During the fighting on the territory of Ukraine, the 1st company of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division was almost completely destroyed. This is stated in the new issue of the Pskovskaya Guberniya newspaper, which appeared online on September 2.

At the disposal of the publication were records of negotiations between active servicemen of the 76th division, which, on condition of anonymity, were transferred to the publisher of the Pskov province, Lev Shlosberg.

“There is no reason to doubt the authenticity of the materials provided,” the article says at the beginning.

As follows from the transcript of the conversation, on August 16, the company was transferred across the border with Ukraine. On August 20, paratroopers destroyed a Ukrainian checkpoint and a group of armored vehicles on foreign territory. However, then, near the settlement of Georgievka, the company was covered by a massive artillery strike. One of the interlocutors explained this by the fact that an “American brigade” of electronic warfare (EW) is operating in the combat area.

It follows from the conversation that out of the entire first company of 80 people, about ten fighters survived, the rest died. Among the dead was Leonid Kichatkin, whose grave was discovered in a cemetery near Pskov on 25 August. The interlocutors also speculate that up to 140 paratroopers could have died, since we are talking not about regular, but about specially equipped units.

The paratroopers also discuss the situation with concealing the death of their comrades, in particular, Leonid Kichatkin:

- I understand that they covered the mouth of Lena's wife too?

- Most likely, ***** [damn] Because they took away her phone, some man picked up the phone, said that “I am Lenya”. Bitch, I would have seen him, I would have ***** [face] smashed to him, ***** [what the hell]...

- Lenya is already lying, ***** [what the fuck]...

- Lenya is there without legs, you can say ... I talked with a man who was right there, in this battle.

Earlier, Shlosberg told the Kashin.Guru publication that the families of the dead Pskov paratroopers are being forced to keep silent about the death of their relatives, blackmailing them with deprivation of material support.

“Our paratroopers are sent to commit crimes on the territory of another state. Do you know what they write in the death certificate? "Household gas explosion", "heart attack", "stroke". Where the place of death should be indicated - a dash. Formally, according to such documents, it is impossible for a family to receive any benefits and benefits, ”Schlosberg said, in particular.

He also spoke about one of the fighters, who is in a hospital in the Rostov region:

“His mother writes on her page what “journalist bastards”, “all this is invented”, and her son is “alive and well”. At the same time, he was in the hospital with monstrous blood loss, his leg was amputated. I do not rule out that in social networks access to these accounts - mothers, wives - was simply given by order into the wrong hands and ordered to be forgotten.

On the evening of August 29, Schlosberg was attacked. As a result, the deputy received a concussion, a broken nose, bruises on his face and body. Schlosberg himself linked the incident to the investigation into the death of Pskov paratroopers.

On August 25, Pskovskaya Guberniya published material on the funeral of the soldiers of the Pskov Airborne Division who died under then unknown circumstances. In particular, photographs of the graves of paratroopers Leonid Kichatkin and Alexander Osipov were published.

REN TV: Elena Manikhina

"The blue splashed, splashed, spilled over the vests into the berets." Blue berets, vests, parachutes and the blue sky - these are all irreplaceable attributes of the fighters who have already become elite troops - the airborne.

August 2 is celebrated as the day of the Airborne Forces throughout Russia. This year, the airborne troops are celebrating their 85th anniversary. Celebrations will be held in all cities of Russia on the day of the Airborne Forces.

In Moscow, the main action will unfold in Gorky Park: concerts, exhibitions, a field kitchen, meetings of former colleagues and, of course, military equipment of the landing. Festive events will begin with a divine liturgy in the church of Elijah the Prophet at the headquarters of the Airborne Forces and the laying of a flower at the memorials.

On this day, thousands of men of different ages in blue berets, vests and turquoise flags will swim in the fountains and remember the army years with colleagues, and we will remember the immortal feats of Russian paratroopers.

Battle of the Pskov paratroopers in the Argun Gorge

Speaking of the exploits of the Russian landing, it is impossible not to recall the incredibly tragic and equally heroic battle of the Pskov paratroopers in the Argun Gorge in Chechnya. On February 29 - March 1, 2000, soldiers of the 6th company of the 2nd battalion of the 104th Guards Airborne Regiment of the Pskov division fought a hard battle with militants under the command of Khattab at height 776 in the vicinity of the city of Argun in the central part of Chechnya. Two and a half thousand militants were opposed by 90 paratroopers, 84 of whom fell heroically in battle. Only six soldiers survived. The company blocked the way for Chechen fighters who were trying to break through from the Argun Gorge to Dagestan. Information about the death of an entire company was kept secret for a long time.

One can only guess what the soldiers had to endure in this terrible battle. The soldiers blew themselves up, already wounded, they rushed at the militants, not wanting to give up. "It's better to die than to surrender," said the soldiers of the company.

This follows from the protocol records: "When the ammunition ran out, the paratroopers went into hand-to-hand combat and blew themselves up with grenades in a crowd of militants."

