Storm gates 6th company history. Sixth Company

Eighteen years ago, on February 29, 2000, in the Argun Gorge of Chechnya, the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division entered into battle with the thugs of Khattab, Basayev and Idris. This clash is known as the Battle of Hill 776. The ratio of the sides is one to twenty-seven, 90 paratroopers against 2.5 thousand terrorists. As a result, 84 soldiers died while performing their military duty. The oldest of them was 37 years old, the youngest was 18..

Night, fog

Second Chechen war. In February 2000, militants were driven out of Grozny and surrounded in the Argun Gorge. They were bombed, causing great damage to manpower and equipment, the “shaitans” begged the “brothers” to buy out the corridor in order to escape to Dagestan. The media later reported that Khattab’s group paid $500 thousand to get out of the cauldron. This amount was announced during his conversation with Basayev, which was intercepted by Russian special services. According to Khattab, “the bosses set up these jackal-goblins to cover their tracks.” The bandits called the paratroopers goblins.

As journalist Vladimir Malyshev writes, it is not known for certain whether the accusations against senior commanders are true, but it has been established that along the route of Khattab’s column along the road to Vedeno, all police checkpoints were removed and the militants did not at all expect to meet the scouts of the 6th company.

The bandits radioed battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin: “There are a lot of us here, ten times more than you. Why are you in trouble, commander? Night, fog - no one will notice, and we will pay very well.” In response, a curse was heard, and the militants realized that there would be no deal. After this, the paratroopers were covered in fire, and hand-to-hand fighting began. The attacks came in waves.

The soldiers were able to hold out for about 20 hours. Captain Viktor Romanov, who was left without legs due to a mine explosion, continued to adjust the artillery fire, and Corporal Alexander Lebedev blew himself up along with the militants.

Fire on yourself

On the night of March 1, Major Alexander Dostavalov came to the aid of the paratroopers along with the third platoon of the 4th company. At the same time, Dostavalov voluntarily left the defensive positions of the 4th company.

According to some reports, the paratroopers did not receive any other assistance (except for the support of the regimental artillery), although the battalion commander repeatedly asked for reinforcements. Allegedly, soldiers from neighboring heights wanted to come to the rescue, but the command forbade this. Federal troops appeared on the battlefield only a day later.

Apparently, because of this, when on the morning of March 1, Evtyukhin called fire on himself, as his colleagues noted, he said: “You betrayed us, bitches.”

The militants who occupied the height finished off the wounded and shot in the face - because of this, difficulties arose with identification. The terrorists, as witnesses said, slowly stacked the bodies of the dead, placed Yevtyukhin’s corpse on top, hung headphones around his neck and placed a walkie-talkie in front of him. This symbolized the fact that, despite requests, no one came to help the paratroopers.

Andrei Lobanov, who carried out the task set on the afternoon of March 1 to come to the rescue of the 6th company, said: “The question was constantly in my head: why was there no information that such a horde of militants was breaking through? Why was the 3rd battalion, which was nearby, withdrawn? If there had been timely intelligence, such huge losses could have been avoided. And our help could not change anything in that battle.”

And then the smoke cleared

In total, six servicemen survived: sergeants Alexander Suponinsky and Andrey Porshnev, privates Alexey Komarov, Vadim Timoshenko, Roman Khristolubov, Evgeny Vladykin. It is not known exactly how many were killed among the militants. The maximum figure that was mentioned was about 700 people.

Twenty-two paratroopers were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, 68 soldiers were awarded the Order of Courage (almost all posthumously).

At first they decided to keep silent about their feat. On March 9, 2000, military observers of the Obshchaya Gazeta wrote: “Fragmentary information that<...>near the village of Ulus-Kert on the night of March 1, an entire company of the 104th regiment of the Pskov Airborne Division was killed in a battle with bandits, it was leaked to the media. But no one could tell everything about what happened there. Journalists were not allowed into the area for several days. And the military themselves were ordered to keep quiet. Is it that Colonel General Gennady Troshev finally allowed himself to admit on the 5th: “The 6th parachute company, which was at the forefront of the bandits’ attack, lost 31 people killed, and there were also wounded.” At the same time, the Airborne Forces headquarters knew that the data on losses did not correspond to reality. There was an instruction not to disclose information about the events at height 776, journalists indicate.

They link this to the fact that the battle began literally a few hours after Defense Minister Igor Sergeev reported to the Russian leadership about the completion of the military phase of the counter-terrorism operation (CTO) in Chechnya, since there was no longer any organized resistance from the bandits.

Inevitable punishment

The surviving terrorists still suffered punishment. Some were killed during the CTO. Others were captured and sentenced to long prison terms. Moreover, this crime has no statute of limitations. In January 2018, residents Stavropol Territory Arslan Valiev and Faizbek Amangaziev received 15.5 and 16 years in a maximum security colony. As the investigation established, they fired aimed fire at the paratroopers using Kalashnikov assault rifles.

Previously, Chechen resident Ayub Tuntuev was sentenced to 24 years and 11 months in prison, and Maxim Ponaryin was given a life sentence.

Among those convicted is also a citizen of Ukraine - a member extremist organization UNA-UNSO (banned in Russia) Alexander Malofeev. He was sentenced to 24 years and six months in prison.

Two more suspects are due to appear in court - Artur Ushaev and Ruslan Namatov.

6th Company - Top Secret

The official investigation into the tragedy has long been completed, its materials are classified. No one is punished. But the relatives of the victims are sure: the 6th company of the 104th Airborne Regiment was betrayed by the command of the federal group.

By the beginning of 2000, the main forces Chechen militants were blocked in the Argun Gorge in the south of the republic. On February 23, the head of the united group of troops in the North Caucasus, Lieutenant General Gennady Troshev, announced that the militants were finished - supposedly only small gangs remained, only dreaming of surrendering. On February 29, the commander hoisted the Russian tricolor over Shatoy and repeated: Chechen gangs do not exist. Central television channels showed Defense Minister Igor Sergeev reporting to the acting President Vladimir Putin about the “successful completion of the third stage of the counter-terrorism operation in the Caucasus.”

At this very time, non-existent gangs with a total number of about three thousand people attacked the positions of the 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment, which occupied height 776.0 near the village of Ulus-Kert, Shatoi region. The battle lasted about a day. By the morning of March 1, the militants destroyed the paratroopers and marched to the village of Vedeno, where they dispersed: some surrendered, others went to continue the partisan war.

Ordered to remain silent

On March 2, the Khankala prosecutor's office opened a criminal case into the massacre of military personnel. One of the Baltic TV channels showed footage filmed by professional cameramen from the militants: a battle and a pile of bloody corpses of Russian paratroopers. Information about the tragedy reached the Pskov region, where the 104th Parachute Regiment was stationed and where 30 of the 84 dead were from. Their relatives demanded to know the truth.

