218th separate battalion. My path to special forces. Weapons and personnel
Russian paratroopers are revered not only in their own country. The whole world respects them. One American general is known to have said that if he had a company of Russian paratroopers, he would have conquered the entire planet. Among the legendary formations of the Russian army is the 45th Airborne Regiment. It has an interesting history, the central part of which is occupied by heroic deeds.
We are proud of our paratroopers, we honor their courage, valor and willingness to defend the interests of the Motherland at any cost. Glorious pages of the military history of the USSR, and then Russia, appeared largely thanks to the heroic exploits of paratroopers. Soldiers serving in the Airborne Forces fearlessly carried out the most difficult tasks and special operations. The airborne troops are among the most prestigious formations of the Russian army. Soldiers strive to get there, wanting to feel involved in creating the glorious military history of their country.
45th Airborne Regiment: basic facts
The 45th Airborne Special Forces Regiment was formed in early 1994. Its base was separate battalions number 218 and 901. By the middle of the year, the regiment was equipped with weapons and soldiers. The 45th regiment began its first combat operation in December 1994 in Chechnya. The paratroopers participated in the battles until February 1995, and then returned to the Moscow region, to their base of deployment on a permanent basis. In 2005, the regiment received the Battle Banner of Guards Regiment No. 119
From that moment of its founding, the military formation became known as the 45th Airborne Reconnaissance Regiment. But at the beginning of 2008 it was renamed a special purpose regiment. In August of the same year, it participated in a special operation to force Georgia to peace. In 2010, tactical group of regiment number 45 ensured the safety of Russian citizens during unrest in Kyrgyzstan.
Background
The basis for the formation of the 45th separate guards regiment was the 218th and 901st special forces battalions. By that time, the soldiers of the first battalion had taken part in three combat operations. In the summer of 1992, the battalion served in Transnistria, in September - in the territories where there was a conflict between Ossetian and Ingush militant groups, in December - in Abkhazia.
Since 1979, battalion number 901 was part of the Soviet troops on the territory of Czechoslovakia, in 1989 it was redeployed to Latvia and transferred to the structure of the Baltic Military District. In 1991, the 901st Special Forces Battalion was redeployed to the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992 it was renamed the parachute battalion. In 1993, the formation carried out tasks related to the protection of government and military facilities. In the fall of 1993, the battalion was redeployed to the Moscow region. Then the 45th Russian Airborne Regiment appeared.
Awards
In 1995, the 45th Airborne Regiment received a Certificate from the President of Russia for services to the country. In July 1997, the formation was awarded the Banner of Airborne Regiment No. 5, which took part in hostilities during the Great Patriotic War. In 2001, the regiment received a Pennant from the Russian Minister of Defense for courage, high combat training and real valor when participating in hostilities on the territory of Chechnya. The 45th Guards Airborne Regiment owns the Order of Kutuzov - the corresponding decree was signed by the President of Russia. The military formation was awarded this award for its success in the heroic performance of combat operations, the heroism and courage shown by the soldiers and command. The regiment became the first carrier in the modern history of our country. In July 2009, the formation received the St. George Banner.
Ten soldiers whose place of service was the 45th Airborne Regiment received the title of Hero of Russia. 79 paratroopers were awarded the Order of Courage. The medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, second degree, was awarded to ten servicemen of the regiment. Seventeen and three paratroopers received the Orders “For Military Merit” and “For Services to the Fatherland,” respectively. 174 military personnel received medals “For Courage”, 166 received the Suvorov medal. Seven people were awarded the Zhukov medal.
Anniversary
Kubinka near Moscow - the 45th Airborne Regiment is based there - in July 2014 was the site of anniversary celebrations dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the formation. The event was held in an open door format - paratroopers showed the guests their combat skills, parachute units lowered the Airborne Forces flag from the sky, and famous pilots from the Russian Knights team showed the wonders of aerobatics in fighter jets.
Legendary regiment as part of the Airborne Forces
Which includes the 45th regiment - Airborne Forces (airborne troops) of Russia. Their history dates back to August 2, 1930. Then the first paratroopers of the Moscow District Air Force landed in our country by parachute. It was a kind of experiment that showed military theorists how promising the landing of parachute units could be from the point of view of combat operations. The first official unit of the USSR airborne troops appeared only the following year in the Leningrad Military District. The formation included 164 people, all military personnel of the airborne detachment. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, there were five airborne corps in the USSR, each of which served with 10 thousand soldiers.
Airborne Forces during the Great Patriotic War
With the beginning of the war, all Soviet airborne corps entered battles taking place on the territory of the Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Lithuanian Republics. The largest operation involving paratroopers during the war is considered to be the battle with a group of Germans near Moscow at the beginning of 1942. Then 10 thousand paratroopers won the most important victory for the front. Airborne units also joined the battles at Stalingrad.
The paratroopers of the Soviet army honorably fulfilled their duty to defend the city. The Airborne Forces of the USSR Army also took part in the battles after the defeat of Nazi Germany - in August 1945 they fought in the Far East against the Imperial Armed Forces of Japan. More than 4 thousand paratroopers helped Soviet troops win important victories in this direction of the front.
After the war
According to military analysts, special attention was paid in the post-war development strategy of the USSR Airborne Forces to organizing combat operations behind enemy lines, increasing the combat effectiveness of soldiers, and interacting with army units, subject to the possible use of atomic weapons. The troops began to be equipped with new aircraft such as AN-12 and AN-22, which, thanks to their large payload capacity, could deliver vehicles, armored vehicles, artillery and other means of warfare behind enemy lines.
Every year, an increasing number of military exercises were held with the participation of Airborne Forces soldiers. Among the largest was the one that took place in the spring of 1970 in the Belarusian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. As part of the Dvina exercise, more than 7 thousand soldiers and more than 150 guns were landed. In 1971, the South exercises of comparable scale took place. In the late 1970s, the use of new Il-76 aircraft in landing operations was first tested. Until the collapse of the USSR, Airborne Forces soldiers repeatedly demonstrated the highest combat skills at each exercise.
Russian Airborne Forces today
Now the Airborne Forces are considered a structure that is called upon independently (or as a part to carry out combat missions in conflicts of various scales - from local to global. About 95% of the Airborne Forces units are in a state of constant combat readiness. Airborne formations are considered one of the most mobile branches of the Russian military. They are also called upon to perform the functions of conducting combat operations behind enemy lines.
The Russian Airborne Forces include four divisions, its own training center, institute, as well as a large number of structures performing support, supply and maintenance work.
The motto of the Russian Airborne Forces is “Nobody but us!” The paratrooper service is considered by many to be one of the most prestigious and at the same time difficult. As of 2010, 4,000 officers, 7,000 contract soldiers, and 24,000 conscripts served in the Airborne Forces. Another 28,000 people are civilian personnel of the formation.
Paratroopers and the operation in Afghanistan
The largest participation of the Airborne Forces in combat operations after the Great Patriotic War took place in Afghanistan. The 103rd division, 345th airborne regiment, two battalions, and motorized rifle brigades took part in the battles. A number of military analysts believe that the specifics of combat operations in Afghanistan did not imply the advisability of using parachute landing as a method of transferring army combat personnel. This, according to analysts, is due to the mountainous terrain of the country, as well as the high level of costs for carrying out such operations. Airborne personnel, as a rule, were transported using helicopters.
