For almost a third of his life, Colonel-General Anatoly Romanov has been chained to a hospital bed. During this time, a whole generation of people has grown up, many of whom are unlikely to know about the tragic fate of this man - "so, they heard something." We will tell about it.

In 1995, Anatoly Romanov was the commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and at the same time - the commander of the United Group of Federal Forces in Chechnya. At that time, our units were actively fighting with the separatists. The senselessness of human sacrifice forced Moscow to look for ways of reconciliation in Chechnya. And General Romanov was inside this seething crater. Everything went to the fact that he would be able to negotiate with authoritative militants to end the war. But this was strongly disliked by those who wanted to continue it, dreaming of the Caucasian Jamaat. They decided to eliminate Romanov ...

THE CAR HAS BREAKED LIKE A CARDBOARD

On October 6, 1995, Romanov was supposed to meet with the ex-speaker of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, Chechen Ruslan Khasbulatov, who offered himself as a mediator in reconciliation. The general wanted to discuss the tactics of negotiations with him.

But in Grozny, in the tunnel under the railway bridge on Minutka Square, a radio-controlled landmine exploded during the passage of the column. "UAZ" Romanov was in the center of the explosion. The car was swept away like cardboard. The general was seriously wounded and fell into a coma. He was saved only by the fact that he was wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet.

One of the witnesses of the tragedy - Private Roman Popov from the special forces detachment "Rus" - said:

The guards, who could move, rushed to the crumpled cars. They pulled out the victims, laid the mutilated bodies down and shouted: “Where is the general ?!”
Already in Khankala, where the wounded were evacuated, someone noticed on one of the bodies a flashing buckle with a star and an overlaid coat of arms of the Soviet Union. Only Romanov had a belt with such a buckle ...

18 DAYS IN A COMA

First, Romanov was transferred to Vladikavkaz, and the very next day - to Moscow, to the Burdenko Main Military Hospital. There he spent 18 days in a coma, and then, in the language of doctors, "began to respond to external stimuli." In July 2009 (after 13 years of treatment) Romanov was transferred to the Main Military Hospital of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Today, the general still cannot speak, but he reacts to speech with facial expressions. He is not exhausted (his weight is about 70 kg), the muscles are weakened, but not atrophied.

"TALKS TO ME WITH EYES"

On November 5, 1995, Lieutenant General Anatoly Romanov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. His wife, Larisa Vasilyevna, responded to the proposal to accept his Gold Star medal for safekeeping in the family: “I am not a widow. The hero is alive. Give it to him!"

All these 23 years, Larisa Vasilievna visits him daily in the ward, takes him out for walks, and gives him massages. I spoke to her on the phone.

Larisa Vasilievna, is this what it means to you - to be the wife of an officer who has fallen into terrible trouble?

Well, what is being a wife at all? This is work, this is care, like any other wife whose husband is not in trouble. These are constant experiences, a desire to help her husband.

Do you often visit Anatoly Alexandrovich?

Every day, even twice a day. When the weather is good, we walk often. You know, he, too, is tired of these walls ... well, we decorated them as best we could - there are paintings, portraits of him, our photos ...

23 years have already passed since the tragedy - now, as the person closest to Anatoly Alexandrovich, have you noticed at least some pluses, changes in his behavior?

Of course. Well, that's a huge change. You understand, then we got motionless eyes, a clumsy head, unresponsive hands. And now he reacts, he answers! He can show his mood. At night, he generally himself in a dream is looking for a more comfortable position of the body ...

Larisa Vasilievna, where do you draw strength from? The other one would be already ... And you are fighting.

Well, I'm Romanova. Last name requires...

HIS EVERYDAY

"Basayev now and then grabbed a knife"

Colonel Vasily Panchenkov (Romanov's press secretary in September 1995) recalls:

I happened to closely observe the meetings between Romanov and Maskhadov. During these negotiations, some "bearded men" from Maskhadov's entourage jumped up, waving their arms, switched to the upper registers of the Chechen language. Among these unbalanced was the youngest of the negotiators, the younger brother of terrorist No. 1 in Chechnya Basayev - Shirvani. Demonstrating his militancy, he grabbed a wide curved knife hanging from his belt in a scabbard decorated with an ornament on a green field. These demarches clearly disrupted the course of the negotiations, but at such moments Romanov remained calm and tactful, patiently waiting for the passions to subside and everyone to come to their senses.