On March 4, 2000, the head of the OGV press center in the North Caucasus, Gennady Alekhin, said that the information about the large losses suffered by the paratroopers was not true. Moreover, no military operations took place during this period at all. The next day, the commander of the 104th regiment, Sergei Melentyev, came out to journalists. Five days had passed since the battle, and most families already knew about the death of their loved ones through colleagues in the Caucasus. Melentyev clarified a little: “The battalion carried out a blocking mission. Intelligence discovered a caravan. The battalion commander moved to the battlefield and controlled the unit. The soldiers fulfilled their duty with honor. I'm proud of my people."

On March 6, one of the Pskov newspapers reported on the death of the paratroopers. After this, the commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Air Assault Division, Major General Stanislav Semenyuta, prohibited the author of the article, Oleg Konstantinov, from entering the unit’s territory. The first official to admit the death of 84 paratroopers was the governor of the Pskov region, Evgeny Mikhailov - on March 7, he referred to a telephone conversation with the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General Georgy Shpak. The military themselves remained silent for three more days.

Relatives of the victims besieged the division's checkpoint, demanding that the bodies be returned to them. However, the plane with the “cargo 200” was not landed in Pskov, but at a military airfield in Ostrov and the coffins were kept there for several days. On March 9, one of the newspapers, citing a source at the Airborne Forces headquarters, wrote that Georgy Shpak had had a list of the dead on his desk for a week. The commander was reported in detail about the circumstances of the death of the 6th company. And only on March 10, the silence was finally broken by Troshev: his subordinates allegedly did not know either the number of dead or what unit they belonged to!

The paratroopers were buried on March 14. Vladimir Putin was expected to attend the funeral ceremony in Pskov, but he did not come. The presidential elections were just around the corner, and zinc coffins were not the best “PR” for a candidate. It is more surprising, however, that neither the head of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin, nor Gennady Troshev, nor Vladimir Shamanov came. At this time, they were on an important visit to Dagestan, where they received the titles of honorary citizens of the Dagestan capital and silver Kubachi sabers from the hands of the mayor of Makhachkala, Said Amirov.

On March 12, 2000, Presidential Decree No. 484 appeared on awarding 22 dead paratroopers the title of Hero of Russia, the rest of the dead were awarded the Order of Courage. President-elect Vladimir Putin nevertheless came to the 76th division on August 2, Airborne Forces Day. He admitted the guilt of the command “for gross miscalculations that have to be paid for with the lives of Russian soldiers.” But not a single name was named. Three years later, the case of the death of 84 paratroopers was closed by Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky. The investigation materials have not yet been made public. For ten years, relatives and colleagues of the victims have been collecting the picture of the tragedy bit by bit.

Height 776.0

The 104th Parachute Regiment was transferred to Chechnya ten days before the tragic battle. The unit was consolidated - it was staffed on the spot with soldiers from the 76th division and airborne brigades. The 6th company included soldiers from 32 regions of Russia, and special forces major Sergei Molodov was appointed commander. He didn’t even have time to meet the soldiers before the company was already sent on a combat mission.

On February 28, the 6th company and the 3rd platoon of the 4th company began a 14-kilometer forced march towards Ulus-Kert - without preliminary reconnaissance of the area, without training young soldiers in combat operations in the mountains. A day was allotted for the advance, which is very little, given the constant descents and ascents and the altitude of the terrain - 2400 meters above sea level. The command decided not to use helicopters, allegedly due to the lack of natural landing sites. They even refused to throw tents and stoves at the deployment point, without which the soldiers would have frozen to death. The paratroopers were forced to carry all their belongings on themselves, and because of this they did not take heavy weapons.

The goal of the forced march was to occupy height 776.0 and prevent the militants from breaking through in this direction. The task was obviously impossible. Military intelligence I couldn’t help but know that about three thousand militants were preparing to break through the Argun Gorge. Such a crowd could not move unnoticed for 30 kilometers: at the end of February there is almost no greenery in the mountains. They had only one way - through the gorge along one of two dozen paths, many of which went straight to the height of 776.0.

“The command gave us arguments: they say, you can’t put a company of paratroopers on each path,” said one of the servicemen of the 76th division. “But it was possible to establish interaction between units, create a reserve, and target the routes along which the militants were waiting. Instead, for some reason, the positions of the paratroopers were well targeted by the militants. When the battle began, soldiers from neighboring heights rushed to help, asked for orders from the command, but the answer was a categorical “no.” There were rumors that the Chechens bought passage through the gorge for half a million dollars. It was beneficial for many officials on the Russian side to break out of encirclement - they wanted to continue making money from the war.
The first clash between scouts of the 6th company and militants occurred on February 29 at 12.30. The separatists were surprised to meet paratroopers on the way. During a short firefight, they shouted that they should be let through, because the commanders had already agreed on everything. It is no longer possible to verify whether this agreement actually existed. But for some reason all the police checkpoints on the road to Vedeno were removed. According to radio intercepts, the head of the militants, Emir Khattab, received commands, requests, and tips via satellite communications. And his interlocutors were in Moscow.

Company commander Sergei Molodov was one of the first to die from a sniper bullet. When battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin took command, the paratroopers were already in a difficult position. They did not have time to dig in, and this sharply reduced their defense capability. The start of the battle caught one of the three platoons rising to a height, and the militants shot most of the guardsmen like targets at a shooting range.

Evtyukhin was in constant contact with the command, asking for reinforcements, because he knew: his paratroopers were standing 2-3 kilometers from height 776.0. But in response to reports that he was repelling an attack by several hundred militants, he was calmly answered: “Destroy everyone!”

The paratroopers say that the deputy regiment commander forbade entering into negotiations with Evtyukhin, because he was allegedly panicking. In fact, he himself was panicking: it was rumored that after a business trip to Chechnya, Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin was supposed to take his position. The deputy regiment commander told the battalion commander that he had no free people and called for radio silence so as not to interfere with the work of front-line aviation and howitzers. However fire support The 6th company was supported only by regimental artillery, whose guns operated at the limit of their range. Artillery fire needs constant adjustment, and Evtyukhin did not have a special radio attachment for this purpose. He called fire via regular communication, and many shells fell in the paratroopers’ defense zone: 80 percent of the dead soldiers were later found to have shrapnel wounds from foreign mines and from “their” shells.