The largest operation of the USSR Airborne Forces in Afghanistan was the Battle of Panjer in 1982. More than 4 thousand paratroopers took part in it (with a total number of soldiers involved in the operation of 12 thousand people). as a result of the fighting, she was able to take control of the main part of the Panjer Gorge.
Combat operations of the Airborne Forces after the collapse of the USSR
The paratroopers, despite the difficult times that followed the collapse of the superpower, continued to defend the interests of their country. They were often peacekeepers in the territories of the former Soviet republics. Russian paratroopers made a name for themselves throughout the world during the conflict in Yugoslavia in 1999. Soldiers of the Russian Airborne Forces made the famous rush to Pristina, managing to get ahead of the NATO military.
Throw on Pristina
On the night of June 11-12, 1999, Russian paratroopers appeared on the territory of Yugoslavia, starting their movement from neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina. They managed to occupy an airfield located near the city of Pristina. There, a few hours later, NATO soldiers appeared. Some details of those events are known. In particular, US Army General Clark ordered his colleague from the British armed forces to prevent the Russians from taking possession of the airfield. He replied that he did not want to provoke a third world war. However, the main part of the information on the essence of the operation in Pristina is missing - all of it is classified.
Russian paratroopers in Chechnya
Russian Airborne Forces took part in both Chechen wars. Regarding the first, most of the data is still secret. It is known, for example, that among the most famous operations of the second campaign with the participation of the Airborne Forces was the Battle of Argun. The Russian army received the task of blocking a strategically significant section of transport highways passing through the Argun Gorge. Through it, the separatists received food, weapons and medicine. The paratroopers joined the operation in December as part of the 56th Airborne Regiment.
The heroic feat of the paratroopers participating in the battles for height 776 near the Chechen Ulus-Kert is known. In February 2000, the 6th Airborne Company from Pskov entered into battle with the group of Khattab and Basayev, ten times larger in number. Within 24 hours, the militants were blocked inside the Argun Gorge. In carrying out the task, the soldiers of the Pskov airborne company did not spare themselves. 6 fighters remained alive.
Russian paratroopers and the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
In the 90s, units of the Russian Airborne Forces performed mainly peacekeeping functions in the territories where the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict took place. But in 2008, paratroopers took part in combat operations. When the Georgian army attacked South Ossetia, units of the Russian army were sent to the war area, including the 76th Russian Airborne Division from Pskov. According to a number of military analysts, there were no major airborne landings in this special operation. However, experts believe that the participation of Russian paratroopers had a psychological effect - first of all, on the political leadership of Georgia.
Forty-fifth Regiment: renaming
Recently, information has appeared that the 45th Airborne Regiment may receive the honorary name of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. A military formation with this name was founded by Peter the Great and became legendary. There is a version that the initiative that the 45th Airborne Regiment of the Russian Federation should be renamed comes from a statement by the President of Russia, who expressed the opinion that the Russian Army should have formations named after famous regiments such as Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky. At one of the military councils of the Russian Airborne Forces, as indicated in some sources, the President’s proposal was considered, and as a result, responsible persons were tasked with preparing information on the beginning of work on the creation of historical army regiments. It is quite possible that the 45th Special Forces Regiment of the Russian Airborne Forces will receive the title of Preobrazhensky.
Sergeant of the 45th separate special purpose reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces Valery K., grenade launcher of the 4th reconnaissance group of the 1st reconnaissance company of the 901st separate special forces battalion.
By the time I was drafted into the army (June 1994), I already had a sports rank in rock climbing and prizes at youth competitions in the city of Apatity, Murmansk region - I lived there until the mid-90s. That’s why they took me to the 45th regiment, I didn’t fit in height, they took guys with a height of 180 cm, but in those years there was a wild shortage of people, besides, I had already done several parachute jumps, we jumped in the winter of 1989 at the Murmashi airfield. In general, a kid came with jumping and rock climbing skills - practically a ready-made saboteur. The military commissar says to me: “You are not the right height, but with your athletic training, we can send you to special forces. Understand, it will be very difficult for you... Are you ready?” And in the parachute club where we trained, the instructors were Afghans, healthy, cheerful men in vests, some with military awards. Of course, I also wanted to be like them! I say: “Of course, I can handle it!” And from the very beginning, I was determined to go to a combat company, and not to support. That's how I ended up in the 45th Regiment.
901 SEPARATE SPECIAL PURPOSE BATTALION
The 45th regiment at that time consisted of two battalions - 218 separate battalion (commander - Major Andrei Anatolyevich Nepryakhin, future Hero of Russia) and 901 separate battalion (commander - Major Nikolai Sergeevich Nikulnikov), a three-company composition of 4 reconnaissance groups in each company. The regiment also included auxiliary units - a communications company (signalmen were scattered among reconnaissance groups), a special weapons company, an armored personnel carrier driver and gunner, and AGS crews. The reconnaissance company numbered 52-54 people, so a combined detachment of about 150 people operated in Grozny: 2nd company (commander - captain Andrei Vladimirovich Zelenkovsky) 218 special forces, 1st (commander - senior lieutenant Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Nikolakhin) and 3rd ( commander - captain Cherdantsev) of company 901 special forces.
I can characterize all my immediate commanders as very professional, cruel and very cheerful people (such a complex combination). I am immensely grateful to them, and to this day, a quarter after the Grozny battles, I remember them. But this is never forgotten...
“Healthy, bald, with their appearance and habits they were more reminiscent of bandits than officers of the Red Army. It was not for nothing that at that time citizens in black Mercedes were constantly grazing at the checkpoint with offers to earn extra money - to kill someone in Moscow...” 1
I now understand that, by and large, all our officers were real Soviet officers, in the best sense of the word. One of my acquaintances served ten years later in 2005 in GRU intelligence, and he told how their company commander extorted money from personnel. So, in principle, this could not have happened here; the consciousness of people in that early post-Soviet period did not allow it.
Hazing was very cruel. Officers approached this phenomenon in different ways: some tried not to pay attention, others, as the company commander Bannikov, fought as best he could (in the evening he climbed into the window of his office on the first floor, and when after lights out they began to press the young people, he jumped out office with a rubber stick and dispersed the old-timers), some of the officers, on the contrary, tried to use this phenomenon to their service. Our commander of the 4th group, Captain Vladimir Vladimirovich Glukhovsky, was engaged in serious education, and he turned our group into a truly well-coordinated team.
“Army friends... All this is a myth, a fiction, do not believe anyone who says that only in the army can you find real friends. Who can you call a friend here? Mordvin Evdokimov, who before the army made a living robbing passers-by at Moscow train stations and fled to the army from prison? The psychotic Tatar Zimadeev, who is also a karateka? He knows how to somersault over a fence and at the same time shoot from a machine gun. He has one argument for all everyday disputes - a kick to the head. A Kazakh named Batyr, who speaks Russian with difficulty? Or my fellow countryman from St. Petersburg Kokorin, who spent his entire childhood in a special boarding school and at twenty years old did not know the multiplication table? They could not be my friends." 1
“In the unit, where they didn’t take guys less than one meter tall and where there was a cult of physical strength, they began to hate me immediately, simply because of my short stature.
