700 detachment of the 2nd brigade of the General Staff of the Russian Federation. Special forces units and formations participating in two Chechen wars

Military unit:

44917 (329th ooSpN) (Promezhitsy village, Pskov district, Pskov region)
64044 (brigade management, junior specialist school, warrant officer school, special radio communications detachment, support company (Promezhitsy village, Pskov district, Pskov region)
75143 (700th ooSpN) (Pechory, Pskov region, then Promezhitsy village, Pskov district, Pskov region)
75242 (70th ooSpN) (Pechory, Pskov region, then Promezhitsy village, Pskov district, Pskov region)
83395 (177th ooSpN) (railway station Taibola, Pushnoy village, Murmansk region, Kola Peninsula)

Brigade management
- 70th separate detachment of the GRU Special Forces. In present day "2nd squad".
- 177th separate detachment of the GRU Special Forces (frame)
- 329 separate detachment of the GRU Special Forces. In present day "1st squad".
- 700th separate detachment of the GRU Special Forces. In present day "3rd Squad".
- School of Junior Specialists (SHMS). ShMS consists of 2 training companies. Area of training: reconnaissance, radiotelegraph operator (one platoon). Preparation is carried out only for yourself.
- school of warrant officers. Rasf.
- special radio communications detachment (oSRS) (2 companies)
- material support company (RMS).

Until the mid-90s, the equipment had its own units: a radio interception center (CRC) and a radio direction-finding point (RDP).

Pskov region:
- Promezhitsy village (Pskov district) - brigade department, 329th special forces unit, school of junior specialists, school of warrant officers, special radio communications detachment, support company. Postal address: 180000, Pskov-23, st. Soviet Army, 119, tel. duty officer for unit 2-17-17.
- Pechory - 70th ooSpN, 700th ooSpN, 2 communications companies, 2 auto platoons. In 2008, the detachments were transferred to new barracks in the village of Promezhitsy.
Murmansk region:
- railway station Taibola, Pushnoy village - 177th ooSpN (deployed to Promezhitsy village, framed).

Story

The 2nd Special Forces brigade was formed on the basis of the Directive of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces and the commander of the Leningrad Military District in Pskov in the period from September 17, 1962 to March 1, 1963 on the basis of the 20th Special Forces. In February 1963, the unit's personnel successfully conducted a ten-day winter exercise. On April 16, 1963, by resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the military unit was awarded the Battle Banner.
In 1966 and 1967 For the successes achieved in combat training and exemplary military discipline, the unit was awarded the challenge Red Banner of the Military Council of the Leningrad Military District. The unit's personnel took part in the exercises "Ocean-70", "Horizon-74" and a number of others.
In 1977, the military unit was awarded the Pennant of the USSR Minister of Defense “For courage and military valor.”
The servicemen of this military unit had the honor of being the first of their related units in the Armed Forces to complete the airborne training program - to jump from an Il-76 military transport aircraft during the Dozor-86 exercise. All tasks assigned to them were completed “excellently”.

Commanders:

12/29/1962-10/13/1966 - Colonel Grishakov Alexey Nikolaevich
10/13/1966-01/07/1974 - Colonel Krekhovsky Igor Viktorovich
01/07/1974-11/21/1975 - Colonel Zharov Oleg Mikhailovich
11/21/1975-06/30/1979 - Colonel Golousenko Yuri Yakovlevich
06/30/1979-12/21/1987 - Colonel Vladimir Andreevich Gvozd
12/21/1987-01/14/1989 - Colonel Bezruchko Anatoly Ilyich
01/14/1989-11/03/1997 - Colonel Sidorov Gennady Konstantinovich
1997-2010 - Colonel Blazhko Anatoly Andreevich, currently in reserve
2010-present - Colonel Shakurin Sergei Mikhailovich

Kharchenko (?)

Brigade leadership:

Brigade commander Colonel S. M. Shakurov (since 2010)
deputy brigade commander for combat training S. V. Prokoshev (2000)
deputy brigade commander for educational work A.I. Multakh (2000), currently retired.
deputy Commander of the parachute training brigade, Colonel Makarov

Operations:

Afghanistan:

In 1985-89 The 177th special forces unit, formed in the 22nd special forces unit, Kapchagai, North Caucasus, took part in combat operations in Afghanistan as part of the 15th special forces unit. Dislocation – Ghazni. For the courage and valor shown in the performance of military duty in the Republic of Afghanistan, the 177th Special Forces Special Forces was awarded the Honorary Badge of the Komsomol Central Committee “Military Valor” and the Honorary Red Banner of the PDPA.
The unit contained memorial plaques with the names of the servicemen of the disbanded 177th special forces unit, who were once stationed in the village of Taibola, Murmansk region (78 kilometers south of Murmansk), who died in Afghanistan. The 2nd Special Forces Brigade became the successor of the detachment, so it was decided to create a single monument on the territory of the unit - to the intelligence officers who died in Afghanistan and in the first war in Chechnya.

Losses:
DRA - 167 people.
1H - 2 people.
2H - 50 people.

On the basis of the brigade, a consolidated detachment was formed, recruited from individual companies (Taibola, Petrozavodsk, Pechory).
We were there from January 19 to April 26, 1995. We arrived and spent several days in Mozdok, then arrived at the place of permanent deployment - Beslan (we stood near the airfield). 10 days went into combat, 20 at the base. We were in Grozny, in Assinovskaya, near Bamut.

Losses - 2 military personnel:
1st Art. pr-k Glushkevich Joseph Myacheslavovich. Died on March 27, 1995 while performing a military mission in the Zakan-Yurt region, Samashki, and was killed in battle. wound.
2. art. pr-k Rabchenyuk Nikolay Yakovlevich. Died on April 16, 1995 when an armored personnel carrier exploded.
3. ef. Mikhalev Sergey Mikhailovich. (Transferred to another unit, where he died).

In August 1999, the combined detachment of the brigade left for the North Caucasus on a business trip. At first, the detachment took part in hostilities in Dagestan, and from September 1999 - on the territory of Chechnya.
The 2nd Specialized Brigade in Chechnya was represented by a combined detachment: one company - the 70th Specialized Forces, one company - the 700th Specialized Forces, one company - the 329th Specialized Forces, and control, auto platoon, air defense and communications from each in turn. On September 19, 2006, the combined detachment of the 2nd Special Special Forces was withdrawn from the village. Dachu-Borzoi in PPD.

02/21/2000 in Chechnya in the battle near Shatoi, being ambushed, 25 soldiers and officers from the combined detachment of the 2nd Special Operations Brigade (in the PPD - the 3rd company of the 329th Special Operations Forces), as well as 8 attached “infantry” sappers and artillery spotters, were killed , a total of 33 people.

1
Gennady Alekseev
contract sergeant

2
Vitaly Andreev
sergeant

3
Petr Brykalov
ml. contract sergeant

4
Mikhail Bochenkov
captain
Hero of Russia (posthumously)
5
Alexey Gorbatov private contracted officer

6
Givi Muratovich Gotoshiya, private contracted officer

7
Evgeniy Mikhailovich Dudin contract sergeant

8
Alexander Kalinin
captain
Hero of Russia (posthumously)
9 Sergey Samoilov senior Lieutenant Hero of Russia (posthumously)
10 Vladimir Egorov contract sergeant

11 Yuri Ivanov contract sergeant

12 Vladimir Kozlov senior contract sergeant

13 Alexey Kostyukov private contracted officer

14 Mark Lenkov foreman

15 Alexander Naukhatsky
16 Dmitry Okunev Jr. sergeant

17 Alexey Prokofiev, contract corporal

18 Igor Rassadin private contracted officer

19 Sergei Romanovsky private contracted/s

20 Igor Semenov private contracted officer

21 Denis Soloviev private contracted officer

22 Oleg Tumashev private contracted officer

23 Roman Khazov private conscript

24 Viktor Chernenky contract sergeant

25 Alexander Shalygin private contracted officer

2 fighters survived: st. Sergeant Anton Filippov, ?.

