Pskov airborne division. Domestic weapons and military equipment 76 Pskov
The 76th Guards Air Assault Division is one of the most famous units existing to this day. It also bears the name Chernigov Red Banner. Has the Order of Suvorov.
Guards units
The 76th Guards Air Assault Division is stationed in Pskov. And one of the regiments is based in the suburban town of Cherekha. In common parlance this division is called Pskov. This is its unofficial name, but it is what most Russians know it by. Now the division is commanded by a major general, whose name is Alexey Naumets.
The 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Assault Division was formed on the eve of World War II. At the front, she showed herself brightly. Participated in the defense of Sevastopol, Stalingrad, Kerch and Odessa. She took part in the Battle of Kursk. The war ended victoriously - in Germany.
In the mid-90s, individual units of the division took part in the armed conflict in the North Caucasus. Recently, soldiers and officers of this military unit have shown themselves in international conflicts. For example, the 76th Guards Air Assault Division participated in the peacekeeping operation in Kosovo, which took place from 1999 to 2001, as well as in the military conflict against Georgia in the summer of 2008.
The last time the division was seen was in 2014 in Crimea. There she was entrusted with carrying out tasks to return the republic to Russia.
Division history
Initially, the 76th Guards Air Assault Division received the number 157. It was founded in 1939 on the basis of the Taman Division.
At the time when the Great Patriotic War began, the division was assigned to the North Caucasus Military District. The first task in the war was the defense of the Black Sea coast.
The 76th Guards Air Assault Division, whose history has since included many battles, took part in the first battle in the fall of the first year of the war. At that time she was defending Odessa. However, at dawn, unexpectedly for the enemy, she went on the offensive and took possession of the state farm and the village.
In October, the division was transferred to Sevastopol, and later to Novorossiysk. She had to prove herself in the Feodosia landing operation. The battles lasted 9 days, as a result of which they managed to completely liberate the Kerch Peninsula, and the defending Sevastopol received significant assistance.
Military operations
In the summer of 1942, the division destroyed German troops crossing the Don. In August it stood on the northern coast of the Aksai River. There were continuous battles here. The division always had its heroes. In these battles, he became the Red Army soldier Afanasy Ermakov, a machine gunner. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In 1943, the 76th Guards Air Assault Division received orders to participate in the Battle of Stalingrad. The division carried out Operation Ring, which consisted of destroying the enemy who was surrounded.
In the battles of Stalingrad, the division destroyed more than 10 thousand German soldiers and officers. After the Battle of Stalingrad it was given the status of a guards unit.
At the end of the war
Then the division was part of the Bryansk Front and took part in the Battle of Kursk. On July 12, the paratroopers crossed the Oka River and captured the German bridgehead, destroying one and a half thousand enemies.
After that, she participated in the liberation of Chernigov. Within three days, the division managed to advance 70 kilometers, advancing on the enemy. In 1944, already as part of the 1st Belorussian Front, she participated in the war captured by the Nazis. Fightingly moving towards Brest. As a result, the fortress city was liberated.
In January 1945, already as part of the 2nd Belorussian Front, the division destroyed an enemy unit that was defending the city of Torun. It included more than 30 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers and officers. On March 23, Tsoppot was captured, giving the USSR free access to the Baltic Sea.
The division advanced towards Germany. On May 2, she conquered the town of Güstrow, and the advanced detachments had already made their way to the Baltic Sea, where they crossed paths with individual Allied units.
During the war, more than 50 soldiers and officers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. 12 thousand people were awarded medals and orders.
In peacetime, the division was transferred from Germany, and in 1947 it arrived at its new location. The 76th Guards Air Assault Division still considers Pskov its home.
In peacetime, the division regularly took part in exercises, but that was not all. In 1988, a large-scale earthquake occurred in Armenia. The division helped cope with the consequences of the natural disaster.
In the Chechen war
To participate in the Chechen war, the division was sent to the North Caucasus back in 1994. The guards lost about 120 soldiers and officers killed. This time, 10 people received the title of Hero of Russia, two of them posthumously. Sergei Pyatnitskikh, a former lieutenant colonel, and Yuri Nikitich died in the line of duty.
The division's personnel also took part in the Second Chechen Campaign. The paratroopers liberated the settlements of Argun, Gudermes and Karamakhi and blocked the Vedeno Gorge.
Vivid examples of heroism
A striking example of heroism was shown by the 76th Guards Air Assault Division, whose address is Pskov-2, military unit 07264, General Margelov Street, building No. 17, in the battle for height 776. The paratroopers confronted Khattab’s trained militants. This was one of the most outstanding battles in which the division participated. The enemy suffered serious damage. 22 paratroopers received the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, although 21 of them were posthumous.
Nowadays
It became an air assault division in 2006. A remarkable feature of this particular military unit is that paratroopers can not only land with a parachute, but also with a piece of military equipment.
The last time the division showed itself was in 2014. She took part in the armed conflict in south-eastern Ukraine. The SBU announced the seizure of two combat vehicles of paratroopers. True, the ministry denies these speculations. Some even noted that it could have been a provocation.
Indirect confirmation of the participation of the Pskov division in the war in the South-East was the funeral of paratroopers who died under unclear circumstances. After some time, the companies were buried, but in Voronezh. According to the Voronezh military commissar, he died while performing his immediate official duties.
