SOBR (Special Rapid Response Detachment) - federal and regional special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, which were regularly (until 2003) part of the departments for combating organized crime Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (subdivisions of more than 200 people since the late 1990s were called detachments). In 2002, SOBR detachments were transformed into OMSN (Special Purpose Police Detachment). On November 30, 2011, by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev, police units special purpose The Ministry of Internal Affairs again became officially called special detachments rapid response.
The main task of SOBRs is the fight against organized crime. However, due to the change in the internal political situation, SOBRs were successfully used, including in military operations conducted in the North Caucasus region.
Story
The first special unit in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (police) was the OMSN GUVD in Moscow. The OMSN was formed on November 9, 1978. At that time, preparations were underway in Moscow for the Olympics, and the failure of the German police operation to free Israeli hostages during the Munich Olympics showed how destructive the actions of amateurs can be where professionals should act.
On February 10, 1992, a department was created tactical operations as part of the Main Directorate for Organized Crime (GUOP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. In the autumn of 1992, by Presidential Decree Russian Federation the tactical operations department was renamed to special squad rapid response (SOBR).
In September 2002, by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, SOBR were renamed into special police units (OMSN).
As of 2009, total strength SOBR consisted of 5200 people in 87 units.
In 2011, in connection with the reform of the internal affairs bodies, and the renaming of the "militia" into the "police", the units of the OMSN were renamed OSN (special forces).
In 2012, the name SOBR (special rapid response units) was returned to all OSN units.
Quantitatively, the composition of SOBRs is determined by the tasks and the region of deployment. The selection is carried out in many stages and quite strictly, with many screening criteria, which determines qualitative composition of this unit (as a rule, these are young people who have served in the ranks armed forces and having higher education).
Tasks and functions
The training of employees in the SOBR, unlike other special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has a pronounced individual character. A lot of experts in various directions applications, but interchangeability is at the forefront. The emphasis of training is on working against an armed criminal in the city (with a working distance of up to 100 m) and in transport, however, SOBRs were successfully used in almost any conditions (forest, mountains, steppes). great attention given to physical and psychological preparation.
In the TFR, SOBRs have been successfully used not only in cooperation with the regular power formations of Russia, but also in certain areas, they have shown excellent results in the Chechen campaigns in the first echelons.
SOBR is constantly training by making mock captures of houses (using climbing equipment), cars and even aircraft. Their training is not inferior to the training of the Alpha special forces.
Differences from OMON
SOBR differs from OMON in the organizational and staffing structure and the nature of the tasks performed. Unlike riot police, all SOBR officers have special ranks of a police officer. Before the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2011, when the police were divided into MOB (police public safety) and KM (criminal police), OMON was a division of the MOB and reported to the head of the MOB, while SOBR was a division of the KM and reported directly to the head of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate or his deputy.
SOBR, unlike OMON, does not solve problems:
- ensuring security public order, including:
- in places with a complex criminal situation,
- when holding mass events,
- in case of emergencies,
- suppression of group hooligan manifestations and riots.
Documentary "We are called SPETSNAZ" (watch online)
Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR)- one of the federal and regional special units of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardia), which were regularly (until 2003) part of the Organized Crime Control Department (RUBOP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (units of more than 200 people since the late 1990s were called detachments). In 2002, SOBR detachments were transformed into special police units (OMSN). On November 30, 2011, by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation R. G. Nurgaliyev, the special police units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia again officially became known as special rapid reaction units.
| Special Rapid Response Squad Federal Service of Troops national guard Russian Federation |
|
|---|---|
| SOBR | |
| Years of existence | since February 10, 1992 |
| The country | Russia Russia |
| Included in | Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation |
| Type | special forces unit |
| Function | Fight against organized crime and terrorism |
Patch of OMSN KM GUVD in Moscow.
The main task of the SOBRs is the fight against organized crime. However, due to the change in the domestic political situation, SOBRs were successfully used, including in military anti-terrorist operations conducted in the North Caucasus region.
