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Brothers from the heavenly regiment

1. “EVERYONE thinks he is a strategist”…

Now you can read a lot of publications, for example, about the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, about the capture and blocking of various objects by the personnel of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division. In those days, I had a chance to serve in this illustrious union. Journalist notebooks have been preserved. I also wrote a lot from the words after the completion of combat missions by our paratroopers. Because it is simply impossible for one person to witness all the events. Our "echelon" was landing at the Bagram airfield. There, all tasks were completed quickly and brilliantly. The battery that resisted was destroyed, the pilots were disarmed - valuable specialists for the future "new" Afghan army ... Therefore, I arrived in Kabul, at the headquarters of the division, already late at night, together with the anti-aircraft division, commanded at that time by Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Savitsky of the guard ...

And the next day I talked with soldiers, ensigns and officers who had not yet “cooled down” after everything they had experienced. They simply, accurately and artlessly talked about their first real baptism of fire. That's why I trust them more. Of course, they only knew what concerned them personally and their units. Now, 34 years later, conscientious chroniclers do not really operate with references to the highest authorities, to numerous publications, and so on. But I do not set myself the task of telling about those events on a “global scale”. The purpose of the publication is to show the courage and courage of an individual soldier, an individual sergeant, an individual warrant officer, an individual officer ... Each of them was in his place. And everyone made his personal contribution to the success of his unit, his regiment, his division.

I communicate with my colleagues from time to time. Among them are two brothers - Major General Stanislav Lagovsky and Colonel Pavel Lagovsky. For participation in the combat operation to capture the general headquarters of the Afghan army on December 27, 1979 and other merits, both of these officers were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. At that time, Pavel, the youngest of the brothers, was a lieutenant, and Stanislav was a senior lieutenant.

“Pavel,” I asked Colonel Lagovsky of the Reserve the other day, “I looked through publications about the capture of the General Staff, they write in different ways. By the way, you and your brother are also mentioned.

“Alexander, understand, I was a young lieutenant then. What did I see? They said "do it" and I did it. Therefore, I saw something myself, but I didn’t have time to notice something, the situation there was very tense after all ... And over the years, something is forgotten.

He doesn't know the main thing. You can not insult the memory of the deceased hero. Major General Ivan Fedorovich Ryabchenko died on September 19, 1997 - 16 years ago! He is buried at the Serafimovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg. The “Chronicler”, apparently, created his “creation” not so long ago, since he says that our commander “three decades later and won’t remember such an episode - something went off in his memory” ... And our divisional commander did not live up to The 18th anniversary of the entry of troops into Afghanistan ... By the way, he was awarded the Order of Lenin for this operation. Alas, Ivan Fedorovich Ryabchenko will never remember anything ... The conscientious author, who claims to be the "ultimate truth", at least "punched" his last name on the Internet, because the exact rank is indicated - major general, and years of life. But to offend the deceased because of your ignorance is not worth much work ...

— I, Pavel, have noticed one more peculiarity. This author did not personally talk to the officers mentioned in the text. For example, I wrote down the story at that time of the guard senior lieutenant Alexander Kozyukov only 10 years ago. So, reading the author's arguments, I find familiar "motives" - for a professional this is not difficult. This means that a person was collecting “from the world on a thread” ... This, of course, is not forbidden, often even welcomed, but such a “personal understanding” does not always have the right to life ... In several places of his work, he used my facts, which I intend to later cite below, however, a little ironically painted them. Thirty years later, he knows better than anyone what and how. Better than the participants in the "coup" themselves, whose documentary evidence I recorded the day after the operation ...

“Okay, I’ll tell you how I saw these events then. If I forgot something, I won't hide it from you. I repeat, I was then just a young lieutenant ... I can tell some little things in the wrong sequence, but I remember the main thing perfectly. And this “most important thing” is in the soul and in the heart for life ... The main thing is that we have completed our task. Well, imagine, from peacetime - and immediately into such a mess ...

2. IN A FOREIGN LAND

“You remember,” Pavel Lagovsky begins his story, “in July 1979 I graduated from the Leningrad Higher Military Topographic Command School. According to the distribution, he ended up in the Airborne Forces. He began his service in one of the units in Vitebsk. And in November I was transferred to the headquarters. For the position of head of the topographic service.

- And I met you in early December, - I remember with a smile. We were jostling at the airport waiting for takeoff. It was very cold. Frost, the wind drives the snow along the airfield, so everyone hid in the warmth. I think it was December 14th. I went into some barracks at the Severny airfield in Vitebsk and witnessed your conversation with one of the young officers. At that time, I really didn’t like your phrase: “And I would have entered any military school just because it is located in Leningrad.” With these words, you jumped off the top bunk of the bed, and then I could not help but appreciate your strong physique, your athletic figure.

- Who is this "borzoi" lieutenant? I asked the nearby officers.

- Yes, Pashka Lagovsky. Brother of our divisional chief of staff. New topographer at headquarters. Also a master of sports, a karateka ...

“Yes…” I said in amazement. - I know the older one, we live in the same house, well, and this one, apparently, as they say - “young and early” ...

- I didn’t know then, Pasha, that in two weeks you and your brother would have something that you wouldn’t envy anyone ...

“Yes, yes, I remember that incident,” Pavel smiles. - And then you said that you would go to enter the school both in Sakhalin and Kamchatka, if only there was military journalism there ...

- On that day, you flew to Balkhash, and they left us in Vitebsk.

- That's exactly what happened. I won’t tell you how demonstration classes were held with us later in Balkhash, how they sat in anticipation. In short, we landed in Kabul with the division commander on December 25th.

Pavel, I'm sorry to interrupt. Here, read the memoirs of a pilot who participated in the transfer of our division, and a fragment of the story of our division communications chief, alas, now deceased. Let's remember how we flew, how we landed in Kabul. Here is what Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ivanov, deputy commander of the 339th vtap for flight training, writes:

“On December 25, at 22:00, the command to take off was received. The regiment flew to Kabul and Bagram via air routes at a 5-minute interval. We were followed by the crews of the 334th and 110th regiments. Flight time to Kabul is just over three hours. Night, at the bottom ten-point clouds and mountains. Flying over mountainous terrain required high precision piloting. When embarking on a descent, the crew must be 100% sure of their whereabouts. Otherwise, further flight became dangerous due to the possibility of collision with mountain peaks. The landing was made in difficult weather conditions. After unloading the troops, all the crews flew to the airfields designated for refueling, and then proceeded home. I arrived in Vitebsk on December 26th. Our regiment completed the task without loss. Unfortunately, this was not the case for everyone…”

And here is the story of the Guard Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Iosifovich Gorovoy - the head of communications of our 103rd Guards Airborne Division:

“The team to fly to Kabul arrived on December 25. The sequence of landing of VTA aircraft at the airfields of Afghanistan was determined in accordance with the plan for the introduction of airborne units and subunits into the country, and the take-off time was determined by the removal of the IRD from a given landing airfield.

The first to fly to Kabul was a pair of Il-76 aircraft of the commander of the 339th vtap, Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Kapaev and his deputy Ardalion Pavlov. On the plane of Lieutenant Colonel Kapaev were the Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant General V. Kostylev and a group of officers of the headquarters of the 103rd Guards Airborne Forces, headed by the division commander, Major General Ivan Ryabchenko, which included the head of the operational department, Colonel Rauf Baykeev, the head of the special department, Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Buynov, head of the political department, Colonel Stanislav Timoshenko, deputy commander for equipment and weapons, Colonel Vladimir Kharchenko, head of the medical service, Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Khamaganov, and other officers.

In addition to the people on board were the division's communications equipment. The second plane was loaded with two command and staff vehicles. However, the group failed to complete the task at the given time. When approaching Kabul, the commander of the ship informed us that due to the deterioration of weather conditions in Kabul (the height of the lower edge of the clouds is below 100 meters, visibility is less than 1000 meters, there are snow charges on the landing course), the head of the flight group ordered the pair to proceed to the departure airfield.

Upon arrival in Balkhash, our group tried to transfer to the planes that closed the battle formation, but for various reasons we were unable to fly out. The second flight was carried out on the same plane of Lieutenant Colonel Kapaev. Sat down in Kabul at 3 am. We got off the plane: wind, snow, low black oppressive clouds. Only in the north is a red glow. He reported his arrival to the Deputy Chief of Communications of the Airborne Forces, Colonel Fedotov. Having informed about the current situation, he explained that it was the Il-76 that crashed in the mountains was burning down ... "

“By the way, Pavel, my comrade, Senior Lieutenant Mikhail Pugachev, was flying in this plane ... I began to forget something too - to forget the details, but not the main thing. I remember that Misha had an unusual situation in his family. It seems that his first wife died, leaving a child. Misha married a second time. And the family was expecting a second child. I don’t know, I can confuse it, it seems that his wife “adopted” or “adopted” a child from his first marriage. And now - a tragedy ... The second child was born without a father ...

But what to say about such situations - Guards Senior Lieutenant Alexander Alexandrovich Vovk - Senior Instructor of the Political Department for Cultural and Mass Work, our best friend with your brother Stanislav. My neighbor on the porch, together they celebrated all the holidays with their families, they were friends like relatives ... He died later - on the day of the rebellion in Kabul - on the morning of February 22, 1980. And Sasha had just returned from Vitebsk, brought us parcels ... He returned joyful, kind, bright - he was picking up his second son, Ruslanchik, from the maternity hospital in Vitebsk. By the way, among the wives of our officers who went for a newborn, was my wife. “Everything is good in your families, the children are in order, so the wives handed over the parcel,” Sasha, who had flown in from Vitebsk, pleased us. And five days later he died - he was shot on the way from the Balakhisar fortress to the airfield point-blank from a machine gun. At the stadium, next to the mosque. Sasha's eldest son, also Alexander Alexandrovich Vovk, then, years later, entered the Kiev Suvorov Military School, graduated from it and became an officer ... They came to me ... Both in Moscow and Lvov ... I went with my family and to Sasha's grave in Kremenchug... To the Krasnoznamenskoye cemetery... I was already a captain then. They came to the cemetery. And son Ruslan, who had never seen his father, shouted “Dad!” so much that my heart just stopped. And then the eldest child, Sasha, asked me a little later:

- Uncle, are you married?

“Yes, Sasha,” I answer. Here is my wife, aunt Lida, here is my daughter Olya.

- What - already asked? Vera Vovk turned around.

- What - asked?

Are you married or not...

“Yes,” I say, “I asked, what’s the matter?”

Vera let the children go ahead, lagged a few steps behind me and began to quietly tell:

- Once at the wedding, Sasha liked the gypsies. He sang and danced like that, the child just fell in love with him. And the gypsy himself really liked Sasha. You know, children's delighted eyes ...

“Mom, I will be with him, let him live with us, mom, I will sleep with him,” said the baby. Let him be my dad...

And Vera found only one argument:

- Sasha, but my uncle is married, he has a family ...

And after that, Sashok always asked all the men he liked: “Uncle, are you married?” The child was looking for a dad...

- You know, Pasha, to be honest, in the thirty-four years that have passed since the beginning of the Afghan "saga", I have not read a single book or article telling about the events of that time. Of course, I looked through many publications, flipped through various publications, processed materials in accordance with the duty of my journalistic profession. But at the same time, it always seemed to me that it was not me who was doing it, but someone else. To put it simply, my doppelgänger. It was he, and not me, who later taught journalism at the Lvov Higher Educational Pedagogical University for four years to cadets Hayatullah, Rahulla, Aziz, Major Dur Muhammad, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Zahir and other Afghan servicemen.

- Why, you ask, not me, but my double? I will answer. My second "I" is still there. Because it is through the prism of that war that I have been perceiving everything that is happening for 34 years now. I hate Afghanistan, which killed my best friends, robbed me of two years of my youth, brought much suffering to my family and friends, almost killed my then unborn son.

My “prosperous” double, who did not fight in the DRA, like everyone else, once even regretted Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed by the Taliban, who in recent years considered Russia more of a friend than an enemy. I treated my Afghan cadets and students with understanding and even sympathy during the period of teaching at a military university. Like everyone else in the country, my doppelgänger also considered the Taliban an enemy...

But at the same time, no, no, and a completely different voice will speak in me. “Why are you upset,” the second “double” snaps harshly, “wasn’t this Massoud killing your friends? And who shot senior lieutenant Sasha Vovka during the rebellion in Kabul?

Who killed Ensign Tolya Mavrin near Jalalabad on February 29, 1980? And, by the way, he also had children. Two weather girls. The youngest was born just before the raid. Tolya, the commander promised that he would let him go after returning from the operation to fly on board the Il-76 for several days to Vitebsk. Mavrin fired back surrounded by a machine gun to the last. This, Pasha, was precisely in the operation, in the completion of which you later happened to participate ... Do you remember Tolya Mavrin? .. Secretary of the Komsomol Committee of the 3rd Airborne Battalion of the 317th PDP? So kind, one might even say - soft. And how he turned out to be in his last battle ... A shrapnel cut off his fingers on his hand, then a wound in his shoulder. Overcoming the pain, the ensign continued to fire. And only a bullet in the back of the head silenced the machine gun. However, Mavrin no longer had any cartridges left.

So who shot them? Maybe the same Hayatullah or Dur Muhammad, with whom you later had a chance to work in Lviv for more than one year? ..

And the Taliban? They didn't even exist back then. And these, the current, "correct" Mujahideen, were. And we called them then "dushmans, spirits ..."

- So, Pasha, you can talk for a long time ... We did not enter Afghanistan alone, we connected our past, present and future with these events ... It was not so simple, as all sorts of “chroniclers” now argue ... Afghan hit our destinies, on our families ... He struck so hard that it would not seem enough ...