The paratroopers did not receive any reinforcements, although the surrounding area was filled with troops: the federal group within a radius of one hundred kilometers from the village of Shatoi numbered over one hundred thousand troops. At the disposal of the commander airborne units in the Caucasus, Major General Alexander Lentsov had both long-range artillery and high-precision Uragan installations. Height 776.0 was within their reach, but not a single salvo was fired at the militants. Surviving paratroopers say that a Black Shark helicopter flew to the battle site, fired one salvo and flew away. The command subsequently argued that helicopters could not be used in such weather conditions: it was dark and foggy. But didn’t the creators of “Black Shark” buzz the ears of the whole country that this helicopter was all-weather? A day after the death of the 6th company, the fog did not prevent the helicopter pilots from seeing with the naked eye and reporting how the militants were collecting the bodies of dead paratroopers at altitude.

At three o'clock in the morning on March 1, when the battle was already going on for about 15 hours, fifteen guardsmen from the 3rd platoon of the 4th company, led by Major Alexander Dostovalov, arbitrarily broke through to the encircled people. It took Dostovalov and his soldiers forty minutes to reunite with the battalion commander. Another 120 paratroopers under the command of the chief of reconnaissance of the 104th regiment, Sergei Baran, also voluntarily withdrew from their positions and crossed the Abazulgol River, moving to help Evtyukhin. They had already begun to rise to the height when they were stopped by an order from the command: stop advancing, return to their positions! Group commander Marine Corps Northern Fleet Major General Alexander Otrakovsky repeatedly asked for permission to come to the aid of the paratroopers, but never received it. On March 6, because of these experiences, Otrakovsky’s heart stopped.

Communication with Mark Evtyukhin stopped on March 1 at 6:10 am. According to the official version, the battalion commander’s last words were addressed to the artillerymen: “I call fire on myself!” But his colleagues say that in his last hour he remembered the command: “You betrayed us, bitches!”

The feds appeared at the height only a day after this. Until the morning of March 2, no one fired at height 776.0, where the militants were in charge. They finished off the wounded paratroopers, dumping their bodies in a heap. They put headphones on the corpse of Mark Evtyukhin, installed a walkie-talkie in front of him and hoisted him to the very top of the mound: they say, call or don’t call, no one will come to you. The militants took with them the bodies of almost all of their dead. They were in no hurry, as if there was no army of a hundred thousand around, as if someone guaranteed that not a single shell would fall on their heads.

After March 10, the military, who hid the death of the 6th company, fell into patriotic pathos. It was reported that at the cost of their lives, the heroes destroyed about a thousand militants. Although no one to this day knows how many separatists were killed in that battle. Having broken through to Vedeno, the Chechens threw off ballast: several dozen wounded surrendered to the internal troops (they categorically refused to surrender to the paratroopers). Most of them soon found themselves free: local police officers gave in to persistent requests from local residents to return their breadwinners to their families. At least one and a half thousand militants went into the mountains to the east through the places where the federals were deployed. How they managed this, no one has figured out. After all, according to General Troshev, all that remained from the bandit formations were scraps, and the dead paratroopers came in very handy for the authors of the version: they say, these heroes destroyed all the bandits. It was agreed that the 6th Company, at the cost of its life, saved Russian statehood, thwarting the plans of the bandits to create an Islamic state on the territory of Chechnya and Dagestan.

Battle at Height 776 - episode two Chechen war, during which a large detachment of Chechen militants (Khattab) managed to break out of encirclement on March 1, 2000 through the positions of the 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment of the 76th (Pskov) Airborne Division (Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin) near Argun in Chechnya, on line Ulus-Kert-Selmentauzen, at an altitude of 776.

After the fall of Grozny (January 30) large group Chechen militants retreated to the Shatoi district of Chechnya, where on February 9 it was blocked federal troops.Air strikes were carried out on militant positions using one and a half ton volumetric detonating bombs. Then, on February 22-29, a ground battle for Shata followed. The militants managed to break out of the encirclement. Ruslan Gelayev's group broke through in the north-western direction to the village of Komsomolskoye (Urus-Martan district), and Khattab's group - in the north-eastern direction through Ulus-Kert (Shatoi district), where the battle took place.

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

On the afternoon of February 29, 2000, the federal command hastened to interpret the capture of Shatoy as a signal that the “Chechen resistance” had been finally broken. President Putin was reported “on the completion of the tasks of the third stage” of the operation in the North Caucasus, and... O. OGV commander Gennady Troshev noted that operations to destroy the “escaping bandits” would be carried out for another two to three weeks, but the full-scale military operation had been completed.

Reserve Colonel Vladimir Vorobyov, a former paratrooper who served in Afghanistan (at one time he commanded the 104th “Cherekhin” regiment), will help us in the investigation. The father of senior lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov who died near Ulus-Kert. Two years after the tragedy, he compiled a complete picture of what happened, which is somewhat at odds with the official version.

Gangs of Chechen field commanders found themselves in a strategic pocket. This happened after a tactical landing, which seemed to sharp knife cut the Itum-Kale-Shatili mountain road, built by slaves of “free Ichkeria”. Operational group "Center" began to methodically shoot down the enemy, forcing him to retreat down the Argun Gorge: from the Russian-Georgian border to the north.

Intelligence reported: Khattab moved to the northeast, to the Vedeno region, where he created an extensive network of mountain bases, warehouses and shelters. He intended to capture Vedeno, the villages of Mekhkety, Elistanzhi and Kirov-Yurt and provide himself with a springboard for a breakthrough into Dagestan. In the neighboring republic, the “Mujahideen” planned to take hostages big number civilians and thereby force the federal authorities to negotiate.

Reconstructing the chronicle of those days, you need to clearly understand: talk about “reliably blocked gangs” is a bluff, an attempt to pass off wishful thinking. The strategically important Argun Gorge has a length of more than 30 kilometers. Units not trained in mountain warfare were unable to establish control over a branched and completely unfamiliar mountain system. Even on the old map you can count more than two dozen trails in this area. And how many are there that are not marked on any maps at all? To block each such path, you need to use a company. This turns out to be an impressive figure. With the forces that were at hand, the federal command could not only destroy, but reliably block the gangs going for a breakthrough only on paper.

In what later turned out to be the most dangerous direction, the OGV command deployed soldiers of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division. Meanwhile, Khattab chose a simple but effective tactic: after reconnaissance of the battles, he intended to find the most weak spots, and then, leaning on the whole mass, escape from the gorge.

On February 28, the “Mujahideen” went ahead. The first to take the blow were the paratroopers of the 3rd company, led by Senior Lieutenant Vasilyev. They occupied commanding heights five kilometers east of Ulus-Kert. Khattab's troops unsuccessfully tried to break through a well-organized fire system and retreated, suffering significant losses.

