All about airborne troops arr belarus. Belarusian paratroopers

August 2 marked the 85th anniversary of the creation of the Airborne Forces, the successors of which in our country were the special operations forces. Our freelance correspondent met with the commander of the SOF of the Armed Forces of Belarus, Major General Vadim DENISENKO (pictured)

- With the development of weapons and military equipment the views on the conduct of armed struggle, as well as on the use of the airborne forces, were also transformed. Therefore, it was decided to create in our country on the basis of units of the Airborne Forces a separate branch of the Armed Forces - special operations forces.

The main distinguishing feature of the MTR is that they are in constant readiness for use both in peacetime and in wartime and are designed to solve special tasks in the interests of achieving political, military, economic and psychological goals aimed at preventing an escalation or ending a military conflict. in relation to the Republic of Belarus. The military units and subunits of the MTR are entrusted with the following tasks: conducting counter-sabotage, reconnaissance and combat operations and conducting special measures. Also, units of special operations forces are involved in the fight against terrorism, carrying out measures to strengthen the security regime. state border and maintaining law and order, together with the personnel of the departments of the Ministry of the Interior.

- Of course, but we should not forget that the Belarusian special operations forces were not created from scratch. We had a strike component - well-trained landing brigades. We reinforced these mobile formations with a reconnaissance component - a brigade special purpose. Both components were united under a single command - in general, they made the best decision for a country with a small territory and compact mobile Armed Forces.

I must say that today our experience is being carefully studied by other countries.

And when did you realize that you were on the right track?

“In 2004, while working out the tactics of actions, we understood that mobile brigades are mobile, capable of making large marches in any conditions, can be airlifted and deliver serious blows. All this was taken into account by us. A special forces group, capable of operating in any conditions, found the object, and soon a mobile unit arrived at the designated point. The commander of the special forces group, together with the commander of the mobile unit, clarified the decision and carried out the destruction of the object. The following year, we were already confident that we were moving in the right direction. The tactics of our actions were also tested during various large-scale exercises of the Belarusian Armed Forces.

— This is the tactics of any professional unit in the world. And as for the secrets of mastery, believe me, professionals are very reluctant to share them. And we are no exception here. So let's leave the secrets of mastery outside of this interview.

- The BTR-80 armored personnel carriers have replaced the airborne combat vehicles in the mobile brigades. Also to match the modern look?

- We proceeded from the fact that our units must be very mobile: move at any time and on any roads. And this allows you to do the BTR-80. They contribute to the successful fulfillment of the tasks before us. "Wheels" in our conditions look preferable. Artillery of special operations forces is also on wheels. Today, we are considering the BTR-82 armored personnel carrier, which has more firepower, for re-equipment. In particular, the 30mm automatic cannon will replace the heavy 14.5mm KPVT machine gun.

- Tests of the armored vehicle "Fox" have recently been completed. We decided what changes should be made to its design so that the vehicle meets our requirements for it: which combat module to install, how to arrange seats, loopholes ... All this is taken into account in the terms of reference submitted to the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. First of all, the "Foxes" will go to mobile battalions on cars. This year, the newest ORSIS-T5000M sniper rifles, capable of hitting targets at ranges up to 1,500 meters, were put into service. They have become a good addition to the modern sniper rifles VSK-94, OSV-96, MTs-116M.

The troops received high-precision powerful ammunition with an expansive bullet (338 caliber LAPUA MAGNUM), which pierces all existing armor protection equipment (body armor, helmets of the highest protection classes).

Our military personnel are provided with the most modern means observation and aiming of domestic production: day-night sights DNS-1, night NV / S-18, night monocular NV / M-19, laser designator LAD-21T, PK-01VS red dot sight.

Work is underway to ensure and adopt other latest optical sights, ammunition, small arms, tactical and shooting points, grenade launchers RPG-32 "Hashim".

Our divisions are provided with reliable communication. On the basis of the Bogatyr vehicle, a modern command and staff vehicle was developed (a means of communication for the commander of the MTR and brigade commanders).

Modern models of weapons and military equipment are supplied to the troops and mastered in the course of combat training. Significantly increased the mobility of payments anti-aircraft installations ZU-23-2 is the modernization of this armament, which is located today along with ammunition on the basis of the Ural-43202 vehicle. In the next two months, we plan to put them in the 38th Guards Separate Mobile Brigade.

The form of clothing and equipment of the military personnel of the special operations forces is being improved.

- Servicemen of the 103rd Guards Separate mobile brigade constant participants in such teachings. How important are they to us?

- First of all, it is gaining invaluable experience. We have a lot to learn from Russians, Kazakhs, Tajiks. In these exercises, we always learn something new. And, of course, we learn to interact.

