19th separate special purpose company. Day of special forces units and units. Soldiers of unconventional warfare

home In just a few years, parts and Special Forces units experienced an amazing round of development: from serious reductions and reassignment to the formation of new brigades and even battalions, re-equipping the latest designs weapons and military equipment , communications equipment, reconnaissance and surveillance devices. But, even despite the successful actions " polite people

“In Crimea, Russian special forces have a lot of serious problems. Everything that has been happening in units and units since 2009 special purpose , received from the special forces themselves the rather apt name “chaotic throwing” or even more simply – “chaos”. As they joke in units and subunits of the Special Forces: “».

At first they withered, but now we are trying to bloom in a new way. But everything is somehow unsuccessful

Wild brigades From the very beginning announced by the ex-Minister of Defense and former boss

The General Staff transition to a new look, special forces brigades underwent sudden reductions and reorganization. Moreover, units and units of the Special Forces, by a strong-willed decision of the leadership of the military department, were reassigned to the intelligence department of the Ground Forces, leaving the structure of the GRU of the General Staff. But the department responsible for special forces remained in the GRU.

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

In other special forces units and units, the positions of officers and warrant officers were cut, and the number of conscripted military personnel, replacing contract soldiers, increased significantly. At one time, unit commanders had a special schedule for the dismissal of contract soldiers, the implementation of which was asked at each meeting.

According to the initial plan, approved by the former National General Staff, for a group of 12 people, two or three contract servicemen were enough - a deputy group commander, a sniper and a signalman. As the special forces soldiers themselves say, first they broke everything down, and then they started building new system, without fully understanding what they want in the end.

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

The Olympics in Sochi brought even greater chaos to the reform of special forces units. To ensure this, the Ministry of Defense began the formation of a special purpose brigade - the 346th Special Forces Brigade and separate regiment– 25th Special Special Forces. According to some reports, the main task of these military units was to protect the Sochi area from possible terrorist raids from the Greater Caucasus Range.

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

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

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

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

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

Whatever the warrior is, it's Rambo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So far, only officers and contract military personnel are sent to the courses, since the conscript will most likely be transferred to the reserve after completing the courses. The classes are quite complex and require candidates not only to have physical endurance, but also a high level of intelligence. Alas, it is not always possible to select such a contingent. Often, military personnel return to their units after being discharged. It is noteworthy that the snipers of one of the motorized rifle brigades received certificates of completion of the courses, but based on the results of the training, they were not entrusted with complex and expensive Austrian rifles.

Soldiers of unconventional warfare

Not only the structure and composition of the units and units of the Special Forces, but also the tasks have undergone changes. Despite the fact that the documents regulating the combat use of special forces remain classified as “Secret” and even “Top Secret”, from open sources you can find out that one of the main tasks of units and subunits of the Special Forces is conducting so-called special reconnaissance. We are talking not only about observation, but also about conducting ambushes, raids and searches deep behind enemy lines. Currently, these tasks have also been supplemented by work in zones of local conflicts.

If we look at the American charter FM 3-18 Special Forces Operations, adopted in May 2014, we will find that the so-called special reconnaissance is not included in the “short list” of the American “Green Berets”, whose main task, as indicated in Chapter 3 field regulations, conducting unconventional warfare, literally - unconventional warfare. The second most important task is considered to be the training of foreign specialists, and the third is counter-insurgency operations.

The experience of counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus has proven that it is time for special forces units to move from special reconnaissance to work in a much wider range. According to some information, the new combat manual of special forces units contains new sections regulating assigned tasks.

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

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

It is worth noting that in the US Army the Green Berets are organized into special forces groups assigned to certain regions globe. In particular, the 1st Special Forces Group based at Fort Lewis operates in Pacific region, 10th – focused on Europe, the Balkans, etc.