Units of the 2nd battalion kept control of the dominant heights above the Sharoargun Gorge. There remained a passage between the beds of the Sharoargun and Abazulgol rivers. To exclude the possibility of militants “infiltrating” here, the commander of the 104th regiment ordered the commander of the 6th company, Major Sergei Molodov, to occupy another commanding height 4-5 kilometers from Ulus-Kert. And since the company commander was literally transferred to the unit the day before and did not have time to thoroughly understand the operational situation and get to know the personnel, the commander of the 2nd battalion, Mark Evtyukhin, protected him.

The paratroopers set out while it was still dark. In a few hours they had to make a fifteen-kilometer forced march to a given square, where they would set up a new base camp. They walked with full combat gear. They were armed only with small arms and grenade launchers. The attachment for the radio station, which provides covert radio communication, was left at the base. They carried water, food, tents and stoves, without which it was simply impossible to survive in the mountains in winter. According to Vladimir Vorobyov’s calculations, the unit stretched for 5-6 kilometers, and they walked no more than a kilometer per hour. We also note that the paratroopers went to the heights immediately after a difficult throw along the Dombay-Arzy route, i.e., without proper rest.

A helicopter landing was ruled out because the aerial reconnaissance did not find a single suitable site in the mountain forest. The paratroopers walked to the limit of their physical strength - this is a fact that no one can dispute. From the analysis of the situation, the following conclusion suggests itself: the command was late with the decision to transfer the 6th company to Isty-Kord, and then, realizing it, set obviously impossible deadlines.

Even before sunrise, the 6th company of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment, reinforced by a platoon and two reconnaissance groups, was at the target - the interfluve of the tributaries of the Argun south of Ulus-Kert. The actions of the paratroopers were led by the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtukhin.

As it later became known, 90 paratroopers, on an isthmus 200 meters away, blocked the path of Khattab’s two thousand strong group. As far as one can judge, the bandits were the first to discover the enemy. This is evidenced by radio interceptions.

At this moment, the “Mujahideen” were moving in two detachments along the Sharoargun and Abazulgol rivers. They decided to bypass height 776.0, where our paratroopers were catching their breath after a difficult forced march.

Moving ahead of both gangs were two reconnaissance groups of 30 people each, followed by two combat security detachments of 50 militants each. One of the head patrols was discovered by Senior Lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov and his scouts, which saved the 6th company from a surprise attack.

It was noon. Scouts discovered militants at the foot of height 776.0. The opponents were separated by tens of meters. In a matter of seconds, with the help of grenades, the vanguard of the bandits was destroyed. But after him dozens of “Mujahideen” poured in.

The scouts with the wounded on their shoulders retreated to the main forces, and the company had to take on an oncoming battle on the move. While the scouts could hold back the onslaught of the bandits, the battalion commander decided to gain a foothold on this forested height of 776.0 and not give the bandits the opportunity to escape and block the gorge.

Before the assault began, Khattab field commanders Idris and Abu Walid radioed the battalion commander and suggested that Yevtukhin let the “Mujahideen” through:

“There are ten times more of us here.” Think about it, commander, is it worth risking people? Night, fog - no one will notice...

It’s not hard to imagine what the battalion commander responded. After these “negotiations,” the bandits unleashed a barrage of fire from mortars and grenade launchers on the paratroopers’ positions. By midnight the battle reached its highest intensity. The guards did not flinch, although the enemy outnumbered them by more than 20 times. The bandits advanced to positions to throw a grenade. In some areas, the paratroopers came into hand-to-hand combat. One of the first in the 6th company to die was its commander Sergei Molodov - a sniper’s bullet hit him in the neck.

The command could only support the company with artillery fire. The fire of the regimental gunners was adjusted by the commander of the self-propelled battery, Captain Viktor Romanov. According to General Troshev, from noon on February 29 until the early morning of March 1, regimental gunners poured 1,200 shells into the Isty-Kord area. They did not use aviation for fear of hitting their own people. The bandits covered their flanks with water flows that were on the right and left, which did not make it possible to freely maneuver and provide effective assistance. The enemy set up ambushes and took up defensive positions on the shore, not allowing them to approach the tributaries of the Argun. Several crossing attempts ended in failure. The 1st company of paratroopers, sent to the rescue of their dying comrades, was able to break through to height 776.0 only on the morning of March 2.

From three to five in the morning on March 1, there was a “respite” - there were no attacks, but the mortars and snipers did not stop shelling. Battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin reported the situation to the regiment commander, Colonel Sergei Melentyev. He ordered to hold on and wait for help. After several hours of battle, it became obvious that the 6th Company simply did not have enough ammunition to hold off the continuous attacks of the militants. The battalion commander radioed for help from his deputy, Major Alexander Dostovalov, who was located one and a half kilometers from the dying company. There were fifteen fighters with him.

We like to say different things on any occasion. beautiful phrases, without really thinking about their meaning. I also liked the expression “ heavy fire" So here it is. Despite the heavy, unquote, enemy fire, Alexander Dostovalov and a platoon of paratroopers somehow miraculously managed to get through to their comrades, who were holding back the frantic onslaught of Khattab’s bandits for the second hour. For the 6th Company this was a powerful emotional charge. The guys believed that they were not abandoned, that they were remembered, that they would be helped.

...The platoon was enough for two hours of battle. At 5 o'clock Khattab launched two battalions of suicide bombers - "white angels" - into the attack. They completely surrounded the height, cutting off part of the last platoon, which never managed to rise to the height: it was shot almost in the back. The company itself was already collecting ammunition from the dead and wounded.

The forces were unequal. One after another, soldiers and officers died. Alexei Vorobyov had his legs broken by mine fragments, one bullet hit his stomach, and another pierced his chest. But the officer did not leave the battle. It was he who destroyed Idris, Khattab’s friend, the “chief of intelligence.”

On the night of March 1, at an altitude of 705.6, there was hand-to-hand combat, which has become focal. The snow at the height was mixed with blood. The paratroopers repelled the last attack with several machine guns. Battalion commander Mark Evtukhin realized that the life of the company was gone for minutes. A little more, and the bandits will burst out of the gorge over the corpses of the paratroopers. And then he turned to captain Viktor Romanov. He, bleeding, with the stumps of his legs tied with tourniquets, lay nearby - on the company command post.

- Come on, let's call fire on ourselves!

Already losing consciousness, Romanov transferred the coordinates to the battery. At 6:10 a.m. the connection with Lieutenant Colonel Evtukhin was lost. The battalion commander fired back until last cartridge and was hit in the head by a sniper bullet.

