Marine Lieutenant Colonel Igor Borisevich was among those commanders who led their soldiers to storm Grozny in January 1995. At that time he was a platoon leader. It fell to him to participate in the battles for the city center and take the Dudayev Palace. His truth is the truth of a fighter. And today we will hear it.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL NOT BE MADE WITHOUT US...

In 1994, I, a graduate of LenVOKU, happened to be assigned to the Marine Corps. I was very proud of this, because I believed and still believe that the best are taken to the Marine Corps. For me, a good military career was important, because I am a hereditary military man. My father fought in Afghanistan, and I always wanted to be no worse than him.

I was assigned to the 61st Marine Brigade of the Northern Fleet, which is based in the village of Sputnik. Arriving in the Arctic, I was appointed to the primary officer position - platoon commander of the air assault company of the 876th separate air assault battalion. The unit was downsized. In addition to me, there were fifteen people in the platoon, all conscripts (contract service was just beginning then). The guys were normal, prepared. In terms of age, some sergeants were my same age, and some were even older. Despite this, I was perceived as a commander. In the Marine Corps, discipline has always been at its best. Against the backdrop of a rapidly decomposing army, this was pleasing. It was also pleasing that the brigade was constantly engaged in combat training not nominally, but as expected - "in full". Shooting, tactical exercises - everything was carried out in full, they did not save on ammunition and fuel. Each soldier had six parachute jumps behind him, could wield any weapon of the platoon, use communications. Interchangeability was complete.

Meanwhile, events in the country developed rapidly. They could be described in one word - "Chechnya". Looking at the TV screen, it was easy to guess what would happen next. At some point, a thought arose among my colleagues:

Looks like guys, without us there will not do.

Our command had a similar opinion. The war has not yet begun, and we have dramatically increased the time for combat training, shooting, tactics, etc. And for sure, as soon as the shooting began in the Caucasus, our unit was brought to the states of wartime. And this is a sure sign - soon into battle.

At the end of November 1994, my platoon, like everyone else, was replenished, fifteen sailors were added to me. The shortage in the fleet was then terrible, so the people were scraped up wherever possible: on ships, on submarines. Of course, the sailors were absolutely untrained, they only kept the machine gun on the oath. In a month they had to be “trained” properly, because tomorrow they will go into battle with these people! Of course, you can’t learn everything in a month, but what you could manage to do, you did.

Meanwhile, reports of the war in Chechnya on TV and in the newspapers became quite gloomy. The unsuccessful New Year's assault on Grozny, the death of the Maykop brigade - all this did not add optimism. On the other hand, we were military people, We were preparing for war for too long, and therefore there was some special excitement inside, akin to hunting. As the army proverb says, “if you can’t avoid something, then be able to enjoy it.”

THE BREATH OF WAR

...January 7, 1995 began. We were alerted. March moved to the Korzunovo airfield. From there, an An-12 was flown to a larger airfield, and from there they flew an Il-76 to Mozdok. At the Mozdok airfield, our battalion was divided. Three hours after arrival, the 1st company was put into helicopters and sent to Grozny, to stand at checkpoints. For the remaining two companies, the war gave a reprieve.

The rest of the battalion was transferred by cars to the Severny airport. Here the breath of war is already felt with might and main. Everywhere is full of motley troops, chaos, vanity, constant movement. The entire airport building was destroyed, everywhere there was soot from fires, holes from shells, on the airfield - broken Dudayev planes (the Chechens planned to bomb Stavropol and Minvody with their help). Neither day nor night did the cannonade stop. The battles for Grozny were in full swing.

In the North, we learned that our battalion was included in the grouping of General Lev Rokhlin. Its backbone was made up of units based in Volgograd. During the two days spent at the airport, we got to know our grouping neighbors better. I especially remember the communication with the Volgograd scouts. They were real pros. And they got it in the days of New Year's battles to the fullest. In the first composition, all the commanders were mowed down - who was wounded, who was killed.

The scouts trained us well. The fact is that the marines before Chechnya did not participate in hostilities almost since the time of the Great Patriotic War. Marines were not sent to Afghanistan, or to Tajikistan, or to the Transcaucasus. And even more so, the marines did not participate in the storming of cities. We don't even have a theme. We must seize enemy coasts, create bridgeheads or defend our own coast. Therefore, any combat experience was extremely important for us. The Volgograd scouts explained the most elementary things about military operations: where to expect dangers, how to storm buildings, how to move along the street, how to act at night.