Romanov was ready to go to negotiations for as long as it took. And it was noticeable that such trusting relations began to develop between him and Maskhadov. For example, Romanov drove into Chechen villages, leaving guards outside the outskirts, far from the place of his meetings with the leaders of gangs and gatherings of the population, relying entirely on Maskhadov and the younger Basayev, who ensured his safety in the territory controlled by the Dudaevites. But once, in some moment of revelation, Romanov complained that negotiations with Maskhadov were going very slowly and difficult, because Dudayev, who insisted on the unconditional sovereignty of Chechnya, was apparently putting pressure on him, who believed that his chief of staff, Maskhadov, was on the lead of the federals .

It will soon be 19 years since the former commander of the united group of federal troops in Chechnya, General Romanov, is fighting for his life. Amazing strength of spirit and love. And a lot of great people around. Perhaps that is why this tragic story looks so bright and ... life-affirming.

The general is angry

After that explosion in Grozny on October 6, 1995, General Romanov was assembled literally piece by piece. There are still fragments in his body. They whine when the weather is bad.

He is no longer in a coma, as many for some reason believe. But recovery is still far away.

“My husband came out of a coma after 18 days,” his wife Larisa Vasilievna tells me. - As the doctors explained to me: a person comes out of a coma - this is when he opened his eyes and began to respond to light, to touch, to movement ... At the same time, he may not be aware of what is happening. But Tolya has been in this state - borderline - for about 19 years.

Does he feel his arms, legs, move them?

– Feels, but, of course, normally does not move. Nevertheless, he has a fracture of the base of the skull, very severe brain damage ... But when he gets angry, he moves well.

- Get angry? For what?

- Yes, in different ways. He, like any patient, has a daily routine. And the nurses and the doctor, of course, adhere to it: if you let it take its course, there will be no treatment. And it happens that the husband clearly wants to sleep, and he has procedures. He is dissatisfied, and shows it - I don’t want to ... Usually he shows with his eyes, but he can also wave his hand ... When I come, the first thing I ask him is - what is our mood today? Sometimes the husband is very quiet. So severe headaches. And when the weather is clear - and we have clear. Weather changes are very painful for him.

Larisa Vasilievna understands her husband by the slightest movement of the eyelids. Still not to understand! She comes to the General's room every day. Before, when I worked, in the evenings. Now, when he no longer works, in the morning. Every day, in any weather, all for almost 19 years. Allows himself only short vacations - 10 days a year. And then the general's daughter takes over the watch.

Pedals and reads

The general is in excellent shape: he does not have a single bed sore, he is quite well-fed and looks great: clean-shaven, taut. He is constantly getting massages, he works out on simulators ...

- Forced, - Larisa Vasilievna smiles. - We put our feet on the pedals of the bicycle, it turns slightly ... But this is very important so that the muscles do not die. In general, doctors try to use every opportunity to break into his mind. Previously, they put on different music for him, sounds - they watched his reaction. All the walls in the ward are hung with home photographs - suddenly, one of them will give an impetus, and a breakthrough will begin ... Now we are watching TV with him - the Olympics, cultural programs and about nature. He loves music very much - string concerts. But the sounds of war - explosions, shots - react very badly.

General Romanov has already been waging his most difficult battle in his life for a long time. And with him - family and doctors. For the latter, he is the most difficult patient: there are no others like him in the world. And if they can get his mind out of the Twilight Zone, they will win. For nearly 20 years, doctors and the family have tried everything in order to put this strong and courageous man on his feet. What only world luminaries did not come to Romanov for consultations. No matter how many methods have been tried. Even stem cells have been used...

- From them, his nails and hair began to grow very quickly, - Larisa Vasilievna sighs. “But that's also good.

But there are other victories.

