19th special forces company. Special purpose regiment. Participation in combat operations
home The Ministry of Defense decided to return reconnaissance companies special purpose . 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 they acted separate companies special purpose (OrSpN). 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 Izvestia reports, citing its source at the headquarters of the 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. It could also be included in a company's training 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, but this cannot be done with a person. Reconnaissance companies will report the coordinates of targets not only to Iskanders and Hurricanes, 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 the coordinates of the command posts and military equipment militants. 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 has become much wider, taking into account the fact that during this time the missile forces and artillery have moved 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.
Dear colleagues, is anything known about the differences between the Special Purpose Regiment that has been guarding the Kremlin since 1936? The official history states that the uniform of the internal security guard was worn. 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, originally the Separate Battalion of the GUGB NKVD.
All of the above military personnel, except for the GUGB battalion, wore the uniform of the internal troops, of which they were part:
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.
In 1953, during a large-scale reduction of the Armed Forces of the USSR, 35 separate special-purpose companies were disbanded. The 11 remaining companies were distributed as follows:
66th OrSpN
67th OrSpN
75th OrSpN(military unit 61272, Northern Military District, Olonets);
77th OrSpN(military unit 71108, Baltic Military District, 11th Guards Army, Kaliningrad, RSFSR);
78th OrSpN(military unit 61290, Belorussian Military District, 28th Army, Grodno, Belarusian SSR);
81st OrSpN(military unit 61321, Carpathian Military District, 13th Army, Lutsk, Volyn region, Ukrainian SSR);
82nd OrSpN(military unit 71116, Carpathian Military District, 38th Army, Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk), Ukrainian SSR);
85th OrSpN
86th OrSpN
91st OrSpN(military unit 51423, Central Asian Military District, Kazandzhik);
92nd OrSpN(military unit 51447, Northern Group of Forces, Shekon, Poland).
In addition, the remaining companies were transferred under the control of the High Command Ground Forces. The total number of personnel is 1,320 people.
The disbandment of so many combat units was a heavy blow for military intelligence as a whole. So, on January 11, 1957, Major General N.V. Sherstnev sends to the Chief of the General Staff memo, in which he pointed out that the companies do not have the ability to provide versatile combat training, and proposed, instead of 11 companies, to create 3 special forces detachments and one air squadron of district subordination. The number of the detachment would have been about 400 people.
The then Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov appreciated the potential of special intelligence and had high hopes for it in a possible war. Issued on his direct orders, by the directive of the Chief of the General Staff No. ОШ/1/224878 dated August 9, 1957 and the directive of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces dated August 25, 1957, 5 separate special-purpose battalions were formed, subordinate to the commanders of military districts and groups of forces. The base and personnel of 8 special forces companies were used to form battalions.
In accordance with the directive of the Chief of the General Staff No. ОШ/1/244878 of August 9, 1957, the following were formed:
26th ObSpN(military unit 24584, Group Soviet troops in Germany, Weber-Hafel), formed on the basis of the 66th and 67th Special Forces, the strength of battalion number 04/26 was 485 people, commander: Lieutenant Colonel R.P. Mosolov;
27th ObSpN(military unit 42551, Northern Group of Forces, Strzegom, then Legnica), formed on the basis of the 92nd Special Forces, the number of battalion number 04/25 was 376 people, commander: Lieutenant Colonel M. P. Pashkov;
36th ObSpN(military unit 32104, Carpathian Military District, Drohobych, Lviv region), formed on the basis of the 81st and 82nd Special Forces, the number of battalion number 04/25 was 376 people, commander: Lieutenant Colonel Shapovalov;
43rd Special Regiment(military unit 32105, Transcaucasian Military District, Manglisi, then Lagodekhi, Georgian SSR), formed on the basis of the 85th and 86th Special Forces, the strength of battalion number 04/25 was 376 people, commander: lieutenant colonel I.I. Heleverya;
61st ObSpN(military unit 32110, Turkestan Military District, Kazandzhik, then Samarkand, Uzbek SSR), formed on the basis of the 91st Special Forces, the strength of battalion No. 04/24 was 253 people, commander: Lieutenant Colonel Tormtsev.
