FSB Special Operations Service. Information on ways to contact the Russian FSB

Control "A" is structural unit Center for Special Operations of the Federal Security Service of Russia.
The main function of Alpha is to conduct urban anti-terrorist operations under direct sanctions and under the control of the political leadership of Russia.

Story
“Alpha” was created on July 28, 1974 in the First Main Directorate of the KGB on the instructions of Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, at that time the chairman of the KGB of the USSR. It was intended for counter-terrorism operations throughout the Soviet Union. However, from the very beginning the range of its tasks was much wider.
The most famous operation outside the USSR was the storming of Amin’s palace in Afghanistan on December 27, 1979. According to the recollections of Alpha employees who took part in the capture, the assault groups encountered fierce resistance, but Alpha’s losses were lower (two employees) than in other departments.
During the 1991 coup d'etat, the Alpha Group, under the command of Major General Viktor Karpukhin, was tasked with seizing the Russian Parliament building and assassinating Russian leaders. The group unanimously refused to carry out this order. According to statements made by participants in the events later, they could complete the task in 20-25 minutes, but this would lead to hundreds, if not thousands of casualties among civilian population.
After the collapse of the USSR and the coming to power of Boris Yeltsin (according to some Russian and foreign military sources), the unit was completely demoralized due to political manipulation. The KGB sought to use him in the 1991 plot against Mikhail Gorbachev. Boris Yeltsin also wanted to use the group as an instrument of power when attacking the Government House during the constitutional crisis of 1993. A little later, Alpha and Vympel were transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for a while. It was during this period that many of the group's officers resigned.
The group continued to exist after the collapse of the Soviet Union and participated in the resolution of many crisis situations, for example in the release of hostages at the Dubrovka Theater Center in 2002 and at a school in Beslan in 2004. Alpha fighters are now involved in operations against separatists in Chechnya and in the North Caucasus.

Known operations
1976 - Zurich, Switzerland. Exchange Secretary General Communist Party of Chile Luis Corvalan against the Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky.

1978 - Havana, Cuba. Ensuring the safety (together with combat swimmers of the Black Sea Fleet) of the underwater part of the motor ships "Georgia" and "Leonid Sobinov", chartered to accommodate delegates of the XI World Festival of Youth and Students.

1979 - Moscow, US Embassy. Kherson resident Yuriy Vlasenko, accompanied by the second secretary of the US Embassy R. Pringle, went to the consular section and demanded immediate travel abroad. If he refused, he threatened to detonate an improvised explosive device. Negotiations conducted with the terrorist by the commander of group “A” G.I. Zaitsev, and then by his deputy R.P. Ivon, did not lead to a positive result. By order of KGB Chairman Yu. V. Andropov, weapons were used, but the terrorist was still able to detonate the explosive device and soon died from his wounds.

1979 - New York Airport, USA. Exchange of two Soviet intelligence officers (Vladimir Enger and Rudolf Chernyaev), sentenced to long prison terms, for five Soviet dissidents.

1979 - Tashkent - Bagram Air Force Base, Kabul. Providing physical protection for the future head of the PDPA and DRA Babrak Karmal and his closest associates on the eve of the coup.

December 27, 1979 - Kabul, Afghanistan. As part of the non-standard combat group "Thunder" (24 people), members of the unit, together with fighters of the Zenit Special Forces of the First Main Directorate of the KGB of the USSR (30 people), captured the Taj Beg Palace, the residence of Hafizullah Amin, in the Dar-ul-Aman area. Active support for the KGB special forces was provided by " Muslim battalion» GRU and the 9th company of paratroopers of the 345th separate regiment Airborne Forces Simultaneously with Operation Storm-333, special forces soldiers were used to capture strategically important objects located in different parts of the Afghan capital - the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Air Force headquarters and the central telegraph office.

1980 - Moscow. Ensuring the safety of the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow. In addition to completing assigned tasks in the capital, combat swimmers of the group were sent to Tallinn and Estonia. Their duties included periodic inspection of the bottom of the water area where the regatta competitions took place.

1981 - Afghanistan. 15 employees of group “A” as part of “Cascade-2” provided force cover for operational search activities and collected information about gangs operating in Kabul and its environs, seized weapons from hiding places and ensured the safety of propaganda detachments, and also guarded the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary USSR F. A. Tabeeva.

1981 - Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetia. Ensuring the safety of citizens in connection with the riots that took place.

1981 - Sarapul, Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Two armed deserters from the 248th Motorized Rifle Division took 25 10th grade students from Secondary School No. 12 as hostages. Demand: issue visas and send them by plane to Germany or another capitalist country. During the actions taken, the terrorists were neutralized and none of the hostages were injured.

1983 - Tbilisi. The Tu-134A plane, flying along the Tbilisi-Leningrad route with 57 passengers and 7 crew members, was hijacked by a group of “golden youth” of 7 people. During the hijacking, the pilots, flight attendant V. Krutikova and two passengers were killed. The navigator and flight attendant were seriously injured and left disabled. The bandits' demand: set a course for Turkey. As a result of a shootout in the pilot's cabin and the organization of overloads, the pilots managed to repel the terrorist attack, killing one of them, and block the door. The commander of the ship, A. Gardaphadze, landed the plane at Tbilisi airport. On November 19, the plane was freed during a combined assault undertaken by members of Group A. None of the passengers were injured.

1985-1986 - forceful capture of twelve agents recruited by foreign intelligence services.