- A few years ago, Dr. Klimov wrote on a piece of paper in large letters: "If you read this, move your hand," his wife shares the success of the general. - Tolya looked at the letters for a long time, some more time passed and he moved his hand. So, he remembered the letters, he can understand the meaning of the written words! And now we are writing a special computer program in order to “type” text on a virtual keyboard with our eyes. Maybe it will work out and then he will be able to “tell” us something already in words. That is, if he simply starts focusing and works it out - and this is very difficult, we tried ... You know, a hundred sweats come down from us until we get him to focus. Tolya gets tired quickly, so you need to somehow approach this so as not to break him. That's how a sapper walks carefully through a minefield, so here you have to be careful.

Anatoly Romanov / Andrey Strunin

- You talk to him all the time, and asked if he remembers what happened to him?

- This is impossible: the doctors categorically forbade it. The doctor told me: he remembers how he got into the car - everything else is a blank slate for him. Tolya and I are talking about this: do you remember your friends - fellow students, fellow soldiers, neighbors, subordinates, relatives? Headache or not? How do you feel? I tell him about various little things in life, about the house: our granddaughter Nastya went to school, for example (he loves Nastya very much, although she was born after the explosion). And once the nurse and I tried to do this: we started some kind of female conversation, and Tolya in his chair was between us. While talking, I began to walk from corner to corner of the ward. And he turned his head, following me! He understands everything. The husband, by the way, immediately singles out strangers and scans them from head to toe, slowly and very intensely. He has an unequal attitude towards nurses. He gets very nervous if I'm going home. And when I allow myself to go somewhere for a short time to rest, I start preparing it in advance, and he takes it very hard.

- Do you think Anatoly Alexandrovich understands what happened to him? Does he remember the events of his life in the hospital?

In any case, he understands that something is wrong with him. That he is not at home, that, apparently, he is unwell. And he doesn't like anyone to see him in this state. He especially dislikes being photographed: as soon as the camera is pointed at him, he will either turn away or lower his head ...

- But if so, then another strong shock awaits him: after all, he entered that fatal tunnel young (47 years old), full of strength, at the peak of his career, and he will return to us a man who has already crossed the 65th birthday ...

- Yes, where life has flown ... This can be a strong shock for him. Therefore, doctors advise us to constantly pronounce dates, days of the week to him. So that he understands - it's 2014, Wednesday, and so on.

Leaving "into the light"

General Romanov is in the hospital of internal troops in Reutov, Moscow Region. He has excellent conditions - a separate module, a two-room ward, equipped with the latest medical technology. He has been in this hospital since 2009. Before that, for 14 years, he was treated at the Burdenko Hospital. All these years he was led by one doctor - Igor Klimov. Now Klimov comes as a visitor to visit his general. And, of course, he discusses with the doctors the further treatment of a super-difficult patient.

One of the installations is that the patient needs to constantly change the situation. Therefore, earlier he was transferred from ward to ward: even such trifles as where the sun looks out the window are important for the bedridden. And for those who can use a wheelchair in general, another life begins.

“The outlook is different for those who lie down and see only a piece of the ceiling,” the general’s wife explains, “and for those who can sit and keep their heads straight. Therefore, we use every opportunity. We sometimes go to our dacha, and once (5-6 years ago) we were at a neighboring dacha - Tolya's commander and friend, former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Anatoly Kulikov. The fact is that our dacha appeared after the explosion, and Anatoly Sergeevich's husband visited. We hoped that both the commander and the familiar house would help ...

General Romanov /

Larisa Vasilievna tries more to talk not about difficulties but about successes. Meanwhile, each trip of the general "to the world" is an event not only for him. If only because to leave at least an ambulance and strong assistants are needed (it weighs about 70 kg).

- And in the early 2000s, we went to the Rossiya concert hall. There was such an organization "The Third Millennium" - together with the Russian government, there with funds, they established various nominations, quite loud: man of the year, and legend of the year, and man-legend ... We were awarded in the nomination "National Hero". It was a beautiful ceremony, the Husband endured it so well, calmly ... It was important that Tolya himself received this award.