Over the years, many famous commanders served in the division. Particularly worth noting is Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Malyasov, who was included in the regiment’s lists for life.
The weapons are very modern. This is an airborne combat vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, an airborne self-propelled gun, and a portable anti-aircraft missile system. Now the division continues to remain in Pskov awaiting further orders.
Roman Bochkala:
"Photo confirmation of what was said yesterday about the capture of the Russian BMD-2 armored vehicle in the Lutuginsky district of the Lugansk region. Board number 275, from the 1st parachute company of military unit 74268, Pskov airborne division (platoon commander senior lieutenant Popov).
I talked with the guys who directly captured Russian paratroopers. These are soldiers of the 24th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Storm special forces. The battle took place near the village. Georgievki. The battlefield is strewn with blue berets and Rollton noodle briquettes.
The photographs show a combat vehicle and the PKT machine gun that was installed on it, indicating the name of the machine gunner - Private N.D. Surnachev.
The same surname and initials are indicated in the evening verification log, as well as the names of other soldiers of the Russian army, apparently fighting in Ukraine.
For example, from the passport of Krygin N.S. it follows that he is from the Pskov region, born in 1994.
This suggests that Putin has a problem with experienced recruits since young, untested fighters are rushing into battle. There is other evidence that regular troops of the Russian armed forces are fighting in Ukraine. This is what the wife of one of the servicemen of the Pskov Airborne Forces wrote to me yesterday on Facebook: “Our husbands were recently sent to Ukraine. Like for training. They themselves didn’t know where exactly they would be sent. Since then, there has been no call or greeting from them. We We’re sitting here crying for them!” On my own behalf, I will add that there will be more and more tears in Russia every day. The Pskov division is suffering losses. Soon zinc coffins will go to Russia not with nameless mercenaries, but with young sons of the fatherland who died for no apparent reason. And if what the woman wrote is true, then this shows Putin’s special cynicism towards his own citizens. What kind of exercises can there be abroad??? The collected evidence must be immediately demonstrated to the ambassadors of foreign states and transferred to international organizations, where they must be given a proper assessment. No matter how much we would like it, we are dealing with a real military invasion. The Russian Federation must be recognized as an aggressor. And Russian citizens must finally understand who is dearer to them - family and friends who are sent to Ukraine to certain death or a crazy dwarf who has decided to take over the whole world."
The 76th Guards Air Assault Division is the oldest airborne division, and to this day is one of the most successful and trained military formations of the Russian Army. The Pskov Airborne Division was formed on September 1, 1939, the day the Second World War began, then it was called the 157th Infantry Division and was stationed on the territory of the North Caucasus Military District.
The basis for the creation of the new unit was the 221st Infantry Regiment, which was part of the Taman Division, which was the prototype of today’s 234th Air Assault Regiment. This legendary military formation was created on January 15, 1926 in Krasnodar, and the regiment received the rank of guards and its current number on March 6, 1943, at the end of the Battle of Stalingrad.
The 234th Regiment as part of the 157th Division began its combat activities during the Second World War on September 22, 1941, taking part in the offensive operation in the defense of Odessa. From December 1941 to May 1942, the division's formations, which were part of the 44th Army, took part in the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation.
This was the first large-scale offensive of the Soviet army, carried out by joint forces of the ground forces and navy. The beginning of the operation was as successful as possible for the domestic armed forces, however, due to fatal planning errors, it ended tragically - more than 300 thousand people were the total losses. A monument to the soldiers who took part in that operation was erected in Feodosia.
In August 1942, the division's units fought defensive battles on the Aksai River in the Rostov region, and it was then, for the first time, that a member of the division received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. This was the machine gunner of the 716th regiment Afanasy Ermakov, more than 300 enemy soldiers were destroyed by him in those battles, in addition, he subsequently showed himself exclusively as a hero and example to follow.
In January 1943, the division was transferred to the Stalingrad Front at the disposal of the 64th Army, where it took part in Operation Ring, which determined the outcome of the war, during which more than 10 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed by the unit’s soldiers, and the same number were taken prisoner upon completion. The division's operation was given the title of Guards.
The commander of the 234th regiment at that time was Major A.M. Pavlovsky, under whose command the personnel clearly completed their assigned tasks, defeating the enemy and capturing more than 20 units of military equipment. Based on the results of the operation, Anatoly Pavlovsky was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
In August of the same year, the 76th Guards Division in its entirety took part in the fighting on the Kursk Bulge, playing a significant role in the destruction of the 2nd and 9th German tank armies near Orel. Following the results of the Battle of Kursk, the commander of the 234th Guards Regiment, Pavlovsky, was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for the clear organization of the actions of his subordinates and the successful completion of the combat mission.
On September 8, the offensive began near Chernigov, carried out by the forces of the 76th Guards. division, based on the results of the operation, the formation was given the name “Chernigovskaya”. On September 29, the 234th Guards Regiment was the first to cross the Dnieper, occupying a bridgehead on the right bank and holding it, providing the necessary time for the main forces to approach. For personal courage and skillful leadership of personnel, regiment commander A. Pavlovsky was awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” 234 DShP (Pskov) preserves the memory of each of the heroes of the unit to this day.
