Losses of the 22nd GRU special forces brigade in Chechnya. Special forces operations in Chechnya: The forgotten battle near Sernovodsk. And everyone is a hero

GRU special forces brigades in the wars in Chechnya

The most acute phase of operations in the North Caucasus and Chechnya in particular has already passed. But only for those who have never been closely involved with these events. Every GRU special forces soldier in Chechnya, videos of which can be found in large quantities in this article, is unlikely to ever forget every day spent in the Chechen Republic. This article is long overdue, and it’s not even that it’s approaching, there are simply topics that cannot be ignored.

Let's talk about the participation of special forces in the campaign against the militants of the Chechen field commanders. Or, more simply, about the GRU special forces in Chechnya. The video materials presented in the article will also arouse interest. It is also worth remembering the heroes of this war, or the counter-terrorism operation - as you prefer to call them. The essence will not change from this. Just as there is no way to return those guys from the GRU special forces brigades in Chechnya who remained forever looking at the mountains. Not through the sight of a machine gun, but from the sky.

Those who don’t know history are forced to go through the science all over again. And it would be wrong to forget about the high sacrifices of special forces in this terrible southern meat grinder. You can safely watch GRU special forces on television, stumble upon them in the news or in films, but not know their glorious history. Yes, this often happens. Therefore, it would not be out of place to talk about the nice tough guys from the GRU special forces brigades who honestly fulfilled their duty. And here you can watch a video of GRU special forces in Chechnya in good quality.

Chechen syndrome

What can I say, Russia has a long history, and all sorts of things have happened in it. Different people, different nations live on our vast territory, and even now there are people who secretly dream of independence. What can we say about the collapse of the USSR and the creation of new independent states. Many countries had independent sentiments, but only 15 Soviet socialist republics stood out. The aspirations of SA General Dzhokhar Dudayev did not come true.

The Ichkeria conflict is, of course, not only the battles of Dudayev against the GRU special forces in Chechnya. It just so happened that they were the most combat-ready units in the newly formed Russian army, which had lost in numbers, combat effectiveness, equipment and material base. But it was pleasant to look at the GRU special forces - trained people, most of whom had gone through the crucible of fighting spooks in unfriendly Afghanistan.

The tough guys from the special forces brigades of the Main Intelligence Directorate became everyone in the units that served in Chechnya. Often, poorly trained recruits were thrown into the war, who were afraid even to shoot at the Wahhabis, who were well trained, radically minded, and well armed, with a machine gun. That is why the losses were extremely high. But with the special forces, everything was different - the elite, whatever one may say, are fighters who are prepared to destroy the enemy. If you watch various videos of GRU special forces in Chechnya, you can see how they perform often impossible tasks. But in the GRU special forces brigades there are no random people. It is a fact.

And everyone is a hero

I don’t know if you’ve heard about Senior Lieutenant Dolonin, who served in military intelligence e, V . Now this unit, unfortunately, no longer exists; it was disbanded as a result of the notorious reforms of the Russian army in 2009. But that's not the point. You are unlikely to find a mention of his feat in the collections of videos of the GRU special forces in Chechnya. Yes, and with films on this topic - extremely suitable, I note - it’s a bit difficult, frankly speaking. But the man showed incredible resilience: being seriously wounded, he covered the retreat of his practically surrounded comrades with machine gun fire for a long time. Senior Lieutenant Dolonin died, but his comrades from the 12th GRU Special Operations Brigade were saved from imminent death at the hands of Chechen militants.

People like Senior Lieutenant Dolonin are the quintessence of the entire essence of the role of special forces in the bloody war with the rebels. It was not at all embarrassing to look at the GRU special forces. They were proud of them, respected by their own and openly feared by their enemies. For killing a special forces soldier there was a separate, very large bonus plus promotion up the military ladder. But the soldiers of the GRU special forces brigades destroyed enemies and carried out combat missions rather than fall into the bloody clutches of the enemy and the cold hands of the goddesses of death.

No, of course, special forces soldiers died. It cannot be that the warring parties did not lose anyone - this is the prerogative of myths, cheap action films and all sorts of computer toys. The GRU special forces in Chechnya suffered very heavy losses, amounting to tens and hundreds of people. There were losses due to command errors and encirclement by enemies, from ambushes, during the performance of various tasks, including those that were and are considered impossible. But we are talking about the elite, the very best. Yes, there were losses, but if it weren’t for these soldiers, they would have had to send the best of the worst, and the losses would have been much greater. We must look at the GRU special forces as the force through which many young soldiers went through this school of survival and returned home alive.

Conclusion

I repeat once again: I am convinced and believe that the role of the GRU special forces in Chechnya is practically invaluable. Military intelligence units were the most combat-ready of all units in the Russian army, in principle, as they are now. That's how it should have been. And in wartime, their power, experience and hardening were very necessary to turn the tide of the war in their favor, so that the arriving guys felt more confident under the wing of strong defenders. A war without experienced people develops into a banal throwing of meat.

It is not for nothing that the collections of videos of the GRU special forces in Chechnya are quite large - often the tough guys from the special forces were on the front line, performing a variety of functions and tasks. The broad masses of the population often do not know the names and surnames of ordinary workers of the GRU special forces brigades, but if you wish, you can always get acquainted with the list of at least those who did not live to see the end of the war.

Military Intelligence Day is a very important holiday in the army calendar, perhaps not as famous as Airborne Special Forces Day, but many know about it. I would, of course, like to make this holiday more famous, but not everything depends on the Voenpro online store. We can (and do) write more often about GRU special forces brigades, we can help people buy - we have a wide range of goods for special forces - and we will continue to do this, because we consider it our duty to talk about deserving people.

To make the memory of your service in the military intelligence and special forces unit of the GRU brighter, you can decorate your brigade, detachment, even the personalized flag of your platoon.

And in the fall and winter, in addition to the very symbolism of the formation and type of troops, excellent

| 10/16/2013 at 23:02

GRU SPECIAL FORCES IN CHECHNYA

During the first Chechen war of 1994-1996, Russian special forces were initially used only for reconnaissance. Due to the poor training of the ground units, the special forces had to take part in the assault groups. The battles of 1995 are considered the most tragic in the entire history of special forces not only in Russia, but also in the USSR, since the SN units suffered enormous losses at that time.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, difficult times came not only for the army, but also for special forces in particular. During the reorganizations and reforms, army special forces suffered enormous damage. From time to time, separate units of the brigades were sent to places of armed conflicts. For example, the 173rd detachment took part in eliminating unrest in Ossetia and Baku, and waged war on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Special forces soldiers of the 12th brigade of the Transcaucasian Military Corps took part in military operations on the territory of Azerbaijan and Tbilisi, and since 1991 in North Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The GRU special forces took the most active part during the battles of the first and second Chechen campaigns. During the first Chechen war of 1994-1996, combined and separate detachments from brigades of the Moscow, Siberian, North Caucasus, Ural, Trans-Baikal and Far Eastern military districts operated.
By the spring of 1995, all troops were withdrawn from Chechnya. Only a separate special forces detachment of the North Caucasus Military District remained in the republic, which took part in hostilities until the very end of the first war, and returned to its place of deployment only in the fall of 1996.
Alas, the GRU special forces units were very often used as simple reconnaissance units within units and formations of the ground forces. This was especially often observed at the initial stage of hostilities. This use was a consequence of the rather low training of the personnel of the regular units of these ground forces units. For the same reason mentioned above, groups of GRU special forces soldiers were included in the assault groups of the ground forces. An example of this is the storming of Grozny. Such command decisions ultimately led to very high losses in special forces units. The battles of 1995 can be considered the most tragic for the entire long history of special forces of the USSR and Russia.