- You and your husband recently went to the gifts of the Magi ... Did they really stand in line there?

- No, of course not. There, none of those in wheelchairs stood in line. Of course, we discussed the details - how we would pick up, at what time ... Yes, our ambulance was let through, and we transferred Tolya from the gurney to a chair and already drove off. But there was a man next to us, also in a wheelchair. Then two more children arrived in armchairs... I don't know if the shrines will help, but for Tolya it was a good rehabilitation procedure.

Wife of Anatoly Romanov /

How it was

By October 6, 1995, General Romanov was the commander of the combined group of federal troops in Chechnya for only two months. Romanov was on his way to Grozny when a radio-controlled mine exploded in a tunnel under the railway bridge on Minutka Square. The commander's car was in the very center of the explosion. The general miraculously managed to save his life, but he has not yet been able to fully recover.

Anatoly Kulikov: "Yeltsin ordered to write a telegram"

One of the first versions of this terrorist attack was as follows: it could be an attempt on the life of any major Russian military leader - someone was constantly passing through that place.

On the other hand, a couple of years after that explosion, Yandarbiev gave an interview where he directly pointed to Maskhadov: let Maskhadov not pretend that Romanov accidentally fell under that landmine - he came to fight with us, but if he were sitting at home, there would be no attempt. That is, Yandarbiyev determined: it was a specially planned action against Romanov. I do not rule out that it could have been a bluff - the same as Raduev's, which he attributed any explosion to himself.

But another person confirmed this indirectly. In 1999, I ran for deputies of the State Duma from the Stavropol 54th constituency - there are 12 rural districts. And in one of the villages, after a meeting with voters, a man of 30-35 years old, a Chechen, approached me and said: “I know who killed Romanov.” And he gave me his last name - Ayubov, the Herat group, which had the goal of blowing up the commander at Minutka. I wrote down this surname and even included it in my book so that it would not be forgotten. True, I added - is it true or not, apparently, someday the law enforcement agencies will figure it out ...

But this is unlikely to happen: an investigation was conducted in hot pursuit, but no direct culprits were found.

I don’t know if any of the investigators asked Khasbulatov if anyone was interested in him about who was going to see him. I also don’t know if anyone checked whether Khasbulatov’s phone was wiretapped by the militants. After all, Romanov then went to him. And I drove spontaneously - the decision was made in just minutes.

Here is how it was. I was also in Grozny, but the day before I left for Moscow - I had to go to a report to Yeltsin. On the morning of October 6, at 8 am I was already in my office. And Romanov reported the situation to me by phone. And then he says: “Khasbulatov called, asking me to drive up to him.” I suggested that Khasbulatov drive up himself. Tolya replies: “I suggested the same to him, but he is convinced that this will nullify his mission: when the Chechens find out that he went to the Russian generals, they will decide that he has no authority.” We decided that it was not worth trying to remake the national mentality, and Tolya went himself: we always used the slightest opportunity (at least go to hell and talk to him), just to do something to stop the bloodshed.

Yeltsin, by the way, even earlier refused to participate Khasbulatov in the settlement process. But he still flew ... The President personally knew Romanov and was very worried about him. One day someone told him that the general had almost recovered. Yeltsin was delighted and immediately ordered to prepare a telegram. But, unfortunately, the miracle did not happen.

In September 2018, Colonel-General Anatoly Romanov, Hero of the Russian Federation, celebrated his seventieth birthday.

It's no secret that Anatoly spent almost one third of his life in the hospital, chained to his bed. During this time period, a whole generation of citizens has grown up on the territory of our state, who know practically nothing about the plight of the hero of the Russian Federation.

In 1995, Anatoly Romanov served as commander of the United Group of Federal Forces in Chechnya. At that time, there were active hostilities against the separatists. A huge number of senseless deaths of citizens of our state forced the government to look for other ways to resolve this conflict, but at that moment Romanov was in the heart of hostilities. General Romanov practically managed to agree with authoritative members of the armed separatist groups on the end of the war. However, there were those for whom such a scenario turned out to be rather disadvantageous, and they tried to eliminate Romanov.

