SOBR (Special Rapid Response Detachment) - federal and regional special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, which were regularly (until 2003) part of the departments for combating organized crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (subdivisions of more than 200 people since the late 1990s were called detachments). In 2002, SOBR detachments were transformed into OMSN (Special Purpose Police Detachment). On November 30, 2011, by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev, the special police units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were again officially referred to as special rapid reaction units.
The main task of SOBRs is the fight against organized crime. However, due to the change in the internal political situation, SOBRs were successfully used, including in military operations conducted in the North Caucasus region.
Story
The first special unit in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (police) was the OMSN GUVD in Moscow. The OMSN was formed on November 9, 1978. At that time, preparations were underway in Moscow for the Olympics, and the failure of the German police operation to free Israeli hostages during the Munich Olympics showed how destructive the actions of amateurs can be where professionals should act. To prevent emergencies, a special forces unit was created - the first police special forces. True, the unit was originally called the Special Purpose Police Detachment (OMON) under the Moscow City Executive Committee. The detachment was created to work at the 1980 Olympics and guard the Olympic flame. After the Olympics, it became clear that the unit would not be left without work. The first task of the special forces then was the release of a girl captured by a criminal. The hostage was successfully released, and the detachment was reassigned to the criminal investigation department and made a regular unit of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate in Moscow. There were not enough commandos to carry out all the operational tasks - there were only a few dozen of them. Then the PPS regiment was entrusted with the fight against riots and renamed it OMON.? There was a period of time when two OMONs existed simultaneously in Moscow. The militiamen themselves called the detachments Big and Small. To avoid confusion and misunderstandings, the same Little OMON was later renamed the Special Purpose Police Detachment (OMSN). In 2011, the OMSN was renamed OSN, and subsequently SOBR. OMSN GUVD for Moscow served as a model for the beginning of the creation of other special units in the Russian militia (police) in the future.
On February 10, 1992, a department of tactical operations was created as part of the Main Directorate for Organized Crime (GUOP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. In the fall of 1992, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the tactical operations department was renamed the Special Rapid Response Squad (SOBR).
In September 2002, by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, SOBR were renamed into special police units (OMSN).
In 2003, part of the detachments of the OMSN received proper names: "Bars", "Bulat", "Lynx", "Terek".
As of 2009, the total strength of the SOBR was 5,200 people in 87 detachments.
In 2011, in connection with the reform of the internal affairs bodies, and the renaming of the "militia" into the "police", the units of the OMSN were renamed OSN (special forces).
In 2012, the name SOBR (special rapid response units) was returned to all OSN units.
Quantitatively, the composition of SOBRs is determined by the tasks and the region of deployment. The selection is carried out in many stages and quite strictly, with many dropout criteria, which determines the qualitative composition of this unit (as a rule, these are young people who have served in the Armed Forces and have a higher education).
Tasks and functions
The training of employees in SOBR, unlike other special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is of a pronounced individual character. There are a lot of specialists in various areas of application, but interchangeability is at the forefront. The emphasis of training is on working against an armed criminal in the city (with a working distance of up to 100 m) and in transport, however, SOBRs were successfully used in almost any conditions (forest, mountains, steppes). Much attention is paid to physical and psychological preparation.
In the TFR, SOBRs have been successfully used not only in cooperation with the regular power formations of Russia, but also in certain areas, they have shown excellent results in the Chechen campaigns in the first echelons.
SOBR is constantly training by making mock captures of houses (using climbing equipment), cars and even aircraft. Their training is not inferior to the training of the Alpha special forces.
Differences from OMON
SOBR differs from OMON in the organizational and staffing structure and the nature of the tasks performed. Unlike riot police, all SOBR officers have special ranks of a police officer. Prior to the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2011, when the police were divided into MOB (public security police) and KM (criminal police), OMON was a division of the MOB and reported to the head of the MOB, while SOBR was a division of the KM and reported directly to the head of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate or his deputy.
SOBR, unlike OMON, does not solve problems:
— Ensuring the protection of public order, including:
- in places with a complex criminal situation,
- when holding mass events,
- in case of emergencies,
- suppression of group hooligan manifestations and riots.
Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR)- one of the federal and regional special units of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardia), which were regularly (until 2003) part of the Organized Crime Control Department (RUBOP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (units of more than 200 people since the late 1990s were called detachments). In 2002, SOBR detachments were transformed into special police units (OMSN). On November 30, 2011, by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation R. G. Nurgaliyev, the special police units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia again officially became known as special rapid reaction units.
| Special Rapid Response Squad Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation |
|
|---|---|
| SOBR | |
| Years of existence | since February 10, 1992 |
| The country | Russia Russia |
| Included in | Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation |
| Type | special forces unit |
| Function | Fight against organized crime and terrorism |
Patch of OMSN KM GUVD in Moscow.
The main task of the SOBRs is the fight against organized crime. However, due to the change in the domestic political situation, SOBRs were successfully used, including in military anti-terrorist operations conducted in the North Caucasus region.
Story
The first special unit in the system of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (police) was Special Purpose Police Detachment (OMSN) of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate for the City of Moscow, formed November 9, 1978 . At that time, preparations were underway in Moscow for the XXII Summer Olympic Games in 1980, and a special forces unit was created to prevent emergencies - the first police special forces. True, the unit was originally called the Special Purpose Police Detachment (OMON). The detachment was created to work at the Olympics and protect the Olympic flame. After the Olympics, it became clear that the unit would not be left without work. The first combat mission of the special forces was in April 1981 the release of a girl captured by a criminal. The hostage was successfully released, and the detachment was reassigned to the criminal investigation department and made a regular unit of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate in Moscow. There were not enough commandos to carry out all the operational tasks - there were only a few dozen of them. Then one regiment of the patrol service was assigned to fight the riots and renamed it OMON. There was a period of time when two OMONs existed simultaneously in Moscow. The policemen themselves called the detachments "Big" and "Little". To avoid confusion and misunderstandings, the same “Little” OMON was later renamed the Special Purpose Police Detachment (OMSN). In 2011, the OMSN was renamed OSN, and subsequently SOBR. Subsequently, the OMSN GUVD for Moscow served as a model for the beginning of the creation of other special units in the militia (police) in the Russian Federation.
In the autumn of 1992, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the tactical operations department was renamed special rapid response unit(SOBR).
In September 2002, the SOBR were renamed the Special Purpose Police Detachments (OMSN).
In 2003, part of the detachments of the MSN received proper names: "Bulat", "Lynx", "Terek".
As of 2009, the total strength of the SOBR was 5,200 people, consisting of 87 detachments.
In 2011, in connection with the reform of the internal affairs bodies and the renaming of the "militia" into the "police", the units of the OMSN were renamed OSN (special forces).
In 2012, the name SOBR (special rapid response units) was returned to all units of the SN.
Tasks and functions
The training of employees in SOBR, unlike other special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is of a pronounced individual character. There are a lot of specialists in various areas of application, but interchangeability is at the forefront. The emphasis of training is on working against an armed criminal in the city ( with working distance up to 100 m) and in transport, however SOBRs were successfully used in almost any conditions ( forest, mountains, steppes). Much attention is paid to physical and psychological preparation [ ] .
Composition and strength
In 2016, there were 87 SOBR detachments in Russia. The total approximate number was 5200 people.
Differences between SOBR and OMON
OMON differs from SOBR in the organizational structure and the nature of the service-combat and operational service tasks performed. Unlike OMON, almost all SOBR officers have officer ranks and positions of security officers. Prior to the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2011, when the police were divided into the public security police and the criminal police, OMON was a subdivision of the MOB, while SOBR was a subdivision of the KM. SOBR (formerly the 11th department) left the RUBOP system (Regional Directorate for Combating Organized Crime), as a power support unit, the task was to fight organized crime, banditry and power support during special operations. SOBR units are notable for their strong and sometimes excessive rigidity in detaining criminal authorities, thieves in law and repeat offenders.
The OMON unit is built according to the principle: operational companies, consisting of platoons and departments, a personnel and educational work department with a full-time psychologist, a medical service, headquarters, a cynological service, an engineering department, a motorized unit, an accounting department and a logistics department.
The SOBR unit is built according to the principle: combat squads, rear department, headquarters, tactics department.