For example, at the beginning of January 1995, a group of the special forces detachment of the 22nd separate special forces brigade was surrounded and then captured. Another tragic accident occurred in Grozny, where an explosion occurred in a building housing a GRU special forces detachment from a brigade of the Moscow Military District.
Despite this, during the fighting in Chechnya, the special forces were able to develop their own inherent tactics. Thus, the most common technique was organizing ambushes. Very often, GRU special forces groups went on missions with information from military counterintelligence agencies, the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. With the help of such ambushes, field commanders who moved along the roads of the republic at night with little security were often destroyed.
In May 1995, several special forces units of the GRU brigade of the North Caucasus Military District participated in the operation to free hostages in Budennovsk. They did not directly participate in the storming of the hospital, but exercised control in the outskirts of the city, and then accompanied a convoy of buses with militants and hostages. In January 1996, a detachment of the GRU brigade of the North Caucasus Military District was transferred to an operation to free the hostages in the village of Pervomaisky. At the beginning of the operation, a special forces group of 47 people carried out a diversionary strike in order to draw back the main forces of the militants. At the final stage of the operation, the detachment inflicted significant losses on Raduev’s group breaking out of the village, despite the numerous superiority on the part of the militants. For this battle, five special forces officers were immediately awarded the title of Hero of Russia, one of them posthumously. During the fighting in Chechnya, the 173rd separate detachment, which took part in operations on the territory of the republic, was again equipped with military equipment. This made it possible to greatly increase the firepower of the special forces, as well as give mobility to existing reconnaissance groups. This period was also characterized by the fact that the recruitment of existing GRU special forces units began to be carried out with the help of contract servicemen. The level of education of such intelligence officers was quite high. At the same time, people with education were attracted there by fairly high and regular cash payments.

All the lessons that the first Chechen campaign taught Russian special forces were not forgotten. The level of combat training of the units has become significantly higher. It was also decided to resume competitions for the championship of special forces groups of the Armed Forces. There was an active exchange of experience with foreign colleagues.
In 1996, the Khasavyurt agreement was signed, according to which a precarious peace reigned in the North Caucasus. But it was clear to everyone that this conflict was far from settled by signing the papers. Also at that time there was a great danger of the spread of separatist ideas to the regions neighboring Chechnya, and primarily to Dagestan. By the end of 1997, the General Staff realized that Dagestan would be the first republic of the North Caucasus, which the separatists would try to tear away from Russia to create their own independent state in the Caucasus.

To counter this, already at the beginning of 1998, the 411th special forces detachment was transferred from the 22nd separate special forces brigade to Kaspiysk. A few months later, the 173rd Special Forces Detachment arrived in its place. And so they replaced each other until August 1999. Soldiers of the detachments were engaged in reconnaissance in Dagestan in areas bordering Chechnya, studying the system of protection and warning of the administrative border on the Chechen side. In addition, the detachments carried out work to monitor the movement and sale of clandestine petroleum products, which were coming in large quantities from the territory of Chechnya at that time. Also, together with detachments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, GRU special forces participated in operations to identify and suppress the illegal arms trade.
With the outbreak of hostilities, later known as the Second Chechen War, special forces provided federal troops with accurate intelligence data and exposed defensive structures and positions of militants. To solve these problems, first of all, the 8th separate special forces detachment was sent, as well as one company of the 3rd separate special forces detachment.
With the development of hostilities, the GRU special forces group was further strengthened by combined and separate detachments that arrived from almost all military districts of the country. At the same time, they were headed by the commander of the 22nd separate special forces brigade. After the main centers of illegal gangster formations on the territory of Dagestan were defeated, the troops moved to the territory of Chechnya. Special forces units were part of all military groups that were advancing from all directions. Initially, the special forces conducted active reconnaissance in the interests of the advancing troops. At the same time, not a single commander at the head of combined arms units began to move forward until permission was given by the commander of the GRU special forces group, who was carrying out reconnaissance in that area. In particular, it is precisely this tactic that explains the relatively low losses of federal troops while advancing towards Grozny.
Subsequently, GRU special forces collected intelligence information about the militant group that defended Grozny. And all the main defensive lines were revealed with a very high degree of reliability.
Subsequently, GRU special forces groups switched to their favorite tactics of search and ambush operations and organizing raids on discovered militant bases. This tactic worked especially well in the foothills and mountainous regions of the republic. Inspection teams also began to be actively used again, which, as in Afghanistan, operated from helicopters.
On October 24, 2000, GRU special forces celebrated the 50th anniversary of the creation of special-purpose companies. For special distinction in battles to ensure the security and integrity of the Russian Federation, the 22nd separate special forces brigade received the rank of guards in April 2001. It became the first unit since the end of the Great Patriotic War to be awarded such an honorary title.

During the period of hostilities in the Caucasus, little was known about the operations of Russian special forces. Only the facts of punctures that occurred among Russian special forces during the Chechen campaign became public.

The first serious setback occurred on January 7th. On this day, a special forces detachment of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) from the 22nd Special Forces Brigade was surrounded. The militants captured 48 people, plus the Chechens captured the latest types of silent weapons. Such as the previously considered secret Vintorez sniper rifle. On the evening of January 24, a tragedy occurred with the battalion, with the 16th separate special forces brigade. In an instant, as a result of the explosion of a three-story building, 45 people were buried alive under the rubble, and another 28 scouts were shell-shocked and injured.

Everything else is shrouded in mystery. Although special forces took an active part in the storming of Grozny and in other operations of this war. At the end of February, at the airport in Mineralnye Vody, I talked with an officer from Chechnya who had a special forces patch on his sleeve. A young, strong-looking guy with a bandaged head was severely shell-shocked and pondered for a long time what was said to him. He also uttered response phrases for a long time, stuttering heavily and drawing out his words. How little he resembled the iron Rambo or other heroes of Western action films, thanks to which the civilian man in the street had an image of an omnipotent Superman that was far from reality.

What about civilians? Some military personnel during the battles in Grozny advocated the capture of the Chechen capital exclusively by special forces units. In essence, proposing to assign the functions of conventional combined arms units to intelligence officers. Which in itself is stupidity. Special forces can do a lot, but not everything. Moreover, most of the people who serve in it are yesterday’s schoolchildren, and not professional soldiers like the American “Green Berets” and Rangers. But the “Green Berets” also made mistakes and made mistakes many times; let’s remember, for example, October 1993, Somalia. In two days, 18 Yankees from special forces died there.

My interlocutor, who gave his name as Konstantin, fought in Chechnya, in a GRU special forces battalion. He agreed to talk about some of the events that he witnessed and participated in.

Before Chechnya, Konstantin served for almost a year in the Samara special forces brigade, which was withdrawn from Germany. Our fellow countryman was a squad commander in a special operations company. What is a special event? Mining, ambushes, all kinds of sabotage on enemy territory, capture of prisoners. I had to jump with a parachute.

In total, Kostya made 6 jumps. Is it a lot or a little? Considering the lack of funding for combat training, just right. Much attention was paid to maintaining sufficient physical shape. Every Saturday forced marches of 10 kilometers were carried out. Every day the soldiers ran at a distance of 3-5 kilometers. Classes were conducted in hand-to-hand combat and much more that could be useful in combat conditions. It helped Konstantin a lot that he went in for sports before being drafted into the army. Although, according to Kostya, hand-to-hand combat was taught rather superficially, and the classes were mostly purposeful, such as silently removing a sentry. Twice a week there was fire training - shooting from small arms.

Konstantin believes that the level of knowledge he received was sufficient. In any case, he exceeded the training of motorized rifle soldiers many times over. Many motorized riflemen did not even hold a machine gun in their hands before Chechnya.

The 33rd special forces battalion was formed in Yekaterinburg. Kostya and several other guys from Mordovia were transferred there. The guys didn’t know exactly where they would be sent, but they guessed that it would be a hot spot - Georgia or Chechnya. Moreover, events in the latter began to develop with catastrophic speed. At the new duty station, the emphasis was placed on mine demolition training, and terrain navigation skills were improved. Survival courses were conducted.

