In the course of reforming the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the 106th Guards Airborne Division was planned to be disbanded, and its units were to be reassigned to other divisions. However, this decision was later revised. Today, the legendary division, like other formations of this branch of the Armed Forces, celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Airborne Forces and is rightfully proud of its pets.

Baptized by the Vienna operation

On January 15, 1944, by order of the Supreme High Command Headquarters, a guards airborne division was formed on the basis of airborne units stationed near Moscow in the settlements of Vostryakovo, Vnukovo and Stupino.

In August 1944, the division was redeployed to the town of Starye Dorogi in the Mogilev region and became part of the 38th corps of the 9th Guards Army. 106th Guards Airborne Division was baptized by fire during the Vienna operation.

For the breakthrough of the fortified defense zone and the capture of the city of More, the entire personnel received the gratitude of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and on April 26, 1945, the division was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, II degree. Since then, April 26 is considered a holiday of connection.

On March 30, 1945, in pursuit of the enemy, the division crossed the Austro-Hungarian border. The 38th Guards Rifle Corps, which included the division, was withdrawn to the second echelon, as the battles for Vienna were ahead and reserves were needed. 13 april Soviet troops completely cleared Vienna, and the formation went on the offensive and on April 15, 1945 captured the city of St. Pelken. On that day, the capital again saluted the winners.

On May 9, the division marched in pursuit of the enemy, and in three days fought 80-90 km. At 12.00 on May 11, 1945, the advance detachment of the 355th Guards Rifle Regiment and the 211st Guards Artillery Regiment went to the river. Vltava and 3.5 km northeast of the village of Oleshnya met with units of the 5th American Tank Army.

By the spring of 1946, the entire unit was redeployed to the homeland and began routine combat training under the Airborne Forces program.

Since 1957, the division's paratroopers have participated in ensuring the landing of spacecraft (meeting of Belka, Strelka and Chernushka; meeting at the landing site of Gagarin, Titov, Nikolaev and Popovich).

In 1958, the soldiers of the division landed on an experimental tactical exercise in the difficult climatic conditions of the Arctic. The tasks of capturing and holding an important area were practiced.

The large exercises "Rhodope", which were held on the territory of Bulgaria, as well as "Dnepr", "West-81", "Autumn-88" became a good school of courage for the personnel. The airborne units were airlifted to the Rhodope Mountains, along with their heavy equipment and anti-tank weapons.

More than 70 percent of the officers and warrant officers of the division took part in the hostilities in Afghanistan. From February 1988, the most difficult and dramatic period in the history of the division began, when it began operations in the republics of the Caucasus and Central Asia called "special tasks". The personnel of the division took part in the settlement of the bloody conflict in Transnistria.

1992 became the year of the first experience of paratroopers' actions in difficult international conditions in our history. By the decision of the UN Security Council, a contingent of peacekeeping troops, formed on the basis of the 106th Guards Airborne Division, was sent to Eastern Slovenia in the interests of resolving the Serbo-Croatian conflict.

In 1992, the unit's paratroopers carried out an unprecedented operation to evacuate the personnel of the Russian Embassy in Kabul and foreign diplomats from the war-torn Afghanistan.

From October 31 to November 28, 1992, on the basis of the division, a consolidated regiment was formed and sent to North Ossetia under the command of Guards Colonel Yevgeny Savilov to ensure peace and disengagement of the conflicting parties. With decisive and swift actions, the paratroopers accomplished an unprecedented thing: they were able to prevent a large-scale conflict on the territory of the Russian state.

From November 27, 1994 to April 1995, the division's servicemen took part in a special mission on the territory of Chechnya. Many paratroopers were awarded orders and medals, and five were awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

The new Chechen campaign has not spared the division. All military personnel of the formations participating in the counter-terrorist operation on the territory Chechen Republic, with dignity and honor cope with the task assigned to them. 283 of them were presented with awards for courage and exemplary performance of combat missions. The high title of Hero of Russia was awarded to ten servicemen.

The division's artillery regiment has rich traditions, on the banner of which there are five orders for courage, courage and fortitude shown during Patriotic War... The participation of the 106th Guards Airborne Division in key events taking place in the country, the highest professionalism and the level of combat training made us talk about it both in Russia and abroad. Per last years The division received foreign military delegations from the USA, France, Germany, Canada, Finland, China, Korea, as well as military attachés and military specialists from many other countries of the world.