In accordance with the order of the USSR Minister of Defense, in April 1965, another hero of the crossing of the Dnieper, Guard Major V.A., was permanently assigned to the 234th Air Assault Regiment. Malyasov. The battalion under his command, despite massive artillery shelling, was the first to reach the opposite bank; for personal courage and military valor, Viktor Malyasov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Further, soldiers and officers of the 76th Guards Division took part in Operation Bagration to liberate Belarus; as a result of fierce battles, on July 26, 1944, the division’s combat formations reached the state border of the USSR just west of Brest. For the successful completion of combat missions on September 30, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
In the battle for the village of Shumilino, Vitebsk Region, the squad leader of one of the companies of the 234th regiment, senior sergeant V.I. Averchenko destroyed several dozen fascists and a fortified machine gun point. For his valor, Vasily Averchenko was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal with the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the final offensive, which began in the winter of 1945, the 76th Guards Division operated as part of the II Belorussian Front. During the offensive operation, the soldiers of the unit liberated the cities of Zoppot, Danzig, Preclava, Güstrow, Karow, Bützow. On May 3, 1945, on the shores of the Baltic Sea in the vicinity of the city of Wismar, a meeting took place between the advanced formations of the division and the airborne troops of the Allied army.
This marked the end of the fighting during the Second World War for the division's personnel. Fifty soldiers and officers during the war were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union”, more than 12 thousand received various military awards, on May 7, 1945, the 234th regiment was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, III degree, 33rd soldiers of the regiment were awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.
234 regiment 76 Airborne Division after the second half of the twentieth century
Immediately after the end of the Great Patriotic War, the unit was redeployed to the city of Kirov and is now called the 76th Guards Airborne Division. In June 1947, the paratroopers were transferred to Pskov, where they are stationed to this day. On June 17, the 234th Guards Airborne Regiment, which had just received this new name, arrived at the location of the Pskov Airborne Forces unit. In the same June, without any delay, specific training activities begin - constant shooting, parachute jumping, learning the basics of sabotage activities. Also, 1947 was dedicated to the restoration of the infrastructure of the military camp, which was almost completely destroyed.
In 1948, V.F. became division commander. Margelov is the legendary commander of the airborne troops, the creator of the airborne personnel training system, the best theorist of sabotage activities, an icon for the entire brotherhood of paratroopers - the same “Uncle Vasya”.
Under his leadership, the first tactical exercises begin, where airborne landings and combat operations on the ground are combined. It is on the basis of the 76th Airborne Division that the actions of paratroopers in unfamiliar terrain are practiced, and the experience of effective and rapid attack by small mobile groups, which has become the hallmark of the landing force, is formed. Vasily Margelov served as unit commander for 2 years, and by decree of the USSR Minister of Defense, since 1985 he has forever been an honorary soldier of the USSR Airborne Division.
Since March 1, 1949, the 234th Regiment of the 76th Division is officially called the “234th Parachute Landing Order of Kutuzov III Class Regiment” and is fully deployed on the territory of the Pskov Airborne Forces and takes part in all tactical exercises, being one of the demonstration formations of the entire airborne system. -landing troops of the USSR. Now the regiment is called 234 DShP (Pskov).
In the fifties, primarily on the initiative and under the leadership of V.F. Margelov begins the reform and modernization of the airborne troops of the USSR. First of all, this concerned weapons, the personnel training system was already functioning, the work was carried out at a fairly high level - but these were predominantly light combat groups.
Vigorous activity began to increase fire efficiency, maneuverability, and reliability of equipment used in landing operations. This work was carried out over two decades; most of the equipment developed in that era is still in service with the Airborne Forces. The 234th Air Assault Regiment currently has, for example, 98 BMD-1 units at its disposal. The reliable airborne combat vehicle was put into service in 1969, can be parachuted from An-12 and Il-76 aircraft, is capable of storming water obstacles, has the highest maneuverability - for more than 40 years it has faithfully served the domestic airborne troops.
In 1955, as part of the transition of the armed forces of the USSR to a new uniform, the emblem of the Airborne Forces was introduced into use - the famous composition of a parachute with two landing aircraft. This symbol, brilliant in its simplicity, was invented by the draftsman of the Airborne Forces headquarters - Z.I. Bocharova. Vasily Margelov himself then expressed gratitude to her and prophetically noted that this emblem will forever remain unifying for the airborne brotherhood, perpetuating the name of its author.
At the same time, the flag of the USSR Airborne Forces was developed, based on this symbol of the landing force and the obligatory red star. It has long been taken out of circulation, but is still near and dear to veterans; the Voentorg online store Voenpro provides customers with the opportunity to buy such a life-size flag.
In 1969, a modern uniform for airborne troops was introduced - it was then that the famous blue berets and vests appeared. On the front of the berets there was a red star or an Air Force cockade for officers. The soldiers of the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment, being members of a guards unit, had a distinctive sign on the left side of their beret - a red flag with the emblem of the Airborne Forces.
