13.12.2013 - 23:41

News of Belarus. President Alexander Lukashenko considers the development of special operations forces one of promising directions in the Belarusian army. This opinion was expressed by the head of state today while visiting the 5th separate special-purpose brigade in Maryina Gorka. The President was shown the conditions in which the best of the best serve today: this formation is rightfully considered the elite of the Belarusian armed forces. The head of state noted the high potential of young people and drew attention to the fact that this potential should be used competently even after the end of the service.

Pavel has been in the 5th separate special forces brigade for 7 months. During this time, he managed not only to build muscle on simulators, but also to become a squad leader. Employees in Maryina Gorka really have ample opportunities for physical and intellectual improvement. Barracks new, with gyms, modern lounges. But, the preparation, of course, is difficult, but it is beneficial, Pavel admits.

Pavel Demchenko, commander of the special forces group:
When I came to the military registration and enlistment office and they said that due to my health I fit into the most elite troops, I asked for this brigade. I consider it the best in the country. Basically, there is enough. The only thing missing for a soldier is a home.

The special operations forces are one of the priority areas for the construction and development of the Belarusian army, and therefore the President is in the center.

Today, the head of state was shown the course of preparation of elite units. She is, without exaggeration, fighting.

Shooting training - landing, training shooting from sniper rifles, grenade launchers as part of various units and performing tasks of varying complexity. The regularity of such classes bring the actions of special groups to automatism. But the main thing here, of course, is the speed of achieving the desired effect.

From a report to the President:
At a distance of 1300 meters, a group of snipers is capable of taking out an anti-aircraft missile battalion on the march in a minute. Guaranteed!

This is an assault suit and related weapons. Much here is made in Belarus, but, of course, there is also an import component.

From a report to the President:
All modernization items (AK-ed.), with the exception of the body kit, are made by our defense complex.

On the abundant BARS complexes, special operations forces can effectively counter illegal formations. Both in the city and on rough terrain. Good cross-country ability, maneuverability, automatic adjustment of firing from heavy-caliber guns.

And the Bogatyr passenger car is for mobile transportation of both soldiers and cargo.

Special pride - diving equipment - tugs, breathing apparatus and special equipment, developed by Belarusian specialists. By the way, in the air, or rather, landing, using all kinds of parachute systems, the Belarusians are far from the last positions.

From a report to the President:
In 2013 in China, at the World Championships, our team won 13 medals, 5 of them were gold.

According to the state program, a complete re-equipment of special operations forces units was carried out. New machinery and equipment have appeared. Weapons, respectively, and new high scores.

Oleg Belokonev, Force Commander special operations armed forces of the Republic of Belarus:
The servicemen of this brigade have unique living conditions: not everyone has such houses.

The 5th brigade is engaged in special operations, reconnaissance and organizational tasks. Part of the Immediate Response Force. They also teach the so-called "power special disciplines" - martial arts, work in a group and alone ... By the way, among the teachers there are masters in three sports.

From a report to the President:
Shamanov, the commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, came. He cried! Then at 23.00 he called, saying "we are shocked, what kind of people you have, good-natured, they tell the truth - that they are a tolerant people. And what kind of relations do you have between law enforcement units!"

Over the past year, under the program for the arrangement of military camps, about 60 objects have been brought into proper condition. Maryina Gorka may be good example organization and personal life of the military.

:
16 houses, 1250 apartments were built.
In this brigade we have a hostel "for bachelors", a family hostel, 3 houses for service housing, by July 3 we are finishing the 4th house. This is more than 200 apartments. A cooperative was built by officers who have the opportunity to take a soft loan.

Arrangement of military camps in Belarus will continue.

Yuri Zhadobin, Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus:
In general, Comrade President, this is the best town in terms of infrastructure. I'm not ashamed to introduce him to you.
In 4 years thanks to your decision to extend the program[the issue will be resolved for the rest - ed.].

They also discussed the need to use the potential of young people, who received good army hardening here.

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus:
We must clearly calculate this and determine how we will develop in the future. I am not against such trained units.
What if a person leaves here, for a "citizen", this is our person. If he doesn't end up in law enforcement agencies, serve somewhere else, in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB, all the same, these are our people. These are ours. I remember transferring such attention to the company of the guard of honor. The guys are beautiful, trained, educated. The service is very hard. These guys need to be supported. We are in dire need of such youth. I won’t say that we have a bad one, but this is the core that we are preparing here, especially due to the special operation, they should not be lost. They must be somewhere in the "citizen" to be, around them must be formed the main such knots of our young people, real men, so that we can always rely on them.

In the 5th separate special forces brigade, the president was given a symbolic gift. This is a combat knife with a commemorative inscription - "no one but us", and an indispensable paratrooper's vest, they said in the 24 Hours News program on STV.

"Communication is the nerve of the army." Signal troops celebrate 100th anniversary on October 20



Each branch of the military has its own annual holidays. Most often this is the date of its creation. For every military man, this event is important, almost like his own birthday. And even more so when it is a round date. This Sunday, October 20, the signal troops of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus will celebrate their 100th anniversary. We tell in the program about the most technologically advanced part of our army.

The 20th century, along with social revolutions, simultaneously brought technological revolutions. Maximally complicated the structure of all the armies of the world. Accordingly, coordination and management became more difficult. Therefore, on October 20, 1919, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council, a separate branch of the Red Army troops was formed - the signal troops. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, their number was 5 percent of the total composition of the Armed Forces. The largest use of signal troops is in the Belarusian offensive operation. 28 thousand radio stations were involved.

During the war, 339 signalmen received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. 130 became full holders of the Order of Glory. It was during the war years that many formations were formed, which even today provide communications for the Belarusian army.