Many other teachings are also of great benefit. For example, the joint Belarusian-Chinese anti-terrorist exercises (trainings) "Swift Eagle". Not so long ago, another such exercise (the third in a row) ended on the basis of the 38th Guards Separate Mobile Brigade.

But the closest cooperation has been established with Russian colleagues. Of the latest joint exercises, a battalion-tactical exercise that took place in the 38th brigade, in which a company of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division took part. Our servicemen showed themselves worthy during the humanitarian search and rescue operation at the North Pole, where they had to perform tasks in difficult climatic conditions. Those who distinguished themselves are presented for state awards. Trial north pole withstood both modern uniforms and the equipment of the military personnel of the special operations forces. Many of our novelties were received with interest by the Russians. For example, cargo containers with which our military personnel jumped with a parachute.

- In the first half of the year, the command of the special operations forces, as well as units of the 38th and 103rd Guards Separate Mobile Brigades, successfully passed the inspection of the Ministry of Defense. The MTR team distinguished itself at international competitions for the best special forces group, held in Kazakhstan, where it won a prize. Our servicemen won the competition for the best sniper pair of special forces of the Armed Forces, in which representatives from all power structures of our country and teams from Russia and Kazakhstan participated.

The SSO team won the championship of the Armed Forces in army hand-to-hand combat. The next tests for the right to confer the badge "Valor and Mastery" also showed the increased level of training of our servicemen.

Bilateral battalion tactical exercises were interesting. A very useful event was a joint diving training camp held in Ryazan. Much attention during it was paid to the study of new diving equipment, which is being supplied to the Russian Armed Forces today.

Undoubtedly, the participation of servicemen of the 5th Separate Special Forces Brigade on May 9 at the parade held on Red Square in Moscow was a landmark event. They adequately represented the Belarusian Armed Forces.

Another important event was the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the 334th separate special forces detachment, which took place on the basis of the 5th separate special forces brigade.

It's nice that the successes of the special operations forces do not go unnoticed, including in the high level. This year alone, Colonel Vladimir Bely and Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Smekhovich were awarded the Orders "For Service to the Motherland" III degree by the Head of State for exemplary performance of official duties. Last year, these high awards were awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Sukhovilo and Major Alexei Khuzyakhmetov.

- At all times, service in the "troops blown by all winds" was prestigious. How popular is service in the special operations forces today? Is it in demand among young people?

— We do not experience a shortage of people who want to serve in the special operations forces.

As for the training of officers for our kind of troops, it is carried out at the military intelligence department of the Military Academy of the Republic of Belarus, as well as at the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School of the Ministry of Defense Russian Federation. Training is conducted in two specialties: "Use of mobile units" and "Use of special forces".

Service in the special operations forces is really prestigious. We are glad to see in our ranks those who have a craving for romance, a desire to see something new, learn a lot and build character.

CHRONICLE

On August 2, 1930, during an exercise near Voronezh, a group of armed paratroopers was shown dropping out. The landing force consisted of twelve people, who were divided into two groups of six paratroopers. The paratroopers were supposed to drop weapons and ammunition from aircraft on special cargo parachutes.

After a successful landing, groups of paratroopers, armed with rifles, light machine guns and grenades, were ready to perform combat missions.

PERSPECTIVES

The main directions of the construction and development of special operations forces of the Armed Forces:

- development and testing of new ways of performing tasks;

- optimization of the organizational structure of formations and military units in accordance with the tasks being solved, as well as taking into account changes in the forms and methods of military confrontation;

- modernization of existing types of weapons, military and special equipment and equipping with new samples of both domestic and foreign production;

- improving the quality of training of specialists for special operations forces;

- beautification of military camps and the creation of housing and living conditions for servicemen that meet modern requirements.

Interviewed by Alexander MAKAROV

On March 20, 1992, a government decree "On the Creation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus" was adopted. On the same day, the parliament of the republic adopted the Law "On the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus", on the basis of which their formation began.
In November 1992, the Supreme Council adopted the Laws "On Defense", "On General military service and military service", "On the status of servicemen".
And on December 6, 1992, at the 10th session of the twelfth convocation, the parliamentarians of the republic adopted the Military Doctrine. Among the CIS states, Belarus was the first to adopt this document.

In accordance with the adopted legislative acts, the former troops of the Belarusian Military District (BVO) were reformed into the Armed Forces of Belarus in two stages.
At the first stage(1992) they were reduced by almost 30,000 people, their operational purpose was determined, and the main guiding documents were developed.
At the second stage(1993-1994) the reduction of the army was basically completed, its structural transformations were carried out, the command and control system was reformed.