A separate caste of people was selected as candidates for service in the SOBR unit, as a rule, already existing employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, mainly former operatives of the RUBOP, the criminal investigation department, as well as officers from the OMON special forces unit with a higher legal education and regular army officers who served in the special forces, precisely for this selection criterion, the preparation of SOBR to a higher level in all areas of the tasks performed. According to the statistics, analytics and monitoring of special forces units by the employees of the FKU of the Main Information and Analytical Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in 2015, it turned out that 37% of the current employees of the SOBR special unit had previously served in the OMON.
The main goal of SOBR is to arrest criminals while ORM law enforcement officers. During the Chechen campaigns, SOBR detachments took part in complex combat operations together with the Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 2002, SOBR units were renamed OMSN - Special Purpose Police Detachment. In 2011, during the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, at the request of the Moscow Council of Veterans of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the President of Russia Medvedev D.A. special forces of the OMSN were returned the historical name SOBR - Special Rapid Response Detachment.
Similar divisions in other countries of the world
| The country | Subdivision |
| Austria | EKO Cobra ; |
| Armenia | Special units of the Police of the Republic of Armenia and the National Security Service of Armenia; |
| Belarus | Special unit for combating terrorism (SPBT) "Almaz" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus; |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosna; |
| Brazil | Battalion of Special Police Operations (port. Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais(BOPE)) , GATE , ROTA ; |
| United Kingdom | London Police Special Forces Metropolitan Police Special Branch); |
| Germany | GSG 9, SEK (German) Spezialeinsatzkommando) - anti-terrorist units of the police departments of individual lands; |
| Georgia | Special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia; |
| Spain | GEO ; |
| Italy | Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza; |
| Kazakhstan | Special Rapid Response Detachment (SOBR) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan (created in 2003); |
| Kyrgyzstan | Special Rapid Response Units (SOBR) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan; |
| Costa Rica | Special Forces GAO (Spanish) Grupo de Apoyo Operativo) National Police of Costa Rica; |
| Latvia | Alfa, Omega; |
| Lithuania | Aras ; |
| Norway | Beredskapstroppen; |
| Romania | Police Service for Rapid Intervention SPIR (rum. Serviciul de Poliție pentru Intervenție Rapidă); |
| Serbia | Serbian Anti-Terrorist Group; |
| Salvador | GRP Special Forces (Spanish) Grupo de Reaction Policial) National Civil Police of El Salvador ; |
| USA | SWAT (English) Special Weapons And Tactics- Special weapons and tactics); |
| Ukraine | Rapid Rapid Action Corps (KORD) of the National Police of Ukraine; |
| France | RAID (English) and GIGN (fr. Groupe d "Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale- Intervention group |
Many have seen strong Russian guys, camouflaged to the very eyebrows, brave fighters with a huge stripe on their backs - SOBR. "What's this?" - random passers-by asked each other at the very beginning. The appearance of these Russian rangers was so unusual and gloomy that the consciousness, accustomed to the Soviet baggy military uniform, refused to perceive new information transmitted by the organ of vision.
Slender and fit strong men, as if by selection, in dapper uniforms and masks, evoked mixed feelings among the population. From curiosity to fear. People whispered: "SOBR - who is this?"
crash
End of the last century. The dream of the Western world has come true. The death sentence for the USSR was carried out. The Russian colossus, which terrified the advanced overseas continent, collapsed, shaking the nearby lands, disturbing the minds of newly-minted neighbors, yesterday's residents of a single multi-apartment and multinational building - the USSR.
Who is guilty? There will be no descriptive events of those times. There are many theories. All of them have the right to exist. Let's leave this work to the true pros - historians. It is up to them to find answers to specific questions of their descendants. The purpose of the article is different. It was at that time that a special unit was born - SOBR. Deciphering the abbreviation - Special Rapid Response Squad.
To answer the next question “why?”, you need to go back in time, to the already distant 1992, February 10, the birthday of this special squad. Initially, the formation had a different name - UTO as part of the GUOP of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Six months later, the newborn acquired a new name, by which he is still recognized. This is SOBR.
Chaos as the norm
To the great shame, but in quite recent Russia there was a period when open lawlessness was the norm. The nineties of the last century left their indelible mark, reeking of gunpowder, and blood, and suffering, and devastation.
Bureaucratic lawlessness and domestic lawlessness went hand in hand. Now we will not judge and understand the details, this will require a separate narrative. So it was, it's a fact. The crime rate skyrocketed. There was a lot of spilled blood. We are not even talking about domestic offenses and random skirmishes-brawls. Serious, thoughtful guys appeared, with connections in all echelons of power, armed to the teeth, insidious and arrogant.