Also in 1969, chevrons were introduced for the first time in the Airborne Forces; then they were uniform; today, the sleeve patches of soldiers of guards regiments and divisions have the right to wear their own insignia. The chevron of a soldier of the 234th Guards Black Sea Order of Kutuzov, III degree, Airborne Assault Regiment named after Alexander Nevsky looks like this:
234 DShP Pskov during the collapse of the Soviet Union
Since the late 80s of the last century, soldiers of the 76th Guards Division and the 234th Regiment also took part in localizing conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, Kirovobad, Osh region, Transnistria - in most cases, confrontations were of an interethnic nature and Soviet paratroopers acted on a peacekeeping mission .
At the end of November 1988, units of the 234th Airborne Regiment were transferred to Kirovabad, the border of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, where the situation was particularly tense at that time. The personnel of the Pskov Airborne Regiment primarily managed to prevent mass pogroms and murders of Armenians. At the beginning of December, the infamous Leninakan earthquake occurred. Within a few minutes on the morning of December 7, the city of Spitak was wiped off the face of the earth and 58 surrounding villages were destroyed; the cities of Leninakan, Stepanavan, and Vanadzor suffered serious destruction.
More than 25 thousand people died then. The paratroopers of the 234th regiment were among the first to take part in the rescue operation, leaving Kirovabad on the same day. In 1991, the unit was awarded the personalized pennant of the USSR Minister of Defense “For Courage and Valor” - this was the last award of the Soviet government for the Pskov Airborne Forces.
234 Regiment 76 Airborne Division (Pskov) as part of the Russian Airborne Forces
The modern history of Russia began for the Pskov landing primarily with participation in the Transnistrian conflict, then the confrontation between Moldova and the inhabitants of the unrecognized PMR led to an armed confrontation, which was stopped only by the forces of the Russian army. Next was the participation of soldiers of the 234th Airborne Regiment in the UN peacekeeping mission in Yugoslavia, as well as in the settlement of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict. In 1994, the first international exercises were held, conducted by the 234th regiment's landing forces in collaboration with their French colleagues.
In the same 1994, formations of the 76th Guards Division were sent to the North Caucasus - the First Chechen War began. For two years, the regiments of the 76th Airborne Division fought against illegal gangs; the division's losses amounted to 120 people. In 1994, the head of reconnaissance of the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment was Guard Major V.V. Ioannina. Major Yanin's reconnaissance group, as part of crossing the Argun River, discovered a crossing previously unknown to government troops, guarded by militants.
A decision was made to suddenly attack the superior enemy, as a result of which the object was captured. Subsequently, paratroopers under the command of Valery Yanin distinguished themselves in the battles near Gudermes, where a small group captured a strategic height behind enemy lines and held it until the main forces arrived. In August 1995, the President of the Russian Federation signed a decree awarding V. Yanin the title “Hero of Russia” for his demonstrated military valor and personal courage.
The 234th Guards Air Assault Regiment is the only one in the country awarded the honor of bearing the name of St. Alexander Nevsky, which was assigned to the unit by decree of the Russian President of April 18, 1996. Since then, the face of the saint has also been a symbol of the regiment.
Since August 18, 1999, soldiers and officers of the Pskov Airborne Forces have been taking part in the Second Chechen War; during a special operation in the North Caucasus, soldiers of the 234th Airborne Regiment fought to liberate the settlements of Gudermes, Karamakhi, and Argun. The commander of the regiment during the campaign was G.A., appointed at the beginning of 1998. Insakhanyan.
The regiment under his leadership began a counter-terrorist operation back in August 1999, when paratroopers fought battles with the gangs of Khattab and Shamil Basayev on the border with Dagestan. Further, soldiers of the regiment under the leadership of Gevork Insakhanyan participated in military operations in Chechnya until 2004. In the mountains and gorges of the North Caucasus, the 234th Airborne Troops Regiment (Pskov) has established a reputation as a combat unit that carries out all assigned tasks and adheres to the mottos of the Airborne Forces.
All operations carried out by the airborne assault regiment were distinguished by careful organization and a clearly established interaction mechanism, which made it possible to inflict maximum damage on the enemy while minimizing their own losses - the regiment lost less than ten soldiers during the second Chechen war. For courage and military valor, as well as success in preserving personnel, Airborne Forces Colonel Insakhanyan was awarded the Gold Star medal with the title Hero of Russia. The airborne troops and guards divisions are proud of such fighters.
It must be noted with regret that for the division as a whole, the anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya became a truly black page - just remember the battle at Height 776, where 84 Pskov paratroopers died the death of the brave. Twenty-two soldiers who took part in that battle were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, 21 of them posthumously.
234 Airborne Regiment (Pskov) now
For many mothers, girls and friends of boys serving in the 234th Airborne Regiment, the urgent question is how to get to the location of the 234th Airborne Regiment. Well, Voenpro will help with this. Address 234 Airborne Regiment: Pskov, st. Generala Margelova, 2, military unit 74268. Let’s say, if you want to come to the oath of office in the 234th Airborne Regiment in Pskov, then “Voenpro” recommends taking a taxi from the station, telling the taxi driver the magic words “to the helipad to the unit” - they know and you will get there without any problems.