The concentration of military units and formations in the republic was the highest on the European continent. One soldier accounted for 43 civilians. (For comparison: in Ukraine - by 98, in Kazakhstan - by 118, in Russia - by 634 people). For a republic with a population of ten million, such exorbitantly large Armed Forces were not needed, the costs of maintaining and equipping them were unacceptable. In addition, their total number, in accordance with the final act of the Helsinki Agreement of 07/10/1992, should not exceed 100,000 military personnel.
In this regard, in 1992-1996, more than 250 military formations that fell under the jurisdiction of Belarus ceased to exist or were seriously reformed, and the number of military personnel decreased by a factor of three and in 1997 stabilized at around 83,000 people.
At the same time, the arsenal of military equipment and weapons was significantly reduced. This reduction was implemented by the beginning of 1996.

By the same time, the process of structural reform of the army was basically completed: combined arms and tank armies were transformed into army corps, motorized rifle and tank divisions into separate mechanized brigades, and part of them weapons and equipment storage bases, an airborne division and a separate airborne brigade - into the Mobile Forces, consisting of three mobile brigades, aviation divisions and regiments - into air bases.

Since December 2001, the Armed Forces have been transferred to a two-service structure - the Ground Forces and Air Force and air defense troops.

On command ground forces in addition to the tasks of maintaining the required level of combat readiness and combat readiness of subordinate formations and units, the function of directing the preparation and conduct of territorial defense is also entrusted. The city of Bobruisk became the place of deployment of the command of the Ground Forces.

Based on the 28th and 65th army corps created the Western and North-Western operational commands. By 2005, the total strength of the Armed Forces was 65,000 people (50,000 servicemen and 15,000 civilian personnel).

At present, the staffing of the Armed Forces with sergeants and conscripts is carried out mainly on a territorial basis.
Since 1995 in Belarusian army, in the positions of privates and sergeants, contract service is practiced.

The problem of training military personnel has been solved in the Belarusian army. Created in 1995 in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus on the basis of the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile and Minsk Higher Military Command Schools Military Academy trains officers for almost all branches of the Armed Forces and combat arms. The basis of the country's main military university is 10 faculties.
Along with this, Belarusian officers and cadets have the opportunity to receive education in higher military educational institutions of the Russian Federation. Basically, military personnel of scarce specialties, whose training is not conducted in Belarus, are trained there.
To replenish formations and units with specialists and low-level commanders in the Armed Forces, there is a wide network of training units.

The status of a state secondary specialized educational institution with a military-professional direction of training and education of young men was received in 1995 by the Minsk Suvorov Military School. This educational institution has been returned to its original purpose - first of all, children of fallen servicemen, orphans, children from large and low-income families study there. Adolescents who have completed the 5th and 6th grades of secondary school have the right to enter the school.

The difficult international situation at the end of the 20th century required the creation of a sufficiently effective security system based on a political, economic and military alliance with the Russian Federation.
Having proclaimed the purely defensive nature of the Military Doctrine, the Republic of Belarus proceeds from the fact that at present none of the states is a potential adversary for it.

official website of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus http://www.mod.mil.by/

Landing units and formations

In the early 90s of the last century, the military and political leadership of the country faced the difficult problem of preserving the 103rd Guards Airborne Division, the 38th Guards Airborne Assault Brigade and the 5th Separate Special Purpose Brigade, which were part of the Armed Forces of the Republic Belarus, as well as rethinking the tasks that it is expedient for them to perform.
This was dictated by the proclamation by the Republic of Belarus of the Military Doctrine, which is purely defensive in nature.
The reform of the country's Armed Forces, which followed this, did not bypass the airborne units.

In September 1995, on the basis of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division and the 38th Guards Airborne Assault Brigade, mobile forces were formed as part of the 38th, 317th and 350th separate mobile brigades. On the basis of the last two in 2002, a formation was formed, which was given the name 103rd Guards Order of Lenin, Red Banner, Order of Kutuzov II degree, a separate mobile brigade.

The mobile forces were a branch of the Ground Forces, designed to cover the strategic deployment of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, disrupt the special operations of the enemy and perform other suddenly arising tasks.
The process of comprehending the role of the newly created formations in the system of the Armed Forces has come a long way. Initially, in the mid-90s of the XX century, these formations were planned to be used similarly to combined arms. In the course of the exercises of those years, formations of mobile forces were most often used to conduct defensive and offensive operations, covering certain areas. Their main trumps: swiftness, onslaught and high maneuverability - remained unclaimed.