FIGHTERS IN BURNING pea coats JUMPED OUT OF THE WINDOWS AND RIDED INTO THE FIGHT AGAIN...

Two days later, the hour "H" came for us. Prepared weapons, equipment, received a "back" (ammunition). The commanders were given maps - old ones, of course, but in principle quite detailed. Tellingly, before bringing our battalion into battle, General Rokhlin assigned tasks personally to each company commander.

We moved into the city. The impression, to be sure, is stunning. Stalingrad in the pictures in books about the Great Patriotic War is one thing. But when you see such a picture of the ruined city with your own eyes, it becomes gloomy. Burnt panel houses, the remains of broken equipment, corpses everywhere.

We had no particular illusions about our future. The fact is that the principle of war in the city provides for a phased advancement. First comes the first company, it takes control of the first quarter, then the second one passes through its battle formations, it takes control, for example, of the next quarter. And the third one ends up in the very depths of the enemy defense, face to face with the enemy.

First fight. I remember him to the smallest detail. The smallest little things. My platoon was to take the L-shaped two-story house near the stadium. There, on the one hand, there was a road junction, on the other, a vast private sector. The House dominated the area, a certain number of militants settled in it on the second floor. I divided the platoon into three groups - fire, capture and reserve. Here I was a little confused - where, in which group should I, as a commander, be? At the military school, they clearly explained to us: the commander is obliged to lead the battle, and not participate directly in it. The commander must have binoculars, a map and a pistol with one cartridge in order to shoot himself (just kidding, of course). But when it came to the real deal, it wasn't that easy. That's right, I have to lead the fight. However, if I'm sending people to their deaths, can I stay away? And how will my subordinates look at me then? Fortunately, I had very intelligent sergeants. The capture group was led by my deputy platoon commander - Sergeant Ivan Antufiev.

The fight was extremely tense. The militants "sneaked" very tightly. Under this fire, ours had to cross the road. They began to act like this - the fire group suppresses enemy fire, at this time one or two fighters of the capture group cross the road. We hit the windows and breaches with all the trunks, literally - heavy fire. No matter where, the main thing is that the enemy could not stick his head out. Meanwhile, my guys from the capture group moved to the other side of the road.

My sailors managed to break into the second floor. The house was on fire by that time, and the fighters found themselves between the fire and the fighters. It's like between a hammer and an anvil... Bullets are flying on one side, and fire is on the other!

I will never forget the picture - fighters in burning jackets jump out of the windows of the second floor into the snow, put out the fire on themselves, and then rush into battle again !!!

The frenzy in that battle reached its extreme - the shooting was carried out from a distance of seven meters, almost point-blank. Chechens on one side of the building, ours on the other. It was necessary to do something urgently, as the enemy held on stubbornly. We figured out how to resolve the situation. The sappers dragged several powerful KZ-4 shaped charges through the neighboring entrance. They overlaid the passage from below, connecting both parts of the building, and blew it up. This ended the battle - some of the militants managed to escape, some fell down. On the ruins on the surface, the bodies of three were found, and even lower, under the ruins, who knows how many of them were there?

Then I noted with joy for myself that my first fight ended without loss. For any commander, this is the main idea - not to lose people! But in other platoons there were losses. Our battalion then went through almost all the "sights" of Grozny: the Main Post Office, the Puppet Theater, the building of the Council of Ministers. The second company, commanded by Captain Shulyak, had a particularly hard time. She took the Council of Ministers, the Dudaevites clung to this building with all their might. Needless to say - there was just a meat grinder.

TO DUDAYEV'S PALACE WE WENT BY ACCIDENTAL...

And besides the Council of Ministers, there were enough losses. Sometimes it's just stupid. One of the nights, our company advanced along the street to the next captured object. Suddenly, the column stood up - either they got lost, or something else. The sergeants (fortunately, mine were not there) gathered to confer. This must have been noticed by the enemy spotter. Be that as it may, an enemy mortar shell landed just where the sergeants were conferring. The explosion killed someone, wounded someone, But this could have been avoided.