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

The question is whether such special forces are advisable in Russian army? What kind of unconventional combat operations can a special-purpose company as part of a reconnaissance battalion, actually performing the task of previously existing reconnaissance and landing companies, or a sniper company of a combined arms or even an air assault brigade, staffed primarily by conscripts, conduct?

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

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

Return status

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

« There is never too much special forces. This is a custom tool for difficult work “- this phrase can summarize the opinion of many military personnel regarding what is happening now in special forces units.

And yet, it cannot be denied that over the course of several years, the Russian Armed Forces, despite all the difficulties, have developed well-trained special forces units capable of solving even such complex tasks as unconventional combat operations, as the events in Crimea proved. The conclusion suggests itself: special forces must be elite. And by definition there cannot be too much of it. So military intelligence let it remain intelligence, without any “specials”. This will not diminish her authority.

The Ministry of Defense decided to return special-purpose reconnaissance companies. Scouts will work behind enemy lines and then report the coordinates of targets for missile systems"Iskander" and high-precision multiple launch rocket systems "Uragan". Moreover, each army of the RF Armed Forces will have its own company.

Soviet special forces had similar tasks during the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya - reconnaissance officers coordinated artillery and air force fire and brought great benefits to the army.

In those days, separate special purpose companies (OrSpN) operated. But after the end of the First Chechen war and the 1998 crisis followed military reform- combat units began to be reduced. And individual special forces companies were no exception. Now, 20 years later, Russia has decided to recreate elite combat units.

As reported by Izvestia, citing its source at headquarters ground forces, the first companies have already been formed in the combined arms armies of the Southern Military District. In other districts it is still in process. It is also known that the intelligence officers were allocated new armored vehicles "Tiger", "Lynx" and "Typhoon".

Nothing has yet been announced about the organization of the company - this information is kept secret. But it can be assumed that the unit is being formed on the model of a separate GRU special forces company of the early 1990s.

The OrSpN consisted of 110-120 personnel and consisted of four reconnaissance platoons. As well as support and special communications platoons. Could be included in the company and educational unit, where they trained scouts or an entire squad of snipers. Special companies could have different purposes.

Now we're talking about on the formation of full-fledged deep reconnaissance companies.

According to military expert Vladislav Shurygin, this is happening as part of the transition to high-precision weapons.

“In order to use Hurricanes or Iskanders, you need to have accurate information. And this is mainly at the tactical level. Images from space in this case are ineffective, since targets are constantly moving,” says Vladislav Shurygin. “For example, this can "There must be protected mobile command posts; they need to be identified in time and targeted."

Drones are also not always able to help reconnaissance officers. UAVs have learned to shoot down and disable them using means electronic warfare, but this cannot be done with a person. Reconnaissance companies will report the coordinates of targets not only to Iskanders and Uragans, but also to aviation.

Photo: Valery Matytsin/TASS

In Syria, this work has long been carried out by the Russian Special Operations Forces (SSO). Photographs of the fighters of this unit spread all over the world after the liberation of Palmyra. Then the MTR transmitted to the Aerospace Forces the coordinates of the militants’ command posts and military equipment. Including tanks hidden in concrete hangars. Satellites and drones simply will not detect such targets.

“In the 90s of the last century, a grave mistake was made,” recalls Vladislav Shurygin. “The GRU, in order to preserve its personnel, liquidated individual special-purpose companies. And these were well-coordinated teams of professionals.”

Indeed, by the end of 1998, only two companies remained in vital areas: the 75th, subordinate to the Kaliningrad defensive region, and the 584th, part of the 205th motorized rifle brigade in Budennovsk, which actively participated in both Chechen campaigns.

But now, almost 20 years later, special forces companies are returning to the Russian armed forces. Moreover, their range of tasks became much wider, taking into account the fact that during this time rocket troops and the artillery went forward by leaps and bounds. The same Iskanders are capable of hitting a range of 500 km, effectively replacing an entire group of bombers - this means that reconnaissance aircraft will have to go deep behind enemy lines to aim at targets. Or the modern Uragan-1M, from which you can fire 300-mm projectiles from the Smerch systems. When attacking with a weapon of such destructive power, it is necessary to have the most accurate coordinates. Therefore, intelligence officers have a great responsibility.