One such example is Senior Lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov, who destroyed field commander Idris. Splinters of mines broke Vorobyov's legs, one bullet hit in the stomach, the other in the chest, but he fought to the last. It is known that when the 1st company broke through to the heights on the morning of March 2, the lieutenant's body was still warm.

Our guys paid a big price for the victory, but they managed to stop the enemy, who could not escape from the gorge. Of the 2,500 militants, only 500 survived.

22 fighters of the company received the title of Hero of Russia, 21 of them - posthumously, the rest became holders of the Order of Courage.

Mozhaisk landing

An example of the greatest courage and valor of the Russian landing force is the feat of the Siberian soldiers who died in 1941 near Mozhaisk in an unequal battle with the Nazi troops.

It was the cold winter of 1941. A Soviet pilot on a reconnaissance flight saw that a column of enemy armored vehicles was moving towards Moscow, and there were no detachments or anti-tank weapons on its way. The Soviet command decided to drop troops in front of the tanks.

When the commander came to the airborne company of Siberians, who were brought to the nearest airfield, they were offered to jump from aircraft directly into the snow. Moreover, it was necessary to jump without parachutes at low level flight. It is noteworthy that this was not an order, but a request, but all the servicemen took a step forward.

The German soldiers were unpleasantly surprised to see low-flying planes, and then they completely succumbed to panic when people in white coats rained down from them one after another. And this stream had no end. When it seemed that the Germans had already destroyed everyone, new planes appeared with new fighters.

The author of the novel "Prince's Island" Yuri Sergeev describes these events in this way. "The Russians were not visible in the snow, they seemed to grow out of the ground itself: fearless, furious and holy in their retribution, unstoppable by any weapon. The battle boiled and bubbled on the highway. The Germans killed almost everyone and were already rejoicing at the victory when they saw a new column of tanks catching up with them and motorized infantry, when again a wave of planes crawled out of the forest and a white waterfall of fresh fighters gushed out of them, hitting the enemy even in the fall ...

The German columns were destroyed, only a few armored cars and vehicles escaped from this hell and rushed back, carrying mortal horror and mystical fear of the fearlessness, will and spirit of the Russian soldier. After it turned out that when falling into the snow, only twelve percent of the landing force died.
The rest took an unequal fight."

There is no documentary evidence for this story. Many believe that for some reason it is still classified for some reason, while others consider it a beautiful legend about the feat of the paratroopers. However, when skeptics asked the famous Soviet intelligence officer and paratrooper, the record holder for the number of parachute jumps Ivan Starchak, about this story, he did not question the reality of this story. The fact is that he himself, with his fighters, also landed in Moscow in order to stop the motorized column of opponents.

On October 5, 1941, our Soviet intelligence discovered a 25-kilometer German motorized column, which was moving at full speed along the Warsaw highway in the direction of Yukhnov. 200 tanks, 20 thousand infantry in vehicles, accompanied by aviation and artillery, posed a mortal threat to Moscow, which was 198 kilometers away. There were no Soviet troops on this path. Only in Podolsk there were two military schools: infantry and artillery.

In order to give them time to take up defense, a small airborne assault was dropped under the command of Captain Starchak. Of the 430 people, only 80 were experienced paratroopers, another 200 were from front-line air units and 150 were newly arrived replenishment of Komsomol members, and all without guns, machine guns and tanks.

The paratroopers took up defense on the Ugra River, mined and blew up the roadbed and bridges along the Germans' route, setting up ambushes. There is a case when one of the groups attacked an airfield captured by the Germans, burned two TB-3 aircraft, and took the third to Moscow. It was led by paratrooper Pyotr Balashov, who had never flown such aircraft before. He landed safely in Moscow on his fifth attempt.

But the forces were not equal, reinforcements came to the Germans. Three days later, out of 430 people, only 29 survived, including Ivan Starchak. Later, help came to the Soviet military. Almost everyone died, but they did not allow the Nazis to break through to Moscow. All were presented to the Order of the Red Banner, and Starchak - to the Order of Lenin. Budyonny, commander of the front, called Starchak a "desperate commander."

Then Starchak repeatedly entered the battle during the Great Patriotic War, was wounded several times, but survived.

When one of his British colleagues asked him why the Russians do not give up even in the face of death, although sometimes it is easier, he replied:

"In your opinion, this is fanaticism, but in our opinion, love for the land on which he grew up and which he exalted with labor. Love for a country where you are the complete master. And the fact that Soviet soldiers fight for their Motherland to the last bullet, to the last drop of blood, we consider the highest military and civil prowess."

Later, Starchak wrote an autobiographical story "From the sky - into battle", in which he spoke about these events. Starchak died in 1981 at the age of 76, leaving behind an immortal feat worthy of legend.

Better death than captivity

Another famous episode in the history of the Soviet and Russian landings is the battle in the Old City of Herat during the war in Afghanistan. When on July 11, 1985, a Soviet armored personnel carrier was blown up by a mine, only four people survived, led by junior sergeant V. Shimansky. They took up all-round defense and decided not to surrender under any circumstances, while the enemy wanted to capture Soviet soldiers.