1986 - Ufa. Three soldiers from the regiment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs took possession of weapons (AKM assault rifle, light machine gun RPK-47 and sniper rifle Dragunov) and seized a taxi. On the way they shot two policemen. Frightened by what he had done, one of them, A. Konoval, disappeared; the other two headed to the airfield, where they broke into a landing Tu-134A plane with 76 passengers (among them eight women and six children) and 5 crew members, flying along the route Lvov-Kyiv-Ufa-Nizhnevartovsk. During the capture, deserters killed 2 passengers. Terrorists' demand: go to Pakistan. The operation itself was led by G.N. Zaitsev. As a result of the assault carried out by Alpha employees, one terrorist was killed and the second was wounded.

1988 - Ordzhonikidze-Mineralnye Vody-Tel Aviv. A gang of four people seized a LAZ-687 passenger bus, in which the 4th “G” class of school No. 42 was returning with a teacher after an excursion to the printing house. The terrorists drove the bus to the Mineralnye Vody airport, where they were ahead of Group A, which had taken off from Moscow. During grueling negotiations, which were conducted by G.N. Zaitsev over the radio for almost seven hours, all the children, the teacher and the driver were released in exchange for an AKS-74 assault rifle with two loaded magazines, four Makarov pistols with ammunition, body armor and drugs. After the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, with which diplomatic relations were not maintained at that time, gave the go-ahead for the extradition of the criminals, the Il-7bT transport plane (crew commander A. Bozhko) headed for the Middle East. Upon arrival at Ben Gurion airport, the bandits were arrested. The employees of group “A”, led by G.N. Zaitsev, who arrived next, after an agreement on the non-application of capital punishment against terrorists (the Israeli side insisted on this), deported the gang to the Soviet Union.

March 30-31, 1989 - Baku, A native of Kerch, who had previously committed a major theft and was on the all-Union wanted list, reported that in the cabin of the Tu-134 (flight Voronezh-Astrakhan-Baku) there were allegedly two of his accomplices, and in the cargo compartment there was an explosive device. He threatened to operate the device by remote control if his conditions - half a million dollars and the opportunity to fly abroad - were not met. The terrorist was neutralized by Alpha employees.

May 10, 1989 - Saratov. During the walk, four criminals from detention center No. 1 of the UITU Department of Internal Affairs of the Saratov Regional Executive Committee, armed with sharpeners and “grenades” (painted dummies made of bread crumb), attacked the inspectors. They presented an ultimatum: two machine guns, four pistols with ammunition, grenades, 10 thousand rubles and a car. A condition was put forward - to ensure unhindered travel from the prison outside the region. In house No. 20 on Zhukovsky Street, the terrorists took the Prosvirins and their two-year-old daughter hostage and made new demands: a plane to fly abroad, large sum money, drugs and vodka. The operation to free the hostages was carried out by group “A” (senior - Hero of the Soviet Union V.F. Karpukhin, deputy - M.V. Golovatov). At 3 hours 25 minutes the fighters, with the help special equipment They came down from the roof and literally flew into the windows of the seized apartment. At the same time, the second group knocked down the door and also broke into the apartment. The bandit, armed with a Makarov pistol, managed to fire two shots. Taking advantage of the factor of surprise, the group neutralized the bandits. None of the hostages were injured. An Alpha employee was wounded.

1990 - Azerbaijan. "Alpha" and "Vympel" together with the special forces training battalion "Vityaz" were transferred to Baku. The combined group was headed by Hero of the Soviet Union G. N. Zaitsev. Objective: neutralize the leaders of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan, prevent the overthrow of the legitimate government of the republic, suppress mass riots, identify and detain persons suspected of subversive activities. Employees of group “A” ensured the safety of the first secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan A. Vizirov.

1990 - Operation "Trap". Infiltration of underground arms dealers and capture of persons involved in this criminal business.

1990 - Yerevan, Armenian SSR. Alpha fighters took part in neutralizing a particularly dangerous armed group - the Gray gang. During the operation, three criminals were killed, two were wounded, and six were detained.

1990 - Sukhumi, Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. 22 employees of group “A” under the command of V.F. Karpukhin, as well as 31 soldiers of the special forces training battalion of the separate special purpose motorized rifle division named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky were urgently transferred to Sukhumi, where 75 criminals took hostages and a temporary detention center. During the negotiations, the leaders put forward a demand: to provide them with an RAF minibus so that they could travel outside the detention center to the mountains. When the armed bandits loaded into the minibus with the hostages, the capture team began an operation to neutralize them. At the same time, two groups began storming the detention center. In a matter of seconds, the criminals in the minibus were neutralized and the hostages were freed. The bandits in the detention center also surrendered after a short resistance. During the operation, an Alpha employee and one of the Vityaz fighters were slightly wounded. This special operation has no analogues in the domestic and world practice of using special forces units to free hostages captured by bandits in institutions of the penitentiary system.

1991 - Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR. On the evening of January 11, 65 officers of group “A”, led by deputy group commander M.V. Golovatov and department commander Lieutenant Colonel E.N. Chudesnov, were sent to the capital of the Lithuanian SSR. In Vilnius, the unit was tasked with taking control of the Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting, a television tower and a radio transmission center. The buildings were surrounded by numerous supporters of the Lithuanian Sąjūdis movement. Group “A” took control of all three objects and held them until units arrived internal troops. During the seizure of the building of the Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting, Lieutenant Viktor Viktorovich Shatskikh was killed.

1991 - Moscow, Vasilyevsky Spusk. A criminal armed with a knife captured 7-year-old Masha Ponomarenko on an Ikarus excursion bus that left Komsomolskaya Square (the area of ​​three train stations). State Duma deputy Aman Tuleyev took part in the negotiations. As a result of a lightning-fast operation, the terrorist was neutralized.