The combat use of military formations performing reconnaissance and special missions behind enemy lines has its own rich history. Today we can remember the horse-jaeger teams of Field Marshal P.A. Rumyantsev; famous organizers of the partisan movement M.I. Kutuzov and Prince P.I. Bagration; actions behind enemy lines by D.V. Davydov; the civil war in Spain and saboteur No. 1 I.G. Starinov, and many, many others.

Modern special forces did not appear out of nowhere. In the years Civil War In a number of armies and fronts, special military units were created that trained saboteurs, transported them behind enemy lines, and led them. In the 1930s, in the event of war in the border military districts, sabotage and guerrilla detachments and groups were trained on the basis of engineering and sapper units, which were called “camouflage sapper platoons.” During the Great Patriotic War authorities military intelligence fronts, a significant number of special military formations were created to conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations behind enemy lines. Everyone is well aware of the famous separate special forces brigade in which she served.WWII hero Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya.

With change military-political situation in the world after the end of the Second World War and the emergence nuclear weapons a decision was made to create combined arms and mechanized armies, in airborne army and in military districts that did not have armies, special-purpose companies. October 24, 1950 USSR Minister of Defense Marshal Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky signed Directive No. ORG/2/395/832, ordering the formation by May 1, 1951 of 46 special forces companies with a staff of 120 people, in all military districts, groups of forces and fleets. This day is considered to be the birthday of GRU special forces units.

The personnel of the first units were selected from army intelligence. The rich experience of reconnaissance and sabotage activities was widely used Soviet partisans and reconnaissance saboteurs.

By May 1, 1951, 46 companies with a staff strength of 120 people were formed. All of them were subordinate to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff. In fact, special purpose companies could be called “companies of paratrooper miners,” but due to the special focus of their tasks, they received the name they received.

The new formation was tasked with the following tasks: organizing and conducting reconnaissance, destroying any means of nuclear attack, identifying military formations andcarrying out special missions behind enemy lines, organizing and carrying out sabotage actions, creating behind enemy linesrebel (partisan) detachments, etc.

Over time, the structure and quantitative composition of special forces changed more than once, but the essence of its purpose always remained the same.

At the very beginning of the 50s, the Soviet Army suffered a large reduction. Divisions, brigades and regiments were reduced by tens and hundreds, many corps, armies and districts were disbanded. The GRU special forces did not escape the fate of reductions either - in 1953, 35 special forces companies were disbanded. Special intelligence was saved from complete reduction by General N.V. Ogarkov, who was able to prove to the government the need to have similar formations in the USSR Armed Forces.

A total of 11 special purpose companies were retained. There are companies left in the most important operational areas:

• 18th separate company special purpose 36th combined arms army of the Transbaikal Military District (in the area of ​​Borzya);
• 26th separate special purpose company of the 2nd Guards Mechanized Army of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (garrison in Fürstenberg);
• 27th separate special purpose company (district) in the Northern Group of Forces (Poland, Strzegom);
• 36th separate special purpose company of the 13rd combined arms army of the Carpathian Military District (Khmelnitsky);
• 43rd separate special purpose company of the 7th Guards Army of the Transcaucasian Military District (Lagodekhi);
• 61st separate special purpose company of the 5th combined arms army of the Primorsky Military District (Ussuriysk);
• 75th separate special forces company in the Special Mechanized Army (Hungary, Nyiregyhaza);
• 76th separate special purpose company of the 23rd combined arms army of the Leningrad Military District (Pskov);
• 77th separate special purpose company of the 8th mechanized army of the Carpathian Military District (Zhitomir);
• 78th separate special purpose company (district) in the Tauride Military District (Simferopol);
• 92nd separate special purpose company of the 25th combined arms army of the Primorsky Military District (Fighter Kuznetsov).