Three companies were kept separate, while they were transferred to new state No. 04/23, the company number was 123 people:
75th OrSpN(military unit 61272, Southern Group of Forces, Nyiregyhaze);
77th OrSpN(military unit 71108, Baltic Military District, Kaliningrad);
78th OrSpN(military unit 61290, Odessa Military District, Simferopol).
The separate special-purpose battalion included three special-purpose companies, a special radio communications platoon, a training platoon, and a logistics platoon.
The separate special forces company included a command and control unit, two reconnaissance platoons, a training reconnaissance platoon, a communications platoon, an automobile and utility department. A total of 112 people, incl. 9 officers and 9 conscripts, 6 vehicles (1 GAZ-69, 1 GAZ-51, 4 GAZ-63), 1 radio station R-118 based on ZIL-157. They were armed with AKS-47 assault rifles, PD-47 parachutes, then D-1 and D-1-8.
Separate battalions and special-purpose companies were located in border districts and groups of troops and were subordinate to the commanders of districts and groups. Combat training The newly formed units began on December 1, 1957.
For the training of special forces officers, the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, by directive of the National General Staff No. 1546 of August 9, 1957, ordered the formation of a second airborne school (in addition to Ryazan) in the GRU General Staff system by January 15, 1958 and to deploy it in Tambov. As is known, this attempt served as a reason for the removal of the marshal from his post, and the school was never created.
The second wave of the formation of special forces units occurred in 1961. In order to strengthen special reconnaissance of the districts, in addition to the existing units, by General Staff directives No. Org/3/61588 of August 21, 1961 and No. OSH/2/347491 of August 26, 1961 By October 1, 1961, 8 more separate special-purpose companies were formed:
791st OrSpN(military unit 71603, Siberian Military District, Berdsk);
793rd OrSpN(military unit 55511, Moscow Military District, Voronezh);
799th OrSpN(military unit 55577, North Caucasus Military District, Novocherkassk, Rostov region);
806th OrSpN(military unit 64656, Transbaikal Military District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia);
808th OrSpN(military unit 71606, Privolzhsky Military District, Kuibyshev);
820th OrSpN(military unit 55576, Kiev Military District, Chernigov);
822nd OrSpN(military unit 74973, Ural Military District, Sverdlovsk);
827th OrSpN(military unit 55505, Far Eastern Military District, Belogorsk).
Thus, by the end of 1961, the GRU special forces consisted of 5 separate battalions and 11 separate companies, which included 2,870 people on staff.
The reason for the creation of special purpose units in the Armed Forces of the USSR was the appearance in service probable enemy mobile means of nuclear attack for operational-tactical and tactical purposes. Spetsnaz was conceived as a means of detecting the means of a nuclear attack behind enemy lines and having the ability to independently destroy it.
In addition to the destruction of nuclear attack weapons, other tasks facing the special forces in the first years of its existence were: conducting reconnaissance of the concentration of enemy troops and objects in its deep rear; carrying out sabotage on enemy rear facilities and communications, creating panic and disorganization of rear operations; organization and leadership of the national liberation movement; extermination of prominent military and politicians enemy. However, the latter task was subsequently removed from the governing documents.