Oleg Mishchenko, Head of Communications of the Armed Forces - Head of the Communications Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus:
Over their hundred-year history, the communications troops have traveled a long and glorious path. In my opinion, in our armed forces we have managed to preserve everything that is good that remains of the Belarusian military district. From our famous formations and military units that took part in the Great Patriotic War, which were already formed in the post-war period. Which, on the basis of the Belarusian military district, were modernized, equipped with advanced weapons and military equipment. In addition, the preserved scientific and technical potential to use this basis and use its own means of communication already in sovereign Belarus.


Andrei Dedukh gave almost twenty years to the signal troops. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather - a war hero, and his father. Under him, everything that we talked about in the program was born in the sovereign Belarusian army.

Andrei Dedukh, lieutenant colonel in reserve:
The appearance of the signal troops has changed a lot. There has been a huge technical leap in technology, which is now entering service in terms of communications. The communications troops have now turned into highly effective modern digital troops that provide the Armed Forces with all types of communications, and on modern communications. That is, it was probably impossible to imagine before, when the first exercises were held in the Russian Federation, that you can talk through a 140 MB radio station, modernized at our base, from the Ashuluk training ground with the city of Osipovichi, as if a person is in the next room.

And the dynasty of signalmen is continued by the son Sergey. Already promoted to captain. And I understood very well what a connection is. Both military and family.

Sergey Dedukh, head of the telephone center 62 TsUS:
Communication is the nerve of the army. Without communication, there is no control, no victory.

Oleg Mishchenko:
A special pride in the troops is the people. These are professionals in their field. You know, it's probably not so easy to get into a family of professional signalmen. Starting with education. And it's probably even harder to get out of it. Those who are devoted to their work, those who prove their professionalism, their devotion to ensure the security of our state with their daily work.

Of course, on this day, I would like, first of all, to congratulate our veterans on this holiday. The communications troops, probably, are not ashamed today that what we have left as a legacy, we have preserved, preserved, and in some areas, probably, increased. But it is for them to judge by our deeds. I would like to wish all the personnel good health, a peaceful sky over their heads and not stop there - learn a difficult profession and be a reliable defender of our state.

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"Nasha Niva" presented a brief overview of the main Belarusian special forces.

Uruchensk Special Forces Brigade
The third separate Red Banner Special Forces Brigade (military unit 3214, Uruchcha) was formed in the 1990s on the basis of the 334th regiment of the 120th division. It is prepared both to disperse street actions and to participate in special operations. This is the shock part of the Internal Troops. Its number is about 1500-2000 people. The unit consists of several subdivisions - special purpose battalions, Special Squad rapid response (SOBR) and support units.
The main tasks of the brigade are the fight against terrorism, actions in case of emergencies, combat training in the event of a military threat.
In peacetime, the fighters of the brigade perform the functions of protecting public order. Often representatives of the brigade go on assignments outside of Minsk. For example, they guard the "Slavianski Bazaar".
During the street actions of the opposition, the Uruchen brigade is usually kept on a safety net. They are used only in extreme cases when the PMSN cannot cope with the demonstrators. Pavlichenko's fighters were seen several times during the last presidential elections.
Pavlichenko himself, being the commander of the brigade, repeatedly stated that he was trying to educate the fighters in the "spirit of Orthodoxy." There is a temple on the territory.
Combat training is of great importance; it is several times stricter than in other military units. The program includes acrobatics, hand-to-hand combat, strength training, athletic gymnastics, crosses. Great importance is attached to shooting from different types weapons, as well as tactical and special training for actions in various situations.
It is worth noting that most of the ordinary fighters are in the brigade for a year or a half. This is a normal term of service in the army.
It was Pavlichenko who figured in the cases of Zakharenko and Gonchar - while those cases were being investigated by the KGB. In 2000, Lukashenka dismissed KGB chairman Matskevich and Prosecutor General Bazhelko, and everything fell into place.

Minsk Special Purpose Police Regiment
The regiment was formed in the autumn of 2005, shortly before the presidential elections. The PMSN was created on the basis of the OMON, and Yuriy Podobed headed it. As Anatoly Kuleshov (today's Minister of the Interior), the then chief of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee, explained, the main purpose of creating the regiment was to protect public order during various mass actions.
According to him, the fighters of this unit must be prepared for cataclysms, disasters, natural and man-made accidents. Kuleshov called the third reason that the creation of the regiment would enable other police officers to perform their immediate duties. The officers of the regiment wear black uniforms. It was they who mainly participated in the dispersal of street protests, including on October Square.
The PMSN was created at the personal request of Yuri Podobed, who complained that the number of events that needed protection was constantly growing in the country. The staff has also been increased a lot.
Now Alexander Lukomsky manages PMSN. He graduated from the Leningrad Higher Political School of Internal Troops (1992), the Police Academy (1998), the command and staff faculty of the Military Academy (2002). Prior to that, he headed the capital's police brigade of internal troops (military unit 5448).

Maryina Gorka
Near Minsk, in Maryina Gorka (Pukhovichi district), there is a 5th separate brigade special purpose. But this is not the Internal Troops. This special forces belongs to the Ministry of Defense.
The formation of the brigade began to take place in 1962.
During Soviet times, the fighters reached a level of training that corresponded to the Vympel detachment of the KGB of the USSR. Fighters from Maryina Gorka took an active part in the Afghan conflict. Two years after the withdrawal from there, the paratroopers from Maryina Gorka again went to war. Almost the entire brigade (805 people) under the command of Colonel Borodach was in Armenia.
On December 31, 1992, former Soviet special forces swore allegiance to Belarus. The main areas of training for today's fighters in the unit are sabotage and reconnaissance. Scouts are taught to overcome swamps, water barriers, forests. For this, exercises are often held in the forests. For ten days they are in an unknown area.
Maryina Gorka believes that their unit is the most elite in the country. There is an unofficial competition and confrontation between the special forces from Uruchcha and Maryina Gorka. Both there and there believe that their part is the best.
In 1996, the former head of the unit in Maryina Gorka, Colonel Borodach, took the side of the Constitution, against Lukashenka.