1991 - Moscow. By order of the KGB chairman, employees of group “A” blocked the dacha in the village of Arkhangelskoye-2 near Moscow, in which the President of Russia B.I. Yeltsin and people from his entourage were located. Subsequently, following the orders of the leadership, they carried out reconnaissance around the White House. On August 20, the commander of group “A”, Hero of the Soviet Union V.F. Karpukhin, was verbally tasked with capturing White House, to intern the government and leadership of Russia. For this purpose, Alpha was assigned the Vympel group and the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was impossible to take the White House without heavy casualties among the civilian population. It was main reason refusal of Group A officers to participate in the assault.

1992 - Moscow, Vnukovo airport. The release of 347 passengers on the Mineralnye Vody-Moscow flight, captured by the lone terrorist Zakharyev.

1993 - Moscow, White House. Employees of group “A” (senior - group commander Hero of the Soviet Union G.I. Zaitsev), together with Vympel fighters, took part in resolving the most acute political crisis, which led to mass acts of disobedience and hostilities in the center of the Russian capital. Refusing to storm the White House, Alpha representatives, on their own initiative, entered into negotiations with the leadership of the Supreme Council and the opposition, which were successful, and then ensured the evacuation of people from the burning building. While rescuing a wounded soldier near the walls of the White House, junior lieutenant Gennady Nikolaevich Sergeev was mortally wounded - he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

1993 - Rostov-on-Don-Krasnodar-Mineralnye Vody-Makhachkala. Four terrorists took hostage a teacher and 15 students of the 9th grade “B” of secondary school No. 25 in Rostov-on-Don. 53 Alpha employees, led by commander Hero of the Soviet Union G.N. Zaitsev, flew to Rostov-on-Don on a Tu-134 plane. By the time they arrived, the bandits, having released three hostages, were already in the Mi-8 helicopter. In the evening the helicopter landed in Krasnodar. Following them, Alpha landed on the An-12. On the night of December 24, the helicopter took off, heading for Mineralnye Vody. Following him, a helicopter with special forces took off, while the main part of the Alpha went there by An-12 plane. On the evening of December 25, the criminals released one of the hostages. After handing over the money, they released the teacher and seven schoolgirls. The bandits refused to release the remaining hostages - four schoolchildren, a bus driver and two pilots. On the evening of December 27, the bandits freed three schoolchildren and a bus driver and took off, ordering the pilots to head for Ichkeria. However, the pilots, risking their lives, directed the car towards Makhachkala. A helicopter carrying criminals landed on the northern outskirts of Makhachkala. The bandits split into pairs and tried to hide in the forest belt. However, the area where they were located was cordoned off by special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, who soon neutralized all the criminals.

1994 - Makhachkala-Bachi-Yurt. In the area settlement Dagger Stavropol Territory four armed bandits hijacked an Ikarus excursion bus carrying schoolchildren, their parents and teachers. The hostages were 33 bus passengers and three teenagers who were captured by bandits on the way. On the same day, Group A, led by commander Hero of the Soviet Union G.N. Zaitsev, received an order to urgently fly from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody. The same order was given to the Krasnodar branch of Alpha. In the evening, 64 special forces soldiers were flown to Minvody. The general management of the operation was carried out by the commander of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Colonel General A. Kulikov. On May 27, the helicopter took off and headed for Ichkeria. Following him, six helicopters took off, carrying 38 Alpha fighters, 24 employees of the GUOP Ministry of Internal Affairs and 20 special forces soldiers. As a result of a lack of fuel, the flight route was changed and a landing was made in the area of ​​the village of Bachi-Yurt. The fighters under the command of Alpha officer Lieutenant Colonel A.E. Starikov began pursuit. Helicopters monitored the forest area from the air. An hour later the terrorists were neutralized. Only one bandit managed to escape, taking away two machine guns and $47,400; a year later he was arrested and convicted.

1995-1996 - Chechnya. Employees of group “A” took part in the fighting in Grozny, and were recruited for night reinforcement as mobile anti-terrorism groups and additional security for the Government House and the FSB building in the Chechen capital. They also ensured the personal safety of the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation O.I. Lobov, who was in the combat zone, captured armed bandits, and accompanied convoys with classified communications equipment, ammunition and food.

1995 - Budennovsk. A well-armed gang of Sh. Basayev burst into the city in two KamAZ trucks. The militants captured the city hospital with medical staff and patients, including women in labor and mothers with infants. On the morning of June 17, Alpha employees stormed the hospital. Despite the difficult conditions, the assault was successful, the terrorists carried big losses, which made them change their plans. Sh. Basayev contacted mobile phone with the Prime Minister Russian Federation V. Chernomyrdin. Taking with them more than two hundred people, the militants boarded buses and headed towards Chechnya in a column. Not far from the mountain village of Zandak, all the hostages were freed. As a result of the bandit action in Budennovsk, 130 civilians, 18 police officers, 18 military personnel were killed, including three Alpha employees - Major Vladimir Vladimirovich Solovov, lieutenants Dmitry Valerievich Ryabinkin and Dmitry Yuryevich Burdyaev. Over 400 people were injured of varying degrees of severity. About 2,000 people were held hostage.

1995 - Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan. Terrorists hijacked a passenger bus heading along the Makhachkala-Nalchik route. Some time later, the terrorists released one woman from the bus, who said that nine men, seven women and two children were on bail. The terrorists holding the hostages were neutralized by special forces. The eldest is the commander of Alpha, Lieutenant General A. V. Gusev.

