Combat operations involving the Marine Corps: Afghanistan, Chechnya. Marine purgatory: how the storming of the Council of Ministers building in Grozny turned into hell Heroes of the Marine Corps in Chechnya
We continue to publish materials about our fellow countrymen who participated in the first Chechen campaign. Today our story is about a Marine who was lucky enough to return home safe and sound. During the Chechen war he received a soldier's medal "For Courage". That's all. All that remains are memories, enough for a whole book. But our fellow countryman Sergei Ovechkin has neither the strength nor the special desire to write it...
When Seryoga ended up serving in the 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet, he was very happy. He, like most of his peers, believed that being a Marine was prestigious. Received a combat specialty - a tank driver...
But unexpectedly news came about a dispatch to Chechnya. The company commander reported this right at the training ground. At first, our fellow countryman was very surprised: the Marine Corps is not intended for land war! Then he imagined the possible consequences of a military trip, and he felt uneasy. There was turmoil in the unit, close to panic. Personnel from all over the Pacific Fleet were herded there.
In a few hours, young guys who had previously served on warships and submarines and in naval aviation units became Marines. Many of them held a machine gun in their hands only while taking the oath... The acute shortage of personnel led to the fact that after the formation of the 165th “Chechen” regiment, other parts of the fleet practically lost their combat effectiveness.
The New Year, 1995, was celebrated without much joy. They drank juice, ate oranges, remembered home and loved ones. The guys understood that for some this New Year's Eve would be their last. They went through a commission - doctors meticulously examined the candidates for war.
Some tried to mow down, but they were a minority. “I must say that no one was forcibly driven to Chechnya. During the special interview, anyone could refuse. There were five percent of them. Among the refuseniks was a large group of officers.”
Sergei was transferred to another company and assigned as an assistant grenade launcher. Now he was required to carry a bag with three shots for the RPG-7. His colleague also had almost no idea about the weapon entrusted to him. In early January, when there were fierce street battles in Grozny, the Marines went to the training ground. During their 10 days there they had to fill all gaps in preparation. You could shoot from machine guns and machine guns as much as you wanted - they didn’t spare cartridges. In addition to the automatic rifle, Seryoga practiced shooting with an RPG. He liked the grenade launcher. Thus, the former sailors gradually acquired the necessary skills, but they were still far from real professionalism.
The first military clashes in Chechnya were remembered by Sergei because the firefights took place at distances of at least 400 meters. That is, neither they nor the Chechens could really see each other. At the same time, there was crazy shooting. The tanks were very helpful. A T-80 from the Kantemirovsky division was attached to their company. The tank guys knew their job well. One day, the Chechens opened fire on the house where the sailors were staying from a two-story building standing opposite. They tried to cover the militants with a grenade launcher, but the grenades ricocheted and went to the side. This skirmish was ended by a tank hidden by the crew in the garage of the house. One shot - and the two-story building turned into ruins. The bricks scattered from the explosion became red hot.
T-72B1 in the suburbs of Grozny
Seryoga does not consider the introduction of tanks into Grozny a mistake. If it weren't for the T-72 and T-80, the feds would have had a hard time. The tanks covered the infantry with their armor and supported them with fire. There were many cases when only thanks to the support of tankers the outcome of the battle was decided in favor of the Russian troops.
Sergei had to be part of the assault groups. This is a very dangerous matter. During the capture of one five-story building, they came across a group of Chechens. The collision was sudden for both ours and the militants. The battle lasted a matter of minutes, it is almost impossible to reconstruct its chronology - but ours lost three soldiers. The grenade launchers of their unit not only hit snipers and machine gun points - they had to open fire on the armored vehicles of Dudayev’s men. They knocked out a tank and two armored personnel carriers.
As Sergei admits, in war you lose the sense of time. Sometimes it seems like you've been here forever. And gradually you get used to the idea that you can be killed. You don’t come to this right away – after about a month. And when the sounds of artillery preparation are not heard above the positions, the soul becomes alarmed.
And in general, war has little in common with action films, with cinematic romance. In fact, this is a difficult and routine task, devoid of any meaning. Because everything was bought and predetermined by some greedy officials sitting in Moscow offices and making money on the blood of Russian soldiers.
Book of Memory of Russian Marines
Chechnya (North Caucasus) - 1994-2013.
Let's remember everyone by name...
Everlasting memory!
Marines killed in combat in the North Caucasus were:
165th Marine Regiment of the 55th Marine Division of the Red Banner Pacific Fleet
Attack by militants on a convoy of communication vehicles of the 165th PMP near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.
1. Konoplev Andrey Vladimirovich, born in 1970, Volgograd, midshipman, head of the hardware communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment. On the night of January 30-31, 1995, a convoy of communications vehicles was ambushed near the village of Samashki. Got a concussion. I was captured. Subjected to severe torture. A medical examination established that death presumably occurred on February 6-7, 1995. He was buried in Volgograd.
2. Antonov Vladimir Anatolievich, born in 1976, sailor, driver-electrician of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died on January 30, 1995 when militants destroyed a convoy of communication vehicles that was ambushed near the village of Samashki. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Khornozary, Vurnarsky district of the Republic of Chuvashia.
3. Kandybovich Nikolai Evgenievich, born in 1972, sailor, signalman of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment, orphan. He died near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995 during an attack by Chechen militants on a convoy of communication vehicles. He was buried by the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps unit at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok.
4. Ipatov Sergey Vasilievich, born in 1975, the village of Krasnoobsk, Novosibirsk Region, sailor, driver of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995 during an attack by Chechen militants on a convoy of communication vehicles. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Krasnoobsk.
The battle of the reconnaissance group of the 165th PMP, which was ambushed by militants in the southern suburbs of Grozny on February 7, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.
5.Firsov Sergey Alexandrovich, born in 1971, Serebryanye Prudy, Moscow Region, senior lieutenant, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). He was buried in the town of Serebryanye Prudy.
6. Vyzhimov Vadim Vyacheslavovich, born in 1976, drafted into the Pacific Fleet from the Altai Territory, sailor, driver of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in the city of Novoaltaisk, Altai Territory.
7. Zubarev Yuri Vladimirovich, born in 1973, Ulyanovsk region, sergeant, squad commander of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in Dmitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region.
8. Soshelin Andrey Anatolievich, born in 1974, Nizhny Novgorod, senior sailor, radiotelephone operator-reconnaissance reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in Nizhny Novgorod.
The battle of units of the 1st Airborne Battalion on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of the Railway Hospital during the truce concluded with the militants on February 18, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.
9. Borovikov Vladimir Valerievich, born in 1973, lieutenant, platoon commander of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died in a street battle on February 18, 1995 on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of the Railway Hospital, covering with fire the retreat of a unit that was ambushed. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). He was buried in Kansk, Krasnoyarsk Territory.
10. Zaguzov Vladimir Anatolievich, born in 1975, Bondari village, Tambov region, contract junior sergeant, squad commander of the air assault battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died in a street battle on February 18, 1995 on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of the Railway Hospital. He was buried in the village of Bondari, Tambov region.
11. Akhmetgaliev Robert Balzitovich, sailor, grenade launcher of the 3rd air assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on February 18, 1995 in a street fight in Grozny on Nakhimov Street. He was buried in the village of Kushmanovka, Buraevsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
12. Semenyuk Vladimir Yurievich, born in 1975, Moscow, sailor, crew commander of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on February 18, 1995 in a street fight in Grozny on Nakhimov Street. Buried in Moscow.
13. Betkher Evgeniy Pavlovich, sailor, orderly rifleman of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment, drafted from the Tomsk region. Died on January 26, 1995 in a street fight in Grozny. He was buried in the town of Strezhevoy, Tomsk region.
14. Brovkin Igor Alexandrovich, born in 1975, Tula region, Aleksin, sailor, gunner, crew number of the 6th company of the 165th Marine Regiment. On January 29, 1995, he was mortally wounded in a street fight in Grozny. He died of wounds in the Vladikavkaz hospital on February 4, 1995. He was buried in the city of Aleksin, Tula region.
15. Bugaev Vitaly Alexandrovich, born in 1975, Vladivostok, sailor, radiotelegraph operator-machine gunner of the communications platoon of the 2nd battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in action on April 26, 1995 at the heights of Goitein Court. He was buried in the cemetery of Dalnegorsk, Primorsky Territory.
16. Golubov Oleg Ivanovich, sailor, machine gunner of the 8th Marine Company, 165th Marine Regiment. Died on April 8, 1995 near the village of Germenchuk. He was buried at the Gonzha station in the Magdagachinsky district of the Amur region.
17. Dedyukhin Igor Anatolievich, born in 1976, rifleman of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died on April 15, 1995 at a checkpoint near the village of Belgotoy. He was buried in Angarsk, Irkutsk region.
18. Dneprovsky Andrey Vladimirovich, born in 1971, ensign, commander of a grenade launcher and machine gun platoon of the 8th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in battle on March 21, 1995 at the foot of the Goitein Court heights. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). Buried in Vladikavkaz.
19. Zhuk Anton Alexandrovich, born in 1976, Vladivostok, sailor, senior gunner of the 9th company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on March 23, 1995 at the heights of Goitein Court. He was buried at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok.
20. Komkov Evgeniy Nikolaevich, born in 1975, Bryansk, senior sergeant, deputy platoon commander of the 4th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Sent to Chechnya after a personal appeal to the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Khmelnov, at his own request. Died on February 16, 1995 at a checkpoint near Nakhimov Street in Grozny. He was buried in Bryansk.
21. Kuznetsov Andrey Nikolaevich, born in 1976, Moscow, sailor, grenade launcher of the 7th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in battle on January 31, 1995 while defending a bridge over the Sunzha River on the outskirts of Grozny from the explosion of a hand grenade thrown at him. Buried in Moscow.
22. Lobachev Sergey Anatolievich, born in 1976, Altai Territory, Aleisky District, Krasny Yar village, sailor, orderly-gunner of the 1st Airborne Assault Company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on April 11, 1995 from a mine explosion in the area of the crossing of the Argun River. Buried in the village of Ashpatsk, Dzerzhinsky district, Krasnoyarsk Territory
23. Makunin Andrey Alexandrovich, born in 1976, Magadan, sailor, cook of the logistics battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment. Died on February 9, 1995 near Beslan. He was buried in the town of Ingulets, Dnepropetrovsk region, Ukraine.
24. Meshkov Grigory Vasilievich, born in 1951, colonel, chief of missile forces and artillery of the 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet. Died on May 20, 1995 from a massive stroke. He was buried in Berdsk.
25. Novoseltsev Nikolay Nikolaevich, born in 1976, Chernava village, Izmailovsky district, Lipetsk region, sailor, machine gunner of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a night battle on March 13, 1995 at an altitude of 355.3 in the Syurin-Court mountain forest. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Chernava.
26. Osipov Sergey Alexandrovich, born in 1976, Bratsk, Irkutsk region, sailor, driver of the airborne engineering company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on April 13, 1995. Buried in his homeland in Bratsk.
27. Pelmenev Vladimir Vladimirovich, born in 1975, Khabarovsk Territory, sailor, grenade launcher of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a street fight on January 27, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in the village of Novoe, Leninsky district, Khabarovsk Territory.
28. Pleshakov Alexander Nikolaevich, born in 1976, the village of Bayevka, Nikolaevsky district, Ulyanovsk region, sailor, chemical defense platoon of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a street fight on February 19, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Bayevka.
29. Podvalnov Sergey Mikhailovich, born in 1975, the village of Kiryanovo, Neftekamsk district, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, junior sergeant, squad commander of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on January 30, 1995 from a sniper’s bullet in Grozny. He was buried in the village of Kiryanovo, Neftekamsk region of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
30. Polozhiev Eduard Anatolievich, born in 1975, Amur Region, junior sergeant, senior operator of an anti-tank platoon of the airborne assault battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On January 25, 1995, he received multiple shrapnel wounds. On the same day, without regaining consciousness, he died in a hospital in the rear area of the group of troops. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Poyarkovo, Amur Region.
31. Popov Vladimir Alexandrovich, born in 1952, Ordzhenikidze, major, deputy commander of a separate reconnaissance battalion of the Pacific Fleet marine corps, performed a special task in the special detachment of the Rostov-on-Don hospital to identify the bodies of dead Pacific servicemen, prepare the relevant documents and ensure their delivery to their homeland . He died in Rostov-on-Don from acute heart failure. He was buried in Novocherkassk.
32. Rusakov Maxim Gennadievich, born in 1969, Yalutorovsk, Tyumen Region, senior lieutenant, platoon commander of an engineer company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on January 22, 1995 in the center of Grozny near the bridge over the river. Sunzha as a result of a direct hit from a grenade launcher. He was buried in his homeland in Yalutorovsk.
33. Rusanov Alexey Vladimirovich, born in 1975, Voskresenskoye village, Polovinsky district, Kurgan region, sailor, machine gunner of an anti-aircraft missile platoon of the 2nd battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a street fight on February 8, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Voskresenskoye.
34. Skomorokhov Sergey Ivanovich, born in 1970, Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region, senior lieutenant, commander of a marine platoon of the 9th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a night battle on March 23, 1995. He was buried in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region.
35. Surin Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, born in 1973, Seversk, Tomsk Region, sailor, assistant gunner of the grenade launcher of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on March 13, 1995 during a multi-hour forced march in the Syurin-Court mountain-forest area. He was buried in the city of Seversk, Tomsk region.
36. Sukhorukov Yuri Anatolievich, born in 1976, the village of Krasny Yar, Aleysky district, Altai Territory, sailor, orderly rifleman of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a night battle on March 13, 1995 at an altitude of 355.3 in the Syurin-Kort mountain-forest area near the village of Chechen-Aul.