- Yes, Sasha, this is not forgotten. They were flying into the unknown.

- Pavel, I sometimes think: what would happen if the Afghans suddenly showed greater alertness, combat readiness and combat readiness? Couldn't it have happened that there would be nothing left of our division? In any case, from some part of it. After all, they landed in trains. And if they started to smash us at the landing airfields in Kabul and Bagram, then others would certainly be turned into the Union. Could it be? Purely hypothetical?

Everything could be, you know...

“Exactly, we have already managed to get a baptism of fire in Afghanistan, we already have the first dead, and in Vitebsk our wives were still told: “Don’t worry about them. They are in training. It’s warm there, fruits, in general, paradise ... ”And by that time, in fact, someone had already“ gone to heaven ”and so they brought“ loads-200 ”. But with such a large country, everything could be hidden. There is a coffin - here is a coffin ... "Wide, my native country" ...

- Yes, Sasha, I repeat once again, then we did not think about it. They were young, reckless. Now you start to think - what if something would go wrong? I will return to my story. Why was I taken to the division commander as a bodyguard? - It's simple. The position of my head of the topographic service was abolished for the duration of the war, and I became the assistant to the chief of staff. So, I ended up under the division commander not only due to my sporting merits, but also due to the prevailing circumstances ... Now, of course, they speculate a lot ... And then everything was simple ...

- Okay, let me remember that memorable day for all of us - December 27, 1979. There was no divisional headquarters as such in the usual sense of the word. There were two large tents at the airfield in Kabul. All staff work was going on in one, and we, the officers, were in the other. We crowded there ... The apple had nowhere to fall. We are waiting for the team. Everyone is tense: something will happen, but what and when is unknown. A foreign country, a foreign cloudy sky, foreign snow-capped mountain peaks, into one of which, as we already remembered, one of our IL-76s crashed the day before ... In Belarus, it is already frosts of about thirty and snowdrifts of snow, but here everything seems to be frozen in gray november...

3. "ANSWER WITH YOUR OWN HEADS..."

We are called after dinner - me and brother Stanislav - to the commander of the division of the guard, Major General Ivan Fedorovich Ryabchenko. He gives the order to take weapons and prepare to leave. Hand over the documents, take off the vests, landing jackets - too. We quickly changed clothes, handed over the documents. Left in the same landing overalls without insignia, they also thought about how to warm themselves from the inside. Put on a light sweater. From weapons they took machine guns, three spare magazines in pouches, pistols, bayonet-knives. Stock up on grenades. I took two ergedeshki and two efki. He also took his training knife with him. Well, then you saw him at my place. I often practiced throwing it for accuracy...

We sit in the UAZ - divisional commander, his driver Vladimir Krasnov and my brother Stanislav and I. They were about to leave, when Lieutenant Colonel Buinov, head of the special department of the division, approached the car door. Taking my brother and me aside, he says:

- If something happens to General Ryabchenko, it’s better not to return to headquarters alive. Do you understand me?!. Answer with your own heads...

“Understood…” we answer with my brother.

Get in the car, let's go. And I can't get the words of the head of the special department of the division out of my head. How is it - something can happen to the division commander? How is it - "do not return alive"? It seems they flew in to help a friendly country. They have a revolution here, however, the Basmachi are hindering the construction of socialism ... Let's help ... But how can something happen if the Afghans themselves invited us here? After all, before leaving, we were told that we would go to the General Staff of the DRA to decide on the deployment of our division ...

They didn't go long. At the appointed place, an unfamiliar officer got into the car with us. In my 22 years, he seemed to me then quite old. From what structure the officer - it was immediately clear.

And then the most important thing began in the car. Roles were assigned and each was assigned a specific task. And now I realized that in fact, anything can happen to anyone. And not only with the division commander. But also with all of us. So we really may not return to the division headquarters alive. You know, it is not easy for a young lieutenant who graduated from a military school less than six months ago to come to terms with the fact that “he may not return alive” ... Okay, I sit, I think about everything. I look at my older brother. Stanislav is calm, confident. Well, it makes me feel better.

“You, Pavel, will be the division’s intelligence chief,” the division commander distributes the roles, “Stanislav is the head of the political department, and you, to the officer who got into the car, will be called the chief of staff. Well, as you know, I am the commander ...

Task: to prevent the chief of the general staff of the Afghan army, Yakub, from bringing the troops to full combat readiness.

I was ordered to keep an eye on the guards and prevent them from opening fire as soon as necessary. At the same time, act decisively. If it cannot be neutralized, then it must be destroyed.

“Destroy” is a familiar sound in tactics classes. At the exercises. "Destroy the mock enemy." And here it is far from conditional ... And who is our friend now, and who is the enemy? After all, they seemed to be flying to protect Amin, and now ... In a word, there was something to think about. But I had no doubt that I would try to do everything right. An anxious, agitated feeling of anticipation appeared in my soul. Paratroopers are familiar with it before skydiving. It seems that you have made them more than once, but before each new one you still worry. But then skydiving, and here - a real fight. Especially - in complete isolation from their own. There are only four of us, but how many of them are there?.. Obviously, we will have to fight more than one on one ...

When we drove up to the general headquarters, "NSh" warned us that we would have to hand over the weapons to the guards. Perhaps we will be searched again.

Hearing this warning, I pushed the grenades deeper under my sweater behind my back, shoved the pistol lower in the front belt ... I did not hide the knife.

We entered the territory of the General Staff. The driver Krasnov was left with the car. We were warned to act according to the situation and wait for us. Do you remember him, he was also a kid back then - he was a kid. Just served urgent duty. Krasnov was instructed: so that he does not loom in front of the guards, let him hide somewhere. But in such a way that you yourself can be invisible, and see everything - both the car and us when we leave the building.

We entered the general headquarters. "NSh" was right - they took away our weapons. But they left the knives, and pouches with cartridges - too. Then they took me to the second floor to the office of the Chief of the General Staff of Afghanistan, Yakub. That's when I saw his bodyguard. Strong guys, Pashtuns. They were so healthy... In a word, the guards... They were at the entrance to Yakub's office. It was for them that I had to watch, and then I had to fight with them ...

Yakub's office was quite large. Next to his chair are safes, radio stations, behind him is a door to some other room. You know, every big boss has such a cozy office where you can relax, refresh yourself, relax ... There were tables in the room with the letter "T". As usual, the boss, Yakub, sat in front. There were many people there. We were met by the Assistant Chief of the General Staff. We were led into an office and introduced. General Ryabchenko, "NSh" and my brother Stanislav sat down at the table near the chief of the general staff. And I settled down at the opposite end, on the very edge - by the window. Firstly, I saw the guards perfectly, and secondly, at any moment I could jump out from behind the table and quickly get to them. Everything was as usual: "Hello!" - "Hello!" Then they started introducing us to Yakuba. Many Afghans, you know, studied in the Soviet Union, so they knew the language.

Yakub said that Amin was delayed. It's like something isn't right with him.

It was impossible not to notice how intently everyone in the office was watching us.

- Do you have very young and strong bosses and deputies? Yakub remarked to General Ryabchenko.

“Young people are not young, but they all know their duties and each perform their own task,” Ivan Fyodorovich answered calmly.

- And why did the head of intelligence sit so far away? Jacob didn't give up.

And General Ryabchenko answered this question.

I sit, study everything and remember that there should be an explosion, and then everything will begin. There is still a lot of time before this signal.

The meeting has begun. During it, someone on the radio reports to Yakub that the Russians are leaving the area of ​​​​the Kabul airfield ...

You know, I have already begun to somewhat forget the entire sequence of negotiations that took place at the General Staff of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan between our people and the Afghans. I repeat, my task was to monitor the security. Therefore, I did it. But, in general, everything was about as I tell.

So, Yakub is informed that the Russians are leaving the airport area.

- Where do they go? he asks.

“Why, one of the locations has been determined for us - the Balakhisar fortress,” either Ryabchenko or “NSh” answer, “I don’t remember who spoke.

Apparently, "NSh" knew the language well. And our divisional commander inserted only replicas.

What fortress? What does Balakhisar have to do with it?

“Yes, ours are not moving, ours are generally still in place,” corrects “NSh”. - It's probably yours changing their place of deployment

- Yes, yes, - one of the Afghans recalls, - these are units coming out to strengthen Amin's residence ...

- We came to clarify the location of our units, - says "NSh", let's clarify these issues.

They laid out the cards, they decide something. Again, a call on the radio station follows ...

- Yes, turn it off, - says, it seems, "NSh", - interferes with the conversation ...

“Turn it off,” Yakub gives the command.

This is just what we were waiting for. It was imperative to turn off the connection so that Yakub did not have time to give a command to his troops by radio.

I'm slowly looking around, assessing the situation. I see that the division commander is separated from me by about ten people sitting at a long table. I won't be able to help him. But Stanislav is next to the general. And you can rely on your own brother ... My main task is protection.

Yes, I forgot to say, when we went to the General Staff, "NSh" warned that our guys would later be in Yakub's waiting room, look, they say, do not shoot each other. And he ordered to drive the cartridges into the channels of the gun barrels. So we did. Here I sit, thinking it all over, without taking my eyes off the guards at the same time. “There will be ours”, “not to shoot”, but how to find out which of them will be “ours” and who will not? Honestly, from such thoughts - chills on the skin ...

They laid out cards on Yakub's table, they are talking, they are deciding something. Suddenly, I hear, they switch to high tones ...

In short, they talked at the table for a short time. I was even surprised when I heard the explosion. He sounded before the appointed time. Thus began the operation "Storm-333". Much is said about her in various sources. But I prefer how he wrote in his novel "Operation Storm" to start earlier ... "our friend with you - a military journalist and writer, paratrooper colonel Nikolai Ivanov ...

How the capture and neutralization took place - I will not tell. Purely peaceful, “civilian” people sometimes ask those who fought the same stupid question: “How many did you kill in the war?” Of course, the sniper - he keeps his personal combat account. He can tell. But even that is approximately - anything can happen in a war - the target disappeared behind the parapet, and you can’t check what happened to it ... An artilleryman or a tanker will say, approximately, how many tanks, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns, vehicles were knocked out. But this does not mean that he completely destroyed their crews ... Therefore, whoever fought for real will never answer the question - did he kill or not, how much and how. He was doing his job. And fulfilled.

In a word, we coped with the task set, the chief of the general staff of the Afghan army, Yakub, and about ten members of the DRA government were captured. The fate of Yakub was decided there by the Afghans themselves, representatives of the new revolutionary government. But this, I emphasize, was their internal affair.

When the task was completed by us, the divisional commander was informed that someone would arrive with a connection. I don't remember how it happened. It was transmitted on the radio, on some radio station ... There were only three of us from the division here ... In any case, some kind of connection was established. And then they report that airborne combat vehicles are approaching the General Staff.

- What numbers? the commander asks.

They answer him.

- So, the 350th regiment ...

The first to reach us was Senior Lieutenant Alexander Kuish from the 7th Fifty-kopeck Airborne Company. With him were two soldiers with a large radio station.

The divisional commander got in touch with the deputy commander of the Airborne Forces. His face immediately darkened. It was not difficult to guess - the senior boss threatened with all punishments and was not shy in choosing expressions. I, then a young lieutenant, understood one thing - something had gone wrong, since the division commander was being scolded so sharply. After an unpleasant conversation on the air, Ivan Fedorovich calls my brother and me and quietly says only for the two of us:

— They call me… You stay here and clean everything up. Don’t touch anything here until tomorrow… Leave everything as it is now… They’ll come for you later… Stay here and don’t stick your head out until morning…

It was evident that our general was very excited. I have never seen him like this ... He was kind of extinct. But he always had a great endurance ...

“Command here… I will go with the general,” Stanislav tells me. “Look, be careful, who knows how many of these are left…”

And they left.

The division commander and my brother Stanislav went down to the first floor and saw our advisers in one of the rooms. There was a huge mock-up, well, like in tactical classes, you remember - with the designation of the terrain, various objects, settlements - not only a separate region, but the entire territory of Afghanistan.

The advisers did not participate in the events that unfolded in Yakub's office. And the divisional commander reproached them, saying that you did not help us when the shooting began.

Yes, we have no weapons, - the advisers began to justify themselves.

Where is it?

Locked up in these closets.

Then my brother Stanislav went up to one of the safes, pulled the upper edge of its doors towards himself, squeezed his fingers in there and opened it with a sharp effort. Done with bare hands. And so then one by one with all the cabinets... The advisers' eyes widened in surprise. Then there were legends around Kabul that Lagovsky Sr. smashed steel cabinets with his bare hands.

You see, what an unexpected detail I remembered ...

In a word, the division commander and brother left. And we, with Senior Lieutenant Alexander Kuish and his subordinates, began to clean up. Already in the course of it, they heard on the radio that the time "H" had come, and Amin's palace was being stormed. Then came the message that everything was over there. It seems that Amin was thrown with grenades ...

4. AND THERE WAS EVENING AND THERE WAS MORNING…

The division commander left, and we carried out a final sweep. They knocked out doors, threw grenades, and then they looked to see if anyone was still alive ... Soon everything was over. Until the morning we were awake with the guys from the 350th paratrooper regiment. And the next day, at ten o'clock, the head of the operational department of the division, Colonel Baykeev, arrived.

"Let's go to Amin's palace," he said.

I learned that our driver Volodya Krasnov also survived.

We drove up to Amin's residence in a BRDM, accompanied by two BMDs. That's where I saw for the first time the commander of the "Muslim" battalion. I began to ask the guys what and how. They said that Amin seemed to have been killed with a grenade ...