"Diamond"
In fact, the Belarusian special forces began with Almaz in the late 1980s. True, at that time this unit had the name "Berkut", and the main purpose was the organization of prison anti-terror detachments. They were also created in other Soviet republics.
Now it is a kind of rapid reaction squad. In 1994, the then head of Berkut and the future Minister of Internal Affairs, Vladimir Naumov, took the initiative to rename the special unit to Almaz. In a memo for fighters, Naumov once wrote: "Always remember that a special forces officer must be clean and hard as a diamond."
In 2002, Alexander Lukashenko personally opened the Almaz base.
In the event of an alarm, the "Almaz man" should arrive at the base within 5-7 minutes. And within 20 minutes, reconnaissance and a combat group are sent to the scene anywhere in the country. After another 20 minutes, the second group leaves.
The functions of the "diamond man" include the fight against terrorist activities, the release of hostages, and the disposal of explosives. Almazovites once detained murder suspects in Minsk Russian journalist Paul Khlebnikov.
"Almazovets" must train at least three times a week. It's not only sport exercises, fighters also go to barriers, manholes, ladders in full gear.
Basically, officers from similar units of the Ministry of Defense, police special forces, the security service of the head of state, and border troops get into Almaz. As a rule, these are people who have served at least five years and have already participated in special operations. Serve in the "Almaz" and women - negotiators and snipers.
It was Almaz employees who on March 2, 2006, beat up presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin. Soldiers of the same detachment detained Mikalai Autukhovich and his supporters this year. It was the former "Almazovites" who were convicted in the case of the disappearance of cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky.
Almaz is headed by Colonel Nikolai Karpenkov. He was still in Berkut, when from 1992 to 1994. He was the commander of the combat group of the unit. In 2003, Karpenkov returned to Almaz as a commander.

"Alpha"
Alfa Group under the Committee state security The USSR was founded in 1974. In March 1990, the then chief Chekist of the Union Kryuchkov signed a decree on the additional introduction of the Alpha group with a deployment in Minsk. Among the goals of the creation of the group were the localization and prevention of terrorist and extremist actions, especially dangerous criminal manifestations that threaten the security of the country. Initially, the group also acted on the Baltic countries.
Interestingly, until January 1992, Alfa was directly subordinate to the main department under the President of the USSR. Only then did she enter the structure of the Belarusian KGB. Alpha fighters ensure the physical defense and security of the Belarusian leadership and distinguished foreign guests. The new duties also included the fight against the illegal export of valuable metals, material and historical values ​​outside the country.
When creating Alpha, preference was given to Afghan officers, vedeveshniks, and professional athletes. Now higher education and military service is compulsory for candidates. Also, attention is paid to the ability to endure great psychological and physical stress. The age of the fighters is 30-35 years.
It is noted that staff turnover at Alpha is very low. It takes four or five years to become a true professional. All this time the fighter is on the second or third roles. One full outfit of the "alpha" (body armor, helmet, weapons, ammunition) weighs more than 20 kilograms.
Sergei Naumchik, deputy of the Supreme Council of the 12th convocation from the Belarusian Popular Front, in his memoirs claims that it was Alfa employees who beat up opposition deputies who went on a hunger strike in the oval hall.
For some time there were rumors that the Alpha fighters received military experience in Chechnya, but the group's leadership stubbornly denies this. The head of the Alpha group is Colonel Nikolai Ivinsky.

Border Special Forces
The border guards also have their own special forces. This is the Separate Service of Active Measures, perhaps the most closed and little-known special unit.
OSAM appeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1993. The first chief was Gennady Nevyglas.
First of all, the creation of a special unit was explained by the fight against illegal migration. Mostly, citizens from Asian countries to Europe. That was the first task.
Later, new ones appeared - the fight against economic crime and drug trafficking, countering transit terrorism and human trafficking.
Checking the future Osamo resident lasts from a year to two. During this time, with special attention, the service record of the fighter, all relatives and distant relatives. The average age of officers is 33 years. On the uniform chevron of the OSAM fighter there are two crossed balls and a wind rose against the background of the contour of the country.
At one time, OSAM was headed by the current chairman of the Border Committee, Igor Rachkovsky. And the eldest sons of Lukashenka, Viktor and Dmitry, served in the special forces.

Until recently, I was a shoemaker without boots. More than once or twice he edited the reports of correspondents from Maryina Gorka, where, as you know, the legendary 5th separate special-purpose brigade is stationed. I repeatedly selected photographs for publications about 5arr Special Forces. He studied heraldry and the history of the "five". But he himself (as the circumstances have developed) has not yet been in this elite formation of special operations forces. But better late than never.

Together with our colleagues - leaders of the Belarusian media - we gather near the administrative building of the Ministry of Defense and go by comfortable bus to Maryina Gorka. The reason is a seminar organized by the military department on the topic “ Current state and prospects for the development of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus”. The program includes a speech by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - First Deputy Minister of Defense Major General Oleg Belokonev, an informative tour of the places of combat training and the training building of the brigade, a visit to the museum of military glory, a visit to the military shooting range ...

It should be clarified here: the Maryinogorsk brigade, due to the specifics of the tasks performed by scouts army special forces, is a fairly closed connection. Even the access of officers of the Armed Forces is restricted here. The writing and filming brethren, all the more so with an impressive landing force, come here only on very significant occasions. Such, for example, as Alexander Lukashenko's visit to the 5th Special Forces in December last year. The head of state was then informed that, according to State program In 2012-2013, more than 60 facilities were brought into proper condition in the 5th brigade, engineering networks and communications were completely replaced, the territory of the military camp, including the barracks, was completed. The President had the opportunity to see this personally.


“The military town is equipped according to the requirements of the 21st century. Its infrastructure, educational material base, the barracks fund and the equipment of the training ground allow for a full range of combat training,” said Oleg Belokonev, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defense, speaking at the seminar.