In mid-January, a battalion consisting of two hundred soldiers was transferred to Chechnya. They were located in the Northern district, in the building of some kind of hostel. We went into combat for the first time on January 23. The front line at that time passed along the Sunzha River. And a group of 10 people went to the area of ​​the Dudayev Palace. The streets were heavily shelled. Before reaching the place, they dismounted and after a little while ran towards the institute building. Bullets flew overhead in a swarm. We safely reached the building and sat in it for two days, adjusting artillery fire. And they returned back without losses.

The most serious fighting broke out again in mid-February, when the assault on Minutka Square began. The group in which Konstantin was during this operation found itself in serious trouble for the first time. This happened at one of the checkpoints. At night, two special forces groups positioned themselves on the front line. They took cover behind a brick wall. The tension of the last few days took its toll, and the special forces relaxed - they lost their vigilance: they began to talk, some even lit a cigarette. According to Konstantin, surveillance of the area was not carried out at all.

They heard that a large group of people was moving towards them. From the post they shouted: “Stop! Password!" Silence in response. And the sound of the fire switches being removed from the safety locks. When the soldiers shouted again from the post, they shouted in response: “Allah Akbar!” and they opened fire on the special forces. Our guys lay down and started shooting back. The gunman who shouted “Allahu Akbar” was the first to receive a bullet. It was taken by a Russian sniper using a rifle with a night sight. One of the officers initially demanded a ceasefire. Another of our reconnaissance groups was supposed to return from a mission, and it could come under fire. Of course, no one listened to him. Some even sent him away in anger.

The shootout lasted for about twenty minutes. Some of the militants tried to attack ours, breaking into a nearby house. The special forces threw several grenades at its windows, loud groans from the wounded were heard, and they were finished off with a couple more grenades. In total, the Chechens lost about a dozen killed. The special forces lost two seriously wounded. One guy was hit in the chest by three bullets, miraculously missing his heart. In another, the bullet entered the head behind the ear and exited in the tailbone area. The guys were bandaged and injected with Parmedol so that they would not die from painful shock. The wounded were left under the cover of one group, and Kostya’s unit went on a mission. In the morning they reported that the guys were safely evacuated. Later it became known that they were operated on in the hospital; their lives were not in danger.

Their group suffered the most serious losses later, when the Chechen capital was liberated. The army led an offensive towards Gudermes. A group in an armored personnel carrier went on reconnaissance - to the rear of the Chechen bandits. Their task was to penetrate as deeply as possible behind the front line. Moving forward, from time to time they stopped and contacted the command. The commanders ordered them to move on. Having driven up one of the hills, they saw a ZIL truck with cows in the back. The Chechens sitting in the cabin tried to “make their legs.” One was killed, the other was caught. A plan quickly emerged. The group included a 27-year-old contract soldier, Armenian by nationality. Putting on an Olympic jersey over his uniform, he sat in the booth with the Chechens. Other special forces soldiers loaded into the back, and the armored personnel carrier followed. The road twisted and the armored personnel carrier fell behind.

After some time, their ZIL was stopped by militants. There were three of them. A Chechen grenade launcher took aim at a car. The second militant was armed with a machine gun, the third carried a machine gun. The officer sitting in the back said that he would hit the Chechens with a grenade launcher. Another soldier was supposed to open fire with a machine gun. Others are required to leave the truck as quickly as possible.

The officer jumped up and fired at the militants from a disposable Mukha grenade launcher. But the jet stream of hot gases touched the ear of the soldier in the back, who was supposed to cover everyone with machine gun fire. The stunned soldier got up and began to randomly “water” the area with his Kalashnikov. A contract soldier sitting in the cockpit killed another Chechen. Only three managed to jump out of the car. Here heavy fire was opened on the truck, and all the remaining 7 people were injured of varying degrees of severity. The survivors began to pull out the seriously wounded. The lightly wounded also helped each other. At this time, an armored personnel carrier jumped out from behind the rock and began hitting the militants’ positions with a heavy machine gun. A few moments later, the armored personnel carrier was hit by an RPG. The gunner sitting behind the machine gun was also injured; he was saved by the driver. Everyone took cover behind the armored personnel carrier.

Another group rushed to their aid. At the beginning, the guys tried to get around the Chechens from the rear, but they also ran into fire and were forced to go the same road as the previous group, in which Konstantin was. The battle became hot. The Chechen bandits, realizing that they were dealing with insignificant forces of Russian troops, formed a chain and went on the attack. The situation was becoming critical, especially since the special forces began to run out of ammunition. The approaching armored personnel carrier took the damaged car in tow, and the special forces began to retreat, hiding behind armored personnel carriers. There was a continuous roar from the bullets hitting the sides. We went up the hill. One of the officers tried to help the driver of the car onto the road. The bullet hit the senior lieutenant in the head, and he fell dead in front of his shocked fellow soldiers. Another soldier suddenly began gasping for air. Bloody foam appeared on the lips. The guy groaned: “I was hit.” They tried to help him, but it was too late, he died.

Due to lack of communication, half an hour later a third reconnaissance group ran into the same ambush. These guys were lucky - they had no losses.

According to Konstantin, the army in Chechnya was not allowed to really fight. If not for the constant “ceasefires” ordered by Moscow, the Chechen campaign would have been over in two months.

My interlocutor honestly admitted that the army special forces were jealous of the riot police and how they were equipped. The army did not have such equipment. But the fighters had to make many details of the uniform themselves, often picking up a thread and a needle. The special forces soldier believes that the infantry bore the brunt of the fighting on their shoulders. The Marines fought well. Kostya treats the internal troops with disdain.

Konstantin has a good opinion of most of the officers who served with him. Many of them went through Afghanistan and these people were on equal terms with the soldiers. Essentially, we ate from the same pot with them. They shared equally all the hardships and hardships with their subordinates. They did not hide behind the backs of their subordinates. There was high discipline in the battalion. As for alcohol, they did not abuse it too much there. The commanders said: “Guys, don’t drink. If you really want to, come over and we’ll sit together, but remember that we can go to combat at any moment, and our heads must be fresh.”

Returning home, Kostya quickly recovered from what he had seen there, although during the first weeks he had nightmares and often woke up at night.

A special forces group of 11 people under the command of Art. Lieutenant M. Bezginov was tasked on November 14, 1999 to land on the Sunzhensky ridge in the Sernovodsk area and, moving along the ridge, conduct reconnaissance in order to ensure the safety of the troops’ advance in the direction of Ordzhonikidzevskaya-Grozny. When an enemy is identified, determine its coordinates and report them to the Center for planning and launching air and artillery strikes. During the strikes, adjust their fire.

On November 15, 1999, the group discovered a fortified area of ​​militants located approximately 4 km northeast of Sernovodsk. The fortified area consisted of a complex of concrete dugouts, trenches, and underground communication passages. At about 7.00, while conducting additional reconnaissance of the facility, the head patrol consisting of Andrei Kataev and Sergei Suraev encountered an enemy of superior strength, but managed to warn the main forces of the group about the danger. In a short, unequal battle, the lead patrol died in its entirety in the first minutes of the battle. A battalion of up to 300 people operated on the part of the illegal armed formations.

The group took refuge in old trenches left over from the First Chechen Campaign. The militants, taking advantage of their overwhelming superiority in forces, opened heavy fire. The group’s sniper, Oleg Kuyanov, killed four militants in the first minutes of the battle, giving the group the opportunity to organize a defense and also pull the wounded warrant officers Bakhnov and Zarubin out of the fire zone. Signalman Ivan Anureev received a concussion, but continued to establish communications. He managed to fix the antenna under fire and begin a communication session. The militants, using modern communications equipment, tried to jam the special forces radio station. The group, taking up a perimeter defense, fought: seven against several hundred. Soon the group commander, Art. Lieutenant Bezginov. The radio operator managed to get in touch and request help. A special forces unit in an armored personnel carrier was sent to the rescue of the group. Due to low clouds, aviation could not provide assistance.