Combat training today

In the course of preparing the 51st Guards Airborne Regiment for the upcoming regimental tactical exercise in the Pskov Region, each airborne company is working out all the main issues of combat training at the training center in the Tula Region.

Every day, company commanders are engaged with personnel in fire and tactical training on a tactical field, which is conventionally a landing site. Training on driving combat vehicles is being held at the tankodrome, '' said the senior chief of firing, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Battalion of the Guard, Major Andrei Kondrashkin.

The paratrooper platoon gathers personnel at a conventional landing site. Having transferred the weapon to a combat position, the paratroopers secretly move to the assembly point marked on the map. The subordinates are led by the commander of the 8th paratrooper company of the guard, senior lieutenant Vadim Khabarov.

After being placed in the conditionally airborne BMD-1, having taken up defensive positions, the platoon proceeds to combat firing. All elements of the tactical training of the platoon by the personnel are worked out smoothly and clearly.

The servicemen involved in the exercises are already quite experienced - they have served for more than six months, so their actions are based on automatism, as is customary in our Airborne Forces: each paratrooper must know his maneuvers in a particular tactical situation and combat conditions. We are introducing this into the consciousness of our subordinates from the first days of their stay in the division, - explains Major Kondrashkin of the Guard.

How do the soldiers find the war machine? - I ask, watching the actions of the department.

It's very simple: inside the BMD there is a marker transmitter that emits a signal, and the driver and gunner-operator use their headphones to determine where the signal is louder. Having found a combat vehicle, they moor it and, as soon as possible, according to the standard, begin to move along the route with firing from a cannon and a machine gun, - says the chief of staff of the paratrooper battalion.

At the same time, the sapper of the paratrooper platoon makes a passage for the BMD in order to exit the combat vehicles to the line of opening fire.

According to Guards Major Kondrashkin, over the past five years, the training program for paratroopers has changed several times. The guidelines have been improved and the training program has expanded. A separate section on mountain training has appeared in the course of combat training, taking into account the generalized experience of military operations in the North Caucasus and during the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, explains the chief of staff of the battalion.

Guards Major Andrey Kondrashkin graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne command school... A year later, he was part of the Airborne Forces grouping that took part in the counter-terrorist operation in the Chechen Republic.

The head of the military shooting range of the guard, senior warrant officer Yuri Bogachev, is also a participant in hostilities in the North Caucasus. Awarded the medal "For Military Valor" 1st degree... He says that the property of the military shooting range entrusted to him is a capricious economy. Repairs of targets and equipment are required after firing. However, this is normal practice. After all, there is no other way. Routine maintenance work on the equipment of the shooting range is carried out regularly, notes the guard senior warrant officer Bogachev.

On the targets of a tactical shooting range, all basic exercises are practiced first. training course firing, after which live firing of squads, platoons, as well as company, and then battalion, tactical exercises are conducted there under the leadership of unit commanders.

The range is equipped with classrooms with simulators for driving combat vehicles, shooting small arms and armored vehicles. Besides, in training center anti-aircraft units learn how to properly fire at an unmanned aircraft.

Every Wednesday, starting from the training plan for the training period, I draw up a calculation of classes for the battalion personnel (summary schedule), in which I indicate the hours of additional classes for commanders whose units do not have time in certain disciplines. It is worth noting that airborne units shoot at least twice a month. In this way, we are fighting for academic performance and high performance in combat training, ”the chief of staff of the 3rd battalion shares his experience.

By the way, the principle of competition has always been welcomed in the Airborne Forces. So, for the title to be called the best parachute platoon in the Airborne Forces, the 3rd platoon of the 6th company of the guard of Lieutenant Ivan Kritinin is fighting. The unit is already the best in the division. And the commander of the 2nd paratrooper battalion of the guard, Major Roman Zheleznyakov, is in charge of the preparations for the competition.

Here Major Kondrashkin of the Guard broke off and summoned the newly minted company commander of the Guard, Senior Lieutenant Vadim Khabarov.

The company commander climbed to the tower and controlled the actions of the platoon by radio station:

Watching the deployment of the enemy! Fire BMD, small arms, machine guns - destroy! "Escape-01". I am Escape-96. The enemy went on the attack! I repeat: the enemy has gone on the attack! From the line - 800 meters, landmark number 4, to the left - 300. Destroy all types of weapons with fire!

