americans and their allies, along with the opposition, which should not be confused with militants, from the word - nothing ... But the scandal was quickly hushed up. This is war. And that doesn't happen.

In addition, the amers were afraid to declare such things openly. After all, this could lead to a direct confrontation with Russia. And they didn't really want that. They got used to raking the heat with the wrong hands.

There is also evidence to the contrary...
What the American commando, who introduced himself as Klein, told about, is unlikely to ever be told or shown in the West. There, and so, according to the soldier, they hide the truth about the losses in Syria with might and main.

But one day, he felt in his own skin the full force of punishment for training Syrian terrorists who were led by the US Special Operations Forces. The commando remembered this day for the rest of his life.

He told how, under the guise of instructors, he taught Syrian militants to kill for the benefit of America.

“The militants, with our help, won for the sake of America - and this was the main thing,” the soldier admitted.

That was until he ran into the Russians in Aleppo in 2016. The commando admitted that hand-held American militants had been “ironing” the city for a year.

The Russians gave the terrorists and their "instructors" a real hell, not giving a single moment of respite, pouring heavy fire on the enemy in support of the Syrian government forces.

In that battle, the commando received, according to his confession, a “mark” from a sniper. "For memory". In the militants, he never missed - he hit exactly in the head.

Surviving in the "meat grinder" american soldier got to the hospital. He spoke for the first time about what happened then in Syria.