As night fell, after lights out, the old-timers came up with the idea that it was I who should clean their boots and hem their collars. Of course, because it seemed to them that it was much easier to mentally break a person who was chest-high and thirty kilograms lighter.
All attempts to “agree” ended in a simple beating.
I didn’t say anything afterwards, I just walked up and hit back once, knowing that in a few seconds I would be looking at the interior of the barracks from some unusual angle, lying with my head turned between the bedside table and the bed.
But I had to take this shot over and over again.
They were a little discouraged by the fact that I was the fastest to pack a parachute than anyone else in the company, could accurately navigate the map, could translate phrases in English from a manual for interrogating prisoners of war, could pull myself up the most on the crossbar and never died on forced marches.
Who gave this little nerd a grenade launcher? Are you completely crazy? - officers from another battalion reacted to me. After all, in addition to the machine gun, I also had to carry a grenade launcher with ammunition.
Everything is fine! Are your grenade launchers dying on the march? - Lieutenant Shepherd protected me with the castle of our reconnaissance group.
Well, they die, the soldiers constantly carry them in their arms...
But ours won’t die! He is our only “undying” one! “The shepherd was the only one who believed in me, maybe because he was just as short and thoughtful.
I was stubborn and patient, and after a year even those who hated me began to respect me." 1
Hazing is a complex, reciprocal phenomenon in which not only old-timers are to blame, and not all forms are bad. And whoever has not seen this will never understand. Later, reconnaissance groups tried to form guys from the same conscription, but this did not always help.
“Being a soldier of the smallest stature, and even serving in the fourth reconnaissance group, means always and everywhere being last in line.
To the bathhouse, to the dining room, to receive uniforms.
And now, I stood in the central aisle in front of the storeroom, anxiously watching a stack of tattered pea coats melting away.
A year ago, our unit left Abkhazia, and the thrifty company commander took out a whole truckload of what seemed then unnecessary junk. These peacoats have come a long way and if they could talk they could tell a lot.
Are these bullet holes? - a colleague of my conscription, standing opposite the window, looked into the light at the mysterious holes in the pea coat he had just received.
What is this, blood?.. - he turned to us showing strange brown spots on the fabric.
I won't wear this!!
Take it! Don't wander around! - one of the “old men” said sternly - “it will get cold in the forest at night, put it on, and you will be glad!”
The first three-day reconnaissance mission awaited us, and since we were called up in June, we were not entitled to winter uniforms.
In the army everything is on schedule.
The transition to winter uniforms is scheduled for October 15, which means that until that moment everyone wears summer camouflage, and it doesn’t matter that it’s already the end of September and there are frosts in the mornings.
You're out of luck! - the company commander said cheerfully, pointing to the empty shelves of the rack; he issued these pea coats personally.
Maybe... maybe there was at least one shot left?
No more pea coats! Take a raincoat from OZK, it will be warmer for everyone to spend the night - he handed me a rubber package.
It was a very cold three days.
When I went to bed, I covered my head with this cloak and from breathing it became covered from the inside with perspiration, which by morning turned into frost.
On the third day of continuous trembling, I heard, I almost felt a strange click in my head, as if some kind of switch had been switched.
And with that click, I suddenly stopped shaking and felt warm.
I will only acquire the ability to freeze again only about seven years after leaving the army." 2
"EVERYONE WAS READY THREE DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE"
I remember very well how the deployment took place here in Kubinka, to the PPD battalion. On the twentieth of November 1994, on Saturday, we were in the garrison cinema on the territory of a tank unit. During the film show, a messenger came running and shouted into the audience: “First company, go out!”
We ran out and went to the company location. The training camp was already underway there. It was announced that a joint reconnaissance group was moving to Chechnya. The first reconnaissance group was assembled from us; they laid out the equipment in the central aisle for inspection. The mood before the departure was combative; they turned to the company commander with a request to include us in the combat formation. To which he replied: “Don’t worry, we’ll all fly there soon.” (One couple, however, got drunk. And the most pumped-up and bullish ones. Overnight they turned from centers into schmucks. But then no one condemned them. But they remained outcasts until the end of the service.) Then a new composition of the advanced detachment was formed, in which included our group. Before departure, everyone was ready three days in advance and slept on rolled-up mattresses. The bed linen was handed over, and we lay with our weapons on nothing but armored nets. Before departure, we wrote letters to our parents that we were going to Pskov for jumping. Maybe in Moscow (the 218th battalion was stationed in Sokolniki) there were parents at the checkpoint, but we had no one. On November 27 the departure took place. Upon arrival in Mozdok, we spent the night at the location of the VV unit. This night was very memorable because the BB guys in the barracks had a TV on the wall, and the singer Freddie Mercury was playing there. Then we moved to the checkpoint at the airfield, and soon everyone else arrived, and we moved to the boathouses near the takeoff. On the very first night, my grandfathers poked me a little with a knife in order to take away cash, but bad luck - I didn’t have any cash! Looking ahead, I will immediately say that during the hostilities in Grozny, hazing disappeared completely; in those conditions, hazing was impossible.
Upon arrival in Mozdok, they immediately went on guard to protect the personal train of Defense Minister P. Grachev, as well as his helicopter and the plane on which he flew to Moscow. So they changed constantly: to and from guard duty, to training, to shooting. In Grozny we operated with three companies, the other two were replacements, and one company was in reserve. Reserve companies guarded Grachev's train.
“Winter. Mozdok. Chill wind with sleet. We’ve been there for three days now. We can’t hide from it anywhere, because we’re at the airfield.
My friend and I are standing guard. There is no one to replace us, since our company is chasing a Chechen reconnaissance group through the forests.
The day before yesterday we guarded the plane of the Minister of Defense, yesterday we guarded the helicopter of the Minister of Defense, today we are guarding the mobile headquarters of the Minister of Defense.
We wait for the inspector to leave, take off our helmets and sit in them like in pots. Back to back. It's warmer this way. As I fall asleep, I think that a Chechen reconnaissance group will find us and cut our throats. “And then everything will end...” I think, even with some relief, and fall into sleep. The snow covers us with a wet blanket." 1
Of course, in addition to guarding facilities, the personnel of some reconnaissance groups carried out reconnaissance missions of the approaches to Grozny.
Once, my 4th reconnaissance group carried out a mission to search for an exposed Chechen reconnaissance group. True, they were not found.