Dead at 1:00 and 2:00:

On February 7, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Ivanov signed order No. 58 on the inclusion of senior lieutenant Sergei Samoilov forever in the lists of the 1st company of military unit 44917. In addition, captain Alexander Kalinin, and warrant officer Sergei Shantsev - on the list of the 1st company of military unit 75143.

From August 1999 to March 2000 there were 31 of them.

ALEXEEV Gennady, contract sergeant, 02/21/2000
ANDREEV Vitaly, sergeant, 02/21/2000
BRYKALOV Petr, Jr. contract sergeant
BOCHENKOV Mikhail, captain, 02/21/2000
GIRKEVICH Joseph Vyacheslavovich, ensign
GOLIKOV Philip, captain
GORBATOV Alexey, private soldier, 02/21/2000
GOTOSHIYA Givi Muratovich, private soldier, born in 1973, died on February 21, 2000.
DANILENKOV Lev Alexandrovich, contractual officer, radio operator
DUDIN Evgeniy Mikhailovich, contract sergeant, born in 1973, died on February 21, 2000.
EGOROV Vladimir, contract sergeant
ZHURKO Sergey Vladimirovich
IVANOV Yuri, contract sergeant
KALININ Alexander, captain, 02/21/2000
KULIKOV Igor Pavlovich, sergeant, died 09/03/99.
KOZLOV Vladimir, Art. contract sergeant
KOSTYUKOV Alexey, private soldier
LENKOV Mark, foreman
NAZAROV Sergey Ivanovich, corporal
NAUKHATSKY Alexander
OKUNEV Dmitry, junior sergeant
PROKOFIEV Alexey, Corporal Corporal
RASSADIN Igor, private soldier
ROMANOVSKY Sergey, private soldier
RYABCHENYUK Nikolay Yakovlevich, senior warrant officer
SAMOILOV Sergey, Art. l-t, 02/21/2000, Hero of Russia posthumously
SEMENOV Igor, private soldier
SOLOVIEV Denis, private soldier
TIMOSHEV Denis Vladimirovich, born in 1980, died on March 1, 2000.
TUMASHEV Oleg, private soldier from Arkhangelsk, 02/21/2000
CHERNENKY Viktor, contract sergeant
KHAZOV Roman, private soldier
SHALYGIN Alexander, private soldier
SHANTSEV Sergei Vladimirovich, ensign, Hero of Russia posthumously, died on January 25, 2000.
Shishkovsky Igor, sergeant major
Sulimov Alexander, senior contract sergeant
Mitrofanov Dmitry, private
Golikov Philip, captain

Autumn 2004 - spring 2005 - 1 dead in Chechnya.
spring-autumn 2005 - 1 dead in Chechnya.

As of 02/21/2008 - 50 dead [source].

South Ossetia:

The 329th special forces unit was assigned to reinforce the JPKF in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict in August 2008. Left on a business trip on 08/08/08, withdrawn to the PPD on 03/07/2009. 3 servicemen were wounded (10/06/08 - mine explosion). (I.: file sss)

Heroes of Russia (4):

Kalinin Alexander, captain, posthumously
Shantsev Sergey, warrant officer, posthumously
Samoilov Sergey, Art. l-nt, posthumously
Bochenkov Mikhail, captain, posthumously

Spetsnaz GRU

GRU special forces are specially trained units of the Russian Armed Forces, designed to carry out reconnaissance and sabotage missions behind enemy lines.

GRU special forces are intended to: conduct sabotage operations on the territories of other countries or behind enemy lines, conduct special reconnaissance, conduct counter-sabotage, counter-terrorism and counter-guerrilla operations, as well as organize the partisan movement behind enemy lines.

The GRU special forces organizationally consists of separate brigades that are subordinate to the Special Intelligence Direction of the 14th GRU Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation; in addition, the GRU, through the intelligence departments of the Navy fleet headquarters, is subordinate to the naval reconnaissance points of the Navy special forces.

GRU special forces composition

2nd separate special forces brigade of the GRU (Promezhitsy settlement, Pskov district, Leningrad Military District): brigade control, 70th separate special forces detachment, 177th separate special forces detachment, 329th separate special forces detachment, 700th separate detachment Special Forces, School of Junior Specialists, Special Radio Communications Detachment, MTO Company.

10th separate special forces brigade of the GRU (Molkino village, Krasnodar region, North Caucasus Military District): brigade directorate, 85th separate special forces detachment, 95th separate special forces detachment, 104th separate special forces detachment, 551st separate special forces detachment, 107th separate special forces detachment, 4th separate training battalion, logistics company.

16th separate special forces brigade of the GRU (Tambov, Moscow Military District): brigade directorate, 273rd separate special forces detachment, 370th separate special forces detachment, 379th separate special forces detachment, 664th separate special forces detachment, 669th separate special forces detachment, MTO company.

22nd separate guards special forces brigade of the GRU (Stepnoy settlement, Rostov region, North Caucasus Military District): brigade control, 108th separate special forces detachment, 173rd separate special forces detachment, 305th separate special forces detachment, 411th separate special forces detachment , 56th separate training detachment of Special Forces, MTO company.

24th separate special forces brigade of the GRU (Irkutsk, Siberian Military District): brigade directorate, 281st separate special forces detachment, 641st separate special forces detachment, ?-th separate special forces detachment, ?-th separate special forces detachment, special radio communications detachment, separate special mining company, logistics company.

216th separate special forces battalion of the GRU (Moscow, Moscow Military District).

History of GRU special forces

The main reason that served as the impetus for the creation of special forces units was the emergence of mobile nuclear attack weapons in the armies of NATO countries. Special forces were the main and most effective means of fighting them. The formation and development of the army special forces of the USSR Armed Forces, and then Russia, can be divided into several stages.

The first stage (1950-1960) - the creation of separate companies, separate battalions; the second stage (1961-1979) - the creation of brigades and educational institutions; third stage (1979-1989) - Afghanistan; fourth stage (1989-1994) - the collapse of the USSR; fifth stage (1994-1998) - the first Chechen campaign; sixth stage (1998 - present time) - Dagestan, second Chechen campaign.

In 1950, in order to train personnel for operations behind enemy lines in wartime, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate and the chief of the General Staff petitioned the Minister of War to create special forces units within the structure of the USSR Armed Forces. Soon, under the combined arms and mechanized armies, as well as under some military districts (without army formations), under the leadership of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff, 46 separate special-purpose companies of 120 people each were created.
The scouts were preparing for action as part of reconnaissance and sabotage groups of 8-10 people. Each company consisted of two line platoons, a radio communications platoon and a training platoon. The companies existed in this organizational structure until 1957.

The total number of army special forces was just over five and a half thousand people. The people were recruited from military intelligence; many of them, especially the commanders, had gone through more than one war. When developing guidance documents, extensive use was made of the rich experience of reconnaissance and sabotage activities of Soviet partisans, as well as the experience of reconnaissance saboteurs acting in the interests of front headquarters and the General Staff.
The author of the first “Instructions for the combat use of special purpose units and units” was Pavel Agafonovich Golitsin, the former intelligence chief of the Chekist partisan brigade operating in Belarus.
In 1953, when the reduction of the Armed Forces began, thirty-five special forces companies were disbanded.
Four years later, on January 11, 1957, Major General Sherstnev sent a memo to the Chief of the General Staff. Referring to the fact that the companies do not have the ability to provide comprehensive combat training, he proposed, instead of eleven companies, to create three detachments or Special Forces Centers and one air squadron of district subordination. The size of the proposed detachment structure was four hundred people.
By the directive of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of August 29, 1957, not three, but five separate special-purpose battalions were formed.
The 26th battalion was part of the GSVG (Group of Soviet Forces in Germany), the 27th - in the Northern Group of Forces, the 36th - in the Carpathian, the 43rd - in the Transcaucasian, and the 61st - in the Turkestan military district.
At the same time, four separate special forces companies were retained - 75 ORSN (Baltic Military District) and 78 ORSN (Odessa Military District), as well as companies from the Ural and Trans-Baikal Military Districts - which were transferred to a new organizational structure.
Battalions were formed on the basis of disbanded companies. The best conscripts were selected, physically healthy, fit for service in the airborne forces and with secondary education. The service life was set at 3 years.
The directive of the Chief of the General Staff of August 9, 1957 ordered the formation of a second airborne school in the GRU system in Tambov by January 15, 1958.
However, the party leadership accused Marshal Zhukov of an anti-Soviet conspiracy. He was removed from the leadership of the Armed Forces. For this reason, the Tambov School for Special Forces Officers was never created.