In accordance with the directive of the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky No. Org/2/395832 dated October 24, 1950, separate special-purpose companies are created under combined arms and mechanized armies, as well as under military districts that did not have army associations. In pursuance of this directive, in 1950 - 1953, according to state 04/20, 46 special-purpose companies were formed (41 army and 5 front-line in the border military districts of the western direction - the Baltic, Leningrad, Belarusian, Carpathian and Odessa):
66th OrSpN(military unit 71060, Group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany, 3rd shock army, Gusen);
67th OrSpN(military unit 61249, Group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany, 8th Guards Army, Halle);
68th OrSpN(military unit 51198, Group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany, 1st Guards Mechanized Army);
69th OrSpN(military unit 71063, Group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany, 2nd Guards Mechanized Army, Alt-Strelitz), commander: captain F.I. Gredasov;
70th OrSpN(military unit 61253, Group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany, 3rd Guards Mechanized Army);
71st OrSpN(military unit 51200, Group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany, 4th Guards Mechanized Army);
72nd OrSpN(military unit 71097, Central Group of Forces);
73rd OrSpN(military unit 61256, Northern Group of Forces);
74th OrSpN(military unit 71104, Ural Military District, Separate Mechanized Army, Aramil village, Sverdlovsk region, RSFSR);
75th OrSpN(military unit 61272, Belomorsky Military District, village of Nurmalishche, Olonetsky District, Karelo-Finnish Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic);
76th OrSpN(military unit 51404, Leningrad Military District, Promezhitsy village, Pskov region, RSFSR);
77th OrSpN(military unit 71108, Baltic Military District, 11th Guards Army, Kaliningrad, RSFSR), commander: captain S. Tokmakov;
78th OrSpN(military unit 61290, Belarusian Military District, 28th Army, Grodno, BSSR);
79th OrSpN(military unit 51407, Belorussian Military District, 5th Guards Mechanized Army);
80th OrSpN(military unit 71109, Belarusian Military District, 7th Mechanized Army);
81st OrSpN(military unit 61321, Carpathian Military District, 13th Army, Lutsk, Volyn region, Ukrainian SSR);
82nd OrSpN(military unit 71116, Carpathian Military District, 38th Army, Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk), Ukrainian SSR);
83rd OrSpN(military unit 61338, Carpathian Military District, 8th Mechanized Army, Zhitomir, Ukrainian SSR);
84th OrSpN(military unit 51410, Odessa Military District);
85th OrSpN(military unit 71126, Transcaucasian Military District, 4th Army, Baku, Azerbaijan SSR);
86th OrSpN(military unit 61428, Transcaucasian Military District, 7th Guards Army, Yerevan, Armenian SSR);
87th OrSpN(military unit 51462, Turkestan Military District);
88th OrSpN(military unit 51422, Far Eastern Military District, 37th Guards Airborne Corps);
89th OrSpN(military unit 71127, Far Eastern Military District, 1st Separate Red Banner Army);
90th OrSpN(military unit 61432, Transbaikal Military District, 6th Guards Mechanized Army);
91st OrSpN(military unit 51423, Primorsky Military District, 5th Army, Talovy village), commander: Major Rusinov;
92nd OrSpN(military unit 51447, Primorsky Military District, 25th Army, Fighter Station Kuznetsov, Budennovsky District, Primorsky Territory), commander: Major S.I. Dubovtsev;
93rd OrSpN(military unit 71138, Primorsky Military District, 39th Army, Port Arthur, China);
94th OrSpN(military unit 61442, Far Eastern Military District, 14th Army);
95th OrSpN(military unit 61508, Separate airborne army, 8th Guards Airborne Corps);
96th OrSpN(military unit 71200, Separate Airborne Army, 15th Guards Airborne Corps);
97th OrSpN(military unit 71143, Separate Airborne Army, 38th Guards Airborne Corps);
98th OrSpN(military unit 61453, Separate Airborne Army, 39th Guards Airborne Corps);
99th OrSpN(military unit 51413, Arkhangelsk Military District, Arkhangelsk, RSFSR);
100th OrSpN(military unit 71145, Kiev Military District, 1st Guards Army, Nezhin, Chernigov region, Ukrainian SSR), commander: captain P.A. Malyakshin;
195th OrSpN(military unit 61503, Moscow Military District);
196th OrSpN(military unit 51425, Privolzhsky Military District);
197th OrSpN(military unit 51506, Ural Military District);
198th OrSpN(military unit 71147, South Ural Military District);
199th OrSpN(military unit 61504, East Siberian Military District);
200th OrSpN(military unit 51428, West Siberian Military District);
226th OrSpN(military unit 51511, North Caucasus Military District);
227th OrSpN(military unit 71185, Donskoy Military District, Novocherkassk, Rostov region, RSFSR), commander: captain A.A. Snegirev;
228th OrSpN(military unit 61507, Tavrichesky Military District);
229th OrSpN(military unit 51440, Gorky Military District);
230th OrSpN(military unit 71187, Voronezh Military District).