37. Shudabaev Ruslan Zhalgaebaevich, born in 1974, p. Tamar-Utkul, Orenburg region, sailor, driver-traffic controller of the commandant platoon of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on February 20, 1995. Buried in his homeland in the village. Tamar-Utkul.
38. Shutkov Vladimir Viktorovich, born in 1975, Moscow, sailor, senior operator of the anti-tank platoon of the 2nd Marine Battalion. Killed in action on March 21, 1995 at the heights of Goitein Court. Buried in Moscow.
106th Marine Regiment, 55th Marine Division Red Banner Pacific Fleet
Assault on the mountain gorge in the direction of Shali - Agishty - Kirov-Yurt. Thirteen Marines were killed in action on May 26, 1995.
39. Bukvetsky Andrey Georgievich, born in 1968, Kolyvan, Novosibirsk Region, senior lieutenant, commander of the 2nd airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 north of the village of Agishty in a mountain gorge. He was buried in the town of Kalach, Voronezh region.
40. Vargin Vasily Nikolaevich, born in 1961, the village of Verkhnie Serdy, Yekaterinburg Region, midshipman, foreman of the reconnaissance company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty.
41. Gaponenko Pavel Nikolaevich, born in 1961, Lokhvitsa, Poltava region, major, chief of intelligence of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty. Awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously). He was buried in Lokhvitsa, Poltava region, Ukraine.
42. Gusev Mikhail Vladimirovich, born in 1963, Krasnokutsk district of Pavlodar region, senior midshipman, platoon commander of the reconnaissance company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty. Buried in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan.
43. Dondup Choygan Mikhailovich, born in 1975, the village of Eerbek, Piy-Khelm district of the Republic of Tyva, sailor, gunner-assistant grenade launcher of the 1st airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty. He was buried at home in the village of Eerbek.
44. Zakharchuk Andrey Nikolaevich, born in 1974, Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory, midshipman, platoon commander of an engineering landing company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On May 26, 1995, in a battle in a mountain gorge near the village of Agishty, he received multiple gunshot and shrapnel wounds. He soon died from his wounds in the hospital. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). He was buried in the city of Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory.
45. Kazakov Alexander Sergeevich, born in 1976, Rubtsovsk, Altai Territory, sergeant, squad commander of the 1st airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On May 26, 1995, in a battle in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty, he received a penetrating gunshot wound to the abdomen. He died in a hospital on May 31, 1995. He was buried in his homeland in the city of Rubtsovsk.
46. Kondratenko Evgeniy Sergeevich, born in 1976, Barnaul, sailor, senior gunner of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty. Buried in Barnaul.
47. Strelnikov Vladislav Anatolievich, born in 1965, Volzhsk, Volgograd Region, senior lieutenant, dentist at the regimental medical center of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On May 26, 1995, in the Agishtinsky Gorge, when a combat vehicle exploded on a mine, he was seriously wounded in both legs. He soon died from loss of blood near the site of the car explosion. He was buried in the Lipetsk region.
48. Tanaev Vasily Alexandrovich, born in 1972, Pavlovsk, Nizhny Novgorod region, sergeant, squad commander of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty. He was buried in Pavlovsk, Nizhny Novgorod region.
49. Neprokin Evgeniy Nikolaevich, born in 1976, Khabarovsk, sailor, medical instructor of the 2nd airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty. He was buried in Khabarovsk.
50. Tretyakov Sergey Alexandrovich, born in 1976, Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Region, senior sergeant, section commander of the engineering landing company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty. He was buried in Pervouralsk.
51. Kharlamov Andrey Viktorovich, born in 1976, Uglich, Yaroslavl region, sailor, driver of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on May 26, 1995 in a mountain gorge north of the village of Agishty. He was buried in his homeland in Uglich.
The battle of a reconnaissance group that was ambushed on June 6, 1995 in a mountain gorge south of the village of Khatuni. 2 reconnaissance officers of the Pacific Fleet were killed. In this battle, 4 marines of the Baltic Fleet were also killed.
52. Kalimanov Viktor Anatolievich, born in 1968, Chulman village, Neryungri district, Yakutia, contract sailor, driver of the reconnaissance company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in battle on June 6, 1995 in a mountain gorge south of the village of Khatuni when a shot from a grenade launcher hit the front armor plate of his armored personnel carrier. He was buried at home in the village of Chulman.
53. Lysenko Yuri Yurievich, born in 1975, sergeant, Knevichi village, Klintsovsky district, Bryansk region, squad leader and deputy platoon commander of the reconnaissance company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on June 6, 1995 in a mountain gorge south of the village of Khatuni. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Knevichi.
54. Bolotov Oleg Yurievich, born in 1969, senior lieutenant, commander of an anti-aircraft artillery platoon of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On June 3, 1995, in the area of the settlement of Makhety, when militants fired grenade launchers at a destroyed bridge across a gorge, which his combat vehicle was crossing, the driver lost control and the vehicle fell into the gorge. He was seriously injured. He died in the Vladikavkaz hospital on June 5, 1995. He was buried in the city of Yeisk, Krasnodar Territory.
55. Galatov Yuri Anatolievich, born in 1960, Bolshaya Fedorovka village, Rostov region, senior warrant officer, foreman of the 1st self-propelled artillery battery of the 106th Marine Regiment. Died on June 10, 1995 near the village of Agishty. While delivering food to his battery in a truck, he was ambushed and shot along with the driver almost point-blank by militants. He was buried in his homeland in the Rostov region.
56. Tenman Alexander Vasilievich, born in 1971, village of Terlitsa, Monastyrischensky district, Cherkasy region, Ukraine, senior warrant officer, senior technician of the 2nd airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On June 13, 1995, he was seriously wounded by a mine explosion when a truck exploded on an anti-tank mine in the area of the village of Agishty. He died of wounds in a hospital on June 14, 1995. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Terlitsa.
57. Karavaev Alexey Valerievich, born in 1975, Kiselevsk, Kemerovo region, sailor, gunner-senior operator of the 1st airborne assault company of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On May 30, 1995, having crossed a mountainous area on foot, his unit reached the specified line near the village of Agishty, where it entered into battle with Chechen militants. In this battle he received a fatal wound to the head. Died from wounds on May 31. 1995 He was buried in his homeland in Kiselevsk.
58. Kantsendorn Sergey Anatolievich, born in 1976, the village of Novoperunovo, Telmensky district, Altai Territory, contract service sailor, gunner of a self-propelled artillery battery of the 106th Marine Regiment. In May 1995 he was seriously injured. He died of wounds on September 5, 1995 in a military hospital in Volgograd (he lived 103 days after being wounded). He was buried in his homeland in the village of Novoperunovo.
59. Lozgunov Evgeniy Vladimirovich, born in 1975, Novosibirsk region, Kargat district, Morshanka village, sailor, driver-mechanic of the 1st self-propelled artillery battery of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On May 29, 1995, when artillery ammunition caught fire after militants fired at battery positions, he received severe thermal burns of the 2nd and 3rd degree to his body and limbs. Died of wounds on June 4, 1995 in hospital. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Morshanka.
60. Osaulko Oleg Anatolievich, born in 1968, captain, psychologist of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on May 18, 1995 during artillery shelling of the regiment's command post by Chechen militants in the area of the village of Shali. He was buried in the village of Dolgoderevenskoye, Sosnovsky district, Chelyabinsk region.
61. Vasily Fedorovich Forrat, born in 1974, Talgar district of the Alma-Ata region, Kazakhstan, sergeant, deputy platoon commander - gun commander of the 1st self-propelled artillery battery of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On May 29, 1995, when ammunition exploded in a self-propelled artillery unit, he received severe burns and died from his wounds in the hospital on June 4, 1995. He was buried in his homeland in Alma-Ata.
62.Frolov Alexander Yurievich, born in 1976, Shchelkovo, Moscow Region, sailor, gunner of the 1st self-propelled artillery battery of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on April 30, 1995 near the village of Belgatoy while crossing the river. Argun. He was buried in Shchelkovo.
63. Furzikov Alexey Gennadievich, born in 1975, Zeya, Amur Region, sergeant, mechanic-driver of the anti-aircraft missile and artillery battery of the 106th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on June 20, 1995 near the village of Kirov-Yurt from a gunshot wound. He was buried in the city of Zeya.
77th Guards Separate Marine Brigade Red BannerCaspian flotilla
6 servicemen were killed during the fighting in Chechnya2 officers, 1 sergeant, 3 sailors (date of death in parentheses).
2. ml. Sergeant BATYRGAREEV Marcel Khamitovich ( December 31, 1999).
3. Lieutenant VEROV Sergey Sergeevich ( February 24, 2003).
4. senior sailor KERIMOV Gadzhi Bozgitovich ( December 31, 1999).
6. sailor PAVLIKHIN Sergey Anatolievich ( December 31, 1999).
List of dead Marines as a result of the terrorist attack on May 9, 2002 in Kaspiysk.
1. Kravchenko Alexander Anatolievich, born in 1969, lieutenant colonel, head of the operations department, deputy chief of staff.
2. Shkarpitko Valery Anatolievich, Born in 1970, Novgorod-Seversky, Chernigov region, Ukraine, lieutenant colonel, chief of artillery of the 77th separate marine brigade (Kaspiysk, Dagestan). Died on May 9, 2002 as a result of a terrorist attack in the city of Kaspiysk. He was buried at the Civil Cemetery in the village of Slavyanka, Primorsky Territory.
3. Nazvanov Vyacheslav Alekseevich, born in 1970, lieutenant colonel, head of OOMIC, deputy chief of staff.
4. Zhuravlev Alexey Alexandrovich, born 1976, art. lieutenant, commander of the 2nd RDR military unit 20339.
5. Mikheev Andrey Sergeevich, born 1978, Art. Lieutenant, assistant brigade commander for FER.
6. Bass Sergey Vasilievich, born 1977, Art. Lieutenant, Assistant Chief of the Food Service.
7. Romanov Maxim Valentinovich, born in 1978, lieutenant, FER assistant, military unit 20339.
8. Vyazmetinov Alexey Sergeevich, born 1978, art. lieutenant, deputy head of the financial service.
9. Magomedov Makhmud Magomedovich, born in 1979, lieutenant, deputy company commander for educational work, military unit 95152.