1995 - Moscow, Vasilyevsky Spusk. Just outside the Kremlin, a masked man armed with a Makarov pistol entered a bus carrying 25 South Korean tourists and declared them hostages. If the conditions were not met, the criminal threatened to blow up the bus. At 20:00, FSB special forces officers took up their starting positions. The eldest is the commander of Alpha, Lieutenant General A.V. Gusev. Lengthy negotiations were held with the criminal, in which Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov participated. At about 10 p.m., the terrorist released all the detained women and three men. At 22.38, at the command of the head of the operation, FSB Director M.I. Barsukov, the assault began. The terrorist opened fire with a pistol and was killed. None of the hostages were injured.

1996 - village of Pervomaiskoye, Republic of Dagestan. Detachments led by Satshan Raduev, Khunkar Pasha Israpilov and Turpal-Ali Atgeriev made a foray into the territory of Dagestan, attacking the local Airfield and the military camp of the battalion of internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The main attack was on the helicopter base Russian troops near the city of Kizlyar - two Mi-8 helicopters and one tanker were destroyed. The militants entered the city, where they captured a hospital and maternity ward, as well as a nearby 9-story residential building. About 2,000 people were taken hostage. On January 11, the terrorists, having released most of the hostages, left for Ichkeria on provided buses, using more than a hundred people as human shields. The column was stopped federal forces near the village of Pervomaiskoe. On January 13-15, special forces, using artillery and helicopters, stormed the village, trying to free the hostages. The operation to destroy the terrorists was completed on January 18, but most of the bandits broke out of the encirclement and went to Chechnya. In Pervomaisky, fighters of group “A” (the senior commander of “Alpha”, Lieutenant General A.V. Gusev), together with “Vityaz”, carried out reconnaissance in force on the south-eastern outskirts of the village, identified and suppressed enemy firing points, and provided fire cover for units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs , provided medical assistance and evacuated the wounded from the battlefield. After the completion of the mine clearance operation, two Alpha employees were killed - Major Andrei Viktorovich Kiselev and Major Viktor Mikhailovich Vorontsov.

1997 - Moscow, Swedish Embassy. A terrorist armed with a pistol and a grenade captured Swedish trade representative Jan-Olof Nuström in his car. As a result of negotiations, he was released, and his place was taken by Colonel A. N. Savelyev, who offered himself as a hostage. After he suffered an acute heart attack, which ultimately led to death, it was decided to immediately begin the active phase of the operation. As a result of the shootout, the criminal was killed. Posthumously, the chief of staff of the Alpha group, Colonel Anatoly Nikolaevich Savelyev, was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

2000 - Novogroznensky, Chechnya. The capture of Salman Raduev, the leader of the “army of Dzhokhar Dudayev”, was carried out by employees of group “A” as part of the combined operational-combat group of the FSB Special Purpose Center. Thanks to the coordinated actions of intelligence and special forces, the guards of “terrorist No. 2” were disarmed, and he himself was arrested.

2001 -Alkhan-Kala, Chechnya. Alpha employees participated in a full-scale special operation to destroy the gang of one of the bloodiest field commanders, Arbi Barayev, who was distinguished by manic cruelty and specialized in kidnapping and slave trading. Price employees, intelligence officers from the 46th brigade of internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and units of the Ministry of Defense were involved in the operation. As a result of a short but brutal battle, the bandit and his guards were destroyed. In this case, Private Evgeny Zolotukhin died (posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia).

July 11, 2001 - Mayrtup, Chechnya. The destruction of one of Khattab's closest henchmen - the field commander Abu Umar, who led in the 1990s. a training camp for training saboteurs and bombers on the outskirts of Serzhen-Yurt at the so-called Caucasus Institute. The victim was one of the organizers of the explosions of residential buildings in September 1999 in Moscow and Volgodonsk and many other terrorist attacks. The initial search of the house where the terrorist was hiding yielded nothing. The Alpha fighters were already ready to move to another courtyard, when one of them glanced at the step of a wooden staircase that seemed suspicious to him. The special forces took up positions around the house. When one of the officers tore off the floorboard, machine gun fire came from under the stairs. An Alpha employee was wounded, but his comrades destroyed Abu Umar, who had holed up in a hideout. A big role in the success of the operation was played by the fighters of the “Rus” detachment, who in two groups landed in the village in the immediate vicinity of the place where the bandit was located and did not allow him to go to the mountains.

2001 - Mineralnye Vody. Terrorist Sultan Said Ediev, a Chechen by nationality, seized the Ikarus bus en route Nevinno-Myssk-Stavropol. The terrorist demanded the release of more than thirty passengers in exchange for five criminals convicted in 1994 of hijacking a passenger plane in Mineralnye Vody. In the breast pocket of his shirt, the terrorist placed a glass with an F-1 live grenade with the pin pulled out and inserted with the fuse down. In addition, wires were seen leading to a belt on his stomach. As it turned out, there was one and a half kilograms of cast TNT. As a result of a flawlessly executed sniper attack, the terrorist was destroyed. During the storming of the bus, none of the hostages were injured.