However, in the same period, the formations of mobile forces began to work out certain tasks of special actions, mainly related to countering illegal armed formations and airborne sabotage forces of the enemy. Special intelligence units worked out the issues of conducting special operations on the territory captured by the enemy. Further development theory and practice of special actions received during the preparation and conduct of complex operational and operational-tactical exercises "Neman-2001", "Berezina-2002", "Clear Sky-2003", "Shield of the Fatherland-2004", "Shield of the Union-2006" , command and staff (tactical-special) exercises with the 38th Guards and 103rd Guards separate mobile brigades, the 5th separate special-purpose brigade.

At the beginning of 2004, in connection with the further increase in the role of special operations forces in modern wars, the Directorate of Special Operations Forces of the General Staff of the Armed Forces was created, cardinal changes were made to the organizational and staffing structure of mobile formations and units.

In 2005, in the course of a bilateral command and staff exercise with the troops of the Northwestern Operational Command, a rather large range of combat use of special operations forces was worked out.
The result of painstaking work was the further reform of mobile connections and their management system. The first step on this path was the reorganization of the command of mobile forces and formations, the direct subordination of mobile brigades to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus and the creation of a department of special operations forces in the operational management.

In order to optimize the management of these formations, manage their combat and mobilization training, organize their construction and development, comprehensive support, coordinate actions in the course of fulfilling assigned tasks, plan the activities of special operations forces in August 2007, the command of special operations forces was created in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus .

Currently, the total number of special operations forces is about five thousand people. They are intended to perform reconnaissance, special and organizational tasks both on temporarily captured by the enemy and on their own territory. Not less than important task- fight against terrorism.
In modern conditions, mobile brigades, which form the basis of the special operations forces of the Armed Forces, are considered not as mechanized formations, but as special troops capable of conducting highly maneuverable, secretive and effective fighting specific (non-traditional) ways. They involve actions by small units combined with active reconnaissance, effective use of existing weapons, equipment, engineering ammunition, and secrecy of actions.
One of the features of the training of units of special operations forces (SOF) of the Armed Forces is a mixed system of their recruitment - conscripts and contract servicemen. This allows us to prepare a trained reserve for understaffing units to wartime states and to replenish units when combat capability is restored.

The training of units of special operations forces today is carried out directly at the training and material base of formations and military units of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces.
By the end of 2010, on the basis of the training ground of the 103rd Guards Separate Mobile Brigade "Losvido", it is planned to create a training center for training special operations forces. This center will ensure the implementation of measures to improve the special training of the SOF of the Armed Forces.
In the Belarusian SOF, when conducting special operations, it is planned to widely use standard armored vehicles and heavy weapons.
That is why mobile formations and military units in Belarus are also called “heavy special forces”.

The composition, structure and strength of individual mobile brigades are practically the same, with the exception of the military equipment of individual mobile battalions.
The 38th Guards Separate Mobile Brigade is armed with BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, and the 103rd Guards Separate Mobile Brigade is armed with BMD-1 airborne combat vehicles.
The organizational structure of formations and military units of special operations forces provides for almost all issues that may affect the performance of a combat mission, while the emphasis is placed on mobility (reduction of "convoys"), long-term autonomy of actions of units and subunits without reducing their combat capability.
In addition, the main units are in a state of readiness and are able to carry out combat missions without understaffing with personnel and equipment in the state of peacetime.

In the training of units of the MTR of the Armed Forces, joint training with other troops and military formations other power structures military organization states.
At the same time, in the course of training units of the MTR, the experience of combat use Armed forces of the Russian Federation and special operations forces of foreign states in modern military conflicts. The content of the training of the military personnel of the SOF of the Armed Forces is as close as possible to the real conditions of modern combat operations. MTR units are constantly in readiness to perform suddenly arising tasks, in close cooperation with other law enforcement agencies and local administrative and executive bodies.
At present, a coherent system of views has developed on the conduct of special operations and the use of special operations forces of the Armed Forces, although theoretical and practical developments in this area of ​​military art continue.

Based on the analysis of trends in the development of the armed forces of foreign states, the experience of conducting military conflicts of the last decade and the exercises, it was determined that the special operations forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are intended to carry out various tasks by special methods and methods in order to prevent the escalation or cessation of the armed conflict against the Republic of Belarus by any aggressor and are one of the main elements of strategic deterrence.

We continue to talk about the old military. This time we went to the capital of the Airborne Forces» - Borovukha-1 near Novopolotsk. This town holds many stories that could be the script for films. For example, how Yanka Kupala worked here as a railroad worker. About World War II - how the local garrison successfully crushed Wehrmacht tanks for two weeks. You can also talk about the horrors of concentration camps: here the Germans destroyed thousands of prisoners of war. And also about Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan and about the crews of helicopters that extinguished the reactor at Chernobyl. In general, our story will be long and interesting.