Among total number disbanded special forces companies, mention should be made of companies that, in addition to general “special forces” training, also special conditions services: for example, soldiers of the 99th separate special purpose company (district) of the Arkhangelsk Military District in combat training were focused on performing tasks in difficult conditions Arctic, intelligence officers of the 200th separate special forces company of the Siberian Military District studied “Chinese. theater of military operations, and the personnel of the 227th separate special forces company of the 9th combined arms army of the North Caucasus Military District underwent mountain training.

In 1956, the 61st separate special purpose company of the 5th combined arms army of the Far Eastern Military District was redeployed to the Turkestan Military District in the city of Kazandzhik. Probably, the leadership of the General Staff finally decided to pay attention to the southern “Islamic” direction. The second wave of the formation of separate special-purpose companies occurred in the early 70s.

Apparently, at this time the fathers of the General Staff decided to give a “special purpose tool” not only to the fronts (districts), but also to some combined arms formations. As a result, several separate companies were formed for armies and army corps. Several companies were formed for internal military districts that previously did not have special reconnaissance units. In particular, the 791st separate special-purpose company was formed in the Siberian Military District. In the Western Group of Forces in Germany and on Far East separate companies were formed in each army.

In 1979, the 459th separate special-purpose company was formed as part of the Turkestan Military District for the purpose of subsequent use in Afghanistan. The company will be introduced into the DRA and will prove itself to be the most the best way. Another wave of the formation of separate special-purpose companies occurred in the mid-80s. Then companies were formed in all armies and corps, which until that moment did not have such units. Companies were formed even in such exotic (but completely justified) directions as Sakhalin (877th separate special-purpose company of the 68th Army Corps) and Kamchatka (571st separate special-purpose company of the 25th Army Corps).

In 1957, the leadership of the USSR Armed Forces decided to reorganize five special forces companies into battalions. By the end of the year, the USSR Armed Forces included five special-purpose battalions and four separate special-purpose companies:

· 26th separate special forces battalion of the GSVG (Furstenberg);

· 27th Special Purpose Hotel Battalion SGV (Strzegom);

· 36th separate special purpose battalion of the PrikVO (Khmelnitsky);

· 43rd separate special purpose battalion 3akVO (Lagodekhi);

· 61st separate special purpose battalion of TurkVO (Kazandzhik);

· 18th separate special purpose company 36th unit 3aBVO (Borzya);

· 75th separate special purpose company of the South Georgian Army (Nyiregyhaza);

· 77th separate special purpose company 8th TD PrikVO (Zhitomir);

· 78th separate special purpose company of the OdVO (Simferopol).

At the same time, two companies were disbanded, whose personnel went to staff new battalions. For example, the 92nd separate special forces company of the 25th Army of the Far Eastern Military District was urgently loaded onto a train and sent to Poland - on the basis of this company and the 27th company of the Northern Group of Forces in the SGV, the 27th separate special forces battalion was formed .. The transfer of special forces units to a battalion structure made it possible to optimize educational process, freeing a significant part of the personnel from garrison and guard duty. Three battalions were concentrated in the western (European) direction, one was in the Caucasus and another in Central Asia.

There were three companies in the western direction, and at that time we had only one special purpose company in the eastern direction as part of the 36th Army of the Transbaikal Military District. Subsequently, after the creation of brigades, special-purpose battalions began to be called “detachments,” and organizationally they were all part of the brigades. Since the 60s, battalions, as independent combat units, did not exist, except for individual brigade detachments that could be allocated from the formation for operations in individual operational directions, but in Peaceful time continued to remain in the brigades.

The experience of conducting combat training and various exercises has shown the need to create formations in the GRU system that are much larger than the existing individual battalions, which could solve an expanded range of tasks.