Sniper Kuyanov acted slightly away from the group, in the bushes, controlling the main direction of the militants’ attacks. Disguising himself and changing positions, he shot everyone who tried to approach the group in his area. After some time, machine gunner Yuri Travnikov died, and then Nikolai Klychkov. Nevertheless, the group continued to hold out for several hours, repelling attack after attack. Anureev kept in touch, periodically reporting the situation and at the same time managing to participate in repelling attacks.

After some time, Sergei Ilenzeer was wounded. Due to the intense battle, ammunition began to run out. In this situation, the group decided to retreat. To give the survivors the opportunity to retreat, only Oleg Kuyanov voluntarily remained in the group’s position. The group began to retreat in the direction of the rendezvous with the unit coming to the rescue. Soon the “turntables” appeared, and behind them Sergei Mozerov’s group entered the battle, arriving in armored personnel carriers to provide assistance and evacuation. The militants began to retreat under air strikes. By 14.00 the battle was over.

The soldiers who arrived to help found the bodies of their dead comrades and the corpses of militants, but the body of Oleg Kuyanov could not be found. A few days later, the militants got in touch and offered to exchange Kuyanov’s body for the bodies of the dead militants. After the exchange, Kuyanov's body was examined. The corpse was decapitated, and the whole body was riddled with shrapnel and bullets.

Losses. Of the 11 special forces soldiers, six died. The militants lost killed: about 60 were destroyed by Bezginov’s group; Around 20-30 the helicopters and reinforcements were destroyed. According to various estimates, Oleg Kuyanov personally destroyed from 35 to 45 militants. Some sources use the numbers 38 and 45, the phrases “about 40” and “more than 40.” Among those killed by Kuyanov were a militant field commander and several foreign mercenaries.

Soldiers of the Berdsk special forces, warrant officer Oleg Viktorovich Kuyanov (posthumously) and private Ivan Valerievich Anureev, were awarded the title of Heroes of the Russian Federation for this battle. The rest of the group's fighters were awarded orders.

Special forces in Chechnya

Special forces formations and military units were located on the territory of the Chechen Republic from the fall of 1994 to the fall of 2007. Longer than the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. And if the Soviet media wrote laconically and only positively about what was happening “beyond the river,” then the Russian media wrote a lot about the events in Chechnya and Dagestan, in detail and taking into account the wishes of readers. Anyone could find among the many publications exactly what interested him specifically.

But among these articles there were no stories about special forces - Heroes of the Russian Federation. And if there were, then only laconic messages from Information Agencies that the military intelligence officer was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. Details were generally not provided. We decided to break this “tradition” and talk about these people. Unfortunately, many of them were awarded this title posthumously. And let our laconic story be a tribute to these people.

ANUREEV Ivan Valerievich

Private of the 67th Special Forces Brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

From 1987 to 1997 he studied at the Ust-Lukovsk secondary school.

He graduated from vocational technical school No. 87, where he received the profession of a driver.

In 1998 he was drafted into the army. Served in the 67th separate special forces brigade. Was sent to the North Caucasus.

From August 14 to October 15, 1999, as part of a combined detachment, he participated in an operation to eliminate illegal gangs in Chechnya. Participated in combat missions more than ten times.

On October 15, 1999, a group of eleven people went on reconnaissance in the area of ​​the Sunzhensky ridge (Chechnya) to clarify the location of the enemy. The group was ambushed and an unequal battle ensued. Radio operator Anureev, who was injured as a result of a concussion, was able to call for help by radio and correct the actions of two reinforcement groups. Under active enemy fire, he pulled two warrant officers to safety. For several hours, holding back the enemy’s onslaught on one of the directions of attack, he constantly maintained contact with the Center, transmitting the situation and destroying ten militants. To ensure the group's withdrawal and evacuation of the wounded, he voluntarily remained on cover and was the last to leave the battlefield.

Thanks to his dedication, help came to the exact location indicated by the radio operator. The remaining five people were rescued.

BOCHENKOV Mikhail Vladislavovich

Guard captain of the 2nd separate special forces brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

In 1990 he entered the Leningrad Suvorov Military School.

In 1992, he was enrolled in the first year of the Higher Combined Arms Command School named after. Kirov.

In 1996 he graduated from the Higher Combined Arms Command School named after. Kirov with a gold medal.

In Chechnya since August 16, 1999 - participated in combat operations in Buinaksk, Urus-Martan, Kizlyar, Novolaksky, Khasavyurt.

On the night of February 15-16, 2000, four special-purpose reconnaissance groups were withdrawn to the Ur area. Tangi-Chu with the task of conducting reconnaissance in the area of ​​the heights assigned to the groups and preventing a sudden attack by bandit formations on units of a motorized rifle regiment on the movement routes.

Carrying out the assigned task, the group of captain M.V. Bochenkova was forced to engage in battle when superior enemy forces were detected and continue to the intended height. On February 20, Captain Bochenkov’s group was at an altitude of 947.0 and began to carry out the combat mission.

On February 21, 2000, Captain Bochenkov’s group, coming to the aid of their comrades, entered into battle with the gang. With a powerful fire strike from the enemy, the group of captain M.V. Bochenkova was defeated. None of the scouts left their combat positions; the group fought until the ammunition was completely spent. In the last minutes of the battle, mortally wounded captain M.V. Bochenkov covered the wounded scout with his body.

GREBENKIN Dmitry Viktorovich

In 1987 he graduated from the Moscow Suvorov Military School.

Since August 1987 - in the Armed Forces of the USSR.

In 1991 he graduated from the Tashkent Higher Combined Arms Command School named after V.I. Lenin.

Served in special forces units of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Since August 1999, he has been directly involved in the counter-terrorism operation in the North Caucasus region.

GRIDNEV Vadim Alekseevich

Guard major, commander of a reconnaissance company of a separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Russian Federation.

In 1994 he graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.

In 1994–1996 he took part in the battles of the first Chechen war.

In January 1995, at the head of a reconnaissance platoon, he participated in the assault on Grozny, took part in the capture of the Council of Ministers complex, and the capture of a petrochemical institute.

In September 1999, the commander of the reconnaissance company of the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces of the Guard, Captain Gridnev, was sent to the combat zone in Dagestan.

Since October 1999 - in the battles of the second Chechen war, he distinguished himself in the battles for Gudermes, Argun, Tsentoroy, Selmentauzen.

From September 13 to December 4, 1999, he led 35 reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines with the aim of reconnaissance of terrorist strongholds, setting up ambushes and mining the area, while showing courage and heroism. During these operations, 26 concentrations of militants were identified, 126 terrorists were destroyed by artillery and aviation fire, as well as by the actions of the reconnaissance groups themselves. In addition, he organized escort and carried out 20 columns without loss.

While reconnaissance of one of the mountain ranges, Captain Gridnev’s group identified a newly constructed powerful fortified enemy area. Having taken up a perimeter defense, Gridnev called in artillery fire and fire support helicopters. The militants managed to detect the scouts, however, skillfully defending themselves in occupied enemy positions with the support of artillery fire, the group repelled all attacks. At the height of the battle, an infantry fighting vehicle broke through to help the scouts, but the inexperienced gunner was unable to hit the targets.

Vadim Gridnev, under enemy fire, made his way to the BMP, took the place of the gunner and with several shots destroyed the militants’ anti-aircraft gun and the mortar mounted on the UAZ vehicle. After the destruction of the fortified area, the group broke through to its own in a captured enemy combat reconnaissance and patrol vehicle, having no killed or wounded. The militants lost about 50 people killed from artillery fire, helicopters and in battle with scouts.

In December 1999, Vadim Gridnev was awarded the rank of guard major.

In 2000, I spent several months on my third business trip to the Chechen Republic.

In 2007, he held the military rank of lieutenant colonel.

DERGUNOV Alexey Vasilievich

Senior lieutenant, platoon commander of the 3rd Guards Separate Special Forces Brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born on December 22, 1979 in the city of Frunze (now the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek). Subsequently, the family moved to Novosibirsk.