In 2004, the airborne troops underwent a slight reform; many airborne units changed their names somewhat - the Pskov Airborne Division began to be called and is still called the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Assault Division. As part of that reform, by order of the Minister of Defense dated June 14, 2004, the flag of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Armed Forces was approved. It is a cloth, three-quarters painted blue and one-quarter green, with the permanent emblem depicted in the center - a parachutist and two airplanes. Anyone can buy a flag of the Russian Airborne Forces in our military store; in order to buy a flag of the Airborne Forces, you just need to add it to the cart and place an order.
In the memorable peacekeeping operation in South Ossetia in August 2008, the 234th Guards Airborne Regiment also showed its best side. Being an advanced detachment, the paratroopers under the command of A.L. Krasov completely disorganized the enemy’s defenses, disarmed the motorized infantry brigade of the Georgian army, thereby ensuring a successful offensive. Based on the results of the operation, Colonel of the Airborne Forces Andrei Krasov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. And this is just one of many real paratroopers from the 234th Airborne Regiment (Pskov), whose merits were noted at the state level.
Over the long history of the unit, 33 soldiers and officers became heroes of the Soviet Union, 8 people were awarded the title of Heroes of Russia, more than 15 thousand earned orders and medals. Today, the online store Voentorg “Voenpro” has a line of unique flags of the country’s legendary military units. Including, you can order and buy the flag of the 234th regiment of the 76th Airborne Assault Division (76th Guards Airborne Assault Division) - the oldest airborne regiment in the country.
Guards Air Assault Red Banner Regiment 104, Airborne Division, in other words, military unit 32515, is stationed in the village of Cherekha, not far from Pskov. The unit carries out combat missions, destroys and captures the enemy from the air, deprives him of ground weapons, cover, and destroys his defenses. This regiment also acts as a rapid reaction unit.
Story
The regiment was formed in January 1948 as part of units of the 76th, 104th and 346th Guards Airborne Divisions. For excellent combat training in 1976, the regiment became Red Banner, and from 1979 to 1989 all personnel and officers fought in Afghanistan. In February 1978, the regiment mastered new weapons and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its valiant use. From 1994 to 1995, the Red Banner Regiment 104 (Airborne Division) was part of the 76th Division, and therefore actively participated in the First Chechen War, and in 1999 and 2009 it carried out an anti-terrorist mission in the North Caucasus.
At the beginning of 2003, the regiment was partially transferred to a contract basis, at the same time the reconstruction of military unit 32515 began. Regiment 104, Airborne Division, received reconstructed old and built new living quarters and facilities on its territory, thanks to this work the living and material conditions of service have become much better. The barracks took on a cubicle appearance with hallways, showers and closets for personal belongings, a gym and a rest room. Both officers and soldiers of Regiment 104 (Airborne Division) eat in a common canteen located separately. The food is the same for everyone, they eat together. Civilians work in the canteen, cleaning the territory and barracks.
Preparation
All fighters of such a famous unit as the Pskov Airborne Division, especially the 104th regiment, devote a lot of time to landing and general physical training at any time of the year. Mandatory activities for the landing force: improving camouflage skills, forcing fire and water obstacles and, of course, parachute jumping. First, training takes place using an airborne complex on the territory of a military unit, then it is the turn of a five-meter tower. If everything is learned correctly, then the fighters, in groups of ten people, make three jumps from airplanes: first from the AN, then from the IL.
Hazing and hazing have never occurred in this unit. Now this would not be possible, if only because recruits, old-timers and contract soldiers live separately and are each extremely busy with their own work. The Pskov Airborne Division, 104th Regiment, recruits take the oath on Saturdays at ten in the morning; rarely, due to circumstances beyond the control of the commanders, it can be moved back or forward an hour. After taking the oath, military personnel receive leave until 20.00. By the way, on holidays, fighters also receive leave. On the Monday following the taking of the oath, the command distributes new soldiers to companies.
Relatives
Of course, parents, relatives and friends miss and worry about the health and pastime of those who are just starting their military service. The command warns loved ones that their beloved sons, grandchildren, brothers and best friends, having enlisted in Regiment 104 (Pskov Airborne Division), cannot be constantly in touch.
Mobile phones are allowed to be used only one hour before lights out; the rest of the time, the commander keeps the gadgets with him and gives them to the soldier only as a last resort, and after he checks in a special log. Field exercises in the unit take place year-round, regardless of the weather, sometimes trips last up to two months. The fighters are famous for their military training, and without constant exercises the 104th Regiment of the 76th Airborne Division (Pskov) would not have gained such fame.
Helpful information
First of March
The whole country remembered the day of the great feat of the soldiers of the sixth company of the second battalion of the one hundred and fourth parachute regiment of the seventy-sixth Pskov Airborne Division. Year 2000. Since the beginning of February, the largest group of militants after the fall of Grozny retreated to the Shatoi region, where they were blocked. After air and artillery preparation, the battle for Shata followed. The militants nevertheless broke through in two large groups: Ruslan Gelayev to the northwest to the village of Komsomolskoye, and Khattab to the northeast through Ulus-Kert, where the main battle took place.
The federal troops consisted of one company of regiment 104 (Airborne Division) - the 6th company, which died heroically, commanded by Guard Lieutenant Colonel Mark Nikolaevich Evtyukhin, fifteen soldiers from the 4th company of the same regiment under the command of Guard Major Alexander Vasilyevich Dostavalov and the 1st company of the first battalion of that the same regiment under the command of Guard Major Sergei Ivanovich Baran. There were more than two and a half thousand militants: the groups of Idris, Abu Walid, Shamil Basayev and Khattab.