In particular, during a threatened period, special forces units were supposed to engage not only in reconnaissance and sabotage behind enemy lines, but also in the formation partisan detachments in occupied territory (or in territory that could be occupied). In the future, relying on these partisan formations, the special forces had to solve their problems. It was the partisan orientation that was the priority combat mission of the created formations.

In accordance with the resolution of the CPSU Central Committee of August 20, 1961 “On the training of personnel and the development of special equipment for organizing and equipping partisan detachments,” the directive of the General Staff of February 5, 1962, in order to train and accumulate personnel for the deployment of the partisan movement in wartime, the commander of military districts was it was ordered to select 1,700 reserve military personnel, bring them into a brigade and conduct thirty-day training sessions.

After training, the personnel were assigned special military specialties. They were prohibited from booking for national economy and not used for its intended purpose.

By a directive of the General Staff of March 27, 1962, projects for the staffing of special forces brigades for peace and war were developed.

Since 1962, the creation of 10 squadron brigades began, the formation and arrangement of which was largely completed by the end of 1963:

• 2nd obrSpN(military unit 64044), formed on December 1, 1962 (according to other sources, in 1964) on the basis of the collapsed 76th Special Forces of the Leningrad Military District and the personnel of the 237th Guards Parachute Regiment, first commander - D.N. Grishakov; Leningrad Military District, Pechory, Promezhitsy;
• 4th ObrSpN(military unit 77034), formed in 1962 in Riga, first commander - D.S. Zhizhin; Baltic Military District, then transferred to Viljandi;
• 5th ObrSpN(military unit 89417), formed in 1962, first commander - I.I. Kovalevsky; Belarusian Military District, Maryina Gorka;
• 8th ObrSpN(military unit 65554), formed in 1962 on the basis of the 36th OBSpN, Carpathian Military District, Izyaslav, Ukraine;
• 9th ObrSpN(military unit 83483), formed in 1962, first commander - L.S. Egorov; Kyiv Military District, Kirovograd, Ukraine;
• 10th ObrSpN(military unit 65564), formed in 1962, Odessa Military District, Old Crimea, Pervomaisky;
• 12th ObrSpN(military unit 64406), formed in 1962 on the basis of the 43rd BSPN, first commander - I.I. Geleverya; 3Caucasian Military District, Lagodekhi, Georgia;
• 14th ObrSpN(military unit 74854), formed on January 1, 1963 on the basis of the 77th orb, first commander - P.N. Rymin; Far Eastern Military District, Ussuriysk;
• 15th ObrSpN(military unit 64411), formed on January 1, 1963 on the basis of the 61st OBSpN, first commander - N.N. Lutsev; Turkestan Military District, Chirchik, Uzbekistan;
• 16th ObrSpN(military unit 54607), formed on January 1, 1963, first commander - D.V. Shipka; Moscow Military District, Chuchkovo.

The brigades were formed mainly by military personnel of the reconnaissance units of the airborne and ground forces. For example, the officer core of the 14th Special Operations Brigade of the Far Eastern Military District, when formed, was staffed by officers of the 98th Guards Airborne Division from Belogorsk (from which 14 officers who participated in the Second World War came to the brigade), and the personnel conscript service was recruited from military registration and enlistment offices.

Basically, the formation of the first ten brigades ended at the beginning of 1963, but, for example, the 2nd Special Brigade, according to some sources, was finally formed only in 1964.

The organizational and staffing structure of a separate special forces brigade in 1963 was as follows:

• brigade headquarters (about 30 people);
• one deployed Special Forces detachment (164 people on staff);
• special radio communications detachment with a reduced staff (about 60 people);
• three squadroned Special Forces detachments;
• two squadroned separate special forces detachments;
• economic support company;

In addition, the brigade included such collapsed units as:

• special mining company;
• group special weapons(ATGM, RS "Grad-P", P3RK).