On the morning of March 2, the 1st company reached Isty-Kord. When the paratroopers pushed the militants back from height 705.6, a terrible picture opened before them: perennial beech trees, “trimmed” by shells and mines, and corpses everywhere, the corpses of “Mujahideen.” Four hundred people. In the company stronghold there are the bodies of 13 Russian officers and 73 sergeants and privates.

Following the “bloody trail,” Udugov posted eight photographs of the killed paratroopers on the Kavkaz-Center website. The photographs do not show that many of the bodies were hacked into pieces. “Fighters for the Faith” dealt with any paratroopers who still had life in them. This was told by those who miraculously managed to survive.

Senior Sergeant Alexander Suponinsky, on the orders of the commander, jumped into a deep ravine. Private Andrei Porshnev jumped next. About 50 militants fired at them from machine guns for half an hour. After waiting, the wounded paratroopers first crawled, and then full height began to leave. The guys miraculously survived.

“There were five of us left,” Andrei Porshnev later recalled, “battalion commander Evtyukhin, deputy battalion commander Dostavalov and senior lieutenant Kozhemyakin.” Officers. Well, Sasha and I. Evtyukhin and Dostavalov died, and Kozhemyakin’s both legs were broken, and he threw cartridges at us with his hands. The militants came close to us, there were about three meters left, and Kozhemyakin ordered us: leave, jump down... For that battle, Alexander Suponinsky received the star of the Hero of Russia.

A list of dead paratroopers was placed on the desk of Colonel-General Gennady Shpak, commander of the Airborne Forces. IN the smallest details All the circumstances of this fierce battle were reported. Shpak made a report to the Minister of Defense, Marshal Igor Sergeev, but in response received instructions: information about the events near Ulus-Kert should be prohibited from being disclosed until a separate order is given.

It just so happened that on February 29, Marshal Sergeev reported to Vladimir Putin about the successful completion of the tasks of the “third stage.” Only a few hours passed and a powerful group of militants struck the positions of the federal troops. What happened near Ulus-Kert in no way correlated with the victorious reports about the imminent and final defeat of the militants. And Comrade Marshal probably felt embarrassed for his last report. In order to somehow smooth out the embarrassment, the military was ordered to keep quiet. Only Gennady Troshev, on March 5, dared to tell part of the truth: “The 6th parachute company, which was at the forefront of the bandits’ attack, lost 31 people killed and some were wounded.”

During those same days, the country was experiencing another tragedy, which was reported by all the country’s television channels: 20 riot policemen from Sergiev Posad were killed in Chechnya. The military command was afraid to announce the riot police and paratroopers at the same time. The losses were too great...

Ulus-Kert has become one of the symbols of the newest Russian history. For how many years they tried to eradicate the Russian military spirit from us, it didn’t work. For many years the army was portrayed as a bunch of drunks, degenerates and sadists - and the paratrooper boys, living and dead, silenced the critics. This was a real feat that cannot be cast a shadow on. Although such attempts have taken place. Just like after the Alpha and Vympel fighters freed the hostages at Dubrovka - an operation in which FSB special forces could have died under the ruins of the Theater complex. From Ulus-Kert there is a road to Dubrovka. In both cases, Russian soldiers and officers, bearers of our age-old traditions, stood in the way of mercenaries and terrorists.

Pavel Evdokimov. Russian special forces, 2002.

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

The battle lasted from one o'clock in the afternoon to five in the morning on March 1st. According to various sources, the number of militants was estimated from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand.

84 military personnel were killed in the battle, including 13 officers. Only six fighters survived. The militants' losses ranged, according to various estimates, from 370 to 700 people.

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

The death of the 6th company of Pskov paratroopers, which heroically took the battle, shook the entire country, leaving even people far from the army and the war indifferent. The feat of the winged infantry became a symbol of military valor and the new Russian army.

List of dead paratroopers of the 6th company:

Guard Sergeant Komyagin Alexander Valerievich, grenade launcher 6 pdr. Born in the city of Rasskazovo, Tambov region on September 30, 1977. Russian. He was buried in the city of Rasskazovo. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

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

Guard senior lieutenant Panov Andrey Aleksandrovich, deputy commander of the PDR for educational work. Born in the city of Smolensk on February 25, 1974. Russian. He was buried in the city of Smolensk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Senior Lieutenant Alexey Vladimirovich Vorobyov, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company. Born in the village of Borovukha-1, Vitebsk region, on May 14, 1975. Russian. Buried in Kurmanaevsky district Orenburg region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

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

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

Guard Major Alexander Vasilyevich Dostavalov, deputy commander of the parachute battalion. Born in the city of Ufa on July 17, 1963. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin Mark Nikolaevich, commander of the parachute battalion. Born in the city of Yoshkar-Ola on May 1, 1964. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

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

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

Guard Sergeant Dmitry Viktorovich Grigoriev, grenade launcher of the 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Zakharinovo, Novosokolniki district, Pskov region, on November 6, 1978. Russian. He was buried in the Kunyinsky district of the Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Arkhipov Vladimir Vladimirovich, grenade launcher 6 pdr. Born in the village of Vyazki, Porkhovsky district, Pskov region, on October 27, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Shikov Sergei Aleksandrovich, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Velikiye Luki, Pskov region, on April 29, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Koshma, Velikoluksky district, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Vladimir Aleksandrovich Shvetsov, mechanic of the aviation equipment regulation and repair group. Born in the city of Pskov on September 18, 1978. Russian. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Mikhail Vitalievich Travin, driver-mechanic of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Pskov on February 11, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Vladimir Anatolyevich Islentyev, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Pyatchino, Strugokrasnensky district, Pskov region, on May 14, 1967. Russian. He was buried in the Strugokrasnensky district of the Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard Private Dmitry Ivanovich Ivanov, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Opochka, Pskov region on August 6, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Opochka, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard senior lieutenant Alexander Mikhailovich Kolgatin, commander of an engineer platoon. Born in the city of Kamyshino Volgograd region August 15, 1975. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kamyshino. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Vorobyov Alexey Nikolaevich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Demya, Novosokolniki district, Pskov region, on November 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Zhitovo, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard senior lieutenant Sherstyannikov Andrey Nikolaevich, commander of an anti-aircraft missile platoon. Born in the city of Ust-Kut Irkutsk region February 1, 1975. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ust-Kut. Posthumously awarded the Star of the Hero of Russia.