Surrounded soldiers took an unequal battle. They had already run out of ammunition, the enemy was squeezing into a tight ring, but there were still no reinforcements. Then, in order not to fall into the hands of enemies, the commander ordered the soldiers to shoot themselves.

They gathered under the burning armored personnel carrier, hugged, said goodbye, and then each fired a machine gun at himself. The commander fired last. When Soviet reinforcements arrived, four of the dead soldiers were lying next to the armored personnel carrier, where they were dragged by the enemy. The surprise of the Soviet soldiers was great when they saw that one of them was alive. The machine gunner Teplyuk had four bullets that passed a few centimeters above his heart. It was he who later spoke about the last minutes of the life of the heroic crew.

The death of the Maravar company

The death of the so-called Maravar company during the war in Afghanistan on April 21, 1985 is another tragic and heroic episode in the history of the national landing force.

The 1st company of the Soviet special forces under the command of Captain Tsebruk was surrounded in the Maravar Gorge in the province of Kunar and was destroyed by the enemy.

It is known that the company carried out a training exit to the village of Sangam, located at the beginning of the Maravar gorge. There was no enemy in the village, but Mujahideen were seen in the depths of the gorge. When the soldiers of the company began to pursue the enemy, they were ambushed. The company divided into four groups and began to go deeper into the gorge.

The dushmans who saw the enemy entered the rear of the 1st company, blocked the way for the fighters to Daridam, where the 2nd and 3rd companies were located, they set up posts armed with DShK heavy machine guns. The forces were not equal, and the ammunition load that the special forces took with them to the training exit was only enough for a few minutes of the battle.

At the same time, a detachment was hastily formed in Asadabad, which went to help the company that was ambushed. Reinforced with armored vehicles, the detachment could not quickly cross the river and had to take a detour, which took additional time. Three kilometers on the map turned into 23 on mine-laden Afghan soil. Of the entire armored group, only one vehicle broke through towards Maravar. This did not help the 1st company, but saved the 2nd and 3rd companies, which repulsed the attacks of the Mujahideen.

In the afternoon of April 21, when the consolidated company and the armored group entered the Maravar Gorge, the surviving soldiers walked towards them, bringing out and carrying out the wounded comrades. They told about the terrible massacre of the enemies enraged by the furious rebuff over those who remained on the battlefield: they ripped open their stomachs, gouged out their eyes, burned them alive.

The bodies of the dead soldiers were collected for two days. Many had to be identified by tattoos and clothing details. Some bodies had to be transported along with wicker couches, on which the fighters were tortured. In the battle in the Maravar Gorge, 31 Soviet servicemen were killed.

12-hour battle of the 9th company

The feat of Russian paratroopers, immortalized not only by history, but also by cinema, was the battle of the 9th company of the 345th Guards Separate Parachute Regiment for the dominant height of 3234 in the city of Khost during the war in Afghanistan.

A company of paratroopers, consisting of 39 people, entered the battle, trying to keep the Mujahideen out of their positions on January 7, 1988. The enemy (according to various sources, 200-400 people) intended to bring down the outposts from the dominant height and open access to the Gardez-Khost road.

The enemy opened fire on the positions of the Soviet troops with recoilless rifles, mortars, small arms and grenade launchers. Just a day before three in the morning, the Mujahideen launched 12 attacks, the last of which was critical. The enemy managed to get as close as possible, but at that time, a reconnaissance platoon of the 3rd parachute battalion, which delivered ammunition, made its way to the aid of the 9th company. This decided the outcome of the battle, the Mujahideen, suffering serious losses, began to retreat. As a result of the twelve-hour battle, it was not possible to capture the height.

In the 9th company, 6 servicemen were killed, 28 were injured.

This story formed the basis of the famous film by Fyodor Bondarchuk "9th Company", which tells about the valor of Soviet soldiers.

Vyazemskaya operation of the Soviet landing

Every year in Russia they remember the feat of Soviet front-line paratroopers. Among them is the so-called Vyazemskaya airborne operation. This is an operation of the Red Army to land troops behind German troops during the Rzhev-Vyazemsky offensive operation, which was carried out from January 18 to February 28, 1942 in order to assist the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts, surrounded by part of the forces of the German Army Group Center.

No one conducted airborne operations of this magnitude during the Great Patriotic War. For this, the 4th Airborne Corps, numbering more than 10 thousand people, was parachuted near Vyazma. The corps was commanded by Major General A.F. Levashov.

On January 27, an advanced landing detachment under the command of Captain M.Ya. Karnaukhov was thrown behind the front line on dozens of aircraft. Then, over the next six days, the 8th airborne brigade with a total strength of about 2,100 people was landed behind enemy lines.

However, the general stop at the front for the Soviet troops was difficult. Part of the landing paratroopers merged with the active units, and the landing of the remaining fighters was postponed.