Here was Kupala, Budyonny and " enemy of the people Uborevich"

The first information about Borovukha is associated with the construction of the Vitebsk-Rizhskaya railway. It was an ordinary Belarusian village and the station of the same name. The building of the old station no longer exists, but on the modern one there is a commemorative shield stating that in 1916 Yanka Kupala worked here in the railway team. This meager information will be given to you by a query on the Internet. But our guide to Borovukha and the surrounding area was a local enthusiast Vladimir Komissarov. In his stories, the history of the town is definitely not so boring.

The first Soviet units appeared here after 1918: it was necessary to strengthen the Soviet-Polish border. In the early 1920s, the first two wooden barracks were built for them. A cavalry regiment, artillerymen were stationed in the nascent military town, and a training base for balloons was located nearby on Lake Beloye. The town is growing, and already in 1924 a brick two-story school was being built here - its building still exists.

But more rapid development of the town began after 1928, and it is connected with the construction of the Polotsk fortified region. In addition to fortifications (to which we will dedicate separate article) by 1935, seven four-story stone houses for the families of officers, a club, a bathhouse and a store were built here. And in 1937, Marshal Semyon Budyonny himself took part in the opening of the House of Officers.

View of the town from Borovukha station. Photo courtesy of Vladimir Komissarov

During the war, an air bomb hit the House of Officers. This is how it looked after the war. Photo courtesy of Vladimir Komissarov

On the streets of Borovukha in July 1941, the Germans immediately marked the Jewish population. Photo courtesy of Vladimir Komissarov

Vladimir Komissarov told an interesting fact: the old pre-war buildings were supplied with water through wooden pipes. They were laid in paterns - underground vaulted channels lined with bricks.

Before the war, a soldiers' club was also built. Of all the Voyenproekt buildings we have seen so far, it stands out primarily for its architecture: we have not yet seen such buildings. Now it is used as Orthodox Church. Interesting fact: On June 21, 1941, a gypsy choir performed in it, and on the 22nd they learned about the beginning of a big war.

The town also had its own amphitheater, built, as the documents say, “at the direction of the enemy of the people, Uborevich” (its designs can be seen in German photos).

During the occupation period, the Germans organized the Staatlag 354 concentration camp for prisoners of war in the barracks of the tankers. , in which, according to various sources, from 13 to 25 thousand people were killed. The dead were buried in the pit of the amphitheater. So the place of rest and holidays in Borovukha turned into a cemetery. Now there is a memorial "Star" on this place.

There is a version that the bodies could be dumped into Bezdonka - a lake with swampy shores in the town. There is no confirmation of this, but the locals do not bathe in it.

However, on the outskirts of the town there are two more lakes - large, picturesque and suitable for recreation.

They say that Novopolotsk was originally planned to be built on the same bank of the Dvina as Borovukha. But in 1957-1960, here in Koptsevo there was a secret missile unit that received nuclear warheads. Accordingly, the city was built on the other side.

Capital of the Airborne Forces

In the post-war period, construction continued: "Uncle Vasya's troops" were located in Borovukha - the 350th and 357th regiments of the airborne troops of the 103rd division. Since that time, the town has been called the "capital of the Airborne Forces."

The township in the Union was given importance: from here important sites in Europe are within easy reach. Especially for this, an airfield was built nearby, capable of receiving heavy military transport aircraft. Vladimir Komissarov says that the former paratroopers still have maps of the English Channel with important objects marked in their garages.

It was in Borovukha that the latest weapons and equipment intended for the Airborne Forces were tested. For example, parachute D-1/8.

Here they also practiced the landing of a BMD-1 airborne combat vehicle with a crew inside. The initiative for its creation belongs to the commander airborne troops Vasily Margelov. To avoid injuries during landing, a simplified version of the space chair, Kazbek-D, was placed inside the vehicle. To reduce weight, the armored hull was assembled by welding from rolled aluminum armor plates.

The first paratroopers inside the BMD-1 were Alexander Margelov (son of the commander of the Airborne Forces) and Leonid Zuev.

The paratroopers from Borovukha participated in all the conflicts of the USSR. In 1968, during the unrest in Czechoslovakia, they took part in Operation Danube. The operation was exemplary from a military point of view: the paratroopers quickly managed to disarm and block the anti-aircraft artillery brigade, the weapons factory, the garrison commandant's office and a number of other important objects.

In 1979, the paratroopers were the first to enter Afghanistan and the last to leave in 1989. Then the paratroopers of the 103rd division served in the Transcaucasian border district under the command of the head of the border troops of the KGB of the USSR (from 1990 to 1991). Here is what Russian General Alexander Lebed wrote about this in his memoirs: “There were “smart heads” who, using the growing tension in society, proposed a non-standard move - to transfer the division to the State Security Committee. No division - no problem. And ... they handed it over, creating a situation where the division was no longer "VED", but also not "KGB". Combat officers have been turned into clowns. Green caps, green shoulder straps, blue vests, symbols on caps, shoulder straps and chest - paratrooper. Among the people, such a wild mixture of forms was aptly dubbed the “conductor”.