Hereditary paratrooper

In the training center of the 51st Guards Parachute Regiment of the 106th Guards Airborne Division, the deputy commander of the 3rd Guards Battalion, Major Igor Zhdanenya, is in charge of the young replenishment of the unit. The course of the young fighter is held against the backdrop of the tropical heat that has captured the middle latitudes of Russia. The Tula region is no exception.

Nothing, the guys are coping, - says Major Zhdanenya of the guard.

The deputy commander of the parachute battalion (of primary use - in the event of an alarm, this regiment unit is the first to enter the battle. - Author's note) is the son of the Guards Colonel Mikhail Zhdaneni, who spent years of his service in the 106th Airborne Division, having risen to the rank of chief of the operational department of the headquarters ... The geography of Zhdaneni Sr.'s service includes Kirovabad, present-day Ganja, Bolgrad, Pskov.

The recruits are intensively preparing to take the oath: the course of combined arms training, shooting, parachute packing, training at the airborne complex and the first jump are already behind.

Although it is too early to call them real paratroopers, young people are already ready to demonstrate hand-to-hand combat techniques, as well as combat techniques with weapons - defile.

Rumor has it that the defile has taken root in the Airborne Forces since one RVVDKU entrant from the 154th separate commandant regiment of Moscow, having failed the entrance exams, promised the head of the Ryazan school to teach this to the variable composition of the university in exchange for the shoulder straps of the cadet. Both of their promises were kept.

As for the young replenishment in general, the contingent of recruits, according to the Guard Major Zhdaneni, has improved. More recruits with higher and secondary levels began to come to the Airborne Forces special education... And physically well prepared. Among the youth there are many masters in different types sports, dischargers. According to the zamkombat, practically everyone makes the decision to serve in the Airborne Forces deliberately, and there are currently no random people in his household.

Guard Major Zhdanenya in 2000 graduated from the RVVDKU them. V.F. Margelova. By distribution, he got into the 51st Guards PDP in Tula. In 2001, for 10 months, as part of a grouping of the 106th Airborne Division as a commander of an airborne platoon, he performed tasks during the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya.

Igor Zhdanenya is a Chevalier of the Order of Courage. To the question: "For what was he awarded a state award?" - Igor, smiling, said that he did not go into a bayonet attack.

Lieutenant Igor Zhdaneni's platoon was at the mountain checkpoint. It was a military outpost of the group in the area of ​​the settlement of Khatuni, Vedeno district. The paratroopers then occupied the heights, regularly changing their deployment and thereby misleading the bandits. By the way, this is not far from the place where the 6th company died.

Such platoons were charged with the duty of guarding the base of the compound, which itself lodged, as it were, in a lowland, and around it there were mountains. An electronic warfare platoon attached to them was stationed near the Zhdaneni platoon. The rebels took direction finding and intercepted the militants' communications and, using high-precision computer equipment, calculated the location of the bandit formations.

Each specific bearing was checked against the same one intercepted by an electronic warfare platoon, but only from a different skyscraper. Having contacted the base, Major Zhdanenya directed artillery fire at the entrenched terrorists at the coordinates. It is noteworthy that the electronic warfare platoon had its own translator from the Chechen language.

Once a gang of militants broke through from the Georgian side into the Vedeno region. The radio operators tracked the bandits in a timely manner. In a matter of minutes, the enemy's information exchange was translated into Russian. It was about the fact that the reinforcements, breaking through from the border of the Russian Federation with Georgia, are observing our positions through binoculars.

Having calculated the coordinates of the criminals, the paratroopers began to "drive" them through the mountains. Several militants were killed and many were wounded.

Minutes earlier, the tone of the intercepted radio traffic was completely different. One of the gang leaders boastfully said: "... I am leading the guys from Georgia, we are not afraid of anything," and he was answered: "... be careful," recalls the guard Major Zhdanenya.

The militants' route passed through our zone of responsibility. When we got the go-ahead to open fire, nothing remained of the bandits' bravado, ”says the zamkombata.

At first glance, the words of Igor Zhdaneni that he did not go into a bayonet attack seem to be correct. But thanks to the competent and decisive actions of the young paratrooper officer, then it was possible to stop the penetration, and, possibly, a certain military feed of the terrorists, the international channel of which was eventually tightly closed.

