FSB Special Purpose Center. TsSN FSB of Russia (35 photos)

October 2008 marks the tenth anniversary of one of the most combative units in the fight against terrorism - the Center special purpose FSB of Russia. He is responsible for the neutralization of such iconic figures of the “dollar jihad” as Salman Raduev, Arbi Baraev, Abu Umar, Abu-Havs, Shamil Basayev, Aslan Maskhadov.

Mobile "fist"
BEFORE THE SECOND STARTS Chechen war There was less than a year left when, on October 8, 1998, on the initiative of the then FSB director Vladimir Putin, a decision was made to create a mobile “fist” in order to strengthen the FSB’s power bloc. Subsequent events in the country and the world fully confirmed the correctness and, most importantly, the timeliness of the decision made.
The center was formed on the basis of two combat directorates - “A” and “B”, or “Alpha” and “Vympel”. IN short term All the necessary structures were formed - headquarters, personnel department, secretariat, financial and economic department, security department and support service.
The specialization of Alpha employees, as before, is the neutralization of terrorists who hijack aircraft, watercraft, ground transport, and also hold hostages in buildings. Vympel employees have a slightly different task - neutralizing terrorists at nuclear and strategically important industrial facilities. After ten years, the Center emphasizes, each of the two departments managed to preserve its own style and established traditions within a single structure. This is especially true for Alpha, where there was no painful generation gap, unlike Vympel, which was transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs after the events of October 1993.
On July 16, 1999, shortly before the invasion of Dagestan by the gangs of Khattab and Sh. Basayev, by order of the director of the FSB, the Special Operations Service was created, which structurally became part of the TsSN. Its main purpose is to work on illegal armed groups, crime bosses, arms dealers and drug lords.
The head of the Special Purpose Center is Hero of Russia, Colonel General Alexander Evgenievich Tikhonov, appointed to this position by Decree of the President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin October 22, 1998.
For ten years, the TsSN employees have had the difficult task of combating international terrorism in the North Caucasus and beyond. Working on a rotational basis, from business trip to business trip, almost all of his personnel went through North Caucasian “universities.” Similarly, employees of Group “A”, by order of KGB Chairman V.M. Chebrikov was put through the crucible of Afghanistan in 1983–1987. True, back then it was called “combat training.”
The first operation in which the Center’s employees participated was to repel the aggression of the “Mujahideen” gangs that invaded Dagestan in the summer of 1999 from the territory of Ichkeria. Vympel fighters operated in Botlikh and other places, setting up sniper ambushes and inflicting fire on the militants. Well, then the second Chechen campaign began for the entire Center.
In addition, the FSB special forces have protected top officials on the territory of the Chechen Republic, as well as dozens of successfully carried out operations against bandit formations and specific field commanders of the “Chechen jihad”. Among them is the delicate detention of Salman Raduev, the leader of the “army of General Dudayev”, carried out by the combined operational-combat TsSN group in the village of Novogroznensky in 2000, and the liquidation of Aslan Maskhadov in March 2005 - in the regional center of Tolstoy-Yurt.
Outside Chechnya, a real classic was the “sniper assault” of the intercity regular bus “Ikarus”, carried out in the summer of 2001 at the airport Mineralnye Vody Alpha employees. The terrorist was killed and none of the hostages were injured.
Shortly before this, in September 2000, a successful special operation was carried out in the village of Lazarevskoye Krasnodar region, where armed bandits took hostage the builders of a private hotel. They threw grenades at the yard in front of the building and demanded a large amount money and a plane. The situation was resolved without the use of force thanks to the skill of the TsSN negotiators. As a result, the terrorists freed the hostages and surrendered. The operation was led by the head of the Center, Colonel General Tikhonov.
The events at the Theater Complex on Dubrovka became the highest test of strength, professionalism and fortitude. Thanks to the actions of the Alpha and Vympel fighters, who walked along the razor’s edge, the hostages were freed and the terrorists were eliminated.
The day after the release of the Nord-Ost hostages, employees of Alpha and Vympel were invited to the Kremlin by Vladimir Putin. The case is unprecedented: Yeltsin never - even during the crisis days of August 1991 and October 1993 - received ordinary special forces soldiers in his apartments. Gorbachev did not favor them either. Previous leaders preferred to communicate only with generals. The Center's fighters arrived to the President in in full force in suits and ties.
No one at that moment could, naturally, imagine that no less dramatic events awaited the FSB special forces and the country as a whole - the seizure of school No. 1 in the city of Beslan, carried out on the orders of Maskhadov and Sh. Basayev. And the self-sacrifice of fighters with the letters “A” and “B”.
Currently, the Special Forces Center, located in the south-west of Moscow (the Priboi facility) and the town of Balashikha near Moscow, consists of four combat structures. In addition to Directorates “A” and “B” and the Special Operations Service, a division was created with permanent place deployments in the North Caucasus. He carries out his operational and combat work in close cooperation with the FSB Aviation Directorate. A special article is the contribution of the Center’s doctors, whose skillful and courageous hands saved many lives and destinies.
Over ten years, the Center’s employees have carried out over 2,500 military operations to free hostages, neutralize the leaders of gangs, suppress channels of illegal sales of weapons and drugs, and protect the country’s leadership. Sixteen officers and warrant officers were awarded the title of Hero of Russia (eight of them posthumously), and they were awarded orders and medals more than 1,500 times.