In the already independent republic, the number of airborne troops was reduced: along with sovereignty, a military doctrine of a purely defensive nature was proclaimed, and airborne units, the so-called first strike troops, in new concept didn't fit in. In 1995, the 350th and 357th regiments were reorganized into brigades, and later included in the 103rd separate mobile brigade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus.

However, the locals do not understand why, when the regiments were disbanded, it was necessary to create a brigade at a new location in Vitebsk.

In Borovukha, equipment from the boxes went straight to the landfill. And now paratroopers are being transported on trailers from Vitebsk to Liozno.

Airborne Forces Day in Borovukha is probably more valued than New Year. Here is the only place in the country where this holiday is celebrated in an organized way.

Parts Airborne already 11 years no, but still every year on August 2 festive events. Money is allocated for holding, for porridge, compote, a concert. Belarusian and Russian artists are coming.

On this day, a man who is not in a vest and without a blue beret male in the town will be a "black sheep". Just in case, it is better to know the answer to the question about the number of parachute lines - 32. But there is no fountain in the town.

Local residents say that earlier, in the 90s, there was a rather tense crime situation in Borovukha: it was scary to go out into the yard in the evening, there were constant fights. Therefore, they created a voluntary squad from the locals. The combatants quickly put things in order - now it is safe in the town at any time of the day.

Who is after us?

The 350th and 357th regiments were located along the edges of the town. The barracks of the “fifty kopecks” (as the 350th regiment is called here) are now empty. The buildings have survived: the marauders did not have time to work on them. Access to them was closed, security was provided. It will not be a problem to enter the territory: step over the barbed wire - and you are already there. But the signs on the other side say that it is forbidden to walk here - a fine of 500 rubles. And there is a dog here.

Two barracks appeared in the 30s, during the active construction of the town. Polotsk residents were actively involved in their construction - they were brought here for subbotniks. Another one made of white brick is already the 70s. It looks, by the way, even worse than before the war.

But the beautiful building of the dining room is already in disrepair, and the ceiling has collapsed in one wing.

It is noteworthy that the former location of the regiment is mowed down, some buildings have acquired new doors. So they have an owner. And what, the place is excellent: a large area with its own park and access to the lake.

It was planned that the buildings of the unit would be transferred to the Olympic Reserve College, but so far they thought that the helicopter regiment had collapsed. Its territory seemed more compact and suitable for these purposes.



In the location of the 357th Airborne Regiment, whose territory begins at the end of the current Army Street, life has not stopped. Now it is an “industrial Babylon”: it produces sewing, knitwear and rubber products, wooden windows, PVC windows and doors, building metal structures, furniture, plant protection products, instrumentation, building materials, equipment for processing secondary raw materials.

Location of the 357th Regiment

The huge House of Officers, the same one opened by Budyonny, could have been demolished in the 2000s, but its premises began to be actively bought up by small businesses. The central part is currently undergoing renovations. We arrived to try on a secondhand sign on the left column of the front porch.

On the right there is a memorial plaque dedicated to the "bata" - the creator of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov. Did you know that he is Belarusian by nationality?

Opposite the House of Officers, a local museum was opened. The exposition was created by the inhabitants of Borovukha - who will bring a parachute, who will bring a tunic, who will bring a flight jacket, who will bring the door from the pillbox. Many exhibits are related to the Second World War - in the forests around the town you can find items from spent cartridges to the remains of the machine gun. There is even the lower part of the German ... body armor. By the way, Vladimir Komissarov also took a direct part in filling the museum. The description of the military operations of the Polotsk fortified area is his merit.

An open-air exposition was created across the road - airborne combat vehicles are presented here.

Helicopters from Borovukha

The neighbors of the paratroopers were pilots from the 276th separate helicopter regiment (Borovtsy airfield). From 1982 to February 1989, they performed combat missions in Afghanistan. On April 27, 1986, the personnel of the 4th squadron on Mi-26 helicopters and the 3rd squadron on the Mi-8MT participated in the extinguishing of the reactor Chernobyl nuclear power plant. In 2003, the regiment was disbanded, and the remaining helicopters were transferred first to Zasimovochi, then to Machulishchi.

Sergey Kozlov, pilot first class, lives in Borovukha since 1993. Now he is retired - he has 52 years of service. Twice I was in Afghanistan, there was a business trip to Chernobyl.