In 1998 he graduated from high school in Novosibirsk.

In 2002 he graduated from the Novosibirsk Military Institute.

He served as a platoon commander in the 3rd Guards Separate Special Forces Brigade.

Since October 2002, he was on a business trip to the Chechen Republic, participating in military operations to eliminate gangs.

In December 2002, the unit in which Alexey Dergunov served was transferred to the Tsumandinsky district of Dagestan. The day before, a gang of one of the most brutal field commanders, Ruslan Gelayev, was discovered there, shooting a mobile group of border guards from an ambush. The pursuit was carried out in inaccessible mountain conditions, through a multi-meter layer of snow, under constant frost and wind. The search area was located at an altitude of three kilometers above sea level, and during the winter months these areas were not visited even by local residents.

On December 26, 2003, while crossing the rocks, a conscript sergeant, a subordinate of Alexei Dergunov, fell into an abyss and hung on a ledge. The commander rushed to save his soldier and managed to catch him. However, when pulling him out, he was unable to hold him and fell into the abyss along with the sergeant. Both died.

On January 1, 2004, senior lieutenant Alexey Vasilyevich Dergunov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).

DNEPROVSKY Andrey Vladimirovich

Ensign of the 42nd MCI Pacific Fleet, commander of a naval reconnaissance squad of a separate special purpose company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born on May 6, 1971 in the city of Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz) of the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the family of an officer.

Moving with his father to places of service, he studied at schools in Ossetia, Transbaikalia, and Mongolia.

In 1989 he was called up for military service in the Pacific Fleet. During his service, he tried to enter a military school, but did not pass the medical examination for vision. Then he entered the school of warrant officers of the Pacific Fleet, from which he graduated in 1991.

He served in a separate special forces company in the 165th Air Assault Regiment of the Pacific Fleet, and commanded a squad of naval reconnaissance officers.

The first Chechen war, which began in November 1994, showed that one of the main results of the long and persistent reform of the Armed Forces was the almost complete absence of combat-ready military units. It was no coincidence that the last combat-ready units from all over Russia were sent to the war in the mountains. Motorized riflemen and paratroopers traveled to Chechnya from the polar snows, Orenburg steppes, and Siberian taiga. From all four Russian fleets, marine units were sent to the mountains, which stood out for the better in terms of their level of combat training.

At the beginning of January 1995 he arrived in Chechnya. From the first days, naval reconnaissance officers began their immediate occupation: conducting military reconnaissance. They went on raids, captured prisoners, carried out sabotage on the routes of movement of Dudayev’s detachments, and directed air and artillery strikes at them. Warrant Officer Dneprovsky's department was one of the luckiest - there were not even wounded there, but luck consisted of the skill of the commander and the courage of his subordinates.

In the battle on March 21, 1995, near the village of Goyten-Yurt, scouts identified enemy fortifications at a commanding height and secretly approached them. Dneprovsky personally silently removed two sentries, and the scouts fought their way to the heights. The Dudayevites guarding it fought back fiercely, using numerous bunkers and caches. Suppressing one firing point after another, the scouts moved forward. Several more militants died from the well-aimed fire of warrant officer Dneprovsky. The battle was already ending when Andrei Dneprovsky died from a bullet from Dudayev’s sniper. He was the only one killed in this battle, which ended in victory.

DOLONIN Vladislav Alexandrovich

Senior lieutenant, commander of the 33rd separate detachment of the 12th separate special forces brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born on February 22, 1969 in the city of Maykop, the administrative center of the Adygea Autonomous Region of the Krasnodar Territory.

After graduating from high school in 1987, he joined the Armed Forces of the USSR.

In 1991 he graduated from the Vladikavkaz Military Combined Arms Command School. Served in special forces units of the Transcaucasian Military District. Then he continued to serve in the 12th separate special forces brigade as a group commander.

In the battle on January 29, 1995, having received the task of capturing a bridge over the Sunzha River, which was well guarded by militants, he did not attack their fortifications, but with a surprise attack knocked the militants out of a nearby high-rise building. With powerful fire from the upper floors, the special forces inflicted heavy losses on the enemy and forced them to flee. The bridge was captured without loss. In this battle, Vladislav Dolonin personally destroyed two machine-gun crews, one grenade launcher and several militants.

The next day, January 30, 1995, a group of senior lieutenant Dolonin knocked out militants from a building in Grozny, into the basements of which Dudayev’s forces had herded up to 100 civilians as hostages, and then defended it from enemy attacks for several hours.

On February 5, 1995, the group received an order to release the encircled marine unit on Minutka Square in the city of Grozny. And again the officer approached the task in an unconventional way. The special forces cleared several high-rise buildings from the enemy, gaining dominant positions over the battlefield, and with targeted fire they forced the Dudayevites to flee. In this battle, Dolonin destroyed three machine gun crews and two grenade launcher fighters.

After the capture of Grozny, the Ural special forces were transferred to the Gudermes direction.

On March 3, 1995, during a reconnaissance mission to the rear of the militants, their defensive positions were identified. However, the group was discovered by the enemy, as a result of which it was forced to engage in battle with an enemy superior in numbers and occupying an advantageous position. Vladislav Dolonin ordered an attack on the enemy in order to occupy a dominant height over the area. During the attack he was wounded in the leg. Having ordered to continue the combat mission, he remained with a machine gun to cover his subordinates from the militants pursuing them. He suppressed two firing points with fire and destroyed up to ten militants. Died in this battle. The soldiers rescued by the officer captured the height and held it until reinforcements arrived, repelling several attacks by militants.

In this battle, Dolonin personally destroyed two enemy firing points and up to ten militants, but he himself, having received a fatal wound to the head, died from his wounds.

Elistratov Dmitry Viktorovich

Lieutenant, group commander of a separate special forces detachment, Hero of the Russian Federation.

In 1994 he graduated from the Tver Suvorov Military School.

In 1999 he graduated from the Novosibirsk Higher Combined Arms Command School.

He served in the 16th separate special forces brigade of the Moscow Military District.

In 1999–2000, he took part in hostilities on the territory of the Chechen Republic as commander of a search and rescue support group. He flew out more than 30 times to conduct search and rescue operations, without losses among the group’s personnel and weapons.

In December 1999, he and nine soldiers from the 16th Special Forces Brigade took part in the rescue of an air regiment commander who was shot down by militants in the Argun Gorge area. The helicopter on which the special forces were flying was hit by a machine-gun burst. From a height of fifteen meters the car crashed to the ground. Dmitry's machine gun jammed, and the blow popped out the horn. He himself and another fighter with a light machine gun were the first to recover from the impact of the fall and instantly jumped out of the damaged helicopter. And the bandits were already running down the slope of the hill towards them. Dmitry Elistratov reloaded the machine gun. His first burst mowed down three attackers. The bandits lay down. A fight ensued. For the first minutes, Dmitry and the fighter shot back together. Then other special forces soldiers began to come to their senses. For about half an hour, the squad held the line against dozens of advancing militants until fire support helicopters arrived to its aid. The final phase of the rescue of the pilot began the next morning. Dmitry's squad on another helicopter successfully reached the ejection area. The pilot was lifted on board using a halyard - there was no way to land on the slope of the hill. While the pilot was being lifted, Dmitry and his comrades fired heavily at the advancing militants, eventually shooting down all the ammunition. The regiment commander was saved.

On September 14, 2000, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation for his participation in the operation to rescue the downed commander of an aviation regiment.

In 2004, he retired from the Armed Forces.

ERMAKOV Vitaly Yurievich

Senior lieutenant, translator of the special forces group of the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Russian Federation.

In 1988 he graduated from high school in Ryazan.

In 1992 he graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.

He served in the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces, stationed in the village of Kubinka, Moscow region. Commanded a special forces group.

In 1994, he was appointed as a translator for a special forces detachment group within a regiment with the rank of senior lieutenant (some sources indicate the military rank of Vitaly Ermakov as captain, but in published documents and in the Presidential Decree the rank of senior lieutenant is indicated).