A few weeks later, the 4th battalion of the 8th airborne brigade, as well as parts of the 9th and 214th brigades, landed behind enemy lines. In total, in January-February 1942, over 10 thousand people, 320 mortars, 541 machine guns, 300 anti-tank rifles were landed on Smolensk land. All this happened with an acute shortage of transport aircraft, in difficult climatic and weather conditions, with strong opposition from the enemy.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to solve the tasks assigned to the paratroopers, since the enemy was very strong.

The soldiers of the 4th Airborne Corps, which had only light weapons and a minimum of food and ammunition, had to fight behind enemy lines for five long months.

After the war, the former Nazi officer A. Gove in the book "Attention, paratroopers!" was forced to admit: “The landed Russian paratroopers held the forest in their hands for many days and, lying in 38-degree frost on pine branches laid directly on the snow, repelled all German attacks, which at first were improvised in nature. Only with the support of those who arrived from Vyazma German self-propelled guns and dive bombers managed to clear the road from the Russians.

These are just a few examples of the exploits of Russian and Soviet paratroopers, which not only inspire pride among compatriots, but also the respect of enemies who bow before the bravery of "these Russians in vests."

This article is for informational purposes, and provides an opportunity to get acquainted with two points of view (Chechen and Russian sides) on the battle of paratroopers of the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th Airborne Forces and Chechen fighters under the command of and.

Version of the battle near Ulus-Kert from the Chechen side:

In late February, early March, another anniversary of the famous battle near Ulus-Kert, during which the Mujahideen destroyed Russian paratroopers from Pskov.

Despite the fact that the inventions of the Kremlin propaganda about this battle have been repeatedly refuted by the Chechen side, Moscow is still trying to push lies into the public consciousness of the layman and impose its own interpretation of that unprecedented battle in which the Mujahideen, exhausted by a 2-week winter transition, utterly defeated an elite unit of Russian troops .

10 years ago, on February 29, 2000, a fierce battle took place near Ulus-Kert between a select detachment of invaders and a unit of Chechen Mujahideen. 70 volunteer fighters stormed the height, on which there was a company of those very Pskov paratroopers, who, as Russian propaganda lies, supposedly "restrained the onslaught of 2,000 militants."

1300 Mujahideen marched from Shatoi towards Dargo-Vedeno. Exhausted by the long march, frozen, wounded, sick, the Mujahideen came to the gorge of the Vashtar (Abazulgol) river. Intelligence reported that at the height between Ulus-Kert and Duba-Yurt there was a detachment of invaders, who had mortars at their disposal.

Eyewitnesses and participants in that battle say that after a short meeting, the wounded Shamil Basayev (he was carried on a stretcher with a severed leg) ordered Khattab to select the assault group and attack the paratroopers. Khattab initially refused, stating that the convoy (albeit under fire) would be able to pass the paratroopers without coming into fire contact. However, Shamil pointed out that in the event of passing under enemy fire, the losses would be disproportionately greater, and that the rearguard of the column would be under the threat of a mortar attack.

Then Shamil Basayev turned to Khattab and said - "If you do not follow my order now, then on Judgment Day I will testify before Allah that you did not follow the order of your amir." Hearing these words, Khattab immediately apologized and set about forming an assault group, which he himself led. As Khattab himself later said, he was afraid of those words of Shamil and the fact that on the Day of Judgment he would have nothing to justify himself before the Almighty.

Khattab selected a group of Mujahideen in 70 volunteer fighters. Before the battle, Shamil addressed the Mujahideen with a speech. Then the assault began.

As the participants in the battle say, they climbed to the high-rise under the enemy's hurricane fire at an incredibly slow speed. There was practically no strength to move up. The Mujahideen helped themselves to rearrange their legs with their hands. There was no question of aimed shooting at the paratroopers. When the advance party climbed to the heights, an impressive and at the same time strange picture appeared before them.

About 100 corpses were dumped into one pile, as if someone had specially dragged them to one place. Horror froze on the faces of all the paratroopers. Their faces were greyish-ashy. Almost all had bullet wounds to the head and chest almost under the throat.

The Mujahideen lost 25 fighters (according to other sources 21). Almost all those who died near Ulus-Kert were buried in the settlements of the Vedeno region: Tevzana, Makhkety, Khattuni.

As Khattab and the fighters of the assault group later stated, all participants in that battle had a clear feeling that the cause of death of the paratroopers was not so much their shooting, but the action of another force - Allah and his Angels.

Khattab, who loved to tell episodes of various battles, almost never spoke much about the battle near Ulus-Kert. Not much about this fight.
other participants said as well. When the Mujahideen tried to question Khattab about that battle, he usually answered briefly - "It was not our job ...".

Meanwhile, Russian propaganda, trying to distort the real events of that battle, continues to tell stories "about hordes of militants and a handful of Russian heroes." Articles and books are written, films and performances are made, generals and politicians appear on TV. At the same time, every year Russian state propaganda calls different figures for the losses of the Mujahideen, sometimes 500, sometimes 1500, sometimes 700 (this is the latest version). To a simple question - "Where is the mass grave of militants?" - Moscow propagandists prefer not to answer.