October 23-26, 2002 - Moscow, Dubrovka Theater Center. A group of terrorists led by M. Barayev, having gathered in Moscow, took about 800 spectators, actors and workers of the Dubrovka Theater Center hostage. The bandits demanded to stop fighting in Chechnya and threatened to bring down the building using powerful explosive devices placed in the hall. Thanks to the actions taken, even before the active phase, several dozen people from among the hostages were rescued by FSB special forces. The criminals behaved extremely aggressively, and several people in the hall died at their hands. In order to avoid mass casualties, it was decided to conduct a special operation using the FSB Special Purpose Center. As a result of the operation, 41 terrorists were killed, including the leader of the group, Movsar Barayev, and more than 750 hostages, including 60 foreigners, were freed. More than 120 people could not be saved.

April 8, 2004 - Shelkovskaya village, Chechnya. Elimination of Khattab's student and one of Sh. Basayev's closest henchmen - Abu-Bakar Visimbaev. Among other things, this field commander was responsible for recruiting “black widows” to carry out the action on Dubrovka. During the operation, Alpha employee Major Yuri Nikolaevich Danilin died. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

2004 - Beslan. Well-armed terrorists of “Colonel” Ortskhoev, on the orders of the terrorist leaders, captured over 1,300 hostages in the building of school No. 1 on September 1 and shot some of them. In total, as a result of this monstrous terrorist attack, about 350 people died, half of them were children. Over five hundred were wounded. During the assault by Alpha fighters (senior - head of department "A" V.N. Vinokurov) 31 terrorists were destroyed and one bandit was captured alive. On September 3 at 13:05 two powerful explosions were heard in the school building. Showing exceptional courage and heroism, the price employees began to save the hostages under bullets, covering them with themselves, and only then began to methodically destroy the terrorists who had settled in the school, who offered fierce resistance.
As a result of the battle, all the bandits were destroyed on the spot. While rescuing the hostages, three Alpha employees died - Major Alexander Valentinovich Perov, Major Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Malyarov, warrant officer Oleg Vyacheslavovich Loskov, as well as seven Vympel fighters.

2005 - Tolstoy-Yurt, Chechnya. Destruction of the leader of Ichkeria Aslan Maskhadov. The operation to detain the separatist leader, as well as his inner circle, was planned long and carefully. At the beginning of March 2005, information was received that made it possible to determine the address where the terrorist and his guards were hiding. Despite all the tricks, the bunker with the terrorist leader was discovered. The terrorists inside were asked to surrender, to which they responded with a categorical refusal. After which the operational combat groups carried out an event to detain them.

2006 - Khasavyurt, Republic of Dagestan. Elimination of the representative of Al-Qaeda and the leader of all foreign fighters, one of the leaders and financiers of the “jihad” in Chechnya and adjacent regions, Abu Haws. Four militants were killed along with him. The force phase of the operation began with the fact that at dawn one of the groups deliberately revealed itself. The two militants were immediately killed by snipers. A shot was fired at the gate from a grenade launcher, and after this an assault group burst in in an armored KamAZ vehicle. The surviving bandits took up defensive positions. They rejected the offer to surrender. Half an hour later it was all over.

Organization
Initially the group consisted of 30 people.
From November 10, 1977 - 52, from January 10, 1980 - 122, from December 21, 1981 - 222 people.
On June 30, 1984, by order of the KGB chairman No. 0085, the first regional division of group “A” was formed - the 7th department in Khabarovsk (21 employees). On March 3, 1990, by order No. 0031 it was deployed to the 7th group, and the 10th group (Kyiv), 11th group (Minsk), 12th group (Alma-Ata), 13th group were created (Krasnodar) and 14th group (Sverdlovsk). The regional group had a staff of 45 people.
After the collapse of the USSR, the 10th, 11th and 12th groups went to Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, respectively, and served as the basis for the formation of national special forces units.
Currently, Directorate “A” is part of the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia and includes:
- headquarters;
- five departments (one department is constantly on a business trip to Chechnya);
- regional departments and special forces;
- organizational group.

Losses
Volkov Dmitry Vasilievich, captain. He died on December 27, 1979 during the operation to storm Amin’s palace. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner (posthumously).
Zudin Gennady Egorovich, captain. He died on December 27, 1979 during the operation to storm Amin’s palace. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner (posthumously).
Shatskikh Viktor Viktorovich, lieutenant, Died on January 13, 1991 during a combat operation in Vilnius. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner (posthumously).
Kravchuk Viktor Dmitrievich, senior lieutenant. Employee of the regional division (Ekaterinburg). Died on August 1, 1993, guarding the head of the Provisional Administration in the zone of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict. Victor Polyanichko. Awarded the Order "For Personal Courage" (posthumously).
Sergeev Gennady Nikolaevich, junior lieutenant. Died on October 4, 1993 during an operation near the building of the Supreme Soviet of Russia in Moscow. Awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Solovov Vladimir Viktorovich, major. Died on June 17, 1995 during an operation in Budennovsk. Awarded the Order of Courage (posthumously).
Burdyaev Dmitry Yurievich, lieutenant. Died on June 17, 1995 during an operation in Budennovsk. Awarded the Order of Courage (posthumously).
Ryabinkin Dmitry Valerievich, lieutenant. Died on June 17, 1995 during an operation in Budennovsk. Awarded the Order of Courage (posthumously).
Kiselev Andrey Viktorovich, major. Died on January 18, 1996 during an operation in the village of Pervomaisky. Awarded the Order of Courage (posthumously).
Vorontsov Viktor Mikhailovich, major. Died on January 18, 1996 during an operation in the village of Pervomaisky. Awarded the Order of Courage (posthumously).
Demin Alexander Vladimirovich, warrant officer. Employee of the regional division (Krasnodar). Died on May 29, 1997 during an operation to apprehend a particularly dangerous criminal. Awarded the Order of Courage (posthumously).
Savelyev Anatoly Nikolaevich, colonel, chief of staff of department “A”. Died on December 19, 1997 during the operation to free a Swedish diplomat. Awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Shchekochikhin Nikolai Nikolaevich, captain. Died on March 30, 2000 in Chechnya during a special operation. Awarded the Order of Courage (posthumously).
Kurdibansky Boris Borisovich, major. Died on February 12, 2002 in the village of Starye Atagi in the North Caucasus.
Perov, Alexander Valentinovich, major. Died on September 3, 2004 during a special operation in Beslan. Awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Malyarov Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, major. Died on September 3, 2004 during a special operation in Beslan. Presented to the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, fourth degree (posthumously).
Loskov Oleg Vyacheslavovich, warrant officer. Died on September 3, 2004 during a special operation in Beslan.
Kholban Ruslan Konstantinovich, captain. Died on May 13, 2009 on the territory of the Republic of Dagestan. Awarded the Suvorov and Zhukov medals, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th degree with swords (posthumously).
Shatunov Maxim Yurievich, major. Died on July 7, 2009 in the Chechen Republic. Awarded the Order of Courage, Suvorov medals, “For saving the dead.”