Organizationally, the special purpose company included three special purpose platoons, a training platoon and a communications platoon with a telephone and radio interception group. The authorized number of personnel according to State No. 04/20 of a separate special-purpose company (in the army, for reasons of secrecy, they were simply called reconnaissance companies) was 112 people, including 9 officers, 10 sergeants and petty officers in excess conscript service(ensigns in Soviet army did not exist then) and 93 sergeants and conscripts.
The formation of individual companies took place both from scratch and on the basis of already existing reconnaissance units. For example, the 76th separate special purpose company of the Leningrad Military District was formed on the basis of the training reconnaissance and sabotage platoon of the 237th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 76th Guards Airborne Division (Leningrad Military District, Pskov), and the 69th I am a separate special purpose company of the 2nd Guards Mechanized Army - on the basis of a separate reconnaissance battalion 9th Guards tank division. Responsibility for the formation and training of special forces units was assigned to the intelligence departments of the headquarters of the corresponding military districts.
When training personnel, the main attention was paid to reconnaissance, sabotage, airborne training and mine demolition using special means.
General management of the special forces units was entrusted to a specially created direction under the 2nd department of the 3rd directorate (military intelligence) of the 2nd Main Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. It was headed by Colonel P.I. Stepanov.
“...in despotic states, governments
create two armies: one to fight their own
enemies, and the other in order to keep in
obedience to one's own people."
J. Fuller,
British military historian
“There were no police special forces in the USSR -
democracy was not developed..."
V. Vlasenko,
Colonel, veteran of the Internal Troops
Donetsk special forces - soldiers of the 23rd separate special forces battalion of the NSU, 1998.
At the end of the 1970s. In the USSR, new, hitherto unknown, types of crimes are becoming widespread: terrorist hijacking of aircraft, hostage-taking in correctional labor institutions, etc. For actions in such extreme situations specially trained groups of military personnel were required, ready to be skillful, decisive and quick action to neutralize dangerous criminals. This was also very relevant in connection with the upcoming summer Olympic Games in 1980
The first attempt to create such a unit in the Ministry of Internal Affairs system dates back to 1973. Then, within the framework special operation To free the hostages captured at Bykovo airport in the Moscow region, a consolidated operational military detachment (SOVO) was formed. However, upon completion of the operation it was disbanded.
But special forces were needed. As a result, in accordance with the order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs dated December 29, 1977, on the basis of the 9th (sports) company of the 3rd battalion of the 2nd motorized rifle regiment them. Sixtieth anniversary of the Komsomol (military unit 3186), which was part of the famous Separate Motorized Rifle Order of Lenin and October revolution Red Banner Special Purpose Division of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky (military unit 3111, Reutovo, Moscow region), was formed training company special purpose (URSpN). This unit, which later became the Vityaz special forces detachment, was intended primarily for the development and use of curricula for special purpose units of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The first special forces unit proved to be quite successful, and the Combat Training Directorate of the GUVV made a decision on the further development of special forces. By order of the head of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR dated April 10, 1979, motorized rifle and special motorized units were created for action in critical situations educational units special purpose. They were trained in general program combat and political training, during physical training emphasis was placed on learning techniques hand-to-hand combat, which were necessary to apprehend especially dangerous criminals.
In Donetsk, the URSpN was formed in 1990 as part of the 50th separate motorized rifle regiment operational purpose Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (military unit 3395).
For lovers military history It is known that the history of the Soviet armed forces is fraught with many secrets and mysteries. The origin (so to speak) of the 50th Motorized Rifle Regiment is also a mystery.
The fact is that this part had, as it were, two stories: real and mythological, so to speak legendary. Moreover, the highlight (or, as they would say now, “trick”) is that the mythological story has become official history parts, but the real one was happily forgotten.
According to the official (that is, mythological) version, this military unit was created in 1926 to guard the western border of the USSR in the city of Sebezh as the 11th Sebezh border detachment of the OGPU. Then the 11th border detachment was part of the NKVD troops of the Leningrad District and was stationed in the village. Red Leningrad region. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, by order of the NKVD of the USSR No. 001419 of September 25, 1941, the border detachment was reorganized into the 11th border regiment. In the period 1941 - 1945. the unit carried out combat missions to protect the rear of the Northern, Northwestern, Volkhov, 2nd Baltic and 1st Ukrainian fronts, and then began to protect the rear of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOVG). In May 1946, the unit became known as the 11th Infantry Regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to another (real, but forgotten) version, the 11th rifle regiment The Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR was formed by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 0012 dated January 12, 1949 in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Germany) to protect mining and enrichment facilities uranium ore. And he had nothing in common, except for his number, with the 11th Border Regiment.