They were engaged in more serious affairs than taking a hat from a passerby or robbing a trading stall in order to get drunk right there. We are talking about real bandit formations. Not somewhere in the distant cinematic Asia of the twenties, but in the center of the capital, large cities, openly, in full view. Yes, what to say? Everywhere. In every village. The situation got out of hand. The government needed to do something about it. Then SOBR was born. Deciphering the abbreviation of this unit initially became a real puzzle for ordinary residents.
Liquidation of gangs
In those years, it flourished luxuriantly. So much so that it was physically impossible for ordinary operatives to fight her. Fortunately, the law enforcement agencies found a worthy response to the presumptuous crime. This is SOBR.
Already the first operations to remove a malignant tumor from the weakened organism of Russian society made the flagships of criminal groups cringe. And the far from medical instruments used for this, without an anesthetic (where does it come from in a country flying into the abyss?), using the “tear” method, and not “carefully cut and mend”, caused shock and awe. That's who definitely did not like the word SOBR. No spelling required. Not before that.
By the spring of 1993, similar special forces were created in all regions of the country. The battle continued. Cemeteries expanded due to VIP-burials of yesterday's authorities and new "masters" of life, prisoners crowded in overcrowded cells of pre-trial detention centers, correctional colonies met new guests every day.
One way or another, those who managed to sit "on the bunk" or managed to slip away abroad saved their lives. Most of the major gangster groups have learned from themselves that the SOBR are the guys you shouldn't joke with. They are not disposed to a playful manner of communication.
It is clear that only a fairy tale affects quickly. It took time to remove the inclusions of wormholes throughout the state. But the task assigned to SOBR was completed. The all-powerful "brothers" retreated into the shadows, and then simply disappeared. This does not mean at all that the guys from SOBR have lost their jobs. They are still at the very epicenter of the fight against organized crime.
SOBR. Deciphering this word in an unusual way
There is a common decoding of this abbreviation, already well known to everyone, widely used. It can be said more simply, SOBR is special forces.
Since there is something ordinary, why not be unusual? After all, behind each of the four letters there is a deep meaning, meaningfulness, not a random choice.
"C" - special
Emphasis on the letter "C" when deciphering SOBR.
These special units were formed mainly from the active groups of special forces - OMON, which did not cease to exist. There was only a division of the "client base".
Hooligans, organizers and participants of unsanctioned mass gatherings pursuing the goal of organizing mass riots, football fans who organized pogroms and other overly "active" citizens remained the wards of the riot police. In those days, there were enough freethinkers, and pseudo-leaders, and outright adventurers, provocateurs who were ready to gather large crowds of people in the squares, arrange a rally with an obligatory pogrom.
People, tired of the Soviet routine, happily made noise, smashed, shouted slogans. Naturally raged, still not really understanding what is allowed, what is prohibited. OMON admonished and admonished. Where with a word, and where with a club, there was everything.
The fraternal OMON SOBR carried out narrower, special tasks. His regular clients were stable bandit groups, other organized criminal groups, terrorists, incomprehensible and dangerous people. Special tasks, special methods, special means. Clients are also special, notorious, sophisticated and unscrupulous, able to openly resist multi-barreled "artillery".
The selection and enrollment in SOBR was thorough, special. The highest indicators of psychological and physical preparation were taken into account. The "good" rating was not recognized. The passing score is "excellent". A prerequisite is the experience of military operations, participation in serious operations. A fighter must be proven, distinguished himself in hot events, know weapons well and masterfully use them.
"O" - squad
SOBR is a squad. We focus on the letter "O" when decoding SOBR.
Candidates for this special unit were not specially trained anywhere. Their teachers were military operations, hot events, military operations. What are the textbooks and manuals? 100% combat experience. Kizlyar and Budennovsk, Afghanistan and Chechnya, Dagestan and Tajikistan - these are their classrooms and audiences for lectures.
SOBR is a detachment of fighters, without which not a single major operation can do, not a single detention of terrorists, arms dealers, not a single liquidation of gangs.
The detachments received their own names. "Granite" and "Bars", "Bulat" and "Viking", "Vector" and "Terek" - all these are special forces groups (SOBR). Each regional detachment has its own combat history, traditions, heroes, and distinctive symbols.