Story
The first special unit in the system of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (police) was Special Purpose Police Detachment (OMSN) of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate for the city of Moscow, formed November 9, 1978 . At that time, preparations were underway in Moscow for the XXII Summer Olympic Games in 1980, and a special forces unit was created to prevent emergencies - the first police special forces. True, the unit was originally called the Special Purpose Police Detachment (OMON). The detachment was created to work at the Olympics and protect the Olympic flame. After the Olympics, it became clear that the unit would not be left without work. The first combat mission of the special forces was in April 1981 the release of a girl captured by a criminal. The hostage was successfully released, and the detachment was reassigned to the criminal investigation department and made a regular unit of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate in Moscow. There were not enough commandos to carry out all the operational tasks - there were only a few dozen of them. Then one regiment of the patrol service was assigned to fight the riots and renamed it OMON. There was a period of time when two OMONs existed simultaneously in Moscow. The policemen themselves called the detachments "Big" and "Little". To avoid confusion and misunderstandings, the same “Little” OMON was later renamed the Special Purpose Police Detachment (OMSN). In 2011, the OMSN was renamed OSN, and subsequently SOBR. Subsequently, the OMSN GUVD for Moscow served as a model for the beginning of the creation of other special units in the militia (police) in the Russian Federation.
In the autumn of 1992, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the tactical operations department was renamed special rapid response unit(SOBR).
In September 2002, the SOBR were renamed the Special Purpose Police Detachments (OMSN).
In 2003, part of the detachments of the MSN received proper names: "Bulat", "Lynx", "Terek".
As of 2009, the total strength of the SOBR was 5,200 people, consisting of 87 detachments.
In 2011, in connection with the reform of the internal affairs bodies and the renaming of the "militia" into the "police", the units of the OMSN were renamed OSN (special forces).
In 2012, the name SOBR (special rapid response units) was returned to all units of the SN.
Tasks and functions
The training of employees in SOBR, unlike other special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is of a pronounced individual character. There are a lot of specialists in various areas of application, but interchangeability is at the forefront. The emphasis of training is on working against an armed criminal in the city ( with working distance up to 100 m) and in transport, however SOBRs were successfully used in almost any conditions ( forest, mountains, steppes). Much attention is paid to physical and psychological preparation [ ] .
Composition and strength
In 2016, there were 87 SOBR detachments in Russia. The total approximate number was 5200 people.
Differences between SOBR and OMON
OMON differs from SOBR in the organizational and staffing structure and the nature of the service-combat and operational service tasks. Unlike OMON, almost all SOBR officers have officer ranks and officer positions. Prior to the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2011, when the police were divided into the public security police and the criminal police, OMON was a subdivision of the MOB, while SOBR was a subdivision of the KM. SOBR (formerly the 11th department) left the RUBOP system (Regional Directorate for Combating Organized Crime), as a power support unit, the task was to fight organized crime, banditry and power support during special operations. SOBR units are distinguished by strong and sometimes excessive rigidity during detention crime bosses, "thieves in law" and repeat offenders.
The OMON unit is built according to the principle: operational companies, consisting of platoons and squads, a personnel department and educational work with a full-time psychologist, medical service, headquarters, dog service, engineering department, motorized unit, accounting and logistics department.
The SOBR unit is built according to the principle: combat squads, rear department, headquarters, tactics department.
A separate caste of people was selected as candidates for service in the SOBR unit, as a rule, already existing employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, mainly former operatives of the RUBOP, the criminal investigation department, as well as officers from the OMON special forces unit with higher legal education and personnel army officers who served in the special forces, it is by this selection criterion that the preparation of SOBR to a higher level in all areas of the tasks performed. According to the statistics, analytics and monitoring of special forces units by the employees of the FKU of the Main Information and Analytical Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in 2015, it turned out that 37% of the current employees of the SOBR special unit had previously served in the OMON.
The main goal of SOBR is the arrest of criminals under ORM employees law enforcement. During Chechen campaigns SOBR detachments took part in complex combat operations together with the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. In 2002, SOBR units were renamed OMSN - Special Purpose Police Detachment. In 2011, during the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, at the request of the Moscow Council of Veterans of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the President of Russia Medvedev D.A. special forces of the OMSN were returned historical name SOBR - Special Rapid Response Squad.