It is no longer possible to establish which of the political officers (namely, they most often dealt with the history of military units) attributed the heroic military past to the regiment. But everyone liked this “past” and successfully took root.
By order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 004 of January 21, 1957, in connection with the disbandment of the Directorate of Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Germany, the 11th Infantry Regiment was withdrawn to the territory of the USSR and located in the city of Stalino (since 1961 - Donetsk).
By order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 0507 of August 22, 1957, the 11th Infantry Regiment of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR was reorganized into the 67th separate motorized rifle division of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (military unit 3395).
By order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 0055 of November 28, 1968, the 67th division was transformed into the 510th separate motorized rifle battalion of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395).
In the late 1980s - early 1990s. units of the internal troops took an active part in establishing law and order during numerous interethnic conflicts on the territory of the USSR. But it was difficult for them to cope with the workload. The command of the internal troops, having carried out analytical calculations, came to the conclusion that it was necessary to increase the organizational number of operational units.
As a result, by order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 03 of January 18, 1990, the 510th battalion was deployed to the 50th separate operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395).
And immediately the servicemen of the newly created regiment had the opportunity to take part in ending the Armenian-Azerbaijani armed conflict in Nakhichevan, making three service trips to the confrontation zone: in the spring and summer of 1990 and in the spring of 1991.
By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR No. 1465-XII of August 30, 1991 “On the subordination of internal troops stationed on its territory to Ukraine,” units and subunits of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs stationed on the territory of the republic came under the jurisdiction of Ukraine.
On November 4, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Law of Ukraine No. 1774-XII “On the National Guard of Ukraine”. According to the law, the National Guard was entrusted with the functions of protecting the constitutionality and integrity of Ukraine, participating in the elimination of the consequences of accidents and natural Disasters, protection of borders, especially important government facilities, embassies and consulates of foreign states, public order.
By order of the Commander of the NSU No. 02 of January 2, 1992, on the basis of the 50th separate operational motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (military unit 3395), the 11th NSU regiment (military unit 4111) was formed. At the same time, the regimental special forces company was deployed into a special forces battalion.
Sleeve patches of the special forces battalion of the 11th NSU regiment, 1992 - 1998.
In accordance with Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 158 “On measures to protect the state border of Ukraine with the Republic of Moldova” dated March 17, 1992, military personnel of the regiment’s special forces battalion took part in protecting the Ukrainian border in the Transnistrian armed conflict zone.
In 1995, the command and control units of the regiment moved from the street. Neftyanoy on the street. Kuprin, to the barracks of the former Donetsk Higher Military-Political School engineering troops and signal troops named after. Army General A.A. Episheva. In 1996, the 11th NSU Regiment included a special forces battalion (military unit 4111 “S”), which remained on the street. Neftyanoy, 2 motorized rifle battalion(2 companies each), fire support division, anti-aircraft division (armed with ZU-23-2 installations), combat support company, logistics company, repair company, communications company. Combat vehicles The regiment's units were very diverse and consisted of three types of armored personnel carriers: BTR-60PB, BTR-70 and BTR-80.
"Show off" - demonstration performances of special forces
In 1995 – 1996 As part of the further improvement of the organizational and staffing structure of the NSU, which suffered significant “losses” when transferring part of its units to the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, separate special-purpose units were created within the guard. The first such part was the 17th separate battalion special purpose NSU "White Panther" (military unit 2215), formed on April 4, 1995 on the basis of the special purpose battalion of the 1st regiment of NSU (military unit 4101, Kiev) in the village. New Petrovtsi, Vyshgorod district, Kyiv region. And the second was the 23rd separate special-purpose battalion of the NSU “Grom” (military unit 2243), formed on December 26, 1996 on the basis of the special-purpose battalion of the 11th regiment of the NSU (military unit 4111, Donetsk).