A year later, already in a separate reconnaissance company, the guard senior lieutenant Zhdanenya received his Order of Courage.

The best field park of the division

In the 51st Guards PDP, the BMD-1 is in service. Earlier there were more modern BMD-2 and BMD-3. The regiment re-armed itself temporarily and involuntarily. The polygon does not allow organizing firing from "twos" and "triples" because of its parameters.

Previously, they got out of the situation as follows: the equipment was relocated to the Ryazan region by rail and firing was carried out at the Dubrovichi training ground. Now all BMD-2 and BMD-3 were given to other parts of the division. And in order to save money on transportation, we switched to the "unit". But this, I repeat, is a temporary measure.

One way or another, the technique is not new. However, according to the deputy commander of the 1st paratrooper battalion for armament of the guard, Major Viktor Orlov, the combat vehicles are kept in good condition, despite the fact that they were released in the early 80s.

He also said that the regiment carries out medium repairs of equipment and major repairs at the plant. For the academic year, the resource of combat vehicles is allocated - 2,500 km of run for each, for exercises - 150 km.

According to Guards Major Viktor Orlov, the reduction of the position of the deputy company commander for armaments and its replacement with company equipment has not yet brought tangible results. The demand for techies has always been high, and there are not enough specialists with secondary specialized education who are able to actually, and not on paper, be responsible for the armament of the company. This issue has not been thoroughly worked out, says the battalion's deputy commander for armaments.

In summer, high dustiness of the air and high temperatures affect the operation of the power unit and chassis of combat vehicles. We pay close attention of driver-mechanics to the serviceability of air and fuel filters. We also recommend that you check the undercarriage more often, at least once a day. And also change the oil regularly. It is important to understand here that the personnel of the mouth are trained on this technique. It is possible that someday it will be necessary to fight on it, - sums up the guard Major Orlov.

Tankdrome and night shooting

The commander of the 9th company of the Guard, Captain Mikhail Tkachev, supervised the training of driving combat vehicles in difficult terrain as part of a platoon at the tankodrome:

Second, I am Central! Along the right aisle in a mine-explosive obstacle, with a stop on the rise, along the route of the test exercise - forward!

The conditions in the manager's house are incredibly difficult. The temperature of the hot air during the day, like in a cooling sauna. Imagine what it means to spend five hours in such conditions, leading the driver-mechanics from the tower ...

The length of the route at the tankodrome is 4,500 meters. Around the perimeter, there are accountants who control the correctness of the exercise.

Despite the heat, the personnel of the company coped with the driving as "good".

In addition to driving, at the Tesnitsky tank training field, the company worked out two more important standards at training sites: preparing the vehicle for self-pulling with a log and loading tracked vehicles onto and unloading from a heavy-duty semitrailer. Here, according to the company commander, it is important to work with the equipment clearly according to the instructions.

A mechanic - a driver - came out on the radio station on the guard of Captain Tkachev. The oil pressure in the BMD dropped, and the car stalled. The commander calls the tractor on duty, you need to help out your comrade ...

In a word, it is hard in learning - easy in battle. The main thing is that such a situation does not arise in a combat situation, - said Captain Tkachev of the Guard.

At the tankodrome, the paratroopers take shelter in the shade from the scorching sun every 50 minutes. An ambulance is on duty nearby in case of heatstroke. The paramedic of the 3rd battalion, in whose bag all the necessary medicines, is also involved in providing classes. Guard Private Kirill Zvyagin is a contract soldier. He has been serving as a paramedic for over a year and a half. Kirill is from Budennovsk Stavropol Territory, where, before serving in the army, he graduated from a medical college in his specialty. He says that he liked the Airborne Forces, which is why he signed a contract for three years.

Guard Private Zvyagin performs a jumping program. He has about five of them a year. The money allowance depends on this: the more jumps, the higher the markup.

One of the leaders of the night firing, the commander of the guard company, Senior Lieutenant Yuri Pytikov, commands:

Under the cumulative tower - fire!

A platoon of combat vehicles, rumbling, goes on the offensive.

After talking with the company commander, I realized that I had not seen a more cheerful and optimistic officer for a long time. He has two years of service after graduating from the airborne alma mater, and in his eyes is fire, like a first-year cadet who craves knowledge in order to become a real commander.