10. Khasbulatov Khasbulat Janilovich, born 1962, lieutenant, chief of a combat unit.
11. Bokhan Sergey Anatolievich, born 1970, art. warrant officer, medical technician companies.
12. Goryaev Pavel Borisovich, born 1981, sailor, musician, military unit 27210.
13. Aliev Shamil Magomedovich, born in 1963, contract sergeant, soloist of military unit 27210.
14. Magomedov Ibragim Ramazanovich, born in 1964, contract sergeant, soloist of the orchestra of military unit 27210.
15. Trosnyansky Denis Yurievich, born in 1982, sailor, soloist of military unit 27210.
16. Maksimovsky Ivan Vladimirovich, born 1980, sailor, musician, military unit 27210.
17. Rychin Alexander Viktorovich, born in 1981, sergeant, soloist of the orchestra of military unit 27210.
18. Chizhikov Nikolay Mikhailovich, born 1963, major.
19. Temirov Denis Yakovlevich, born 1982, sailor, orchestra musician.
20. Bogitov Vladimir Gennadievich.
336th separate marine brigade twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet
1 . ASTAFUROV Alexey Grigorievich - sailor
2. BAZYLEV Andrey Nikolaevich - sailor
3. BANIN Alexey Alekseevich - Jr. sergeant
4. BARSUKOV Nikolai Viktorovich - sailor
5. BAUER Alexander Vasilievich - sailor
6. BURTSEV
7. EGOROV Alexander Mikhailovich - sailor of the counter service
8. ZHELTOV Evgeniy Ivanovich - sailor
9. ZHUKOV Andrey Viktorovich - Jr. sergeant
10 . KALUGIN Dmitry Vladimirovich - senior sailor
11 . KARAKULKO Dmitry Leonidovich - captain
12. KOVALENKO Ivan Ivanovich - sailor
13. KOLESNIKOV Evgeniy Nikolaevich - captain
14 . KOLESNIKOV Stanislav Konstantinovich - sailor
15 . KOPOSOV Roman Vyacheslavovich - sailor
16 . KOPOTILOV Andrey Alekseevich, sailor
17 . SHIP Vladimir Ilyich - foreman 2nd class
18. KUZHABAEV Erkai Yesenovich, sailor
19 . LAURIK Valentin Alexandrovich - sailor
20 . LEKOMTSEV Alexey Yuryevich - sailor
21. LOGINOV Roman Mikhailovich - sailor
22 . LYALIN Maxim Dmitrievich - sailor
23. MAKAROV Vitaly Ivanovich - sailor
24. MAKARYCHEV Vasily Pavlovich - sailor
25 . METLYAKOV
26 . MOROZOV Alexander Alexandrovich, sailor
27 . ROMANOV Anatoly Vasilievich - sailor
28 . Seleznev Andrey Sergeevich - sailor
29 . SERGEEV Sergey Vladimirovich - Jr. sergeant
30. SEROV Vladimir Alexandrovich - sailor
31 . SIDOROV Dmitry Vladimirovich - sailor
32 . SILKUNOV Oleg Veniaminovich - captain
33 . SOLDATENKO Vladimir Georgievich - senior ensign
34 . STEPANOV Vitaly Vladimirovich - Jr. sergeant
35 . STOBETSKY Sergey Anatolyevich - senior lieutenant
36 . TAIKOV Alexey Lvovich - sergeant
37 . TELYATNIKOV Evgeny Fedorovich, sailor
38 . TUSHIN Sergey Viktorovich - sailor
40. FEDOTOV Vladimir Anatolyevich - sailor
41 . CHEREVAN Vitaly Nikolaevich - sailor
42 . CHERKASHIN Mikhail Alexandrovich - sailor
43 . SHMARIN Nikolai Viktorovich - senior sailor
44. SHPILKO Vladimir Ivanovich - sailor
45 . YAKOVLEV Oleg Evgenievich - Jr. sergeant
46 . YAKUNENKOV Igor Alexandrovich - captain
61st separate marine brigade Red Banner Northern Fleet
1. AZERBAEV Kadyrgaliy Utegenovich - sailor
2. ALEEV Yuri Ravilyevich - sailor
3. ALEXEEV Sergey Vyacheslavovich - sailor
4. BASQUE Sergey Tuktarkhanovich - sailor
5. BOYKOV Alexey Vladimirovich - sailor
6. COMBATS Sergei Nikolaevich - sailor of the counter service
7. BAZDYREV Andrey Alexandrovich - sailor
8. BESTOV Altair Shopekovich - sailor
9. BIYANOV Ildus Basyrovich - sailor
10. FIGHTERS Igor Vasilievich - sailor
11. BYCHICHKO Alexander Viktorovich - sailor
12. VALKOV Andrey Alekseevich - senior sailor
13. VISHNEVETSKY Alexander Vladimirovich - sailor
14. GALIEV Rashid Zakievich - Sergeant
15. GORBUNOV Andrey Vyacheslavovich - sailor
16. GORIN
17. GRIGORIEV Mikhail Anatolyevich - sailor
18. GUJUMAN Roman Georgievich - sailor
19. DANILKO Vladimir Viktorovich - sailor
20. DUNAEV Viktor Mikhailovich - sailor
21. EROKHIN Oleg Anatolyevich - sailor
22. IVANCHENKO Sergei Alexandrovich - sailor
23. KARTASHOV Vyacheslav Nikolaevich - senior sailor
24. KARYAKIN V.V. - sailor
25. KASHIRIN Alexander Alexandrovich - senior sailor
26. KISELEV IN AND. - sailor
27. KRAVETS Alexander Petrovich - sailor
28. KUZNETSOV Evgeniy Viktorovich - sailor
29. KUZNETSOV Oleg Viktorovich - sailor
30 . KUZMIN Andrey Evgenievich - sailor
31 . KURNOSENKOV Dmitry Alexandrovich - sailor
32. KUSHAEV Evgeny Borisovich - sailor
33. LESCHEV Yuri Alexandrovich - sailor
34. LOBACHEV Igor Petrovich - sailor
35. LUKYANOV Igor Dmitrievich - lieutenant
36. MAKSIMOV Evgeniy Mikhailovich - sailor
37. MARKOV Sergey Gennadievich - sailor
38. MIHRIN Andrey Nikolaevich - senior sailor
39. MOLCHANOV Vladimir Evgenievich - sailor
40. NOGOVITSIN Alexey Nikolaevich - Jr. sergeant
41. NYAGULOV Alexey Mikhailovich - sailor
42. PAVLOV Viktor Aleksandrovich - counter service sergeant
43. POLINCO Sergei Petrovich - Jr. counter service sergeant
44 . PONOMAREV Konstantin Yurievich - sailor
45. PRILEPIN Oleg Alekseevich - sailor
46. POPOV Vyacheslav Valerievich - sailor
47. POCHAEV Andrey Vladimirovich - lieutenant
48. ROMAZANOV Marat Dzhumalievich - senior sailor
49. REVIN Alexander Valerievich - sailor
50. RODIAMOV Oleg Alexandrovich - sailor
51 . SARTIN Nikolai Alekseevich - senior lieutenant
52. SMIRNOV Andrey Vyacheslavovich - senior sailor
53. SELIVANOV Yuri Lvovich - senior lieutenant
54. SOYNIKOV Oleg Sergeevich - sailor
55. SOKOLOV V.G. - sailor
56. SUMKIN Roman Ivanovich - sailor
57. TRUSHNIKOV Yaroslav Anatolyevich - senior sergeant
58. UNAKAGOV Sergei Alexandrovich - sailor
59. FYODOROV Mikhail Anatolyevich - sailor
60. FOKIN Vitaly Nikolaevich - sailor
61 . KHOMENKO Sergey Valerievich - senior sergeant
62. SHEVELEV Artem Vladimirovich - sailor
63. SHISHKOV V.A. - sailor
64. YUNUSOV Airat Rastemovich - sailor
810th separate marine brigade Red Banner Black Sea Fleet
1.SHARASHKIN Igor A.- captain
2.ZABELSKY A.S.- Sergeant
3.KERIMOV G.B. - Art. sailor
4.NIGMATULIN N.F. - sailor
5.NIKIFOROV A.R. - sergeant
6.PAVLIKHIN S.A. - sailor
7.RADCHENKO A.N. - ml. sergeant
8.CHEBOLDAIKIN N.N. - ml. sergeant
During both Chechen campaigns, Russia lost the lives of 187 marines. Everlasting memory!
For courage and heroism shown during combat missions, about two thousand were awarded orders and medals, twenty-four people were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, eleven of them - posthumously:
major general Alexander Otrakovsky,
Lieutenant Yuri Kuryagin,
sergeant Vladimir Tatashvili,
senior lieutenant Firsov Sergey,
lieutenant Borovikov Vladimir,
midshipman Dneprovsky Andrey,
major Gaponenko Pavel,
midshipman Zakharchuk Andrey,
Major Chechvi Viktor,
captain Mikhail Churkin,
major Evgeniy Kolesnikov
On September 11, 1999, reconnaissance marines of the Black Sea Fleet under the overall command of then Major Vadim Klimenko arrived in the area immediately adjacent to the borders of Ichkeria, free from all laws - both human and state. The Black Sea Marines, first of all, were given three weeks for additional training , replenishment and exchange of combat experience with other special forces.
There a real war began for them.Chechnya has fought hundreds of thousands of people in uniform. The Russian military has acquired the skills of a large-scale anti-terrorist operation. It’s another matter when, due to the obvious unpreparedness of the “linear” units of the mother infantry, the internal troops had to throw reconnaissance and special forces into battle, which were clearly not intended for military operations.
They themselves talk about how the Black Sea “black-beret” scouts fought.
Along the “Gyurza” trail
From the memoirs of Hero of Russia Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Karpushenko and Major Denis Ermishko.
The first thing that pleasantly surprised the “black berets” in the fall of 1999 in the burning Northern Caucasus was the attitude of the command, officers, warrant officers and soldiers from other branches of the military towards them. The Marine Corps has been valued since the time of the first Chechen campaign, and among the Russian soldiers who underwent baptism of fire in Dagestan and Chechnya there was not even a hint of any kind of bravado - they say, you, the Black Sea people, haven’t even smelled gunpowder yet, but here we are! On the contrary, the general opinion was something like this: we received excellent reinforcements, excellent fighters who would never let us down.
The Black Sea soldiers found acquaintances among the special forces. Captain Oleg Kremenchutsky fought in Chechnya during the first campaign. He has a special opinion about the enemy:
The enemy is experienced, cautious, well prepared, acts smartly and cunningly. There is one peculiarity - “spirits” will never start a battle if they do not have an escape route. Their tactics are as follows: using ambush actions to inflict the greatest damage and escape with minimal losses. By the way, their intelligence work is excellent. Any Chechen is essentially their agent.
Three weeks passed in a tense rhythm. Before lunch there was combat training, after which equipment maintenance took place until late in the evening.
The scouts eagerly absorbed any information about the enemy, about the strengths and weaknesses of our units, about the capabilities of our aviation and artillery. After all, success, and sometimes your life, depends on interaction with brothers in arms.
And then Denis Ermishko, commander of the second platoon with the call sign "Gyurza", did not leave the battles with his scouts for seven months. Detachments of field commanders Raduev, Basayev, Khattab acted against the Black Sea people... The scouts had to deal with. a well-trained, experienced, cruel and dangerous opponent:
We had to fight with Arabs, Afghans, and mercenaries of Slavic origin. Among them we did not meet amateurs. There were neither fools nor fanatics among them. By and large, we fought with militants trained according to all the rules of the modern Russian military school, often trained by our former officers, armed with the same weapons as us.
Long months of fighting passed at the limit of human strength. On the map, an ordinary reconnaissance exit was easily and simply indicated by a pencil line, covering only 10-15 kilometers. But the paper kilometers were multiplied tenfold by countless combing of the green stuff, endless ascents and descents in ravines, hills, gorges, crossing rapid mountain streams and rivers. And all - under the vigilant surveillance of hostile eyes, under the sights of machine guns, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, under fire from a difficult-to-detect enemy.
Later, when the company returned from Chechnya, the command asked the intelligence officers for data on military clashes with “spirits.” The Marines thought and suddenly realized one simple thing: in Chechnya, not only did they not have time, it never even occurred to them to count the number of battles. The Marines were just doing their job. But in order not to violate the established order and reporting, captain Vladimir Karpushenko counted the number of the most memorable military skirmishes with the enemy. There were about thirty of them. Every day, reconnaissance groups of Black Sea residents went out on missions. And so all 210 days of the Chechen epic of the Marines.
The "spirits" carefully prepared an ambush for the scouts. Radio interception showed that the intensity of enemy negotiations had increased sharply. Captain Karpushenko literally felt the danger with his skin and even pointed with his hand - look, there, in the fishing line, is an ideal place for an ambush. At that very second, it was from there that the bandits opened fire.
Junior Sergeant Nurulla Nigmatulin from Bashkiria received a bullet as soon as he jumped from the armor of the armored vehicle... He was the first of seven Black Sea reconnaissance soldiers to die. A cheerful fellow who got along well with everyone in the company, an excellent machine gunner - he was destined by fate to die for Russia in the mountains of Chechnya, far from his homeland. Sergeant Alexey Anisimov, the radio operator, immediately picked up Nurulla’s machine gun. And, I want to believe, he was able to avenge his dead brother.
Alexey, by the way, later served as the calling card of the Marines. For communications, he was sent to one of the special forces units of the airborne troops. Then the landing commander asked Denis Ermishko in surprise: “Are all of you such rex-wolfhounds?” This caused considerable surprise. Alexey Anisimov is, of course, an excellent radio operator, a good intelligence officer, courageous, reliable and cold-blooded. But with all this, it is far from the “universal combat vehicle” that it seemed to the special forces.
The first death of a subordinate seemed to divide the life of Denis-Tyurza." He realized with all his being what actually stood behind the phrase he had heard more than once: the commander dies every time his soldiers die, and the commander, saving the lives of his subordinates, protects his own life. For fate sometimes gives them, regardless of shoulder straps, one fate for all.
Captain Alexei Milashevich's company from the Northern Fleet Marine Battalion went to the mountains to carry out a combat mission. The Black Sea Marines, to ensure that the northerners went on a mission, sent their detachment group: senior lieutenant I. Sharashkin, senior sailor G. Kerimov and sailor S. Pavlikhin.
On December 30, 1999, the Marines saddled Hill 1407, already nicknamed ominous. This name of the unnamed height was explained very simply - from its top fire was constantly fired at our troops. And by all indications, it was there that the militants had something like a base with a developed defense system. Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Belezeko uttered a non-statutory phrase on air in the evening:
Lekha, get away from the hill.
Milasevic replied:
- "Cube", I'm "Carbine", Everything is fine. Night. let's hold on...
Perhaps no one will ever know what Captain Milosevic’s mistake was. And was there even a miscalculation? But at about 8.30 am the “polar bears” were surrounded by “spirits”. The fierce battle lasted an hour and a half. The scouts saw perfectly well how their fellow Marines were crushed by bandits with fire, knocking the “black berets” one after another beyond the brink of life. Even the day before, the Black Sea men took up a position on the top of a neighboring hill. The battlefield is only two kilometers away in a straight line. But where can you get wings to fly and help your friends? It takes eight hours to get along the slopes and through the forests to the place of the bloody battle. And only if you’re in a hurry and don’t particularly pay attention to ambushes and shelling. The Marines' hearts were torn from pain, impotent hatred, and anger.
The soul of the detachment went to heaven drop by drop, and each one was the life of one of the twelve warriors of the “black infantry”.
When the first group of Black Sea soldiers reached the battlefield, the officer reported on the radio:
- "Cube", "Cube", all - "two hundredths".
The company commander of the northerners lay facing the enemy. He fired until his last breath. And not a single “black beret” even tried to utter a word about mercy. The seriously wounded senior lieutenant Igor Sharashkin ordered the few surviving Marines to leave him and retreat. He lay bleeding. The bullets set fire to a nearby haystack. The officer was burning, unable to crawl away from the stack. The bandits stood nearby and laughed, they say; Don’t rely on mercy, we won’t finish you off...
On that hill, “Gyurza” lost his college classmate, senior lieutenant Yuri Kuragin.
Since then, the height has been called Matrosskaya.
What is special about our soldier and how much has he changed in recent years? - Denis Ermishko repeats my question, - I know what a Russian soldier was like before, only from books, films and stories of veterans. How is he fighting now?
“Gyurza” speaks sparingly, his assessments are devoid of any verbal heaps. In the depths of his soul, the Russian man has retained his eternal kindness. But as soon as a Russian, as they say, has only once been punched in the teeth, washed with blood, seen the death of friends, heard the screams of wounded comrades, he is transformed. In battle, our soldier is cold-blooded, merciless, cunning and cautious, capable of outplaying the most skilled enemy, has an excellent command of weapons, and is constantly learning to fight even better.
On the next mission to the mountains, one of the Marines was seriously wounded. It was not possible to bring him to his location. The fighting friends bandaged the wounded man, took him to a relatively quiet place, and covered him with fallen leaves. And then they held a defense around him until help arrived. Not one of them even had the thought of leaving their comrade, moving away so as not to risk their lives.