Basic principles
There are a lot of people who want to join the Center. The selection is strict: first of all, the Center focuses on people who have already proven themselves to be professionals in one of the fields special training with combat experience and good military education, as well as graduates of universities of the Ministry of Defense, internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs, Border Service of the FSB and Ryazan Airborne Forces School. At the same time, the Center trains professionals in categories that only they can train themselves - snipers, parachutists and combat swimmers.
In addition to physical data special attention draws on high moral and psychological qualities. When joining one of the Center’s structures, the candidate must be ready, if circumstances so require, to give his life saving the lives of hostages. The study process lasts at least a year and a half, and the dropout rate is very large.
The training of FSB officers is based on a fusion of martial arts elements selected by practice. It includes hand-to-hand combat, boxing, sambo, judo and some elements of karate. The Center's instructors carefully monitor current development trends and creatively use those that can provide the greatest effectiveness in operational combat work. In approximately half of the operations carried out by the Center’s staff, success was achieved precisely thanks to mastery of the techniques hand-to-hand combat.
As for fire training, it has a clearly applied nature. The emphasis is on developing stable shooting skills in conditions that are as close as possible to real-life situations. The level of training of TsSN employees allows them to take prizes in all-Russian and international competitions, as well as effectively solve the entire range of operational and combat missions. In 2006 and 2007, the Center's employees won and became prize-winners of the World and European Championships in sniper rifle shooting.
The entire training system is aimed at developing young employees. It is carried out by managers at all levels and instructors. It includes, among other aspects, the institute of mentoring, completion of various training camps, classes and obtaining good operational training in training centers and FSB institutions. One of the main tasks set at the Center is not only to teach how to shoot well and master hand-to-hand combat techniques, but above all to consciously act as part of a unit.
One of the traditional questions asked to FSB special forces commanders is: how long does it take to develop a true professional from a beginner? In previous years the answer was: five years. Now professional development is happening much faster: this is the specificity! For the last ten years, the Center has been continuously participating in special operations in the North Caucasus, which affects the quality of personnel.
Psychological preparation plays a decisive role when performing combat missions. During the Open Championship of the FSB of Russia in hand-to-hand combat, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the TsSN, the head of the TsSN, Hero of Russia, Colonel General Alexander Tikhonov emphasized in an interview with the press: “Issues of psychology come first, even compared to issues of weapons and equipment. Psychological readiness"For a special forces officer to operate effectively in an environment that is constantly evolving and unpredictable is critical to the successful completion of the assigned mission."
“Over the years, it has been carried out large number special operations, including the release of hostages. Among them are famous and little-known operations, in which the tempering of officers took place and where the Center gained its power. The most important thing is that all these years we have been improving the tactics of conducting special operations, raising the level of professionalism, including psychological preparation employees,” noted the head of the Center.
At Priboi and Balashikha, criteria for the combat readiness of both the Center as a whole and each unit separately were developed. They consist of staffing levels, the availability of the required amount of weapons, equipment, communications equipment, high professional training of employees and coherence of units, a healthy moral and psychological climate in teams, well-functioning sustainable management, and high mobility.