On August 20, 1961, the Central Committee of the CPSU issued a Resolution “On the training of personnel and the development of special equipment for organizing and equipping partisan detachments.” In accordance with this resolution, on February 5, 1962, the General Staff issued a directive that obligated the commanders of military districts to select one thousand seven hundred reserve military personnel, bring them into a brigade and conduct training sessions with them for a month. At the end of the training sessions, they were assigned special military occupational specialties, they were prohibited from being reserved by the national economy and used for purposes other than their intended purpose.

By a directive of the General Staff of March 27, 1962, projects for the staffing of special forces brigades for peace and war were developed. By the end of 1962, squadroned special-purpose brigades were formed in the Belarusian, Far Eastern, Transcaucasian, Kiev, Leningrad, Moscow, Odessa, Baltic, Carpathian and Turkestan military districts. This meant that part of the brigade, some of the units were deployed on a peacetime basis, that is, during a threatened period, they could be supplemented with assigned personnel. Several units in the brigade had only detachment commanders; all other officers, sergeants and soldiers were in reserve. As a result of this reform, by 01/01/1961. Soviet special forces included twelve separate companies, five separate battalions and ten squadroned brigades.

In 1963, on the territory of the Belarusian, Baltic and Leningrad military districts, the GRU General Staff conducted the first large-scale exercises, during which reconnaissance groups were actually thrown into the depths of their activities according to certain tasks. Radio operators provide communications to working special intelligence agencies. Special forces groups successfully worked against real troops and targets deep behind enemy lines. One of the organizers of these exercises, which made it possible to actually work out many issues related to combat work, was Ivan Nikolaevich Shchelokov. His work was highly appreciated by the leadership of the GRU and by the Deputy Chief of the GRU, Colonel General Kh.D., who personally came to the exercise. Mamsurov.

Despite successful work during the exercises, by the end of 1964, as a result of another reorganization, the special forces lost three battalions and six companies.

At the same time, the leadership of the GRU General Staff in 1968 returned to the idea of creating an educational institution that would train special-purpose intelligence officers. So the ninth company of cadets is created at the Ryazan Airborne School. The programs included the study of English, German, French and Chinese.

Since 1970, language training has been included in the combat training program for troops. Scouts study the language of a potential enemy in their theater of operations. However, in forty hours of language training, a person who does not even know the basics, for example Turkish, can, with all efforts, be forced to learn no more than a few basic phrases without the hope that the questioner will understand that the captured “language” will answer him. All hope was on the inhabitants union republics, whose languages were similar to the enemy’s language: Tajiks, for example, speak Farsi, and Azerbaijani is very similar to Turkish.

In August 1977 at the Military Academy. Frunze created training groups for the training of special forces officers as part of the intelligence faculty. On September 1, 1978, the first such group began classes.

From the moment the special forces were formed, junior commanders were trained directly in special forces units. In each company, the first platoon was a training platoon and trained sergeants for the entire company. The same system was preserved in the battalions that were formed in 1957.
However, with the creation of brigades and the increase in military specialties required for special forces, the need arose to create a training unit that would train specialists for all special forces. In 1970, a training company was formed, on the basis of which a training battalion was subsequently deployed, and then a training regiment, which was located in the city of Pechory, Pskov region. Squad commanders, mine demolition specialists, and radio operators were trained here.
In 1985, when it became clear that a soldier must undergo special training before being sent to Afghanistan, a training regiment was created in Chirchik.
The Pechora training regiment also housed a school for warrant officers. The training was carried out according to a special program. In 1999, the Pechora training regiment was disbanded. The special forces returned to training sergeants and specialists directly in the units.
The entry into service of special forces in the 1960s with new and more advanced types of small arms and new technical means required more in-depth knowledge from officers joining the troops. Therefore, a special directive at the Military Diplomatic Academy created one-year courses that operated from January 1, 1962 to September 1963. The courses produced two officers for special forces units and intelligence agencies of military district headquarters, for a total of about 120 people
And by 1968, the idea reappeared to create an educational institution that would train professional special-purpose intelligence officers. The most convenient place for this was the Ryazan Airborne School. The formation of the company was entrusted to Colonel Ivan Nikolaevich Shchelokov, one of the special forces officers in the GRU. This is how the 9th company of cadets appeared.
The cadet training program was fundamentally different from the paratroopers' program. The program included the study of foreign languages. In 1980, two platoons were recruited for the first course. One of them included a department that studied Farsi. But the Persian squads recruited in subsequent years studied Dari because it was the language most widely spoken in Afghanistan.
In 1981, the 9th Company made its last graduation. In the same year, on the basis of the platoons of the 9th company, the 13th and 14th companies were formed, which at the beginning of 1982 were consolidated into a battalion. He was part of the school until 1994.
In addition to Ryazan, officers for special forces were supplied by the intelligence department of the Kyiv Higher Military Education Command. However, military intelligence officers were trained there, so the people of Kiev had to learn the basics of special forces science already in the troops. With the collapse of the Union, the Russian ground forces were left without a school that would train intelligence officers. Therefore, in 1994, on the basis of the disbanded Novosibirsk Political School, a combined arms school was created. A special forces battalion was transferred here from Ryazan. A faculty was also created at the school, which trained officers for military intelligence.

The history of the use of special forces in Afghanistan can be divided into three main periods: the formation and deployment of the first units (1979-1983); active use of special forces, build-up of special intelligence forces (1984-1988); reduction in activity and preparation for the withdrawal of troops (1988-1989).
The beginning of the first period can be considered May 2, 1979, when the head of the GRU General Staff, Army General Ivashutin, assigned Colonel V. Kolesnik the task of forming the 154th separate special forces detachment (ooSpN). Its staff included military equipment, and the total number of soldiers and officers was five hundred and twenty people. There were neither such weapons nor such personnel in the special forces before. The detachment also included separate platoons: communications, Shilka self-propelled gun, automobile and material support.
But the main feature of the detachment was the principle of recruitment. It was staffed by Uzbeks, Turkmen and Tajiks. The fighters were of only two conscriptions, serving for a year and six months. Special requirements were placed on the physical training of candidates. Since the operation of military equipment requires special knowledge, people were selected from motorized rifle and tank units of formations. A month and a half later, the detachment was formed. Each company had a translator, a cadet from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages, sent for an internship. But with such a national composition of the detachment, there were practically no problems with language training, since all the Tajiks, about half of the Uzbeks and some of the Turkmen spoke Farsi, one of the main languages of Afghanistan. The only thing we could not find was an anti-aircraft gunner officer of the required nationality. We got out of the situation by picking up the dark-haired captain Pautov, who was lost in the crowd when he was silent. The battalion was headed by Major Kh. Khalbaev, who had previously served in the fifteenth brigade as deputy commander of one of the special forces units for airborne training.
Afghan army uniforms were sewn for the entire battalion personnel in Moscow, and legalization documents of the established standard were prepared in the Afghan language. There was no need to be clever with the names - everyone used their own. This should not have been noticeable, since in Afghanistan, especially in the northern regions, there are many Tajiks and Uzbeks, and Turkmens are also not uncommon.