Preparing to go on a mission, the scouts, instead of dry rations, tried to take as much ammunition and grenades as possible. Food was limited, only the bare minimum. It happened that the exit was delayed. And the reconnaissance groups ate pasture in the forest for two or three days. But the next time out, everything repeated itself. Ammunition came first, food was taken with us last. In battle, the life of a soldier and the success of the combat mission depend on the number of cartridges.
In the photographs, no matter how hard you try, you will not see scouts in bulletproof vests. Undoubtedly, more reliable individual protection for an infantryman from shrapnel and bullets than a bulletproof vest has not yet been invented. But the scouts thought differently. The strength and success of reconnaissance group warriors lies in their maneuverability, their ability to quickly move over rough terrain. And if you carry a heavy and uncomfortable armored vehicle for more than one, not two - tens of kilometers in the mountains, then how mobile and maneuverable will the reconnaissance officer be in a short-lived combat encounter, where speed of action decides everything?
Denis Ermishko, having gone through the war, was personally convinced that all textbooks, manuals, instructions, combat documents on intelligence training were truly written in blood, absorbing the experience of generations.
But the Russian soldier, it seems, remained the same, as if woven from the best fighting and human qualities.
Major Ermishko belongs to that generation of young officers who did not experience any special “peacekeeping” illusions regarding the role and place of the Russian army at the present stage of development of the Fatherland.
The year he entered the school, 1994, coincided with the beginning of the first Chechen campaign. The shame of August 1996, when Grozny, abundantly watered with Russian blood, was abandoned without a single shot, was deeply felt by all the cadets. The school battalion commander, an experienced Afghan combat officer, said then:
We will not leave Chechnya so easily. Get ready to fight, guys. Combat is an officer's element.
Denis was preparing himself for a real war. A red diploma of graduation from college is only one detail reflecting this preparation. First class in boxing, excellent command of hand-to-hand combat techniques, constant work on himself, training his already tenacious memory, exercises in tactical art... In a word, he did not allow himself to relax.
Time flew by unnoticed in the conversation. In parting, I asked one last question to the reconnaissance company commander, who was awarded the Order of Courage and the Medal “For Courage” - if he had a choice, could he return to another hot spot?
To be honest, I’m fed up with the war and up to my throat. And I know how dirty and dangerous it is. But if necessary, I will fulfill my duty to the end.
Nehero of Russia
From the memoirs of Lieutenant Colonel Vadim Klimenko.
Only a few orders recognize the merits of a warrior. The stern plowmen of any war, without error and more accurately than all the “jewelers” from higher headquarters, will determine to the granular extent everything truly precious, by blood, the contents of any award. After all, warriors do not measure the honorable value of any award in gold and silver. And the modest medal “For Courage” from the “forties, fatal” ones, according to the unspoken front-line hierarchy, is sometimes listed as much more significant than other “post-war” orders on the invisible scales of valor.
Three times during the battles in the unrecognized war in the Chechen Republic, the commander of the tactical group of the Black Sea Fleet, Lieutenant Colonel Vadim Klimenko, was nominated for the high rank of Hero of Russia. “Black Berets” under his command covered the warehouses of “spirits” with weapons. In one of these caches a tank and a self-propelled artillery mount were waiting in the wings. “Striped devils” from intelligence participated in the capture of the camp for training Khattab’s militants. Dozens of times the Black Sea people fought to the death with an experienced and superbly trained enemy. Thousands of kilometers have been walked and traveled along mountain paths and roads, slimy from soldiers’ blood, during THAT undeclared, but already almost ten-year war.
Is it about the reward? After all, you survived and were not even wounded. There, on the passes of the mountainous republic, he found friendship tested in the face of death. A friend and fighting brother, Major Vladimir Karpushenko, became a Hero of Russia - for them all, both living and dead.
For Lieutenant Colonel Vadim Klimenko, as a scout, the moment of highest happiness was the meager words of recognition after the battle of the special forces elite from Vympel - and among the “ordinary” troops there are professionals equal to us. People like you, Vadim and your scouts.
The true greatness of the Russian soldier, no matter how sophisticated the Goebbel-Udugov propaganda at all times, is in his human heart. The piercing incident will forever be etched in Vadim’s memory of that war. In the frosty January of 2000, late in the evening, the reconnaissance group was returning from a search. The cold and fatigue seemed unbearable. All I wanted was to sleep and grab something from a long-forgotten hot meal.
At the pass, the reconnaissance officers saw a stalled tractor, in the trailer of which were Chechens - women, old people, children - sitting. It soon became clear: refugees were returning home from Ingushetia. The special officer, he was with the Black Sea men on the way out, suggested to Klimenko - let’s help, let’s take them home. Wherever we take them, there are plenty of our own inside the combat vehicle. And if you put them on the “armor,” you can freeze the children. And it can fit ten or twelve people. We decided not to guess, but to ask the Chechens themselves. The old man with a long beard, white as a harrier, agreed, because rather than wait for help from nowhere, it was better to go with the Russian soldiers. While the busy mothers were moving with their little boys onto the armored vehicle, Vadim went up to one old woman and helped throw a sack of things onto the top of the armored personnel carrier. Suddenly, he heard a little boy about four years old literally burst into hysterical crying.
The commander decided to calm the crying boy by “using” a remedy universal for all times and peoples - chocolate. He literally pushed away the outstretched hand with a tile of a delicacy unheard of for ordinary Chechen children. The elder politely and calmly told Vadim - don’t be surprised, Russian. In the fall, during the bombing, your attack aircraft scared the child so much that he experiences an animal fear of the Russian military.
A lump of bitterness and sympathy for the small man who had already experienced so much rolled up in Vadim’s throat. The elder noticed his condition and said, “You, commander, probably have the same thing growing at home.”
That evening, exhausted from fatigue, the scouts made a fifteen-kilometer detour while they took everyone home. The last to get to her home, as if glued to a high rock, was a mother of about seventeen, with already three children. The Marines tried to help her bring her things and “heirs” to the doorstep. Nota flatly refused. Relatives will not “understand” if they find out that the Russians helped her.
In war, the first thing you encounter is a feeling of fear for your life and that of your comrades. Only the insane are not afraid. Then, suddenly you realize how much this very fear “gets” you, how it interferes with your life. Little by little, day after day, by force of will, you convince yourself - stop feeling afraid, it’s time to get used to danger, treat it more calmly. Then, after the first losses, embitterment appears, a desire to avenge the death of friends and comrades. And here you try not to give free rein to your feelings. In battle, they are the worst adviser. But your mind carefully evaluates everything that is happening around. When the wave of emotions subsides, you begin to wonder about the meaning of war... And you understand that it is unlikely that any other path than the current one is possible: destroy the gangs and build a peaceful life, no matter how impossible it may seem.
About the enemy... There, in Serzhen-Yurt, in the Khattab camps, they came across training manuals from Arab instructors. The simplicity and clarity of the instructions and all kinds of instructions made it possible, within a short period of time, to train even a young child as a demolitionist, marksman, or grenade launcher. The entire training system was based on one thing - to overcome, no matter what the risk, your fear, your pain, your weakness. The “spirits” do not even know about such a well-known concept to all Russian commanders as the safety of military service. The main thing for them was and remains to prepare a real warrior at any cost. And they perceive injuries and mutilations in the classroom as nothing more than an indispensable attribute of learning, where there cannot be even a hint of conventionality. But is it not in the laconic wisdom of our regulations and instructions that the combat experience of millions of soldiers and officers of the Great Patriotic War, Afghanistan, and countless local conflicts is contained?
The “Czechs,” especially the Arab mercenaries, with courage worthy of respect, pulled out their dead and wounded from under the very heavy fire. One day, in the fog, the reconnaissance group came upon unsuspecting “spirits”. The sniper took out two people with two shots - the first one on the spot, the second one wounded in the neck. Then, desperately, in front of a tenfold superior enemy, they fought off their dead and wounded. The courage of the mercenaries has an explanation. If a Muslim killed in battle is not buried on the same day, then his comrades will have to answer to his teip, clan, and family. But, unlike the feds, you won’t be able to escape their revenge.
The “Black Berets” did not abandon their own under any circumstances. Only they went into the fire, driven not by fear of blood feud, but by the great feeling of Russian military brotherhood.
From the memoirs of officer Pavel Klimenko
The period of three months “cut” at headquarters for the Black Sea marines of the second “Chechen” wave ended in June 2000. The “Northern” battalion, with attached Black Sea reconnaissance soldiers, left the passes and mountain forests of the republic, still smoldering with the fire of battles, drenched in their own and enemy blood. Ahead, on an armored personnel carrier with the lucky number 013, the columns of “black berets” were led by the reconnaissance platoon commander, senior lieutenant Pavel Klimenko. There, high in the mountains, there was still snow. And on the plain the summer heat was already beginning.
A year before, if someone had predicted to the platoon commander that you would know first-hand the pain of losing your people, you would tramp hundreds and hundreds of kilometers until exhaustion on reconnaissance exits, each of which could be your last, then Pavel simply did not believe it. Although, in his native St. Petersburg Higher Military Combined Arms Command School, platoon commander Senior Lieutenant Rogozhenkoved almost every day repeated to the cadets like a prayer, get ready to fight in the Caucasus. He knew that you didn’t have to be a seer to see where Ichkeria, independent of Russian laws, was going. For the first Chechen campaign, the platoon was awarded two Orders of Courage. As part of the combined regiment of “polar bears,” the lieutenant took the building of the Council of Ministers and Dudayev’s palace, which were filled to capacity with firing points. I wonder what the platoon commander would say if he found out now that it was he, Pavel Klimenko, in the vanguard of the “Chechen” battalion of his native 61st Kerkenes, a hundred times famous, brigade?
However, the brotherhood of the amphibious assault is not distributed among the fleets. It must have been such a coincidence, but in Chechnya, among the “polar bears,” I met an acquaintance from an internship during my final year at school. The company sergeant major, senior warrant officer Bagryantsev, greeted him as if he were his own, and both were delighted. But the old servant did not fail to remind him how much he had suffered with Pavel. He was a cadet, undoubtedly a good one, but, as they say, with character, with his own “special” opinion on any life and career issue. And the foreman, with his experience, in the opinion of the valiant Marine Corps officer, gave “too much” importance of “little things” to the detriment of real combat training.
Time will later put all the emphasis in its place. The senior warrant officer, with his pedantry and pickiness, will be right. In battle he will prove himself to be by no means a coward; later he will be deservedly rewarded. And the foreman was concerned with the life of his subordinates all 24 hours a day, outside the field conditions. Pavel is still largely grateful to him for the science he taught, which was not prescribed in any textbook, the name of which is experience.
For some reason, fate tests the young officer with its inscrutable “tests.” After all, now he is very close to his native place, to the village of Ozek-Suat, where his father and mother live, by local standards - just a stone’s throw away. Before the war, many friends and relatives studied and lived in Grozny. It’s a pity that we weren’t able to visit the city we knew from childhood. Although, what is it possible to find out there now after several years of war. Pavel considers himself lucky. He was not wounded in the war, he did not even receive a scratch. Quite easily, without nightmares, nervous breakdowns, post-combat syndromes, he returned to peaceful life. When you are 22 years old, the danger is not felt as acutely as when you are older. His wife “helped” in many ways, giving birth to a son, Nikita, almost immediately upon his return to Sevastopol. When there is a small child at home, a desired son, then all other experiences always go somewhere aside. Senior Lieutenant Klimenko received a promotion and took command of a company. So, there was simply no time for “perestroika” from a military to a peaceful way.
Soon after the end of hostilities, the brave “black berets” experienced a previously unknown feeling of fear. The train with equipment and personnel on the way to Novorossiysk had to travel eight hours through the territory of Chechnya. By that time, the Marines, with the exception of eight traveling guards, had surrendered their weapons. For the first time in hostile territory, they found themselves without Kalashnikovs, machine guns, or sniper rifles. The machine gun was an integral part of Marine uniforms for several months. They didn’t leave him for a second. And, when going to bed, they placed the AK so that instantly, only by removing the safety, they could open fire.
The price of a soldier’s life in war is calculated in a special “currency” that is little understood in peaceful life. Ammo at a critical moment in the battle means more to you than all the gold in the world. And a working machine gun that hits without missing a beat is more valuable than super-sophisticated audio-video equipment. However, even the seasoned "Beteer" there in the mountains, none of the "striped devils" would exchange for the newest Mercedes, which captivates connoisseurs with the shape of its lines.
For eight hours the paratroopers in the train were painfully silent. Here, on a land that had been at war for many years, a person could not be both unarmed and calm for his life; only a machine gun gave him the right to meet the morning of the coming day. The border of Chechnya was crossed by the black beret infantry on time. Not a single shot was fired from the hostile steppes. Although the field commanders, with their well-functioning reconnaissance, probably knew which echelon was with whom and where it was going. The formidable fame of excellent warriors played the role of a psychological “body armor.” And even the most desperate militants did not dare to get involved even in the end with the “polar bears” together with the “Black Sea devils”. After all, it’s more expensive for themselves.
Combat experience will prove to be a measure of many values in service for Klimenko. However, as with everything, he will be critical of many things. After all, it’s not the job of amphibious assault to “saddle” peaks; naval soldiers are intended for other purposes. But, most importantly, it became clear that in our time of high technology, the role of infantry is only increasing. Like in that movie - “And private infantry Vanya will be the first to sign at the Reichstag.” When the terrorist threat literally spreads like poisonous gas through all sorts of “cracks” and “secrets,” when the enemy is not marked by a clear front line, it is the soldier—call him a special forces soldier, a reconnaissance officer, a fighter in an anti-terrorist unit—who finds himself at the forefront of the attack. And the success of the secret war that has been going on for many years depends on his personal training and equipment with modern weapons.
And the fact that the Marines today had to solve largely unusual tasks is why they are professionals, in order to carry out orders. A soldier, if he is real, does not discuss the order, but thinks about how best to carry it out.