By the way, in those days, up to 200 special forces of the Russian army were destroyed by the Mujahideen in the Ulus-Kert area. However, only the losses among the Pskov paratroopers were given official publicity, which could not be kept silent, since they were all from the same part and the same city, and all the inhabitants of Pskov were aware of these losses.

Approximately a week after the battle near Ulus-Kert, in the town of Duts-Khoti of the Selmentauzen rural administration, the Russian invaders, with the help of local apostates, betrayed, and then vilely shot 42 wounded and unarmed Mujahideen, who, by decision of the command of the Mujahideen, were temporarily left in one from buildings on the outskirts of the village.

Subsequently, the traitors were found and destroyed.

Version of the battle near Ulus-Kert from the Russian side:

On the afternoon of February 29, 2000, the federal command hurried to interpret the capture of Shatoi as a signal that the "Chechen resistance" had finally been broken. Vladimir Putin was reported "on the fulfillment of the tasks of the third stage" of the operation in the North Caucasus, and. about. Gennady Troshev, Commander of the United Forces, noted that for another two to three weeks, operations would be carried out to destroy the "escaped bandits", but the full-scale military operation was completed.

Colonel of the reserve Vladimir Vorobyov, a former paratrooper who went through Afghanistan (at one time he commanded the 104th “Cherekhinsk” regiment), will help us in the investigation. Father of Senior Lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov, who died near Ulus-Kert. Two years after the tragedy, he compiled a complete picture of what happened, which is somewhat at odds with the official version.

Gangs of Chechen warlords found themselves in a strategic bag. This happened after the landing of a tactical landing force, which, as if with a sharp knife, cut the Itum-Kale-Shatili mountain road, built by the slaves of "free Ichkeria". The operational group "Center" began to methodically shoot down the enemy, forcing him to retreat down the Argun Gorge: from the Russian-Georgian border to the north.

Intelligence reported: Khattab moved to the northeast, to the Vedeno region, where he had an extensive network of mountain bases, warehouses and shelters. He intended to capture Vedeno, the villages of Mekhkety, Elistanzhi and Kirov-Yurt and secure a springboard for a breakthrough into Dagestan. In the neighboring republic, the "mujahideen" planned to take a large number of civilians hostage and thereby force the federal authorities to negotiate.

Restoring the chronicle of those days, one must clearly understand: talking about “securely blocked gangs” is a bluff, an attempt to wishful thinking. The strategically important Argun Gorge is over 30 kilometers long. The units not trained in mountain warfare were unable to establish control over the branched and perfect mountain system unfamiliar to them. Even on the old map, you can count more than two dozen trails in this area. And how many of those that are not marked on any maps at all? To block each such path, you need to use the company. It turns out an impressive number. With the forces that were at hand, the federal command could not only destroy, but reliably block the gangs going to break through only on paper.

On the most dangerous, as it turned out later, direction, the command of the United Forces deployed fighters of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division. Meanwhile, Khattab chose a simple but effective tactic: after reconnaissance of the battles, he intended to find the weakest points, and then, leaning on his whole mass, escape from the gorge.

February 28 "mujahideen" went ahead. The paratroopers of the 3rd company, led by senior lieutenant Vasilyev, were the first to take the blow. They occupied the dominant heights five kilometers east of Ulus-Kert. Khattab's detachments unsuccessfully tried to break through a well-organized fire system and retreated, suffering significant losses.

The divisions of the 2nd battalion kept the dominant heights over the Sharoargun gorge under control. There was a passage between the channels of the Sharoargun and Abazulgol rivers. To rule out the possibility of militants "leaking" here, the commander of the 104th regiment ordered the commander of the 6th company, Major Sergei Molodov, to occupy another dominant height 4-5 kilometers from Ulus-Kert. And since the company commander was transferred to the unit literally the day before and did not have time to thoroughly understand the operational situation, get acquainted with the personnel, the commander of the 2nd battalion Mark Evtyukhin secured him.

The paratroopers set off on their way still dark. They had to make a fifteen-kilometer forced march in a few hours to a given square, where they would set up a new base camp. We went with a full combat gear. They were armed only with small arms and grenade launchers. The prefix for the radio station, which provides covert radio exchange, was left at the base. They carried water, food, tents and potbelly stoves, without which it is simply impossible to survive in the mountains in winter. According to the calculations of Vladimir Vorobyov, the unit stretched for 5-6 kilometers, no more than a kilometer passed per hour. We also note that the paratroopers went to the heights immediately after a difficult throw along the Dombay-Arzy route, that is, without proper rest.

Helicopter assault was ruled out, since aerial reconnaissance did not find a single suitable site in the mountain forest.

The paratroopers went to the limit of their physical strength - this is a fact that no one can dispute. From the analysis of the situation, the following conclusion suggests itself: the command was belated with the decision to transfer the 6th company to Ista-Kord, and the latter, having realized it, set obviously impossible deadlines.