Yuri is from Shatura, Moscow Region. Most recently, his son was born. She says that the family is slowly settling in. Moreover, in a year Yuri will have the right to purchase housing on a military mortgage and the housing issue will be resolved.

51st regiment - in the forefront

Since May 2009, the 51st Guards PDP them. Dmitry Donskoy is commanded by the Guard Colonel Alexander Panfilov. He came to Tula land from the 7th Airborne Assault Division (Novorossiysk) and immediately, as is customary among the paratroopers, he joined in active work with the personnel of the unit.

Following the results of 2009 school year The Tula paratrooper regiment took third place in the Airborne Forces, and for winter period In 2010, the unit holds the second line of the rating among the regiments of the airborne troops.

About 130 officers of the regiment today receive additional bonuses in accordance with the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 400. It is gratifying that the opportunity has arisen to encourage junior officers who have served in the regiment for less than a year. According to Guards Colonel Panfilov, this is a good incentive for career growth youth.

At the Zapad-2009 exercise, the actions of the 2nd paratrooper battalion during the airborne landing on the Baltic Sea spit were highly appreciated Supreme Commander-in-Chief By the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

In addition, the last three training sessions for the leadership of the Airborne Forces were held on the basis of the 51st regiment.

Colonel Panfilov better side highlighted the commanders of the 1st and 3rd airborne battalions - Guard Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Zasimov and Guard Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Iryanov. The commander of the self-propelled artillery battalion, Major Sergei Minaev, who was recently appointed head of the unit's artillery, is not lagging behind them.

The following facts testify to the intensity of the regiment's combat training: on July 20, about 500 people were dropped.

At the regimental tactical exercise near Pskov from the 8th paratrooper company, where the commander of the guard is Captain Igor Nikolaev, it is planned to drop 70 paratroopers and nine equipment objects, three of which will have a crew.

It is assumed that the entire personnel of the regiment will rise into the sky from the Dyagilevo airfield (Ryazan), and the landing site will be Kislovo (Pskov region).

New equipment also enters the regiment. The worn-out GAZ-66 and "Urals" are written off, and they are replaced by KamaAZs. In addition, anti-aircraft weapons are being modernized, such as the SAU-2S9 "Nona" and others.

Airborne combat equipment - BMD-1 is regularly upgraded at the plant. In the near future, according to the regiment commander, it is planned to equip the BMD-3 and BMD-4 units.

The unit also receives new small arms, advanced communications equipment, and the paratrooper's personal equipment, which allows winged infantry to enter into battle directly from the sky. The entire regiment is parachuted on the D-10 system, which provides high-quality parachute control in the air and safer landing.

According to the Guards Colonel Panfilov, with such weapons and equipment, the paratroopers are able to complete the task anywhere in the world.

Behind Alexander Panfilov's shoulders are fighting in Abkhazia, Dagestan, both Chechen campaigns. He is a holder of two Orders of Courage.

In 2008, in the course of forcing Georgia to peace, the guard Colonel Panfilov participated in a peacekeeping operation in Abkhazia. Having landed on large landing boats on the Abkhaz coast, the paratroopers marched to the border of the Senaki-Poti settlements. In this direction, part of the forces and assets of the Georgian army were drawn from the South Ossetian border.

year 2000. Major Panfilov's guard unit was tasked with carrying out reconnaissance and sabotage operations in the mountains of Chechnya in the vicinity of the settlements of Selmentauzen and Khatuni. The militants were gradually ousted from these areas.

Early March in the mountains North Caucasus there were difficult weather conditions: blizzard, 27 degrees below zero. In such a situation, the soldiers showed their resilience, no one grumbled, did not panic. And this despite the fact that there were cases of frostbite. The bandits' attempt to break out of the encirclement ring was unsuccessful.

Hero Star

There is also a Hero of Russia in the division. This is the deputy commander of the guard division, Colonel Gennady Anashkin. Highest award country, the former commander of the 104th Infantry Regiment in Pskov received for the courage and heroism shown during the operation to force Georgia to peace.

From the memoirs of Colonel Anashkin. “Having overcome the Roki tunnel, on the morning of August 10, we ended up in Java. The headquarters of the grouping of Russian troops was located here. They clarified our task: to block the enemy in settlements along the southwestern outskirts of Tskhinvali.