On December 30, Captain Glukhovsky gave the order to prepare for a flight to mountainous areas, scheduled for tomorrow, December 31. In addition to the ammunition, we were each given a kilogram of forty different charges of explosives; it was assumed that we would have to start blowing up some bridges, the details were not specified. On the 31st we were ready to take off, and at approximately 14:15 a combined detachment of about 30 people boarded two Mi-8s. But an hour later, the takeoff was canceled, nevertheless, the order was given to be at the airfield. At about 17-18 the command came to load again, and this time we took off. We spent almost an hour in the air. We were covered by three Mi-24s. In the mountains, at the time of landing, the pilot discovered a Chechen armored personnel carrier standing in the bushes, and our helicopter took off sharply and left the landing point. The militants were apparently afraid of the Mi-24 and did not open fire. For a long time it was a mystery to me where they wanted to send us for the first time, and after 20 years, from some source, I learned that they were planning to land on the central stadium of Grozny, exactly where the reserve of Dudayev’s forces was located. We were very lucky that the flight was cancelled.
“There were about 20 of us left from the special operations department. Guys from the 45th reconnaissance regiment were supposed to act with us. They alerted us again and brought us to the airfield in Mozdok to deliver us by helicopter to the center of Grozny, to the stadium. It was then assumed that that we will take Dudayev’s palace in much the same way as we took Amin’s palace in December 1979.<...>We never flew to the center of Grozny. As they say, as above, so below. A terrible inconsistency in the actions of different types of troops was revealed. It turned out that the helicopters could not take off, because one helicopter pilot had not yet had lunch, another had not yet refueled, and the third was completely on duty. As a result, already on January 1 at 00 hours 10 minutes we were given the order: “Get to the cars!” - the city had to be entered by land.<...>By the evening of that day, having already entered the city with a tank column, we learned from our scouts that by the time of that failed landing, the stadium planned as a springboard for it was full of well-armed and at the same time not subordinate to anyone: it was on December 31 that the the weapons available in warehouses were also distributed there without restrictions to everyone who wanted to defend “free Ichkeria”. So our three helicopters would most likely have been burned over this stadium.” 3
The leadership developed a “brilliant plan”: when we start sending troops into the city from the north, the militants will “get scared” and run to the south, where pre-established ambushes will await them on the main roads. It was these ambushes that we had to organize, and this explains the distribution of 40 kilograms of explosives for each person.
We are celebrating the New Year near the boathouses after the failed landing in the mountains. Somewhere there in the dark in the ranks is me.
Returning to Mozdok on the evening of the 31st, we immediately stepped up to guard Grachev’s train. I celebrated the New Year guarding this train. There were BB posts across the field, and when the chimes struck, they opened fire with tracers in our direction, apparently believing that there could be no one in the field. My friend and I fell behind a thick poplar, branches cut down by bullets fell on us, he took out a can of beer stolen from an “officer’s” gift, and lying behind the poplar, we drank it in honor of the coming New Year.
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Here, by the way, is a very good video filmed by an officer from the 901st battalion. All our officers are here, almost all the guys from our group. I will comment on this video, summarizing the “peaceful” part of the service - from the PPD in Kubinka to the location in the boathouses at the Mozdok airfield. There were a lot of videos on the regiment on the Internet, but these videos disappear from time to time, perhaps the owners delete accounts.
Loading before departure on the battalion's central parade ground.
01:00. Battalion commander Nikulnikov and the commander of the 3rd company Cherdantsev stands with his back.
01:46. Senior Lieutenant Konoplyannikov, commander of the first reconnaissance group. On January 5, 1995, in the hospital, he will receive a bullet in the head, the Sphere will save him: the bullet will pierce steel, Kevlar, lining, all layers, and, having pierced the skin, will stick into the skull, but all the consequences will be a hefty bump.
01:53. A high officer - Major Cherushev, in my opinion he will later become a battalion commander after Nikulnikov.
14:21. Boxes with gifts from Menatep Bank. We called the black round hats “menatepovki”. Ironically, just before the storming of Grozny, they sent us gifts from “Menatep” - such cardboard boxes, they were brought on the 30th. The boxes were “officers” and “soldiers”. They all had writing materials: notebooks, pens, and also sweaters and hats like this. The "officer's" boxes also contained a bottle of champagne and a can of imported beer. Whoever compiled these kits had a very good understanding of what a soldier needed. Many years later, to be honest, I am stunned, knowing the arrogance of the current oligarchs: to send a gift to a soldier and also consult with a knowledgeable specialist about what exactly the soldier needs. This had to come down... The fact is that a fucking soldier's helmet only fits on the top of the head with a fur army earflap, and the whole point of the helmet disappears, but here they sent caps - the consultant clearly understood the situation.
So we ran around in these hats. In general, it turned out that all the uniforms and equipment were very poorly suited for active combat operations. Upon arrival at the PPD in Kubinka, these caps were taken to the warehouse by order.
A few years later, in the St. Petersburg metro, I saw a man wearing such a hat. I stood and looked at him for a long time, trying to understand whether he was in Grozny...
15:41. On the right in the frame is Lieutenant Andrei Gridnev, the future Hero of Russia. I remember how Gridnev just came to the unit from school as a young lieutenant, he was only 21 or 22 years old, he was assigned to our company as Konoplyannikov’s deputy, he was immediately very motivated to serve. From the first days, Gridnev was seriously involved in training and educating the guys from the group, they regularly ran with him, ran extra cross-country races, and every evening he came and forced them to douse themselves with ice water (in fact, we didn’t have hot water in the company at that time). They called it “Karbyshev’s bathhouse”. He gave the impression of a very tough person. But I remember when his wife arrived at the unit, when he had already settled into the officer’s dormitory, and we were helping him bring in furniture and things, he, secretly from his wife, took a box with jars of raspberry jam, and in the dark around the corner of the dormitory, he handed it to us, saying : “Here, guys, eat some jam!” I remember being very touched. After Konoplyannikov was wounded on January 5, Gridnev will take command of the reconnaissance group and will successfully lead it. The guys from the group recalled that he was very lively in battle, they laughed, saying: “The battle is being fought by Lieutenant Gridnev and ten of his squires,” because he was constantly running from one fighter to another, shooting from a grenade launcher, then from a machine gun, then He would take the rifle away from the sniper, the guys laughed that if they started giving him shells, he would throw shells at the militants’ positions even without a gun. And when I found out that he was given the Hero star, I was not surprised at all.
15:53. Company commander Nikolakhin and on the left in a winter hat and camouflage uniform are the deputy company commander and the commander of the combined group of snipers (included soldiers armed with SVD and VSS) Konstantin Mikhailovich Golubev, who will die on January 8, 1995. They were friends, and Nikolahin was very upset about his death.
16:11. Our political officer Bannikov waves his hand.
16:15. A big mustachioed guy is the battalion's main demolition bomber, I don't remember his name. When classes on subversive training were taking place, he said: “Explosives can be made from last year’s leaves; whoever stays for a contract, I’ll tell you how.” Behind him is a healthy guy - our machine gunner Yura Sannikov, from Siberia, a very kind guy, one of two in the company with a higher education.
The camera moves to the right, and we again see Gridnev and Lieutenant Gonta, a tough guy, on the second trip he will be the commander of a combined reconnaissance group, in which I will be, we will destroy the ambush at height 970 in the Serzhen-Yurt area under his leadership. Then I will have a good relationship with him. In Grozny he was the commander of the second reconnaissance group. At the very edge of the frame on the right is Dima T., a sergeant from our reconnaissance group, who transferred to the RMO after the assault on Grozny. Now in Europe he is a chef in one of the hotels.