I have dreamed of becoming a pilot since childhood. My brother was a helicopter pilot, and I, a ten-year-old kid, ran around Vitebsk in his uniform, I was terribly proud!

By the beginning of the Afghan war, the army was in dire need of pilots army aviation, so they recruited pilots en masse from the reserve.

Everyone was offered to write a report in which there were lines: I wish to serve anywhere in the USSR. Not a word about Afghanistan, but everyone understood where they would be sent. I volunteered.

For retraining for a new type of helicopter, Sergei was sent to the Syzran Higher Military Aviation Pilot School. Three months he studied on the Mi-24. Then he served for some time near the borders of NATO in the GDR, where the "crocodiles" were on constant combat duty.

"Crocodiles" in the sky of Afghanistan

Sergei ended up in Afghanistan in 1984. At that time, most often they had to fly to escort columns, search for caravans, and it also happened to rescue paratroopers trapped in the mountains by dushmans.

The helicopter was reliable and well protected,” recalls Sergey Kozlov. - Frontal bulletproof glass withstood a single hit of a 30-mm projectile, and machine-gun bullets bounced off it altogether. The cabin was also protected by steel armor. The danger for us was MANPADS (portable anti-aircraft missile systems), which the West actively supplied to the Mujahideen. In my memory, it was that they captured one instructor, a Frenchman with MANPADS, so then NATO sent a special plane for him.

The armament of the Mi-24 made it possible to cope with any task, although not everything worked flawlessly. For example, there were some problems with the YakB-12.7 four-barreled machine gun - it sometimes wedged. The problem was learned to solve in the field.

The weapon was powerful, and so that the machine gun would not fail in battle, only 500 rounds instead of 1470 were loaded into the tape, each of which was separately lubricated with a brush. Then the whole tape came out without problems. The rate of fire was very high, sometimes it was possible not to notice that the cartridges had already run out.

In addition to the machine gun, the Mi-24's arsenal included unguided aircraft missiles, Shturm-S anti-tank missiles, and other weapons.

When the ammunition ran out, and this happened often, the helicopter pilots did not leave the battlefield: they imitated combat approaches to the positions of dushmans.

Was it really possible to fly away when the dushmans were firing at the paratroopers? They did everything they could. I'll tell you: even such psychic attacks had an intimidating effect on the Mujahideen. Imagine that a huge car with cannons and machine guns is flying at you, and you will understand that even an imitation of an attack can cause panic.

50 meters above the reactor

After returning from Afghanistan military service Sergei Kozlov continued at the airfield in Zasimovichi (Pruzhany). In 1986, their helicopters were sent to Chernobyl.

Nobody announced alarms, the command simply gathered all the pilots who were in the town through messengers. The task was simple: to fly to Grodno to receive new Mi-24РХР helicopters. Already on the way, we learned that they were intended for reconnaissance of radiation in the area of ​​the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Sergei stayed in Chernobyl from September 2 to October 19. The task of his crew is to hover at an altitude of about 200 meters (according to instructions) and measure the level of radiation. By this time, the fire was extinguished, but the study was still very strong - many of those who flew over the reactor are no longer alive.

We mainly worked at an altitude of about 150 meters - it's not so easy to hover at the right height. Sometimes, when circumstances so required, they dropped to 50 meters.

After working on the reactor, the command tried to deactivate expensive helicopters: they washed them with special solutions, but this did not help. Then they decided to remove the gearbox and replace it with a new one - it still phonates, they did the same with the engine - the result is the same. As a result, they refused to fly on these machines and allegedly sent equipment to the burial ground in Ukraine.

True, there is not a single repository of radioactive helicopters now. I think they were sold somewhere in Africa.

After dangerous work in Chernobyl, Sergei Kozlov had to return to Afghanistan again, where he stayed until the very withdrawal of troops. I personally took three Mi-24s out of Kabul. Here he had a chance to try out a new system designed specifically for flying in the mountains.

The rarefied air in the mountains of Afghanistan led to a loss of power, so the designers developed a special system for injecting water into the engine. Its inclusion provided an explosive increase in power, allowing you to increase the height at which the machine can work. The cylinder providing the operation of this system was located right in the cockpit, and when we asked the designer what would happen if a bullet hit there, he answered: a small explosion. Why do we need this? We refused to fly with a balloon.

New Borovukha

After Afghanistan, Sergei served in Ukraine. I ended up in Borovukha almost by accident.

When the Union collapsed, it was necessary to look for a place where to serve. The first time I looked into Borovukha by chance. I looked and decided that I will never live here. Everything here was like in any military town: there is no hot water, the cold is rusty, the heating is weak, and there are frequent power outages.