Combined assault
DURING major sporting competitions, militants from one of the international terrorist organizations seized the team and made unacceptable demands, threatening to exterminate the hostages. At the same time, a second group of terrorists took hostage passengers on a city bus in order to divert forces and resources. law enforcement agencies.
To accomplish the task, the FSB Special Purpose Center involved parachutists, high-altitude specialists, sniper units, engineering and other units, as well as armored vehicles and two Mi-8 helicopters of the FSB Aviation Directorate. The FSB leadership decided to storm an apartment on the fifth floor of a twelve-story building where the terrorists were holding hostages.
This was the legend for the demonstration performances of the FSB special forces in front of participants and guests VII International meetings of heads of intelligence services, security agencies and law enforcement agencies on issues of combating terrorism, as well as three international organizations: Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council, Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure Shanghai organization cooperation and the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center. The meeting took place at the end of March 2008 in the capital of Ugra - the city of Khanty-Mansiysk. There really was something to see: it’s one thing to read the meager lines of newspaper reports about the release of hostages, and quite another to see with your own eyes how special forces operate in real conditions. And the conditions were as close as possible to combat conditions.
Paratroopers of the first group jumped from a Mi-8 helicopter from a height of one and a half kilometers onto the roof of a 12-story residential building and ensured the landing of the main assault group from the second helicopter hovering above the roof of the building. Spectators could watch how fighters with controlled parachutes approached the target and how difficult the jump itself and the landing accuracy were due to the strong gusty wind. In addition, the roof of the building had a large number of projections, which left the paratroopers with only two small landing areas.
At the same time, the second group descended directly to the roof using a rope ladder from the second Mi-8 helicopter. Representatives of the intelligence services of 54 states were shown the capabilities of high-altitude special forces, who moved along the walls to the lower floors. Such a spectacular element as a “living staircase” was also demonstrated: the special forces, having formed a human chain, climbed to the height of the fifth floor.
After the command “Storm!” At the same time, a combined assault on the captured apartment began from all sides. The windows in it were broken by targeted explosions and flew out along with the frames. As they later explained, no iron grille could withstand such explosions. As a result, in a matter of seconds the terrorists were destroyed and the hostages were freed. At the same time, at the other end of the city, an operation was carried out to free the passengers of the regular bus. It was unexpectedly blocked by armored vehicles, and masked soldiers poured out of the truck that appeared. A few moments - and this part of the terrorists shared the fate of their accomplices.