Then we went to the division headquarters at the Kabul airfield. In the afternoon we were told that we would go somewhere again. And they warned to put themselves in order, so that there was a normal appearance. My brother and I changed clothes, took weapons and we were taken to the residence of Marshal of the Soviet Union Sokolov. It was only later that we learned that our divisional commander was almost handcuffed ... It was the marshal who didt all the i's.

We were introduced:

- Here are two brothers ... Yesterday they distinguished themselves in the General Staff ...

Marshal Sokolov, a short, thin old man dressed in the green uniform of an adviser, came up to us, shook hands, and thanked us.

We serve the Soviet Union! we roared with joy in two voices at the same time.

Then they let us go to the reception room, and excited voices were heard in the marshal's office. It was evident that it was no longer our divisional commander who was being scolded, but someone else ... The meeting with Marshal of the Soviet Union Sergei Leonidovich Sokolov lasted two hours. And my brother and I were still waiting in the waiting room. And then Major General Ryabchenko came out and ordered to go to the Balakhisar fortress to lieutenant colonel Litovchik, commander of the 357th parachute regiment. You know, there used to be Afghan paratroopers - the 26th Parachute Regiment. What filth there was in the barracks! What a stink ... Ours then cleaned and washed everything for a long time. But the specific smell remained for a very long time ... In general, it seems to me that it has not completely disappeared ...

- Pavel, you yourself mentioned the novel “Operation Storm to start earlier ...” by our friend Colonel-Paratrooper Nikolai Ivanov. There he interestingly talks about the situation in which the division commander found himself. Knowing the character of Nikolai, I am sure that he took the facts for his novel personally and from Ivan Fedorovich Ryabchenko. Therefore, it is interesting to read what Colonel Ivanov writes about those events. And he says the following:

When Sukhorukov was informed about the shooting in Kabul, he demanded immediate contact with Ryabchenko.

The phone was picked up by Kostylev, sent from the headquarters of the Airborne Forces to help Ryabchenko.

- Where is the commander?

- Comrade commander, the division commander is absent.

- How is it missing? I personally forbade him to leave the location of the division. And even more so today. Under no pretext. Did he ask you?

- What is the situation in the city?

- Shooting is going on in some places. Our groups, according to the first reports, are operating successfully.

- As soon as Ryabchenko appears, call me immediately. Drop the division! - Sukhorukov himself threw the telephone receiver on the levers. At the last meeting, Ustinov seemed to specifically emphasize that he had special hope for the paratroopers, and here the commander, hell, where.

Sukhorukov squinted at the “Kremlin” and suddenly caught himself thinking that he was afraid of a call from Ustinov or Ogarkov. And if they suddenly need Ryabchenko personally?.. Shame! Leave the division without warning anyone. If there is no excuse, he will personally ask the minister to remove Ryabchenko from his post. But what could be the excuse?

Necessary postscript.

But there was an excuse. Two people - Guskov and, in general terms, the chief of staff knew where and why Major General Ryabchenko left two hours before time "H", taking with him two karate officers, the Lagovsky brothers. And Ogarkov and Ustinov also could not call Sukhorukov about Ryabchenko, because it was they who gave the order to the commander of the landing: at the time of the start of the operation, neutralize the chief of the General Staff, Colonel Yakub, and prevent him from raising troops "...

- I will not repeat the whole chain of events that took place in the General Staff. You know everything about them. And not from someone else's words... Nikolai Ivanov briefly talks about them. And here is what he says about the departure of the division commander. After he contacted the deputy commander of the Airborne Forces:

“... Shooting flared up in the city, and Ryabchenko, having looked at Yakub lying in blood for the last time, hurried to the airfield, to the division.

In the headquarters tent, not embarrassed by the sentry frozen at the post at the Banner, Kostylev attacked him:

- Can you explain where you were all this time when your paratroopers went under the bullets?

Ryabchenko shrugged dismissively.

- I went to the city.

— Oh, to the city... Well, then call the commander and explain yourself. He has been waiting for your call for a long time.

Compared to what he had just seen and experienced, the anger of the authorities seemed such a trifle that Ryabchenko picked up the receiver of ZAS with a grin:

Where have you been, Comrade General? Sukhorukov's irritated voice was heard. Why weren't you in the division?

“I was in the city, Comrade Commander.

- Did I allow you to leave the location of the division?

— Not at all.

“Then I will remove you from command. Tomorrow with the first plane to arrive in Moscow.

“With great pleasure,” the divisional commander answered into the buzzing receiver.

Everything was empty and indifferent - to Moscow so to Moscow, demoted so demoted. But to see, and even more so to participate in something that previously could only be read in books, and even then it’s not about us ...

The flap of the tent slammed, the flashing light bulb swayed in the wind.

- What, commander, is not cheerful? Guskov asked from the threshold.

(Note - Lieutenant General Guskov - Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for airborne training).

— Yes, I think so. I spoke with the commander, tomorrow I fly to Moscow for a new position.

- So-and-so, - looking back at Kostylev, Guskov drawled appraisingly. “Stop moping, you still have to command people ...”

5. SEVENTH PARACHUTE

“Pavel,” I say, “you told me about how you saw those events in the General Staff itself. But it’s interesting to read what the guys from the 7th Airborne Company of the 350th Guards Airborne Regiment of our division, the famous “fifty kopecks”, who went to your rescue from the airfield to Kabul, will remember.

- Hero Boys! The same author, whom you and I have mentioned more than once today, says that the 3rd battalion of Captain Anatoly Frolandin was late, and then fired from all barrels at the General Staff building. Say, they had time for the cap analysis and with their "friendly fire" they almost shot ours. And after all, I then carried out a sweep with them in the building ...

- Here, read what Vladimir Kuznetsov recalls about those events. The other day I contacted him. Of course, something could have been erased from his memory too. But you know, little things, details are erased, and most importantly, it is so firmly planted in the heads and hearts of each of us that over the years, for some reason, everything is seen even brighter and even more distinctly. Senior Sergeant Vladimir Kuznetsov was then deputy commander of the 1st Airborne Platoon of the 7th PDR. By the way, a non-standard reconnaissance platoon of the battalion. Vladimir was awarded the medal "For Military Merit". Those events in which he took part, Kuznetsov saw from the position of a sergeant. But this is precisely what is most valuable. So, the story of the guard senior sergeant Vladimir Kuznetsov:

“We flew to Kabul at night, during the day we dug out caponiers for cars and started arranging our life. What will happen next - did not know. In the afternoon, towards the evening of December 27, the officers were summoned to the headquarters of the regiment. Our commander, senior lieutenant Alexander Kuish, quickly returned, formed a platoon and announced that we had been given the task of leaving for the city and capturing a 2-storey building. There was little time left. We began to train - and so we burst into the building, and so we pass through the rooms ... We practically flew around Kabul, there was a command: “Do not stop at nothing!” One car from the platoon broke down, the platoon arrived at the General Staff on two BMDs. And then it turned out that only one car came from the 3rd platoon. So the company was not at full strength. Unloaded, went in a chain along the building to the main entrance. As they trained, so they acted. They burst into the hall in a semicircle, behind the columns - people. We yell obscenities: "Drop your weapons!". One of them shouted: "Do not shoot, your own." There were guys from the Zenit group. More precisely, they were border guards from the security company of the USSR Embassy. They were seconded to the group, their task was to disarm sentries at the main entrance. Three people - senior lieutenant Yuri Ivanets and two ensigns - Yuri Seryakov and Robert Galiev. At the main entrance, we left Sergeant Bogdan Kobetyak with one of the fighters, and we ourselves ran up the stairs to the second floor.

On the second floor, also behind the columns, there were several people - Zenit fighters. Opposite, at the door, lay the corpse of an Afghan officer. The senior from this group told platoon commander Alexander Kuish that there, in the rooms, our commander and we need to go there. They were talking about Ryabchenko. And we did not know that the division commander was in the building.

Kuish took with him two Yakushkin brothers, Viktor and Nikolai. And I had to stay with the fighters, we had more than half of the "young" ones. I stood against the wall, held the wing of the building where the main political department was located at gunpoint, and one of the "anti-aircraft gunners" stood opposite the column and held the opposite wing at gunpoint. And he began to ask how the guys were feeling and so on. And then he says that they were waiting for us almost like gods, they were afraid that they would not resist. After all, we were late for about forty minutes, the company went astray, maybe we shouldn’t talk about this? .. But I tell everything honestly. Everything is as it was...

On the first floor, Senior Lieutenant Oleg Bastanov, the heroic political officer of our 3rd Airborne Battalion, "worked" very well. He was accompanied by two machine gunners. Levko from the 8th company, I don’t remember his name, and my machine gunner Viktor Ridel. There, the communication center resisted. Therefore, Bastanov threw grenades at them and went through the rooms ...

When the 2nd and 3rd platoons under the command of senior lieutenant Alexander Kozyukov and company political officer Sergei Druzhinin had already risen to the second floor, I moved towards Yakub's office. Sergei Vorobyov was with me, a young soldier. And someone else. I don't even remember everyone. And Sergei Druzhinin recalls that when he began to move towards the left wing, in one of the rooms he saw a man sitting at the door, one of the “anti-aircraft gunners”. He told our political officer that if they didn't get through, they would shoot. At this time, Pavel Lagovsky approached. He asked Sergei if there was a grenade. Then he took a hanger, punched a hole in the door. There he threw a grenade. But when they entered the room after the explosion, there was no one in it, and the window was open...

As they were speeding through Kabul, one of the vehicles flew into a ditch, and the battalion's doctor, Captain Vyatkin, stopped his APC-D to provide assistance. As a result, he lagged behind the column. The closing 579th BMD also lagged behind. The driver in it was Sergey Boykov. She ran into the doctor's BTR-D and could not pass. Then, when Captain Vyatkin helped the victim, both cars went to the General Staff. On the way we met a convoy. It turned out that this was a division of the artillery regiment of our 103rd Airborne Division. And when the stragglers reached the General Staff, there was already shooting everywhere. Battalion doctor Vyatkin began to help the wounded. The first wounded was from the border guards seconded to the "Zenith". And the second - "anti-aircraft gunner". He was shot in the leg with a pistol...

At some point, a signal was received that a tank column was moving towards the General Staff. We began to load up with "flies" - grenade launchers, we did not take them with us into the building. And political officer Sergei Druzhinin went from room to room to gather everyone for the upcoming battle ... "

- An interesting detail, - Pavel Lagovsky is surprised, - Kuznetsov still remembers how I broke through the door with a hanger. And I remembered. You know, there was such a state, such tension ...

- At that time, senior lieutenant Alexander Kozyukov acted as commander of the 7th parachute company of the guard. His memories are also not the most "fresh". So it may have some minor inaccuracies. I spoke with Alexander, as already mentioned above, ten years ago. This means that 24 years have passed since the introduction of troops. But, nevertheless, let's look at everything through the eyes of the acting commander of the 7th PDR. Senior Lieutenant Alexander Kozyukov recalls:

“We were given the task of participating in blocking the building of the General Staff and assisting the soldiers of the special forces in capturing and cleaning up the facility with its subsequent retention.

Having completed the march, the 7th Airborne Company approached the General Staff Building. The commander of the 103rd Airborne Division of the Guard, Major General Ivan Fedorovich Ryabchenko, was already in it with three officers - brothers of the Guard, Senior Lieutenant Stanislav Lagovsky and Guard Lieutenant Pavel Lagovsky, as well as an adviser to the Chief of the General Staff of Afghanistan.

Our company approached from the building of the Ministry of Public Works, which was located opposite the General Staff, fired from grenade launchers and small arms, and from behind the building - from mortars. The first to be at the captured object was the platoon of the Guards, Senior Lieutenant Alexander Kuish, operating in reconnaissance. With fire from three airborne combat vehicles, Alexander's subordinates did not allow the Afghans to jump out of the windows. Ensign Sergey Novitsky, a guard company technician, masterfully made a passage in the fence with armor, through which they entered the territory of the BMD General Staff to block it. I burst into the building when there was already a shootout in it and there were wounded among the soldiers of the special forces. My guys completed the cleaning task.

Captain Anatoly Frolandin, commander of the 3rd Airborne Battalion of the Guards, ordered me to take a platoon with me and leave to strengthen the security of the Soviet embassy. With three BMDs, I advanced to the indicated area. A crowd of about one hundred and fifty people with sticks and stones had gathered in front of the embassy building. Single shots were also heard from there. At the embassy, ​​vehicles and nearby shops were on fire. Leaving one combat vehicle in the most dangerous and vulnerable area for those who guarded the facility, I left with two BMDs for women and children to the microdistrict where Soviet specialists lived. Until the morning I evacuated them inside military vehicles to the territory of the embassy. It was safer there. On the morning of December 28, he returned to the General Staff building and set about guarding it with a company.

6. CAPTURE OTHER OBJECTS

- You and I, Pavel, have already said: in the book of the author, who for some reason tries to belittle the merits of the paratroopers, sometimes something very familiar to us is caught. I repeat: some facts, apparently, he took from my publications. And then he questioned them, ironically. I have already said above that I collected facts for the material on the seizure of objects in Kabul literally the next day after the "coup". So the guys all spoke honestly and frankly. At that time, I was more interested in mutual assistance in battle, you remember, young soldiers came to the division. It was then that they sent to Afghanistan those who served in the Union for six months and underwent at least some training. And our guys - straight from the "quarantine" - as they called the course of initial combined arms training - and immediately to the war. Remember, usually the young recruits took the military oath at the end of December. And then the ritual was held on Sunday, December 9th. For some reason this didn't bother us. And it turns out that the young soldiers did not even complete the course of initial combined arms training. Because after taking the oath, they were immediately sent to combat units and subunits. So I was most interested in how the young soldiers behaved in battle, how the interaction between experienced paratroopers and newcomers was organized. In short, here are the very notes that I published after the "coup" in our divisional newspaper "Guards Valor":

317th Guards Airborne Regiment.