In November 1979, the detachment was airlifted to Bagram. This operation took no more than a day.
On December 13, the detachment was given the task of arriving in Kabul on its own, supposedly to strengthen the security of the Taj Beg Palace. Everyone knows that on December 27, a detachment together with KGB special forces captured this palace.
On January 2, 1980, the detachment’s personnel were airlifted to Tashkent. In the same year, the unit was supplemented with officers, personnel and military equipment and was reintroduced to Afghanistan.
In December 1979, the 459th separate special-purpose company was formed in Chirchik on the basis of the 15th Special Operations Brigade. Until the spring of 1984, this company alone conducted combat operations, using special forces tactics - ambushes and raids, and also conducted reconnaissance in the interests of the command of the 40th Army. The first company commander was Captain A. Latypov.
On February 29, 1980, the 173rd detachment was formed on the basis of the 12th brigade in Lagodekhi (ZakVO). It was staffed primarily by Muslims from the Caucasus and Transcaucasia. The first commander of the unit is Major Ya. Sharipov.
From January 1980 to October 1981, the 177th special forces unit was formed on the basis of the 22nd brigade stationed in Kapchagay (SAVO). The first commander of the detachment was Major B. Kerimbaev. The detachment was introduced into Afghanistan in October 1981. Until 1984, soldiers of the detachment guarded the entrance to the Panjshir gorge in the area of the village. Roc.
In 1984, more active use of special forces began in Afghanistan.
In 1984, the 154th special forces unit was transferred to Jalalabad. From that moment on, he began to perform special tasks in his area of responsibility. However, at first, trying to use ambush tactics, the detachment was not successful. Subsequently, the detachment developed a tactic that was most effective in local conditions - a raid. The unit's leadership cooperated quite successfully with the DRA counterintelligence agencies (KHAD). The effectiveness of the raids carried out according to KhAD information was quite high. In 1985, the detachment was awarded the pennant of the USSR Minister of Defense for its success in combat activities.
During the same period, the 177th detachment was transferred to Ghazni and began performing special tasks in its area of responsibility. The terrain here was highland. This left a certain imprint on tactics. To work at a great distance from the security forces, groups and detachments were transported by helicopter. The detachment used both the tactics of raids on individual warehouses and the tactics of capturing base areas. Search and ambush operations were also widely used. The detachment was withdrawn to the Union in 1989.
The 173rd Special Forces crossed the Afghan border on February 10, 1984. Before its entry, it was supplemented with officers from the 12th Special Forces Brigade.
In the spring of 1985, it organizationally became part of the 22nd Special Operations Brigade. From the very beginning of combat activity until its withdrawal to the Union, the detachment occupied leading places in the 40th Army in terms of effectiveness. At the same time, losses, compared to other special forces units, were small. The main tactics were ambushes. At the same time, in 1986, the detachment carried out a number of effective captures of the fortified base areas of the Mujahideen.
In August 1988, the 173rd Special Forces was the last to leave the “South” zone, covering units of the 40th Army that entered the Union through Kushka. Remained with the 22nd Special Regiment Regiment.
The fact that the bet on special forces was made correctly was confirmed by the results of combat activities, among which the 173rd (Kandahar) detachment clearly stood out.
In this regard, in the fall of 1984, the fourth detachment, formed in the Kirovograd brigade, arrived in Bagram. The 668th Special Forces was the first in the formation of which Muslims were not required. Major Yudin was appointed commander of the detachment. The detachment was introduced into the DRA at the end of September 1984. He began his combat activities in Bagram. The performance of the groups was very high. Mining of caravan routes was especially successful.
In the spring of 1985, three more special forces units entered Afghanistan.
The 334th special forces unit was formed on the basis of the 5th special forces unit in the village of Maryina Gorka (BSSR). The first commander of the detachment was Major Terentyev. The place of deployment was the city of Asadabad. Due to the fact that the Kunar province was distinguished by high mountains and the fact that almost all caravan routes passed through a kind of chain of fortified areas of the Mujahideen, the detachment used tactics unique to it. Under the leadership of Captain Bykov, who led the detachment in 1985, it was possible to develop tactics for assault operations and surprise raids on fortified areas and their individual elements. Due to the fact that it was very risky, losses in this detachment were the highest. Its location was systematically subjected to fire from both mortars and rocket systems. The detachment was withdrawn to the Union in 1988 and again became part of the 5th Special Operations Brigade.
The 370th ooSpN was formed in December 1984 on the basis of the 16th ooSpN in the village. Chuchkovo (Moscow Military District). To staff it with mechanics-drivers and gunners-operators, the personnel of the Taman Motorized Rifle Division were involved. The first commander was Major Mole. The detachment entered the DRA on the night of March 15-16, 1985 and arrived in the village under its own power. Lashkorgah. During the same period, he became part of the 22nd Special Operations Brigade, whose headquarters were also located in the village of Loshkorgi. His area of responsibility was the Registan and Dashti Margo deserts. The complexity of the area was that there were no specific caravan routes in the desert, but only directions along which the caravans moved. Ambush operations in this area were ineffective. It was only in mid-1986 that new tactics were introduced. Jump airfields were established near the Mazar Pass on the Pakistani border. Productivity has improved dramatically. The detachment entered the Union in August 1988 and returned to the 16th Special Operations Brigade.
The 186th special forces unit began to form in February 1985 on the basis of the 8th special forces unit in Izyaslavl (PrikVO). Soldiers and officers not only from this brigade were recruited. People arrived from the 10th Special Operations Brigade stationed in Crimea. Also, officers and personnel of the 2nd Special Forces Brigade (Pskov), 3rd Special Forces Brigade (Viljandi) were brought in to staff the units and the detachment headquarters.
On March 31, 1985, the 186th special forces unit was transferred to the 40th army and organizationally became part of the 22nd special forces unit.
The first commander of the detachment was Major Fedorov. On the night of April 7, 1985, we entered Afghanistan. On April 16, on its own, through Puli Khumri, Salang, Kabul and Ghazni, the battalion arrived in the vicinity of the village. Sharjah.
At the new location they began to carry out combat missions. Busy caravan routes passed through the area of responsibility, along which weapons and ammunition were delivered from Pakistan to the southern provinces of Afghanistan.
In terms of performance, the detachment competed with the 173rd special forces unit. It was the scouts of the 186th detachment who captured the first samples of the American Stinger MANPADS. On June 22, 1988, the detachment was withdrawn from the 40th Army, arrived in the Union and became part of the 8th separate special forces brigade of the Carpathian Military District.
The headquarters of the 15th Special Forces Brigade (Jalalabad) and the 22nd Brigade (Lashkorgah) operated on the territory of Afghanistan. Already at the end of 1985, directly in Afghanistan, the 411th special forces unit was formed, which became part of the 22nd brigade. It was located in Farahrud.

A special feature of its recruitment was that almost all officers and personnel served in Afghanistan for at least six months.
A. Fomin was appointed commander. All positions of commanders of companies, groups, and departments were filled by people from the detachments of the 22nd Special Forces Brigade operating in Afghanistan at that time. The rest were assigned to officers, warrant officers and soldiers from units of the 5th Motorized Rifle Division.
The detachment blocked caravan routes coming from Iran. Every day, helicopters flew over the area to detect and destroy “spirits”, as well as reconnaissance. The information collected made it possible to more effectively use groups on foot and on armor. Raids were rare.
Due to the national reconciliation policy pursued by the Afghan government since 1988, the intensity of special forces operations has decreased.
The 22nd Special Forces Brigade was withdrawn from Afghanistan in August 1988. The last units of the 15th Brigade left Afghanistan on February 15, 1989, being in the rearguard of the Fortieth Army column.
Despite the fact that the special forces in Afghanistan performed tasks that were not typical for them, they were probably the only force that could effectively fight the insurgents. This was recognized by everyone, both the military leadership of the country and the Mujahideen themselves. It should also be said that during the Afghan war, special forces were provided with everything they needed to a greater extent than ever before in its entire history. The units were assigned both combat and transport helicopters, which worked only in their interests. During the most active period of the Afghan war, the special forces were under the personal patronage of Lieutenant General Gusev, who later became deputy chief of the GRU.
In addition, it should be noted that the Afghan period played a significant role in the development of weapons and equipment for special forces, and also contributed to an increase in its numbers.
So, in 1984, on the basis of the 791st company in the Siberian Military District, a special-purpose brigade was formed, and at the end of 1986 the 5th and 10th special-purpose brigades were deployed. During the same period, a decision was made to deploy separate special-purpose companies within army formations.