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

Guard captain Roman Vladimirovich Sokolov, deputy commander of the airborne forces, instructor of the airborne forces. Born on February 16, 1872 in the city of Ryazan. Russian. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Nishchenko Alexey Sergeevich, senior rifleman 9 pdr. Born in the village of Bezhanitsy, Pskov region on August 2, 1981. He was buried in the village of Borok, Bezhanitsky volost, Bezhanitsky district, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

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

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

Guard Private Alexander Vladimirovich Karoteev, senior gunner 3rd air rifle. Born in the city of Ostrov, Pskov region, on November 10, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Novaya Usitva, Palkinsky district, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Senior Sergeant Medvedev Sergey Yurievich, deputy platoon commander, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Biysk Altai Territory September 18, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Biysk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Mikhailov Sergey Anatolyevich, gunner-operator 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Novorzhev on September 28, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the city of Novorzhev, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Shukaev Alexey Borisovich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Ura-Guba Murmansk region October 24, 1963. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ostrov, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Trubenok Alexander Leonidovich, gunner-operator 9 pdr. Born in the village of Polotsk, Starodub district Bryansk region August 21, 1972. Russian. He was buried in the village of Polotsk, Bryansk region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Alexey Anatolyevich Nekrasov, machine gunner 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Kirov on February 4, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kirov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Alexey Valerievich Kiryanov, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Tchaikovsky, Perm Region, on September 23, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Olkhovochka, Perm region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Kobzev Alexander Dmitrievich, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Orlovo, Voronezh region in 1981. He was buried in Orlovo, Voronezh region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

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

Guard junior sergeant Ivan Gennadievich Pavlov, driver-mechanic of the 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Osyanka, Marevsky district, Novgorod region, on February 23, 1966. Russian. He was buried in the city of Novgorod. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Denis Aleksandrovich Tregubov, senior rifleman 9th Pdr. Born in the city of Chusovoy, Perm Region, on April 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Chusovoy, Perm region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard Private Vasilev Sergei Vladimirovich, commander of a combat vehicle, commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Bryansk on April 27, 1970. Russian. He was buried in the city of Bryansk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Ambetov Nikolai Kamitovich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born January 20, 1981, Kazakh. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Corporal Sokovanov Vasily Nikolaevich, gunner-operator 9 pdr. Born in the city of Kirov in November 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Orel, Kirov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Sergei Alekseevich Ivanov, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Borovichi, Novgorod region, on May 26, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the city of Borovichi, Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Vladimir Nikolaevich Izyumov, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Sokol, Volgograd region, on August 13, 1977. Russian. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard Private Rasskaz Alexey Vasilievich, deputy platoon commander, squad commander, commander of the 6th Pdr combat vehicle. Born in the city of Staraya Guta, Bryansk region, on May 31, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Uchinsk, Bryansk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

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

Guard Corporal Gerdt Alexander Alexandrovich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in Ordzhonikidze, Kazakhstan, February 11, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Siny Kolodets, Bryansk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

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

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

Guard Private Isaev Alexander Dmitrievich, surveyor of the control and artillery reconnaissance battery. Born in the city of Kirovsk Leningrad region January 16, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Shlisselburg, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard Private Denis Igorevich Belykh, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Severodvinsk on March 30, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kotelnichi, Kirov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Sergei Mikhailovich Bakulin, grenade launcher 6th pdr. Born in the village of Dedovichi, Pskov region, on June 2, 1978. Russian. He was buried in the village of Dedovichi, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard Sergeant Isakov Evgeniy Valerievich, platoon commander, squad leader. Born in the city of Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk region on February 8, 1977. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kholm. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Kenzhiev Amangeldy Amantaevich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Vladimirovka, Astrakhan region, on April 23, 1981. Kazakh. He was buried in the village of Vladimirovka, Astrakhan region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Popov Igor Mikhailovich, gunner-operator 7th Pdr. Born in the city of Fergana on January 4, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the village of Yablonovo, Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard senior sergeant Siraev Rustam Flaridovich, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Satka, Chelyabinsk region. September 5, 1976. Russian. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard Private Grudinsky Stanislav Igorevich, machine gunner 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Rybinsk Yaroslavl region June 18, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Igor Sergeevich Khvorostukhin, medical instructor of the 6th Pdr. Born in St. Petersburg on December 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of St. Petersburg. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard Private Piskunov Roman Sergeevich, driver-mechanic of the 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Sokolskoye, Sokolnichesky district, Ivanovo region, on March 14, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Balakhny, Nizhny Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard Private Timoshinin Konstantin Viktorovich, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Petrodvorets, Leningrad region, on January 8, 1976. Russian. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Lyashkov Yuri Nikolaevich, machine gunner 6 pdr. Born in the city of Zhmerynka, Vinnytsia region on March 15, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Chernyd, Perm region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Zaytsev Andrey Yuryevich, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Diveevo, Nizhny Novgorod region on February 1, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Diveevo, Nizhny Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Sudakov Roman Valerievich, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region, on May 18, 1981. Russian. He was buried at the Makarovskoye cemetery in the Rybinsk region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Ivanov Yaroslav Sergeevich, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Tikhvin, Leningrad region on August 21, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Tikhvin, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Vadim Vladimirovich Chugunov, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in St. Petersburg on October 5, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Orzhitsy, Lomonosov district, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Erdyakov Roman Sergeevich, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Kirov on June 13, 1979. Russian. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Roman Aleksandrovich Pakhomov, grenade launcher of the 9th Pdr. Born in the city of Dankov, Lipetsk region, on March 25, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Gryazi, Lipetsk region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Sergei Valerievich Zhukov, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in St. Petersburg on June 20, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of St. Petersburg. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

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

Guard junior sergeant Dmitry Sergeevich Shchemlev, intelligence officer. Born in St. Petersburg on July 28, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of St. Petersburg. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Sergeant Vladimir Ivanovich Kuptsov, commander of the 9th Pdr. Born in the village of Otradnoye, Kirov district, Leningrad region, on April 28, 1974. Russian. He was buried in the village of Priladozhsky, Leningrad Region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Vladislav Anatolyevich Dukhin, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th pdr. Born in the city of Stavropol on January 26, 1980. Russian. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard junior sergeant Alexey Yurievich Vasiliev, topographic geodesist, computer 2 SAB. Born in the village of Gostilitsy, Lomonosovsky district, Leningrad region in 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Gostilitsy, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Khamatov Evgeniy Kamitovich, intelligence officer of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in the city of Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk region on September 9, 1979. He was buried in the city of Podporozhye, Leningrad Region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Shalaev Nikolai Vasilievich, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Lodeynoye Pole, Leningrad Region, on August 12, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Lodeynoye Pole, Leningrad Region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Lebedev Viktor Nikolaevich, gunner-operator 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Orenburg on October 6, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Sevastopol. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Mikhail Vyacheslavovich Zagoraev, sapper. Born on February 4, 1971 in the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. He was buried in the military cemetery of the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
come back

The regimental tactical group of the 104th Parachute Regiment, by the decision of the commander of the Eastern Group, was given a combat mission: by 14.00 on February 29, 2000, complete the 2nd battalion’s entry to the line of marks 705.6, 626.0, and 787.0, which is four kilometers southeast of Ulus- Kerta. In this direction, the guards were supposed to block the area and prevent the enemy from moving towards the settlements of Makhkety, Kirov-Yurt, Elistanzhi, Selmentauzen, Vedeno.