Blocking the anti-aircraft division and the communications battalion. Three guards were disarmed without a single shot being fired. Distinguished guards senior sergeant Arkady Sartasov, guards junior sergeant Valery Mikhalev, guards corporal Madatbek Subakozhuev, guards privates Nikolai Tatarinov, Yuri Eremin, Yuri Chernyaev ...

By the way, Guards Junior Sergeant Valery Mikhalev, two months after these events, captured an American instructor in the same "Shigal" operation. I took it one by one. Without a single shot. A young paratrooper and an experienced instructor ... The junior sergeant won, who had served a little more than six months by that time ...

Company of the Guard Captain Valery Samokhvalov. At 7 p.m., the advance began. The company commander Samokhvalov on the armored personnel carrier knocked down the gate and broke into the headquarters of the army corps. The BTR-60pb standing in the yard opened fire on Samokhvalov's car. However, after the commander on the BMD, Guard Lieutenant Fyodor Guzyk burst into the facility. An Afghan from 30 meters missed with two bursts. This was enough for Guzyk's crew to save the commander. The gunner-operator of the guard, senior sergeant Yuri Konovalov, twice hit the armored personnel carrier with a cumulative turret, then destroyed an Afghan grenade launcher aiming from a window. Guards private Ivan Prokushev covered the political officer ... "

— And now, Pavel, compare with the text of the same author:

“Company commander Samokhvalov on an armored personnel carrier of reconnaissance patrol broke into the territory of the headquarters of the army corps. Not to say that rapidly - access roads did not allow to develop normal speed. Following him, the crew of Lieutenant Fyodor Guzyk advanced. The Afghan armored personnel carrier standing in the yard met the paratroopers with machine gun fire. The bullets were marked with tracers over the armor and nearby. The guys were lucky - the goal was no more than 30 meters. Therefore, the gunner-operator senior sergeant Yuri Konovalov, without delay, without losing himself in battle, “snarled” twice, and very successfully: he hit the armored personnel carrier with a cumulative charge under the tower. Well exploded, hot wave fanned. Private Ivan Prokushev experienced the breath of reprisal when he covered the awkwardly leaning political officer with fire. I also wanted to clarify to him that now is not the hour for political studies, but he did not say it as a warning - an Afghan grenade launcher with a pipe leaned over from the window and began to aim his weapon, awkwardly bending in the opening. Prokushev corrected the unnatural posture of the adversary: ​​he struck a line, seven or eight rounds of ammunition, and the Afghan disappeared ... "

- Isn't it true - the same surnames as mine, the same sequence of actions, but it’s too flowery and pretentious, even with a certain mockery ... And in our divisional newspaper - just dry facts from the notebook of a military journalist. This is where the writer comes in...

However, I will continue:

“The group of the head of intelligence of the regiment of the guard, Major Anatoly Kachanov. They combed the building. The task set by him is to destroy one of the military leaders of the Amin government.

Combat security. Equipped positions, waiting for Afghan tanks. Didn't sleep for more than a day. They should have been the first to take the hit. Guards sergeant Sergei Vetchinov, guards junior sergeants Vladimir Yusovskikh, Oleg Egorov, guards private Nurbek Mamyrbaev distinguished themselves ...

The second paratrooper company. Guards Senior Lieutenant Anatoly Chernoray. Blocking the headquarters of two brigades. Two hours were allotted for the task. They made a 20-kilometer march through unfamiliar terrain at night, the object was captured ...

Guards Senior Sergeant Alexander Hayten and Guards Private Alexander Nemets. They showed initiative. They broke the connection of the captured object with the higher headquarters ...

Capture of the KAM (Afghan analogue of the KGB). The paratrooper platoon of the Guard Lieutenant Sergei Korchmin participated. While they were moving out of the airfield, they fired on the road. We drove up to the gate, dismounted, lay down. BMD, whose driver was Sergei Kinel, knocked out the gate. At the same time, a caterpillar flew off the car. The capture group rushed forward, the cover remained. The goal was to capture everyone. Only captured. Guards Private Sergei Kornilin with a machine gun covered Guards Private Sergei Dolokhov, who captured the sentry. When they went around the building, Guards Private Alexander Lesnikov caught the belt of his machine gun on the door handle. At that moment, an Afghan officer with a pistol flew right at him from around the corner. Private Sergei Derbenev, who was walking behind the guard, immediately released his belt, and Lesnikov managed to knock the Afghan down with a fist and take him prisoner alive. The paratrooper, to be honest, hit the attacker on the head with his fist so that he fell to his knees and dropped his gun. Guard Corporal Sergei Radchenko fell and broke his fingers, and at that time the magazine ran out of ammunition. Guard Corporal Nikolai Fedorov quickly equipped a store for him and both continued to carry out their combat mission ...

Telegraph capture. Guard Corporal Ivan Mikhnev and Guard Private Petr Vasiliev participated ...

Capture of the bank and communication center. When performing the task, the duties of a platoon commander were performed by Guards Senior Sergeant Anton Sazonov. Worked great…”

- You know, Pavel, I have already cited a lot of testimonies of participants in the seizure of objects from our, Soviet, side. But it is interesting to know how the Afghans themselves assess those events? I already told you that after 9 years I had a chance to teach military journalism to the soldiers of the DRA in the Soviet Union. I repeat, it was difficult at first to work with Afghan officers and cadets. They smile, shake hands, and in my eyes are our dead guys. For example, there was a listener Dur Muhammad in my group. Major. Scout. For some reason, it always seemed to me that he had a "double bottom". The family is in the UK, and Dur Muhammad himself is in the Soviet Union ... By the way, he never received a diploma. Just before graduation from the school, he broke loose and very impudently rude to his course officer. For five years he harbored anger in himself, and then splashed out in a rush ... So try, figure out who then fired at us, who planted mines ... Maybe one of these ... You know, there were amnesties in the Afghan army, there were also deserters , which several times passed either to the "spirits", then to the government troops ... However, this is not about that. Once I got into a conversation with the senior lieutenant of the Afghan army, Muhammad Zahir. Here is what he told me:

“During the entry of your troops into Afghanistan on December 27, 1979, I served as a driver in the fifteenth tank brigade. I remember that night very well. We, as well as the fourth brigade, stood near Kabul in the direction of Puli-Charkhi. When it got dark, the shooting started. The crews of the fourth rushed to the cars. But the tanks did not go beyond the checkpoint. The commander gave the order to stay put. Now he is in jail...

The fifteenth brigade consisted of three battalions. In the second, in which I served, combat readiness was declared. I don’t remember exactly, whether on the twenty-fourth, or on the twenty-fifth of December, we watched TV. Amin was asked the question: “Large planes are landing ... What is in them?” He replied: "The planes of our friends bring essential goods."

Each battalion had one of your advisers. We respected these people, believed them. The day before, they personally checked the combat readiness of the tanks. When, four days after the entry of troops, we received the order to unload ammunition from the vehicles, we suddenly found that all the firing pins in the guns had been taken out. This was done before the twenty-seventh of December by your advisors.

On that memorable night, the deputy head of the political department came to us. He had an adviser with him. They gathered everyone to talk. At this time, your BMD surrounded tanks and barracks. Blocked the park...

Babrak was not liked by the people. They called him the second Shah Shujah. There was such a case in the history of Afghanistan. If I'm not mistaken, it refers to the period of the second war with the British. They wanted to put a puppet of Shah Shujah at the head of the country. Upon learning of this, all the people rose up ...

You ask why both brigades did not resist? They were elite. About eighty percent are party members…”

7. Raids

“Pavel,” I ask, “you served in Afghanistan for about two and a half years. Participated in subsequent raids. In addition to the Order of the Red Banner, do you have any other awards for the DRA?

- Yes, Lieutenant General Albert Evdokimovich Slyusar, who replaced our divisional commander at the end of the summer of 1981, presented me for the award of the Order of the Red Star. But the head of the personnel department, well, you remember him ... I don’t want to say anything bad, but ... In a word, he did something ... So, perhaps, my order is still “wandering” somewhere ... And I was replaced in 76th Airborne Division to Pskov in March 1982 ... In a word, I served in Afghanistan for almost two years more than brother Stanislav. Do you remember that in the winter of 1980 he was given the military rank of captain ahead of schedule, and a few months later he was transferred to the Union for promotion. Appointed head of the Department of Physical Training at the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. By the way, I received the rank of senior lieutenant ahead of schedule. Well, as for the orders of the Red Banner, you remember, they were presented to us by Marshal of the Soviet Union Sokolov in early May 1980. Stanislav was just in the raid. And they left me at the division headquarters. Even then, they began to think about not simultaneously sending two brothers to combat operations together. So I, too, then flew to the combat area with the marshal and the division commander. There we were awarded medals. And then Stanislav was transferred to Ryazan. And I also had a chance to participate in hostilities. Remember, there was a “shigalskaya” operation? I flew there with the chief of staff of the division, Colonel Nikolai Vasilyevich Petryakov. In Kunar, they worked with scouts ... Then it was very hot there. Our guys are dead. Including the future Heroes of the Soviet Union, senior sergeants, sapper Nikolai Chepik and intelligence officer Alexander Mironov ... Officers were wounded. Among them is Lieutenant Igor Divinsky... We provided support to our battalions at the final stage of the operation... Then he participated in raids in other provinces. He also performed tasks to ensure the protection of military leaders who arrived from Moscow. He accompanied the Marshals of the Soviet Union Akhromeev, Sokolov, the commander of the Airborne Forces General of the Army Sukhorukov flying to the combat areas ... For these purposes, a group of several people was appointed by the head of intelligence of the division, Colonel Mikhail Fedorovich Skrynnikov. I was also in it. Of course, you noticed that Skrynnikov was then not a colonel, but a major, Slyusar was not a lieutenant general, but a colonel. Now they have such military ranks ... By the way, in Afghanistan I also met the future Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, future Army General Pavel Sergeevich Grachev. Somehow our reconnaissance company helped his battalion quite well. They were then blocked in the gorge. And we landed with only two reconnaissance groups on the dominant heights and gave heat to the “spirits” ... You know - whoever is on top in the mountains is right ... In one of the raids, he was wounded in the leg by shrapnel. Well, then we didn’t pay much attention to such “trifles”. We thought that we would live and forget. And over the years, all this makes itself felt ...

— Pavel, I've got in touch with reserve lieutenant colonel Valery Marchenko. By the way, he wrote several books about scouts. There, by the way, Valery also talks about your participation in the military operation in May 1980 in Behsud.

“Comrade Lieutenant of the Guard, the division commander calls you.

Jumping to the ground, I grabbed the machine gun, straightened my equipment. It seems that they remembered us, moreover, much earlier than I expected. The scouts, seeing the messenger, calmed down, internally gathered. He silently looked at them, winked and went to the operational group, which had spread antennas about three hundred meters to the left of us. The division commander and deputies were sitting at a folding table, discussing some topic. I noted that there were no unit commanders in the tent, separate subdivisions of the division - only officer-operators.

“Comrade Major General, Guards Lieutenant Marchenko has arrived on your orders.

The commander, taking off his black glasses, smiled.

“Having a rest, scouts?”

“Yes, Comrade General.

- Good. Yesterday we showed good training for endurance and performance. Well done! I think it will work today.

I silently stood in front of the general, the officers of the division headquarters. The commander looked at me searchingly.

“The task is this, Marchenko: the elders of the county center Bekhsud want to meet with us. An agreement has been reached, the meeting will take place here in this place, - the general showed the place of the agreed meeting on the map.

About three kilometers from the camp. The site was open, to the right - a village, the mountain range stretched further. The meeting place, at first glance, is not very dangerous, unless, of course, an ambush is prepared there. The option of ambushing the command of the Soviet group is unlikely. The elders are unlikely to agree to such meanness, the Russians are too strong - the answer will be adequate. Another thing is to find out the situation, plans, assess the danger of "shuravi" - this is quite understandable, given that we are located next to the villages. Most likely, it is.

“Your task, Marchenko, is to provide cover for a group of officers in case there is a provocation or the enemy attacks. Is the essence of the problem clear?

“Yes, Comrade General. But I would like to leave thirty minutes earlier to assess the situation on the spot, perhaps leave one car there, and meet the officers with the other two.

General Ryabchenko looked thoughtfully at the map, then at the deputies.

- Good. But look around the area so that they do not get the impression that we fear and do not trust the elders. We have humanitarian aid for them, an act of mercy, so to speak, the meeting with them should be organized and at a high diplomatic level.

- Understood, Comrade General, people are prepared, we will work.

The commander nodded.

- Good. I give time for preparation. Enough?

- Yes sir. Resolve a question?

Who will be the leader of the group?

The general smiled and replied:

I will be the eldest...

Reflections on the placement of platoon equipment, with the armor of which I planned to cover the general and officers of the division from a possible attack by "spirits", led me to the idea of ​​​​effective placement of combat vehicles on the ground. With Pavel Lagovsky, we decided to place the vehicles of the task force in a triangle, which would provide us with optimal observation of the area and a quick response to an unexpected enemy attack.

Dangerous directions from the line of the outer duvals of the villages and the nearest spur were analyzed by me on the map for hidden exits to the meeting point of the parties. If suddenly the division commander needs my proposals for organizing a meeting, I will report to him a functional plan worked out from the conditions of the terrain and the availability of our forces and means. The danger, in fact, came from the unevenness of the terrain, which allowed the covert movement of enemy attack groups. And if the meeting was initiated by local elders, which, on the one hand, guaranteed relative integrity, as the translator assigned to the task force explained to us, on the other hand, it was difficult to understand what forces, parties controlled the county, and what the aksakals put into the very process of negotiations.