Even before sunrise, the 6th company of the 104th Guards Airborne Regiment, reinforced by a platoon and two reconnaissance groups, was at the target - the interfluve of the Argun tributaries south of Ulus-Kert. The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin, led the actions of the paratroopers.

As it later became known, 90 paratroopers, on an isthmus of 200 meters, blocked the path of the 2,000-strong Khattab group. As far as one can judge, the bandits were the first to discover the enemy. This is evidenced by radio intercepts.

At that moment, the Mujahideen were moving in two detachments along the Sharoargun and Abazulgol rivers. Height 776.0, where our paratroopers took a breath after the hardest forced march, they decided to bypass from two sides.

Two reconnaissance groups, 30 people each, were moving ahead of both gangs, followed by two combat security detachments of 50 militants each. One of the head patrols was discovered by Senior Lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov with his scouts, which saved the 6th company from a surprise attack.

It was noon. The scouts found the militants at the foot of the height 776.0. Opponents were separated by tens of meters. In a matter of seconds, with the help of grenades, the vanguard of the bandits was destroyed. But dozens of Mujahideen poured in after him.

The scouts with the wounded on their shoulders retreated to the main forces, and the company had to take on the oncoming battle. While the scouts could hold back the onslaught of the bandits, the battalion commander decided to gain a foothold on this forested height of 776.0 and not give the bandits the opportunity to get out and the blocked gorge.

Before the start of the assault, the Khattab field commanders Idris and Abu Walid went on the radio to the battalion commander and suggested that Yevtukhin let the “mujahideen” through:

There are ten times more of us here. Think, commander, is it worth risking people? Night, fog - no one will notice ...

What the battalion commander answered is not difficult to imagine. After these "negotiations", the bandits unleashed a flurry of fire from mortars and grenade launchers on the positions of the paratroopers. By midnight, the battle reached its highest intensity. The guards did not flinch, although the enemy outnumbered them by more than 20 times. The bandits advanced to positions to throw grenades. In some areas, the paratroopers met in hand-to-hand combat. One of the first in the 6th company was killed by its commander Sergei Molodov - a sniper's bullet hit him in the neck.

The command could only support the company with artillery fire. The fire of the regimental gunners was corrected by the commander of the self-propelled battery, Captain Viktor Romanov. According to General Troshev, from noon on February 29 until the early morning of March 1, regimental gunners poured 1,200 shells into the Ista-Korda area.

They did not use aviation, being afraid to hit their own. The bandits covered their flanks with water streams, which were on the right and left, which made it impossible to freely maneuver and provide effective assistance. The enemy set up ambushes and took up defense on the coast, preventing them from approaching the tributaries of the Argun. Several crossing attempts ended in failure. The 1st company of paratroopers, thrown to the rescue of dying comrades, was able to break through to a height of 776.0 only on the morning of March 2.

From three to five in the morning on March 1, there was a "respite" - there were no attacks, but mortars and snipers did not stop shelling. Battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin reported the situation to the regiment commander, Colonel Sergei Melentiev. He ordered to hold on, wait for help.

After a few hours of battle, it became obvious that the 6th company simply did not have enough ammunition to hold back the continuous attacks of the militants. The battalion commander on the radio asked for help from his deputy major Alexander Dostovalov, who was one and a half kilometers from the dying company. He had fifteen men with him.

We like to say various beautiful phrases on any occasion, without particularly thinking about their meaning. The expression "heavy fire" also fell in love. So. Despite the heavy, without quotes, enemy fire, Alexander Dostovalov and a platoon of paratroopers by some miracle managed to get through to their comrades, who for the second hour held back the furious onslaught of the Khattab bandits. For the 6th company, this was a powerful emotional charge. The guys believed that they had not been abandoned, that they were remembered, that they would be helped.

... The platoon was enough for two hours of battle. At 5 o'clock Khattab launched two battalions of suicide bombers - "white angels" into the attack. They completely surrounded the height, cutting off part of the last platoon, which did not have time to rise to the height: it was shot practically in the back. In the company itself, ammunition was already collected from the dead and wounded.

The forces were unequal. Soldiers and officers perished one after another. Alexei Vorobyov's legs were broken by fragments of mines, one bullet hit his stomach, the other pierced his chest. But the officer did not leave the battle. It was he who destroyed Idris, a friend of Khattab, the "chief of intelligence."

On the night of March 1, at an altitude of 705.6, hand-to-hand combat took place, which took on a focal character. The snow at the top was mixed with blood. The paratroopers fought off the last attack with several machine guns. Battalion commander Mark Yevtukhin realized that the life of the company went to the minute. A little more, and the bandits on the corpses of the paratroopers will break out of the gorge. And then he turned to Captain Viktor Romanov. That one, bleeding, with the stumps of legs tied with tourniquets, lay nearby - on the company command post.

- Come on, let's call fire on ourselves!

Already losing consciousness, Romanov handed over the coordinates to the battery. At 6:10 a.m., communication with Lieutenant Colonel Yevtukhin was cut off. The battalion commander fired back to the last bullet and was hit by a sniper's bullet in the head.