We entered Tskhinval on the morning of 11 August. Shooting was still heard all around. We understood: there was just a fight here, he just moved farther. Everything around was burning, smoking ... The road itself and the roadsides along it were clogged with burning Georgian equipment. Around - the killed.

Almost immediately, the command assigned me a new task - to act in the forward detachment. In the area of ​​the village of Khetagurovo, we had to cross the administrative border with Georgia, make a dash at a distance of about sixty kilometers already across the territory of Georgia and reach the established line at the northwestern outskirts of Gori.

I believe that the main factor in our victory was the surprise of our actions. The Georgians did not expect that we would cross the border at all and move on. This shocked them. And when, just a couple of hours after crossing the border, our battalion group at a distance of about fifty kilometers in the depths of their territory defeated the base in Variani, it completely finished them off. They never came to their senses.

Plus, our contractors have worked one hundred and fifty percent. One shot from the enemy's side caused a sea of ​​fire from our side from all types of weapons. Therefore, any attempt to attack us with fire ended in almost instantaneous destruction of this firing point. The Georgians did not have time to come to their senses and make a decision. The commanders who were on the battlefield were either destroyed or demoralized. And the senior commanders, probably, could not understand anything. After all, the density of our fire and especially the incessant explosions at the base in Variani really could give the impression that at least two full-fledged landing divisions were advancing.

I cannot say that the enemy resisted in a chaotic and disorderly manner. After all, when the battle began at the base, Georgian reserves were thrown into it almost immediately. Their command first of all sent into battle those units that were nearby. They approached from one side, from the other ... But these reserves were ground by us at lightning speed, at the very first moment, on the march. And what to do next, the Georgian commanders, apparently, did not know. And this is all against the background of the fact that an incredible amount of ammunition, weapons, equipment was collected in this area! .. This became clear when we counted the trophies.

Purely psychologically, it became a little easier for me when a battalion of the Ivanovo airborne division approached us. Ahead of the battalion was our divisional commander, Batya, as we call him. With him was the deputy commander of the Airborne Forces, Major General Vyacheslav Borisov. Then more troops approached. It was already real power. "

The paratroopers of the formation made a significant contribution to the history of the Fatherland, the army and the Airborne Forces. But the main thing is that the glorious deeds of the paratroopers are their everyday life, their daily study and service.

Although Captain Zheleznyakov has been in command of the company for a little over a year, the unit he leads is already considered one of the best in the regiment. So at the regimental tactical exercises with airborne landing and live firing that took place in September near Pskov, Zheleznyakov's company, according to the regimental commander, acted on the very high level, flawlessly coping with all combat missions. Which, however, did not come as a surprise to anyone - in combat work, Zheleznyakov is a real pro. By the way, having proved himself a year earlier in other exercises, then senior lieutenant Roman Zheleznyakov was promoted to the company. Then the parachute company, in which he was the deputy commander, having made a successful raid on the rear of the conditional enemy, dealt him an unexpected, and therefore, according to the intermediary, a very effective blow. This success, as noted during the analysis of the exercise, was largely facilitated by the combat experience of the Knight of the Order of Courage, Senior Lieutenant Roman Zheleznyakov.