Period 1989-1994 - can be considered one of the most difficult. For even the Afghan war, which lasted nine years, did not cause such damage to special forces units and formations.
After Afghanistan, the 15th Special Forces Brigade was withdrawn to the place of its previous deployment in the city of Chirchik. The 154th detachment remained in its composition. The 177th detachment was transferred to the Leningrad Military District brigade, the fourth and fifth respectively returned to Kirovograd and Maryina Gorka.
The 22nd Special Forces Brigade was withdrawn to Azerbaijan. The third and eighth detachments remained in its composition. The sixth returned to Chuchkovo (Moscow Military District), and the seventh to Izyaslavl. The 459th special purpose company was withdrawn to Samarkand on August 15, 1988.
The end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties was marked by massive social unrest, as well as armed uprisings by militants of various separatist groups. The 173rd detachment took an active part in establishing order in Baku, in the Republic of North Ossetia during the Ossetian-Ingush conflict, as well as in Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1992, the 22nd Special Operations Brigade was transferred to the North Caucasus Military District.
In 1992, two detachments from the Moscow Military District brigade were sent to Tajikistan to assist in maintaining constitutional order.
In 1988-1989, three detachments of the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the Transcaucasian Military District took part in establishing constitutional order in the Zagatala region of Azerbaijan and in Tbilisi. In 1991 - in Nagorno-Karabakh and North Ossetia. Due to the complicated situation in the Transcaucasus, the command of the Special Forces units and formations decided to withdraw the brigade and transfer it to the Ural Military District.
In 1991, the Special Forces brigade was withdrawn from Germany and transferred to the Volga Military District.
The 4th ObrSpN, formed in Riga in 1962 and until the fall of 1992 located in Viljandi (Estonia), was disbanded on October 1.
A special-purpose training regiment that trained sergeants and specialists for the troops, as well as a school for warrant officers located on its territory, was withdrawn from Pechora and later disbanded.
As a result of the division of the Armed Forces of the USSR, the 10th Special Forces Brigade, located in Crimea, was handed over to Ukraine. As a result of the reorganization, the brigade was transformed into the 1st Parachute Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Currently, the 9th brigade of the Kyiv Military District, located in Kirovograd, and the 8th brigade of the Carpathian Military District, stationed in Izyaslavl, have been disbanded.
The 5th Special Purpose Brigade was transferred to the Armed Forces of Belarus.
The Armed Forces of Uzbekistan - the 15th Special Purpose Brigade, the 459th Special Forces Special Forces, as well as a special purpose training regiment that trained personnel for the warring units during the Afghan war.

Russian special forces took part in the Chechen conflict of 1994-1996 from the moment troops entered Chechnya. Combined and separate detachments operated from brigades of the Moscow, Siberian, North Caucasus, Ural, Transbaikal and Far Eastern Military Districts.

By the spring of 1995, the units were withdrawn from Chechnya, with the exception of a separate special forces detachment of the North Caucasus Military District, which fought until the end of hostilities and returned to its permanent location in the fall of 1996.
Unfortunately, special forces units, especially at the initial stage of hostilities, were used as reconnaissance units of units and formations of the Ground Forces. This was a consequence of the low level of training of the personnel of the regular intelligence units of these units. For the same reason, especially during the assault on Grozny, special forces soldiers were included in the assault groups. This led to unjustified losses. 1995 can be considered the most tragic year for the entire history of special forces of both the USSR and Russia.
So, at the beginning of January 1995, a group of a special forces detachment of the 22nd Brigade Special Forces was captured. As a result of a tragic accident, a building in Grozny exploded where a special forces detachment of a brigade of the Moscow Military District was located.
Nevertheless, subsequently the special forces began to act using their inherent tactics. The most common tactical method was ambush. Often, special forces groups worked with intelligence information from military counterintelligence agencies, the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Field commanders traveling at night in all-terrain vehicles with little security were killed from ambushes.

In May 1995, special forces units of the North Caucasus Military District brigade took part in the operation to free hostages in Budennovsk. They did not storm the hospital, but controlled the outskirts of the city, and subsequently accompanied a convoy with militants and hostages.
In January 1996, one of the brigade’s detachments took part in the operation to free hostages in the village of Pervomaiskoye. At the initial stage of the operation, a group of forty-seven special forces soldiers undertook a diversionary maneuver in order to draw back the main forces of the militants and allow the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to enter the village. At the final stage, the detachment inflicted significant losses on Raduev’s group that was breaking through. Despite their multiple numerical superiority, the militants suffered heavy losses. During this battle, the commander of the reconnaissance group, Senior Lieutenant Albert Zaripov, especially distinguished himself, destroying several dozen militants. For participation in the operation to liberate the village of Pervomaiskoye, five officers of the 22nd separate GRU special forces brigade were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, one of them posthumously.
This period is also characterized by the fact that the 173rd separate detachment operating in Chechnya was again equipped with military equipment, which made it possible to increase the firepower and mobility of the special forces supporting the activities of reconnaissance groups.
The recruitment of warring special forces units with contract servicemen has begun. The educational level of intelligence officers at that time was quite high. People with higher and secondary technical education were attracted by high and regular cash payments.
The lessons of the first Chechen were not in vain. The level of combat training of units and formations has become significantly higher. Competitions for the championship of special forces groups of the Armed Forces have been resumed. Contacts began to be established with special forces from other countries of the world.

Back in 1996, after the signing of the Khasavyurt Agreement, it was clear that the conflict in the Caucasus would not end there. At the same time, there was a real danger of the spread of separatist ideas throughout the North Caucasus and other republics and regions of Russia. The most susceptible to the ideas of Wahhabism was Dagestan, where the intelligence services of Saudi Arabia and a number of other Islamic states began active work in the early nineties.

By the end of 1997, it became obvious to the General Staff that Dagestan would become the first republic that the Wahhabis would try to tear away from Russia to create an independent Islamic state in the North Caucasus.
In this regard, at the beginning of 1998, the 411th separate special forces detachment left the 22nd Special Forces Brigade for Kaspiysk. A few months later he was replaced by the 173rd Special Forces. They changed each other until August 1999. The detachments conducted reconnaissance of the area in areas bordering Chechnya, studied the security and warning system of the administrative border on the Chechen side. They also tracked the routes of movement and sale of “illegal” oil products that came in large quantities from Chechnya. Together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, we identified channels for the arms trade.
With the outbreak of hostilities, special forces provided troops with intelligence data, revealing defensive structures and positions of militants. First of all, these tasks were solved by the 8th ooSpN*, as well as the company of the 3rd ooSpN*.
Subsequently, the special forces group was reinforced by combined and separate detachments that arrived from almost all military districts. Their actions were supervised by the commander of the 22nd Special Operations Brigade.
After completing the defeat of pockets of resistance in Dagestan, the troops entered Chechnya. Special forces units were part of military groups advancing from various directions. At the initial stage, the special forces conducted reconnaissance in the interests of the advancing troops. Not a single combined arms commander moved his units forward until the go-ahead came from the commander of the special forces group. This, in particular, explains the small losses of troops during the advance to Grozny.
The special forces were directly involved in collecting intelligence information about the militant group defending Grozny. Almost all of it was opened with a high degree of reliability.
Subsequently, the special forces also switched to their tactics of search and ambush operations and raids on discovered militant bases. This was especially typical for the foothills and mountainous regions of the republic. Inspection teams were again used, operating in helicopters as in Afghanistan.
On October 24, 2000, the 50th anniversary of the creation of Special Forces companies was celebrated in the Central Democratic Republic of Armenia. For special distinction in battles to ensure the security and integrity of the Russian Federation in April 2001, the 22nd Special Operations Brigade received the title of Guards. This is the first military unit to be awarded such an honorary title since the end of World War II.

Today, GRU special forces soldiers continue to actively operate in the North Caucasus. In August 2008, reconnaissance groups of the 2nd, 10th and 22nd special forces brigades took part in the 2008 “five-day war” in South Ossetia.

As part of the new reform of the Russian Armed Forces, the 67th separate GRU special forces brigade was disbanded in March 2009. The 3rd, 12th and 14th Special Forces brigades are also at the stage of disbandment.

Sleeve insignia of military personnel of the 2nd Special Brigade.