Mount Isty-Kord
On February 28, the commander of the 104th regiment, Colonel Sergei Yuryevich Melentyev, who briefly outlived his sixth company, ordered the occupation of the Isty-Kord heights, which dominated the area. The sixth company, led by Major Sergei Georgievich Molodov, moved out immediately and managed to occupy only height 776, four and a half kilometers from the designated mountain, where twelve reconnaissance paratroopers were sent.
The height designated by the commander was occupied by Chechen militants, with whom the reconnaissance team entered into battle, retreating to the main forces left behind. Commander Molodov entered the battle and was mortally wounded; on the same day, February 29, he died. Took command
The Brotherhood of War
But just four hours ago, Shatoy fell under the attack of federal troops. The militants furiously broke through the ring, not looking at the losses. Here they were met by the sixth company. Only the first and second platoons fought, since the third was destroyed by militants on the slope. By the end of the day, the company's losses amounted to a third of the total number of personnel. Thirty-one people - the number of paratroopers who died in the first hours of the battle when they were densely surrounded by the enemy.
By morning, soldiers from the fourth company, led by Alexander Vasilyevich Dostavalov, broke through to them. He violated the order, leaving well-fortified lines at a nearby height, took only fifteen soldiers with him and came to the rescue. Comrades from the first company of the first battalion also rushed to their aid. They crossed the Abazulgol River, were ambushed there and entrenched themselves on the bank. Only on March 3rd the first company was able to break through to the position. All this time the fighting continued everywhere.
Argun Gorge
The night of March 1, 2000 claimed the lives of eighty-four paratroopers who never missed the Chechen bandits. The death of the sixth company is the heaviest and largest in the Second Chechen War. In Cheryokha, at home, at the native checkpoint, this date is remembered by a stone on which is carved: “From here the sixth company went into immortality.” The last words of Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin were heard by the whole world: “I call fire on myself!” When the militants went to break through the avalanche, it was 6.50 in the morning. The bandits didn’t even shoot: why waste bullets on twenty-six wounded paratroopers if there were more than three hundred selected militants.
But hand-to-hand combat still broke out, although the forces were unequal. The guards did their duty. Everyone who could still hold a weapon, and even those who could not, entered the fray. There were twenty-seven dead enemies for each of the half-dead paratroopers who remained there. The bandits lost 457 of their best fighters, but were unable to break through either to Selmentauzen or further to Vedeno, after which the road to Dagestan was practically open. All roadblocks have been lifted by high order.
Khattab may not have been lying when he said on the radio that he bought the passage for five hundred thousand dollars, but it didn’t work out. They attacked the company in waves, like a dushman. Knowing the terrain well, the militants approached closely. And then bayonets, butts and just fists were used. For twenty hours the Pskov paratroopers held the heights.
Only six remained alive. The two were saved by the commander, who covered their jump from the cliff with machine gun fire. The bandits mistook the rest of the survivors for dead, but they were alive and after some time crawled out to the location of their troops. Company of heroes: twenty-two warriors posthumously became Heroes of Russia. Streets in many cities of the country, even in Grozny, were named after eighty-four paratroopers.
104th Airborne Division (Ulyanovsk)
This formation of the USSR Airborne Forces existed until 1998 as the 104th Guards Airborne Division, founded in 1944. In June 2015, the Russian Ministry of Defense decides to recreate the famous military unit. The composition of the 104th Airborne Division is three regiments based on the 31st Ulyanovsk Airborne Brigade, which are located in Orenburg, Engels and Ulyanovsk.
Glory to the Airborne Forces
Airborne troops date back to August 1930, and this is the only branch of the military in the country where every single division is guards. Each of them gained its own glory in battle. Ancient Pskov is rightfully proud of its oldest military unit - the 76th Guards Red Banner Airborne Division, which heroically proved itself in all the wars in which it participated. The tragic death of the brave, courageous, persistent sixth company of the 104th regiment will never be forgotten not only in the country, but also in the world.
Ulyanovsk has its own historical pride: the personnel of the 104th Guards Airborne Division stationed there took part in the battles in Chechnya and Abkhazia, and were part of the UN peacekeepers in Yugoslavia. And every resident of the city knows that the military equipment with the scorpion on board is the 104th Guards Airborne Division named after Kutuzov, converted from the Airborne Forces brigade.
6th Company - Top Secret
The official investigation into the tragedy has long been completed, its materials are classified. No one is punished. But the relatives of the victims are sure: the 6th company of the 104th Airborne Regiment was betrayed by the command of the federal group.
By the beginning of 2000, the main forces of Chechen militants were blocked in the Argun Gorge in the south of the republic. On February 23, the head of the united group of troops in the North Caucasus, Lieutenant General Gennady Troshev, announced that the militants were finished - supposedly only small gangs remained, only dreaming of surrendering. On February 29, the commander hoisted the Russian tricolor over Shatoy and repeated: Chechen gangs do not exist. Central television channels showed Defense Minister Igor Sergeev reporting to the acting President Vladimir Putin about the “successful completion of the third stage of the counter-terrorism operation in the Caucasus.”