Since December 1, 1994, as part of a reconnaissance detachment, he carried out a combat mission to disarm bandit formations on the territory of the Chechen Republic.

On December 31, 1994, as part of a reconnaissance company, he participated in street battles in the city of Grozny. The group received an order to provide assistance to the 131st motorized rifle brigade surrounded in Grozny. During the combat mission, it was possible to break through the encirclement of several scattered units of the brigade, remove them from the city and evacuate the wounded. On that bloody day, the special forces of Senior Lieutenant Ermakov saved hundreds of lives of soldiers and officers.

EROFEEV Dmitry Vladimirovich

Lieutenant, serviceman of the 691st separate special forces detachment of the 67th separate special forces brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born in 1973 in the city of Tolchikha (Novosibirsk region).

Graduated from the Novosibirsk Military Command School.

Served in the 67th separate special forces brigade.

On the night of January 1, 1995, the assault on Grozny began. The column, which included a group of the 691st separate special forces detachment and soldiers of the 131st Maykop motorized rifle brigade, moved along Komsomolskaya Street to the rescue of the Maykop commander, Colonel Savinov, who was surrounded and wounded in the area of ​​the railway station. At the head of the column in the command and staff vehicle were Erofeev’s scouts. At the entrance to the square in front of the Grozny circus, the column was met with powerful fire. The scouts' headquarters vehicle caught fire and crashed into the corner of a residential building; part of the crew was shot from nearby windows by snipers.

Dmitry Erofeev led people away from the dangerous place to the other side of the street, to the circus building. Here, in a space shot through, he took his first and last battle. He fired all the bullets from his machine gun at the militants. And the snipers decided to start a “hunt” for the unarmed special forces soldier. But even with his arms and legs shot, Lieutenant Erofeev continued to fight. Then - another wound in the stomach, and the last shot - in the face.

ZARIPOV Albert Maratovich

Senior lieutenant, reconnaissance group commander, Hero of the Russian Federation.

He graduated from high school with a gold medal.

In 1985–1987 he studied at the Ryazan Radio Engineering Institute (now the Ryazan Radio Engineering Academy).

In 1987 he was called up for military service in the Soviet Army.

From 1987 to 1988, he served in the sixth special forces battalion in Lashkargah (Afghanistan) as a senior reconnaissance machine gunner, and then as deputy commander of a special forces group.

In 1993 he graduated from the Ryazan Airborne Command School. As a special forces officer (22nd separate special forces brigade) he took part in:

in the protection and security of civilians in the emergency zone of the Republic of North Ossetia, August - October 1993;

in a special operation to free Rostov schoolchildren taken hostage in December 1993;

in establishing constitutional order in Chechnya since January 1995;

in a special operation in Budennovsk in June 1995;

From January 13 to 18, 1996, he participated in a special operation to destroy a gang of Chechen militants under the command of Raduev, who captured the village of Pervomaiskoye in Dagestan.

From the award presentation:

“….On January 14, 1996, during the assault on the village of Pervomaiskoye, Zaripov and his subordinates moved to its northwestern outskirts and with massive fire from grenade launchers, RPO and small arms, knocked out the militants from their forward positions. The actions of the federals pinned down significant forces of bandits in the northwestern direction, which allowed units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to gain a foothold on the eastern borders of Pervomaisky. During the seven-hour battle, Zaripov’s subordinates destroyed the BTR-80, the crew of a heavy machine gun, and up to twenty terrorists.

On the night of January 17-18, Senior Lieutenant Zaripov was on a mission to prevent militants from trying to break through the encirclement of federal troops.

At about 4.00, Raduev’s bandits, numbering up to 350 people, attempted to break through the federal combat positions. The main efforts of the militants were directed to the area covered by the group of officer Zaripov. Having discovered the terrorists in a timely manner, Zaripov gave the command to the personnel to open fire. The enemy was driven back by fire from standard weapons.

The senior lieutenant personally suppressed two crews of heavy machine guns with targeted fire from an RPG. During the repeated attack, despite heavy losses, the militants managed to break through to Zaripov’s firing positions. A fierce close battle ensued. During it, the enemy began to use hand fragmentation and anti-tank grenades, and constantly fired from under-barrel grenade launchers and RPG-7. Zaripov, having evacuated three dead servicemen and four wounded soldiers, continued to lead the battle. He personally killed seven militants with machine gun fire and hand grenades. Having received the command to leave the position, he remained to cover the group’s retreat. As a result of a grenade explosion, the officer was seriously wounded in the head, but continued to lead his subordinates, completely ensuring the withdrawal of personnel. He was evacuated from the battlefield to a collection point for the wounded to provide first aid in an unconscious state only after the end of the battle.”

IVANOV Zariko Amiranovich

Colonel of military intelligence, Hero of the Russian Federation.

In 1972 he graduated from high school.

Graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.

Served in the 15th separate special forces brigade.

On the evening of October 4, 1999, together with two GRU officers (Alexei Galkin and Vladimir Pakhomov), on the section of the road between Mozdok and Bratsk, he was captured by militants in the territory. He was killed that same night.

KALININ Alexander Anatolievich

Commander of the mining group of the 2nd separate special forces brigade, captain, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Graduated from high school.

Since 1992 - in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. He entered the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School, but then was transferred to the Novosibirsk Higher Combined Arms Command School, which he graduated in 1996.

Served in the 2nd separate special forces brigade. He was the commander of a special forces group, commander of a reconnaissance group, senior translator of the information department, then appointed commander of a mining group.

At the head of his group he fought in the battles of the second Chechen war. Conducted several special operations against gangs.

In September 1999, he showed courage and heroism during hostilities in the Novolaksky region of Dagestan.

In February 2000, three groups of the 2nd Special Forces Brigade were ambushed near the village of Kharsenoy, Shatoisky district, Chechen Republic. Mortars, multiple launch rocket systems and flamethrowers fired at the scouts. A group of 25 scouts was attacked by several hundred militants. The fighters fought to the death for several hours in an unequal battle. According to the testimony of militants and village residents who were subsequently captured, the bandits lost from 70 to 100 people killed alone. Not a single scout surrendered; all 25 scouts died the death of heroes. In impotent anger, the bandits violated the bodies of the dead soldiers. Also in that battle, another 8 soldiers from another special forces unit were killed, trying to break through to help the encircled scouts. Captain Kalinin fought heroically along with his subordinates and died a hero's death.

KOKINAEV Shamil Zhalilovich

Major, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born in 1971 into an Azerbaijani-Russian family in the small village of Georgievka, in the Chimkent region of Kazakhstan. Father is a carpenter. Mother is a housewife.

In 1989 he entered a tank school in the Uzbek city of Chirchik.

He was actively involved in mountain tourism and became a master of sports.

Six months before graduating from college, he retrained as a special forces soldier. For six months he underwent training in the airborne division stationed in Fergana. After graduating from college, he was assigned to a special forces brigade stationed near Chirchik.

In 1994 he was transferred to Russia.

From March to May 1995 he was in Chechnya.

From August 13, 1999 to May 2000, he took part in the counter-terrorist operation in Dagestan and Chechnya. Made 32 combat missions.

On September 2, 1999, while carrying out a mission in the area of ​​Mount Shamiroi, a detachment under his command discovered a caravan of 15 pack animals heading to Dagestan. As a result of skillfully organized surveillance, a warehouse of weapons and ammunition was discovered. Having reported the coordinates of the warehouse to the command, the scouts entered into battle with superior enemy forces.

In 2000, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. “In the battles near Sharoy, a motorized rifle battalion was surrounded. Major Sh. Kokinaev was one of the first to arrive to the rescue, distracting the enemy forces, giving the unit the opportunity to regroup and escape from the encirclement. Subsequently, he directed artillery fire at enemy positions and confidently corrected it, while under continuous enemy fire.