In peacetime, the number of a squadron brigade did not exceed 200-300 people; according to wartime standards, a fully deployed special forces brigade consisted of more than 2,500 people.

At the beginning of their existence, the brigades were squadroned, and in particular, in the 9th Special Operations Brigade, stationed in Ukraine in the city of Kirovograd, there were initially six detachments, in which only the first detachment had two special forces companies, a special weapons platoon and a special radio communications platoon. The remaining five detachments had only commanders. The command, headquarters and political department of the brigade consisted of thirty people. Colonel L.S. Egorov was appointed the first commander of the 9th brigade, but soon he received a spinal injury during parachute jumps, and Colonel V.I. Arkhireev was appointed commander of the brigade.

By the end of 1963, the USSR Armed Forces included (some in the process of formation):

• twelve separate special forces companies;
• two separate special forces battalions;
• ten separate brigades special purpose (cadre).

Soon, special forces units and units were reorganized, as a result of which by the end of 1964 the following remained in the USSR Armed Forces:

• six separate special forces companies;
• two separate special forces battalions (26th and 27th) in the western direction;
• ten separate squadroned special forces brigades.

In August 1965, the Chief of the General Staff approved the “Manual on the organization and tactics of partisans” for generals and military intelligence officers and special forces units engaged in combat training of personnel in guerrilla tactics.

At that time, special forces brigades were perceived by everyone as a reserve for deployment behind enemy lines guerrilla warfare. The special forces were even called that - partisans. The experience of creating such formations seems to have come from the preparation of the partisan special reserve in the late 20s - early 30s; as is known, all its participants were repressed in the late 30s.

In 1966, in the Odessa Military District, the 165th The educational center special purpose. The center was based in the Simferopol region and existed at least until 1990.

In 1966 in Fürstenberg (Garrison Werder, Neu-Timmen) on the basis of the 5th Guards Separate Reconnaissance Motorcycle Battalion (formerly the 5th Guards Warsaw-Berlin Reconnaissance Motorcycle Regiment during the war, which was formed in 1944) By directive of the Commander-in-Chief of the GSVG, on the basis of the 26th ObrSpN with the involvement of the forces of the 27th ObrSpN, 48th and 166th Orb, a new type of special forces formation was formed - the 3rd ObrSpN, which inherited the guards rank from the 5th Motorcycle Battalion . Colonel R.P. was appointed commander of the new brigade. Mosolov. The brigade received the code name military unit 83149. The main difference between the new brigade and the existing ones was that the brigade, even during its formation, expanded to a full, special staff, and also that the brigade included separate units - separate special forces units.

This brigade at that time was the most fully equipped (up to 1,300 personnel) and was in constant combat readiness to carry out its intended tasks. The brigade detachments were formed according to a slightly different staff than the brigade detachments that were stationed in the USSR. These detachments had a staff of 212 people, while the “allied” brigades had detachments with a staff of only 164 people. Full name of the unit: 3rd Separate Guards Red Banner Warsaw-Berlin Order of Suvorov 3rd Class Special Purpose Brigade.

Special forces units were formed within the brigade: 501st, 503rd, 509th, 510th, 512th.

In 1968, under the leadership of a senior officer of the GRU General Staff, Colonel Shchelokov, the 9th company of special forces cadets consisting of three platoons was created at the Lenin Komsomol RVVDKU, and in 1979 the company was deployed into a special forces battalion (13th and 14th companies) .

Also, the Kiev Combined Arms Command School, which trained officers with the specialty “referent-translator,” was involved in training personnel for special forces.

In 1978 at the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze created the 4th training group of special forces officers at the intelligence faculty. In 1981, the first graduation of the special forces group took place.