Similar divisions in other countries of the world
| The country | Subdivision |
| Austria | EKO Cobra ; |
| Armenia | Special units of the Police of the Republic of Armenia and the National Security Service of Armenia; |
| Belarus | Special Anti-Terrorism Unit (SPBT) "Almaz" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus; |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosna; |
| Brazil | Battalion of Special Police Operations (port. Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais(BOPE)) , GATE , ROTA ; |
| United Kingdom | London Police Special Forces Metropolitan Police Special Branch); |
| Germany | GSG 9, SEK (German) Spezialeinsatzkommando) - anti-terrorist units of the police departments of individual lands; |
| Georgia | Special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia; |
| Spain | GEO ; |
| Italy | Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza; |
| Kazakhstan | Special Rapid Response Detachment (SOBR) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan (created in 2003); |
| Kyrgyzstan | Special Rapid Response Units (SOBR) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan; |
| Costa Rica | Special Forces GAO (Spanish) Grupo de Apoyo Operativo) National Police of Costa Rica; |
| Latvia | Alfa, Omega; |
| Lithuania | Aras ; |
| Norway | Beredskapstroppen; |
| Romania | Police Service for Rapid Intervention SPIR (rum. Serviciul de Poliție pentru Intervenție Rapidă); |
| Serbia | Serbian Anti-Terrorist Group; |
| Salvador | GRP Special Forces (Spanish) Grupo de Reaction Policial) National Civil Police of El Salvador ; |
| USA | SWAT (English) Special Weapons And Tactics- Special weapons and tactics); |
| Ukraine | Rapid Rapid Action Corps (KORD) of the National Police of Ukraine; |
| France | RAID (English) and GIGN (fr. Groupe d "Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale- Intervention group |
About a year ago, one of the most high-profile restructurings of recent times ended - the National Guard appeared, which, in addition to the Internal Troops, included OMON and SOBR. Until recently, the latter (SOBR) were, and still are, a very closed unit, but the correspondents of the site managed to go to the field training of fighters and find out how the detachment works.
Moscow SOBR
The Moscow SOBR was formed on November 9, 1978 in case of "special situations". Prior to this, there was a freelance group - its employees were involved in the service during important events, such as ensuring security during the celebration of the November and May holidays and congresses of the CPSU.
In the 1970s, several terrorist attacks shocked the world, and in 1980 Olympic Games, and as a result, a special-purpose unit was created under the Moscow City Executive Committee, which was to ensure the protection of the Olympic flame.
At first, the officers had to work out everything practically from scratch - army principles they didn’t fit here, and the KGB special forces did not share their secrets. After the Olympics, the police special forces were subordinated to the criminal investigation department of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate in Moscow, calling them OMON. True, at that time there were two detachments with the same names - the employees themselves called them "Big" and "Little". The first was engaged in the suppression of riots, the second fought with criminals.
It was decided to separate the detachments in 1989, then one of them - "Little" - received the name of the OMSN, with which he worked until 2011, and there all police special forces were renamed Special Forces. A year later, the unit became part of the Special Purpose Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow, and in 2012 all special forces units were assigned general designation- SOBR.
Among successful operations SOBR - the detention of the murderer Alexander Solonik, the release of hostages on Tverskaya in a jewelry store and the case of the kidnapping of Kaspersky's son.
The tasks of SOBR include power support of operational-search and investigative actions, witness protection, security officials, the release of hostages and the elimination of terrorist groups. The fighters of the unit serve in officer positions (unlike the riot police) and they must have a higher education. Not everyone is accepted into the squad.
But it cannot be said that the OMON is worse: its employees ensure order in crowded places, suppress riots and provide assistance to SOBR, for example, by blocking likely paths gang departure.
Of course, the selection in the SOBR is much tougher: first, young people who have served in the Armed Forces and have a higher education are tested for physical and moral-volitional qualities, which roughly resembles an exam for a "maroon beret".
This is followed by a medical examination for group "A" health, psychological testing and a thorough background check of the candidate for complete absence relatives with a criminal past and compromising materials. In addition, the personnel department of SOBR requests characteristics from places of study, work and service.
Only those who have passed all the tests and checks are credited for an internship in the SOBR staff, which, however, does not guarantee final employment.
Speaking of maroon beret- insignia of a fighter who has passed several severe trials: SOBR are officially allowed to pass exams for the right to wear such a headdress.
Any team member Universal Soldier, capable of replacing a comrade, but despite this, there is a specialization in the unit. Usually SOBRs are formed by assault groups - a capture group and a cover group. The latter includes snipers and climbers. Also in the units there are explosives.