While conducting reconnaissance in the area of ​​Mount Godoberi, Major Sh. Kokinaev discovered a convoy of militants in 25 vehicles. After analyzing the situation, he concluded that it was impossible to call for artillery, and decided to attack. He positioned the detachment, calculated the speed of the column and defeated it, competently controlling the fire of the unit. Personally destroyed 2 cars with a grenade launcher. In total, 17 vehicles and 200 militants were destroyed during the battle. The detachment did not suffer any losses.”

In 2004 - lieutenant colonel, teacher at the tactics department of the Moscow Higher Military Command School.

KONOPELTKIN Evgeniy Nikolaevich

Major, battalion commander of the 67th separate special forces brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born on February 22, 1969 in the city of Asha in the center of the Ashinsky district of the Chelyabinsk region, in the family of a metallurgist.

He graduated from high school and music school. He played a lot of sports: he was the champion of the Chelyabinsk region in three sports (hockey, football, basketball).

In 1990 he graduated from the special intelligence department of the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.

Served in special forces units. He commanded a special forces platoon and was a translator for the headquarters of a separate special forces brigade.

Since 1992, he commanded a company and then a battalion of army special forces as part of the 67th Special Forces Brigade.

In December 1994, as a company commander, he was sent to Chechnya.

In 1994–1996 he took part in hostilities on the territory of the Chechen Republic during the first Chechen war. Three times he went on long business trips to the war.

At the beginning of 1995, during his first mission, at the head of a group of four fighters, he remained to cover the retreat of a unit that was ambushed. In the battle he was seriously wounded, his leg was literally crushed. However, the officer continued to fight. Due to significant blood loss, he lost consciousness right during the battle. Saved by his subordinates. At the hospital, the foot was amputated. Thanks to willpower and constant training, I managed to return to duty. Refusing to work at headquarters, he took command of his unit.

Just two months after being discharged from the hospital, Konopelkin left for Chechnya on his second business trip.

March 5, 1996 Major Konopelkin E.V. committed a heroic act. The reconnaissance detachment fought in the area of ​​Minutka Square in the city of Grozny. The detachment occupied key positions in the high-rise buildings of the square, but ammunition was running out. The enemy, sensing a decrease in the intensity of the reconnaissance fire, attempted to encircle the detachment. Having received an order to break through the encirclement of militants around the unit and deliver ammunition, he wisely positioned his fighters and skillfully organized the attack. With sudden and coordinated actions, the scouts inflicted significant damage on the enemy, caused panic in his ranks and completed the assigned task without losses.

In 2000 he graduated from the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Army.

KORABENKOV Anatoly Sergeevich

Lieutenant, reconnaissance group commander of the 24th separate special forces brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born in Ulan-Ude.

He served his military service in aviation.

After returning from the army, he served in a special police detachment and graduated in absentia from the history department of the Buryat State University.

Entered the special forces unit under contract.

From June 8 to September 15, 2002, he took part in the operation to destroy illegal armed groups in Chechnya.

On July 15, 2002, a reconnaissance group under his command, while moving to the ambush site, discovered three militants at an observation post. Thanks to the courage and skillful actions of the group commander, who killed two militants, the group completed the task without casualties among personnel and returned to the base camp.

On July 28, he organized a breakthrough to a group of border guards who were surrounded. Organized the evacuation of two seriously wounded and eight dead border guards.

On July 29, while pursuing the enemy, a reconnaissance group under his command, while crossing to the western bank of the Kerigo River, encountered a group of militants numbering up to ten people. He saved a scout-machine gunner who had fallen into the river, and then entered the battle. Calling in mortar fire, he pushed back the militants with his group forces and organized the pursuit of the enemy.

KOSACHEV Sergey Ivanovich

Captain of the medical service, soldier of the 22nd separate special forces brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born in 1960.

Since April 1995, he took part in hostilities on the territory of Chechnya.

On June 28, 1995, as part of a reconnaissance group, he conducted reconnaissance in the area of ​​​​the settlement of Yarysh-Mardy.

As a result of a military clash with the enemy, the BTR-80 was shot down, two were killed and five were wounded. The officer took them to a safe place, provided medical assistance and, until the main forces arrived, stopped the militants’ attempts to capture them with machine gun fire.

In the night battle of January 18, 1996 (an operation to neutralize terrorists from Raduev’s gang and free hostages in the village of Pervomaiskoye in Dagestan), when the militants tried to break through the encirclement, he led the evacuation of the wounded. He entered into close combat, firing from a machine gun, and covered the evacuation of the wounded. The militants broke through to the command post where the wounded were located. The medic saw two militants who were aiming at the wounded remaining at the checkpoint. Leaning forward, he covered his comrades, taking the first blow from the grenade launchers.

KUYANOV Oleg Viktorovich

Ensign, commander of the reconnaissance group of the 67th separate special forces brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born in 1969 in the city of Berdsk, Novosibirsk region.

After returning from the army, he worked as a mechanic at a factory.

Then, under a contract, he entered the 67th separate special forces brigade.

Three business trips to Chechnya. The fourth was the last...

The newspapers then wrote about his feat as follows:

“A reconnaissance group of 12 people entered into battle with a detachment of bandits almost ten times larger in number.

The battle was extremely difficult, brutal and long. Five people were killed by heavy fire from the militants. Ensign Kuyanov chose and held the position in the direction in which the largest number of militants were advancing. When it became clear that it was impossible to break out of the encirclement, he covered for his comrades: he began to distract the bandits towards himself, leading them away from the group. He fired to kill with a sniper rifle.

Six returned to base from that battle. The same number died, among them was Oleg Kuyanov. Later it was established that during the battle, shooting to the last bullet, he destroyed about forty bandits. Oleg’s body was not found immediately. It was covered in bullet wounds, as if they had shot it at point-blank range.”

LAYS-MESCHERYAKOV Alexander Viktorovich

Guard private, machine gunner of the 2nd company of the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born on May 13, 1982 in the city of Gorno-Altaisk, the administrative center of the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Okrug of the Altai Territory. Then the family moved to the village of Neninka, Solton district, Altai Territory. There he graduated from 9 classes of high school, and later from an educational lyceum in the city of Biysk, Altai Territory.

In 2000, he was called up for military service in the airborne troops. He served in the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces.

In July 2001, as part of his unit, he arrived in the Chechen Republic to participate in hostilities during the second Chechen war. Killed in action on the seventh day of his first military deployment.

On August 7, 2001, a patrol of paratroopers searched for a gang that, according to intelligence data, was preparing an attack on a supply convoy for federal troops. In the area of ​​the village of Khatuni, patrol discovered bandits who had already taken up positions for an ambush. However, the collision occurred suddenly, at a time when the scouts were moving along a hollow between the high-rise buildings on which the militants had fortified themselves. The first shots managed to destroy the gang leader, but the rest opened heavy fire on the paratroopers. The patrol was cut into separate groups that took up the fight.

Alexander Lais-Meshcheryakov ended up with the patrol commander, Captain Shabalin. He covered the commander with fire when he adjusted artillery fire on the militants and called for reinforcements. When there was a danger of killing the two soldiers closest to the militants, the officer decided to break through to their rescue. But when he rose to throw, Alexander saw a militant sniper aiming at the officer from a distance of several tens of meters. Then he covered the commander with his body. An enemy bullet hit the throat, causing severe internal bleeding. However, Private Lais continued to fire at the enemy, killing the sniper who wounded him. Alexander continued the fight for several more minutes until he fell unconscious from loss of blood. He died almost instantly while receiving medical care on the battlefield. After a few more minutes, the militants retreated, losing hope of destroying the reconnaissance paratroopers and losing five people killed. On our side, Private Lais was killed and another soldier was wounded.

LELYUKH Igor Viktorovich

Captain, serviceman of the 691st separate special forces detachment of the 67th separate special forces brigade, Hero of the Russian Federation.

He graduated from high school in the village of Topchikha, Altai Territory.