Although, in a war, you never know how things will turn out. The case here is everything. For example, our unit took Dudayev's palace, on the one hand, quite by accident! Although, on the other hand, not quite ... To make everything clear, I'll tell you in order.

From the very beginning, a fierce struggle unfolded for the Dudayev Palace. The area in front of him was all littered with corpses, the remains of equipment, nearby - several tanks dug into the ground, rows of trenches, barricades. The huge building was all mutilated by the fire of our artillery, but it was expected that the same serious struggle would unfold for the palace as for the building of the Council of Ministers.

When our battalion made its way to the center of Grozny, battalion commander Colonel Boris Sokushev appointed me commander of the reconnaissance group. There are eleven people with me. Our task was to go to the dilapidated building of the hotel "Kavkaz" and "drag" our company behind us. That is, if no enemy was found in the "Kavkaz", a company was supposed to go there, and from there to start an attack on the palace.

By that time, many units had come to the center, so before leaving it turned out that we were not the only ones: similar reconnaissance groups from airborne paratroopers and motorized riflemen were also supposed to go to the Kavkaz.

They "pulled out" their units. All three units were supposed to go to the "Caucasus" along a common route, and then disperse in different directions, each to its own line.

After midnight we moved on. Walking around the city of Grozny at night, along the neutral zone, among the destroyed houses is not an occupation for the faint of heart. Illuminating rockets are constantly taking off, hundreds of tracers are flying in the air. Any careless movement, any noise, and so much will fly over your soul that it will not seem enough. I had to move literally by touch, pressing into the remains of the walls, sometimes running, sometimes crawling. It costs nothing to lose orientation in such an environment and wander towards the enemy.

Finally, they came to the building, which, as they believed, was the desired "Caucasus". Only this turned out not to be the case: the hotel looked like brick, but here it was all reinforced concrete. Where are we then? The three of us gathered - the commanders of the paratroopers, motorized riflemen and myself. They covered themselves with a cape, illuminated the map with a flashlight, began to hold advice - where are we? Then one of the fighters crawls up to us and says:

Looks like "Caucasus" on the left.

Then another lighting rocket took off nearby, and for sure - in its light we see that the Kavkaz is on the left, behind the square. And we are right under the walls of the palace! It turns out that our groups managed to get to him without meeting any resistance. Similarly, larger units can pass through here. On the clock - three nights, there is still time before dawn. They contacted the headquarters and reported about their "discovery". From there they gave the command - reconnaissance groups of paratroopers and motorized riflemen to return to their original position. I, along with my scouts, were ordered to “follow” to the building adjacent to the square, in which the airborne assault battalion of the Marine Corps, the same as ours, only from the Baltic, was holding the defense. We were about to move, but then it turned out that there was no radio communication with the Baltic battalion. They cannot be warned about our approach. The Baltics are on the defensive. Snipers are constantly firing at them from the darkness, they are constantly waiting for an attack. And here we are. What will they do?.. It's a shame if they kill their own - the marines.

Once again, the Russian mate came to the rescue. When my reconnaissance group approached the Baltics, at first we “shouted” with them. The conversation went something like this:

Baltic! E..!!! Do not shoot!

And who are you, b...?!

We are from Sputnik, nah ..!!!

While they were yelling, we agreed that one of us would come out to them. Like in the movies - alone and without weapons. I became one of us. I was well aware that at that moment more than a dozen guns were aimed at me, and each step could become the final one in my short biography. But it worked out. One of the Baltic officers came out to meet me. We talked, I explained the situation. My scouts were allowed to pass.

"SPUTNIK", MARINES-95"

The Baltics gave us compote to drink. At the same time, enemy snipers, who had settled in the ruins of buildings that surrounded the palace square, were constantly hitting the building. While drinking compote, one of the Baltic sailors was killed by a sniper. Right next to us. The bullet hit right in the head. But by that time we had already seen enough of everything. The brain ceased to fix what was happening as a tragedy. He only noted everything that was happening and forced the body to act at the level of instincts. Get down! crawl away! Hide!

Meanwhile, the troops around the palace began to move. Everything around stirred. At 5.00 the Baltics and I moved towards the palace. Secretly approached the wall of the building. There is no movement inside. The first to enter was Colonel Chernov with four fighters. I followed him with my group.