Unit commanders
1974-1977 - Bubenin Vitaly Dmitrievich (retired major general. Hero of the Soviet Union). The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded for courage and heroism shown in defending the USSR border on Damansky Island in March 1969.
1977 - Yvon Robert Petrovich (retired colonel).
1977-1988 - Zaitsev Gennady Nikolaevich (retired major general. Hero of the Soviet Union).
1988-1991 - Karpukhin Viktor Fedorovich (reserve major general. Hero of the Soviet Union).
1991-1992 - Mikhail Vasilievich Golovatov (reserve colonel).
1992-1995 - Zaitsev Gennady Nikolaevich.
1995-1998 - Alexander Vladimirovich Gusev (reserve lieutenant general).
1998-1999 - Miroshnichenko Alexander Ivanovich (Lieutenant General).
1999-2003 - Andreev Valentin Grigorievich.
Since 2003 - Major General Vladimir Nikolaevich Vinokurov.

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The FSB Special Purpose Center was created in 1998 to combat terrorism in Russia and beyond. Its structural units are the Alpha special unit, the Vympel special unit and the Special Operations Directorate.

The center accepts officers and warrant officers, as well as cadets from military schools as candidates for officer positions. 97% of positions in the FSB special forces are officer positions. Warrant officers are given 3%; if admitted to the TsSN, they serve as drivers or instructors.

In addition, each candidate must provide a recommendation from either a current or former employee of Alpha or Vympel. The Center is also engaged in an independent search for the most promising youth. Why do the center’s employees visit universities of the Ministry of Defense in order to study the personal files of cadets and conduct interviews with the most suitable of them for service in the FSB special forces. The most productive in this regard are the Novosibirsk Higher Combined Arms School, where there is a special forces department, and the Moscow Higher Military Command School.

There is an age limit - no older than 28 years. And also the height must be at least 175 cm so that the body armor does not hit the knees. However, these requirements are not dogma. If the candidate has any unique abilities or has combat experience, then they turn a blind eye.

A healthy body has a healthy spirit

Having accepted the documents required for admission from candidates, they begin to check their physical fitness. Testing is carried out within one day. Everything is done dynamically with minimal breaks between exercises. The requirements for applicants for service in Alpha are a little stricter than for candidates for Vympel. Below are the standards for Alpha.

You must run 3 kilometers at the stadium within 10 minutes 30 seconds.

After a 5-minute rest - 100 meters, control standard - 12.7 seconds.

Pull-ups on the bar - 25 times. This is followed by a 3-minute rest after each exercise.

Within 2 minutes, you need to do 90 flexions and extensions of the torso in a lying position.

90 push-ups.

After this, the candidate must perform a complex strength exercise 7 times:

15 push-ups;

15 flexions and extensions of the torso in a lying position;

15 transitions from the position “crouched” to “lying” and back;

15 jumps from a crouched position.

Each cycle is given 40 seconds. There are no rest periods between cycles.

Bench press of your own weight (but not more than 100 kg) while lying down - 10 times.

The main thing is to take the blow and move forward

Three minutes after the physical test, you must demonstrate hand-to-hand martial arts skills. In this case, the candidate performs in a helmet, gloves and protective pads on the legs and groin. He is opposed by an instructor or a CSN employee well trained in hand-to-hand combat. The fight lasts 3 rounds.

In the allotted time, it is not at all necessary to defeat the instructor. During the battle, the instructor evaluates the candidate's potential capabilities: fighting qualities, ability to take a blow, will to win, focus on attacking in conditions of physical fatigue, ability to change battle tactics depending on the prevailing circumstances, reaction speed.

Of course, the instructor does not seek to “beat” the subject. During the fight, he gives him the initiative to better understand what he is worth. The more active a candidate is in the ring, the higher the score he receives, even in the event of significant errors in technique. Subsequently, during training, the recruit will learn all the techniques and skills necessary to conduct effective hand-to-hand combat. Therefore, the main task of the instructor is to find out whether the candidate is capable of learning.

Those who are passive in the fight are immediately rejected, going into deep defense.

Major tests ahead

At the next stage, the candidate is placed at the disposal of doctors in order to undergo in-depth studies of his health status. And here the requirements are higher than for cadets of military universities, since the future special forces officer must endure enormous physical activity. And they should not interfere with the effective execution of combat missions. At the same time, one of the primary tasks that the medical commission solves is to determine suitability for airborne training.