Having folded the map for ease of reference, I went to the headquarters of the task force. There was still enough time left, so I was thinking about possible options for completing the task, reflecting on its content. At the headquarters I met with Lagovsky. Pavel was already ready to ensure the landing of the officers on the BTEers prepared for the trip and cheerfully shone with a carefree smile.

— Hello, Pash, how soon?

- Wait, Valerie, wait.

“Listen, put one car right here,” I showed Lagovsky a point on the map where, in my opinion, it was necessary to block a piece of space from the mountains.

Pasha did not have to explain for a long time what was happening, he is the head of the topographic service of the formation, so we quickly coordinated our actions on the map and hoped that on the ground we would do just as well.

- Negotiations, Pasha, will be conducted behind your cars, but I will cover the outer ring with mine.

- It's coming, Valerie.

Pavel, laughing, continued to bite off his nails with tweezers.

In the tent of the division commander, the officers involved in the meeting discussed the procedure for negotiations with the most respected council of elders. At that moment, as I "showed off" in front of the command of the formation, the general heard the proposals of the officers on the humanitarian action of issuing food to the population.

“Comrade Major General, the reconnaissance group of a separate reconnaissance company is ready to carry out a combat mission,” I reported, closing the flap of the tent behind me.

Ready, scouts?

- Yes sir!

The division commander, adjusting his inseparable glasses, got up from the table.

— Comrade officers, departure in fifteen minutes. Questions for me? Not? Everybody's Free.

- Report, Marchenko.

Having opened the map, I reported to the divisional commander the plan of the reconnaissance group's preventive actions to cover the meeting.

The general, listening, clarified the moment:

Will the sergeant do it?

“Yes, Comrade General.

- And if a provocation and "spirits" prepared an ambush? Doesn't get lost?

- No way, comrade general, an experienced and fired commander, and scouts fought with him.

- Okay, "persuaded", we leave in ten minutes. Communication by radio.

- There is! May I go?

I left the division commander with a slight shiver running through my body. The tasks of such a plan have not yet been carried out. I myself was ready for any development of events, but covering up the divisional commander with control officers is a special specificity. But what can you do? Orders in the army are not discussed, but carried out - quickly, accurately and on time.

BMD immediately reached the predetermined lines and, "bristling" with guns, began to move along the designated sectors. The vehicles of the operational group also covered the meeting participants from dangerous directions, as we had planned with Lagovsky. Pasha did a great job, he put the cars in the right place, and most importantly, quickly. A group of officers led by General Ryabchenko was reliably covered by armor in seconds!

In the sight, I caught movement in the village, finally noticing a group of local residents near the duvals, about twenty people. They slowly left the village and slowly walked in our direction. “Running” around the bearded and wisest aksakals, I again did not record anything special, although the picture itself aroused interest: the elders went out to a patch blocked by equipment, and, stopping, stomped on the spot. I noted that among them there was, apparently, their own hierarchy, in which the chief elder moved forward, three stood behind him, and another trinity closed the main backbone of their representation. The rest of the crowd stopped a little further away.

The division commander jumped off the BTR-D and went towards the aksakals. Behind him are the officers participating in the meeting. The wisest with gray beards, seeing in him the main “shuravi”, looked appraisingly at the general in the “sand”, which had no insignia.

The same aksakal who was in front separated from the elders - a tanned, strong, with a sharp piercing look, an old man in light clothes, a white turban and almost without teeth. In his left hand he held a rosary. The rest of the inhabitants remained at a respectful distance. The elder, crouching on his right leg, went up to General Ryabchenko and took his face with his hardened hands. For a while, the elder looked into the eyes of the divisional commander, then twice pressed his head to his cheeks and, taking a step back, began to speak to him slowly and sedately ... Our tarjeman (translator) Sasha translated. We knew Alexander, he worked with us several times in search and ambushes. He graduated from the Institute of Oriental Languages, spoke English and Farsi, and in general was a normal guy.

The conversation between the Russian general and the Afghan spinjiray (elder) began slowly. I didn't hear what they were talking about, but that didn't make me less curious. Having once again looked through the scope, I carefully left the car and quietly approached the officers of the task force. In the end, I was given the task of protecting the division commander. Why stand aside?

The conversation was on general topics (I was already in earshot). Aksakal complained about the difficult life of dekhkans, poor harvest, diseases of the population, lack of water in certain areas of fertile soil. He built phrases with weight, with dignity, while carefully looking into the eyes of the division commander, apparently trying to understand the reaction of the latter. The division commander took off his dark glasses and, folding his hands on his stomach, nodded his head from time to time. The elder, having finished speaking, looked back at his fellow tribesmen, who, having grown bolder, pulled themselves closer.

General Ryabchenko entered into a conversation with them. His speech was thoughtful. In a simple and understandable language, he told the farmers that the Russian troops came to them in peace, they were not going to kill the civilian population. Let everyone work calmly and not be afraid of the military. Moreover, the general noted, for the inhabitants of the county center Behsud, "shuravi" brought flour, food, which, by agreement with the respected elder, they are ready to transfer to the population. The Russians have no intention of fighting, but along the way we were repeatedly attacked. There are dead and wounded. Then he asked the elder an interesting and very important question: can they, dear people, give a guarantee that they will not shoot at us? We have come with peace, help and wish to help the Afghan people in their revolutionary transformations. During the monologue of the division commander, the translation of the speech by the translator, the elder was silent, agreed with everything said by the Russian commander.

Then the elder approached the inhabitants of the village and they began to talk about something, using active gestures with their hands. The interpreter did not hear their words - it was far away, but ten minutes later the elder returned. Approaching the division commander, he assured that they would not shoot at the Russians, let them feel at home, do not worry about anything. It would seem that the most acute topic of the meeting was exhausted, the general and the elder discussed the issue of humanitarian assistance to the population. We decided this: the Afghans will drive up to our camp in the afternoon, where food will be handed over to them.

Questions of interest to both sides ended, the chief elder, approaching the division commander, took his hand and, bending over, made an attempt to kiss her. The general politely but vigorously withdrew his hand from the spinjirai. The white-bearded man again took the division commander's face in his hands, pressed it to his cheeks twice, turned around and walked towards the inhabitants. The meeting was over.

The officers of the operational group settled down on the BTR-D, General Ryabchenko got into one of them. I, on my command vehicle, jumped forward, led the column, covering the task force on the route. Fifteen minutes later we reached the camp without any incident. The division commander silently shook my hand and nodded - everything is as it should be. The relaxation that followed gave us confidence that we, the scouts of the division, had also completed this task properly.

After lunch, a few "burubuhaeks", horse-drawn vehicles, rolled up to the outposts. The soldiers of the rear units reloaded into them about a hundred bags of flour, boxes of food. Soon the Afghans left to share humanitarian aid with the Shuravi, and we silently watched what was happening, trying to understand the main idea: are they for us now?

It got dark, aside from the headquarters of the operational group, the regimental political officer built a device on which a screen was hung out of several sheets sewn together. It turned out a little high: there were no benches, chairs, so the film was supposed to be watched with its head up, sitting on the ground. It was very uncomfortable. The officers, complaining about political workers (who else is to blame?), Arranged to watch the film. As I write these lines, I think: how many lives were saved by the elementary negligence of the political officer of the 350th Parachute Regiment?!

In front of the screen on the ground there were about two hundred personnel, free from combat missions. The film began: credits, music of the first shots and scenes of a film known since childhood. The paratroopers were fascinated looking at the screen! At some point, I noticed that the screen fluttered from side to side, the image was distorted, pieces of matter flew. It didn't take long to figure out what it was! The film continued, and the screen was torn to shreds.

- Attention, to battle! "Spirits" are firing, - I hear a voice behind us.

It dawned on me: the “spirits” are hammering from machine guns on a luminous screen, which can be seen from afar. Fortunately, at the time of viewing, the personnel were lying or sitting on the ground much lower than the luminous screen. The "spirits" could not see this, automatic bursts went over our heads, by a great chance they did not hit the crowd of people on the ground. The screen went dark, the speakers turned off, shooting was heard from the outskirts of the village. Combat guards fired back. A volley of a howitzer battery boomed, from surprise we sprawled on the ground.

A terrible sight is the firing of artillery at night, if you are near it. The roar is nothing compared to the huge flames that fly out of the gun barrels. The doomsday began: fire from combat vehicles was opened by a military guard line, an artillery battalion turned on. The cannonade was such that it was possible to communicate with each other only by sign language. This went on for twenty minutes. Gradually, the fire ceased: the "spirits" no longer fired, seeing the terrible power that the "Shuravi" brought with them. None of us doubted that the fiery hurricane in Behsud would be remembered by the "spirits" for a long time.

So they treated the “darlings” with bread, they gave flour. And what is the answer? The elders assured the command that they would not shoot at us, but the reaction turned out to be the opposite - fire at people in a peaceful environment: outside the conduct of hostilities. Thus, the measures taken by us to protect the division commander with a group of officers were not in vain. Perhaps the "spirits" were planning an ambush. Personally for myself, for the umpteenth time, I drew conclusions: in no case can you believe this. If the assurances of the elders were worth nothing…”

“Listen, it’s great that there are people who remember and write about those raids, operations… Here is Valery… I always respected him very much as an officer, as a person and as a true friend. It was precisely thanks to such commanders that we had minimal losses ... Fate separated us. Lieutenant Colonel Valery Marchenko is in Vitebsk, I am in Moscow. But we are dating. Moreover, my brother Victor lives next door to Valery. You remember him from Vitebsk, he was an Air Force ensign...

- That's exactly what I wanted to talk about, Pavel. Are you four brothers? And all of you served in the Armed Forces of the USSR and Russia?

- Why - "served" - one is still serving ...

8. BROTHERS

“Actually, we had seven children in our family. Two have died. There are four brothers and a sister left. Stanislav - he is our eldest, and also Viktor, you also remember him from Vitebsk, me, Vladimir and Lucy. Victor served in the Air Force. Senior Warrant Officer. He flew as part of the crew of the A-50 early warning and control aircraft. Well, you know what that technique is. On our Soviet Avax. Then, after reorganizations, he was a helicopter pilot. The youngest of the brothers, Vladimir, is also a senior ensign. He recently turned 50 years old. Still serving. Well, the officers in the family are Stanislav and I are a major general and a colonel.

We didn't have a military background. My father was a communist, an advanced combine operator. I met my mother in Kokchetav. She was from a family of the repressed. They were exiled to Kazakhstan from Western Ukraine. Now it is fashionable to stick out oneself as “victims of repression”. In our family, this fact was not hidden, but they did not try to make special capital on it either. Some perks. Our family is strong and friendly. Lived not in the past, but in the present. Worked, studied, served. And they did everything with integrity. If you talk about your future military service, then it turned out quite well.

I was born in the village of Zeleny Gay, Chkalovsky district, Kokchetav region. In 1974 he graduated from secondary school No. 108 in the village of Vesyoloye, Talgar district, Alma-Ata region. For six months he worked in the Specialized Road Construction Department - Z5 Alma-Ata as a worker of the first category. I started to engage in freestyle and classical wrestling in the sports club "Kairat" at the age of 12. He performed at district, city, regional and republican competitions. Fulfilled the standard of a candidate for master of sports of the USSR in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. In the same years, he became interested in martial arts and began to practice karate.

From August 1975 to July 1979 - cadet of the Leningrad Higher Military Topographic Command Red Banner Order of the Red Star School. And during these years he continued to engage in freestyle and classical wrestling in the SKA of Leningrad. Trained under the guidance of Olympic champion Anatoly Roshchin. He was the champion of the Leningrad garrison, the military district. The time, I will say, was then interesting. Sports merit was given for a reason ... I don’t want to repeat the commonplace - “trained until a seventh sweat” ... What is the “seventh” - and “eighth, and“ tenth ”, and“ twelfth ”... Therefore, in 1978 he became the champion of the international tournament in memory of V. F. Kraevsky in Greco-Roman wrestling, where I was awarded the title of Master of Sports of the USSR in Greco-Roman wrestling. In 1977 he became interested in sambo wrestling. He studied with the honored coach of Russia Nikolai Bolshakov. At the same time, he attended the Shotakan karate section. In the spring of 1979, he competed in karate competitions in Leningrad. They won a silver medal. Then I was awarded the 1st dan in karate in this style and was awarded a "black belt".

— Well, we have already talked a lot about service in Afghanistan. It was there that I became interested in army hand-to-hand combat. After returning from Afghanistan, he served for two and a half years as the head of the topographic service in the 76th Guards Airborne Division in Pskov. All this time in Pskov he taught the section of army hand-to-hand combat. He himself performed at the championships of the Pskov garrison, the Leningrad military district and the Airborne troops in sambo and army hand-to-hand combat. Won the title of champion. At the same time, he fulfilled the standards of the USSR Master of Sports in sambo and army hand-to-hand combat.

In a word, there was a service, there was a sport. Both had to be combined quite successfully. After all, what is a paratrooper without playing sports? .. It’s not for you to explain this ...

Then - three years of study at the Military Engineering Red Banner Academy named after V.V. Kuibyshev. And here he performed at the championships of the Moscow garrison, the district and the Armed Forces in various types of wrestling. He was also a member of the academy handball team. We then won 1st place among students in the Moscow Military District.