Since 1985 - in the Armed Forces of the USSR.

In 1989 he graduated from the Novosibirsk Higher Military-Political Combined Arms School. He served as deputy company commander for political affairs in the Central Group of Forces (Czechoslovakia), in the Kiev Military District.

Since 1992 - deputy company commander for educational work in the Siberian Military District.

In 1994, he achieved a transfer to the 67th separate special forces brigade.

Since November 1994, as part of a brigade detachment, in the battles of the first Chechen war. Conducted several special operations against Dudayev's formations.

Since December 1994, Captain Lelyukh commanded a group that carried out reconnaissance tasks for a motorized rifle brigade. Repeatedly his group went behind enemy lines.

On the afternoon of January 1, 1995, having received reports of a massive attack by militants on units of the 131st Motorized Rifle Brigade in the area of ​​the Grozny railway station, heavy losses in personnel and the destruction of almost all the armored vehicles of the brigade, the command ordered Captain Lelyukh with his special forces group to hastily break through the encirclement. brigades. To the captain’s arguments that special forces units are intended for sabotage operations and without the support of armored vehicles will inevitably suffer heavy losses, the answer was given - to carry out the order without discussion.

Igor Lelyukh led the soldiers to carry out the order and did everything he could: he managed to find a weak point in the positions of the Dudayevites and break through to the encircled units. But the special forces group could not hold out for long without armored vehicles and without artillery fire support. Soon she was attacked by large enemy forces. Captain Lelyukh, who was seriously wounded, ordered his subordinates to break through to the main forces, while he himself remained to cover the withdrawal of his subordinates and the removal of the wounded. For about 30 minutes he fought alone with automatic weapons and grenades against dozens of militants. He was wounded again, captured unconscious by the militants and killed.

By order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, he was forever included in the lists of the 1st company of the 690th separate special forces detachment of the GRU General Staff.

NEDOBEZHKIN Vladimir Vladimirovich

Major, serviceman of the 73rd separate special forces detachment, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born in 1964.

Graduated from the Tver Suvorov Military School.

From December 28, 1994 to January 11, 1995, together with his subordinates, he carried out a task in the city of Grozny. During this period, one BM-21 Grad, one tank, three mortars, two D-30 howitzers, twelve sniper crews, about forty bandits were destroyed, and valuable information was obtained.

From January 14 to January 20, 1996, he headed the task force during the operation to free hostages and destroy Raduev’s gang in the village of Pervomaiskoye, Republic of Dagestan.

With the beginning of the assault on Pervomaisky, at the head of his subordinates, Nedobezhkin secretly moved to the outskirts of the village and, using grenade launchers, struck the forward positions of the militants. This allowed the assault teams to soon capture them. Nedobezhkin’s subordinates destroyed two AGS-17 crews, several machine gunners and snipers in the battle.

On the night of January 17–18, 1996, Major Nedobezhkin’s group blocked the northwestern outskirts of Pervomaisky. At about four in the morning, a detachment of 300–350 militants went to break through the encirclement. Having skillfully organized the defense, Nedobezhkin confidently led the battle throughout its entire length. As a result of fire damage, the advanced group of militants breaking through (about 80 people) was scattered and practically destroyed. During the period of the operation in Pervomaisky, the forces of the task force inflicted the main damage to the terrorists, many times exceeding the results of the combat activities of other units and subunits with significantly lower losses. In total, during that night battle, over 100 terrorists were killed, over 40 weapons were captured, and 48 hostages were freed.

NEPRYAKHIN Andrey Anatolievich

Guard lieutenant colonel, deputy battalion commander of the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Graduated from a special mathematical school. Candidate for master of sports in judo.

In 1985 he graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.

He served as commander of a parachute platoon and company as part of a parachute regiment stationed in the city of Fergana, Uzbek SSR and trained specialists for combat operations as part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

Since 1989 – as part of the Airborne Forces special forces, deputy commander of a separate special-purpose battalion.

In 1994–1996 he took part in hostilities on the territory of the Chechen Republic during the first Chechen war.

In January 1995, as part of the 218th separate battalion of the 18th special forces detachment, he stormed Grozny, including during the bloodiest first “New Year’s” days of fighting.

On April 29, 1998, he was dismissed from the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation “in connection with organizational and staffing measures.” He worked as deputy head of department in the security service of a large commercial structure.

After the start of the second Chechen war and receiving news of significant losses among special forces units in Dagestan and Chechnya, Andrei Nepryakhin turned to the Airborne Forces command with a request to return him to service and send him to the combat zone. Several former fellow soldiers followed his example.

On November 15, 1999, by order of the commander of the Airborne Forces, he was appointed to the position of deputy commander of a special forces battalion in the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces. At their own expense, the officers reinstated in the army equipped their units with reconnaissance equipment.

In December 1999, Lieutenant Colonel Nepryakhin, at the head of a reconnaissance group, made three trips behind enemy lines. According to intelligence data from his group, seven pre-prepared fortified points of bandit formations were destroyed by artillery fire from the group. The scouts themselves destroyed four vehicles with oil products and more than thirty militants. However, the group did not lose a single person.

On the night of December 24-25, 1999, Lieutenant Colonel Nepryakhin was tasked with reconnaissance of enemy forces in the area of ​​height 1037.0 north of the village of Zandak, from which the approaches to Zandak and nearby villages were under fire. According to available data, a powerful defense center with a garrison of up to 200 people was equipped there. After a long, secretive march, the group approached the militant base. Nepryakhin used a military stratagem, giving the artillery command to fire at the heights. He knew that during shelling, militants usually leave their positions and return to them only after two hours. Immediately after the end of the shelling, the reconnaissance group climbed the mountain almost along a steep slope, from where they were not expected to appear. At the top of the mountain, well-equipped and camouflaged positions were discovered, a D-30 howitzer prepared for direct fire on the Mekhkeshti-Zandak road section, an easel grenade launcher and more than 50 rounds for it, other weapons, and a dozen landmines installed on the approaches to the militants’ positions. When the militants began to return to the heights, the scouts entered the battle. Lieutenant Colonel Nepryakhin encountered one of the militants, who fired a machine gun at him point-blank. Several bullets pierced the officer's stomach. Already in the fall, he managed to destroy the militant with one shot from a TT pistol. Subordinates carried the commander to the top, bandaged him, and injected him with promedol. The bandits who came to their senses tried to recapture the heights at any cost. Using their numerical superiority, they attacked the heights again and again. When they managed to get close to the scouts’ position, Lieutenant Colonel Nepryakhin called artillery fire on himself via radio. The group emerged from this continuous four-hour battle without any casualties. Andrei Nepryakhin was evacuated unconscious to a field hospital, from there to Buinaksk, and then to Moscow, and underwent several difficult operations.

Currently, reserve lieutenant colonel Nepryakhin lives in the hero city of Moscow. Works in the security business.

POPOV Valery Vitalievich

Senior Lieutenant, Hero of the Russian Federation

In 1993 he graduated from high school.

In 1998 he graduated from the 2nd Faculty of the Serpukhov Military Institute of Missile Forces.

Since 1999 - in special forces.

POSADSKY Vladislav Anatolievich

Colonel, Hero of the Russian Federation.

Born on September 11, 1964 in the village of Saltykova, Balashikha district, Moscow region, in the family of a military man.

In 1981 he graduated from the Moscow Suvorov Military School.

In 1985 he graduated from the Ordzhonikidze Higher Combined Arms Command Twice Red Banner School named after. Marshal of the Soviet Union A.I. Eremenko.

Served in Belarus.

In 1994, the officer was appointed company commander in a separate detachment of the 1318th special forces in Krasnodar.

On January 23, 2004, while fulfilling his duty on the territory of the Chechen Republic, Colonel Posadsky defended hostages captured by militants. During a fierce battle, having used up his ammunition, saving Chechen women and children from death, he stepped into the line of fire and covered them with himself. This is exactly what the official version sounds like. Everything in life was more complicated.