Carrying out the instructions given by the high command combat mission, the 2nd battalion, with the forces of the 6th parachute landing company, the 3rd platoon of the 4th parachute landing company and the reconnaissance platoon, early in the morning of February 28, began moving from mark 636.0 along the route - mark 828.0, 819.0, Mount Dembay-irzy. By the end of the day, the paratroopers needed to cross the Abazulgol River and set up checkpoints at marks 776.0, 787.0, 626.0, Mount Istykort in order to prevent the enemy from heading towards Ulus-Kert, Selmentauzen. The unit was headed by the commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin. The exit to the indicated line was carried out on foot.

Moving at maximum speed, the 1st platoon of the 6th parachute company, together with a reconnaissance patrol under the command of Guard Senior Lieutenant Vorobyov, reached an altitude of 776.0 by 16:00 on February 28

However, by the end of the day the paratroopers were prevented from completing their task by weather conditions. A sudden thick fog made further movement of units almost impossible. Therefore, the group commander made a decision: to suspend the task until the morning and free time devote to preparing the fire system, engineering equipment of positions and rest. The 6th parachute company with the 3rd platoon of the 4th airborne division and with reinforcement equipment were also forced to stop moving and stay overnight on Mount Dembayirzy.

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

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

The enemy responded with machine gun and sniper rifle fire and began to pull in reinforcements. The commander of the 6th Airborne Company of the Guard, Major S. Molodov, was not at a loss, but competently organized the battle, during which the militants suffered losses. However, there were also wounded among the paratroopers.

Having brought up additional forces and thereby creating a numerical superiority in manpower, the militants opened hurricane fire on the paratroopers from sniper rifles, machine guns and under-barrel grenade launchers. A difficult situation arose, to resolve which the commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin, made the only right decision - to retreat to a height of 776.0 and organize a defense there, at a more advantageous line.

The reconnaissance officers under the command of Guard Senior Lieutenant A. Vorobyov were entrusted with covering the withdrawal of two platoons of the 6th parachute company. Having taken up convenient positions on the southern outskirts of the clearing, the reconnaissance soldiers returned fire at the militants, which allowed the 6th Infantry Division to retreat, evacuate the wounded and organize a defense.

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

Having occupied a height of 776.0, the 6th parachute company under the command of the deputy commander of the guard company, Captain R. Sokolov, repelled attacks by militants until 16.50, who, despite significant losses (about 60 people were killed), continued to advance.

By 5 p.m., the militants again brought up reinforcements and, increasing the intensity of the fire, attempted to attack the heights from two directions - western and northwestern. A difficult battle ensued.

The commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin, personally directed the fire of his subordinates, adjusted artillery fire and constantly moved to the most dangerous directions. During the continuous shelling, he managed to remove five wounded subordinates from the enemy’s fire, and evacuated the wounded guard sergeant A. Suponinsky from the battlefield, who subsequently fought to the end next to Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin.

At the same time, two platoons of the 3rd parachute company, located at around 666.0, commanded by Guard Captain Vasiliev, entered into battle with the bandits. The guards repelled several enemy attacks, killing 12 militants, and attempted to break through to the 6th Airborne Company. However, this attempt was unsuccessful: the paratroopers were stopped by heavy enemy fire. During the breakthrough, Guard artillery spotter Lieutenant Yu. Zolotov was wounded.

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

Until the evening of February 29, the militants continued to fire heavily from small arms and grenade launchers. Carrying big losses, the bandits continued to attack the paratroopers' positions over and over again. Khattab himself gathered militants and uncontrollably threw them into battle formations mouth. However, all attempts by the bandits to take control of the height were in vain. The guardsmen courageously repulsed all enemy attacks.

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

The militants made another attempt to knock down the brave guardsmen from the heights. A “Jamar” detachment of more than 400 people, led by one of Khattab’s field commanders, Bodi Bakuev, with the support of the detachments of Vakha Arsanov and Khattab, rushed into a massive attack on the company stronghold. The bandits came in waves. Using river beds and exposed flanks, they attempted to outflank the company's position on the left flank. To prevent encirclement, a platoon of guard Lieutenant D. Kozhemyakin advanced, who, having taken an advantageous position, repelled the fierce attacks of the militants for three hours. At the cost of their lives, the guards thwarted the bandits' plan.

For several hours the bandits tried to overthrow the company from above, but all their attacks were repulsed.

Having failed to achieve success, at 01.50 on March 1, the militants ceased fire and retreated. Seeing that all their massive attacks were being smashed against the well-organized defense of the paratroopers and were not bringing any results, the bandits decided to resort to other methods. They began asking the guards to leave their position, let them through, and surrender. But this had no effect on the fighters. Showing restraint, composure, and remaining faithful to military duty, each paratrooper made the only right decision for himself - to stand to the end and not let the militants through at all costs. Behind them were those freed from gangs settlements, artillery positions, command posts.

The 1st parachute landing company and a reconnaissance platoon led by the chief of reconnaissance of the regiment, Major Baran S.I., who arrived at Mount Dembayirzy at approximately 23.00, at the direction of the regiment commander, attempted to cross the Abazulgol River in the area water crossing- mark 520.0 and break through to the 6th PDR, but were stopped by heavy enemy fire. Subsequent attempts to break through to their comrades were also unsuccessful. Each time the paratroopers ran into heavy fire from the bandits. Having failed to achieve the desired result, the 1st PDR was forced to retreat to Mount Dembayirzy by 04.00.

Taking advantage of the short-term lull, the 3rd platoon of the 4th airborne division (guard platoon commander Lieutenant O. Ermakov) led by the deputy commander of the guard battalion, Major A. Dostavalov, attempted to break through to the 6th parachute company. Hiding behind one squad, which was headed by Guard Lieutenant O. Ermakov, by 03.40 Guard Major A. Dostavalov with a group of paratroopers managed to break through to the battalion commander. During the breakthrough of the guard, Lieutenant O. Ermakov was seriously wounded in the stomach. Realizing that the wound he received was fatal, the brave officer covered his comrades until his last breath, allowing the platoon to break through to the 6th parachute company.

During the breakthrough, Guard Major A. Dostavalov was wounded. However, overcoming the pain, the officer remained in service.