Inside, right at the entrance, we stumbled upon the tail of an exploding rocket. The enemy was nowhere to be seen, only up to a dozen corpses were lying on the floor. They searched the whole building - no one. Apparently, the militants left through the underground passages, which abounded in the building of the palace.

It was necessary to indicate that we had captured the building. I sent Sergeant Major Gennady Azarychev for the flag. At that moment, it began to lighten up, and snipers became more active. Despite their shooting, the foreman ran over to the Baltics, and soon returned with the St. Andrew's flag. They wanted to raise it above the roof, but the flights of stairs were destroyed by artillery fire at the level of the sixth floor. I had to hang a flag through the window.

I then wanted to leave something of my own in the palace I had taken. I pulled off my vest and hung it on the armature sticking out above the main entrance of the palace - there were huge doorways. This vest had its own history - my father fought in it back in Afghanistan. Now it fluttered in Grozny, over the former residence of Dudayev. Nearby, the guys and I scrawled the inscription: "Satellite". Marine Corps-95".

At that moment, for some reason, it seemed that everything was the end of the war. But it was a deceiving feeling. Everything was just beginning...

THEY WERE PREPARED BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR BUSINESS...

For the next two days, our company was in the Kavkaz Hotel. Under it, too, there were many underground passages. Suddenly, militants began to appear from there. Such a figure will crawl out of the hole, fire a couple of times back and forth, and - rather back. When our sappers blew up the underground passages, the attacks stopped.

After the capture of the palace, the fighting continued with increasing force. Day after day, we moved forward, clearing the enemy of the enemy from a huge collection of ruined ruins. Our task was the same - to always be ahead. We storm the building, hand it over to the Internal Troops or motorized riflemen, and move on. And so day after day.

There were also pleasant moments. For example, a bath. Every week we were taken to Severny, where our base was located. There they washed, received a brand new, unworn uniform. I must say that the command of the fleet took care of us better than ever. Compared to the rest of the troops, we lived quite freely. Once every two weeks, the commander of the Northern Fleet brought his plane to the Northern Fleet, stuffed with everything necessary. We had the best food - up to red fish every day, the best supply of ammunition and weapons. If you want "hills" - get it, if you want new sniper rifles - please. Just fight like Marines should! We fought - as expected.

Day by day it became more difficult to act. Now we and the enemy have studied each other's tactics quite well. The Chechens were dominated by the classic guerrilla tactics - a swoop-withdrawal. They acted in small groups of three to five people. Part of the group carried out demonstrative actions, lured our fighters into fire traps. They jumped out, fired randomly and quickly retreated. The main thing was to make more noise. The fire was usually not aimed. Many militants fired from machine guns with stocks removed or from makeshift Borz submachine guns. If ours started the pursuit, they came under fire from snipers or machine guns.

It should be rightly noted that the enemy had very good preparation. It was felt that it was prepared by very professional military men who knew their job well. For example, we encountered the fact that many militants wore Soviet-style soldier's overcoats. The fact is that those overcoats had a special impregnation that made them invisible at night in night vision devices. Russian-style overcoats did not have such impregnation. It means that someone knew and took into account, and this "someone" was very competent. Our strength was the technical advantage. This was especially true in night battles. Therefore, we tried to impose night combat operations on the enemy.

SHARE A SECOND

Sometimes the war brought very unpleasant surprises. One day I was at the checkpoint of my platoon. It's already dusk. Senior Lieutenant Zhenya Chubrikov, the commander of a neighboring platoon, and I stood under the cover of a reinforced concrete fence and talked about something. Suddenly, five jump over the fence and run towards us. On all "Afghans", and in the hands of machine guns. Who are they?! Each has a white band on the left sleeve. Despite the twilight, I was able to see that the features of the liya of the unexpected guests were clearly Caucasian.

What are you doing here? We answer;

We are standing here.

Where are the feds?

There are moments in life when the count goes not for seconds, but for their few fractions. Who is faster, like in a lousy American movie about cowboys.