17:20. Formation of officers of our 1st company. The tallest in the ranks is Glukhovsky! Vladimir Glukhovsky, at the age of 27 at that time, was already a very experienced officer, commanding a reconnaissance group in Transnistria in a separate 818th special forces company, subordinate directly to the commander of the 14th Army Lebed, which carried out complex combat missions, and was disbanded after the withdrawal from Transnistria. Glukhovsky was sent to our regiment, and it so happened that he, a captain, a former group commander, who was already wounded, fell under the subordination of the junior senior lieutenant Nikolakhin. Glukhovsky was a man of character, very energetic and treated war as a sport. I never saw him scared or tired, although he sometimes slept less than we did.
Behind Glukhovsky, the last one in the ranks is his deputy. Vadim Pastukh. On his second trip in the summer of 1995, Shepherd will be the commander of a group providing support for a detachment of drones. And the commander of this unit will be Sergei Makarov, the second in line. In the event of a drone being shot down by militants, Shepherd’s group was to ensure its search and return.
"THE CITY WAS DESTROYED, MANY HOUSES WERE BURNED"
I don’t remember exactly, but it seems that on January 1, 1995, on the Urals, we moved to Grozny with two companies: the 2nd 218th battalion and our 1st 901st battalion. The second company, under the leadership of Major Nepryakhin, entered first. The third company of our battalion entered Grozny one or two days later than us.
I always thought that they entered the city late in the evening on January 1st. The day before there was turmoil: departures, arrivals, train security... Perhaps one day (December 31, 1994) slipped out of my memory.
Before leaving for Grozny, near the boathouses, we tied the Urals with boxes of sand, and it was during the day, I remember exactly. The thaw began, and, by the way, they brought “sphere” helmets by car, which the officers immediately snapped up, but they brought few helmets, so not even all the officers had enough. Apparently, this happened on the afternoon of January 1, and we set out, accordingly, on the second, because on December 31 we were closely busy with these attempts to fly somewhere, and the Urals were not tied with boxes that day. But I was always sure that the entrance to the city took place on the first of January.
In the video there are metal trusses of a cannery; there were infantry machine gunners on all the platforms, who began firing bursts at any sound.
Then, if the 218th battalion reached the canned food facility approximately at the time indicated on the timer in the video frames of Lyubimov’s film, then it turns out that our company arrived at night after them. Nepryakhin says in the video that they entered with a fight. And then we, the first company of the 901st battalion, moved separately (our column was not large, just a few vehicles). Grozny is only about 100 kilometers from Mozdok.
We moved in a column behind the second company of the 218th battalion, already in the dark. The city was destroyed, there was no electric lighting, but many houses were burning. At one point, a mortar mine exploded in front of our Ural. The driver stopped, and immediately a second mine fell behind the car. I saw how Glukhovsky, who was sitting at the edge of the body, ran to the cabin and began banging on it with his fist, shouting: “Forward!” The driver drove off, and where we were standing, the third mine exploded. One of the mines hit a private house, which was located on the left side in the direction of travel. We entered the cannery late at night on January 1st. The company was located in a two-story building on the second floor. My friend and I were immediately put on guard to guard the Urals. The mortar shelling continued and several mines exploded nearby.
There were already infantry at the plant, the remnants of some units. In the darkness, we met a surviving warrant officer from the Maikop brigade, who told us about the death of their column, about how the Chechens shot the crews of the vehicles leaving the burning equipment. The cannery was generally a safe place, despite periodic shelling. All the stories about compote from this factory - however, we drank compote all the time, no one broke these cans (Obviously this refers to a scene from A.G. Nevzorov’s feature film “Purgatory”, 1997: “Why are you destroying banks, huh?”)
Over time, the plant became a kind of springboard where suitable units were pulled up.
“[The plant] was a series of barracks-type premises, but built very thoroughly. Some of them housed unit headquarters, others housed units withdrawn from battle and their armored vehicles. Some of the warehouses were still filled with canned juices and compotes. there was a constant stream of people carrying away the cans." 4
After entering the cannery, Glukhovsky ordered to find wooden pallets, and from these pallets to build a floor for sleeping in the two-story building where we were located. It must be said that Glukhovsky took the organization of everyday life very seriously and always forced the creation of the most comfortable conditions possible for sleep and rest. He immediately dispatched one of our soldiers to make lamps from shell casings. It turned out that this ancient, proven method of lighting has no alternative. Later, when the building is hit by a mortar, we will move to the basement, and there, too, our commander will force us to equip sleeping places, build a stove from a barrel, and make a dozen lamps from shell casings. This habit of making our locations as comfortable as possible will remain with us until the end of our service.
On the same day they will bring in a captured artillery spotter. Then there was a version about “a captain dressed in a uniform,” I don’t know if these are different people or not. But the spotter is not a myth, and I have seen it myself.
Officer 22 Special Special Forces Vyacheslav Dmitriev:“For some time we were tormented by mortar fire, from which there was no escape. This continued until the spotter was caught. One of the sentries noticed a man of Slavic appearance in the uniform of a captain of the Russian army, who alone entered and then left the territory again cannery. They checked him, the unit number in the documents did not match the number of the military units that entered Grozny, and the artillery compass and the Japanese radio station dispelled all doubts. During interrogation, it turned out that he was a Ukrainian mercenary. His further fate is unknown. Some said, that he was sent to Mozdok to a filtration point of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, others that he was shot here, behind the barracks. In those conditions, both could be true." 4
The captured spotter will boast: “Welcome to hell!” There were rumors that infantrymen took him on the roof of either a five-story building or a nine-story building nearby; he had a walkie-talkie with him, but this is also unlikely, rather he was “rummaging around” near the plant, and apparently lost his sense of smell from impunity. He was a Chechen with a big nose, unshaven, spoke with an accent, was dressed in black trousers and a long black leather jacket with pockets. I now think it was not a mercenary, but most likely one of the locals, such as a surveyor or a retired military man; you can’t teach a simple shepherd to use a compass so quickly. I'll see him the next day. The spotter was kept in the basement of the house where we lived at first. There, near the porch, the next morning I saw him and didn’t recognize him, his face was very badly damaged, he cried and said: “Don’t kill me, I’m a soldier like you!” A tall, thin general spoke to him gloomily.
It became psychologically difficult already on January 2: constant lack of sleep, knee-deep mud, shelling from mortars, snipers. Even to smoke - I had to hide.
On January 2, if I’m not mistaken, the first reconnaissance group received the task of moving to the Petropavlovskoye Highway area (but this is not accurate information). The fact is that troops were planned to approach the highway, and the militants set up ambushes there, and it was necessary to carry out counter-ambush measures.