The militants, not paying attention to their losses, launched an attack on the company's strong point from all directions. In some areas they managed to get very close to the positions of the 6th Airborne Company. Despite multiple leg wounds received as a result of a mine explosion, artillery spotter V. Romanov continued to correct artillery fire. As the militants approached, shell explosions approached 50-60 meters to the front line of the paratroopers’ defense. After the death of Guard Captain V. Romanov, the fire was adjusted by Guard Lieutenant A. Ryazantsev, who gave the necessary coordinates to the artillerymen until he was hit by an enemy bullet.

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

The militants again brought up the selected Jamar detachment of about 400 people for reinforcements. Having failed to achieve success in the northern direction, the bandits this time concentrated their efforts on the southern direction, which was defended by Lieutenant A. Kozhemyakin with his guard group. Despite the enemy's multiple superiority, the paratroopers did not flinch, but courageously repelled the attacks of the bandits. During the guard battle, Lieutenant A. Kozhemyakin was mortally wounded.

The surviving small group of paratroopers, led by the battalion commander, concentrated at the triangle of the summit. Here the 6th company was received last Stand. At 06.10, communication with the battalion commander was lost. Last words guard Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin were: “I call fire on myself.”

The bandits rushed like an avalanche towards a handful of brave paratroopers. Without shooting, with shouts of "Allah"
Akbar!", the bandits went for a breakthrough. The battle escalated into hand-to-hand combat. But the forces were too unequal. The extremists, the selected bandits Khattab, were opposed by 26 wounded guardsmen. But, despite the numerical superiority, the paratroopers of the guard of Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin showed steadfastness, courage and heroism. They fulfilled their military duty to the end.

The surviving guard, Senior Lieutenant A. Vorobiev, with two soldiers, attempted to break out of the encirclement. During the battle, the brave commander was wounded in the stomach and leg.

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

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

The bandits paid dearly for the death of the paratrooper heroes. More than 400 militants found their deaths on the battlefield. Guard senior lieutenant A. Vorobyov killed the field commander Idris. In total, as it became known from radio interception and intelligence data, three detachments of militants from the group under the command of Khattab, totaling up to 2,500 people, tried to break through in the direction of the 2nd battalion, but, thanks to the tenacity and courage of the paratroopers, they managed to break out of the Argun Gorge failed…

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

12 years ago, 90 paratroopers of the 6th company of the 2nd battalion of the 104th parachute regiment of the 76th (Pskov) Airborne Division in the mountains entered into battle with militants numbering about 2,000 people. The paratroopers held back the onslaught of the militants for more than a day, who then offered money over the radio to let them through, to which the paratroopers responded with fire.

The paratroopers fought to the death. Despite their wounds, many threw grenades into the midst of their enemies. Blood flowed in a stream along the road leading down. For each of the 90 paratroopers there were 20 militants.

Help could not arrive to the paratroopers, since all approaches to them were blocked by militants.

When the ammunition began to run out, the paratroopers rushed into hand-to-hand combat. The dying company commander ordered the survivors to leave the heights, and he himself called artillery fire on himself. Of the 90 paratroopers, 6 soldiers survived. The losses of the militants are more than 400 people.

Prerequisites

After the fall of Grozny in early February 2000, a large group of Chechen militants retreated to the Shatoi region of Chechnya, where on February 9 they were blocked by federal troops. Airstrikes were carried out on militant positions using one and a half ton volumetric detonating bombs. This was followed by a ground battle for Shata from 22-29 February. The militants managed to break out of the encirclement: Ruslan Gelayev’s group broke through in the north-western direction to the village of Komsomolskoye (Urus-Martan district), and Khattab’s group - in the north-eastern direction through Ulus-Kert (Shatoi district), where the battle took place.

Parties

Federal forces were represented by:

6th company of the 2nd battalion of the 104th parachute regiment of the 76th (Pskov) Airborne Division (guard Lieutenant Colonel M. N. Evtyukhin)

a group of 15 soldiers of the 4th company (guard Major A.V. Dostavalov)

1st company of the 1st battalion of the 104th parachute regiment (guard major S.I. Baran)

Artillery units also provided fire support to the paratroopers:

artillery division of the 104th parachute regiment

Among the leaders of the militants were Idris, Abu Walid, Shamil Basayev and Khattab; the units of the last two field commanders in the media were called “White Angels” battalions (600 fighters each). According to the Russian side, up to 2,500 militants took part in the battle; according to the militants, their detachment consisted of 70 fighters.

Progress of the battle

February 28 - the commander of the 104th regiment, Colonel S. Yu. Melentyev, ordered the commander of the 6th company, Major S. G. Molodov, to occupy the dominant heights of Isty-Kord. The company moved out on February 28 and occupied height 776, and 12 scouts were sent to Mount Isty-Kord, located 4.5 kilometers away.

Battle scheme

On February 29 at 12:30, the reconnaissance patrol entered into battle with a group of about 20 militants and was forced to retreat to Hill 776, where the guard company commander, Major Molodov, entered the battle. He was wounded and died later that day, and Guard Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin took command of the company.

At 16:00, just four hours after the capture of Shatoi federal forces, the battle began. The battle was fought by only two platoons, since the third platoon, which stretched for 3 kilometers during the ascent, was fired upon and destroyed by militants on the slope.
By the end of the day, the 6th company lost 31 people killed (33% to total number personnel).

On March 1, at 3 o’clock in the morning, a group of soldiers led by Major A.V. Dostavalov (15 people) was able to break through to the encirclement, who, having violated the order, left the defensive lines of the 4th company at a nearby height and came to the rescue.

The soldiers of the 1st company of the 1st battalion sought to rescue their comrades. However, while crossing the Abazulgol River, they were ambushed and were forced to gain a foothold on the bank. Only on the morning of March 3 did the 1st company manage to break through to the positions of the 6th company.

Consequences

At 05:00 the height was occupied by CRI militants.

Captain V.V. Romanov, after the death of M.N. Evtyukhin, who commanded the company, called fire on himself. The height was covered with artillery fire, but the militants managed to break out of the Argun Gorge.

The commander of the guard reconnaissance platoon, senior lieutenant A.V. Vorobyov, destroyed field commander Idris (according to other sources, Idris died only in December 2000)

Survivors

After the death of A.V. Dostavalov, the last officer left alive was Lieutenant D.S. Kozhemyakin. He ordered A.A. Suponinsky to crawl to the cliff and jump, and he himself picked up a machine gun to cover the private. Following the officer's order, Alexander Suponinsky and Andrei Porshnev crawled to the cliff and jumped, and by the middle of the next day they reached the location Russian troops. Alexander Suponinsky, the only one of the six survivors, was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of Russia.