In parallel with these studies, a special check is carried out, during which it is revealed that the candidate has undesirable connections. And not only from him, but also from his closest relatives. Relatives are checked for criminal records.

The next stage of the competitive marathon is an examination by a psychologist. It is necessary to study the candidate’s personality - character, temperament, interests and passions, moral attitudes, reactions to certain stimuli and other characteristics important for service in the FSB special forces. All this information is entered into your personal file.

This is followed by a polygraph test of the candidate’s veracity. First of all, moments are identified that he would like to hide, “ dark spots» his past and present: connections with crime, addiction to alcohol and drugs, corruption tendencies, antisocial lifestyle.

The Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia was created on October 8, 1998 on the initiative of Vladimir Putin, who then held the position of director of the FSB. The decision to create it was dictated by the terrorist war that actually unfolded against Russia. As a result, they were combined into a single powerful unit legendary bands"Alpha" and "Vympel", which became Directorates "A" and "B" of the FSB TsSN, as well as the special operations service. In 2008, divisions were also created within the Center’s structure in the North Caucasus, and in 2014 - in Crimea.

We arrived at one of the most closed and secret units of the FSB almost on the eve of the anniversary, which is celebrated on October 8. The usual daily service and studies were going on at the Center. Here, employees in black uniforms and with heavy trunks in their hands unloaded from the bus - they had arrived from mountaineering training. At that time, a physical training test was taking place in the gym - employees passed pull-ups and other standards. At the same time, snipers were training at the shooting range and practical pistol shooting was taking place - this is when fighters need to hit targets from a standing and kneeling position in a few seconds, while changing clips.

We leave the shooting range - we are met by a group of special forces in full gear, several of them with impressive beards.

“We just returned from a business trip - in the mountains and forests, you know, there is absolutely no time for shaving,” one of the special forces was ahead of my question about the regulation of a beard. “We’ll return home in the evening and shave it off.”

Most of the combat operations in which employees of the FSB Special Purpose Center participate are classified as “secret”

Another group practiced training tasks on the Falkatus armored car, which looked like it came out of a science-fiction film, paired with an equally futuristic Viking armored truck.

“When will we see ourselves in the newspaper?” - the guys ask.

“So you’re wearing masks, how do you recognize yourself - after all, everyone looks the same?” - I’m interested in the answer.

“This is one thing for you, but we recognize ourselves not only in masks, but even among hundreds of backs,” the employees smile.

In general, the atmosphere in the center is surprisingly calm, there is no nervousness or tension, everyone is busy with their own business - and at the same time they are smiling and friendly.

"Did you expect to see evil killers with distorted faces?" - the special forces are interested.

I understand that there is nothing wrong with a sense of humor here. Well, it probably shouldn’t be any other way in a unit where everyone risks their life and deep down knows that they may not return from the next mission.

“Having been to hot spots, you begin to approach life differently and evaluate people and events differently,” one of the TsSN instructors shares his feelings.

Even their loved ones don’t know about the details of their service, and for everyone around them, their husband, son or dad is just a military man.

Most of the combat operations in which employees of the FSB Special Purpose Center participate are classified as “secret.”

Naturally, we cannot name either their faces, surnames or even first names.

At the same time, the activities of the FSB special forces, hidden from the eyes of ordinary citizens, are always shrouded in a certain aura of mystery and often give rise to rumors and speculation that are far from reality. As they say at the Center, the strength of a modern special forces unit is in daily exhausting training, in overcoming oneself, in every minute readiness for action and self-sacrifice. Despite the difference in character and age, it is predominantly officers who serve in operational combat units, including young lieutenants just graduated from college, and 30-40-year-old experienced employees. During real combat there are no young or older - everyone is responsible for everyone and the entire unit. Therefore, military brotherhood and a heightened sense of responsibility are not just big words, they really live by it. Any successful operation is a common victory, and the death of an employee or hostages is pain and loss for the entire Center.

22 officers and warrant officers of the Special Purpose Center were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, 12 of them posthumously

"Coming to serve at the Center is not just a dream, it is a conscious choice, therefore random people we don’t have it,” say the TsSN commanders.

There is no competition as such, although letters asking for admission arrive in the hundreds every month from all over the country. Candidates for service in the Center are selected themselves. They are mainly looking at graduates of military schools. First of all, they look at the personal qualities of future employees, their ability to withstand physical and, most importantly, psychological stress.

“For example, a candidate does push-ups 100 times, but we are not interested in this, but we are interested in how he will do push-ups 101, 105, 110 times, that is, how much he can overcome himself,” said the TsSN instructor. “And with this skill, that is, working to the limit and all the military personnel of the Center are beyond the limits of their capabilities.”

In general, every TsSN employee is a universal master who can solve the most complex combat missions.

But at the same time, everyone has a specialization in which they are better than others, for example, in diving, parachute or mountain training. As for general training, all employees, for example, should be trained to use weapons to the point of automaticity. The main skill is to hit the target with the first shot, with limited visibility and a dynamically changing tactical situation.

On average, one employee of the Center has up to 10 different types of personal and group weapons. Naturally, everyone is fluent in hand-to-hand combat. True, they joke that “if the battle came to hand-to-hand combat, it means that up to that moment everything was very bad.”

In addition, in vocational training includes the study of mine explosives. The Center's employees are able to conduct reconnaissance of mine-explosive barriers and overcome them. Mountain training takes place in natural extreme conditions and is a tough test for special forces.