I. COMPOSITION

brigade management (military unit 64044, Promezhitsy village, Pskov region)
70th separate special forces detachment (military unit 75143, Pechory, Pskov region);
177th separate special forces detachment (military unit 83395 Taibola railway station, Pushnoy village, Murmansk region);
329th separate special forces detachment (military unit 44917, Promezhitsy village, Pskov region);
700th separate special forces detachment (military unit 75242, Pechory, Pskov region);
School of Junior Specialists (SHMS);
Warrant Officer School;
Special Radio Communications Detachment (SRS);
Material Support Company (RMS)

Until the mid-90s, the equipment had its own units: a radio interception center (CRC) and a radio direction-finding point (RDP).

II. PERMANENT DISTRIBUTION POINTS

Pskov region:

P. Promezhitsy (Pskov district) - brigade department, 329th special forces unit, school of junior specialists, school of warrant officers, special radio communications detachment, support company. Postal address: 180000, Pskov-23, st. Soviet Army, duty officer for unit 2-17-17.

Pechory - 70th separate special forces, 700th special forces, 2 communications companies, 2 auto platoons.

Murmansk region:

Railway station Taibola, Pushnoy village - 177th ooSpN.

III. STORY

The 2nd Special Purpose Brigade was formed on the basis of the Directive of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces and the commander of the Leningrad Military District in the city of Pskov in the period from September 17, 1962 to March 1, 1963 on the basis of the 20th separate special purpose company.

The brigade was staffed with officers in compliance with the principle of individual selection and voluntary consent. All personnel of the brigade, due to health reasons, must meet the fitness requirements for service in airborne units.

Commanders:

1962-1966 - Grishakov Alexey Nikolaevich

1966-1974 - Krekhovsky Igor Viktorovich

1974-1975 - Zharov Oleg Mikhailovich

1975-1979 - Golousenko Yuri Yakovlevich

1979-1987 - Gvozd Vladimir Andreevich

1987-1989 - Bezruchko Anatoly Ilyich

1989-1997 - Sidorov Gennady Konstantinovich

1997-present - Colonel Blazhko Anatoly Andreevich

IV. COMBAT OPERATIONS

Afghanistan:

In 1985-89, the 177th special forces unit, formed in the 2nd special forces unit, took part in combat operations in Afghanistan as part of the 15th special forces unit. Dislocation – Ghazni. For the courage and valor shown in the performance of military duty in the Republic of Afghanistan, the 177th Special Forces Special Forces was awarded the Honorary Badge of the Komsomol Central Committee “Military Valor” and the Honorary Red Banner of the PDPA.

The unit contained memorial plaques with the names of the servicemen of the disbanded reconnaissance detachment who died in Afghanistan, which was once stationed in the village of Taibola, Murmansk region (78 kilometers south of Murmansk, 177th special forces unit). The Promezhitsa special forces brigade became the successor to the detachment, so it was decided to create a single monument on the territory of the unit - to the intelligence officers who died in Afghanistan and in the first war in Chechnya.

First Chechen War:

On the basis of the brigade, a consolidated detachment was formed, recruited from individual companies (Taibola, Petrozavodsk, Pechory).

2 Special Forces in Chechnya consisted of a combined detachment: one company - 70 special forces, one company - 700 special forces, one company - 329 special forces. Control, auto-platooning, air defense and communications from each squad in turn.

We were there from January 19 to April 26, 1995. We arrived and spent several days in Mozdok, then arrived at the place of permanent deployment - Beslan (we stood near the airfield). 10 days went into combat, 20 at the base. We were in Grozny, in Assinovskaya, near Bamut.

On March 27, 1995, while performing a combat mission in the Zakan-Yurt area, Samashki, senior warrant officer Iosif Myacheslavovich Glushkevich was mortally wounded in battle.

On April 16, 1995, when an armored personnel carrier was blown up, senior warrant officer Nikolai Yakovlevich Rabchenyuk was killed (on the territory of the brigade, the turret of this armored personnel carrier stands on a pedestal next to the monument to “Reconnaissance Warriors who died in battle”)

1. pr-k Girkevich Joseph Vyacheslavovich;

2. ef. Mikhalev Sergey Mikhailovich;

3. art. pr-k Ryabchenyuk Nikolay Yakovlevich.

Second Chechen War:

Since 1999, the 2nd Special Operations Brigade has taken part in hostilities in the North Caucasus.

02/21/2000 in Chechnya in a battle near Shatoi, being ambushed, the RG 2 obrSpN died - 25 soldiers and officers, as well as 8 soldiers and officers of another detachment (Pechorsky) of the same brigade, which came to their aid, a total of 33 people:

“On February 16, at 4 o’clock in the morning, the scouts went on a mission to the area of the Tangi-Chu tract in order to prevent a surprise enemy attack at a given altitude on the advance route of motorized rifle units (MSR). At an altitude of 817.9, a militant stronghold was discovered, but the commander of the MRR did not believe the intelligence officer's report and demanded that the assigned task be completed.On February 18, the special forces went to their heights, and the SME reconnaissance company at the indicated height met fierce resistance from the bandits and fought all day.

Meanwhile, an enemy reserve of 15 people advanced from the Maly Kharsenoy tract...

The operations officer reported to headquarters about the lack of food and power for the radio station; delivery of the necessary items is not possible, since the militants are scattered across all heights... On February 20, two radio stations failed, and artillery spotter radios had to be used...

From the early morning of February 21, the companies of the motorized rifle unit began reconnaissance of new routes, but a sudden artillery strike claimed the lives of three soldiers and wounded six. This prevented the SME company from replacing the special forces in the positions they occupied...

At 12.44, Alexander Kalinin’s reconnaissance group entered into battle with a small group of bandits, destroying KamAZ and GAZ-66 vehicles and 10 militants. After a little time, about 100 bandits attacked our scouts. A. Kalinin, continuing the battle, requested artillery fire and help from neighboring groups. The reconnaissance groups of Senior Lieutenant Sergei Samoilov and Captain Mikhail Bochenkov arrived, dispersing at a height. After the artillery strike, communication with the group was lost...

A motorized rifle unit was sent from the Maly Kharsenoy tract to help our guys, but...

As two scouts who miraculously survived in this hell later said - the wounded were not noticed by the militants - (St.S.T. Anton F. (radio operator S. Samoilov) serves in the brigade to this day), it fell on almost an open area overgrown with low bushes heavy fire from small arms, mortars, targeted sniper strikes, 4 shots with volumetric explosion charges... The militants finished off the wounded and began to leave only when the infantry approached, 70 corpses of bandit accomplices remained on the battlefield...

The special forces fulfilled their military duty to the end, not retreating in the face of a superior enemy in number and strength, taking the main blow upon themselves, thereby thwarting the bandits' attempt to destroy the motorized rifle reconnaissance units with a sudden blow."

Ossetia:

A separate detachment of the brigade took part in the peace enforcement operation in South Ossetia from 08/08/2008 to 03/07/2009. Three scouts were wounded (06.10.2008. mine explosions). There are no fatalities.

V. LOSSES

1. ALEXEEV Gennady, contract sergeant, 02/21/2000

2. ANDREEV Vitaly, sergeant, 02/21/2000

3. BRYKALOV Peter, Jr. contract sergeant

4. BOCHENKOV Mikhail, captain, 02/21/2000

5. GIRKEVICH Joseph Vyacheslavovich, ensign

6. GOLIKOV Philip, captain

7. GORBATOV Alexey, private soldier, 02/21/2000

8. GOTOSHIYA Givi Muratovich, private soldier, born in 1973, died on February 21, 2000.

9. DANILENKOV Lev Alexandrovich, contractual officer, radio operator

10. Evgeniy Mikhailovich DUDIN, contract sergeant, born in 1973, died on February 21, 2000.

11. EGOROV Vladimir, contract sergeant

12. ZHURKO Sergey Vladimirovich

13. IVANOV Yuri, contract sergeant

14. KALININ Alexander, captain, 02/21/2000

15. KULIKOV Igor Pavlovich, sergeant, died 09/03/99.

16. KOZLOV Vladimir, Art. contract sergeant

17. KOSTYUKOV Alexey, private soldier

18. LENKOV Mark, foreman

19. NAZAROV Sergey Ivanovich, corporal

20. NAUKHATSKY Alexander

21. OKUNEV Dmitry, junior sergeant

22. PROKOFIEV Alexey, private corporal

23. RASSADIN Igor, private soldier

24. ROMANOVSKY Sergey, private soldier

25. RYABCHENYUK Nikolay Yakovlevich, senior warrant officer

26. SAMOILOV Sergey, Art. l-t, 02/21/2000

27. SEMENOV Igor, private soldier

28. SOLOVIEV Denis, private soldier

29. TIMOSHEV Denis Vladimirovich, born 1980, died March 1, 2000.

30. TUMASHEV Oleg, private soldier from Arkhangelsk, 02/21/2000

31. CHERNENKY Viktor, contract sergeant

32. KHAZOV Roman, private soldier

33. SHALYGIN Alexander, private soldier

34. SHANTSEV Sergey, ensign, GR posthumously

HEROES OF RUSSIA

Shantsev Sergey Vladimirovich

(08/16/1958 - 01/24/2000) Hero of Russia. Date of the decree: 10/24/2000.