Touching on the topic of the state and prospects for the development of the Armed Forces, the major general informed the leaders of the mass media that the elements of the immediate reaction forces are now being checked in a planned manner, structural components the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense, as well as the operational commands, the commands of the Air Force and the Air Defense Forces - in order to fully find out how prepared the reconnaissance forces and means are. An interesting and informative educational program from Oleg Alekseevich included both an analysis of the nature of armed conflicts of the 21st century and an overview of the centers of instability on the planet, modern challenges and threats. The announcements of the most important events in the security of our country. Briefly about some: in December, a new plan for the defense of the state will be reported to the President; in 2015, it is planned to purchase Tigr armored vehicles for special operations forces to form a combat battalion; also in next year 20 Belarusian servicemen will make jumps on controlled parachute systems as part of the Russian contingent in the Arctic.



...A story in the army is always followed by a show. So our seminar was not limited to a meeting in the lecture hall. For example, in the training building of the Maryinogorsk Special Forces Brigade, we were taken around premises hitherto inaccessible to civilian journalists. Moreover, in the language laboratory, where intelligence officers study foreign languages, and in the classes of topography, fire training, auditoriums for signalmen, they not only willingly answered many questions (within acceptable limits, of course), but they were also allowed to shoot, photograph the modern "stuffing" - visual aids, computers, various gadgets and equipment.


Among the guests of the "five", by the way, there were those who at one time did military service in Maryina Gorka. "What has changed since then?" - asked one of them. Answer: Literally everything! - and constantly widened with surprise eyes. Yes, anyone, even a person from the outside, could be smitten with impressions on the spot! For scouts to become universal soldiers, they have at their disposal various types of small arms, reliable parachute systems, the best uniforms and equipment. Before us are devices for combat swimmers. But the costumes "Spetsnaz", "Partizan", "Gorka", "Leshy", winter and summer options ... Here, at the brigade shooting range, we were shown silent submachine guns, sniper rifles, machine guns, including a veteran of the Great Patriotic War PPSh (after all, a commando must be able to shoot from all types of weapons), a reconnaissance knife that shoots.


...However, we did not only observe. At the shooting range of the brigade, the heads of publications, TV reporters "sniffed the gunpowder." The first deputy editor-in-chief of Sovetskaya Belorussia, Mikhail Lebedik, places exactly in the top ten of the SVD. Pavel Korenevsky, deputy general director of the STV television company, confidently handles pistols and machine guns. As if a real sniper cuts off targets, historian, publicist, editor of the Belaruskaya Dumka magazine Vadim Gigin. Boyko and by no means into the "milk" releases a clip of "Makarov" editor-in-chief of the newspaper "7 Days" Natalia Filippovskaya. With weapons on "you" and deputy head of the criminal news department of ATN Alexander Smirnov.



Well, I ... What am I?! I aim from the PM at the target - the shell from the projectile, but the fountains of bullets, as luck would have it, rise either lower or to the left. There is not enough practice, skills, the “officer's” trunk does not immediately obey the junior sergeant of the reserve. In general, the main thing is participation! With these thoughts, I release several bursts from the submachine gun and finally fall under the magic of the weapon. I want to shoot again and again, since they did not spare cartridges on that sunny day at the special forces shooting range.


“Whoever shows the worst results in shooting will jump from a helicopter! The number of parachutes is limited! Also pay attention to toothpaste, which scouts take with them to the raid along with the dry ration! Produced by a well-known global concern by order of the Ministry of Defense. After its use, the teeth of a fighter are able to gnaw through barbed wire on enemy targets. And a dazzling smile allows the scout to do without night vision devices! - Major General Belokonev invigorated us so much. But not with single jokes: Oleg Alekseevich willingly drove the most efficient journalists on the Bogatyr armored car (29 such Chinese “Hummers” were delivered to the Belarusian MTR). Surely, seeing this impressive arrival of newspapermen and television men, even the experienced Maryinogorsk special forces were pretty surprised: “We don’t know who they are, but their driver is the Chief of the General Staff!”



... When I entered the territory of the 5th Special Forces Brigade, the motto “Anywhere, at any time, any task!” flaunting at the checkpoint seemed like bravado. But it was worth looking at the everyday life of the "blue berets", talking with the officers, and the attitude towards the slogan of the scouts and paratroopers changed. In Maryina Gorka, words are not thrown around just like that. And we will tell you more than once about the affairs of the elite part. I look forward to another business trip to the capital of the army special forces. Lots of things on the agenda...

Andrey DEMENTIEVSKY
Photo by Artur PRUPAS

Horses do not eat hay

The military scale of the small Maryina Gorka can be judged by the size of residential buildings built there for the military. Almost fifty five-story buildings - a whole area.

The military history of Maryina Gorka began on the eve of World War II. During major military exercises, the people's commissar of defense liked the local landscape Kliment Voroshilov. The marshal gave a command, and in 1935 representatives of Voroshilov's favorite branch of the military, a cavalry division, were transferred here from the south.

The riders arrived right from Orenburg. And if there were no special issues with the arrangement of military personnel, then it turned out to be more difficult with horses. Orenburg horses did not eat Belarusian hay. From the south, urgently, military trains began to carry a special steppe. Where it was then unloaded from the railroad, herbs unusual for our region grow there today, causing shock among domestic botanists.

The flames of World War II were already burning in Europe. The battles showed that the time of the cavalry had expired. And instead of horsemen, representatives of a completely new military profession appeared in the Minsk region - paratroopers. Located in Maryina Gorka 214th Airborne Brigade, subsequently reorganized into an even larger military unit - airborne corps. Immediately began to base airborne bomber regiment. There was also a military school for pilots, which was later transferred to Postavy.