At this very time, non-existent gangs with a total number of about three thousand people attacked the positions of the 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment, which occupied height 776.0 near the village of Ulus-Kert, Shatoi region. The battle lasted about a day. By the morning of March 1, the militants destroyed the paratroopers and marched to the village of Vedeno, where they dispersed: some surrendered, others went to continue the partisan war.
Ordered to remain silent
On March 2, the Khankala prosecutor's office opened a criminal case into the massacre of military personnel. One of the Baltic TV channels showed footage filmed by professional cameramen from the militants: a battle and a pile of bloody corpses of Russian paratroopers. Information about the tragedy reached the Pskov region, where the 104th Parachute Regiment was stationed and where 30 of the 84 dead were from. Their relatives demanded to know the truth.
On March 4, 2000, the head of the OGV press center in the North Caucasus, Gennady Alekhin, said that the information about the large losses suffered by the paratroopers was not true. Moreover, no military operations took place during this period at all. The next day, the commander of the 104th regiment, Sergei Melentyev, came out to journalists. Five days had passed since the battle, and most families already knew about the death of their loved ones through colleagues in the Caucasus. Melentyev clarified a little: “The battalion carried out a blocking mission. Intelligence discovered a caravan. The battalion commander moved to the battlefield and controlled the unit. The soldiers fulfilled their duty with honor. I'm proud of my people."
On March 6, one of the Pskov newspapers reported on the death of the paratroopers. After this, the commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Air Assault Division, Major General Stanislav Semenyuta, prohibited the author of the article, Oleg Konstantinov, from entering the unit’s territory. The first official to admit the death of 84 paratroopers was the governor of the Pskov region, Evgeny Mikhailov - on March 7, he referred to a telephone conversation with the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General Georgy Shpak. The military themselves remained silent for three more days.
Relatives of the victims besieged the division checkpoint, demanding that the bodies be returned to them. However, the plane with the “cargo 200” was not landed in Pskov, but at a military airfield in Ostrov and the coffins were kept there for several days. On March 9, one of the newspapers, citing a source at the Airborne Forces headquarters, wrote that Georgy Shpak had had a list of the dead on his desk for a week. The commander was reported in detail about the circumstances of the death of the 6th company. And only on March 10, the silence was finally broken by Troshev: his subordinates allegedly did not know either the number of dead or what unit they belonged to!
The paratroopers were buried on March 14. Vladimir Putin was expected to attend the funeral ceremony in Pskov, but he did not come. The presidential elections were just around the corner, and zinc coffins were not the best “PR” for a candidate. It is more surprising, however, that neither the head of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin, nor Gennady Troshev, nor Vladimir Shamanov came. At this time, they were on an important visit to Dagestan, where they received the titles of honorary citizens of the Dagestan capital and silver Kubachi sabers from the hands of the mayor of Makhachkala, Said Amirov.
On March 12, 2000, Presidential Decree No. 484 appeared on awarding 22 dead paratroopers the title of Hero of Russia, the rest of the dead were awarded the Order of Courage. President-elect Vladimir Putin nevertheless came to the 76th division on August 2, Airborne Forces Day. He admitted the guilt of the command “for gross miscalculations that have to be paid for with the lives of Russian soldiers.” But not a single name was named. Three years later, the case of the death of 84 paratroopers was closed by Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky. The investigation materials have not yet been made public. For ten years, relatives and colleagues of the victims have been collecting the picture of the tragedy bit by bit.
Height 776.0
The 104th Parachute Regiment was transferred to Chechnya ten days before the tragic battle. The unit was consolidated - it was staffed on the spot with fighters from the 76th division and airborne brigades. The 6th company included soldiers from 32 regions of Russia, and special forces major Sergei Molodov was appointed commander. He didn’t even have time to meet the soldiers before the company was already sent on a combat mission.
On February 28, the 6th company and the 3rd platoon of the 4th company began a 14-kilometer forced march towards Ulus-Kert - without preliminary reconnaissance of the area, without training young soldiers in combat operations in the mountains. A day was allotted for the advance, which is very little, given the constant descents and ascents and the altitude of the terrain - 2400 meters above sea level. The command decided not to use helicopters, allegedly due to the lack of natural landing sites. They even refused to throw tents and stoves at the deployment point, without which the soldiers would have frozen to death. The paratroopers were forced to carry all their belongings on themselves, and because of this they did not take heavy weapons.
The goal of the forced march was to occupy height 776.0 and prevent the militants from breaking through in this direction. The task was obviously impossible. Military intelligence could not help but know that about three thousand militants were preparing to break through the Argun Gorge. Such a crowd could not move unnoticed for 30 kilometers: at the end of February there is almost no greenery in the mountains. They had only one way - through the gorge along one of two dozen paths, many of which went straight to the height of 776.0.
“The command gave us arguments: they say, you can’t put a company of paratroopers on each path,” said one of the servicemen of the 76th division. “But it was possible to establish interaction between units, create a reserve, and target the routes along which the militants were waiting. Instead, for some reason, the positions of the paratroopers were well targeted by the militants. When the battle began, soldiers from neighboring heights rushed to help, asked for orders from the command, but the answer was a categorical “no.” There were rumors that the Chechens bought passage through the gorge for half a million dollars. It was beneficial for many officials on the Russian side to break out of encirclement - they wanted to continue making money from the war.