Major Sergei Ivanovich Shavrin, FSK Special Operations Directorate:"The task of the corps commander (commander of the 8th Guards AK, Lieutenant General L.Ya. Rokhlin) He entrusted us with a difficult task: to ensure the safety of the column routes along which military equipment and troops advanced. This is Lermontovskaya street (Lermontov Street, adjacent to Petropavlovskoye Highway). On one side there are houses, a private sector, and on the other there are modern buildings. Militants in groups of 5-6 people made their way into houses and fired at the columns. And the street is completely clogged with combat vehicles, tankers, and vehicles with ammunition. In general, every shot results in a hit and a lot of damage and losses. From our joint team with special forces paratroopers, we formed four groups and cleared the neighborhood of bandits. They set up ambushes, and when they found militants, they entered into battle. The bandits are afraid of open battle and avoid it. They have one tactic: bite and run, bite and run... They soon realized that there were ambushes, there were special forces, there was danger. And the bandit raids stopped. Several blocks along the road were clear." 3
On one of the night outs, machine gunner Sergei Dmitruk, from the first reconnaissance group, died, number 3 or 4, I don’t remember exactly. The first loss in our company.
The mentioned cleansing of the private sector, where exactly, I don’t know exactly, maybe somewhere in the area of the Petropavlovskoye Highway. The voice of the commander of the first reconnaissance group of our company, Konoplyannikov: “Slash to the right, Mustafa!” Mustafa is the nickname of a sniper from the VSS Radik Alkhamov from Bashkiria. Radik was very kind and very slow, but he was transformed in the ring at hand-to-hand combat competitions. He was small in stature, very sinewy, with prominent muscles, like Bruce Lee. Radik was a hand-to-hand champion in the battalion; they pitted huge guys against him and he defeated them all! When we jokingly asked: “Radik, why are you so slow?”, he drawled and answered: “The sniper must be slow!”
I remember in the morning I went on some errand to the plant, and saw a car trying to break through the bridge over the Sunzha at full speed - a white “six” with four men in it. I don’t know if they were militants, but this maneuver was tragic for them: it turns out that our tank was standing opposite the bridge behind a concrete fence in a caponier and with the first shot the hood with the engine was torn off the “six”, the driver and passenger in the front seat were killed, and two passengers They jumped out of the back seat and rushed back across the bridge. Immediately, heavy fire was opened from all the metal trusses of the plant on those escaping, and I saw how the bullets began to tear their clothes. I sat with my neck craned and looked over the fence, which wildly infuriated Glukhovsky: “Do you want a bullet in the head?!” - He hit me on the helmet with the butt of his helmet.
And the next moment a mine flew into the territory of the plant and a shrapnel cut off one of our Ural drivers, he fell as if he had been knocked down. The guys immediately grabbed him and carried him to the doctors. Only upon arrival in Kubinka did we learn that he had survived.
SOURCES
1. God comes himself.-M., Printing house "News", 2012.-112 p., ill. Page 107.
2. Valery K. “I can’t be an atheist,” story. Published in the author's edition.
On April 15, 2014, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Vitaly Yarema said that a unit of the 45th Guards Regiment of the Russian Airborne Forces, stationed in Kubinka, Moscow region, is operating in the East of Ukraine. His military personnel have been identified.
Most likely, reconnaissance and sabotage platoons from both battalions are operating on the territory of Ukraine.
BSNews offers readers information about this military unit based on open source materials:
45th Separate Guards Order of Kutuzov Order of Alexander Nevsky Special Purpose Regiment- military unit of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Formed in February 1994 on the basis of the 218th and 901st separate special forces battalions.
901st OBSpN
1979 - formed on the territory of the Transcaucasian Military District as the 901st separate airborne assault battalion
1979 - transferred to the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia
1989 - transferred to the Baltic Military District (Aluksne)
May 1991 - transferred to the Transcaucasian Military District (Sukhumi)
August 1992 - transferred to the command of the Airborne Forces headquarters and renamed the 901st separate parachute battalion
1992 - transferred as a separate battalion to the 7th Guards Airborne Division
1993 - during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, he performed tasks for the protection and defense of military and government facilities on the territory of Abkhazia
October 1993 - transferred to the Moscow region
February 1994 - reorganized into the 901st separate special forces battalion
218th OBSPN
July 25, 1992 - formed in the Moscow Military District. The permanent deployment points were located in the Moscow region.
June-July 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in Transnistria
September-October 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in North Ossetia
December 1992 - took part as a peacekeeping force in Abkhazia
February 1994 - transferred to the newly formed 45th separate special-purpose airborne regiment
By July 1994, the regiment was fully formed and equipped. By order of the Commander of the Airborne Forces, in order of historical continuity, the day of formation of the 45th regiment is specified to be considered the day of formation of the 218th battalion - July 25, 1992.
On December 2, 1994, the regiment was transferred to Chechnya to participate in the liquidation of illegal armed groups. Units of the regiment took part in hostilities until February 12, 1995, when the regiment was transferred back to its permanent location in the Moscow region (Kubinka). From March 15 to June 13, 1995, a combined detachment of the regiment operated in Chechnya.
On July 30, 1995, an obelisk was unveiled on the territory of the regiment's deployment in Sokolniki in honor of the soldiers of the regiment who died during the fighting.
On May 9, 1995, for services to the Russian Federation, the regiment was awarded a diploma from the President of the Russian Federation, and servicemen of the regiment as part of the combined airborne battalion took part in the parade on Poklonnaya Hill dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany.
From February to May 1997, the combined detachment of the regiment was in Gudauta as part of a peacekeeping mission in the zone of separation of the Georgian and Abkhaz armed forces.
On July 26, 1997, the regiment was awarded the Battle Banner and Certificate of the 5th Guards Airborne Rifle Mukachevo Order of Kutuzov III Class Regiment, disbanded on June 27, 1945.
On May 1, 1998, the regiment was renamed the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces. The 901st separate special-purpose battalion was disbanded in the spring of 1998; in 2001, a linear special-purpose battalion was created on its basis as part of the regiment (called “901st” according to old habit).
From September 1999 to March 2006, the regiment's combined reconnaissance detachment took part in the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus.
On February 2, 2001, the regiment was awarded the pennant of the Minister of Defense “for courage, military valor and high combat skills.”
On August 8, 2001, on the territory of the regiment in Kubinka, in the presence of the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Georgy Shpak, a new memorial complex was opened in memory of the soldiers of the regiment who died while performing combat missions. Every year, on January 8, the regiment celebrates the Day of Remembrance of Fallen Soldiers.
In April-July 2005, it was decided to transfer to the 45th Regiment the Battle Banner, the title “Guards” and the Order of Alexander Nevsky, which belonged to the 119th Guards Parachute Regiment, which was disbanded in the same year. The ceremony of transferring the honors took place on August 2, 2005.
In 2007, the 218th separate special forces battalion was reorganized into a linear battalion, losing its numbering and status as a separate military unit. Since that time, the regiment has consisted of two line battalions.
On February 1, 2008, the regiment was named the 45th Separate Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Special Purpose Airborne Regiment.
In August 2008, units of the regiment took part in the operation to force Georgia to peace. Regimental officer, Hero of Russia Anatoly Lebed was awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree.
On July 20, 2009, in accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of December 18, 2006 No. 1422, the regiment was awarded the St. George Banner.