Special forces detachments (SOBR) are elite units in the system of all power structures. Most SOBR officers deservedly wear maroon berets as a symbol of high distinction.
"B" - fast
The officers of the elite units of the SOBR are constantly in a state of full combat readiness. At any moment they are ready to be where their participation is needed. We make another emphasis. On the letter "B" when decoding SOBR.
A special task can be formed in any region, territorial remoteness does not matter. Modern special vehicles will deliver the fighters to their positions as quickly as possible. And in cases where a quiet, silent approach is required, when the presence of equipment will attract unwanted attention of the enemy, elite fighters are able to independently overcome significant distances and immediately engage in battle or perform another assigned task.
"R" - response
The last character in this abbreviation remains. We focus on the letter "R" when deciphering SOBR. The response methods of the fighters of these elite units are different. Everything depends on the task at hand. Every SOBR officer is a universal soldier.
He is able to work effectively in an assault group, in a capture or cover group. This is a climber, and a paratrooper, a swimmer and a sniper, a bomber and a sapper. Whoever he has to be. He is able to be an excellent actor and a pleasant conversationalist when the situation requires it. The role of the bully and the bouncer? No problem. Drive a vehicle? You are welcome. Anyone, mind you. SOBR response methods and methods have been worked out over the years, through trial and error, in real combat conditions.
Among the fighters of the detachment there are their own craftsmen who are able to improve weapons, equipment items, and make them as effective as possible. Each squad has its own branded "chips", which are not customary to talk about outside the walls of the base.
In most cases, the guys act tough, without curtseys and bows. Those who dealt with SOBR (on opposite sides of the barricades) are witnesses to this.
That's the whole decoding of SOBR.
Eternal memory to those who died prematurely
Many fighters were awarded the highest government awards and were awarded the title of Hero of Russia. Among them are those who received awards posthumously. It should be noted that SOBR units do not allow mass losses, qualifications do not allow. But, unfortunately, there are isolated cases. Eternal memory to these heroes who fell while performing a combat mission.
About a year ago, one of the most high-profile restructurings of recent times ended - the National Guard appeared, which, in addition to the Internal Troops, included OMON and SOBR. Until recently, the latter (SOBR) were, and still are, a very closed unit, but the correspondents of the site managed to go to the field training of fighters and find out how the detachment works.
Moscow SOBR
The Moscow SOBR was formed on November 9, 1978 in case of "special situations". Prior to this, there was a freelance group - its employees were involved in the service during important events, such as ensuring security during the celebration of the November and May holidays and congresses of the CPSU.
In the 1970s, the world was shocked by several terrorist attacks, and in 1980 the Olympic Games were to be held in Moscow, and as a result, a special-purpose unit was created under the Moscow City Executive Committee, which was to ensure the protection of the Olympic flame.
At first, the officers had to develop everything practically from scratch - army principles did not fit here, and the KGB special forces did not share their secrets. After the Olympics, the police special forces were subordinated to the criminal investigation department of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate in Moscow, calling them OMON. True, at that time there were two detachments with the same names - the employees themselves called them "Big" and "Little". The first was engaged in the suppression of riots, the second fought with criminals.
They decided to separate the detachments in 1989, then one of them - "Little" - received the name of the OMSN, with which he worked until 2011, and there all police special forces were renamed Special Forces. A year later, the unit became part of the Special Purpose Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow, and in 2012, all special forces units were given a common designation - SOBR.
Among the successful SOBR operations are the arrest of the murderer Alexander Solonik, the release of hostages on Tverskaya in a jewelry store, and the case of the kidnapping of Kaspersky's son.
The tasks of SOBR include force support of operational-search and investigative actions, the protection of witnesses, the protection of officials, the release of hostages and the elimination of terrorist groups. The fighters of the unit serve in officer positions (unlike the riot police) and they must have a higher education. Not everyone is accepted into the squad.
But it cannot be said that the OMON is worse: its employees ensure order in crowded places, suppress riots and provide assistance to SOBR, for example, by blocking the gang’s possible escape routes.
Of course, the selection in the SOBR is much tougher: first, young people who have served in the Armed Forces and have a higher education are tested for physical and moral-volitional qualities, which roughly resembles an exam for a "maroon beret".