So, SOBR solves narrow, non-standard tasks, for the development of which there is an operations planning headquarters. Typical example such an operation is the capture of an armed gang. What will a fighter take with him to the operation? See below.
"Vereski", by the way, is rather an exception - silent automatic machines "Val" are much more common (pictured below).
In addition, the fighters go to the operation in helmets and body armor, which have flaps and pockets for additional items of equipment. In addition to this, they have knee pads, elbow pads and leg guards.
In general, the equipment is selected individually, so you can meet the following elements:
MOLLE platform, on which pouches can be attached:
Knife and lantern:
Multitool (pictured on the back left):
We found out what the fighter takes with him. Of course, each operation is planned separately and taking into account the terrain, so during the development it turns out what weapons and equipment to take and in what composition to go.
In general, the most popular formation in the course of work is the deuce with a shield. One with a shield, the second strictly behind - this is used when entering a building when it is not known how many people are there and whether they are armed.
It happens that the fighters work without a shield, in which case they also follow each other and when the first one runs out of ammunition, he goes behind the second one and reloads, the second one is already ready to shoot at that time. It looks like a single movement and is honed many times during training.
Photo gallery
It is important that shooting practice on the move and from any position occurs constantly - SOBR never goes to the training ground "just like that", to shoot, tactics - required element almost all exercises. In addition, the conduct of combat in urban conditions suggests that the commando must be on the move all the time, standing still even for a few seconds is tantamount to death.
A short interview with police colonel Vladimir Ivanovich Baranov, former employee(since March 1979), and later the commander (since November 1995) of the OMSN (Special Purpose Police Detachment) of the criminal police of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate for the city of Moscow, now Moscow or the so-called "Peter's" SOBR , the first special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in our country.
The detachment was formed on November 9, 1978. What motivated the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to create a detachment? The impending Olympics-80 in Moscow?
It was driven by the desire to control and influence the operational situation in the city of Moscow and throughout the country as a whole. Judging by some official activities that the detachment carried out in the early eighties, such a need really arose and the leadership accepted absolutely correct solution. What was needed was a detachment capable of carrying out a special task at any moment, beyond the strength of other divisions. What was needed was a special detachment, or special forces, as it has now become fashionable to say.
The very word "special forces" - did it already sound in conversations?
Yes. The very word "special unit" came into our everyday life somewhere in the seventies, although it existed before. Maybe, so, they didn’t talk about special forces publicly then.
Was there any secrecy around the squad at the time of its creation?
Initially, yes, of course. But then, when we were given the task of protecting the Olympics and the Olympic flame in particular, secrecy was practically removed. In part, it still existed, of course: but not in the volume in which it was necessary, but also the means mass media then they didn’t talk much about special structures in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other services.
Spetsnaz Moscow-1980.
Photo from the archive of the Moscow SOBR.
The process of enrolling new employees in the detachment - what did it look like?
A man came here, and I, as a commander, talked to him. Then he had to be tested. So that both he and we are absolutely convinced and sure: a person knows where and why he came and what he will do. Only after passing all the tests, the recruit was explained the scope of his tasks in detail. We gave preference to people who came to us from the troops: border guards, Marines, paratroopers, from internal troops there were people from Vityaz. We looked carefully at everyone, checked both the masters of sports and candidates for the master of sports with a lot of sports baggage. There were no exceptions, it was necessary.
What are the stages of candidate testing?
People were tested for physical fitness, they passed the usual standards - pull-ups, running, push-ups. Plus special training. The candidate had to endure several fights with sparring partners, while it was not necessary to prove himself as a “hand-to-hand combatant”. We were looking for people who were ready to stand without fear of injury, it should be clear from a person - he is ready, will fight to the end, put himself to get into our unit. The successful candidate went exactly to this result. Sometimes the subject refused - they say, I can’t fulfill your standards until I’m ready. It was a natural part professional selection to our squad.
Employees of the first police special unit. Photo from the archive of the Moscow SOBR.
Quite unusual for those times, sneakers and vests on the squad's employees looked. Photo from the archive of the Moscow SOBR.
As an instructor for hand-to-hand combat Please rate the mentioned sparring sessions – how tough were they?
The sparring was quite tough, but taking into account the expected readiness of the candidate who was tested, taking into account his physical and psychological possibilities. If the candidate was ready to continue the fight to the end, he did it. Before sparring, it was precisely such a task that was set for him - to stand to the end. The answer that testing gave was always clear: “ready” or “not ready” for service with us. Withstood such a test, of course, not all.