Even the village in the pre-war period could boast of its own military school. By the will of the General Staff, along with Moscow or Leningrad, such an honor fell to the small Maryina Gorka. Lt. Col. Ivan Yakubovsky- the future famous military leader, Marshal of Victory. True, his cadets-pupils failed to reach the marshal's stars: almost all died during the months of the war. Only a few of them survived.

The school itself at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War was transferred to the deep rear near Vologda. But even there, in Upper Ustyug, it bore its former name with a Belarusian flavor - Pukhovichi Infantry.

And the Marinogorsk paratroopers, when June forty-one struck, were thrown to the west. And not with a parachute, as they have been teaching so far, but in ordinary cars. Ordered to help infantry divisions resist an enemy attack. The infantrymen did not last long, they began to retreat to the east, but the 214th brigade did not retreat. For more than a month there was a battle under Old Roads, and then near Minsk. And only at the end of August she left the defense area and went out to her.

During the occupation Maryina Gorka was chosen by the invaders. The enemy created a powerful stronghold here, where soldiers and officers were sent from the front for rest and treatment. A hospital, an anti-aircraft artillery school and sapper courses operated here.

And tankers, and sappers, and combine operators

After liberation, a front division was withdrawn to Maryina Gorka (which, by the way, ended the war in Czechoslovakia), one of the oldest formations of the Red Army - 30th Guards Irkutsk-Pinsk named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.

The first task of the military here in the postwar period was demining, - recalls the veteran Valentin Grishin. - There are plenty of Min left everywhere - both in the town and in the surrounding fields. And I also had to help local grain growers, since there were not enough workers on the collective farms. In winter and summer, combat training was in full swing, and in spring and autumn, the military could be seen on tractors or on reapers.

In 1968, the division had to urgently return to Czechoslovakia. The business trip turned out to be difficult: during the street fighting, there were both casualties and wounded. The connection was never returned to Belarus. "Thirty" remained in the Slovak city of Zvolen until 1990. And only when the socialist camp began to burst at the seams, Irkutsk-Pinskaya was again transferred to Belarus. Her place there, however, was occupied: regiments were stationed in the military camp. 8th Guards Tank Division. The eighth tank division was considered a reduced staff: it had only 2.5 thousand personnel instead of 11 thousand. But there was a complete set of equipment and weapons - the storage facilities were already cracking. And another division is sent to this crowded town. The tank was hastily disbanded, and in its place, the echelons of the "Czechoslovak" began to unload - 30th motorized rifle. The division came combat. The staff is far from the same as that of local tankers - about 12 thousand soldiers and officers. There was not enough room for her tanks and armored personnel carriers. And in a secret order (so that the enemy does not find out), the divisions allow one motorized rifle regiment to be kept without military equipment. And only then were they able to accommodate somehow.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, in the garrison, as elsewhere, a whirlpool of events began to boil, the result of which, among other things, were broken destinies. But the division, oddly enough, survived. Belarusian military leadership later reduced it to a brigade. At a time when there was an acute shortage of funds and material resources, major exercises were even carried out with her. And upon returning from the exercises, the officers and soldiers found out: they tried in vain, their formation is being reduced - there will only be a base for storing equipment.

Now there is no such base. Silently stand the old barracks, in some places the military buildings have been adapted to their needs by various civilian institutions. Thus, the military page in the history of this area of ​​Maryina Gorka was closed. Apparently forever.

Super secret special forces

In 1962, part of the town was separated into a super-secret facility with a tight access system. They overtook the warriors-heroes there, who did not even give a hint of what they were doing. In the top-secret town housed military special forces. Which was not even subordinate to the command of the military district - but only to the Main Intelligence Directorate in Moscow. Soldiers and officers were trained there, who could literally do anything in the war. There was only one such brigade in Belarus.

During the war in Afghanistan, the Maryinogorsk brigade sent 334th Special Forces Detachment, which in mountain country in order to maintain secrecy disguised as 5th separate motorized rifle battalion. It was located in the small town of Asadabad near the Afghan-Pakistani border - this is the easternmost point of deployment of Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

Marinogorsk fought well. Two servicemen from this detachment became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

But at the beginning of a momentous combat way happened battle in the Maravar Gorge. The first battle of the 334th detachment in that war, which many of its veterans do not want to remember even now.

At the location of today's brigade stands monument, on which there are 108 names of soldiers and officers. The death of 29 of them is dated one day in April 1985. This is an unprecedented number of casualties in one battle. Especially for the military elite - special forces.

The detachment's exit to the mountains began as a regular exercise. And it was treated as an easy ride. For a little over a month, the people of Maryinogorsk were at war - they had not yet sniffed real gunpowder. The hope that dushmans should tremble with fear from their mere appearance was relaxing. Yes, and the fighters were sent at night to comb the village, which was only three kilometers from their military camp. Intelligence noticed a Mujahideen observation post there - a meager target.

But the dushmans were well prepared. They say that professional foreign mercenaries helped them then. Lured our first company into a trap. And when that, having broken on battle groups, began to pursue the guards, who seemed to take flight, cut her off from the rest, surrounded and began to destroy.

Our ammunition ran out very quickly: they did not take much of them for such a short exit. Radio contact with the battalion, as always happens at critical times, disappeared. And it was pointless to wait for support from there.

Company commander captain Nikolai Tsebruk understood everything, rushed at the enemy and was killed by a bullet in the neck. Lieutenant Nikolai Kuznetsov rescued the wounded, and then, in order not to be taken prisoner, he blew himself up with a grenade. Following him, seven more fighters of the detachment, young, strong, also did not want to fall into the hands of the enemy alive - they blew themselves up.

And all this is close by our garrison. Crazy shooting in the mountains there, of course, heard. But she could not quickly break through there at night, the artillery was connected late, and the artillerymen did not have exact coordinates for firing in the dark.

They say that those special forces who survived came out of hell to their ... gray-haired. And they were only eighteen or twenty years old. Some of them could not even snatch their weapons from their hands for a long time.