This is followed by a medical examination for group "A" health, psychological testing and a thorough check of the candidate's biography for the complete absence of relatives with a criminal past and incriminating materials. In addition, the personnel department of SOBR requests characteristics from places of study, work and service.
Only those who have passed all the tests and checks are credited for an internship in the SOBR staff, which, however, does not guarantee final employment.
Speaking of the maroon beret - the insignia of a fighter who has passed several difficult tests: SOBR are officially allowed to pass exams for the right to wear such a headdress.
Any employee of the detachment is a universal soldier capable of replacing a comrade, but despite this, there is a specialization in the unit. Usually SOBRs are formed by assault groups - a capture group and a cover group. The latter includes snipers and climbers. Also in the units there are explosives.
So, SOBR solves narrow, non-standard tasks, for the development of which there is an operations planning headquarters. A typical example of such an operation is the capture of an armed gang. What will a fighter take with him to the operation? See below.
"Vereski", by the way, is rather an exception - silent automatic machines "Val" are much more common (pictured below).
In addition, the fighters go to the operation in helmets and body armor, which have flaps and pockets for additional items of equipment. In addition to this, they have knee pads, elbow pads and leg guards.
In general, the equipment is selected individually, so you can meet the following elements:
MOLLE platform, on which pouches can be attached:
Knife and lantern:
Multitool (pictured on the back left):
We found out what the fighter takes with him. Of course, each operation is planned separately and taking into account the terrain, so during the development it becomes clear what weapons and equipment to take and in what composition to go.
In general, the most popular formation in the course of work is the deuce with a shield. One with a shield, the second strictly behind - this is used when entering a building when it is not known how many people are there and whether they are armed.
It happens that the fighters work without a shield, in which case they also follow each other and when the first one runs out of ammunition, he goes behind the second one and reloads, the second one is already ready to shoot at that time. It looks like a single movement and is honed many times during training.
Photo gallery
It is important that shooting is practiced on the move and from any position all the time - SOBR never goes to the training ground "just like that", to shoot, tactics are an indispensable element of almost all exercises. In addition, the conduct of combat in urban conditions suggests that the commando must be on the move all the time, standing still even for a few seconds is tantamount to death.
Soon will celebrate a big anniversary - forty years! - one of the oldest special forces in Russia - SOBR of the Special Purpose Center (TsSN) of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Moscow.
Most of those who have anything to do with law enforcement agencies know this detachment by its most famous name - OMSN, that is, a special police detachment.
The unit became the first special forces detachment in the structure of the then Soviet police, and in fact it was in its image and likeness that all other police special forces in Russia were subsequently created.
STORY
The Moscow SOBR was formed on November 9, 1978. Prior to this, the police did not have a unit capable of performing special tasks. In case of emergency, there was a so-called freelance group in the Moscow police department - employees of this formation were involved in the service during especially important events: ensuring security during the celebration of the November and May holidays, holding congresses of the CPSU and other events of national importance.
Also, the employees of this group were involved in the event of any emergency. In the 1970s, a series of terrorist attacks took place in the world, which forced a much closer look at the problems of ensuring the security of the state and its citizens. In addition, in 1980, one of the most significant events for the country, the Olympic Games, was to be held in Moscow.
As a result, a special-purpose unit was created under the Moscow City Executive Committee, which was to work at the Olympics and ensure the protection of the Olympic flame.
The employees of the new detachment had the high honor of accompanying the Olympic flame from the border with Romania through the territory of the USSR, and also during the entire Olympics to be on duty around the clock at many Olympic venues.
They selected the best of the best. The requirements for the first special forces were, as never before, high - after all, it is doubly difficult to start! For the first time in the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, complex psychological and physical tests were introduced. There was no other way - the highest responsibility was assigned to the detachment. Future special forces officers were required to have sports titles or ranks in some kind of military applied sports. In some ways, the selection was reminiscent of testing in the part of the Airborne Forces and army special forces.
At that time, no methods for preparing personnel for performing special tasks had yet been developed, army developments were not entirely applicable to the specifics of the work of police special forces. And the KGB special forces were so secret at that time that very few people even knew about its existence - there was no question of any exchange of experience. As a result, the officers of the detachment had to work out everything practically from scratch.