From the memoirs of reserve lieutenant colonel Vyacheslav Krivoy.
During the four “Chechen” months, Vyacheslav was both the “incarnation” of the group’s intelligence chief and headed its headquarters, reporting directly to Major General Alexander Ivanovich Otrakovsky. The status and position of a lieutenant colonel completely allowed him to “sit out” somewhere in the headquarters tent. But that’s not his character! “Palych” was on all the main and most dangerous reconnaissance exits. He was in those searches when the warehouses of the “Czechs” were discovered; with his courage and the highest commander’s ability to fight, he earned the respect of his subordinates. The Order “For Courage” is more eloquent than all words. He doesn’t like to remember those battles. The pain for the eight dead Black Sea residents does not go away from the heart. And somewhere, latently, in the soul, notes of a funeral march sound - I didn’t save... After all, he entered the war as a mature man, the father of two almost adult children, having learned the great joy of raising both a son and a daughter. But all his soldiers who lay down on the mountain passes remained forever young. And we didn’t manage to do so much in life, it’s impossible to tell. That’s why Vyacheslav hates all talk about war. There was too much of her, damned, in his life, he had to experience too much, experience too much, not as an outside observer, but see with his mature gaze.
Life continued even under gunfire. “Maestro,” as the Marines called the chief of artillery, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Strebkov, set off a fireworks display on the day of the Black Sea Fleet, May 13, seriously frightening one of the staff.
Once, in one village, they got into conversation with local women. It’s clear that Vyacheslav is from Odessa at heart and did not miss the opportunity to joke around here. The ladies of “free Ichkeria” also did not refuse the opportunity to laugh. The fun stopped the second one of the Marines quite accidentally said, “Hey, Doctor, Lieutenant Colonel of the Medical Service Shevchuk is with us.” By the way, he recently defended his doctoral dissertation. One Chechen woman said, “We haven’t had a doctor for a hundred years.” Once upon a time, they wrote out a prescription in Latin. You can't read anything. Would the military help?
The news that the doctor had arrived spread throughout the village with lightning speed. Five minutes later, many dozens of people lined up. We had to organize an appointment and wait until everyone in need received medical care, so rare in these parts.
From the memoirs of senior warrant officer Bakit Aimukhambetov.
In the fall of 2000, then still a sergeant - a contract soldier of the Marine Corps, Aimukhambetov will come on his first vacation. Relatives will gather in the house. The mother will begin to reproach him - they say, son, why haven’t he written for three months. He started to make excuses, saying that he was at a training exercise, and the post office at the training ground is working very poorly. His cousin Azat cut him off softly:
Don't deceive your mother, now it no longer makes sense. You, Bakit, were there, beyond the Terek, in Chechnya. I know there are no trainings for three months. And he himself also did not tell his loved ones when he fought in the first Chechen war in the reconnaissance brigade of internal troops.
Mom, of course, is in tears. They contain belated emotions, joy, her son is alive.
In September 1999, Bakit Aimukhambetov, like hundreds of his comrades, wrote a report - I wish to participate in the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus. Youth is full of enthusiasm, there is a delightful recklessness in it. In September, the war seemed like a game of heroes. On December 14, 1999, everything turned upside down in his mind. At the regimental formation, it was announced that “Sergeant Nurulla Nigmatulin died a heroic death in a battle with the Chechen separatists.” Just a few weeks ago they shared equally the hardships and joys of life and naval service. And today “the same forest, the same air, the same water. Only he didn’t return from the battle.”
The second batch went to Chechnya after the new year, 2000. The soldier does not ask where he should fight for his Motherland, his job is to carry out the order. Junior Sergeant Aimukhambetov did not ask unnecessary questions when he was not on the list to replace the scouts exhausted in battles and patrols. But in the spring, when the next candidates for war were checked for fitness to perform a combat mission, the doctors put down their firm summary - you, Comrade Junior Sergeant, cannot fight. What to do if his friend Ilya Kirillov is sent to a place where risk and mortal danger literally feed the soldiers’ breath. The doctor himself suggested the solution:
Boy, I will not give my consent to send you to war as a conscript. This is how it works in the navy and army; the commander is primarily responsible for the “conscript,” and not himself. But a contract soldier has a privilege and the right to go to a “hot spot” of his own free will.
The contract with the command of the unit was signed together with my friend Ilya.
Soldiers' bread in war is not sweet. That is why they valued the joys of simple life. They dug a longer trench in the clayey earth, creating an open-air dining room. The second pit became a kind of bathhouse, where you could wash yourself with cold water without fear of a sniper’s bullet. In the dugout, when it’s warm and the roof doesn’t leak, after a stressful day you feel like you’re in a luxury hotel with a view of the mountains. The imported water in barrels reeked of hydrogen sulfide, neither quenching thirst nor cooking food. So, first of all, they asked the scouts to notice thin strings of fontanelles, daruchets. Then, with all precautions, they cleared the source of clean water and checked whether it was poisoned, because everything happened here. The company sergeant major, senior warrant officer Alexander Kashirov, ran the household in an exemplary manner, a bathhouse, soap, clean linen, hot food - everything was on time, and he could also get something tastier from the warehouse for rations. Man, what do you need?
Somehow there was a puncture, the sentry did not notice the officer and let him through to the dugout. So that the Marines would not relax, because in war, those who sleep a lot live little, threw a smoke bomb into the doorway. The “sleepy” kingdom instantly found itself in a trench in the fresh air. While they were judging and sorting, they came to their senses and were counted, recounted, but one was not found. Then, it turned out that Alexey Gribanov showed miracles of soldierly resourcefulness, put on a gas mask and continued to sleep in that incredible smoke. There was enough laughter and conversation for two weeks.
The arrangement was simple. The amphibious assault “sits” on the strong point, the company and battery of artillerymen maintain the height. Everything is without pathos and very simple. You just need to follow orders. It used to be that the Black Sea Marines were taken out on missions in his Ural by the driver Lyokha, a cool guy. Was. When the time came for Alyosha to resign, he was happy. The last time I got into the car, it seemed like there was no happier person. Like, I’ll go for the last time, I’ll be home in two days. And a landmine was already planted on his road...
Two and a half months during the war passed in some special dimension. Late in the evening, when we returned to Sevastopol, an incredible emotional tension subsided inside. That's it, we are home, alive, safe, unharmed. The Suvorov medal, awarded a few minutes before the formation of his comrades, surprised even him. Yes, he was in Chechnya, together with everyone else he honestly did his military work. Only, everything went without heroism, they didn’t think about heroism. A soldier in war has only thoughts in his head - don’t step on a mine, don’t get caught by a sniper, don’t fall asleep at your post, don’t let your comrade down, stay alive, return home.
Everyone has their own path in life. A year later, Bakit met a Sevastopol girl named Natasha. We got married. Soon their daughter Diana was born. Friend Ilya Kirillov also found a life partner in the white-stone city. He just left the service. Now he works on the oil rigs of Tyumen, and his “southern” wife, disdaining comfort, went with him to Western Siberia. Family is when everyone is together. It’s a pity, you don’t get to see your military friends who retired very often. And you will never be able to sit at the table with someone again. Fellow soldier Sergei Zyablov in his hometown in a cafe tried to rein in the “brothers” who had gone on an excessive spree. For which he received a knife in the heart.
I feel sorry for him to the point of madness, because how many times he could have laid his head on the slimy Caucasian paths, and lost his life so absurdly.
Each generation of Russian Soldiers has its own passes, battlefields, and heights. Today's lieutenants, sergeants, privates, and sailors outwardly bear little resemblance to their predecessors, those who walked the roads of defeat and victory in the Great Patriotic War, who performed their duty in Afghanistan and other “hot spots.” But in the bloody August of last year, in South Ossetia, the new generation managed, in a matter of days, to completely defeat an army created according to the best Western models, nurtured over the years by “foreign” instructors with experience from the Iraqi campaign. For the first time since the Great Patriotic War, our army was again faced with the concept of “oncoming tank battle.” And again the Russian tanker turned out to be unbending.
There is the main thing, that Russian spirit is unshakable, that military science of winning, that incredible core of courage and bravery, thanks to which the enemy said about our warrior: “It is not enough to kill a Russian marine, he must be pinned to the ground with a bayonet. Then there is a possibility that it will not rise.”
Before departure, the regiment was supplemented with sailors from 170 units of the Pacific Fleet. That is, stokers, diesel mechanics, mechanics, cooks and other naval specialists, who had previously held weapons only on oath, came out against the militants. However, the Marines left Chechnya with minimal losses. In battalions of up to 300 people, between five and nine soldiers died.
Sergei Kondratenko led military operations and ensured the security of federal and military representatives during negotiations with militants. Journalist Dmitry Klimov talked to him.
Question: Under what circumstances did the militants demand the withdrawal of marine units?
Sergey Kondratenko: At the beginning of 1995, after the capture of Budennovsk, during negotiations with the Chairman of the Russian Government, Chernomyrdin, the militants, as one of the conditions for the withdrawal and release of the hostages, demanded the withdrawal of marines from Chechnya. They felt our motto for themselves - “Where the Marines are, there is victory.”On April 28, 1995, I provided security during the negotiations between Troshev and Maskhadov. Then I had a little fight with Shirvani Basayev, the brother of the field commander [Shamil Basayev]. He began to say that in battles, old-timers send young people ahead of them and abandon the wounded.
I approached him and said: “What are you saying? In the Marine Corps, we didn’t leave a single dead person on the battlefield, not a single wounded person. We pulled everyone out.” He says: “Yes, yes, the Marines are taking it out. When your guys were pulling out a wounded man in Grozny, I gave the command to stop the fire.”
Although this is a lie. They, on the contrary, were shooting with live bait. They wound a person, do not kill him, but wait for his comrades to come up and begin to pull him out. Then they shot at the entire group.
In June 1995, in Vzglyad, someone from the leadership of the militants assessed the actions of the federal forces. He rated it low, of course - with the exception of the Marine Corps.
Question: They say that you were the only officer in Chechnya who did not take off his shoulder straps and did not hide his stars.
S.K.: Indeed, the bulk of the officer corps went without stars. There was no order, but many officers bore, as we said, “maiden names.” These are mainly officers from the leadership of the group and internal troops. So, General Romanov came to us [ Note - who is still in a coma after an assassination attempt on him], he introduced himself as Lieutenant General Antonov. Lieutenant General Golub from the internal troops passed as Vasiliev.
I interacted very closely with one colonel, we became friends. Then we leave, exchange addresses, he writes a different last name. He says this is my real one. They probably had reasons to disguise themselves in this way. We are infantry, we did not hide the fact that we are from Vladivostok, from Primorye.I didn’t take off my shoulder straps and I didn’t change my last name. I am a Marine Colonel, I have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hide. Now both the militants and the local residents have no complaints against me. They even gave me a burka.
Question: How did you develop good relations with the local population?
S.K.: On January 30, 1995, in Samashki, our signal squad was attacked by militants, three soldiers were killed and three more were missing. Then two were found, and Lieutenant Chistyakov was captured. I looked for him, contacted both civilians and militants. In the meantime, he was searching, making connections, contacts, which later helped to get other guys out of captivity. And then they already knew me, and I collected weapons from local residents without any problems.
Question: Did the Marine regiment really have minimal casualties?
S.K.: Yes, during combat operations losses are minimal. They acted thoughtfully. There were more losses when they were standing - they were snapping out from around the corner. For example, it was necessary to capture heights. If we had gone during the day, we would have killed the battalion. We went at night, in the fog, conducting reconnaissance. But still, three of us died. The militants have nine. According to science, the enemy has advantages in defense. It doesn’t take much intelligence to throw people and knock them down.
Question: During the dispatch of marines to Chechnya, the battalion commander, Major Evgeniy Zhovtorienko, refused to send his soldiers. How did this happen?
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I believe that an officer has no right to refuse an order
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When they were taken to the training ground in Bamburovo, the fighters did not show their best side. Many were shooting a gun for the first time. It was hard for the battalion commander (Zhovtoripenko) to look at these people who could not fight. At the last moment, he expressed his complaints to the regiment commander. The fleet commander came to investigate and told him everything. Several more officers refused to send their subordinates to Chechnya.
By order of the commander, the team was replaced. Unfortunately, the replacement of officers affected the battalion. As a result, this battalion had the largest losses, often unjustified - 9 people.
I believe that an officer has no right to refuse an order. He (Zhovtorienko) refused, and some of the officers refused. They stayed at home, and the sailors went. Everyone who refused was fired.
Our profession involves risk and death. As a result, we did not become cannon fodder in combat operations - we prepared in Bamburovo, Mozdok and the rear area. The period of coherence extended. Only in the first battles did we find it difficult to get involved, but then we got used to it.
Now, when I see that sailors are walking with weapons, I can tell which of them fought and which did not. For those who fought, weapons are an integral part, an accessory. Give a machine gun to an ordinary sailor - he will hold it somehow solemnly. During the business trip, I noticed that they handled weapons freely, they got used to them.
Question: What, in your opinion, were the main mistakes in the first Chechen war?
S.K.: It is my deep conviction that the war could have been avoided. Dudayev went to negotiations, you could talk to him, give him another star. Vereshchagin's painting "The Apotheosis of War" should be dedicated not to generals, as the author did, but to politicians.It is the politicians who start the war, not the generals. It is not politicians who die there, but military men, generals and their children. In the first Chechen war, nine generals' children died. The same Pulikovsky [ Note - currently - presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District], from Colonel General Shpak, from the former chief of special forces Kolesnikov.
It was necessary to prepare better for the military campaign and conduct it according to the laws.