There were some exceptions: did a person still come to serve in the detachment, unable to withstand the duel or somehow bypassing sparring? Or that required condition?
It was a must. Sometimes a candidate withstood all the exams - demonstrated a decent physical training, he could run a brilliant cross, do push-ups, pull himself up, and in the ring, with sparring partners, he showed some uncertainty. We tracked this and took the appropriate decision.
Is there a high percentage of rejection of frames in testing?
Approximately 30% of candidates passed the test.
Did an employee of your particular detachment differ from an ordinary policeman in material terms?
Yes, of course, there were differences, but small. We had cash bonuses and a special length of service: a year and a half. The cash bonus for special forces was insignificant. Wage, of course, the category is important. Cash allowance police officers were more modest than those of the military, for example. We received less. But not everything then converged on wealth, although this is important. It was hard in the nineties, and in the late eighties it was hard, but people worked, held on, they received a salary, albeit a small one. The question about money is essential, but we also have a state service, which involves some sacrifice. This is especially true of service in special forces. Employees did not come to the detachment for a "long ruble", but here they could test themselves and find out to the end. And, of course, people felt needed here.
When you already became a commander, did you have the opportunity to reward a distinguished employee financially or present him for an award?
Yes, I had a commander's fund standing out financial services and I could dispose of it myself, for example, to allocate to one or another employee, albeit a small, but financial assistance. Later, this practice was abandoned, the fund no longer existed, but I could petition the leadership of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate for Moscow to provide additional support to my employee material support. I substantiated it, proved it, wrote a report. I would not say that it was difficult and we must pay tribute to the leadership of the head office - they met me halfway and often helped.
Did the detachment have any personal protective equipment for employees?
Yes, we certainly had such funds. Army, mostly. They were then common both for the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and for army units. There were protective vests. Maybe not very perfect, but certain kind they were holding weapons. We didn't have everything we needed to do special tasks but there was something.
The detachment officers are dressed in standard jumpsuits for the Soviet Airborne Forces, shod in Soviet tourist boots - "vibrams".
As means of individual armor protection, steel helmets of the army type SSH-68 and bulletproof vests ZhZT-71 (protective titanium vest) are used, designed specifically for employees of the internal affairs bodies and military personnel of the internal troops.
From 1971 to 1979, about 30 thousand bulletproof vests of the ZhZT series were produced, which, in accordance with the current standards of personnel regulations, fully satisfied the needs of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The bayonet-knives and the non-standard pistol holster of the extreme right soldier attract attention.
Even more interesting photo sniper group of police special forces. Bulletproof vests are of a different type, apparently - this is Zh-81 (6B2), a serial Soviet anti-fragmentation and bulletproof combined-arms bulletproof vest of the first generation. It was developed in the USSR by the Research Institute of Steel in 1978, in 1979 it was accepted for supply. Soviet army in 1979 and managed to serve the Soviet soldiers-internationalists in Afghanistan. Zh-81 provides protection for fragments and pistol bullets, body armor weighs 4.8 kg.
I can’t identify the means of communication and in general I see such a construct for the first time. Is this R-147 Aktsia? In this case, the presence of cloth "gas mask" bags on the staff is understandable.
Photo from the archive of the Moscow SOBR.
As for weapons, were there any special weapons in the detachment?
Oh sure. There was a special institute in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that developed samples of weapons, equipment and equipment for special forces. special means. And it was all meant for us in the first place.
A question for connoisseurs: what kind of shield appears in the picture? Photo from the archive of the Moscow SOBR.
Could you personally somehow influence those developments that were carried out in the interests of yours and similar units?
Without any doubt. I myself was a member of the commission for the acceptance of such weapons systems, protective equipment and special equipment and made my own adjustments in order to improve performance and adapt new items to solve the problems we faced.
Did you have the opportunity to come up with a proposal to develop something completely new to support the detachment?
Yes. We turned to the relevant services that dealt with these issues, and we were met halfway.
There is a training process. Photo from the archive of the Moscow SOBR.
Photo from the archive of the Moscow SOBR.
How did the detachment gain experience, was there an opportunity to communicate and exchange experience with related organizations, for example, with the KGB?