The first clash between scouts of the 6th company and militants occurred on February 29 at 12.30. The separatists were surprised to meet paratroopers on the way. During a short firefight, they shouted that they should be let through, because the commanders had already agreed on everything. It is no longer possible to verify whether this agreement actually existed. But for some reason all the police checkpoints on the road to Vedeno were removed. According to radio intercepts, the head of the militants, Emir Khattab, received commands, requests, and tips via satellite communications. And his interlocutors were in Moscow.
Company commander Sergei Molodov was one of the first to die from a sniper bullet. When battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin took command, the paratroopers were already in a difficult position. They did not have time to dig in, and this sharply reduced their defense capability. The start of the battle caught one of the three platoons rising to a height, and the militants shot most of the guardsmen like targets at a shooting range.
Evtyukhin was in constant contact with the command, asking for reinforcements, because he knew: his paratroopers were standing 2-3 kilometers from height 776.0. But in response to reports that he was repelling an attack by several hundred militants, he was calmly answered: “Destroy everyone!”
The paratroopers say that the deputy regiment commander forbade entering into negotiations with Evtyukhin, because he was allegedly panicking. In fact, he himself was panicking: it was rumored that after a business trip to Chechnya, Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin was supposed to take his position. The deputy regiment commander told the battalion commander that he had no free people and called for radio silence so as not to interfere with the work of front-line aviation and howitzers. However, fire support for the 6th company was provided only by regimental artillery, the guns of which operated at maximum range. Artillery fire needs constant adjustment, and Evtyukhin did not have a special radio attachment for this purpose. He called fire via regular communication, and many shells fell in the paratroopers’ defense zone: 80 percent of the dead soldiers were later found to have shrapnel wounds from foreign mines and from “their” shells.
The paratroopers did not receive any reinforcements, although the surrounding area was filled with troops: the federal group within a radius of one hundred kilometers from the village of Shatoi numbered over one hundred thousand troops. The commander of the Airborne Forces in the Caucasus, Major General Alexander Lentsov, had at his disposal both long-range artillery and high-precision Uragan installations. Height 776.0 was within their reach, but not a single salvo was fired at the militants. Surviving paratroopers say that a Black Shark helicopter flew to the battle site, fired one salvo and flew away. The command subsequently argued that helicopters could not be used in such weather conditions: it was dark and foggy. But didn’t the creators of “Black Shark” buzz the ears of the whole country that this helicopter was all-weather? A day after the death of the 6th company, the fog did not prevent the helicopter pilots from seeing with the naked eye and reporting how the militants were collecting the bodies of dead paratroopers at altitude.
At three o'clock in the morning on March 1, when the battle was already going on for about 15 hours, fifteen guardsmen from the 3rd platoon of the 4th company, led by Major Alexander Dostovalov, arbitrarily broke through to the encircled people. It took Dostovalov and his soldiers forty minutes to reunite with the battalion commander. Another 120 paratroopers under the command of the chief of reconnaissance of the 104th regiment, Sergei Baran, also voluntarily withdrew from their positions and crossed the Abazulgol River, moving to help Evtyukhin. They had already begun to rise to the height when they were stopped by an order from the command: stop advancing, return to their positions! The commander of the Northern Fleet marine group, Major General Alexander Otrakovsky, repeatedly asked for permission to come to the aid of the paratroopers, but never received it. On March 6, because of these experiences, Otrakovsky’s heart stopped.
Communication with Mark Evtyukhin stopped on March 1 at 6:10 am. According to the official version, the battalion commander’s last words were addressed to the artillerymen: “I call fire on myself!” But his colleagues say that in his last hour he remembered the command: “You betrayed us, bitches!”
The feds appeared at the height only a day after this. Until the morning of March 2, no one fired at height 776.0, where the militants were in charge. They finished off the wounded paratroopers, dumping their bodies in a heap. They put headphones on the corpse of Mark Evtyukhin, installed a walkie-talkie in front of him and hoisted him to the very top of the mound: they say, call or don’t call, no one will come to you. The militants took with them the bodies of almost all of their dead. They were in no hurry, as if there was no army of a hundred thousand around, as if someone guaranteed that not a single shell would fall on their heads.
After March 10, the military, who hid the death of the 6th company, fell into patriotic pathos. It was reported that at the cost of their lives, the heroes destroyed about a thousand militants. Although no one to this day knows how many separatists were killed in that battle. Having broken through to Vedeno, the Chechens threw off ballast: several dozen wounded surrendered to the internal troops (they categorically refused to surrender to the paratroopers). Most of them soon found themselves free: local police officers gave in to persistent requests from local residents to return their breadwinners to their families. At least one and a half thousand militants went into the mountains to the east through the places where the federals were deployed. How they managed this, no one has figured out. After all, according to General Troshev, all that remained from the bandit formations were scraps, and the dead paratroopers came in very handy for the authors of the version: they say, these heroes destroyed all the bandits. It was agreed that the 6th Company, at the cost of its life, saved Russian statehood, thwarting the plans of the bandits to create an Islamic state on the territory of Chechnya and Dagestan.