For example, in March we crossed the Argun River and captured Shali. It was necessary to continue the offensive. The militants were exhausted, fought in scattered groups, dispersed throughout the surrounding area, “raised their paws,” and we stopped. Or rather, we were stopped.The 50th anniversary of the Victory was approaching. US President Clinton said, “I will come to you for the anniversary parade if there is no military action in Chechnya.” The offensive was stopped by politicians. The militants licked their wounds and organized connections. And only in mid-May, after Victory Day, the offensive resumed. The militants came to their senses, came to their senses, and the worst thing was that the green stuff began to appear.
You can't negotiate with bandits. And after Budennovsk, Chernomyrdin talks with Basayev. It's a shame.
Shameful Khasavyurt peace. We (the federals) abandoned everything we had conquered, abandoned prisoners, the graves of the boys.
Dudayev and Yeltsin released a genie that they could not put in the bottle. And they prevented us from fighting. If they said “war,” then there’s no need to get involved. The military knows their job and follows orders.
The second war was forced. Now we need to provide the opportunity for the Chechens to figure it out themselves, to decide their own fate. Accordingly, under our control. You cannot place a policeman next to every Chechen. They need to work and figure it out themselves.
Marines killed in the First Chechen 165th Regiment of the 55th Division MP Pacific Fleet
Our fallen will not leave us in trouble,
Our fallen are like sentries...
V. Vysotsky
This material is dedicated to the unfairly forgotten Marines who fell in the line of duty.
In 2010, the anniversary of the Victory of our people in the Great Patriotic War is celebrated, and you realize with bitterness that not everyone understands and realizes what kind of Victory it was and at what cost it was achieved. Not everyone is buried yet, not everyone has been identified. Although it is late, the country’s authorities rushed to eliminate the shortcomings of their predecessors. And this is good.
But the victims of recent conflicts, not even of Soviet Russia, but already, like, democratic ones, have been forgotten. Only those close and involved remember them. Is it really possible that, thirty years from now, the authorities and the public will still be plugging their gaps in relation to these people? I would like to live to see this, at least, but it’s better to start now. Let's remember them by name, let's remember them, even if we never knew them. They gave their lives for us, so let us appreciate the greatness of their death.
Everlasting memory!
All materials from the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory were collected and processed by Sergei Kondratenko. The material was compiled by Kirill Arkhipov, the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory was provided by Oleg Borisovich Zaretsky, a photo of Yuri Lysenko from his personal file was provided by Seryoga.
165th Marine Regiment of the 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet
Attack by militants on a convoy of communication vehicles of the 165th PMP near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.
1. Konoplev Andrey Vladimirovich, born in 1970, Volgograd, midshipman, head of the hardware communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment. On the night of January 30-31, 1995, a convoy of communications vehicles was ambushed near the village of Samashki. Got a concussion. I was captured. Subjected to severe torture. A medical examination established that death presumably occurred on February 6-7, 1995. He was buried in Volgograd.
Afterword.
From the age of eleven, Andrei was interested in technology, at first it was a hobby for modeling aviation equipment, then, when his older brother joined the army and ended up in tank forces, he switched to armored vehicles. The result of my technical hobbies was admission to a mechanical engineering college. After being drafted, he joined the Pacific Fleet, where he remained after finishing his service, and in 1992 received the rank of midshipman.
2. Antonov Vladimir Anatolyevich, born in 1976, sailor, driver-electrician of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died on January 30, 1995 when militants destroyed a convoy of communication vehicles that was ambushed near the village of Samashki. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Khornozary, Vurnarsky district of the Republic of Chuvashia.
Afterword.
Date of death is approximate.
3. Nikolai Evgenievich Kandybovich, born in 1972, sailor, signalman of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment, orphan. He died near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995 during an attack by Chechen militants on a convoy of communication vehicles. He was buried by the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps unit at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok.
Afterword.
Orphan. Date of death is approximate.
4. Sergey Vasilievich Ipatov, born in 1975, Krasnoobsk village, Novosibirsk region, sailor, driver of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995 during an attack by Chechen militants on a convoy of communication vehicles. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Krasnoobsk.
Afterword.
The date of death is approximate, he was in a group with Konoplev and Chistyakov.
The battle of the reconnaissance group of the 165th PMP, which was ambushed by militants in the southern suburbs of Grozny on February 7, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.
5. Firsov Sergey Aleksandrovich, born in 1971, Serebryanye Prudy, Moscow Region, senior lieutenant, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). He was buried in the town of Serebryanye Prudy.
6. Vyzhimov Vadim Vyacheslavovich, born in 1976, drafted into the Pacific Fleet from the Altai Territory, sailor, driver of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in the city of Novoaltaisk, Altai Territory.
7. Yuri Vladimirovich Zubarev, born in 1973, Ulyanovsk region, sergeant, squad commander of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in Dmitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region.
8. Soshelin Andrey Anatolyevich, born in 1974, Nizhny Novgorod, senior sailor, radiotelephone operator-reconnaissance reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in battle on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in Nizhny Novgorod.
Afterword.
From a letter from the only survivor of the Malina group, sailor Andrei Serykh:
“...At the beginning of the letter, briefly about myself. I work at a woodworking plant, got married, and live separately from my parents. We meet with Romka Chukhlov often; he was recently awarded the medal “For Courage”. I haven’t seen Seryoga Volkov for a year; he and his wife went to Irkutsk. I haven’t seen anyone else, no one writes...
I don't know how to begin to describe that day. On February 7, we crossed the bridge over the river, met our guys from the airborne assault battalion, they said that everything was calm here. We went further, reached the factory, left the platoon there and then went on as a reconnaissance group. When we were going up to the bus station, we were fired on from the left. We launched a green rocket, they stopped shooting at us. After passing the bus station, we went to the right. When we reached the high curb (where the boys died), they opened fire on us from a five-story building. Ahead at the curb were Firsov, Zubarev and the young Vyzhimnov, Soshelin and I covered them a little from behind. The sniper wounded Zuba to death immediately. We also opened fire on the enemy. Then the young man was wounded, and Firsov ordered to retreat. I was the first to leave, but Soshelin was delayed for some reason...
And I didn’t see anything else...
OK it's all over Now. Every year Romka and I remember the guys..."
The battle of units of the 1st Airborne Battalion on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of the Railway Hospital during the truce concluded with the militants on February 18, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.
9. Borovikov Vladimir Valerievich, born in 1973, lieutenant, platoon commander of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died in a street battle on February 18, 1995 on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of the Railway Hospital, covering with fire the retreat of a unit that was ambushed. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). Buried in the cemetery of St. Pivan, Komsomlsk-on-Amur.
Afterword.
“...They ran into an ambush suddenly - ambushes are always sudden. And when the militants’ machine guns and machine guns started working, Lieutenant Borovikov managed to shout to his soldiers to retreat, while he tried to cover them with fire. Such a battle is fleeting, Vladimir Borovikov was one of the first to die. How many lives did you manage to save - two, three, five? Who can count, the logic of war cannot be counted..."
Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Lyubetsky: “It was hard to find officers like Borovikov...”
Captain Vadim Chizhikov: “If it weren’t for him, we would all have been mowed down then...”
10. Zaguzov Vladimir Anatolyevich, born in 1975, Bondari village, Tambov region, contract junior sergeant, squad commander of the air assault battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died in a street battle on February 18, 1995 on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of the Railway Hospital. He was buried in the village of Bondari, Tambov region.
Touches to the portrait.
From a letter from Maria Mikhailovna Zaguzova:
“I am very grateful for your concern for our sons, in particular my dear son Volodya. You ask to send a photograph of your son, preferably in military uniform. I'll definitely send it, just a little later, you'll have to wait. The thing is this: I have the only photograph of him left in his uniform, and, to be honest, my son’s face is somehow thin; Apparently the shadow fell so that dark circles appeared under the eyes. It’s not about any special beauty, don’t get me wrong, but I want an army soldier to look like a soldier, and he’s not bad in appearance - forgive me for saying such words, but I can’t do otherwise...
Thank you for your condolences and for sharing the bitterness of loss with us. My pain will always remain with me. Soon it will be five years since Volodya has been gone, but there hasn’t been a day, and probably not an hour, that his image hasn’t appeared before me - in a boy playing in the sand, in a guy walking with a girl, and even in a young man. leading his son or daughter by the hand. I see - and my heart shrinks, turns to stone... For some reason I was so open, I usually try not to show my grief, I don’t think it’s necessary, but here you go, I opened it to a piece of paper, maybe because I’m writing late at night. My hair turned grey, it became completely white, my health was undermined, and the world darkened without my son...”
11. Akhmetgaliev Robert Balzitovich, sailor, grenade launcher of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on February 18, 1995 in a street fight in Grozny on Nakhimov Street. He was buried in the village of Kushmanovka, Buraevsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Touches to the portrait.
From a letter from my father:
“...Robert grew up as a kind, cheerful boy, he is still remembered with a smile on his face. He was very hardworking, loved country life, was fond of beekeeping and wanted to get involved in this business closely after the army. His openness and sociability made it possible to quickly find a common language with everyone. I can write a lot about my son, but I don’t know if anyone besides me needs it...
Robert's mother, my wife, could not bear this terrible grief; she only lived for six months after the death of her son.
I turned 60 at the end of July. I am very ill, the illness worsened after Robert's death. They offered me a 2nd group disability, but I refused. Just recently left the hospital and suffered a heart attack.
You are asking about benefits. This is the situation for me and all other parents who have lost their sons. Since May 1999, benefits for medicines have been abolished, and local and urban transport passes are not paid for - all this is explained by the difficult situation in the republic. Before I retired, I received a pension for my son of 269 rubles, now it has been cut to 108... I have to give up expensive medicines...
You probably already understand: do local authorities and the military registration and enlistment office help?
I wish everyone in the world good health and that no one experiences such grief as befell me..."
NO PHOTO
12. Semenyuk Vladimir Yurievich, born in 1975, Moscow, sailor, crew commander of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on February 18, 1995 in a street fight in Grozny on Nakhimov Street. Buried in Moscow.
Afterword.
He died together with Akhmetgaliev, during the “truce”, they together moved away from the checkpoint on Nakhimov Street in Grozny, 50 meters, and were shot at point-blank range.
13. Evgeniy Pavlovich Betkher, sailor, rifleman of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment, drafted from the Tomsk region. Died on January 26, 1995 in a street fight in Grozny. He was buried in the town of Strezhevoy, Tomsk region.
Afterword.
He died in one of the first battles, in the southern part of Grozny. The group, which included Evgenia, covered the tank on the territory of the carbide plant, the tank fired at the militants’ points, and then retreated. At one such waste site, an RPG grenade that missed the tank hit a Marine, and there was practically nothing left of him. According to eyewitnesses, a woman fired from a grenade launcher.
14. Brovkin Igor Anatolyevich, born in 1975, Tula region, Aleksin, sailor, gunner, crew number of the 6th company of the 165th Marine Regiment. On January 29, 1995, he was mortally wounded in a street fight in Grozny. He died of wounds in the Vladikavkaz hospital on February 4, 1995. He was buried in the city of Aleksin, Tula region.
Touches to the portrait.
From a letter from Nina Ivanovna and Anatoly Ivanovich Brovkin:
“...It’s difficult to write about your own son. Igor was born on July 16, 1975 in the city of Aleksin, Tula region. After finishing 9 classes, he entered a vocational school, where he received a specialty as an electric and gas welder. He was hired at a mechanical plant as an electric and gas welder of the 3rd category. But he didn’t have time to work for long - on December 14, 1993, he was drafted into the army, to the Pacific Fleet. He began his service on Russian Island, then he was transferred to Vladivostok, where he remained until approximately December 25, 1994 - his last letter was from this date. We did not receive any more letters. From official documents we only know that on January 29, in a battle in Grozny, he was seriously wounded and on February 4, he died in a hospital in Vladikavkaz. And on February 13, this terrible news overtook us...
The last letter we received was signed by the deputy commander of the company in which Igor served, Andrei Aleksandrovich Samoilenko: “... I would really like you to know how your son served. Igor came to our company shortly before being sent to the North Caucasus, but immediately quickly and easily entered the team and won the respect of his comrades. His voice was one of the decisive ones in the opinion of the company; colleagues, sometimes even with a long service life, listened to him... You can be proud of such a son, man, citizen, warrior..."
What can I add? He treated us in such a way that the words “later”, “once”, “no” did not exist for his parents. He had a special friendship with his grandfather, a participant in the war. He knew where his grandfather fought, what he received awards for, how many times he burned in a tank. And like any boy, he was very proud of this friendship...”
15. Bugaev Vitaly Aleksandrovich, born in 1975, Vladivostok, sailor, radiotelegraph operator-machine gunner of the communications platoon of the 2nd battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in action on April 26, 1995 at the heights of Goitein Court. He was buried in the cemetery of Dalnegorsk, Primorsky Territory.
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From a letter from Ekaterina Platonovna’s mother:
“My son Vitaly Alexandrovich Bugaev was born on October 7, 1975 in Vladivostok. Then, for family reasons, we moved to Dalnerechensk, where we still live. The son completed eight years of school and entered SPTU, where he received a specialty as a gas-electric welder. In his free time from studying, he always worked - on the railway or at our factory, unloading cars. It wasn’t easy, because he grew up without a father...
Since childhood I wanted to serve in the army. After college, I passed the exams quickly, and on December 28, 1994, I accompanied my son to the service. I dreamed of serving as soon as possible and going to work to help my family. When the regiment was being recruited to Chechnya, it was included in the lists, I didn’t know about it. And from Chechnya he wrote letters to relatives, but he didn’t write to me, he was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to stand it...
Mom, Ekaterina Platonovna.”
16. Golubov Oleg Ivanovich, sailor, machine gunner of the 8th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Died on April 8, 1995 near the village of Germenchuk. He was buried at the Gonzha station in the Magdagachinsky district of the Amur region.