Sleeve patch and special emblem on the headdress (beret) of the 23rd separate special forces battalion of the NSU
Two years later, during the next reform in the guard, by order of the KNSU No. 365 of December 26, 1998, the 11th NSU Regiment was transformed into the 26th NSU Special Purpose Brigade (military unit 4111).
In accordance with Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 1586/99 “On the transfer of units of the National Guard of Ukraine to other military formations” dated December 17, 1999 and Law of Ukraine No. 1363-XIV “On the disbandment of the National Guard of Ukraine” dated January 11, 2000, by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine No. 37 “On the acceptance into the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine of formations, military units, establishments, institutions of the National Guard of Ukraine and their subordination” dated January 19, 2000, the 26th brigade and the 23rd separate special forces battalion of the NSU became part of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
After some time, the 26th brigade was reorganized into the 44th operational regiment of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (military unit 4111), and the 23rd separate battalion became part of it, becoming the regiment’s line special forces battalion.
Subsequently, the 44th regiment was reorganized into the 34th separate operational battalion of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (military unit 4111), which was disbanded on November 20, 2004. Its personnel as a line operational battalion were merged into the 17th special motorized police regiment of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (military unit 3037).
But this sad story of the “death” of Donetsk special forces units was not without its curiosity. Now political officers (that is, deputies for educational work) the 17th motorized police regiment “privatized” the legendary version of the formation of the 50th separate motorized rifle regiment of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and derived a new pedigree from the 11th border regiment of the NKVD during the Great Patriotic War simply based on the fact that the linear battalion of the operational purpose of the regiment when - belonged to the glorious cohort of special forces of the Internal Troops.
Former commander of the 23rd special forces battalion of NSU A.S. Nadochy
And, finally, a few words about another little-known unit of the Donetsk special forces. By order of the commander National Guard Ukraine No. 85 of April 15, 1998, a separate unit was formed as part of the 4th division of the NSU (military unit 2240, Donetsk) reconnaissance company special purpose (military unit 2240 "R"). The company's personnel consisted of 7 officers, 1 warrant officer, 12 contract soldiers and 52 conscript soldiers and sergeants. Athletes and strong guys from special forces throughout the division were selected for the company. At the airfield OSOU (Society for Assistance to the Defense of Ukraine, former DOSAAF) near the city of Mospino, airborne training with parachute jumps was organized for the company's military personnel, after which the reconnaissance officers were awarded landing certificates blue berets. In 1999, the company was renamed the Separate Intelligence Unit for Special Purpose and Anti-Terrorism. After the transfer of NSU units to the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, its tradition was inherited by the special-purpose reconnaissance company of the 17th special motorized police regiment (military unit 3037), although it consisted entirely of contract soldiers, and parachute jumps took place at the OSOU airfield near the city of Volnovakha at your own expense...
Separate reconnaissance unit of the 4th division of the NSU, Mospino, 1998.
At the peak of its development, the GRU GSH special forces consisted of sixteen separate brigades(obrSpN) special purpose (one in each military district or group of forces) and individual companies (orSpN) - one in each combined arms army. With the exception of the Red Banner Transcaucasian Military District, where there were two (12th and 22nd, Kandahar) brigades.
Each special forces unit included a separate company - a special mining company - the most formidable (and secret) weapon of special forces - wearable nuclear landmines. Getting to serve in such a company was equally difficult and honorable - a kind of elite of the elite...
Specialists (signalmen and sappers), junior command staff, as well as warrant officers for special forces units were trained in Pechory (Leningrad Military District) in the 1071st Special Purpose Training Regiment (disbanded in 1999). In 1985, the 467th separate special purpose training regiment was formed in the city of Chirchik (Uzbek SSR, Turkestan Military District). They trained both sergeants and many specialists - reconnaissance snipers, gunner-operators, AGS-17 grenade launchers, sappers and radio operators, as well as ordinary reconnaissance officers.