In October of the same year, a meeting was to be held with a mediator in negotiations with armed groups. During a meeting with Ruslan Khasbulatov, who at that time was the ex-speaker of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, Romanov planned to discuss the tactics of negotiations.

However, an explosion of a radio-controlled landmine was heard on the territory of Grozny, and the general's vehicle was at the epicenter of the tragedy. As a result of the explosion, parts of the car scattered along the highway, and the general was hospitalized in a serious state of coma. Romanov's life was saved with the help of a pre-dressed military body armor and a helmet.

Witnesses of this tragedy say that a moment after the explosion, armed fighters began to dismantle the hot wreckage of the vehicle, hoping to find the general alive.

Already on the territory of the hospital, where the wounded soldiers were evacuated, one of the privates noticed a shiny buckle with the emblem of the USSR. The owner of this buckle was a general.

At first, the general was sent to the territory of Vladikavkaz, then to the capital of Russia. On the territory of the military hospital named after Burdenko, the general spent more than eighteen days, being in a coma. However, after a short period of time, Anatoly began to react to the outside world. After thirteen years of long treatment, the general was transferred to the territory of the Main Military Hospital of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. To date, Romanov has not found the gift of speech, however, he maintains contact with the world around him with the help of facial expressions. At the moment, experts say that the general's body is not exhausted, however, they note that his muscles have been greatly weakened, however, there are no signs that they have atrophied.

In November 1995, Romanov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. Romanov's wife refused to take the awarded award for safekeeping and said that the hero was alive, and it was Anatoly who should be awarded the medal.

For many years, Romanov's wife Larisa has been visiting her husband in the hospital, not missing a single day. During her visits, she takes her husband for walks and massages.

When asked about her fate, Larisa Vasilyevna answered that her life is filled with caring for her spouse, just like other devoted wives, whose husbands are in such a difficult situation.

During an interview with media representatives, Larisa told reporters that she visits her husband every day, sometimes twice. She also told media representatives about walking with her husband, and that the general was tired of being locked up, and family members decorated his ward with photographs and paintings.

Larisa also focused the attention of the media on significant changes in the physical condition of her husband compared to the first days after the tragedy.

The wife of Anatoly Romanov does not leave hopes for a bright future for her husband, and she sincerely hopes that Anatoly will soon be able to return to a normal lifestyle and live a full life.

With the traitor of the commander, the special forces figured out radically

On October 6, 1995, a radio-controlled mine exploded under a railway bridge in Grozny. He pulled right under the car of the commander of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Joint Grouping of Federal Forces in Chechnya, Colonel General Anatoly Romanov. The commander was seriously injured and is still in the hospital. And all these years his wife selflessly takes care of him.

Larisa Vasilievna, first of all, we congratulate your husband on his recent birthday. All employees of the newspaper wish him a speedy recovery and admire your courage! Tell me, how did Anatoly Alexandrovich manage to connect his fate with such a woman?

My friend asked me to go on a date with her. And her friend came with Anatoly. At first we somehow did not like each other, and then fell in love. He always courted beautifully: he never came without a bouquet of wildflowers. Why field officers, I realized this later - he is a cadet, where does the money come from?

- I follow him like a stone wall. It was customary in his family to idolize a woman. And wherever he is - at work, in companies, at home, a woman is above all! Even when they discussed that someone had broken up, quarreled in some other families, he always believed that the man was to blame, not the woman. The man did not tell, did not explain, did not interest his woman, and he is to blame. The woman is right in all cases! For my Anatoly, it has always been like this. Admiration for the mother, and for the wife, and for women in general.

- You were probably envied - the general's wife, special opportunities, honor, power.

You know, where we lived in military camps, this was not the case. It must be understood that the husband served in special units. These were good towns, with their own infrastructure. Everything was civil. We didn't feel any distance. As for envy ... He did not give a reason.

He treated the soldiers, officers, and other people who surrounded us equally well. He took great care of the soldiers in wartime. When he taught at the school, he took care of the cadets and teachers. And he would simply not allow me, as the commander's wife, to break these rules. He is an educated, intelligent person. At the same time, Anatoly is quite earthly - he did not shy away from drinking with friends, he smoked.