Night fight
ONE of the operations carried out by the Center shortly before its tenth anniversary, unlike many other events, ended up in the central press. On the night of Wednesday, September 17, 2008, in the foothill Suleiman-Stalsky region of Dagestan, Zakir Novruzov’s gang was ambushed by TsSN employees. The terrorists traveled in a Gazelle minibus. FSB special forces soldiers took up positions on the highway near the village of Tsmur. As a result of the clash, the leader and ten bandits were killed. An employee of the Center’s branch from Dagestan was mortally wounded...
The hunt for Zakir Novruzov's group lasted for ten days. Since then, in the Magaramkent region of the republic, several gang leaders belonging to the Yuzhnaya group were ambushed by security officers. Among them is commander Ilgar Mollachiev, who has also held the title of Amir of Dagestan since October 2007. (He succeeded in this post field commander Rappani Khalilov, destroyed in September last year.) Shamil Basayev awarded him the highest order of Ichkeria for destroying a helicopter in Botlikh with an anti-tank guided missile. Then Hero of Russia pilot Yuri Naumov died.
Despite being introduced in several populated areas In the Tabasaran and Derbent regions, a counter-terrorism operation was in effect; some of the militants subordinate to Emir Mollachiev hid in the local forests. However, the militants, driven into a corner, had less and less room for maneuver.
On September 16, operatives received information that Novruzov’s group and the militants from Emirbek Ragimkhanov’s group who had joined him (he was killed in the city of Derbent along with Mollachiev) were going to change their location. At about one o'clock in the morning, at the junction of the borders of the Suleiman-Stal and Khiva regions of the republic, a Gazelle with militants was shot down by a grenade launcher. The remaining terrorists dispersed, firing back with machine guns. The battle lasted about an hour and a half.
When almost none of the passengers of the Gazelle were left alive, the wounded driver attracted the attention of the special forces by shouting - allegedly he was a hostage of the militants. However, when two fighters approached him and tried to find out who he was, he fired at them. One of the FSB officers was wounded in the chest, from which he died in the hospital, another was slightly wounded. The “sword of Allah” was destroyed by return fire.
Not only was it confiscated from the battle site small arms, ammunition (the passengers of the Gazelle had seven machine guns), a solid supply of food and religious literature, but also several improvised explosive devices. The plans of the militants, according to operational information, included the seizure of one of the rural secondary schools in the Suleiman-Stal district.
Since the creation of the Center, 32 people have suffered irreparable losses. In Directorate “A”, if we take the ten years of the TsSN’s existence, nine employees died, one died suddenly on combat duty. Colleagues from departments “B” and “C” have their own mournful martyrology.

FROM THE DOSSIER. On July 9, 2007, at the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna performed the rite of great consecration of the temple in the name of the Great Martyr George the Victorious. The temple was built on the initiative of veterans of special services in memory of employees who died heroically while performing service and combat missions. The names of the fallen soldiers are placed on marble plaques located in the side naves of the temple. For assistance in the construction of the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' awarded the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Dmitry Donskoy II degree to the head of the Special Forces Center of the Hero of Russia, Colonel General Alexander Tikhonov and member of the Federation Council Rustem Shiyanov. Members of the Center's leadership and benefactors were awarded high church awards.

Pavel EVDOKIMOV
Photo from the TsSN archive

In connection with requests regarding the opportunity to serve in Alpha, Vympel, and regional anti-terror units, we are placing this information, which will allow you to remove the initial standard questions and really assess your physical and psychological capabilities.

Primary selection

The selection system for anti-terrorism special forces is carried out in several stages. To serve in the special forces of the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia, as a rule, officers and warrant officers are selected, as well as cadets of military schools as candidates for officer positions.

97% of positions in special forces are officer positions, and only 3% are warrant officer positions. Accordingly, the officer must have higher education, warrant officer - not below average. Warrant officers are usually assigned to the positions of drivers and instructors.

Firstly, a candidate for special forces must be recommended by either a current TsSN employee or a veteran who previously served in Alpha, Vympel or Directorate S. Selection is also carried out from cadets of universities of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation or from border institutes of the FSB.

Preference is given to those who are already studying at the special forces faculty, which is in the Novosibirsk Higher Combined Arms command school. Children from the Moscow Higher Educational Institution are also being selected. During all these educational institutions Center employees regularly come and carry out the initial selection. First, the cadets' personal files are examined, and then potential candidates are interviewed.

There is one serious physical limitation for candidates - height must be at least 175 cm. This is due to the fact that during operations, employees often use heavy armored shields of impressive size. For short employees, these protective equipment drags on the ground.

An exception may be made for a candidate whose professional merits outweigh his lack of height and can be used during a special operation to penetrate airplane hatches (as an example).

Another limitation is age. The candidate must be no older than 28 years old. True, an exception may be made for those who come to the TsSN from other law enforcement agencies and have combat experience.