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From a letter from Nina Petrovna Golubova:
“...Oleg had to go to work early before the army, he decided to help me, since he was the eldest, and he had two more brothers. I raised them alone, my father died. He loved to draw, he drew very well. He drew me a picture and burned it, now it hangs on the wall. And he sent drawings from the army. He had one friend; he believed that there should be one friend, but a real one.
He helped me and my grandmother in everything and kept saying: when I return from the army, we will break out of this poverty...
I got married in 1994 - that’s what he wanted. And he really wanted him to have a sister. His wish came true, but he never saw her. She was born on January 23, 1995, and on April 8 he was killed.
Sorry for writing so haphazardly, I’m very worried, it’s hard for me to write...
How did he serve? Back in March, Oleg was awarded the medal “For Courage,” and his unit sent me letters of gratitude for such a son.
Are you asking if local authorities are helping? Yes, they helped us buy a house. And I don’t even want to talk about the military registration and enlistment office. I asked them to help with the monument and the fence, but they refused... It’s good that there is an organization of former Afghan soldiers in Blagoveshchensk, they help as best they can. There is a monument to the Afghans in Blagoveshchensk; our guys who died in Chechnya were also enrolled there...
That's all. Sorry, I can’t write more...”
NO PHOTO
17. Dedyukhin Igor Anatolyevich, born in 1976, rifleman of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died on April 15, 1995 at a checkpoint near the village of Belgotoy. He was buried in Angarsk, Irkutsk region.
Afterword.
He died absolutely ridiculously. In April, after the battles in Grozny, Syurin-Court and Goitein-Court, there was a respite, the Marines were waiting to be sent home. The 5th Company was located at checkpoints along the Argun - Gothein Court road. Senior Lieutenant Gordienko's platoon was blocking the Rostov-Baku highway. On April 15, a vehicle of internal troops was stopped at a checkpoint by means of warning fire. After checking the documents of the driver of the car, Gordienko sent it back without letting it pass along the route. After the car disappeared into the nearest copse, machine gun fire was heard from there, one of the bullets of which hit Igor. The investigation yielded no results.
Marine Corps checkpoint in the Goitein Court area
18. Dneprovsky Andrey Vladimirovich, born in 1971, ensign, commander of a grenade launcher and machine gun platoon of the 8th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in battle on March 21, 1995 at the foot of the Goitein-Court heights. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). Buried in Vladikavkaz.
Afterword.
In the armed forces since May 1989, he remained after military service. He served on Russky Island and lived on Green Street. He flew to Chechnya as part of the 8th company of the 165th regiment.
On March 21, 1995, in conditions of dense fog, the company took the commanding heights of Goitein Court. While advancing along the eastern slope, he was the first to discover and destroy the militant, then a group of departing spirits was discovered, which, under fire from the Marines, fell into the grass near the oil pumping installation. Considering them dead, Dneprovsky, together with Sorokin and another sailor, went down to get weapons and check the results of the battle. Andrei was the first to notice that the militants were alive and managed to warn the others, which saved them from the fire, but he himself took it upon himself. With the help of Captain Barbaron's "Shilka", Dneprovsky's body was evacuated and the battle ended with the destruction of three militants.
19. Zhuk Anton Aleksandrovich, born in 1976, Vladivostok, sailor, senior gunner of the 9th company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on March 23, 1995 at the crossing of the Argun. He was buried at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok.
Afterword.
In the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory, the following fact is recorded in relation to Anton: he was twice included in the reports of the Vladivostok newspaper, the first time with a photograph of a smiling Anton posted with the headline “Mom! I'm alive". The second report was from the funeral...
20. Komkov Evgeniy Nikolaevich, born in 1975, Bryansk, senior sergeant, deputy platoon commander of the 4th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Sent to Chechnya after a personal appeal to the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Khmelnov, at his own request. Died on February 16, 1995 at a checkpoint near Nakhimov Street in Grozny. He was buried in Bryansk.
Afterword.
He served in Cam Ranh (Vietnam) in a security battalion. On January 5, during a visit to the base by Pacific Fleet commander Igor Khmelnov, Evgeniy turned to him with a request to send him to Chechnya with the 165th regiment leaving there.
21. Kuznetsov Andrey Nikolaevich, born in 1976, Moscow, sailor, grenade launcher of the 7th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in battle on January 31, 1995 while defending a bridge over the Sunzha River on the outskirts of Grozny from the explosion of a hand grenade thrown at him. Buried in Moscow.
Afterword.
From the memoirs of the deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Division, Colonel Kondratenko:
“...The platoon of the 7th company under the command of senior lieutenant Dolotov, in which Andrei Kuznetsov fought, held theost through Sunzha on the outskirts of Grozny. By holding this bridge, we did not allow the enemy to move freely and have communications between several suburban areas. On the night of January 30-31, the militants decided to attack and capture the bridge. At about 6 a.m. on January 31, counting on surprise, taking advantage of the darkness and fog and believing that the sailors were sleeping, several militants crossed above the bridge and began to covertly approach from the right flank. MainThe main group of attackers, hoping that the bridge's military guards would be destroyed by the advance group, prepared in front of the bridge to rush to the sailors' positions. At this time, sailor Kuznetsov was part of the guard. He was the first to discover the sneaking militants and opened fire on them with a machine gun - thereby thwarting the surprise of the attack. The attackers across the bridge were met with heavy fire. The sailors testify that when they opened fire on those running along the bridge, they heard one of the militants, apparently having received a bullet, shout: “Why are you timid, boys?...”.
During the ensuing battle, five of the six sailors who were in the combat guard were wounded, and the sixth, Andrei Kuznetsov, died from the explosion of a grenade thrown at him.
Sailor Andrei Kuznetsov is buried in Moscow.
But the tragedy did not end there. Six months after Andrei’s death, his mother, Nina Nikolaevna, died, and six months later, his father, Nikolai Petrovich...
They can also be considered victims of the Chechen war...”
. Lobachev Sergey Anatolyevich, born in 1976, Altai Territory, Aleysky District, Krasny Yar village, sailor, orderly-gunner of the 1st Airborne Assault Company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on April 11, 1995 from a mine explosion in the area of the crossing of the Argun River. Buried in the village of Ashpatsk, Dzerzhinsky district, Krasnoyarsk Territory
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From a letter from Lyudmila Mikhailovna Kosobukova:
“...Sergei Lobachev’s aunt is writing to you. You will understand from the letter why I am writing.
The fact is that Sergei’s father, my brother, died when Sergei was three years old. I helped my mother raise him. He was born on January 6, 1976. I studied at school, after nine grades I went to work on a collective farm, then I was drafted into the army.
You ask about letters - yes, there were letters both from his commander and from Seryozha himself from Chechnya. But so much time has passed and I cannot find them. Seryozha was probably a good soldier, because by decree No. 3928 of April 10, 1995, he was awarded the medal “For Courage”, and by decree No. 8972 of February 3, 1996, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
Seryozha died on April 11, 1995, and was brought to us on April 22. They opened the coffin because they weren’t sure it was him. But everything turned out to be accurate.
After Serezha’s death, his mother became very ill and died six months later; they said it was lung cancer. Now the whole family lies nearby.
I am writing to you, and I have tears in my eyes, how cruelly fate dealt with them...
Please send me the Book of Memory, let at least something remain..."
23. Makunin Andrey Aleksandrovich, born in 1976, Magadan, sailor, cook of the logistics battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment. Died on February 9, 1995 near Beslan. He was buried in the town of Ingulets, Dnepropetrovsk region, Ukraine.
Touches to the portrait.
From a letter from Ekaterina Feodorovna Dorokhina:
“...The mother of the soldier Andrei Makunin who died in Chechnya is writing to you. How difficult and painful it is to write this letter: remembering your son in the past tense, looking at photographs and documents. How many children were lost in vain! It’s good that at least someone besides us mothers remembers this, that they decided to publish a book of memory. I’m sending you a photo, it’s the only one and it’s very dear to me, please return it. There were no letters from Chechnya from my son, with the exception of one, which he began writing in Vladivostok and finished in Beslan. On the back of the letter, my son wrote addresses in Vladikavkaz, the villages of Sleptsovsk and Nesterovskaya - I was going to fly there to look for my son, but didn’t have time. The coffin arrived earlier... He turned out to be the first person to die in Chechnya from Magadan.
My son was cheerful by nature, an optimist, and never lost heart. Although his life from childhood was not very sad, for the first 12 years I raised him alone...
Andrei went into the army with desire, did not hide or hide, he believed that every man should go through this test. He was very proud that he joined the Navy, and when he was transferred to the Marine Corps, he was doubly proud. He even drew ships in his letters...
We buried him in Ukraine, where his grandmother lives and where he was born. The local military registration and enlistment office helped us a lot.
You ask about health - what can it be like after such a shock? I had a mini-stroke, now I’m holding on as best I can, because my daughters are 10 and 12 years old. And the soul is like one continuous wound that hurts and oozes - does not heal ... "
24. Meshkov Grigory Vasilyevich, born in 1951, colonel, chief of missile forces and artillery of the 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet. Died on May 20, 1995 from a massive stroke. He was buried in Berdsk.
Afterword.
He died not in the war, but from its consequences. I spent the first two months with the 165th Regiment, during which Grigory Vasilyevich’s heart was playing havoc. It could no longer stand at home with the news of the May losses in the 106th regiment, which replaced the 165th.
25. Nikolai Nikolaevich Novoseltsev, born in 1976, Chernava village, Izmailovsky district, Lipetsk region, sailor, machine gunner of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a night battle on March 13, 1995 at an altitude of 355.3 in the Syurin-Court mountain forest. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Chernava.
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From the memoirs of Marine Colonel Sergei Kondratenko:
« ... At the beginning of March 1995, at an altitude of 355, 3 of the Syurin-Court mountain-forest massif, a command observation post (COP) of the airborne assault battalion was equipped. Naturally, our activity could not help but attract the attention of the militants, especially since the distance from the KNP to the outskirts of Chechen-Aul in a straight line was less than one kilometer. And there were militants in Chechen-Aul at that time.
On the night of March 13-14, militants from the Chechen-Aul group, taking advantage of the cramped conditions and good knowledge of the terrain, quietly approached the battalion’s command post location. At this time, sailors Sukhorukov and Novoseltsev were on guard in one of the directions.
Sailor Novoseltsev managed to see the attackers literally at the last moment and opened fire on them from a machine gun. His shots served as a signal for both the combat guards and the entire KNP personnel. In response to Novoseltsev’s fire, the militants threw an F-1 grenade at him, the explosion of which killed the sailor on the spot.
A lively firefight ensued, during which sailor Sukhorukov was also killed. The outcome of the battle was decided by the fire of machine guns mounted on armored personnel carriers. That night, the militants tried several more times to attack the KNP from various directions, but the guards were on alert and successfully repelled these attacks.
Only thanks to the properly organized security and defense and the vigilance of the sailors standing in the combat guard, the militants were not able to take the KNP personnel by surprise and the battalion avoided major losses.”
26. Osipov Sergey Aleksandrovich, born in 1976, Bratsk, Irkutsk region, sailor, driver of the airborne engineering company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on April 13, 1995. Buried in his homeland in Bratsk.
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From a letter from Nadezhda Alexandrovna, Sergei’s mother:
“...You ask: what was he like before his service?
Was…
How painful and difficult it is. But apparently this is our fate...
In general, Sereda was a simple, ordinary guy: no different from the others. Maybe the only thing is that he was very sociable, he had a lot of friends around him, who even now, thank God, do not forget us.
I’m sending you a photo of Seryozha, although it’s small, and he was taken in civilian clothes, but we don’t have a photo in military uniform. He didn’t really like being photographed at all, and we still have a few of his photographs at home...
Are you asking if local authorities and the military registration and enlistment office are helping us? What can I say? If I write that no, then it will not be true. Every year before February 23, we, the parents of the dead children, are brought together, interested in our problems, and write down questions and requests. Sometimes we receive a small one-time cash benefit. That's all.
Maybe I don’t understand something correctly, but I think that this is my pain, this is my grief, and no one can repay or compensate for it in any way...
And thank you for not forgetting our guys.”
27. Pelmenev Vladimir Vladimirovich, born in 1975, Khabarovsk Territory, sailor, grenade launcher of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a street fight on January 27, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in the village of Novoe, Leninsky district, Khabarovsk Territory.
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From a letter from Vladimir’s sister:
“Ster Vladimir Pelmenev writes to you; Since our mother is very worried when writing a letter, she trusted me to write it. We have a big family. Volodya was one of the youngest, which means he was one of our favorites. But I was never spoiled. Our mother and father worked on the collective farm all their lives, so Volodya knew any village work, and he knew how to do everything around the house, he even cooked well...
And now... After Volodya’s death, my mother became very ill, and she lost her sight from the tears that she still sheds. My father is also not in good health, his heart is acting up and he is no longer the same age.
There is no help for us from the local authorities and the military registration and enlistment office.
And thank you for not forgetting our Volodya...”
From Vladimir’s letter to his family (still from Vladivostok):
“Hello, mom! I sat down to write you a letter. A little about myself and my service. Everything seems to be fine with the service, I have no complaints.
I have little time left to serve, just four months - home. I was going to sign the contract, but I thought about it and decided: why do I need it? Here, for some reason, I began to miss my home.
Well, I don’t even know what else to write to you. Everything seems to be fine with me. Well, everyone, my family - mom, dad, and everyone else. I kiss you all. Your son Volodya. Waiting for an answer.
And further. I found a good wife in Vladivostok. I’ll probably come home with her and have a wedding. Your son Volodya."
28. Pleshakov Alexander Nikolaevich, born in 1976, the village of Bayevka, Nikolaevsky district, Ulyanovsk region, sailor, chemical defense platoon of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a street fight on February 19, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Bayevka.
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From a letter from the parents of Alexander Pleshakov:
“... Sasha was an extremely hardworking guy; at the age of 15 he began working at the Baevsky chalk plant - the same place where we work.