Shantsev Sergey Vladimirovich - deputy commander of the reconnaissance group of the 700th separate special-purpose detachment of the 2nd separate special-purpose brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, warrant officer.

Born on August 16, 1958 in the city of Ussuriysk, Primorsky Territory. Russian. Lived and studied in the city of Vinnitsa (Ukraine). The Vinnitsa city military registration and enlistment office was drafted into the Soviet Army.

Since 1981, he served in military unit 64044 of the 2nd separate special forces brigade of the GRU (Pskov region). He was one of the best skydivers, made 1495 jumps, flew paragliders and hang gliders.

As part of the combined detachments of the brigade, he took part in the first and second Chechen companies. From January 19 to April 26, 1995, he participated in military operations in Grozny, Assinovskaya, and near Bamut. He was awarded the medal "For Courage". Since August 1999, he again took part in hostilities in the North Caucasus.

On January 24, 2000, during the next reconnaissance mission, Ensign Shantsev was the senior patrol officer. In the area of the village of Roshni-Chu (Urus-Martan district of the Republic of Chechnya), scouts discovered a large group of militants. The ensign warned the commander about the danger and was the first to enter the battle, at which time the scouts managed to take advantageous positions. In an unequal battle, ensign Shantsev was seriously wounded. On the way to the hospital he died from loss of blood.

According to radio interceptions, the militants suffered significant losses in that clash. As it became known later, intelligence managed to thwart the plans of the bandits to capture Roshni-Chu and advance to Urus-Martan in order to create a corridor for the withdrawal of militants from blockaded Grozny.

By decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 24, 2000, for the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the counter-terrorism operation in the North Caucasus region, warrant officer Sergei Vladimirovich Shantsev was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).

He was buried in the cemetery of the village of Murovitsy, Pskov district, Pskov region.

By order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation dated February 7, 2002, he was forever included in the lists of the 1st company of the 700th separate special forces detachment of the 2nd separate special forces brigade of the GRU General Staff (Leningrad Military District).

In the village of Cherekha, Pskov district, Pskov region, on house 147B, where the Hero lived, a memorial plaque was installed. His name is immortalized on the monument to fallen reconnaissance soldiers on the territory of the 2nd separate special forces brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate.

Kalinin Alexander Anatolievich

(02/16/1975 - 02/21/2000) Hero of Russia. Date of the decree: July 26, 2000. Monuments: Bust in Novosibirsk.

Kalinin Alexander Anatolyevich - commander of the mining group of the 2nd separate special-purpose brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, captain.

Born on December 16, 1975 in the village of Nadvoitsy, Segezha region, Republic of Karelia. Russian.

Graduated from high school. Since 1992 - in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. He entered the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School, but was then transferred to the Novosibirsk Higher Combined Arms Command School, from which he graduated in 1996. He served in the 2nd separate special forces brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, stationed in the Leningrad Military District (Pskov). He was the commander of a special forces group, commander of a reconnaissance group, senior translator of the information department, then appointed commander of a mining group.

At the head of his group he fought in the battles of the second Chechen war. Conducted several special operations against gangs. In September 1999, he showed courage and heroism during hostilities in the Novolaksky region of Dagestan.

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

For the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 26, 2000, Captain Alexander Anatolyevich Kalinin was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).

The title of Hero of the Russian Federation was also awarded to Captain M.V. Bochenkov and Senior Lieutenant S.V. Samoilov, who died in that battle. Twenty-two fallen sergeants and privates were posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Awarded the Order of Courage (1999). He was buried in Pskov.

The street in the village of Nadvoitsy, Pskov region, where he spent his childhood, is named after the Hero. The monument to the Hero was erected at the memorial to the Hero-graduates of the Novosibirsk Military Combined Arms Command School. By order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, he was posthumously enrolled in the lists of the 2nd company of the 2nd separate special-purpose brigade of the GRU General Staff (Leningrad Military District).

Samoilov Sergey Vyacheslavovich

(07/11/1976 - 02/21/2000) Hero of Russia. Date of decree: 07/26/2000

Samoilov Sergey Vyacheslavovich - platoon commander of the 2nd separate special purpose brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, senior lieutenant.

Born on July 11, 1976 in the city of Volsk, Saratov region, in the family of a military man. Russian. He graduated from high school in the city of Pskov.

Since 1993 - in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Military Combined Arms Command School in 1997. He served in the 2nd separate special-purpose brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, stationed in the Leningrad Military District (Pskov). He was the commander of a group and platoon of special forces.

He took part in hostilities during the second Chechen war. In February 2000, three groups of the 2nd Special Forces Brigade were ambushed near the village of Kharsenoy, Shatoisky district, Chechen Republic. Mortars, multiple launch rocket systems and flamethrowers fired at the scouts. A group of 25 scouts was attacked by several hundred militants. The fighters fought to the death for several hours in an unequal battle. According to the testimony of militants and village residents who were subsequently captured, the bandits lost from 70 to 100 people killed alone. Not a single scout surrendered; all 25 scouts died the death of heroes. In impotent anger, the bandits violated the bodies of the dead soldiers. Also in that battle, another 8 soldiers from another special forces unit were killed, trying to break through to help the encircled scouts. Senior Lieutenant Samoilov heroically fought alongside his subordinates and died a hero’s death, covering a seriously wounded soldier with his body. The higher command made attempts to hide the tragedy near Kharsenoy from the public.

He was buried in the city of Pskov at the Orletsovsky cemetery.

For the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the counter-terrorism operation in the Northern Caucasus region, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1162 of July 26, 2000, senior lieutenant Sergei Vyacheslavovich Samoilov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).

The title of Hero of the Russian Federation was also awarded to senior lieutenant A.A. Kalinin and captain M.V., who died in that battle. Bochenkov. Twenty-two fallen sergeants and privates were posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

In 2001, the Pskov Socio-Economic Lyceum (former secondary school No. 21, where the Hero studied) was named after the Hero; a memorial plaque was installed on the school building. By order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation dated February 7, 2002, he was posthumously enrolled in the lists of the 2nd company of the 2nd separate special-purpose brigade of the GRU General Staff (Leningrad Military District).

USSR → Russia

Forming part

On October 24, 1950, in accordance with Directive of the USSR Military Ministry No. Org/2/395832, the Leningrad Military District was formed 76th separate special forces company(or military unit 51404) with a personnel of 120 people. 76th company was directly subordinate to the district headquarters and was stationed in the village. Promezhitsy village in the vicinity (at that time) of Pskov.

In 1953, due to another reduction in the armed forces, many special forces companies were disbanded. Including 76th company.

At the end of 1957, at the site of the previous deployment 76th company, was created 20th separate special forces company, also subordinate to the district headquarters.

In connection with the decision of the military leadership to consolidate special-purpose units and increase the number of their personnel, on July 19, 1962, directive No. 140547 of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces was issued, according to which it was necessary to form in the Leningrad Military District 2nd Special Forces Brigade. The creation of the brigade began on September 17, 1962 and ended on March 1, 1963.

The brigade was created on the basis of the 20th separate special forces company with the involvement of officers from the 237th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 76th Guards Airborne Division, also stationed in Pskov. The involvement of airborne troops was caused by the need for specialists in airborne training.

The day of the unit was declared December 1, 1962. 2nd separate special forces brigade received a conditional designation military unit 64044 (military unit 64044) .