Even today they try not to talk much about this unsuccessful operation. But it was. 29 young guys- victims of a mistake in military tactics, hatred or staff nonsense - today they silently look at us from a soldier's monument on the territory of the brigade.

I change Domanovo to Helsinki

Since Soviet times, sentries of the sky have also been quartered in the local garrison - anti-aircraft missile brigade. The brigade had good weapon for its time - the Osa complexes. This military unit and preserved in the Belarusian army. At the turn of the 2000s, she was transferred from here to the Brest region, to Domanovo. Maybe such a route was justified strategically, but for the officers and their families, moving to the forest garrison seemed difficult. Some did not go to the Domanovskie forests. Resigned to stay in the city.

For twenty years now, Maryinogorsk residents have had the opportunity to visit Helsinki at least every day and without any visas. There is a whole so-called Finnish quarter. After all, as in Baranovichi, here at the end of the USSR they built a town for the Soviet units that were withdrawn from Germany. The tender was won by builders from Finland. The name "Helsinki" was given to the department store they built.

By the way, here, as well as in Baranovichi, troops from Germany did not come. It is difficult to imagine what the garrison would have looked like if Germany had received another full-fledged combat division. The local military were happy to move into the new apartments. New buildings were then offered even to Minsk homeless people - and some agreed: the housing created by the Finns looked very unusual. At that time we didn't know how to build like that.

The basis of today's garrison is the same famous 5th Special Forces Brigade. She is here alone now. Last year, the union celebrated its 50th anniversary. Belarusian youths still dream of getting into the service there. And, as before, this is not for everyone.

From the history of the 5th arr.

Teachings

The professionalism of the brigade's special forces and their success in combat training have been proven in many major military exercises. All exercises were carried out in an environment as close as possible to combat * The "opponent" of the special forces were missilemen, border guards of the air defense troops. Command posts of armies, corps, airfields were subjected to "attacks" by special forces; naval bases, large communication centers. It was allowed to use any methods and methods. Special Forces teams worked on all major exercises Soviet army and Warsaw Pact troops. 2-3 well-trained special forces groups were enough to sow panic and confusion, completely paralyze the actions of the division.
From 1967 to 1987, the brigade was annually awarded the challenge pennant of the Military Council of the Belarusian Red Banner Military District "The Best Intelligence Unit", the Commemorative Jubilee Red Banner of the Military Council of the Belarusian Red Banner Military District and the challenge Red Banner of the Military Council of the Belarusian Red Banner Military District .
Teachings are a school of training in martial arts. The exercises are a "field" academy, where skills, techniques and methods of special operations are honed.
In 1967, the brigade took part in the Dnepr-67 exercises.
1969 - joint exercises of Special Forces groups with the Border Troops, the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
1972 - scientist "Efir-72", district complex TSU.
1975 - exercises "Spring-75".
1976 - special exercises "Vanguard-76".
1981 - exercises "West-81".
1986 - operational-strategic exercises "Dozor-86".
1987 - front-line KShU.
1988 - operational-strategic exercises "Autumn-88".
1991 - TSUg front-line KShU.
1999 - TSU with other branches of the military.
2002 - CAT "Berezina-2002".
2003 - KOU "Clear Sky-2003".
2004 - KOTU "Shield of the Fatherland-2004".
2005 - bilateral KShU.
2006 - TSU within the framework of the command post of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus "Shield of the Union-2006", a bilateral tactical exercise from the 38th
omobr.
2007 - KSHU of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus.