Katenka will treat grandfather

- Did your husband get upset when you gave birth to his daughter and not a son?

No. He called her Victoria - Victory. She is already 37. Her first education is pedagogical, the second - legal. Works at customs. Head of the personnel department. The first husband turned out to be an egoist, they divorced. The second one is fine. She was the secretary of the Komsomol organization at school, and he was the secretary of the Komsomol city committee. I worked in the town in a bookstore, by education I am a book trade organizer. Everyone knew me, and I knew everyone. Sergei, Vika's second husband, had a family, but he separated from his wife and asked for shelter from me. Explaining that it is hard for him now, and there is no one to turn to for help. I was on good terms with him, I knew him for 20 years. Vika by that time was also free. Then they got married. Sergei has his own company. They live well. Granddaughter Katenka was presented to me.

I watched as you looked at your granddaughter, who performs in the famous Eliseev Dance Ensemble of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Do you want Katya to become a soloist?

Does she have a grandfather's last name?

I think she will eventually choose who she will be - Romanova or Plekhanova. It's not essential. Moreover, both the first surname and the second are worth wearing. Most importantly, let a kind, well-mannered person grow up.

Threw the boor out of the trolleybus

- Tell me, Anatoly Alexandrovich fought for you in his youth, could he put the boor in his place?

Of course. Tolya did karate. Once we were walking along the embankment, and a bunch of guys, about six people, began to release obscenities in our direction. Well, Anatoly rushed in their direction. The fight was to the death. We barely got him. A few people remained in bed. And once I entered the trolleybus with my child through the front door, Tolya, of course, through the back. At the bus stop, one boor started yelling at me that I was blocking the exit, and even using foul language. Tolya came up and threw him out of the trolley bus.

I remember your act when General Romanov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia: you were offered to receive an award for him, but you refused.

I replied: “I am not a widow! He deserves it, give it to him." And it’s so insulting, she shed so many tears. Only six years later, army general Tikhomirov arrived at the hospital and attached the Gold Star of the Hero to the chest of her husband.

I think we all walk under God. Today you are powerful, and tomorrow you are nobody. And you need to remain a person in any circumstances.

I already forgot what was there. I live in the future. Granddaughter, husband, my own problems: finding strollers, mattresses, arranging the ward. Everything else does not interest me.

- Colleagues of the husband come, do not forget?

Not only do not forget, but even financially help. Someone sponsors the purchase of a wheelchair, someone - an anti-decubitus system.

- And what, the Ministry of Defense was eliminated?

Have you seen these defense ministers? We don't have ministers of war. We have managers. The last Minister of Defense graduated from the All-Union Trade Institute. You are a naive person. What is a hospital? This is a budget organization. The hospital can only provide what is budgeted. The fact that my husband was in the Burdenko Hospital is a personal merit Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin. When the wounded husband flew on the "Scalpel" (special aircraft. - A. B.), the President ordered him to be placed in the Burdenko Hospital. 15 years ago it was the best medical institution. But recently the reorganization began, and the impression was created that the hospital was simply destroyed. We decided to leave it and move to the departmental hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Balashikha. My husband is now in a stable condition. No need for surgical intervention. There is a rehabilitation. When the husband was shown the granddaughter, he had tears. So he feels. We are waiting and hoping!

Generals surrendered their

Together with Anatoly Alexandrovich on that fateful day, General Vladimir Shamanov was supposed to go to a meeting with Khasbulatov. But at the last moment, your husband ordered him to fly to the Vvedensky district, where the attack of the militants began.

Yes, Shamanov flew to the rescue of the guys, and Tolya went to Khasbulatov one. Shamanov then told me: “Larisa! It was God who saved me!”

Here's another question that worries me. After all, the commander himself chooses the route. This is top secret information. So someone betrayed him?

And what do you think? Of course they did! I don’t know the details, but officers from the special forces told me that they dealt with this man. Very hard. Cardinally.