Officers for special forces units were trained on the basis of the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. At first it was one company of cadets. Since 1981, in connection with the war in Afghanistan, on the basis of the platoons of the famous ninth company, the 13th and 14th companies were formed, later consolidated into a battalion. Since 1994, the battalion in in full force was transferred to the Novosibirsk Higher Combined Arms Command School and deployed to a five-company strength (the First Chechen War began). Before the collapse of the USSR, in 1991, officers for special forces were trained by the intelligence department of the Kyiv Higher Educational Institution. The path to special forces was not closed to graduates of other general arms (infantry, in other words) schools. Graduates of Baku, Almaty, Tashkent, Far Eastern and other schools served no less valiantly in special forces units.
Specialist officers came from specialized schools. Engineers were provided by the Tyumen Higher Military Engineering Command School. Signalmen - Cherepovets Higher Military Command School of Signals. Perm Higher Military Command and Engineering School missile forces supplied specialists to special mining companies (as a joke, the commander of the special mining group was called “commander atomic bomb", the group was small - only four reconnaissance officers). Motorists came from Chelyabinsk, airborne service specialists - from Ryazan, from the Faculty of Engineering.
Naval officers also served in special forces units. Each of the four fleets of the USSR Navy and the Caspian Flotilla had units naval special forces. Companies from individual brigades were regularly sent to naval units to undergo maritime training. And the personnel of individual special forces companies (as well as reconnaissance battalions of combined arms divisions) passed airborne training on educational base separate teams. In addition, the usual rotation of officers took place among military districts. As a result, in the few officer corps practically everyone knew everyone, if not personally, then through a single handshake. This contributed to the formation of a special corporate spirit.
Retraining of special forces officers took place at the legendary "SHOT" courses in the city of Solnechnogorsk, Moscow Region, and for officers of special mining companies - in Zagoryansky. Some officers could continue their studies at the Military Academy named after. Frunze or at the Military Academy of the Soviet Army (otherwise it was called the Military-Diplomatic Academy). Graduates of the latter often went to the Foreign Intelligence Service of the GRU General Staff or to the corps of military attachés.
The main purpose of special forces is reconnaissance and sabotage activities behind enemy lines. Primary targets - nuclear attack weapons, control and communication points, headquarters, complexes precision weapons, airfields and facilities air defense. Concept combat use special forces units did not provide for his actions to combat partisans, gang groups, illegal armed groups, militants, etc. However, it was the special forces units that turned out to be most adapted to counterinsurgency warfare in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan and Chechnya due to their high morale, professionalism and flexible tactics. The special forces have to perform tasks that are completely unusual for them - guarding arsenals and airfields, escorting columns, personal protection of senior officers of the district headquarters and the headquarters itself, searching for and destroying armed deserters. (There were also very exotic tasks, such as searching for missing artillery ammunition with a special charge) The assignment of typical tasks of infantry or commandant companies to scouts was most often associated with the degradation of the personnel of motorized rifle units and, as a result, the inability to carry out their tasks.
At the end of the 90s, special mining companies were abolished in the brigades. Individual companies were abolished. The training regiment and the school for warrant officers were disbanded. Since 2010, there has been no recruitment of cadets to the Novosibirsk Higher Educational Institution for the faculty of special intelligence. The recruitment of special forces officers to military academies and special courses has been stopped. The military-political leadership of the country also decided to disband individual special forces brigades. Today there are four of them left in the country's Armed Forces! The Russian Federation is not the USSR, the territory is smaller and there seems to be no global enemy, but it is very reckless to do so, I think!
In fact, special forces units remained the only units capable of resisting irregular armed groups in local conflicts. The price of special forces combat experience is more than eight hundred dead scouts! And it turns out that no one needs it! And this is at a time when the Caucasus is burning, and sparks are flying to the central part of the country. Personally, I don’t understand such decisions. A gift for the holiday was the recent decision of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense to abolish the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff. Military intelligence we don't need it! This is what Serdyukov decided. Supreme Commander approved! Of course, the officers have not gone away - they have joined the ranks of the FSB and FSO, Vympel and anti-terrorist regional centers, riot police, and so on. Others joined the orderly ranks of the oligarchs’ personal guards; some went into business, others into crime. But this is another story, this is not the story of special forces.
Happy holiday! Happy 61st Special Forces Anniversary!