After graduating from the academy, he served for seven years at the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. He was a teacher, senior lecturer, head of the department. Here, too, he conducted classes in army hand-to-hand combat sections. Prepared the team of the Airborne Forces. And all these years she has consistently won the championships of the Armed Forces. During these years I became interested in taekwondo. In 1992, on May 8, I was awarded the 1st dan in WTF taekwondo, and on December 19 of the same year - 2nd dan in ITF taekwondo.

“But don’t think that I only served and went in for sports. I also found time to study. In 1995 I graduated from the Ryazan State Pedagogical University in absentia. Studied at the Faculty of Physical Culture and Sports.

From March 1994 to December 1996 - senior officer of physical training and sports of the Airborne Forces. From December 1996 to May 2007 - Head of Physical Training and Sports of the Airborne Troops.

In 1995-1996 he took part in the fighting in the North Caucasus. You know, for officers of the Airborne Forces - this is a typical line in their biography. In 1999-2000, he participated in military operations as part of the Russian troops and was the chief of staff of our group in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

From 1994 to 2000, he headed the Army Association of Contact Martial Arts. Now - the Federation of Army Hand-to-Hand Combat of Russia. I am its Honorary Vice President.

During the years of service at the headquarters of the Airborne Forces, I was responsible for the training of athletes in various sports and martial arts. Airborne Forces teams became champions of the Armed Forces, Russia, Europe, the world, and international tournaments. Some of our athletes were part of the Russian Olympic team. They became Olympic champions.

After being transferred to the reserve in 2007, he went to serve in the Russian Foreign Ministry. I worked abroad for almost four years. Now I coach the next generation. I work in the city of Vidnoye in the Moscow region as a head coach in the sports club "Nard" - "people's team" ... There is already a champion of Russia among my pupils. I travel all the time to different competitions. So there is no time to be bored. I visited Omsk at the XX open championship of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in army hand-to-hand combat, dedicated to the memory of Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Chepik ... By the way, remember, I then flew to Kunar ... They helped to withdraw the battalion from the battle, evacuated the dead ... Among the dead was a sapper Nikolai Chepik... A heroic boy... You remember, of course... You yourself were the first to write in the divisional newspaper about his feat...

If we talk about awards, he was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner and "For Military Merit". There are others…

There are three children in the family. Two sons and a daughter. Naturally, the guys followed in the footsteps of their father. Sergey is a lieutenant colonel, and Nikita is a captain. Daughter Sophia works in the advertising business.

If you once again recall my sports career, then we can sum up such a result. I am a master of sports of the USSR in classical wrestling, sambo and hand-to-hand combat. I am an instructor in army hand-to-hand combat and parachuting. Well, the achievements in taekwondo have already been mentioned above. He was also awarded the badge "Excellent worker in physical culture and sports."

— Pavel, somehow on the Internet I saw the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation on awarding Stanislav with the Order of Honor. Here is an excerpt from it: “For high sporting achievements at the first Military World Games in 1995, award the Order of Honor to Stanislav Mechislavovich Lagovsky, Major General ...”

- Yes, it was in November 1995 ... So my older brother has enough awards and titles. But the most valuable orders for us are those of the Red Banner. After all, this is for Afghanistan ... Do you remember, Stanislav left Kabul for the post of head of physical training of the Ryazan VVDKU.

Stanislav graduated from the Military Twice Red Banner Institute of Physical Culture. He began his officer service as the head of physical training and sports of the 317th Guards Airborne Regiment in Vitebsk. Then he was appointed to the post of head of physical training and sports of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division. After the Ryazan RVVDKU, he served at the headquarters of the Airborne Forces as a senior officer in the physical training group. Then - deputy head of CSKA, head. Then he was appointed to the post of chairman of the sports committee of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

9. AS AFTERWORD

We, its participants, can talk a lot about the war in Afghanistan. And not because it gives us some special pleasure. On the contrary ... Every time you remember, and every time you tear your soul and heart. But you have to remember. Especially when someone seeks to belittle the merits of the heroes of that war. Time passes. The veterans are leaving. I mentally imagine the formation in which my former colleagues and superiors at the headquarters of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division stand. And in this ranks, to paraphrase the words of a famous poet, "there is a considerable gap." And every year there are more and more of them, these "intervals". We do not forget the departed. At each meeting, we raise a third toast in memory of them... We are always ready to defend the honor and dignity of both the dead and the living. Such is it - the main and immutable law of our landing brotherhood.

Alexander KOLOTYLO.

Getting information...

The regimental tactical group of the 104th paratrooper regiment was assigned a combat mission by the decision of the commander of the Eastern Group: by 14.00 on February 29, 2000, complete the exit of the 2nd battalion to the line of marks 705.6, 626.0, and 787.0, which is four kilometers southeast of Ulus-Kert . In this direction, the guards were supposed to block the area and prevent the enemy from moving in the direction of the settlements of Makhkety, Kirov-Yurt, Listangi, Selmentauzen, Vedeno.

Fulfilling the combat mission set by the high command, the 2nd battalion, with the forces of the 6th airborne company, the 3rd platoon of the 4th airborne company and the reconnaissance platoon, early in the morning of February 28, began advancing from mark 636.0 along the route - mark 828.0, 819.0 , Mount Dembayirzy. By the end of the day, the paratroopers had to cross the Abazulgol River and set up roadblocks at marks 776.0, 787.0, 626.0, Mount Istykort in order to prevent the enemy in the direction of Ulus-Kert, Selmentauzen. The division was headed by the commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin. The exit to the indicated line was carried out on foot.

Moving at top speed, the 1st platoon of the 6th paratrooper company, together with the reconnaissance patrol under the command of the guard senior lieutenant Vorobyov, reached the height with a mark of 776.0 by 1600 on February 28

However, weather conditions prevented the paratroopers from completing their task until the end of the day. The suddenly descending dense fog made the further movement of the units almost impossible. Therefore, the group commander made a decision: to suspend the task until the morning and allocate free time to prepare the fire system, engineering equipment of positions and rest. The 6th airborne company with the 3rd platoon of the 4th PDR and with reinforcements were also forced to stop moving and stay overnight on Mount Dembayirzy.

On the morning of February 29, the units again resumed movement and advanced to the designated lines. By 11.00, the 3rd platoon of the 4th parachute company reached the height of 787.0, and by 11.20 the 6th PDR reached the mark of 776.0 - the clearing of Mount Istykort.

A reconnaissance platoon advancing at a distance of 100-150 meters from two platoons of the 6th parachute company unexpectedly discovered a group of militants numbering up to 20 people. Without wasting a second, the paratroopers opened aimed fire at the militants from small arms, and the artillery spotter of the guard, Captain V. Romanov, called in artillery fire.

The enemy responded with machine gun and sniper rifle fire and began to sip reinforcements. The commander of the 6th Airborne Company of the Guard, Major S. Molodov, did not lose his head, but competently organized the battle, during which the militants suffered losses. However, among the paratroopers there were wounded.

Having pulled up additional forces and thereby creating a numerical superiority in manpower, the militants opened heavy fire on the paratroopers from sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers. A difficult situation arose, for the resolution of which the commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin, made the only right decision - to retreat to a height with a mark of 776.0 and organize defense there, at a more favorable line. To cover the retreat of two platoons of the 6th Airborne Company, it was entrusted to scouts under the command of Guards Senior Lieutenant A. Vorobyov. Having taken convenient positions on the southern outskirts of the clearing, the reconnaissance soldiers returned fire on the militants, which allowed the 6th PDR to withdraw, evacuate the wounded and organize defense.

During the retreat, the paratroopers suffered the first losses. Carrying out from under fire the wounded sergeant of the contract service S. Ivanov, the commander of the guard company, Major S. Molodov, was mortally wounded.

Having occupied a height with a mark of 776.0, the 6th paratrooper company under the command of the deputy commander of the guard company, captain R. Sokolov, repelled the attacks of militants until 16.50, which, despite significant losses (about 60 people were killed), continued to advance. By 5 p.m., the militants again brought up reinforcements and, having increased the intensity of fire, made an attempt to attack the height from two directions - western and north-western. A hard fight ensued.

The commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin, personally directed the fire of his subordinates, corrected artillery fire and constantly advanced to the most dangerous directions. During the incessant shelling, he managed to take out five wounded subordinates from under enemy fire, evacuated the wounded guard sergeant A. Suponinsky from the battlefield, who subsequently fought to the end next to Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin.

At the same time, two platoons of the 3rd Airborne Company, located at the 666.0 mark, entered into battle with the bandits, commanded by Guard Captain Vasiliev. The guards repulsed several enemy attacks, destroying 12 militants in the process, and attempted to break through to the 6th Airborne Company. However, this attempt was unsuccessful: with heavy enemy fire, the paratroopers

were stopped. During the breakthrough, the artillery spotter of the guard, Lieutenant Yu. Zolotov, was wounded.

The 3rd platoon of the 3rd parachute company, under the pressure of the bandits, was forced to retreat to their positions and repel the attacks of the militants.

Until the evening of February 29, the militants continued to conduct heavy fire from small arms and grenade launchers. Suffering heavy losses, the bandits over and over again continued to attack the positions of the paratroopers. Khattab himself gathered militants and unrestrainedly threw them into the battle formations of the companies. However, all attempts by the bandits to seize the height were in vain. The guardsmen courageously repelled all enemy attacks.

The 6th Airborne Company was subjected to mortar fire, but this did not allow the militants to achieve success.

The militants made another attempt to knock down the brave guardsmen from the height. A massive attack on the company stronghold rushed the "Jamar" detachment of more than 400 people, led by one of the field commanders of Khattab - Bodi Bakuev, with the support of the detachments of Vakha Arsanov and Khattab. The bandits came in waves. Using the river beds and open flanks, they tried to outflank the company's position on the left flank. To prevent the encirclement, a platoon of the guards, Lieutenant D. Kozhemyakin, advanced, which, having taken an advantageous line, fought off the violent attacks of the militants for three hours. At the cost of their lives, the guards thwarted the plan of the bandits. For several hours, the bandits tried to overturn the company from a height, but all their attacks were repelled.

Having not achieved success, at 01.50 on March 1, the militants ceased fire and retreated. Seeing that all their massive attacks are broken against the well-organized defense of the paratroopers and do not bring any results, the bandits decided to resort to other methods. They began to offer the guardsmen to leave the position, to let them through, to surrender. But it had no effect on the fighters. Showing restraint, composure, remaining true to military duty, each paratrooper made the only right decision for himself - to stand to the end and not let the militants through at all costs. Behind him were settlements liberated from gangs, artillery positions, command posts.

The 1st airborne company and a reconnaissance platoon led by the regiment’s intelligence chief, Major Baran S.I., who arrived at Mount Dembayirzy at about 23.00, on the instructions of the regiment commander, attempted to cross the Abazulgol River in the water crossing area - mark 520.0 and break through to the 6th PDR, but were stopped by heavy enemy fire. Subsequent attempts to break through to their comrades were not crowned with success. Each time the paratroopers stumbled upon the hurricane fire of the bandits. Having not achieved the desired result, the 1st PDR was forced to withdraw to Mount Dembayirzy by 04.00.

Taking advantage of a brief lull, from the mark of 787.0 to the 6th paratrooper company, an attempt was made to break through the 3rd platoon of the 4th PDR (the commander of the guard platoon, Lieutenant O. Yermakov), led by the deputy commander of the guard battalion, Major A. Dostavalov. Hiding behind one squad, which was headed by Lieutenant O. Ermakov, by 03.40 Guards Major A. Dostavalov with a group of paratroopers managed to break through to the battalion commander. During the breakthrough of the guard, Lieutenant O. Ermakov was seriously wounded in the stomach. Realizing that the wound received was fatal, the brave officer covered his comrades to the last breath, allowing the platoon to break through.

to the 6th Airborne Company. During the breakthrough, Major A. Dostavalov was wounded. However, overcoming the pain, the officer remained in the ranks.

The militants, not paying attention to their losses, launched an attack on the stronghold of the company from all directions. In some areas they managed to come close to the positions of the 6th paratrooper company. Despite multiple leg wounds resulting from a mine explosion, artillery spotter V. Romanov continued to correct artillery fire. As the militants approached, the explosions of shells approached 50-60 meters to the front line of the defense of the paratroopers. After the death of the guard captain V. Romanov, the fire was adjusted by the guard lieutenant A. Ryazantsev, who gave the necessary coordinates to the gunners until he was hit by an enemy bullet.

The militants concentrated their main efforts on the northern direction. They managed to capture the Bezymyannaya height, seeing that the defending detachments noticeably thinned out, the bandits rushed to the height with a mark of 776.0, but the guards senior lieutenant A. Kolgatin managed to install two MON-60 guided mines in this area. Wounded in the chest, the young officer managed to set the mines in motion as soon as the militants went on the attack. More than ten militants died from powerful explosions. But this only stopped the bandits for a short time. Having come to their senses, they again went to storm the heights. To stop the approach of militants from the northern direction, the battalion commander sent a free group led by Guards Senior Lieutenant A. Panov. Accurately firing from a machine gun, a brave officer with ten paratroopers managed to repel the onslaught in his direction for another forty minutes.

The militants again pulled up a select detachment of "Jamar" in the amount of about 400 people for reinforcements. Having not achieved success in the northern direction, the bandits this time concentrated their efforts on the southern direction, which Lieutenant A. Kozhemyakin fought with his group of guards. Despite the multiple superiority of the enemy, the paratroopers did not flinch, but courageously repulsed the attacks of the bandits. During the battle of the guard, Lieutenant A. Kozhemyakin was mortally wounded.

The surviving small group of paratroopers, led by the battalion commander, concentrated at the top triangle. Here the 6th company took the last battle. At 06.10, communication with the battalion commander was cut off. The last words of the Guard Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin were:

"I'm calling fire on myself."