Was. First of all, we carefully studied the experience of the Munich Olympics, as you know, not everything was good and smooth there. We studied the experience of foreign special forces, both army and police. A little later, I personally and many of our employees took part in visiting these units abroad. I personally, for example, trained for about a month in the Cobra special unit in Austria (EKO Cobra - Einsatzkommando Cobra). Personally, he scrupulously studied this issue, then analyzed and applied it already here in the preparation of his personnel. This is a very useful experience, it must be studied and used.
In your personal opinion - which of the world's special forces are the most professional?
At that time, these were the West German GHA-9, the British SAS, " green berets" in the USA and the Austrian "Cobra". Well, and a number of other special units that we have always kept in the area of our attention.
Who would you single out among the Soviet and Russian special units?
Of course, this is group "A", "Alpha", then the KGB, now the FSB. "Vympel" - our brothers in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the special forces "Vityaz" of the internal troops. We have been in close contact with these departments.
What are the operations of your squad in Soviet time Would you call them ordinary and even routine? What did you have to do most often?
We were under the operational control of the MUR (Moscow Criminal Investigation Department). Our usual task was to provide physical support to the departments, especially the homicide department of the MUR, the departments that dealt with serious crimes. Physical protection and support. We usually had the last phase of police operations and events: if the criminals were armed firearms if they behaved particularly boldly, if police officers and ordinary citizens could suffer during the detention. This is what our work was like Soviet period She hasn't changed much even now.
Evaluate, please, crime: the one that was in the Soviet Union and the one that is now - is there any noticeable difference between them?
In Soviet times, bandits also had weapons, they were used by bandits, but not as often and not to the extent that it is done now, especially in the nineties. Perhaps, in the hands of the population, gangs and criminal communities, there were more weapons, before there were fewer of them.
From your point of view, attempts to legalize the sale of, for example, handguns - is it good or bad for society?
I am personally categorically against, especially against the legalization of short-barreled weapons. Even with traumatic weapons in recent times we had many questions, sometimes it came to converting the traumatic into combat and its absolutely uncontrolled use and use, disproportionate with the necessary self-defense. I have no complaints about hunting weapons.
Traditionally, we pay a lot of attention to camaraderie. We do not leave in trouble, we go to the rescue. If you want to be in the unit, but something doesn’t work out, they will help you. This is one of the traditions - to go to the rescue. You see, it's like a family, we are united, including thoughts. And for us there are no ties holier than fellowship.
What was condemned by the team of the detachment?
I would single out cowardice, self-doubt and commercialism. The main thing that was condemned was cowardice. The detachment got rid of cowards, sometimes without any negative connotation, it happened that a person simply got in the wrong place.
Since the USSR ceased to exist, political officers have also been abolished. Now they are partly replaced by religion. How did things go with this in the detachment?
I do not remember any obvious persecution of religion, there was no rejection of Orthodoxy in the Soviet period either. Yes, it was not very customary to go to the temple, but they did. Now Orthodoxy has become one of the pillars of the unit, the unit has a confessor and a garrison church. Father Alexander, our confessor, many times traveled with us on business trips to North Caucasus This practice continues to this day.
Is it good for the service?
Definitely useful.
How did the squad treat smoking and alcohol?
I personally don't smoke. Smoking was harmful to our employees, when a person was highly exposed to smoking, it was clear that he lagged behind in sports achievements, in competitions, especially in applied ones. We didn't have a "dry law" and don't have it. It’s almost a tradition, it’s customary for Russians to “wash” titles, birthdays, and other holidays. But I want to say - you need to know when to stop. If you serve and work in such a unit, and if not in such a unit, in any case, you need to know when to stop and control yourself. If an employee came to the service and was not ready to perform his duties, then we parted with such employees. There were isolated examples.
What in general could lead to the expulsion of an employee from the detachment, were there such cases?
Were. PE will not be considered. We have an annual final check and special delivery of all standards: physical training and special physical training, shooting and tactical-special training and a number of others. Every employee knows about them and prepares. If a person does not take care of himself, does not engage in, does not support his physical form- the question is posed. To begin with, a conversation is held with him, of course. If he remains deaf and dumb, does not perceive the arguments of the leadership, then a special commission considers the issue of expulsion.
You caught the moment when the militia began to be called the police. What do you think about it? After all, the police were people's, but the current police are gone?