After the end of the Olympics, the question arose - what to do with the unit next. On the one hand, they created it to work at the Olympic Games themselves, and no one thought about how to use it after the end of the event. On the other hand, the officers of the detachment showed themselves to be high-level professionals and did an excellent job with the tasks assigned to them - of course, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not want to lose such a combat-ready unit, which has no analogues.
The fate of the unit was decided by life itself. In 1981, a girl was taken hostage in Moscow, and since only special forces had any experience in performing special tasks, they were involved in the liberation operation. The team members worked well and efficiently. The operation completed successfully.
After that, it became clear that there was still work for the police special forces, and he was regularly subordinated to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate for Moscow. True, initially the detachment was called not OMSN, but OMON, and in addition to special tasks, the unit also performed the functions of a public security police, participating in the suppression of riots.
Over time, it became more and more difficult for the special forces to cope with these functions - troubled times came in the country, massive and infamous miners' strikes began, so there were simply not enough squad members for everything. Then the Ministry of Internal Affairs decided to reform the PPS regiment into OMON and entrust this unit with the task of combating riots. Thus, in Moscow at one time there were two riot police at once, which the officers themselves called Big and Small.
In 1989, the detachment was assigned an abbreviation, which was assigned to it for a long time. According to her, the unit became most famous - the Special Police Detachment (OMSN). With this name, the detachment worked until 2011, when, in connection with the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, all police special forces were renamed Special Forces Detachments (OSN).
In the same period, the unit structurally became part of the newly formed Special Purpose Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow.
In 2012, all police special forces detachments were given a common designation - SOBR, that is, a special rapid response detachment. With this name, the division is currently working.
COMBAT WORK
The main tasks of the detachment are the detention of armed and especially dangerous criminals, recidivists, the destruction of bandit groups, and the release of hostages.
The detachment works in the interests of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department and other services of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow, implementing the information received by operational officers and carrying out the forceful detention of criminals.
The unit is a reserve of the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
Hundreds of successfully conducted operations are on the account of the detachment's employees. Practically not a single military operation in the Moscow region is complete without the participation of officers of the Moscow SOBR.
Many of the operations carried out by the detachment have become widely known due to their resonance. Thus, the detention of criminals who attacked collectors at the Molodyozhny store received wide publicity. The group was heavily armed and had several kills on its conscience. It was possible to detain all members of the gang only after a full-scale search operation was carried out, which was carried out by the members of the detachment.
Since SWAT is an operational-combat unit, the officers of the squad often have to work undercover, using a wide variety of legends. In the 1980s, a gang of drug addicts worked in Moscow, who called an ambulance on a false occasion and then robbed doctors, taking all the medicines.
In one of these calls, an ambulance brigade came to resourceful businessmen, who, instead of medicines, brought handcuffs with them, which they put on the criminals. Another high-profile operation was carried out by Moscow special forces in 1983 at the Vnukovo airport, where criminals were detained carrying almost 2.5 million Soviet rubles - in the USSR it was just an astronomical amount.
One of the milestones in the history of the detachment, of course, was the “dashing nineties” - crime at that moment was at its peak, so to speak, almost not a single trip could do without forceful detention. Then all the detachments of the country had to work - there were no calm areas on the map of Russia. The main "contingent" then, of course, were various organized crime groups.
On account of the Moscow detachment, there is an impressive list of gangs, the “career” of which the Sobrovites completed forever. There was enough work for the special forces in the new millennium. The forces of the detachment detained the killer of Solonik. The Sobrovites worked meticulously in the very center of Moscow, when hostages were taken in a jewelry store on Tverskaya.
Another resonant operation to free the hostages was carried out on Frunzenskaya Embankment. The Moscow detachment caught the kidnapper of Kaspersky's son.
More recently, at the end of 2014, together with colleagues from other units, the Sobrovites neutralized members of the infamous “GTA gang”, which terrified the entire Moscow region.
Since 2003, one of the combat units of the detachment has been constantly on a business trip in the North Caucasus. In the region, the detachment performs the tasks of combating the gangster underground and the destruction of illegal gangs.
Starting from the first business trips, the Moscow SOBR demonstrated the highest efficiency of its work. Each SOBR branch spends three months on a business trip, on average, two or three trips every day. Before being sent to the Caucasus, the departing branch conducts a field trip with the implementation of training tasks in orienteering, camp equipment, search and destruction of conditional criminals - the main emphasis is on working in mountainous and wooded areas.