This time we were faster. Zhenya threw up his machine gun and from three meters in one burst he put down three. The two survivors rushed to the fence. But from the checkpoint they managed to see what was happening. Someone from a machine gun put a portion of lead into the fleeing. What can I say - at that time we were very lucky and they were very unlucky,

THE BLOOD WAS UNNATURAL BRIGHT...

Other times we were less fortunate. Our company was under heavy mortar fire. In the city, a mortar is a vile thing. Where he is hiding in this stone jungle - go guess; from somewhere it works from a closed position, and we can’t see it. And he “sees” us through the spotter.

On that day, we moved along the street with the task of taking control of the building dominating the area - a panel "candle". Street - you can't imagine worse - like a tunnel. On the one hand - a high fence, on the other - the private sector. I also remember that it was paved with cobblestones.

It must have been shot in advance. An ambush location is ideal. We fell into this ambush.

Suddenly, mines began to explode from all sides. Howling, explosions, burning smoke, fragments and broken cobblestone flying in all directions. Apparently, the enemy spotter was sitting just in the "candle" that we were supposed to take. We were at his fingertips,

The wounded went almost immediately. Two sailors were wounded in my platoon. Fortunately, it's not hard. The rest of the platoons are worse. We lay down - do not raise our heads. Next to me fell the deputy commander of the company senior lieutenant Praslov. Look, I'm wounded. And the wound - you can't imagine worse. He had a hefty, finger-thin fragment entered under the buttock and interrupted the artery. I began to help him. The blood gushes like a fountain, unnaturally bright and hot.

To prevent the wounded in the artery from bleeding, a tourniquet must be applied. But how to apply it if the artery runs deep inside?! I bandaged Praslov with cotton-gauze and bandages. They immediately swelled with blood. It wasn't an option. Then I used the packaging from the bandage - it is made of a dense, breathable material. He put it on the wound and wrapped it tightly. After that, he dragged the wounded from under fire. One hundred and fifty meters crawled under fire, dragging him along. Fortunately, I met motorized riflemen. They gave me an infantry fighting vehicle, on which we evacuated Praslov to the rear. As it turned out - very timely. A little more - and they would not have been pumped out. Praslov survived, so I have one saved life on my account, Perhaps it will be counted somewhere ...

For me, that trip ended unexpectedly. I was not injured, but by negligence I broke my arm, after which I was sent to the hospital. My company stayed in Grozny until March 8, 1995.

After returning home, to Sputnik, it turned out that the most difficult was ahead. If in the war I was constantly overwhelmed by a sense of combat mood, something like a constant euphoria, then this was not the case here. Suddenly there was a terrible emptiness. All the dark memories came to mind at once. Constantly pestered the memory of the fallen comrades. It was especially hard when the funeral took place, when the parents of the fallen arrived.

I was lucky then as a commander. In Grozny, I only wounded two soldiers (those who came under mortar fire), and even that was easy. Without the slightest boasting, I can say that during that business trip to Chechnya, I did not lose a single one of my soldiers killed. No mother will say that I did not save her son.

(Magazine "Soldier of Fortune", recorded by A. Musalov)

Hero of Russia Colonel Andrey Yuryevich Gushchin says:

- During the capture of Grozny, I, in the rank of captain, was appointed to act as deputy commander of the 876th separate airborne assault battalion of the 61st separate Kirkenes Red Banner Marine Corps of the Red Banner Northern Fleet. The battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Vikentievich Semyonov.

When it just started in December 1994, talk about the possible participation of the marines of the Northern Fleet in it immediately began. But we were not particularly shocked by this. After all, no one really knew what was really going on in Grozny.

Bloody battles and numerous losses were not talked about on TV and did not write in the newspapers. They hushed up. We had no idea about the scale of the tasks that we had to perform and conscientiously prepared to protect important objects and carry out passport control.

But everything changed in one hour when, in the first days of January 1995, we learned about the death of soldiers and officers of the Maikop motorized rifle brigade. It became clear that the situation in Chechnya was not at all what it had been seen from the beginning.

And on Christmas Day, January 7, at seventeen o'clock, the alarm was sounded in the brigade. And already at night of the same day, the air assault battalion was at the long-range aviation airfield in Olenegorsk. From there, on January 7 and 9, we were airlifted to Mozdok.