Eagles of the Lord from Maryina Gorka

A Brief History of the 5th Separate Special Purpose Brigade
The first paratroopers appeared here, in the Belarusian hinterland, back in 1940. It was the 214th airborne relocated from Western Belarus. In March 1941, the brigade was reorganized, on its basis the 4th Airborne Forces was formed with a deployment site in Maryina Gorka. Then there was a war, all over Belarus partisans fought against the invaders. And again the sky was painted with white domes only in 1963.
On the basis of the directive of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR No. 140547 dated July 19, 1962, the 5th separate special-purpose brigade began to form in the city of Maryina Gorka. Her birthday was January 1, 1963.
The backbone was made up of officers who arrived from the one-year courses of the Military Diplomatic Academy and intelligence units of the district. Soldiers and sergeants who had served at least two years in the special forces arrived here. A total of 137 people, including participants in the Great Patriotic War and local conflicts.
The new connection also faced new unusual tasks. In service potential adversary the means of nuclear attack. The USSR Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Soviet Army developed and implemented the idea of ​​creating a mobile and effective sabotage and reconnaissance force. All created brigades were directly subordinate to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff. In the event of a military conflict, the formations had to strike at enemy strategic targets, conduct reconnaissance, deploy a partisan movement on enemy territory, disorganize command and control and
the work of his rear.
The solution of such large-scale tasks required intense combat training. Already in May, the personnel began to master parachute jumps with fall stabilization up to five seconds and jumps from An-2, An-12, Li-2 aircraft. For several months, the unit was prepared for combat operations in any conditions. The servicemen showed high proficiency at the first test.
On November 19, 1964, the chief of staff of the BVO, Lieutenant-General N. Ogarkov, later Marshal of the Soviet Union, handed the Battle Banner to the brigade commander, Colonel I. Kovalevsky.
By 1965, the 5th Special Purpose Brigade had become a strong combat-ready body. In subsequent years, it increased its power, improved the organizational and staff structure. In May 1968, her staff was introduced special company mining. The brigade for eight years (1975-1982) had an "excellent" mark on all checks and exercises.
The year 1978 became especially memorable for the special forces soldiers. 22 divisions, 14 groups, 3 companies, 2 detachments were rated "excellent" at the end of the year. And in the same 1978, the connection received a new name - the 5th separate special-purpose brigade. The title "separate" was a recognition of the high skill of the soldiers and officers of the unit.
- The history of the brigade is first of all people, their characters, their destinies. Everyone has their own baggage of soul, knowledge and intellect. The names of all are kept by our grateful memory. The museum of the unit contains materials that tell about amazing people-creators devoted to the interests of the service. Bit by bit collected and created! the material base for the training of reconnaissance soldiers, new facilities were built, the combat capability of the unit was strengthened. The main thing that rallied people from the first days of the founding of our team is diligence, humanity, decency, justice, concern for the common cause, the desire to fulfill the tasks in the best possible way.
Each person left his mark in strengthening the combat capability of the brigade, improving the soldier's life. Each was an example of devotion to the Motherland and the army. People served with full dedication of strength, knowledge for the sake of raising a worthy replacement for veterans. The brigade has always been one big family - both on holidays and on weekdays, both in joy and in sorrow. The feeling of an elbow, military partnership never left the scouts of the 5th arr. Surprisingly united in combat skills, mutual assistance was a multinational team. For special forces are a way of life. >.***
With such commanders, officers and ensigns, our successes in. combat training were significant. In recent years, the brigade successfully solved the assigned tasks. Eleven times she was awarded the challenge Red Banner of the Military Council of the Belarusian Red Banner Military District and the pennant of the "Best Intelligence Unit of the District." The pennant was left in the unit forever. Our scouts participated in many exercises - and everywhere they showed themselves to be real fighters, professionals, coped with any assigned task, did not drop the honor of the army special forces.
In the 1970-1980s. The Maryinogorsk brigade was a testing ground for Soviet troops. All the latest types of spetsnaz weapons and equipment were tested by the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR in the quiet Maryina Gorka.
Much has been done in the brigade for the development of intelligence. As part of the 5th arr. Special Forces, a unique and most elite special forces unit appeared - a special special-purpose company. It consisted only of officers and ensigns, well-trained professionals. The company was intended to perform especially important tasks in the interests of the GRU. The best of the best were selected. knowledge was required foreign languages. The soldiers took a course in light diving training under the naval special forces training program, mountain training, a course for motorized hang glider pilots, and much more.
In 1989, recognizing the peculiarities and professionalism of the unit, the Minister of Defense of the USSR allowed the company to have its own personal sleeve insignia - a black fox and a badge. For the Soviet Army, this was an extraordinary event, an unheard-of benefit in the USSR! “Afghans” served in the detachment, there were athletes - dischargers and masters of sports in military applied sports. "^.
Until 1991, a special company reached the highest level training of officers and ensigns. It corresponded to the level of training of the Vympel special forces detachment of the KGB of the USSR.
But unfortunately, not only in the exercises, the special forces from Maryina Gorka had to apply their knowledge. Separate unforgettable
Afghanistan became a page in the history of the brigade. I Hundreds of reports from officers, ensigns and soldiers with a request to be sent "across the river" lay on the command table with the beginning afghan war. And many of them continued to serve in the Jalalabad and Lashkargah special forces brigades operating in Afghanistan. From March 1985 to May 1988, the 334th separate special forces detachment formed on the basis of the brigade also fought there. On his account, 250 military exits, in which about 3,000 Mujahideen were destroyed, thousands of weapons were captured.
Victories were won not only by skill, but also by blood. The memory of one hundred and five was immortalized by a stele erected in the unit in 1986. 124 scouts were seriously wounded, the war marked 339 fighters with light wounds.
Cavalier of three orders, Captain Pavel Bekoev, a participant in over a hundred military operations, died, raising soldiers to attack. As always, he was in front... Senior Lieutenant Igor Tupik, twice wounded, surrounded by enemies, called fire on himself. Lieutenant Nikolai Kuznetsov, seriously wounded, covered the retreat of his subordinates with fire. With the last grenade, he blew himself up and the dushmans surrounding him.
In 1985, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously, his name is forever included in the lists of the unit.
It was the 334th detachment in 1988 that was given the honor of being the first to leave Afghanistan. In the future, a training detachment was created on its basis.
Our soldiers, ensigns and officers were faithful to the end to the camaraderie and oath. Motherland. The memory of them must be passed on from generation to generation, and only then can we look into the future with sovereignty and educate worthy sons of our Motherland. The memory of the war must negate the war, evoke disgust for it.
Remembering is terrible and painful, but it is impossible to forget. You must remember forever!
On August 2, 1999, in memory of those who went through the hell of Afghanistan, in memory of the fallen soldiers of the 334th detachment of the Special Forces, a renovated memorial complex was opened.
In 1990, in the period from January 24 to March 3, by order of the General Staff of the Soviet Army, the 5th arr. The brigade was commanded by Colonel V. Borodach.