But in the end, I "landed" all the same here. Then the order of the Belarusian military district was issued, which stated that it was possible to continue serving in the Belarusian army in the same position. I come to Belarus, I go to the head of the army aviation. I ask where they can send me. He received a military-style concise and honest answer: “Except for x. I can't send you anywhere else." In the end, they still assigned me to Borovukha. Part was staffed, there were no places, so at first I was only listed here: they paid money for two months for the title and then did not pay anything for six months. My wife was still living in Ukraine with two children. And so we all survived on her part-time nanny in kindergarten.

Sergey recalls that it was a very difficult period in his life. Then, however, he returned to flight work, got an apartment, moved his family.

When I moved here, there was no crowding from the military: there were 1,400 schoolchildren alone, there were three shifts at the school. Now there are fewer children - about 450 people.

In 1993 a new school was built. Surprisingly, it has a pool! You can buy a subscription and come in the evenings and on weekends to swim. There was also a large gym, but it was recognized as dilapidated and demolished.

With the departure of the military, the question arose of what to do with the town, in which more than five thousand people live. In the noughties, it was first merged with the village council and transferred to the administrative subordination of Novopolotsk.

This had a positive effect on Borovukha: a major overhaul came to the old DOSs, roofs were changed for many houses, and facades were painted. Now the town looks very decent. Here they are not in a hurry to demolish old buildings - they will come in handy in the economy. Plumbing laid in Soviet years was frankly weak. The problem was also that no one knew where and what pipes were. It was effectively solved according to the VDE: they increased the pressure in the system. So they identified weaknesses for replacement.

As a result, residents got access to all the benefits of civilization - central gas, hot water and uninterrupted power supply.

There are enough food and hardware stores in the town. There is also a mini market. At the entrance to the town - a decent-looking cafe with a tarzan park. You can also ride horses.

On May 13, 2019, the village of Borovukha officially ceased to exist: now it is a microdistrict of Novopolotsk. City buses and minibuses already go here every half an hour. There are even buses for the disabled. Do not forget about the railway station - trains go to Polotsk through it.

The private sector is spread around Borovukha - these are village houses, dachas of Novopolotsk residents and former military personnel. Apartments here are in the price: for a two-room apartment for 45 "squares" they ask for 24 thousand dollars.

you any local he will say that it is better to live here than in the city, - says Sergey Kozlov. - Dvina separates Borovukha from the large industrial center - everything is in order with the environment here. In Novopolotsk it smells of "Polymir", "Naftan", and here - a pine forest.

Almost everyone knows that there are special forces in Uruchcha, Maryina Gorka, Minsk, there are Alfa and Almaz groups. However, few people know how these structures differ from each other, who manages them, what is included in their functions.

"Nasha Niva" presented short review 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 includes several units - special-purpose battalions, a Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR) and support units.
The main tasks of the brigade are the fight against terrorism, actions in case of emergencies, combat training in case 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.
Highly great importance assigned to combat training, 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 of weapons, as well as tactical and special training in 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 head 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 department 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.
Per 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, the woods. 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 former leader units 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 battle group. After another 20 minutes, the second group leaves.
The functions of the "diamond man" include the fight against terrorist activities, release of hostages, disposal of explosives. "Almazovtsy" once detained suspects in the murder of Russian journalist Paul Khlebnikov in Minsk.
"Almazovets" must train at least three times a week. These are not only sports exercises, fighters also go to barriers, manholes, ladders in full gear.
Basically, Almaz receives officers from similar units of the Ministry of Defense, police special forces, the security service of the head of state, and border troops. 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"
The Alfa group under the State Security Committee of the USSR was created back 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 exercise. 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. Average age officers 33 years old. 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.

What are they, the Special Operations Forces of the Republic of Belarus? Defend Russia looks to its nearest neighbor to find out.

In addition to them, MTRs use the latest Russian assault rifles - for example, . This assault rifle has a buttstock made of shock-resistant glass-filled polyamide, which obviously lightens the weight of the weapon. Its weight is 3.6 kg, rate of fire is 650 rounds per minute, effective range- 50 m.

Now MTRs have the latest sets of special clothing and weapons for different habitats of fighters. With a flag of the Airborne Forces, an “underwater paratrooper” coquettishly sits in a set of underwater equipment “SKUBA”. It is equipped with a breathing apparatus with a buoyancy compensator, a neoprene wetsuit with gloves and boots, fins and a diving mask. There is a "paratrooper" with a set of diving equipment SLVI-71, allowing you to work at a depth of up to 40 m.

The "beekeeper" is dressed in a "summer special" set.

And the sniper is dressed in a camouflage Leshy. To the right of it is the Gorka-E windproof kit.

The lyricism of the army names is continued by the set of winter paratroopers' uniforms "Melted Snow".