Romanov Anatoly Alexandrovich - Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation - Commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General.

He was born on September 27, 1948 in the village of Mikhailovka, now the Ermolka Village Council of the Belebeevsky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan, into a peasant family. Russian. He graduated from an incomplete secondary school in his native village, and in 1966 - 11 classes of a secondary school in the city of Belebey. Since 1966, he worked as a milling machine operator at the plant.

He was drafted into the Armed Forces of the USSR on October 29, 1967 by the Kirov district military registration and enlistment office of the city of Ufa. He served in the 95th division of the internal troops for the protection of important state facilities and special cargo in the positions: shooter, cadet, squad leader, deputy platoon commander, platoon commander. In 1969, instead of being transferred to the reserve, Senior Sergeant A.A. Romanov wrote a report about sending him to a military school.

In 1972 he graduated with honors from the Saratov Military Command Red Banner School of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky (since 1973 - higher). As the best graduate, he was left in the same school, served there as a course officer, assistant to the head of the training department, teacher of the fire training department, commander of a cadet battalion.

In 1982 he graduated from the Military Academy named after M. V. Frunze. He again commanded a battalion at the Saratov School. Since 1984 - deputy commander, and since 1985 - commander of the 546th regiment of internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Sverdlovsk region, which performed the task of protecting one of the strategic defense enterprises. Since 1988 - Chief of Staff of the 95th Division for the Protection of Important State Facilities and Special Cargoes of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (Zhukovsky, Moscow Region).

In 1991 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Since 1992 - commander of the 96th division of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (Yekaterinburg). From the beginning of 1993 - Head of the Special Units of the Internal Troops for the Protection of Important State Facilities and Special Cargoes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Since mid-1993 - Deputy Commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia - Head of the Combat Training Department of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

A.A. Romanov, a participant in the bloody events in September-October 1993 in Moscow, during the period of confrontation between the President of the Russian Federation and the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, dissolved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1400 of September 21, 1993, acted on the presidential side. Repeatedly traveled on business trips to the North Caucasus.

Since June 1995 - Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Russian Federation - Commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. At the same time he was appointed commander of the United Group of Federal Forces in the Chechen Republic. An active participant in the operation to restore constitutional order in the Chechen Republic, also known as the first Chechen war.

He could combine military clarity with intelligence. Thanks to such qualities of character, the main result of his service in the rebellious Chechnya was a consistent movement towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict. It was during his tenure as commander that a schedule for the disarmament of the most "irreconcilable" Chechen illegal armed groups was agreed upon, an active process of accepting weapons from the population and restoring local authorities began. Taking the most direct part in the work of the special monitoring commission for the peaceful settlement of the crisis in Chechnya, he carried out titanic work to stop hostilities and bloodshed. Often, after a series of serious provocations by the militants, only his endurance allowed him not to slide into a new round of armed confrontation.

On October 6, 1995, he was seriously wounded in a tunnel near Minutka Square in Grozny as a result of a well-planned terrorist act - an explosion of a radio-controlled landmine.

By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 5, 1995, for the courage and heroism shown in the performance of a special assignment, Lieutenant General Romanov Anatoly Alexandrovich He was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation with the award of a special distinction - the Gold Star medal.

On December 28, 1995, Colonel-General A.A. Romanov was relieved of his post as commander of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Since the time of his injury, he has been recovering: in 1995-2009 - in the Main Military Clinical Hospital named after Academician N.N. Burdenko of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, since 2009 - in the Main Military Clinical Hospital of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (Balashikha).

Colonel-General A.A. Romanov is alive, and so is his work. His pupils and comrades-in-arms serve in the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, new generations of soldiers and officers are coming, for whom the fate of A.A. Romanov is still a model of real military service and high human dignity.

Colonel General (07.11.1995). He was awarded the orders "For Military Merit" (12/31/1994, No. 1), "For Personal Courage" (10/07/1993, No. 2039), the Red Star (02/19/1988, No. 3789284), medals.

Laureate of the Russian National Olympus Prize (2002).

Honorary citizen of the city of Saratov (10/28/1997).