That the police, that the police - the tasks remained the same. They changed the name, someone did not agree with this, wrote a report and left.
Were there really such cases? Because of the name?
Were. But once the decision is made by the leadership, it means it has already been made. All of them passed certification, went through all the necessary procedures to serve in the police, and now we are serving. But once again I emphasize - the tasks remained the same, the name just changed. Well, the police were closer to the people, as was originally intended in the Soviet period.
Have you ever presented any of your employees for awards?
Yes. 70-80% of the employees in the detachment have state awards. Who, if not they were always on the front line and performed the most difficult and dangerous tasks?
Can you tell us more about the award process itself?
The submission for the award was drawn up by the personnel apparatus here in the detachment, it was the first draft, but it contained all the necessary information for senior personnel. There they looked at our documents, made their own adjustments, but even here everything depended on the leadership of the detachment. As a rule, the initial decision of the command of the detachment was supported and the employees were presented with state awards. We have never had any major failures. And we have carried out quite a few operations worthy of awarding military orders. Among them, for example, the release of hostages on Frunzenskaya Embankment (author's note: more about this operation at the end of the material) and Pugachevskaya Street, special operations carried out by our employees in North Caucasus region.
Do you think that during your service as a commander, could one of your subordinates remain underestimated and underrewarded?
No one has ever raised this question, it certainly never happened in my memory. People do not come here for awards and are ready to sacrifice themselves, so conversations in the style of “Vladimir Ivanovich, I deserve more” or “I want this award, but they gave me this one” - I can’t even imagine for all my thirty-six years of service .
Please tell us about your awards.
My first award was for the Goodwill Games, which were held in Moscow in 1986. I was awarded the medal "For labor distinction"(Author's note: The medal "For Labor Distinction" was established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 27, 1938 to reward hard work and achievement high performance at work. Last award this medal in our country took place on December 21, 1991) and was very happy about it. Later, in the nineties, I received the Order "For Personal Courage" (author's note: The Order "For Personal Courage" was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on December 28, 1988 to reward citizens of the USSR for courage and courage shown in saving people, public order and socialist property in the fight against crime, natural disasters and other emergencies. In 1994, the Order "For Personal Courage" was not included in the system state awards Russia, in fact, it was replaced by the Order of Courage) and the medal "For Distinction in the Protection of Public Order". It was nice that they were awarded with such awards, but somehow we didn’t think about it, we did our job. We rejoiced not at the awards, but at the fact that the operation was carried out without losses, everyone is alive and well, and most importantly, the people who were hostages and whom we released are alive and well.
Were there times when the released hostages later thanked your employees?
In my memory, this was not the case and no one addressed with thanks for the salvation. Yes, this is probably impossible: our employees came for the bandits, all in black, in masks, in armor. The released hostages are immediately handed over to other services: medical, investigative, and others. And our work has already been done, we are leaving, probably released, I don’t even know who we are. Maybe later, moving away from stress, they remember us kind word.
How difficult was it for you to manage such a team? Yet sharp, strong, the best.
Yes, this question has always bothered me. I will say that throughout my many years of service in the detachment as a commander, this was very difficult for me. After all, people believe in a commander when they see that he himself serves, maybe he knows, he knows how - he is an example. And if necessary, the commander will teach. I believe that a student should always be stronger than the teacher, well, or at least not weaker. Such a result is always pleasant. Preparing your personnel I have always assumed that a person will think individually, will make decisions without looking back at the opinion of the commander, but feeling his support behind him. I really appreciated my employees, throughout my service it was like that. Maybe somewhere he was too soft and forgave them some moments, but it was necessary. In my memory were different people, but I never cut off the shoulder, I always found with them mutual language. And I think that I managed to preserve in the detachment both the spirit and traditions and the team of professionals itself.
More about the hostage rescue operation on Frunzenskaya Embankment mentioned above
On May 19, 1994, a criminal group from three people, armed with automatic weapons, attacked a currency exchange office located on Frunzenskaya Embankment, 54. The criminals captured two employees of the exchange office and proceeded to seize cash. However, one of the employees of the "exchanger" still managed to press the panic button. I am quoting from the book F.I. Razzakov "Bandits of the Times of Capitalism":
“At 13.53 this signal was received by the crew of the immediate response group of the 3rd regiment of the PPS, consisting of the commander of the crew, senior police sergeant Alexei Chebotarev and junior sergeant Sergei Karnaukh, who at that moment were on their way to lunch. Having received an alarm signal, they immediately rushed to the place of the call. A. Chebotarev went to the main entrance, and S. Karnaukh decided to block the back door.