In Chechnya, where Zheleznyakov had a chance to fight as the deputy commander of a regimental reconnaissance company, the front-line dashing officer had to take a sip, as they say, in full. After all, reconnaissance is not a secret, always in the direction of the main attack of the regiment, performing not only its own, put on purpose, but also any, let's say, tasks increased complexity... Because it is the reconnaissance company, as has been the custom in the landing since the Afghan, and even earlier times, invariably the best, most prepared unit of any regiment. So the organization of ambush actions, which had to be encountered during the exercises, did not become something new for Zheleznyakov, because in the war the officer had not only to ambush an unconditional, let's say, enemy, but himself, as they say, not conditional get into them.
October 2, 2003. Three days before the presidential elections in the Chechen Republic, their battalion tactical group was entrusted with ensuring the voting process in the villages of Duts-Khutor and Selmentauzen. The task of the scouts, who were marching in the armored group on three combat vehicles, commanded by Zheleznyakov, was to cover, acting as a head marching outpost, working in front of the convoy of sappers. The path was not close and, according to the intelligence agency, unsafe. However, there was no doubt that the "darlings" would try to arrange some provocations for the elections to destabilize the situation. Therefore, barely leaving the camp, the paratroopers were ready for any turn of events.
The convoy passed the one closest to the base area locality Makhkets. The battalion commander ordered to dismount and begin engineering reconnaissance. Not even a hundred meters had passed when, from behind the river, from a graveyard overgrown with bushes, an intense fire from small arms and grenade launchers began on the column. Well-trained fighters rushed for the armor and lay behind the curb. But cleanly, without losses, it was not possible to take up the defense - the distance was lethal, the "spirits" worked from three hundred meters. One of the grenades lay right next to Zheleznyakov - an explosion, everything floats in his head, his ears are blocked: a small concussion. Recovering in seconds, Zheleznyakov determined that the militants were firing from an abandoned stone barn on the outskirts of the cemetery.
- Fire in the barn! - sharply orientated the officer who were in touch with their gunners-operators.
No wonder he drove them into a stupor near Tula - it was his "bekhi" who were the first to shoot at the shed from automatic cannons. Slate flew from the roof, and the shed was covered with clouds of smoke red from brick chips. Other vehicles also opened fire. "Dushki" fell silent. But not for long.
If you set up an ambush correctly, the second group, maybe even their main forces, should strike from the other side, from somewhere in the village, Zheleznyakov estimated, while everyone was firing at the cemetery and the barn. And I was not mistaken!
Having ordered his scouts to prepare to repel the attack from the side of the village, Zheleznyakov rushed to the battalion commander's car. There he is - behind the senior warrant officer Alexander Tyurin, bandaging the hand of the wounded medical instructor, the familiar silhouette of Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Belov appeared. But it was not possible to get to the battalion commander unhindered. Something whistled from the side of the village and exploded right next to the lieutenant colonel - fighting for several years, the "darlings" clearly figured out the commanders by the antennas of the signalmen accompanying them and a number of other signs. And again the shelling, but, as Zheleznyakov expected, from a completely different direction. If it were not for his scouts, who had assigned potential targets in advance, even a few militants who unexpectedly opened fire from houses of the second row could inflict significant damage on the paratroopers who were repelling the attack. But his fighters, immediately opening return fire, quickly suppressed the enemy's firing points. Having finally reached the battalion commander, who was rewound his head with a bandage, Zheleznyakov reported the situation and received a new task: to strengthen one of the reconnaissance vehicles to close the column - Captain Penkin's vehicle, which was lagging behind the main forces, could become the third target of enemy sabotage groups.
When a group of special forces called from the camp approached the cemetery and the convoy was able to continue moving, the battalion commander (as he felt that those who had received the "darlings" would try to annoy the paratroopers once more) instructed Zheleznyakov, as one of the most experienced officers, to cover the column's retreat from the Makhkets.
Having driven the beemdashka into the old caponier and having determined the positions of each soldier, they began to observe. It did not take long to sit on the defensive - the "darlings", it turns out, did not lose sight of his group all this time. Bah-bah - the shed, in which there was Zheleznyakov himself with a signalman, shuddered from the explosion: a column of dust and flying debris of the roof. Not otherwise, they jumped out of a grenade launcher or even from something more abruptly. When the smoke and dust dissipated seconds later, Zheleznyakov, through the gap in the wall, saw at a glance at one of the nearest skyscrapers a couple of militants retreating towards the greenhouse. Well, he thought that he had dispersed the fighters on the street and forced them to disguise themselves properly - without waiting for his command, they opened targeted fire on the fighters, not allowing them to leave.
The next day, when all the detachments supporting the elections returned to the camp, the commander of the battalion tactical group, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Kuvshinov, praised the actions of the scouts led by Senior Lieutenant Roman Zheleznyakov. And, having told about fresh "green peaks" that appeared in the cemetery of one of the neighboring villages - high ritual poles, which are placed on the graves of militants, he summed up with a sense of satisfaction: "They will definitely remember this day."