Physical testing

Physical testing is divided into two stages, which take place on the same day. During the first, candidates pass physical training standards, followed by sparring in hand-to-hand combat.

The candidate arrives at the “facility” and changes into sportswear for the season. He must run a distance of three kilometers in 10 minutes 30 seconds. After the finish, he is given 5 minutes to rest, and then his sprinting qualities are tested in overcoming the hundred-meter race against the clock. The qualifying result is about 12 seconds.

Then, with a light jog, you need to go up to the gym, where the crossbar awaits the candidate. The candidate for Directorate “A” is required to do 25 pull-ups, and for Directorate “B” - 20. Here and below, after each exercise, 3 minutes of rest are given between exercises.

Next, you need to perform 90 flexions and extensions of the torso in two minutes. This is followed by push-ups from the floor. The test for Control “A” is 90 times, for Control “B” - 75. Sometimes push-ups can be replaced with push-ups on uneven bars. In this case, the required amount is 30 times.

The execution time is not strictly limited, but the candidate is not allowed to rest during execution. They also monitor quite strictly how the exercise is performed. If a candidate, in the opinion of the receiving employee, does not perform this or that exercise clearly, it will not be counted towards him.

After this, the candidate is asked to perform a complex strength exercise. For “A” and “B” - 7 and 5 times, respectively. A complex exercise includes 15 push-ups from the floor, 15 flexions and extensions of the torso (testing the abdominals), then 15 times moving from the “crouched” position to the “lying position” and back, then 15 jumps from the “crouched” position up.

Each exercise is given 10 seconds. The described cycle is a one-time execution of a complex exercise. There is no rest break between each exercise. Sometimes in Directorate “A” it is suggested to perform an endurance test - jump up 100 times.

Hand to hand combat

Having completed the physical test, the candidate rests for 3 minutes, after which, putting on protection on his legs, groin, helmet on his head, gloves on his hands, he goes out onto the wrestling mat. The candidate's opponent is an instructor or a well-trained employee. In this case, the candidate’s weight category is not taken into account, and an employee weighing under 100 kg can go up against him, weighing, for example, 75 kilograms. The fight consists of three rounds.

In the ring, the candidate is required to be active; passive defense is not encouraged. This is very difficult to do, given the loads that the candidate overcame during the physical tests. A completely fresh employee goes against him. Here, first of all, fighting qualities, the ability to attack, the ability to take a blow and, of course, will are tested. There were cases when masters of sports did not stand in the ring, and guys who did not have any serious sports titles, on the contrary, persistently attacked and rushed at the enemy.

To some extent, the hand-to-hand combat phase resembles the similar phase of testing candidates during the examination for obtaining maroon beret. True, it must be said that the TsSN takes a more balanced approach to verification, without trying to kill the candidate. The instructor often lets the candidate work on his own, take the initiative, in order to understand what he can do. Although there were cases when arms and noses were broken during sparring. Sometimes, to test the ability to punch and kick, the candidate is allowed to work on a bag.

This phase of testing is completed. Preference is given to candidates with sporting achievements in martial arts, as well as boxing and wrestling. Although they also accept runners.

If a candidate for a special forces unit comes from other units of the Special Purpose Center, he may be subject to additional requirements. Shooting skills or swimming ability should be tested (100 meters for a while and 25 meters under water without any equipment).

Special check

Next comes the so-called special check, during which even all relatives are thoroughly checked. While this process is going on, the candidate undergoes an initial examination by a psychologist, who, using tests, studies the personality of the subject, his character, temperament, moral attitudes, etc. During the interview, the psychologist also tries to identify the personality traits of the candidate and clarifies for himself some unclear points. It happens that candidates do not say something or lie.

Based on the results of the initial selection, the psychologist draws up a psychological profile of the candidate. It is filed in the special inspection file. This document is necessary for the future boss to understand what kind of person came to serve in the unit.