On July 25, 2009, on the day of the regimental holiday, a small consecration of the throne of the garrison church of the 45th separate guards regiment, consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Blessed Heaven,” took place in Kubinka.
In April 2010, the battalion tactical group of the regiment carried out a combat mission to ensure the safety of Russian citizens on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic.
By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 170 of February 9, 2011, the regiment was the first in modern history to be awarded the Order of Kutuzov. The presentation of the award took place on April 4, 2011 at the regiment's headquarters in Kubinka. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev personally attached the badge and ribbon of the order to the regiment's St. George banner.
In May-June 2012, the regiment's reconnaissance platoon participated in joint exercises with the Green Berets at the American military base of the 10th Special Operations Forces Group located at Fort Carson.
Battle path
1994-1995 - First Chechen War
1997 - Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
1999—2006 — Second Chechen War
2008 — Georgian-Ossetian conflict
Weapons and personnel
As of 2009, the regiment has 655 soldiers and officers, 15 BTR-80 and 1 BTR-D.
Commanders
Guard Colonel Kolygin Viktor Dmitrievich (1994-2003)
Guard Colonel Anatoly Georgievich Kontsevoy (2003-2006)
Guard Colonel Shulishov Alexander Anatolyevich (2006-2012)
Guard Colonel, Hero of Russia Vadim Ivanovich Pankov (08.2012 - present)
Combat losses
901st separate battalion (before inclusion in the regiment)
During the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in 1993, 8 military personnel were killed and about 20 were wounded.
45th separate regiment
During participation in hostilities, the regiment lost 43 people killed, more than 80 servicemen were wounded.
OUR HISTORY - HEROES... """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""" On October 26, 1943, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism of the guard, Lieutenant Konstantin Iosifovich Nedorubov was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. He fought for the Russian Empire and for the Soviet Union, for the Whites and the Reds, earning 11 serious wounds and the great glory of a true hero of the Fatherland. A bullet in the cradle The history of this man may seem like a myth, an incredible thing. If they say about others that they walk under death, then the brave Cossack Kostya Nedorubov lived under death. Or rather, not so - with his pound fists and his iron character, he so intimidated the unfortunate old woman with a scythe that she came to him only when he himself He allowed her to do so. His biography is still being debated - there were too many sharp turns in it, each of which could have been his last. Only he himself knew what and how it really happened, but he was in no hurry to share with others. During the Soviet period, the biography of Konstantin Nedorubov began with the words “born into a poor Cossack family.” Fellow countrymen do not agree - the Rubezhny farm, where the Nedorubovs lived, was prosperous, and little Kostya’s family even had a tureen, which was then considered practically a luxury item. Konstantin Nedorubov was born on May 21, 1889, and “announced” his future exploits while still in the cradle. According to tradition, a bullet was placed in the cradle of newborn boys in Cossack families, observing the baby’s reaction. Kostya grabbed the bullets into his fist, after which the men said approvingly: “The good Cossack will grow up!” Kostya was first put on a horse at the age of two, and from that moment he began to master the entire course of Cossack military art. A bone in the throat Konstantin grew up to be a real hero - by the age of 18, even adult villagers feared his fists. He carried heavy bags of grain with such ease, as if they were not bags at all, but balloons. Konstantin Nedorubov, already married by that time, was drafted into the army in 1911, enlisting in the 15th Don Cossack Regiment of the 14th Army Corps. The corps was commanded by General Brusilov - the same one who would later develop and carry out the legendary “Brusilov breakthrough”. The regiment was quartered in Poland, where the First World War found the Cossacks. The hero himself always spoke about his exploits with humor. One day, Army Commander Samsonov called him, a regimental intelligence officer, and said: “Help, brother, there’s a bone stuck in my throat!” The Cossack was confused and began to make excuses: I’m not a doctor, I don’t understand this. The headquarters officers laughed and explained: the German battery was hindering the troops, which no one could get close to. They decided to send scouts led by Nedorubov. The Cossacks did not disappoint - they approached the artillerymen, blew up their ammunition, and took the gun crew prisoner. For this feat, Konstantin Nedorubov received his first St. George Cross. Between the Reds and the Whites And then feat followed feat - rescuing the headquarters from a sudden attack by the Austrians, capturing 52 enemy soldiers alone, decisive actions and personal courage during the Brusilov breakthrough... In November 1917, in the hospital, Konstantin Nedorubov became a full Knight of St. George, receiving the 1st degree cross for capturing the enemy headquarters with secret documents and German generals. In addition to the four St. George Crosses, sub-choor Nedorubov was awarded two St. George medals for military courage. After the hospital, the hero returned to his native Don, but the flames of the Civil War were already burning there. Knight of St. George Nedorubov was an apolitical man, and during the three years of the First World War he fought to his fill. However, there are times when if you are not involved in politics, then it will deal with you. In May 1918, the Whites mobilized a 29-year-old Cossack to serve in the 18th Don Cossack Regiment of the Don Army. What happened next characterizes well what was happening both on the Don and in the country as a whole. In the same year, 1918, Nedorubov was captured by the Reds, who... offered to go over to the side of the working class. Whether the Cossack was convinced or whether in this way he wanted to save his life is unknown, but soon Nedorubov was already fighting in the ranks of the Red Army. And in 1919... he was captured by the whites. The bitterness of the war grew, and they would have put him against the wall, but out of respect for the merits of the full Knight of St. George, Nedorubov was invited, as you already guessed, to join the White Army. And he again found himself in the camp of the White Guards, only to soon go over to the Reds again. A forced labor striker, Nedorubov fought bravely, rising to the rank of squadron commander and distinguishing himself during the defense of Tsaritsyn. For his battles with Wrangel, he was even nominated for the Order of the Red Banner, but the hero was not rewarded. But the Cossack was awarded red revolutionary trousers, which were glorified by the film “Officers”. Konstantin Nedorubov ended the Civil War as a regiment commander with eight wounds and a keen desire to never take up arms again. The Cossack was never ashamed of his merits and the Crosses of St. George, for which he was once caught drunk by a patrol, who considered him a counter-revolutionary. But when they looked at the inscription on the seized saber, they were stunned - “Commander (Squadron Commander - editor's note) Konstantin Nedorubov for unparalleled heroism and courage in the defense of Tsaritsyn. Budyonny." The hero was immediately released with an apology. But during the famine of the 1930s, Nedorubov became a victim of someone’s vile denunciation - during the sowing season, he, as a foreman, allowed the collective farmers, who were reeling from malnutrition, to cook a soup from seed grains. They accused him of stealing grain and gave him 10 years, which Konstantin Nedorubov spent on the construction of the Moscow-Volga canal. The Cossack worked there like hell, and upon completion of construction he was released early as a labor striker. 70 fascists in one fell swoop However, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Konstantin Nedorubov was listed as unreliable on the NKVD lists. The Nazis were counting on people like him, who had a grudge against the authorities. Many of them would indeed later join the Cossack SS units of General Krasnov, but Nedorubov had his own opinion on this matter. He was already 52 years old, and he was not drafted into the Red Army, and he was not accepted as a volunteer because of his criminal record. But the full Knight of St. George went through the authorities and obtained permission to fight the Nazis. Moreover, he himself formed a squadron of volunteers, becoming its commander. It was an amazing military formation, the backbone of which was made up of 50-60 year old Cossacks. But they fought in such a way that they terrified even seasoned Nazis. In the battle near the now notorious village of Kushchevskaya, something happened that is sometimes shown in Hollywood films, and the reality of which is almost impossible to believe. However, witnesses confirm that Konstantin Nedorubov personally destroyed 70 enemy soldiers. In one of the battles in the Caucasus, he roused his fighters to attack with a Cossack song and threw the Nazis off a strategic height. Only another serious injury could stop him, after which he was finally discharged. Two eras on one chest On October 26, 1943, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Konstantin Iosifovich Nedorubov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He became one of six full St. George Knights awarded the highest Soviet award. He celebrated the victory over Germany with the rank of captain, with 11 wounds and a severe concussion. Despite his wounds, he took part in the Victory Parade and attended a reception with Stalin. After the war, Konstantin Nedorubov was often invited to ceremonial events and honors, but he did not really like performing in this role. Until his very old age, he chopped wood himself, ran the household, loved to drink, wooed young ladies and never complained about his fate. Hero of the Soviet Union, full Knight of St. George Konstantin Iosifovich Nedorubov died on December 13, 1978, just six months short of his 90th birthday. When he put on his awards, he proudly wore the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Crosses of St. George together. A true hero of the Fatherland, he served his Motherland, no matter what political winds blew over it. AiF
Thanks to cinema and television, most Russians know about the existence of special forces units that are subordinate to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU special forces). However, these special units are far from the only ones in the Russian armed forces; it’s just that their “colleagues” are less known and not so “publicized.” At the same time, in their professionalism and combat experience they are hardly inferior to the famous GRU special forces. First of all, we are talking about special forces units of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation or special forces of the Airborne Forces.