On the morning of March 2, the 1st company entered Ista-Kord. When the paratroopers pushed back the militants from a height of 705.6, a terrible picture opened up before them: perennial beeches, "trimmed" by shells and mines, and everywhere - corpses, corpses of "mujahideen". Four hundred people. In the company stronghold - the bodies of 13 Russian officers and 73 sergeants and privates.

Following the “bloody trails”, Udugov posted eight photos of the killed paratroopers on the Kavkaz-Center website. The photographs do not show that many of the bodies were cut into pieces. "Fighters for the Faith" cracked down on any paratroopers in whom life was still glimmering. This was told by those who miraculously managed to survive.

Senior Sergeant Alexander Suponinsky, on the orders of the commander, jumped into a deep ravine. Private Andrei Porshnev jumped next. About 50 militants fired at them from machine guns for half an hour. After waiting, the wounded paratroopers, first crawling, and then full-length, began to leave. The boys miraculously survived.

“There were five of us, the last ones,” Andrei Porshnev later recalled, “battalion commander Yevtyukhin, deputy battalion commander Dostavalov and senior lieutenant Kozhemyakin. Officers. Well, Sasha and I. Evtyukhin and Dostavalov were killed, while Kozhemyakin's both legs were broken, and he tossed cartridges at us with his hands. The militants came close to us, there were about three meters left, and Kozhemyakin ordered us: leave, jump down ...

For that fight, Alexander Suponinsky received the star of the Hero of Russia.

On the table of the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Gennady Shpak, a list of the dead paratroopers lay down. All the circumstances of this fierce battle were reported in the smallest details. Shpak made a report to the Minister of Defense, Marshal Igor Sergeev, but in response he received an instruction: data on events near Ulus-Kert should be banned until a separate order for disclosure.

It just so happened that it was on February 29 that Marshal Sergeev reported to Vladimir Putin about the successful completion of the tasks of the “third stage”. Only a few hours passed and - a powerful group of militants hit the positions of the federal troops. What happened near Ulus-Kert did not correlate in any way with the victorious reports about the imminent and final defeat of the militants. And the comrade marshal, probably, felt embarrassed for his last report. In order to somehow smooth out the embarrassment, the military was ordered to keep quiet. Only Gennady Troshev on March 5 dared to tell part of the truth: "The 6th parachute company, which was at the forefront of the attack of the bandits, lost 31 people killed, there are wounded."

In the same days, the country was experiencing another tragedy, which was reported by all television channels of the country - 17 people died in Chechnya. The military command was afraid to announce the riot police and the paratroopers at the same time. Losses were too great...

On August 2, 2000, Russia celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Airborne Forces. On this day, Vladimir Putin arrived at the 76th Airborne Division, stationed in Pskov, to pay tribute to the memory of the heroic paratroopers of the 6th company, who died in the Argun Gorge in Chechnya.

Having met with the soldiers and the families of the victims, the president for the first time in ten years of unprincipled and stupid Russian policy in the North Caucasus publicly repented before the people, openly admitting the Kremlin's guilt "for gross miscalculations that have to be paid for with the lives of Russian soldiers."

Ulus-Kert has become one of the symbols of modern Russian history. How many years have they tried to eradicate the Russian military spirit from us - it did not work out. For years the army has been portrayed as a bunch of drunkards, degenerates and sadists, and the paratroopers, living and dead, have silenced the critics.