In 1969, on the basis of the 16th Special Operations Division of the Moscow Military District in the village of Chuchkovo Ryazan region The GRU General Staff conducted an operational-strategic experimental exercise, the purpose of which was to work out the issues of combat use of special-purpose units. To ensure the transfer of personnel and cargo behind enemy lines, military transport aviation was involved. Take-off and landing airfield - Dyagilevo. To designate nuclear and other weapons mass destruction, their security and defense, as well as to counter the landing, collect and store their parachutes, the personnel of six (2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th) special purpose brigades were involved.

In 1970, it was deployed in Pechory training company special forces, which was later reorganized into a training battalion, and then into the 1071st special forces training regiment (military unit 51064), which trained junior commanders and specialists for special forces units. At the 1071st UPSN there was a school for warrant officers for special forces units.

Since the mid-70s, the General Staff has found an opportunity to deploy brigades, increasing the number of personnel in them. As a result of this decision, it was possible to staff the brigade units by 60-80%. From this period, special forces brigades became combat-ready and were no longer considered only as a partisan reserve.

On June 12, 1975, the Chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces approved the “Instructions for combat use special purpose formations, units and subunits (brigade, detachment, battalion).

In 1972, as part of the Group Soviet troops in Mongolia, two brigades were formed, the numbering of which is on the same line as the numbers of special-purpose brigades, but these brigades were called “separate reconnaissance brigades.” The new brigades included three separate reconnaissance battalions, armed with infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, and units combat support, which was due to the nature of the terrain in the GSVM responsibility zone. However, each of these brigades had "jumping" reconnaissance and landing companies, and each brigade also had its own separate helicopter squadron. Most likely, when creating these brigades, the General Staff tried to find the optimal organization of special forces units that were to operate in mountainous desert areas.

As a result, the 20th and 25th separate units were formed reconnaissance brigades. Similar formations in Soviet army there was nowhere else. In the mid-80s, these brigades were reorganized into separate mechanized brigades and became part of the newly formed 48th Guards Army Corps, and with the collapse of the USSR, after the withdrawal of troops from Mongolia, they were disbanded.

At the end of the 1970s, the General Staff sought the opportunity to transfer special forces brigades from cadre to deployed personnel, as well as to find reserves for the formation of two more brigades. The 22nd Special Forces Brigade was formed on July 24, 1976 in the Central Asian Military District in the city of Kapchagay on the basis of one of the detachments of the 15th Brigade, a company of the special radio communications detachment of the 15th Brigade, the 525th and 808th separate special forces companies Central Asian and Volga military districts. Until 1985, the brigade was located in Kapchagai, later it changed its location several times and is currently located in the area of ​​​​the city of Aksai Rostov region(military unit 11659).

24th Special Forces Brigadewas formed in the Trans-Baikal Military District on November 1, 1977 on the basis of the 18th Special Forces and was initially stationed in the area of ​​the village. Kharabyrka village, Chita region (23rd site), then in 1987 it was transferred to the village. Kyakhta village, and in 2001 was transferred to Ulan-Ude (military unit 55433), and then to Irkutsk. When the brigade was transferred to Kyakhta, the 282nd special forces unit was transferred to the subordination of the 14th special forces brigade of the Far Eastern Military District and redeployed to the city of Khabarovsk.

Later, in 1984, in the Siberian Military District, on the basis of the 791st Special Forces Brigade, the 67th Special Forces Brigade was formed, which is stationed in the city of Berdsk Novosibirsk region(military unit 64655).

In 1985, during Afghan war, in Chirchik, on the site of the 15th Brigade that went to Afghanistan, the 467th Special Forces Training Regiment (military unit 71201) was formed, which trained personnel for special forces operating in Afghanistan. The regiment consisted of training battalions and support units. The training regiment had great privileges in the selection of personnel. If, when selecting conscripts for this regiment, an officer encountered any difficulties at the recruiting station, the issues that arose were resolved with one phone call to the GRU.

According to the staff, the special forces units that were part of the brigades stationed on the territory of the USSR included:

• three special forces companies (42 people each);

In total, the detachment consisted of 164 people.