On the way there, he met a loader from the nearest store, Oleg Khomutov, and asked him to take him to the exchange office. At that moment, when they entered the door, they were attacked by criminals who tried to leave the scene of the crime in the same way. As a result of the shootout, S. Karnaukh received fatal wounds in the chest and stomach, O. Khomutov was also wounded. However, the criminals could not slip past them, and therefore they returned back and barricaded themselves in the premises of the exchange office.
Soon, an immediate response group of the 167th police department arrived at the building of the checkpoint, which blocked the building from all sides. They were followed by the fighters of the rapid response detachment (SOBR) of the RUOP and the special police detachment (OMON) of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of Moscow. The highest police authorities also arrived in the person of the head of the RUOP Vladimir Rushailo, the head of the GUOP of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Mikhail Yegorov, the head of the MUR Vasily Kuptsov. Moscow prosecutor Gennady Ponomarev and the head of the Moscow department of the Federal Grid Company Evgeny Savostyanov were also there.
By this time, the raiders had already declared Natalya Sidorova and Yana Stolyar, employees of the First Professional Bank's currency exchange office, hostages. In exchange for their lives, they demanded a million dollars from the authorities, a fuel truck and unhindered exit from the police cordons.
In the meantime, the operatives combed the nearby area and found a white VAZ-2109 car with the engine running next to the checkpoint. Documents were found in her salon in the name of 23-year-old student Roman Pisanko from the Institute of Physical Education. He was one of the raiders. His partners were 23-year-old former security guard Dmitry Komarovsky and 19-year-old Andrey Denisov, who does not work anywhere.
Trying to prevent bloodshed, the operatives summoned R. Pisanko's parents to Frunzenskaya Embankment. However, despite all their persuasion to surrender, he never left the exchange point. He explained his act by the fact that he cannot leave his friends.
At 18.30 failed parents moved away from the building of the point. The prosecutor of the city G. Ponomarev made the raiders last warning. However, this proposal was also ignored. Moreover, the criminals demanded that the authorities drive a fuel truck to the building and douse the area in front of the entrance and the entrance itself with gasoline.
At 19.30, an unknown person called the duty department of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate and said that if the raiders from Frunzenskaya Embankment were not released, he would blow up one of the kindergartens located near the Koptevsky market. Immediately after this call, all ten kindergartens in the Koptevo microdistrict were taken under guard. The operation to search for an explosive device was led by the head of the 16th police department, Andronik Baboyan, but the bomb was never found.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters for the release of the hostages, it was decided final decision storm the terrorists. It was already eight o'clock in the evening, it was getting dark, and this circumstance could be used by criminals.
At 20.13, the special forces, divided into two groups, moved from different sides to the building of the exchange point. The back door was blown up with the Impulse special equipment, and an armored personnel carrier that drove up from the other side pulled out the window bars. Tear gas grenades flew into the gap that had formed and special forces burst in. Heavy fire fell on the terrorists, and two of them (Denisov and Komarovsky) were killed. The third was detained. The most amazing thing is that none of the hostages were hurt. They were in the next room, their mouths and eyes were sealed with tape.
As it turned out, the raiders were very impressively armed: a Kalashnikov assault rifle with several magazines, a Makarov pistol without a number, a TT pistol, a home-made small-caliber revolver and two jaguar gas revolvers. Apparently, the raiders counted on the success of their enterprise, acted clearly and promptly. But the alarm button and the police squad who arrived instantly confused their cards. However, it is surprising that, even surrounded on all sides, the criminals did not surrender to the hands of the authorities and preferred death. But two of them were 23 years old, and the third was 19 years old at all.
I note that by May 1994 the situation with armed crime in Russia had become simply catastrophic. During 1991-1994, the number of crimes committed with the use of weapons in the country increased 5 times - from 4,000 in 1991 to 19,000 in 1993. With its use in 1993, 2957 premeditated murders, 1173 cases of grievous bodily harm, 5202 robbery attacks on state property, 4035 encroachments on private property, 3785 acts of hooliganism were registered.