Formation and development of the brigade

Like all special forces brigades created in the early 60s (with the exception of the 3rd brigade), 2nd brigade was a framed formation, in which, according to peacetime states, the personnel was 300-350 people. According to the plans of the military command during the introduction of martial law, due to the mobilization of reserve military personnel and holding 30-day training camps, 2nd Brigade developed into a full-fledged combat-ready formation with a personnel of 1,700 people.

According to the peacetime staff, the 2nd Brigade consisted of the following units:

Brigade management;
special radio communications unit;
2 special forces;
2 separate special forces units (cadres);
economic support company.

On April 16, 1963, by resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the brigade was awarded the Battle Banner.

In 1966 and 1967, for high levels of combat training demonstrated during exercises, the brigade was awarded the Challenge Red Banner of the Military Council of the Leningrad Military District.

The brigade's personnel took part in the exercises "Ocean-70", "Horizon-74" and a number of others.

Servicemen of the 2nd brigade were the first of the GRU formations and units to parachute from an Il-76 military transport aircraft during the Dozor-86 exercise.

To create the detachment, in addition to the personnel of the 8th brigade, military personnel from the following 3 special forces brigades were also recruited: 2nd brigade, 10th brigade (Old Crimea, Ukrainian SSR) and 4th brigade (Viljandi, ESSR) .

This 186th detachment was created to participate in the so-called complex military events Border Zone “Veil”.

After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the 177th separate special forces detachment (177th detachment), which was part of the 22nd brigade, was redeployed in February 1989 to a military camp of the disbanded military unit of the Strategic Missile Forces near the settlement. Taibola, Murmansk region and included in the 2nd brigade.

Unit in the Russian Armed Forces

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the 2nd Separate Special Purpose Brigade came under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

In July 1997, the 177th detachment (military unit 83395) of the 2nd brigade stationed in the Murmansk region was disbanded. Contrary to the frequent mention in many sources of the existence of the 177th detachment at the previous location in a cropped form, this information does not correspond to reality.

Brigade directorate (military unit 64044) - Promezhitsa area (Pskov) and divisions under the control;

school of junior specialists (training battalion of 2 companies) - Promezhitsy;
special radio communications detachment (2-company communications battalion) - Pechory and Promezhitsy;
logistics company - Promezhitsy.

70th separate special forces detachment (military unit 75242) - Pechory;
329th separate special forces detachment (military unit 44917) - Promezhitsy;
700th separate special forces detachment (military unit 75143) - Pechory;

On February 15, 2019, the deputy commander of the Western Military District, Lieutenant General Alexey Zavizion, awarded the Order of Zhukov to the brigade.

Participation of the 2nd Special Forces Brigade in combat operations

First Chechen War

In December 1994, on the basis of the 2nd separate special-purpose brigade, a combined detachment was created to carry out military operations in Chechnya while establishing constitutional order. The basis for the combined detachment was the 700th separate special forces detachment (700th detachment), which was staffed by all 4 detachments of the brigade (at that time the 177th detachment in the Murmansk region was not disbanded). In a short time, the detachment of 181 personnel was staffed with the following personnel:

Directorate of the 700th detachment - 17 military personnel;
3 reconnaissance companies - 42 military personnel each;
communications group - 16 military personnel;
logistics platoon - 22 military personnel.

On January 9, 1995, the detachment was sent to Chechnya and by January 18 arrived in Grozny.

The 700th detachment took part in combat operations to eliminate militants both in the city of Grozny itself and in the areas of the settlement. Zakan-Yurt, Samashki, Assinovskaya and Bamut.

The detachment's losses for more than 3 months of hostilities amounted to 3 people killed.

On April 26, 1995, the combined detachment was withdrawn from the combat zone and by the beginning of the month of May returned to its permanent deployment point.

Second Chechen War

Due to the aggravation of the situation in the summer of 1999 in Dagestan, the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces began to strengthen the grouping of troops in this region.

In August 1999, a consolidated detachment was assembled from the 2nd detachment, which included one reconnaissance company from each of the 3 detachments (70th, 329th and 700th detachments). The staff structure of the consolidated detachment was similar to the consolidated detachment in the first Chechen war, with the repetition of the same serial numbering in the name - 700th Special Forces.

In September 1999, the 700th detachment took part in hostilities in the Novolaksky region of Dagestan.

On January 1, 2000, the 700th detachment was stationed in the village. Achkhoy-Martan Chechnya.

Together with other troops, the 700th detachment participated in preventing the capture of the village. Roshni-Chu by an enemy who tried to create a corridor for the withdrawal of militants from Grozny, blocked by federal troops, to Urus-Martan.

Since March 10, 2000, the 700th detachment participated in the liquidation of the blocked gang of Ruslan Gelayev in the village of Komsomolsky.

By the summer of 2000, the detachment occupied positions in the vicinity of the village. Borzoi. By January 2001, reconnaissance groups of the 700th detachment were operating in the areas of the settlement. Sharo-Argun and Itum-Kali.

In September 2001, units of the 700th detachment operated in the vicinity of the village. Aslanbek. In April 2002, the detachment successfully eliminated two groups of militants near the village. Yaryshmards.

In 2006, the detachment was withdrawn from Chechnya to a permanent deployment point.

In total, the 2nd separate special forces brigade lost 47 people killed in the second Chechen war.

Tragedy of February 21, 2000

In mid-February 2000, several reconnaissance groups of the 700th detachment were given the task of marching protection of motorized rifle units moving into the southern mountainous part of Chechnya. The groups had to conduct reconnaissance of the area in the mountainous areas adjacent to the road connecting the flat part of Chechnya with the Shatoi region in order to exclude the possibility of the enemy organizing an ambush on the troop column.

8 days after the foot march through the mountainous terrain, the commanders of 3 groups marching in the vanguard received an order via radio communication to gather near the village of Kharsenoy. They should have united and waited for reinforcements to arrive in the form of a motorized rifle unit. According to the command plan, the motorized rifles were supposed to arrive at the village of Kharsenoy by 12.00 on February 21, replace the reconnaissance groups of the 700th detachment and carry out further marching protection of the column. Due to poor roads and snowfall, the approach of the column of troops was delayed. The total number of 3 reconnaissance groups was 35 people, of which 8 were seconded military personnel from other military units (sappers and artillery spotters from motorized rifle units). All 3 reconnaissance groups were assembled into a combined detachment from the 3rd reconnaissance company of the 329th detachment.

On the night of February 20-21, 3 reconnaissance groups united for the night near the village of Kharsenoy. We chose a lowland for the night. The condition of the tired soldiers was critical: due to the long multi-day trek through the mountains, the lack of sleeping bags and the low temperature, many of them had frostbite and colds.

Around lunchtime on February 21, heavy fire from grenade launchers and automatic weapons was opened on the scouts stationed in the lowlands by sneaking militants from the surrounding heights. At the very beginning of the battle, the only radio station with batteries that retained its charge was destroyed. Within 15-20 minutes, the militants managed to destroy 33 scouts in a surprise attack. After collecting weapons from the dead servicemen, all wounded servicemen were killed at point-blank range. Only 2 servicemen managed to survive, whom the militants mistook for dead. One of them was seriously wounded by a grenade fragment, and the other received 3 bullet wounds and a concussion.

Motorized rifle reinforcements arrived at the scene of the tragedy only after 3-4 hours.

The causes of the tragedy were both the extreme fatigue of the personnel and the gross mistake of the group commanders who did not set up proper combat guards.

The official version of the events of February 21, 2000 near the village of Kharsenoy, voiced in the press organ of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, differs significantly from the testimony of eyewitnesses.

In connection with this tragedy, on February 21, a Memorial Day .

Russian-Georgian war

In the period from August 8, 2008 to March 7, 2009, the 329th Special Forces Detachment of the 2nd Brigade was in South Ossetia. There is no reliable information about participation in hostilities. As a result of an armored personnel carrier hitting a mine on October 6, 2008, 3 servicemen of the detachment were injured.

Heroes of the Connection

4 servicemen of the 2nd separate special forces brigade who died during the Second Chechen War were awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).