The candidate then undergoes an in-depth medical examination to determine his suitability for airborne training. Here he will also undergo a mandatory polygraph test.

The polygraph (also known as a “lie detector”) is intended, first of all, to identify “ dark spots biographies”, such as: addiction to alcohol and drugs, connections with the criminal world, corruption motives, antisocial tendencies and other aspects.

Based on the results of the examination, a certificate is drawn up. The candidate's assessment is compiled in points, which gives a visible picture of how successfully he passed the tests. For example, total quantity Possible physical fitness points - 900. Minimum quantity points from which a candidate begins to be considered for enrollment in the Center for Social Sciences is 700. The average passing score is 800.

Family conversation

After the candidate is recognized as having successfully passed the selection tests and is checked, an interview with his parents and wife is required. During the conversation, the nature and characteristics of service in special forces are explained to them.

The result of this interview must be the written consent of the parents and wife with the candidate’s admission to serve in the special forces. This procedure is primarily due to the fact that special forces perform tasks with an increased risk to life.

If the candidate has successfully completed all the stages and his relatives are not against his service in the TsSN, he is enlisted in the special forces as a young officer. These undergo an initiation ritual with the presentation of black berets and special Anti-Terror knives, which are officially adopted by special forces. They are also given gifts from International Association veterans of the anti-terrorism unit "Alpha" (watch).

If the selected candidate does not perform well the best side, he may be expelled from the special forces.

Further preparation

In September-October, the Center conducts a training course for young employees, during which they engage in mountain and airborne training and other special disciplines. By the way, absolutely all employees of combat departments jump with a parachute.

Upon completion of this stage, young employees return to their units, where they undergo training within the units for three years. Already there there is a division into regular and non-regular positions.

Specialization training is separate program, which requires a long time and perseverance for an employee to become a true professional in his field. An audit is carried out at the end of each year professional qualities And physical training all employees of the Center.

If young employees are taken on combat missions, it is only to perform some support functions. Only those who have served in the unit for at least two years, or employees who previously had combat experience, take part in special operations.

There is an unspoken rule at the Center that After enlisting in special forces, an employee is required to serve in it for at least five years. This is exactly the period needed to prepare a great anti-terror “action film.” The vast majority continue to serve.

Alpha Group or Directorate "A" TsSN FSB- a special unit of the Federal Security Service of Russia, intended mainly for the release of hostages and anti-terrorist operations.

General information

Formed by order of the Chairman of the KGB Yu.V. Andropov in 1974 as a response to the terrorist attack at the Munich Olympics. Initially, it was a group of 30 people, subordinate first to the 5th and then to the 7th Main Directorate of the KGB. Currently subordinate to the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia; special forces with the same name for a similar purpose are available in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The exact composition and size of the Alpha group is strictly classified.

Preparation of TsSN FSB "Alpha"

Initially, the Alpha group was staffed exclusively by officers and warrant officers (the latter are about 3% of the number, they occupy mainly auxiliary positions, for example, instructors). The age limit for candidates is 28 years (for those who came from other special forces, there is no this limit). There is also one serious physical limitation for candidates - height must be at least 175 centimeters. This is due to the fact that during operations, employees often use heavy armored shields of impressive dimensions. For short employees, these protective equipment simply drag on the ground.

Physical fitness requirements:

• Running 100 meters in 12 seconds;
• 3000 meters in 10.5 minutes;
• Pull-ups on the bar - 25 times;
• Torso bending - 90 times in 2 minutes;
• Push-ups from the floor - 90 times;
• Push-ups on parallel bars - 30 times.
• Complex strength exercise (15 push-ups, 15 flexions and extensions of the torso (abdominal test), then 15 times moving from the “crouched” position to the “lying position” and back, then 15 jumps from the “crouched” position up) - 7 once in a row.

Candidates undergo special verification and psychological testing. The consent of the candidate's parents and spouse is mandatory for enrollment in Alpha. Those who successfully pass all these stages of selection are enlisted in the special forces, receiving black berets and Anti-Terror knives, after which they leave for their groups, where they undergo training in their specialty for 3 years.