Bandits rushed like an avalanche on a handful of brave paratroopers. Without firing, with shouts of "Allah Akbar!", the bandits went on a breakthrough. The fight turned into hand-to-hand combat. But the forces were too unequal. Extremists, selected bandits Khattabs were opposed by 26 wounded guardsmen. But, despite the numerical superiority, the paratroopers of the Guard Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin showed stamina, courage and heroism. They fulfilled their military duty to the end.

Senior Lieutenant A. Vorobyov, who survived, attempted to break out of the encirclement with two soldiers. During the battle, the brave commander was wounded in the stomach and leg.

Acting according to the laws of the airborne fraternity, the officer ordered the guards to privates R. Khristolyubov and A. Komarov to make their way to their own, while he himself remained to cover the retreat of his subordinates. Saving the lives of soldiers, the courageous officer died.

Guards Private E. Vladykin, seeing the torment of wounded comrades in conditions of extreme cold, tried to make a sortie for sleeping bags for them. However, he was captured by militants and severely beaten. Having been hit in the head with a rifle butt, he lost consciousness. Waking up from the cold, half-dressed, the paratrooper managed to return his machine gun and, together with sergeants A. Suponinsky and A. Porshnev and privates V. Timoshenko and A. Voronin, went to the location of their troops.

The bandits paid dearly for the death of paratrooper heroes. More than 400 militants died on the battlefield. Guards senior lieutenant A. Vorobyov was killed field commander Idris. And in total, as it became known from radio interception and intelligence data, three detachments of militants from the group under the command of Khattab, with a total number of up to 2,500 people, tried to break through in the direction of the 2nd battalion, but, thanks to the stamina and courage of the paratroopers, they did not break through from the Argun Gorge failed…

Officers, sergeants and soldiers - they all, as one, entered into a fight with the brutal bandits of Khattab, and did not retreat a single step, holding their position until their last breath. In a bloody battle with a twenty-fold superior enemy, the paratroopers won.

according to sdokin.narod.ru

From February 29 to the morning of March 1, 2000, soldiers of the 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment of the 76th (Pskov) Airborne Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin fought with a large illegal armed formation near Argun in Chechnya, at the Ulus line -Kert-Selmentausen, at height 776.

The battle lasted from 1 p.m. to 5 a.m. on the first of March. According to various sources, the number of militants was estimated from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand.

84 servicemen were killed in the battle, including 13 officers. Only six soldiers survived. The losses of the militants amounted, according to various estimates, from 370 to 700 people.

By decree of the President of the Russian Federation, 22 paratroopers were presented with the title of Hero of Russia (21 of them posthumously), 69 soldiers and officers of the 6th company were awarded the Order of Courage (63 of them posthumously).

The death of the 6th company of Pskov paratroopers, who heroically accepted the battle, stirred up the whole country, not leaving indifferent even people far from the army and the war. The feat of the winged infantry has become a symbol of military prowess and the new Russian army.

List of dead paratroopers of the 6th company:

Guards Sergeant Komyagin Alexander Valerievich, grenade launcher 6th pdr. Born in the town of Rasskazovo, Tambov Region, on September 30, 1977. Russian. Buried in the city of Rasskazovo. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Captain Romanov Viktor Viktorovich, commander of the 1st SAB. Born May 15, 1972. Russian. He was buried in the village of Sosyeva, Sverdlovsk Region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Senior Lieutenant Panov Andrey Alexandrovich, Deputy Commander of the PDR for educational work. Born in the city of Smolensk on February 25, 1974. Russian. Buried in the city of Smolensk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Senior Lieutenant Vorobyov Alexei Vladimirovich, Deputy Commander of the reconnaissance company. Born in the village of Borovuha-1, Vitebsk region on May 14, 1975. Russian. He was buried in the Kurmanaevsky district of the Orenburg region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Lieutenant Ermakov Oleg Viktorovich. Born in the city of Bryansk on April 26, 1976. Russian. Buried in the city of Bryansk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Lieutenant Kozhemyakin Dmitry Sergeevich, platoon commander of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in Ulyanovsk on April 30, 1977. Russian. Buried in the city of St. Petersburg. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Major Dostavalov Alexander Vasilievich, deputy commander of the paratrooper battalion. Born in the city of Ufa on July 17, 1963. Buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin Mark Nikolayevich, commander of the paratrooper battalion. Born in the city of Yoshkar-Ola on May 1, 1964. Buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Denis Petrovich Shevchenko, grenade launcher 6th pdr. Born in Pskov on December 20, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Opochka, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Zinkevich Denis Nikolaevich, grenade launcher 6th pdr. Born on March 15, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Gornevo, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Sergeant Grigoriev Dmitry Viktorovich, grenade launcher 6th pdr. Born in the village of Zakharinovo, Novosokolnichesky district, Pskov region, on November 6, 1978. Russian. He was buried in the Kuninsky district of the Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Arkhipov Vladimir Vladimirovich, grenade launcher 6th PDR. Born in the village of Vyazki, Porkhov District, Pskov Region, on October 27, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Shikov Sergey Aleksandrovich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Velikiye Luki, Pskov Region, on April 29, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Koshma, Velikoluksky District, Pskov Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Shvetsov Vladimir Alexandrovich, mechanic of the group of regulations and repair of aviation equipment. Born in the city of Pskov on September 18, 1978. Russian. Buried in the city of Pskov. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Travin Mikhail Vitalievich, driver 6th PDR. Born in the city of Pskov on February 11, 1980. Russian. Buried in the city of Pskov. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Islentiev Vladimir Anatolyevich, grenade launcher 6 PDR. Born in the village of Pyatchino, Strugokrasnensky District, Pskov Region, on May 14, 1967. Russian. He was buried in the Strugokrasnensky district of the Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Major Sergey Georgievich Molodov, commander of the 6th parachute company. Born in the city of Kutaisi, Georgian SSR on April 15, 1965. Russian. Buried in the Chelyabinsk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Ivanov Dmitry Ivanovich, grenade launcher 6 PDR. Born in the city of Opochka, Pskov Region, on August 6, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Opochka, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Senior Lieutenant Alexander Mikhailovich Kolgatin, commander of an engineering platoon. Born in the city of Kamyshino, Volgograd Region, on August 15, 1975. Russian. Buried in the city of Kamyshino. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Alexei Nikolaevich Vorobyov, Senior Gunner 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Demya in the Novosokolnichesky district of the Pskov region on November 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Zhitovo, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Senior Lieutenant Sherstyannikov Andrei Nikolaevich, commander of an anti-aircraft missile platoon. Born in the city of Ust-Kut, Irkutsk region on February 1, 1975. Russian. Buried in the city of Ust-Kut. He was posthumously awarded the Star of the Hero of Russia.

Guard Private Khrabrov Aleksey Alexandrovich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in Tapa, Estonia on May 30, 1981. He was buried in the village of Chertova Gora, Pushkinogorsk district, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard captain Sokolov Roman Vladimirovich, deputy commander of the PDR, instructor of the VDP. Born February 16, 1872 in the city of Ryazan. Russian. Buried in the city of Pskov. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Nishchenko Alexey Sergeevich, senior shooter 9 PDR. Born in the village of Bezhanitsy, Pskov Region, on August 2, 1981. He was buried in the village of Borok, Bezhanitsky Volost, Bezhanitsky District, Pskov Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Lieutenant Ryazantsev Alexander Nikolaevich, platoon commander of the 3rd SAB. Born June 15, 1977. Russian. He was buried in the village of Voinovo, Korsakovsky district, Oryol region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Corporal Lebedev Alexander Vladislavovich, senior intelligence officer of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in the village of Shchiglitsy, Pskov Region, on November 1, 1977. Russian. Buried in the city of Pskov. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards senior lieutenant Petrov Dmitry Vladimirovich, deputy commander of the PDR for educational work. Born in the city of Rostov-on-Don on June 10, 1974. Russian. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Karoteev Alexander Vladimirovich, senior shooter 3 srv. Born in the city of Ostrov, Pskov region on November 10, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Novaya Usitva, Palkinsky district, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards senior sergeant Medvedev Sergey Yuryevich, deputy platoon commander, combat vehicle commander, squad leader of the 6th detachment. Born in the city of Biysk, Altai Territory on September 18, 1976. Russian. Buried in the city of Biysk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Mikhailov Sergei Anatolyevich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Novorzhev on September 28, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the city of Novorzhev, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Shukaev Alexei Borisovich, Senior Gunner 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Ura-Guba, Murmansk Region on October 24, 1963. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ostrov, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Troubenok Alexander Leonidovich, gunner-operator 9 PDR. Born in the village of Polotskoye, Starodubsky District, Bryansk Region, on August 21, 1972. Russian. He was buried in the village of Polotsk, Bryansk region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Nekrasov Alexey Anatolyevich, machine gunner 6th PDR. Born in the city of Kirov on February 4, 1981. Russian. Buried in the city of Kirov. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Kiryanov Alexey Valerievich, Senior Gunner 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Chaikovsky, Perm Region, on September 23, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Olkhovochka, Perm Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Kobzev Alexander Dmitrievich, grenade launcher 6th PDR. Born in the village of Orlovo, Voronezh Region, in 1981. He was buried in Orlovo, Voronezh region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Denis Sergeyevich Strebin, commander of the BU SAND department. Born in the village of Redkino, Tver Region, on August 17, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Konakovo, Tver region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Timashev Denis Vladimirovich, commander of a combat vehicle, commander of the 6th PDR. Born in the Zhizdrinsky district of the Kaluga region in July 1980. Russian. He was buried in the Itkyaran region, Karelia. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Pavlov Ivan Gennadievich, driver 6th pdr. Born in the village of Osyanka, Marevsky District, Novgorod Region, on February 23, 1966. Russian. Buried in the city of Novgorod. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Tregubov Denis Alexandrovich, senior shooter 9th pr. Born in the city of Chusovoi, Perm Region, on April 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Chusovoi, Perm Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Sergei Olegovich Kozlov, commander of a combat vehicle of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in the village of Mirny, Tver Region, on April 13, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Olenino, Tver Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Vasilev Sergey Vladimirovich, commander of a combat vehicle, commander of the 6th squadron. Born in the city of Bryansk on April 27, 1970. Russian. Buried in the city of Bryansk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Ambetov Nikolay Kamitovich, Senior Gunner 6th Pdr. Born on January 20, 1981, Kazakh. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Corporal Sokovanov Vasily Nikolaevich, gunner-operator of the 9th PDR. Born in the city of Kirov in November 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Orel, Kirov Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Sergey Alekseevich Ivanov, commander of a combat vehicle, commander of the 6th squadron. Born in the city of Borovichi, Novgorod Region, on May 26, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the city of Borovichi, Novgorod Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Izyumov Vladimir Nikolaevich, grenade launcher 6th PDR. Born in the city of Sokol, Volgograd Region on August 13, 1977. Russian. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards senior sergeant Andrey Vladimirovich Aranson, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Sevastopol on June 30, 1976. Russian. Buried in the city of Sevastopol. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Aleksey Vasilyevich Rasskaza, deputy platoon commander, squad leader, combat vehicle commander of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Staraya Guta, Bryansk Region, on May 31, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Uchinsk, Bryansk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards junior sergeant Eliseev Vladimir Sergeevich. Born in the city of Uralsk, Kazakh SSR on October 5, 1972. Russian. He was buried in the village of Boronitsy, Novgorod Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards corporal Gerdt Alexander Alexandrovich, senior shooter 6th pdr. Born in the city of Ordzhonikidze, Kazakhstan, on February 11, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Blue Well, Bryansk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Kuatbaev Galim Mukhambetgalievich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Astrakhan on May 26, 1981. Kazakh. Buried in the city of Astrakhan. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Biryukov Vladimir Ivanovich, machine gunner 6th PDR. Born in the city of Jurmala on June 6, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ostrov, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Alexander Dmitrievich Isaev, topographic surveyor of the control battery and artillery reconnaissance. Born in the city of Kirovsk, Leningrad Region, on January 16, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Shlisselburg, Leningrad Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Afanasyev Roman Sergeevich, squad leader, head of the radio station of the 2nd communications platoon. Born in the city of Pskov on October 11, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the village of Sharovka. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Belykh Denis Igorevich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Severodvinsk on March 30, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kotelnichi, Kirov Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Bakulin Sergey Mikhailovich, grenade launcher 6 pdr. Born in the village of Dedovichi, Pskov Region, on June 2, 1978. Russian. He was buried in the village of Dedovichi, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Evdokimov Mikhail Vladimirovich, orderly 6th pdr. Born in the village of Ulyanovka, Tosnensky District, Leningrad Region, on October 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the Tosnensky district of the Leningrad region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Sergeant Isakov Evgeny Valerievich, platoon commander, squad leader. Born in the city of Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk region on February 8, 1977. Russian. Buried in the city of Holm. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Kenzhiev Amangeldy Amantaevich, Senior Gunner 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Vladimirovka, Astrakhan Region, on April 23, 1981. Kazakh. He was buried in the village of Vladimirovka, Astrakhan region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Popov Igor Mikhailovich, gunner-operator of the 7th PDR. Born in the city of Fergana on January 4, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the village of Yablonovo, Novgorod Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards senior sergeant Siraev Rustam Flaridovich, gunner-operator of the 6th pdr. Born in the city of Satka, Chelyabinsk region. September 5, 1976 Russian. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Savin Valentin Ivanovich, radiotelephone operator of the 2nd communications platoon. Born in the city of Staraya Russa, Novgorod Region, on November 29, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Staraya Russa, Novgorod Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Grudinsky Stanislav Igorevich, machine gunner 6th PDR. Born in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region, on June 18, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Junior Sergeant Khvorostukhin Igor Sergeevich, Medical Instructor 6th Pdr. Born in St. Petersburg on December 5, 1980. Russian. Buried in the city of St. Petersburg. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Krivushev Konstantin Valerievich, commander of a combat vehicle, squad leader of the 6th detachment. Born in the Komi Republic, the village of Ydzhidyag on May 31, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Koslan, Komi Republic. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Piskunov Roman Sergeevich, driver 6th PDR. Born in the village of Sokolskoye, Sokolniki District, Ivanovo Region, on March 14, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Balakhny, Nizhny Novgorod Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Batretdinov Dmitry Mansurovich, machine gunner 6 PDR. Born in the city of Orenburg on May 23, 1980. Tatar. He was buried in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Timoshinin Konstantin Viktorovich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Petrodvorets, Leningrad Region, on January 8, 1976. Russian. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Lyashkov Yury Nikolaevich, machine gunner 6th pdr. Born in the city of Zhmerynka, Vinnytsia region, on March 15, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Chernyd, Perm Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Zaitsev Andrey Yurievich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the village of Diveevo, Nizhny Novgorod Region, on February 1, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Diveevo, Nizhny Novgorod Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Sudakov Roman Valerievich, grenade launcher 6th PDR. Born in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region, on May 18, 1981. Russian. He was buried at the Makarovsky cemetery in the Rybinsk region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Ivanov Yaroslav Sergeevich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Tikhvin, Leningrad Region, on August 21, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Tikhvin, Leningrad Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Chugunov Vadim Vladimirovich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in St. Petersburg on October 5, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Orzhitsy, Lomonosovsky District, Leningrad Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Erdyakov Roman Sergeevich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Kirov on June 13, 1979. Russian. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Pakhomov Roman Alexandrovich, grenade launcher 9th PDR. Born in the city of Dankov, Lipetsk Region, on March 25, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Gryazi, Lipetsk Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Zhukov Sergey Valerievich, commander of a combat vehicle, commander of the 6th squadron. Born in St. Petersburg on June 20, 1980. Russian. Buried in the city of St. Petersburg. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Alexandrov Vladimir Andreevich, machine gunner of the 6th PDR, was born in the city of Ivangorod, Leningrad Region, on March 21, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ivangorod, Leningrad Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Shchemlev Dmitry Sergeevich, scout. Born in St. Petersburg on July 28, 1976. Russian. Buried in the city of St. Petersburg. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Sergeant Kuptsov Vladimir Ivanovich, commander of the 9th squadron. Born in the village of Otradnoye, Kirov District, Leningrad Region, on April 28, 1974. Russian. He was buried in the village of Priladozhsky, Leningrad Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Vladislav Anatolyevich Duhin, commander of the combat vehicle, commander of the 6th squadron. Born in the city of Stavropol on January 26, 1980. Russian. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards junior sergeant Vasiliev Alexey Yurievich, surveyor, computer 2 SAB. Born in the village of Gostilitsy, Lomonosovsky District, Leningrad Region, in 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Gostilitsy, Leningrad Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards junior sergeant Khamatov Yevgeny Kamitovich, scout of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in the city of Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Region on September 9, 1979. He was buried in the city of Podporozhye, Leningrad Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Shalaev Nikolai Vladimirovich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Lodeinoye Pole, Leningrad Region, on August 2, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Lodeinoye Pole, Leningrad Region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Lebedev Viktor Nikolaevich, gunner-operator of the 6th PDR. Born in the city of Orenburg on October 6, 1976. Russian. Buried in the city of Sevastopol. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Zagoraev Mikhail Vyacheslavovich, sapper. Born on February 4, 1971 in the city of Porkhov, Pskov Region. He was buried at the military cemetery of the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