And Zheleznyakov thought that he was driving his own people at the range correctly, practicing counter-ambush actions to a sweat.
But during the preparation for Chechnya, they still paid much more attention to the moments more characteristic of the tactics of intelligence units - the conduct of reconnaissance and search operations and the organization of the same ambushes. Well, a clear confirmation that the regimental intelligence conscientiously prepared for the Caucasian mission was at least the battle near Elistanji.
At the end of August, the bandits, entering the village, with the non-intervention of the local police, shot a mullah who had collaborated with the federal troops. In order to finally intimidate the population and show that they have come in earnest and for a long time, the militants will probably go there again one of the next few days, the group's headquarters reasonably suggested and were not mistaken. Sitting with a group on one of the paths leading to the village, Zheleznyakov organized an ambush. And shortly before dusk, they appeared.
Fifteen or twenty people, all in black berets, bright NATO camouflages, with big amount weapons and raid backpacks. Ahead - clearly falling out of the general row "odor" in shorts and sneakers, light, with only one machine gun. In a word, by all indications - a conductor, which means that the group is not local.
Now, now the "monka" will work, holding his breath and preparing to fire, Zheleznyakov did not take his eyes off the conductor approaching the mines he had exposed.
Zha-zhakh - the directional explosion of "Mon-100" literally swept the conductor out of the way.
Following the explosion, the group opened fire at once. Four were mowed down by the first rounds, the rest, firing chaotically, rushed into the greenhouse. Having given the command to strike in the direction in which the "spirits" were retreating, Zheleznyakov requested artillery fire on pre-planned targets. The artel, which struck almost immediately, left no doubt - they covered the whole group. The sector, from which they had no time to leave, received dozens of shells. Fifteen minutes later, the scouts, carefully bypassing their own mines, had only to collect trophies. In short, a classic reconnaissance ambush.
A year later, the officer who has proven himself in the war and in combat training is put on a company. Experience, including combat, by this time Zheleznyakov no longer had to take, but the responsibility associated with this appointment, of course, crushed. After all, commanding a company is a completely different level of independence. Here, as you, commander, organize everything, so everything will be. No wonder the patriarch of the Airborne Forces - the legendary Margelov considered the company and regimental units to be the most important. The commanders of the regiments and companies will be strong, said Vasily Filippovich, everything else will work out!
In the first months it was, of course, difficult. How useful at this time was everything that the commander, who came from the lieutenant's school, taught him in his time reconnaissance company then the captain, and now Major Alexey Kuzmin. The main of these lessons, Zheleznyakov believes, is in no way to replace the holy commanding principle “do as I do” with another - “do as I say”. Because the commanding authority, which is the basis of any one-man command, is gained not by words and titles, but by deeds. If the soldiers understand that you are not above the company, but in the company and with the company, they will not let you down either in service or in war. And Zheleznyakov considers his main achievement as a company commander not even the assessments of the command, but the attitude of his subordinates towards him, who (and this, he believes, is already an indicator) do not hesitate to contact him directly with their problems. Because they know: the commander will not remain deaf, but will listen, understand and help. Therefore, he himself, even at the exercises, at least in the war, is confident in his fighters, as they say, one hundred percent.
By the way, about the exercises. The regiment commander, as we have already said, was satisfied with the actions of the paratrooper company of Captain Roman Zheleznyakov at the recently completed exercises. Our hero himself is satisfied with the results of the exercises. Not only the fact that everything worked out and did not let the soldiers down, but also the fact that they were lucky enough to take part in such a large-scale combat training event as a regimental tactical exercise with landing on unfamiliar terrain and live shooting in the offensive and defense. After all, nowhere better than the skills of controlling a company in a combat situation, corresponding to the classical use of parachute units and subunits, you will not get. Well, for fighters who did not smell gunpowder, such a teaching is an incomparable opportunity to feel the tension inherent in a combat situation.
It’s a pity, says Zheleznyakov, that their regiment and division haven’t switched over to the contract principle of manning, and after some time he will have to part with the soldiers who have received such valuable experience. But these are not only almost ready-made pros, but also true fans of the service in the landing. A fact that speaks, as they say, for itself - 18 out of seven dozen soldiers of the Zheleznyakov paratrooper company expressed a desire to continue serving in Airborne Forces on a contract basis. But this, I thought, is another and, perhaps, even the most important indicator of an officer's work.
And the question, what plans for life he himself, perhaps, you can not even ask. Captain Zheleznyakov simply cannot imagine himself without an army, no matter how difficult the army's share may be. And how else, if it is their family? Great-grandfather fought in the First World War, grandfather - in the Great Patriotic War, father - a participant in hostilities in Chechnya and Afghanistan. They all quit with the rank of colonel. So Roman, who at twenty-seven has a war behind him, is obliged to be at least a colonel.