UNINVENTED HEROES
Only officers serve in the detachment, and a Russian officer is not only a willingness to give his life “for his friends” and the Fatherland, but also a very special internal culture. Culture is in everything - in communication, in behavior, in deeds.
A special forces officer will never act meanly, will always help a comrade and will never allow evil to happen. That's every team member.
SOBR officers are people of a very special formation. No, they are not supermen, not aliens. Anyone who is accustomed to movie stereotypes will most likely walk past one of them on the street and not even suspect that he is a special forces officer in front of him.
A commando is an athletic, fit man between the ages of 25 and 40. An open and smiling person with an extremely positive outlook on life. And he is always calm. Olympic calm! Because calmness is a sign of a truly strong person. And these guys are really strong, because in their work you have to be, literally, forged from steel!
SELECTION TO THE SQUAD
The requirements for those who want to become an officer of the Moscow SOBR have not changed much since the formation of the detachment. They just got tougher. Candidates are also required to have the highest level of physical fitness and sports titles not lower than a candidate for master of sports in any martial art or military applied sport.
Most of those who serve in the detachment have devoted themselves to sports since early childhood: some wrestle, some have karate or boxing, others from the army are engaged in all-around. There is only one essence - these are 100% healthy men, who, for health reasons, are fit even as astronauts. In addition, martial arts not only strengthen the body, but also strengthen the spirit.
That is why the final stage of checking into the unit is sparring. The so-called special forces "acceptance". Seven to eight sparring sessions of one minute each with the current officers of the detachment. And this is full contact - you will not see such low kicks (thai boxing strikes) in the "octagon", and professional boxers will envy powerful uppercuts! Each blow is as hard as possible - no one is spared here.
The difficulty of such a test is that sparring is the last stage of testing physical fitness. Before him, the subject must run a marathon, perform exercises from the Cooper test, and all this without rest. The candidate enters the ring already quite exhausted. And against him - fresh and full of strength fellows. This is not so much a test of fighting qualities as a test of fortitude.
The test subject must endure even when exhausted and exhausted. Everyone understands that if necessary, even the UFC champion will be knocked out. Therefore, no one tries to score a person. The main thing is to understand who is in front of you. And if the subject did not break down, even when there is no strength left, it means “your boyfriend”!
But, of course, hand-to-hand combat is not the only thing that needs to be done by someone who has decided to connect his life with SOBR. A lot of psychological tests that should reveal the absolute mental adequacy of a person to whom the state will entrust weapons, the lives of law-abiding citizens and his comrades in the detachment!
One of the most crucial moments is a personal interview. If a person comes to such a unit, he must do it consciously. He must understand WHERE and WHY he came. After all, here he will have to go under the bullets and cover his comrades, and maybe completely strangers - such actions require a very strong motivation. And everyone must clearly answer all the questions for himself even before he crosses the threshold of the detachment.
There are other mandatory conditions (since SOBR is an officer unit) - only employees with higher education or those who complete their studies at the university are accepted into the detachment.
Getting into the detachment, the newcomer must pass a probationary period - from three months to six months. This is the time in which he will have to prove himself, show his best side and not tarnish his reputation in any way. If the officers of the detachment understand that you can go into battle with this person and trust him with your life, then the candidate will be given the high honor of becoming a full member of the elite special forces.
However, one should not think that at this stage a person can relax and “reap laurels”. Service in SOBR is constant training, self-improvement and preparation for work in all areas. The commando must constantly strive to become even better. There are no those who have nothing to learn. In the service, various classes are constantly held with employees in a wide variety of disciplines, however, first of all, each of the special forces must burn with the work that they do and constantly try to become a little better and, of course, learn from more experienced and older colleagues.
Ending in the next issue.
LAZAREV Konstantin. Journalist and photographer, main subject - special forces units. Recently, I managed to work with most of the detachments in the Moscow region. Interested in weapons and military equipment.
In addition to print media, he works on television as a journalist and TV presenter: in the program "Military Secret" on the Ren-TV channel and in the author's projects "Special Forces" and "Technique of the War Years" on the OST-TV channel.
"Gold" laureate of the award "Journalists of Russia against terror".