After being called up for military service, he joined the Pacific Fleet, first serving in Kamchatka. He often wrote home; we received letters from him twice a month. We received the last letter from him from Vladivostok. And when he got to Chechnya, we didn’t even know that he was there, and there were no more letters. Only Sasha wrote to his older sister that they were being sent to Chechnya, but asking her not to tell us about it so that we wouldn’t worry.
And only when the letters stopped coming did we begin to guess where he was. I ransacked the local military registration and enlistment office, called Moscow, but did not achieve any results. We learned about his death on Armed Forces Day, February 23, 1995, when the body was brought in... I won’t write about the funeral. You can imagine it yourself. It was the worst hell...
Sasha was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage. The military commissar handed it to us on July 15, 1997 - almost two and a half years after the death of his son.
We live in a small village, continue to work at the factory, and have two more young sons in our arms. We live mainly on our own farm, because wages, like everywhere else, are paid very rarely. There is no point in talking about the benefits you are asking about...
We have a request: please take a photo of the monument to the Marines with the name of our son, because we are unlikely to ever be able to visit Vladivostok.
We will wait for the Book of Memory..."
29. Sergey Mikhailovich Podvalnov, born in 1975, Kiryanovo village, Neftekamsk region, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, junior sergeant, squad commander of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on January 30, 1995 from a sniper’s bullet in Grozny. He was buried in the village of Kiryanovo, Neftekamsk region of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Afterword.
During the January battles for Grozny, Sergei was part of a platoon that held a strong point on the right flank of the 2nd Marine Battalion. The platoon held its defense on the territory of a small enterprise on the banks of the Sunzha, the width of which in this place was no more than 50 meters. The militants were no more than 100 meters away. The Marines' positions were heavily fortified and almost invulnerable, but Sergei's bullet still found him. The sniper shot through the gate, seeing the legs of an approaching sailor under it, the iron of the gate did not hold the bullet and it went towards Sergei. “I was hit...” - Podvalny’s last words.
30. Polozhiev Eduard Anatolyevich, born in 1975, Amur Region, junior sergeant, senior operator of an anti-tank platoon of the air assault battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. On January 25, 1995, he received multiple shrapnel wounds. On the same day, without regaining consciousness, he died in a hospital in the rear area of the group of troops. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Poyarkovo, Amur Region.
Afterword.
On January 25, Polozhiev was part of the 4th DSB checkpoint on Industrialnaya Street in Grozny. The observer discovered a man who was making his way from the direction of Andreevskaya Valley to the plant, which was located next to the checkpoint. A group of several officers and sergeants advanced to intercept. They tried to stop the unknown man, even opened warning fire from machine guns, but he managed to escape towards Andreevskaya Dolina and jumped into a brick house near the intersection. Soon, machine gun fire was opened on a group of Marines from this house. The firefight continued for some time, and then the Shilka came out from the direction of Andreevskaya Valley and opened fire on the Marines, despite the fact that green flares were fired towards the Shilka (an identification signal for friendly troops). While the Shilka crew sorted out the situation and made sure that they were on their own, the entire group received heavy damage: Lieutenant Kirillov was shell-shocked, Lieutenant Tsukanov had multiple shrapnel wounds. Polozhiev was also severely beaten by shrapnel, was unconscious, and on the same day, without regaining consciousness, he died in a hospital in the rear area of the group.
As it turned out later, a group of marines “Shilka” of the 21st Stavropol Airborne Brigade was shot, and the unknown person with whom the fire was exchanged was from the same brigade...
31. Popov Vladimir Aleksandrovich, born in 1952, Ordzhenikidze, major, deputy commander of a separate reconnaissance battalion of the Pacific Fleet marine corps, performed a special task in the special detachment of the Rostov-on-Don hospital to identify the bodies of dead Pacific military personnel, prepare the relevant documents and ensuring their delivery to their homeland. He died in Rostov-on-Don from acute heart failure. He was buried in Novocherkassk.
Afterword.
One of the indirect, but still combat losses. He didn’t shoot, they didn’t shoot at him, but the war killed him. After the procedures for identifying the bodies of the dead sailors in the Rostov “refrigerators,” the officer’s heart could not stand it, or, to put it simply, it burst.
32. Rusakov Maxim Gennadievich, born in 1969, Yalutorovsk, Tyumen Region, senior lieutenant, platoon commander of an engineer company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on January 22, 1995 in the center of Grozny near the bridge over the river. Sunzha as a result of a direct hit from a grenade launcher. He was buried in his homeland in Yalutorovsk.
Afterword.
Maxim was the first Marine to die from the Pacific Fleet.
From the editorial of the Vladivostok newspaper:
“A Pacific warrior died in Chechnya”
“Tragic news from Chechnya: senior lieutenant Maxim Rusakov, commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps platoon, died from a severe shrapnel wound received during another mortar attack. Three other Pacific warriors were injured and hospitalized. Unfortunately, the names of the wounded are not reported; it is only known that they are sergeants by rank.
The Pacific Fleet press center, which conveyed this sad news, also reported that by January 23, the Pacific Fleet marine corps unit, together with formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, began active actions to clear Grozny of “individual groups of gangs.” Previously reported. That one of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps battalions is taking part in the battles for the most “hot spot” - the Grozny railway station.
Official recognition of the participation of the Pacific contingent in active hostilities means the possibility of new casualties. But the names of the next brave who died while defending the “territorial integrity of Russia” in Primorye will be learned with a long delay: the bodies will be delivered from Grozny for identification to Mozdok, and then to Rostov, where the command of the North Caucasus Military District is located. And only from there an officially confirmed funeral notice will be sent to the homeland of the victims.
No details have been provided about the circumstances of the death of Senior Lieutenant Maxim Rusakov.”
33. Alexey Vladimirovich Rusanov, born in 1975, Voskresenskoye village, Polovinsky district, Kurgan region, sailor, machine gunner of an anti-aircraft missile platoon of the 2nd battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a street fight on February 8, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in his homeland in the village of Voskresenskoye.
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From a letter from parents:
“...I’m sending you a photo of Alyosha, there aren’t many good ones; when he was buried, many friends came and asked for cards as a souvenir, apparently they took everything away...
I had five children, now two are gone, I buried both of the last ones. There are three left - all live in different places. When I was raising them, I didn’t have a lot of time to look after them, and there was no one to help us, and my father and I were always at work. But the kids grew up obedient. So Alyosha - no matter what you say, he will do everything.
When they escorted him to the army, he said goodbye to everyone as if he felt that he would never return home. Yes, and I cried so much, my heart was breaking so much that people said to me: why are you killing yourself like that?..
And the whole village saw him off to the cemetery...
There were no letters from him from Chechnya; the last one came from the Far East.
Our health, of course, has deteriorated, but we try to do everything ourselves at home, we manage the household. You won't get help from anyone. True, I wrote to Kurgan, to the committee of soldiers’ mothers, they are trying to harass the district administration from there.
Sorry for writing this..."
34. Skomorokhov Sergey Ivanovich, born in 1970, Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region, senior lieutenant, commander of a marine platoon of the 9th Marine Company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a night battle on March 23, 1995. He was buried in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region.
Afterword.
According to the recollections of his colleagues and subordinates, he was an excellent specialist in both shooting and hand-to-hand combat. He drove his fighters until they worked up a sweat, knowing that at a critical moment this could save lives. But Sergei did not save his life, and as an officer in such a situation he should not have. Being wounded, he fought with several militants until help arrived, and then died.
NO PHOTO
35. Surin Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, born in 1973, Seversk, Tomsk region, sailor, assistant gunner of the grenade launcher of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on March 13, 1995 during a multi-hour forced march in the Syurin-Court mountain-forest area. He was buried in the city of Seversk, Tomsk region.
Afterword.
The 1st company of the DSB made a 12-hour forced march in sub-zero temperatures, under snow and fog. The throw was almost exclusively uphill. By the end of the day, at a halt, during which the sailors fell into the snow and fell asleep, Vyacheslav died. Already at night, the Marines of the DSB with Surin’s body reached the height, the company completed the combat mission, in full force, Vyacheslav completed it too, but already dead.
36. Sukhorukov Yuri Anatolyevich, born in 1976, village of Krasny Yar, Aleysky district, Altai Territory, sailor, orderly-gunner of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in a night battle on March 13, 1995 at an altitude of 355.3 in the Syurin-Kort mountain-forest area near the village of Chechen-Aul.
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From a letter from Lyubov Alexandrovna and Anatoly Ivanovich Sukhorukov:
“...Our Yurochka was awarded the medal “For Courage” and the Order of Courage. We were presented with his awards after Yura’s death. Are you asking what our problems are? We have one problem - we don’t have a son...
We receive a pension for Yura - 281 rubles each, and they haven’t paid it for four months now; it’s barely enough for medicine. That is how we live…"
The circumstances of Yuri's death are described in the description of the death of Nikolai Novoseltsev.
37. Shudabaev Ruslan Zhalgaebaevich, born in 1974, p. Tamar-Utkul, Orenburg region, sailor, driver-traffic controller of the commandant platoon of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Died on February 20, 1995. Buried in his homeland in the village. Tamar-Utkul.
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From a letter from Kalam Shudabaev:
“... Ruslan Shudabaev’s brother Kalam is writing to you. We received your letter, which again brought back to us the pain of loss and the bitterness of memories of our dear Ruslan.
In our large family, Ruslan was the youngest son and the last brother. Now you understand that we have lost our most precious and beloved.
Without exaggerating, I will say that since childhood, Ruslan was the life of the party. He stood out for his sharp thinking and physical development. He was involved in boxing, played the guitar well, and loved to sing Tsoi’s songs. By the way, he wrote that the army gave him a nickname - Tsoi. And even in Chechnya they called him that. After graduating from school, he left us for Orenburg, to a road transport technical school. He lived in a dormitory, and here the guys respectfully nicknamed him Babai - grandfather.
How we miss his loud, bassy laugh now!..
And how many friends he had... Many still come to us on his birthday. And on the day of his death...
Now about the parents. My mother is a disabled person of the second group and is very sick. The condition, which was already difficult, became even worse after the loss of her beloved son. And my father’s health is no better. After the death of his pet, he aged very much and became withdrawn into himself. Sick all the time.
As for the help of local authorities... Ruslan’s parents received insurance only three years later, having gone through all the authorities. And the survivor’s pension was achieved only through the courts...
We know that in Vladivostok you erected a monument to the marines who died in Chechnya. How I would like to look at him with at least one little eye..."
38. Shutkov Vladimir Viktorovich, born in 1975, Moscow, sailor, senior operator of the anti-tank platoon of the 2nd Marine Battalion. Killed in action on March 21, 1995 at the heights of Goitein Court. Buried in Moscow.
Touches to the portrait.
From a letter from Vyacheslav Sumin to the authors-compilers of the Book of Memory:
“... First of all, thank you for not forgetting about our dead guys.
As for the death of Volodya Shutkov, I remember well how it happened. This happened on March 21 during the capture of Goitein_Court. There were five of us from my platoon - Volodya Shutkov, Sergei Rysakov, Viktor Antonov, Vyacheslav Nikolaev and me. There was very heavy fog that night. We moved along the road towards the oil barrels, where the 6th company control post was later located. The special forces were leading us. They found a dugout to the left of the road and told the commander of the 6th company, Kleese, that there was no one there. Cleese gave me orders to stay with my men, guard the dugout and cover the rear. Along the road, on the left, there was a trench about two meters long, and from it there was immediately an entrance to the dugout. Behind the dugout, as if continuing the trench, there was a fire ditch. I positioned the platoon behind the ditch. Volodya was lying facing the road opposite the entrance to the dugout. Vyacheslav Nikolaev lay with his back to the road, covering our rear. I lay down to the right of Shutkov, next to Sergei Rysakov, facing the road. To our right, in the fire ditch, was Viktor Antonov.
Soon, to our right, on the road, three shadows appeared. About 10 meters from the dugout they crouched down and began shouting something in Chechen. Without waiting for an answer, they stood up and moved towards the dugout. They passed us literally half a meter away. When they reached the entrance to the dugout, Shutkov opened fire on the first two, and I shot the last one in the head. The first two fell into the trench, and the third fell onto the road. We decided that they were all dead. I praised Volodya, turned on the radio and contacted Cleese. As I was talking, a grenade exploded next to Volodya Shutkov, followed by a second one a few seconds later. Rysakov immediately threw a grenade into the trench. I tried to call Cleese again, but a grenade flew at my voice. It exploded behind me, next to Nikolaev. Then Antonov and Rysakov blocked the entrance to the dugout, and I radioed for help. Volodya Yankov and five other people came running. While they were covering, I dragged Volodya and Vyacheslav over the road, about 30 meters from the dugout. The orderly took care of them, and we were the militants. It turns out that there was one “spirit” in the dugout and one of those whom Volodya shot was still alive. We killed them both.
I approached Volodya Shutkov and saw that he was dying. The orderly said it was a painful shock, but it was immediately obvious that it was death. We put Volodya and Vyacheslav on stretchers and carried them to the barrels, where a first-aid post was deployed. Volodya was brought in already dead. The chief medical officer took off his bulletproof vest and lifted up his camouflage. There was a wound from which Volodya died...
Nikolaev’s entire back and legs were covered in shrapnel. He recently came to see me. Disabled person of the 2nd group. I learned to walk again. And now he walks with a cane. Well, that's basically all. And the photograph is a small monument that we tried to build at the site of Volodya’s death.
Sincerely yours, Vyacheslav Sumin, nickname – Dad.”
Place of death of Vladimir
The following materials were used in preparing the article:
The basis was taken from information from http://dvkontingent.ru/, on which texts and photographs from the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory were superimposed.
Materials were taken from the site http://belostokskaya.ru