Special Forces, included in the 3rd Guards ObrSpN, had the following state:

• squad management (6 people);
• three special forces companies (58 people each);
• special radio communications company (32 people).

In total, these detachments had 212 personnel.

A separate army special purpose company had different time the staff ranges from 115 to 127 people.

Soviet special forces were involved in combat operations abroad. The first major foreign special forces operation was carried out in 1968 in Prague (Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic). Presumably, units of the 3rd, 8th and 9th special forces brigades took part in the fighting in Czechoslovakia. Army special forces also participated in combat operations in Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Cuba and Vietnam, and in Afghanistan. In total, army special forces sent their units to two dozen countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Special forces units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

• 10 separate detachment special purpose (Kyiv)

• 3rd separate regiment special purpose (Kirovograd)

• 8th separate special purpose regiment (Khmelnitsky)
• 50th separate training detachment special training(as a separate battalion) (Kirovograd)
• 801st separate detachment for combating underwater sabotage forces and means. (Sevastopol)
• 73rd Naval Center for Special Operations of the Ukrainian Navy (Ochakov).

Happy holiday, colleagues!!!

Dear colleagues, is anything known about the differences of the Special Purpose Regiment that has been guarding the Kremlin since 1936? IN official history it is indicated that he was wearing an internal security uniform. However, a number of photographs show officers in caps with light bands and dark crowns (circa 1940-1941), and in the photo of the issue of shoulder straps in 1943, the code "ORSN" is visible (it is not yet clear to me what it could mean - Separate special forces company ?), later the encryption “PSN” is visible.

Yes, in general, everything is known "about the differences of the special-purpose regiment that has guarded the Kremlin since 1936."

ORSN, as you guessed correctly, is a separate special-purpose company, which until August 1942 was called a military fire brigade. ORSN was not part of the PSN, but was part of the Kremlin garrison. The garrison also included a separate motor transport battalion, whose servicemen wore the OAB code on their shoulder straps, and a military construction battalion, whose servicemen wore the VSB code. In addition, the Kremlin garrison included a separate officer battalion, whose maiden name was Separate battalion GUGB NKVD.

All of the above military personnel, except for the GUGB battalion, wore uniforms internal troops, part of which were:

36. The special purpose regiment is equipped with:
a) command and control personnel - through special selection from the border and internal troops of the NKVD
b) ordinary personnel - from regular conscription contingents, subject to the obligatory condition of checking and studying the assigned personnel during the year.
Covering the shortfall in the period between conscriptions is carried out through a special selection from units of the border and internal troops.

37. The term of service in a special-purpose regiment is set at 3 years.

38. When calculating the length of service for retirement of the command and command staff of units of the Kremlin garrison, a year of service in the garrison is taken as 1.5 years.

39. The military fire brigade is equipped with:
a) ordinary personnel - by special selection from among the Red Army and junior command personnel and long-term servicemen of the border and internal troops of the NKVD, who have undergone special training;
b) command and control personnel - by special selection from among the command and control personnel of the border and internal troops of the NKVD who have undergone special training;
c) specialists - by special selection from among those who graduated from paramilitary school fire department NKVD

40. Separate battalion of the Main Directorate state security The NKVD of the USSR is intended to serve in particularly responsible positions.

41. The battalion is equipped with:
a) from among the Red Army soldiers and junior command and control personnel of a special-purpose regiment subject to long-term leave;
b) from among the junior and middle command and command personnel of the border and internal troops of the NKVD.
c) from among the commanding staff of the GUGB.
Recruitment is carried out by special selection on a voluntary basis.

42. All selected Red Army and junior command personnel are previously trained in GUGB schools.
The personnel of the battalion are assigned special ranks of the commanding staff of the GUGB.

43. The battalion’s personnel serve on a common basis with all commanding personnel of the GUGB.

44. The battalion service units are recruited and serve on a common basis with the personnel of the special purpose regiment.