Combat Operations Alpha

The first of Alpha's most high-profile operations was the storming of the palace of the Afghan dictator Kh. Amin on December 27, 1979. 24 special forces officers were part of the combined assault group together with the Zenit and Cascade groups. Alpha operated in Afghanistan throughout armed conflict, performing tasks for anti-sabotage protection of Kabul and direct protection of the Soviet embassy.

One of the types of tasks that only Alpha successfully handled in the USSR was the release of planes hijacked by terrorists, which happened very often in the 1980s. This special unit was also involved in the release of hostages when they turned out to be children. The last most high-profile success of “Alpha” was a joint assault with the “Vityaz” group on a pre-trial detention center seized by criminals in Sukhumi on August 11-15, 1990.

After the collapse of the USSR, Alpha came under the jurisdiction of the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia. It was she who was involved in the release of hostages in Budyonnovsk, the theater on Dubrovka and Beslan. Also, Alpha officers serve on a permanent basis in Chechnya, where they are engaged in the capture and destruction of particularly important leaders of the terrorist underground.

Armament and equipment

At the time of the creation of the Alpha group, there were practically no specialized anti-terror weapons in the Soviet Union. The main weapons of the special forces were a Kalashnikov assault rifle with a silencer, Makarov pistols and sniper rifle Dragunov and edged weapons. There simply were no compact rapid-fire weapons, most suitable for combat at a very short distance. Nevertheless, the unit, even with weapons that were not very suitable for this, successfully freed hostages, including those captured on airplanes.

The situation with weapons began to change by the beginning of the 1980s, when the AS Val and . They were much better suited for anti-terrorism operations in urban environments, since a heavy 9-mm bullet transferred all the energy to the tissues when it hit the target human body, while piercing almost any body armor.

Alpha officers were also the first to receive Grach and Gyurza pistols, loaded with reinforced cartridges capable of penetrating body armor. New models of submachine guns were also primarily adopted by this special forces unit.

Due to the need to fight in urban environments, FSB special forces are equipped with heavy body armor and titanium helmets.

Developed in the late 1990s on the basis of a biathlon rifle for arming riot police and FSB special forces. At low for sniper weapons ballistic characteristics it has very high shooting accuracy and a quiet shot sound.
Reloading is done manually. The magazine is detachable and holds 10 rounds.
The stock is symmetrically shaped (equally comfortable for shooting from the left and right hand), consists of two parts. The stock is detachable, of skeletal design, equipped with a butt plate and cheek piece. At the bottom of the butt under the hinged lid there is space for two spare magazines. Instead of a buttstock, a pistol grip can be installed. The forend has a groove for attaching a height-adjustable bipod.
On the rifles of the first years of production, the stock and butt were made of varnished wood, but in 2007 the SV-99 received a stock and butt made of durable aircraft multi-layer plywood dark green according to the SV-98 type, and in 2009 - an improved version of the stock and butt made of black plastic.
There are no open sights, but the rifle has a " dovetail" to install an optical sight.
What special tasks do special forces perform with the help of such weak and short-ranged (what a word!), almost toy weapons?
1. Covert destruction of enemy personnel not protected by personal protective equipment. The .22 LR caliber cartridge used gives a very quiet and accurate shot at short distances. “The accuracy of a shot with such a cartridge at 20-30 meters is simply amazing, and the low recoil allows you to make two or three very accurate shots in a row. When combined with a silencer, the sound of a shot can no longer be heard even from two steps away under normal background noise on a city street, and correctly selected ammunition can inflict quite serious injury on a criminal.” By the way, a shot from this weapon at a distance of up to 100 m affects not only people, but also service dogs.
2. Covert destruction of enemy technical means. True, not all technical means, but only those that are affected by such a weak cartridge as .22 LR. Lighting equipment, video cameras, alarm units, electrical distribution boxes, radio communications, car wheels... That is, in other words, a small-caliber sniper rifle with a silencer is almost ideal remedy preparing a bridgehead for the assault on those objects that are technically possible to approach within direct shot range from a small-caliber rifle (50−70 m)
It must be said that when ordering the development of such a unique weapon as the “small sniper,” the Russian military was not a pioneer in this area. American special forces have been using small-caliber weapons of .22 LR caliber since such weapons were invented, since the end of the 19th century. And, apparently, they are not going to give it up just yet.

The Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia is a special unit that deals only with the fight against terrorism. This post will introduce us in more detail to the work of this unit.

First, briefly about the FSB Special Purpose Center. This is a division of the Federal Security Service Russian Federation, created on October 8, 1998 on the initiative of the Director of the FSB of Russia V.V. Putin by combining special-purpose units of security agencies into a single team.

The main task of the TsSN FSB of Russia is the fight against international terrorism on the territory of the Russian Federation and beyond, which includes activities to identify, prevent, suppress, disclose and investigate terrorist acts through operational combat and other activities. It is especially worth noting that the Federal Security Service acts in strict accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation, even in cases where its activities may look illegal and immoral in the opinion of some uninitiated and incompetent citizens.

Over the years of its existence, employees of the TsSN FSB of Russia, independently or in collaboration with various units, carried out many operational combat activities, during which a significant amount of weapons, ammunition, explosives were seized, hundreds of hostages captured by militants were freed, active members of gangs, including such odious ones, were neutralized leaders such as Salman Raduev, Arbi Barayev, Aslan Maskhadov, Rappani Khalilov, Anzor Astemirov, emissaries of the international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in the North Caucasus Abu-Umar, Abu-Haws, Seif Islam and others.

According to indirect data, several hundred officers were killed in combat operations in the country and abroad, more than two thousand times they were awarded state awards, twenty military personnel were awarded the honorary title “Hero of the Russian Federation.”

Currently Federal Service Security is headed by Army General Alexander Vasilyevich Bortnikov.

TsSN FSB has the best and most modern equipment. This is its main difference from the army and other law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation. In their work, the officers of the Center use the best that Russian and foreign can provide military science and industry. In the fight against terrorism, any other approach would be inappropriate

There are a lot of people who want to get into service at the Center. The selection is strict: first of all, the TsSN focuses on people who have already proven themselves to be professionals in one of the areas of special training, who have combat experience and a good military education, as well as graduates of universities of the Ministry of Defense, Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB Border Service and the Ryazan School Airborne Forces At the same time, the Center trains professionals in categories that only they can train themselves - snipers, parachutists and combat swimmers.

Providing first aid to the wounded. Of the “Golden Hour” allotted for rescuing a wounded person, the first 15 minutes are considered the most important; the faster and more qualified assistance is provided, the greater the chance of salvation for the victim.

In addition to physical data, special attention is paid to high moral and psychological qualities. When joining one of the Center’s structures, the candidate must be ready, if circumstances so require, to give his life saving the lives of hostages. The study process lasts at least a year and a half, and the dropout rate is very large.

As for fire training, it has a clearly applied nature. The emphasis is on developing stable shooting skills in conditions that are as close as possible to real-life situations. The level of training of TsSN employees allows them to take prizes in all-Russian and international competitions, as well as effectively solve the entire range of operational and combat missions.

The entire training system is aimed at developing young employees. It is carried out by managers at all levels and instructors. It includes, among other aspects, the institute of mentoring, undergoing various training camps, classes and receiving good operational training in training centers and institutions of the FSB. One of the main tasks set at the Center is not only to teach how to shoot well and master hand-to-hand combat techniques, but above all to consciously act as part of a unit.

One of the traditional questions asked to FSB special forces commanders is: how long does it take to develop a true professional from a beginner? In previous years the answer was: five years. Now professional development is happening much faster: this is the specificity! For the last ten years, the Center has been continuously participating in special operations in the North Caucasus, which affects the quality of its personnel.