Each TsSN employee is a universal master who can solve the most complex combat missions

In addition to working in the mountains, employees are trained in industrial mountaineering. One of the tactical techniques they use is the “living ladder,” when in a matter of minutes a combat group without insurance can climb to the roof of a multi-story building. The Center operates units of combat swimmers designed to conduct operational combat operations in the coastal zone and at water transport facilities. Airborne training allows us to solve the problem of delivering units in a short time to the right place. Parachute jumps can be performed by employees at a great distance from the facility at any time of the day with various types aircraft. The operational combat group is able to land on a limited area with high precision. The skills of non-parachute landing from helicopters are constantly being developed, which makes it possible to solve complex combat missions where delivery of combat groups by other means is impossible or impractical. Training to free hostages and detain criminals takes place on real objects: airplanes, helicopters, trains, buses, cars, buildings and structures. The Center's snipers have many years of effective experience in participating in combat events, and have repeatedly become winners and prize-winners of international competitions at various levels. Such as, for example, the Czech Sniper Championship with a foreign presence and the World Championship among police and military snipers in Hungary. At the international tournament of combat teams in Germany, which is organized by the GSG-9 service, the Center’s team became the winner in the shooting disciplines.

At the World Championship among police special forces SWAT units, which took place several years ago in Orlando, USA, the TsSN team became the best foreign team. And two employees took first and second place in the championship for the best Super Swat fighter. For twenty years, the FSB Special Purpose Center has rightfully earned the authority of one of the leading anti-terrorist units in the world, which has been waging a successful war against terrorism all these years. And if in the late 90s Russian employees learned something from their Western colleagues, today, on the contrary, everyone comes to the TsSN to learn from the colossal combat experience they have accumulated.

"Rossiyskaya Gazeta" congratulates all current employees and veterans of the Center for Special Operations of the FSB of Russia, as well as their relatives and friends, on the 20th anniversary of the Center.

Fight against terror

In total, since 1999, in close cooperation with the operational units of the Federal Security Service, employees of the TsSN FSB of Russia, the criminal activities of over 2,000 active members of gangs, including such odious leaders of the gangster underground as Maskhadov, Raduev, Baraev, Khalilov, Astemirov, Said Buryatsky, have been suppressed. As well as a number of emissaries international terrorism, operating in the North Caucasus - Abu-Umar, Abu-Havs, Seif Islam and others.

Over twenty years, more than two thousand times the employees of the Center were awarded state awards. 22 special forces soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, 12 of them posthumously.

Every year, the Center’s employees conduct many military events, during which hostages are freed and leaders and active members of gangs are neutralized. In addition, TsSN employees suppress the distribution channels of weapons and drugs and detain especially dangerous criminals. They also ensure the safety of important socio-political, religious and other events. mass events when there is a threat of terrorist attacks.

Congratulating the employees of the TsSN FSB of the Russian Federation on the 20th anniversary of its formation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that “the Center has carried out hundreds successful operations to neutralize terrorists and militants, agents of foreign intelligence services. Under enemy fire, risking yourself, you saved the lives of civilians.

The Center's fighters are the best of the best, highly qualified professionals with outstanding moral and strong-willed qualities. And it has always been like this. You selflessly serve Russia, stand as an insurmountable barrier to terrorism and organized crime, show examples of courage and bravery, true military brotherhood. The whole world has more than once witnessed the courage and self-sacrifice of the Center’s fighters who freed hostages and shielded them from bandit bullets... We will always remember those who fully fulfilled their duty and did not return from a combat mission. We will always be there for their loved ones."

Special purpose arsenal

It is no secret that modern technology and weapons can significantly expand the capabilities of special forces units. And in this direction, CSN not only keeps up with the times, but in a number of cases is ahead of it.

Thus, to ensure the maneuver of assault groups in conditions of enemy fire, as well as protection from mine and land mine explosions, the Viking and Falcatus armored vehicle systems were created and put into service. These machines, capable of reaching speeds of up to 160 km/h, have no analogues in the world. The jamming complex against remote explosive devices is one of the best in the world. Buggies and all-terrain vehicles have been put into operation and are actively used for rough terrain and forests.

In the near future, it is expected that a special biomonitoring system will be adopted, which will remotely monitor the health of an employee directly during combat operations. The latest reconnaissance and strike robotic systems, equipped with video cameras, machine guns and grenade launchers, are not inferior to, and sometimes ahead of, the best foreign models. They are used not only for reconnaissance, but also for effective fire support for special forces units.

Various types of helicopter and airplane-type unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with high-resolution video equipment help to obtain information about changes in the operational situation in real time.

Standard small arms are also domestic - for example, Kalashnikov assault rifles of the hundredth series AK-100 and Yarygin pistols. True, all weapons are deeply modernized specifically for the needs of the TsSN and differ from conventional army models. At the same time, the Center’s units are equipped with modern optical-electronic surveillance devices and sighting systems. All this is also domestically produced.

Tests of a mechanical exoskeleton are nearing completion, which will help employees carry an additional load of 100 kg. A reinforced armor shield with increased degree protection from bullets and shrapnel. Among the promising developments is a new protective suit that will withstand high temperatures, protect from radiation and aggressive environments, as well as a helmet with a video surveillance system.

The image on the screen in the helmet will be supplied from a camera mounted on the weapon. That is, a special forces soldier, during intense shelling, will be able to shoot from around the corner without exposing himself to terrorist fire.

Developed in the late 1990s on the basis of a biathlon rifle for arming riot police and FSB special forces. With low ballistic characteristics for a sniper weapon, 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 with the left and right hands), 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 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-grade 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.