The parachute battalion is the main combat unit of the airborne division. It consists of a headquarters, a headquarters company, three airborne companies and a fire support company.

The battalion headquarters includes the chief of staff, officers for personnel, intelligence, operational issues and combat training, logistics, communications, chemical service, and the foreman of the battalion.

The headquarters company consists of the company headquarters, the service section of the battalion headquarters and communications, support, repair and medical platoons. There are about 150 sergeants, specialists and soldiers in the headquarters company.

The company management includes the company commander, first sergeant, supply sergeant, gunsmith, clerk and driver.

The maintenance section of the battalion headquarters is intended to serve the headquarters. It consists of three officers and 20 sergeants, specialists and privates.

The support platoon consists of a control group and three sections: transport, supply and nutrition.

The repair platoon consists of specialists in the repair of automobile engines, wheeled vehicles, electrical equipment and other specialists.

The medical platoon includes a control group and three sections: service of the medical center, orderlies and evacuation of the wounded.

A fire support company consists of a company command, reconnaissance, mortar, anti-tank platoons and sections - radar and ZURO "Red Eye".

The radar section includes two sections of medium radar stations for four people, two sections of light radar stations for six people and a truck driver. The section is armed with four AN / PPS-5 radar stations and six radio stations. In total, there are 21 people in the section.

The ZURO section consists of five fire crews of 2 people each and a control group. The fire crew is armed with a ZURO Red Eye launcher and M16 rifles.

The reconnaissance platoon consists of a control group and two reconnaissance sections. The reconnaissance section has two sections of six people. The squad is armed with two reconnaissance vehicles. In total, there are 12 people in the section and four reconnaissance vehicles.

A communications platoon consists of a control group, a section for servicing a collection and dispatch point for reports, and a section for wire communications.

A mortar platoon consists of a control group and four mortar squads. The control group includes a platoon leader, a platoon sergeant, three people from the fire control center, two drivers and six forward observers (three teams of two people each). There are seven people in the mortar section, one 106.7-mm mortar and one 1/2-ton vehicle.

The anti-tank platoon includes a control group and six squads of Tou anti-tank missiles. There are five people in the anti-tank squad, one launcher, one 3/4-ton vehicle and one radio station.

A parachute company consists of a company headquarters, three parachute platoons and a mortar platoon.

The company management includes the company commander, assistant company commander, first sergeant, supply sergeant, gunsmith, clerk and six signalmen.

A parachute platoon consists of a command and control group (platoon leader, platoon sergeant and radiotelephone operator), three parachute squads and a weapon squad. The parachute squad consists of 10 people: the squad leader, two commanders of fire groups, two machine gunners, two grenade launchers and three gunners. There are 11 people in the weapons department: the squad leader, two machine gunners, two assistant machine gunners, two gunners of anti-tank rifles, two assistant gunners and two ammunition carriers.

A mortar platoon has a command and control group (platoon leader, platoon sergeant and radio operator), an anti-tank section, and an 81mm mortar section. The anti-tank section consists of a section commander and two Tou ATGM squads of four each. The 81-mm mortar section includes a control cell (six people) and three mortar squads of 5 people each.

In total, there are 39 officers and 744 sergeants and soldiers in the paratrooper battalion.

The number of weapons and military equipment in the paratrooper battalion

106th Guards Airborne Division

119th Guards Airborne Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment- an elite part of the Soviet and Russian army, which has one of the richest traditions.

Organizational stages of the existence of the regiment

In accordance with the directive of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation No. 16 of April 09, 2005, the 119th Guards Airborne Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment was disbanded. The process of disbandment was led by the commander of the regiment of the guard, Colonel Volyk S. N. and the deputy commander of the regiment of the guard, Lieutenant Colonel I. Kapliy. On July 16, 2005, there was a solemn transfer of the banner of the 119th Guards Airborne Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment to the 45th Separate Reconnaissance Regiment of the Airborne Forces.

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Participation in hostilities

The soldiers of the regiment participated in the suppression of the rebellion in Hungary. On November 1, 1956, the 108th Guards was raised on alarm. pdp, stationed in the city of Kaunas, which was understaffed by the guardsmen of the 119th regiment. November 3, 108th Guards. The PDP landed on the Tekel airfield, captured and disabled 6 anti-aircraft batteries, and then moved on to the defense of the airfield. On November 4, the personnel of the combined regiment entered Budapest. During the street fighting, by November 7, the combat mission was completed and the uprising in the city was suppressed.

Among other troops, the regiment took part in the entry of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Divided the opposing sides in interethnic conflicts in the Azerbaijan SSR.

He was a member of the troops involved in the events in Moscow in 1993.

In 1994 to 1996, the regiment took part in the restoration of constitutional order in the Chechen Republic.

In 1999, he participated in the hostilities in the Dagestan Republic. In the future, with short breaks, he was in the Chechen Republic to carry out the responsible tasks of the command. The last units of the regiment were withdrawn from the region only in 2004.

Performing other command tasks

In September 1981, the regiment took part in the West-81 maneuvers.

In September 1984, the regiment took part in the Shield-84 maneuvers in Czechoslovakia.

In 1990 he took part in the West-90 maneuvers.

In October 1993 the regiment took part in the assault on the House of Soviets. The proximity of the regiment to Moscow and the high level of training of the paratroopers led to the constant involvement of the guards to perform all sorts of responsible and atypical tasks.

In the summer of 1995, the regiment carried out the task of guarding a number of important facilities in Moscow.

In December 2004, on the basis of the regiment, a command and staff meeting of the leadership of the Airborne Forces was successfully held. During the period of preparation for the gathering, unprecedented repair and restoration work was carried out in the park and in the military camp.

In May 2005, the regiment carried out the task of guarding the approaches to Domodedovo Airport.

Organization of the regiment in 2005

• regiment management
• three (1st, 2nd, 3rd) parachute battalions:

battalion command (anti-aircraft missile platoon, communications platoon, support platoon, airborne support platoon) three airborne companies (three airborne platoons each)

• self-propelled artillery battalion (total 14 self-propelled guns 2S9 "Nona-S"):

division control three self-propelled artillery batteries (4 120-mm self-propelled guns 2S9 "Nona-S")

• anti-tank battery
• anti-aircraft missile and artillery battery (ZU-23 and MANPADS)
• reconnaissance company
• communications company
• engineering sapper company
• paratrooper company
• medical company
• repair company
• logistics company
• radiation-chemical reconnaissance platoon
• commandant's platoon
• orchestra

Combat Distinctions

• 17 servicemen of the regiment were awarded the high title of Hero of the Russian Federation (October 1993) guards. Colonel Ignatov, Nikolai Ivanovich Guards. Lieutenant Colonel Belyaev, Nikolai Alexandrovich Guards. Senior Lieutenant Krasnikov, Konstantin Kirillovich (posthumously) Guards. Private Korovushkin, Roman Sergeevich (posthumously) Guards. Captain Smirnov, Sergey Olegovich (posthumously) Guards. Corporal Khikhin, Sergei Anatolyevich (posthumously) Guards. Private Panov, Vladislav Viktorovich (posthumously) (September 1999) Guards. Colonel Polyansky, Valentin Valentinovich Guards. Major Tsvetov, Yuri Viktorovich Guards. Major Ivanov, Andrey Yurievich Guards. junior sergeant Bogatikov, Sergey Nikolaevich Guards. Lieutenant Colonel Milyutin, Igor Aleksandrovich Guards. Captain Talabaev, Vitaly Viktorovich (posthumously) Guards. senior sergeant Zuev, Denis Sergeevich (posthumously) Guards. captain Orlov, Sergey Nikolaevich (posthumously) Guards. Sergeant Kurbangaleev, Artur Rishatovich (posthumously) Guards. lieutenant Sarychev, Igor Vladimirovich (posthumously)

Regiment commanders

• 1948-1950 - guards. Major Chaduneli Platon Nikolaevich
• 1950-1952 - guards. Lieutenant Colonel Chepurnoy Anton Romanovich
• 1950-1974 - guards. lieutenant colonel Dovbnya Grigory Avdeevich
• 1952-1957 - guards. Colonel Balatsky Ivan Mironovich
• 1957-1958 - guards. Colonel Verbovikov Mikhail Eremeevich
• 1958-1961 - guards. Lieutenant Colonel Ushakov Evstafiy Alexandrovich
• 1961-1965 - guards. Colonel Alexander Vinogradov
• 1965-1966 - guards. Colonel Kuznetsov Nikolai Nikolaevich
• 1966-1970 - guards. Lieutenant Colonel Minigulov Sharip Khabeevich
• 1970-1973 - guards. lieutenant colonel Kovenev Yuri Fedorovich
• 1973-1974 - Guards. lieutenant colonel Rzayev Dadash Garibovich
• 1974-1976 - guards. lieutenant colonel Aleinik Alexander Pavlovich
• 1976-1979 - guards. Lieutenant Colonel Bakhtin Nikolai Alekseevich
• 1979-1980 - guards. Colonel Maltsev Yuri Ivanovich
• 1980-1983 - guards. lieutenant colonel Kevrolikin Alexander Nikolaevich
• 1983-1984 - Guards. lieutenant colonel Syromyatnikov Viktor Dmitrievich
• 1984-1985 - guards. lieutenant colonel Zolotukhin Mikhail Maksimovich
• 1985-1989 - Guards. Lieutenant Colonel Aliyev Ali Mammadovich
• 1989-1991 - guards. Colonel Gladyshev Vladimir Petrovich
• 1991-1993 - guards. Colonel Degtev Alexander Alekseevich
• 1993-1995 - Guards. Colonel Ignatov Nikolai Ivanovich
• 1995-1997 - guards. lieutenant colonel Glebov Vladimir Ivanovich
• 1997-2000 - guards. Colonel Polyansky Valentin Valentinovich
• 2000-2001 - Guards. Colonel Nikolay Sergeevich Nikulnikov
• 2001-2003 - Guards. Colonel Lebedev Andrey Vladimirovich
• 2003-2005 - Guards. Colonel Volyk Sergey Nikolaevich

The regimental parade ground was repeatedly used for rehearsals of the ceremonial calculation