The beginning of the nineties became difficult for the sons of the brigade. Here is the collapse of the USSR, the transfer of many to serve in Russia and Ukraine. They were in demand and went to other power structures. SOME fate has thrown in Transnistria and Tajikistan, Yugoslavia, Angola and Libya. But no matter where the fate of the sons of the 5th arr. Special Forces throws them, “they nowhere r Goonili the honor of the special forces, at any place in any position they showed themselves with dignity, fulfilled their duty to the end, for a special forces soldier is a strong character, concentrated will and the ability to take risks, carry out their task to the bitter end. Special forces are born to win.
Despite everything, the brigade has not broken up, it lives and improves. On December 31, 1992, former Soviet special forces swore allegiance to White Rus'. The 5th arr. Special Forces became the most elite part of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus.
Of particular note is the amazing tradition of our brigade. We can safely say that such a continuity of generations and such a number of dynasties, as in our brigade, is nowhere else. The brigade became small homeland and home for hundreds of people on long years. Their fathers gave them devotion and loyalty to their Fatherland and special forces.
Getting into the brigade today is not so easy. Conscripts here are subjected to strict selection. Only physically strong, hardy people who are able to overcome tens of kilometers off-road with full combat gear, spend many hours without sleep and rest, when the main thing is to complete the assigned task, can serve in special forces. Therefore, in high esteem in the brigade of sports. There are many dischargers and masters among the military personnel. But the main thing that distinguishes a special forces soldier is the moral core, fortitude. And this helps patriotic and spiritual and moral education, the cultivation of the rich traditions of the brigade.
In 1997, by order of the President of the Republic of Belarus, a non-standard center for patriotic education of youth in the Minsk region was created on the basis of the brigade. In cooperation with local authorities, the regional council of veterans, work is systematically carried out on the patriotic education of the personnel of the unit. Students of Maryinogorsk secondary schools and educational institutions Minsk region.
way of life military service, training in the brigade has a number of features: shoot, blow up, drive, fly, jump - fighters learn all this. The main direction is reconnaissance and sabotage work. In the brigade they teach diving, carry out gatherings for hang gliders. Studying goes on from morning to evening in classrooms, at shooting ranges, and training grounds. Fighters are trained to perform extremely important tasks in a combat situation, when subunits and separate groups must operate deep in the rear, separated from the main forces, independently make the most unexpected and bold decisions. Therefore, every warrior must become a professional, have an impeccable command of weapons, know subversive skills, be excellent at hand-to-hand combat, be decisive, self-possessed, and quick-witted. A spetsnaz reconnaissance officer must know and love a parachute, be able to jump from an airplane, a helicopter at any time of the day, in any weather and on any terrain.
This is the peculiarity of the training of Belarusian special forces. In addition, scouts learn to overcome any obstacles (impassable swamps, water barriers, forests), quietly and unnoticed pass a route of 50-70 kilometers, suddenly and skillfully capture the specified object, destroy it.
A commando is a military professional who has several specialties and is able to withstand enormous physical and psychological stress. Therefore, combat training in the brigade is always in the first place. Knowledge and skills are brought to automatism. Sometimes everything is decided by a fraction of a second: if you hesitate, blink, you are the loser. In spetsnaz, they learn to win, not to lose.
During the exercises, groups of scouts leave for 10 days across a crossed unknown area. Fighters are very fond of field trips, where they have the opportunity to show resourcefulness, endurance, to prove to themselves and the commanders in practice what they are capable of and what they have learned. This increases self-esteem and makes one strive to improve combat skills.
Young officers and soldiers are trained by true masters of military affairs. The brigade has all the conditions for training in the art of war. Young people are given the opportunity for the harmonious development of their personality, the acquisition of a civilian specialty. The compound has language classes for learning foreign languages, a stadium, a club, fitness equipment, computers... The barracks are cozy and have a decent life. We respect sports. Soldiers and officers are engaged in taekwondo, Russian wrestling. There are sportsmen for taekwondo and rock climbing. Serious educational work is being carried out in the state-legal, patriotic, spiritual and moral areas. Everything is done to ensure that the military personnel are physically and morally strong, understand their place and role in ensuring the security of the Republic of Belarus. In July 2001, special tactical training competitions were held for the championship of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, where the "partisans" of Maryina Gorka earned high marks. “I would go into reconnaissance with these guys,” Lieutenant-General Nikolai Kostenko, Hero of Russia, said about a group of special forces of the brigade, “in the Fifth Brigade they retained all the best, and they are increasing their professionalism.”
In October 2001, an international seminar-i competition in sniper training. It was attended by representatives of special units of Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic and Belarus.
2001 In the 5th arr. of the Special Forces, state tests of sights for small arms were carried out.
The major exercises of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus "Berezina-2002" proved that the professionalism of spetsnaz intelligence officers is growing and is acquired by intense military labor. Overall assessment of the brigade ■--"good". I
September 12, 2002 - a historic date in the life of the brigade. A long-awaited, joyful, unforgettable day. On this day, the brigade received the President of the country and its Commander-in-Chief A. G. Lukashenko. I
The head of state solemnly presented the brigade commander with the Battle Banner with Belarusian symbols.
But before this solemn moment came, the head of state visited a military shooting range, where he got acquainted with the features of the combat training of scouts, their professional skills during special events, and modern weapons.
The President of the Republic of Belarus laid flowers at the monument to the soldiers-internationalists, met with the veterans of the unit.
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko thanked the personnel and veterans of the brigade for their military work: “Your professional experience It is worth a lot, it is needed by today's generation of Belarusian soldiers-special forces. It is in the continuity of generations and traditions that the strength of the special forces lies.
In July 2003, competitions of the Reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus were held on the basis of the 5th arr.
All prize-winning places were taken by groups of Special Forces of the brigade. In the summer of 2003, the reconnaissance units of the brigade took part in the competitions of reconnaissance groups of the Special Forces on the basis of the 2nd brigade of the Special Forces of the Leningrad Military District. Careful development of the operation, excellent physical and psychological preparation scouts allowed them to become fourth.
For high professional skills, courage and perseverance in achieving the goals of the complex operational exercise "Clear Sky-2003", the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, Colonel-General L. S. Maltsev, encouraged the brigade with a pennant and a diploma.
The personnel of the 5th arr. Special Forces took part in the exercises: “Shield of the Fatherland-2004”, in September 2005 ^ bilateral command and control staff, “Shield of the Union-2006”, 2007 - command and control staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus.
In the Republic of Belarus, the creation of the Special Operations Forces has become a major political event. The basis of the MTR is the 5th Separate Special Purpose Brigade. Today, the brigade, while performing its tasks and engaging in combat training, also bears on its shoulders the burden of testing all new weapons, equipment and special equipment for units of the Special Forces. The 5th Separate Special Purpose Brigade is the vanguard of the Special Operations Forces and the main base for the training and education of professionals from other units and structures of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. ":: |
On August 1, 2007, the 5th arr. of the Special Operations Forces was reassigned to the command of the Special Operations Forces.
And today, celebrating its forty-fifth anniversary, the brigade remains true to the traditions of courage, heroism, honor and conscience, male friendship, sanctified by heaven and strengthened by battles on earth!