FEATS AND HEROES OF THE VDV... The combat path of the Airborne Forces consists of many memorable dates. During the armed conflict at Khalkhin Gol, the active participation of the 212th Airborne Brigade, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel N.I. Zatevakhin. In the Finnish company of 1939 - 1940, the fighters of the 201st, 204th, 214th airborne brigades became famous. The paratroopers carried out raids deep behind enemy lines, destroyed strongholds, headquarters, communication centers, and destroyed the enemy's command and control system. Heroism during the Great Patriotic War The first exploits of the Airborne Forces were recorded in the first months of the Great Patriotic War, when battles were fought on the western borders of the country. Soldiers of the 4th Corps took part in the Vyazemsky airborne operation, under the command of Major General A.F. Levashova. This operation is considered the largest of those carried out by Soviet paratroopers during the war years. More than ten thousand paratroopers then ended up in the German rear. The actions of the paratroopers were bold, bold and extremely effective. For six months of hostilities, the soldiers of the Airborne Forces covered more than six hundred kilometers in the rear of the German troops and destroyed more than fifteen thousand fascist officers and soldiers. The next heroic milestone of the Airborne Forces was participation in the heroic defense of Stalingrad. For this, ten airborne corps and rifle divisions were reorganized. The paratroopers valiantly performed their tasks, which was noted in the orders of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. The heroes of the Airborne Forces completed the Great Patriotic War only at the end of August 1945, after the landing of four thousand paratroopers in the east and the defeat of the Japanese army. As a result of the war, each airborne division was awarded the rank of guards. Thousands of soldiers were awarded medals and orders. 296 paratroopers became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Airborne Forces of the USSR in the second half of the twentieth century In the post-war period, the reorganization of the Airborne Forces began, but with different organizational and technical principles, taking into account the experience of the heroic paratroopers who went through the harsh school of war. The combat readiness of the airborne troops was constantly maintained with the help of combined arms exercises and daily practical exercises. At the exercises, the paratroopers have repeatedly demonstrated their readiness for decisive and competent actions, for the fulfillment of any tasks assigned to them. The hero of the Airborne Forces, whom many call paratrooper number one, is Vasily Margelov, who became a legend during his lifetime. Thanks to this great paratrooper, the Airborne Forces began to be called Uncle Vasya's Troops. He has the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, laureate of the State Prize, candidate of military sciences, holder of sixty medals and orders, not only Soviet, but also foreign. At the beginning of the war, Margelov served as commander of a regiment of Baltic paratroopers, fought on the Volkhov front, then, as commander of a rifle regiment, was transferred to Stalingrad, fought with Manstein's tank armies near the Myshkov River. By the end of the war, Margelov rose to the rank of division commander, destroyed the enemy near Khreson. For this operation, the division received the title of Kherson, and Margelov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The division under the leadership of Vasily Margelov liberated Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria. At the end of the war, the Americans awarded the hero, recognizing his merits in the brilliant bloodless capture of the elite divisions of the Nazis. During the Victory Parade, General Margelov led a combined battalion of paratroopers. Heroes of the Russian Airborne Forces - the successors of the work of Vasily Margelov and Soviet paratroopers The airborne troops are part of the reserve of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The tasks assigned to the paratroopers are operational and tactical, and they must solve them either independently or together with the groupings of the Ground Forces. The Airborne Forces are considered the most highly mobile branch of the armed forces, which must be in constant readiness. The Airborne Forces consist of four divisions, the 242nd training center, the Ryazan Institute of the Airborne Forces, the 31st Airborne Brigade, and maintenance and support units. Service in the Airborne Forces, the elite troops, has always been considered the most prestigious. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Airborne Forces participated in the former republics as a peacekeeping contingent. For example, the 345th Guards Airborne Regiment was assigned to carry out a peacekeeping mission during the conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia, which ended in 1998. Among the exploits of the Airborne Forces, the actions of Russian paratroopers in the territory of the former Yugoslavia in the summer of 1999 should be noted. Then our peacekeepers made a forced march, occupying the Slatina airfield near Pristina, ahead of the units of the armies of other countries. The maneuver of the Russian Airborne Forces did not allow the NATO group to capture the airfield. Heroes of the Airborne Forces in the North Caucasus Much is known about the participation of airborne units in the first and second Chechen wars. The paratroopers took part in the assault on Grozny, the palace of Dzhikhar Dudayev, and the battles on Minutka Square. Mention should be made of the Argun landing operation, the purpose of which was to prevent the militants and mercenaries from escaping through the Argun Gorge. This road militants received food and weapons. The paratroopers of the Far Eastern Parachute Division and the fighters of the border detachment entered into battle with much opposing enemy formations. The main events took place in the winter of 1999, when soldiers of the 56th Airborne Regiment landed on the commanding heights. In those battles, several hundred mercenaries were destroyed. Thanks to the courage of the paratroopers, none of the bandits managed to get out to Georgia, where they would be safe. The remnants of the mercenaries were forced to either surrender or return to Chechnya, where they were also met with an unkind welcome. One of the most heroic deeds of the Airborne Forces is the battle for Hill 776, located not far from Ulus-Kert. The 6th company, which is part of the 76th Pskov division, showed unparalleled heroism at this height, which can be compared with the heroism of Soviet paratroopers during the Second World War. The list of heroes of Russia from the Airborne Forces after these battles was replenished with a large number of courageous guys. The battle at this height 776 took place on February 29, 2000. The soldiers of the 6th company and partly of the 4th company entered the battle against a tenfold superior force of militants led by Shamil Basayev and Khattab. For at least a day, the paratroopers managed to keep the militants at a height in front of the Argun Gorge. Only six soldiers managed to survive. The company commander, Yevtyukhin, died, after which Captain Romanov had to call fire on himself in order to destroy as many bandits as possible. Most of the mercenaries still managed to escape from the gorge, since there was no one else to resist them. But almost half a thousand of them remained lying on the battlefield. The feats of the paratroopers in the Operation to Enforce Georgia's Peace Another feat was accomplished by the airborne troops during the five-day war between Georgia and South Ossetia. On August 8, 2008, residents of Tskhinval were subjected to shelling from the "Grad". Then the Georgian tanks went into action. The Russian peacekeepers also got it. Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Timerman, who led the peacekeeping battalion, was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. The answer of the Russian pilots and paratroopers was not long in coming. The top of Georgia was in a panic. Everyone remembers Saakashvili chewing his tie in fear. This is the impression produced by the soldiers of the Airborne Forces. year 2014