Special units of the Airborne Forces appeared quite a long time ago, during the Great Patriotic War. In February 1994, on the basis of two separate special-purpose battalions, an airborne special forces regiment was formed. Closer to our time, this unit took an active part in both campaigns in the North Caucasus, and was later involved in the war with Georgia in 2008. Its permanent location is Kubinka, near Moscow. At the end of 2014, the airborne regiment was deployed into a brigade.
Despite the fact that the tasks performed by the GRU special forces and the Airborne Special Forces are largely similar, there are still differences between these units. However, before talking about the airborne special forces, a few words should be said about the history of special forces in general.
History of special forces
Units for special operations were created in the USSR almost immediately after the Bolsheviks came to power. The units were engaged in reconnaissance and subversive work in hostile territory. Pro-Soviet partisan detachments were created in neighboring countries, the work of which was supervised by military intelligence from Moscow. In 1921, a special department was created in the Red Army, which was engaged in collecting intelligence information for the leadership of the Red Army.
Having survived several reorganizations, the intelligence department of the Red Army in 1940 was finally transferred to the subordination of the General Staff. The GRU special forces were created in 1950.
Special units of the Airborne Forces appeared in the 30s, immediately after the appearance of this type of troops in the USSR. The first part of the Airborne Forces was formed in 1930 near Voronezh. Almost immediately, an obvious need arose to create our own airborne reconnaissance unit.
The fact is that the Airborne Forces are designed to perform specific functions - operations behind enemy lines, destruction of particularly important enemy targets, disruption of enemy communications, seizure of bridgeheads and other operations of a predominantly offensive nature.
To conduct a successful landing operation, preliminary reconnaissance of the landing site is necessary. Otherwise, the operation is in danger of failure - this happened many times during the Great Patriotic War, when poorly prepared landing operations cost the lives of thousands of paratroopers.
In 1994, on the basis of two separate airborne special forces battalions, the 901st and 218th, the 45th separate airborne special forces regiment was formed. A few words should be said about the units that made up the regiment.
The 218th battalion was formed in 1992, and before joining the airborne special forces regiment, it managed to take part in several peacekeeping missions: in Abkhazia, Ossetia and Transnistria.
The history of the 901st battalion is much longer and richer. It was formed in 1979 in the Transcaucasian Military District as a separate air assault battalion, then was transferred to Europe, to the site of the intended theater of operations. At the end of the 80s, the Baltic states became the location of the unit. In 1992, the 901st battalion was renamed a separate parachute battalion and transferred to the subordination of the Airborne Forces headquarters.
In 1993, during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, the 901st battalion was located on the territory of Abkhazia, after which it was transferred to the Moscow region. In 1994, the unit became a separate special forces battalion and became part of the 45th Special Forces Regiment.
The regiment's military personnel took part in both Chechen campaigns and in the operation to force Georgia to peace in 2008. In 2005, the 45th Special Forces Regiment received the honorary title “Guards,” and the unit was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. In 2009 he was awarded the St. George Banner.
In 2014, an airborne special forces brigade was formed on the basis of the 45th separate regiment.
More than 40 servicemen from the unit were killed in various conflicts. Many soldiers and officers of the regiment were awarded orders and medals.
Why do you need airborne special forces?
The functions of the Airborne Special Forces are very similar to those performed by their colleagues from the units of the Main Intelligence Directorate. However, there are still differences. And they are associated with specific tasks that the Airborne Forces must solve.
Of course, airborne special forces can conduct sabotage and reconnaissance operations behind enemy lines, but first of all they must prepare the possibility of landing for the main airborne units. The concept of “prepare” in this case is interpreted very broadly. First of all, we are talking about reconnaissance of the landing area: management is obliged to have maximum information about where the paratroopers will land and what awaits them there.
In addition, scouts, if necessary, prepare a landing site. This could be the capture of an enemy airfield or a small bridgehead. If necessary, sabotage is carried out in the area, infrastructure is destroyed, communications are disrupted, chaos and panic are created. Airborne special forces can also conduct operations to capture and briefly hold important objects behind enemy lines. Most often, such work is carried out during offensive operations.
One more difference should be noted between the special forces of the GRU and the Airborne Forces. Units of the Main Intelligence Directorate can operate anywhere on the planet (it’s not for nothing that they have a globe on their emblem). Airborne special forces usually operate closer, within the flight range of airborne transport aircraft, usually no further than two thousand kilometers.
Airborne special forces are rightfully considered the elite of the Russian army. Therefore, the requirements for training and equipment of fighters are very strict. Not everyone is able to pass the selection process and become a fighter in this unit. An airborne special forces fighter must be resistant to stress, endurance, and have excellent command of all types of weapons. The special forces have to operate deep behind enemy lines, without any support from the mainland, carrying tens of kilograms of weapons, ammunition and equipment.
The unit's fighters are equipped with the best types of weapons, ammunition, and equipment of Russian and foreign production. They don't spare money for special forces. It should be noted that any special forces (Russian or American) is a very expensive “pleasure”. The Vintorez sniper rifle, Kalashnikov assault rifles of the 100 series, large-caliber rifles of domestic production - this is not a complete list of small arms used by reconnaissance officers.