About three hours after landing in Mozdok, we were ordered to unload the wounded evacuated from Grozny from helicopters. I think it was a mistake. Guys in bloody bandages scream, moan... And let's tell our fighters: “It's a real hell! Where are you going?!." And if before that everyone just felt tension, then real fear appeared in the eyes of the fighters. Then came the anger. (But that was later, when we started to lose our own in battle.)

We must not forget that the actual marines in the battalion were only two hundred people out of a thousand and a hundred, the rest were sailors from submarines, surface ships, from coastal units, security and support units. And what did the sailor see in the submarine or on the ship? His service is in a warm room, in comfort ... Such a sailor held a machine gun in his hands, at best, only during the swearing in of the Military oath. And then the cold, dirt, blood ...

But what is surprising is that this fear became a saving grace for them, mobilizing and disciplining people. Now, when the officers explained to the sailors how to behave in combat conditions, how to move, how to seek shelter, there was no need to repeat twice, they understood everything perfectly.

The 1st Airborne Assault Company of the battalion from Mozdok on "turntables" immediately went to Grozny, to the Severny airport. The rest went in a column, about thirty cars in total with only one armored personnel carrier. The rest of the equipment of the armored group immediately failed.

The dirt on the road was impassable, and our two "Urals" with ammunition fell behind. The brigade commander, lieutenant colonel Boris Filagreevich Sokushev, said to me: "Gushchin, get on the armor and drive, look for vehicles with ammunition." And already darkness is coming. I'm going straight through the airfield. Shots!.. I stop.

Some general asks: "Where are you going?" Me: "The brigade commander sent cars to search." Him: "Get back! You can’t drive through the airfield in the dark.” And it's getting dark already. I rushed on, there was no time to turn around. I reached the first security tank. I stop and ask: “Did you see two cars? Just an hour ago, the convoy passed through here.” Tankers: “Come back, it's already dark. Here our area of ​​responsibility ends.”

I remembered by daylight time where I came from. He turned around and went back along the old track. On the way, the general stopped me again, it seems to be different. But I still drove across the airfield, there was no time to go around. As it turned out, the airfield was waiting for the arrival of the Minister of Defense, so the runway had to be clean.

In Grozny, our battalion was assigned to the 276th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Ural Military District. It was commanded by Colonel Sergei Bunin. At first, we were given the task of positioning ourselves at the Severny airport and taking up defense. Our combat units were transferred by aircraft, and the rear was sent by rail (they arrived in two weeks!). Therefore, with us we had only ammunition and dry rations for two or three days.

The infantry shared with us what they could. But when we opened the containers and took out the rice and pasta, it became clear that they had been stored in warehouses for a very long time: there were worms inside, although they were already dried up. That is, the products were so ancient that even the worms died. And when we were served soup, everyone immediately remembered the movie "Battleship Potemkin". Just like in the movies, there were worms floating in our soup. But hunger is not an aunt. You scoop the worms with a spoon to the side and eat ... The higher command promised that soon there would be cheese and sausage. But I did not wait for this happy moment.

On the night of January 10-11, our 3rd Airborne Assault Company went to take the Main Post Office. There was a fight, but our guys took it almost without loss. The suddenness had an effect - the militants were not waiting for them! ..

I myself was still in Severny at that moment, I was appointed temporarily responsible for ammunition. But on January 13, when the head of the warehouse arrived, I went to Grozny with the 2nd company to get acquainted with the situation.

This situation was terrible. Mortar shelling, constant explosions... There are a lot of civilian corpses right on the streets, our wrecked tanks without turrets stand... The KNP (command and observation post. - Ed.) of the battalion where I arrived was also under constant mortar fire. And in about thirty or forty minutes, by and large, everything became clear to me ...

Then the brigade commander saw me (he was the senior of the operational group): “Well done for coming! Now you will receive a task. The paratroopers twice took the building of the Council of Ministers, twice their militants knocked out. Now in the Council of Ministers there are both “spirits” and ours. But the paratroopers suffered heavy losses, you will go to their aid. Take the 2nd airborne assault company and an anti-tank battery. The task is to hold out in the Council of Ministers for two days.”

The brigade commander gave me a 1979 map. It was almost impossible to navigate along it: everything around was burned, collapsed. You can't see the numbers on the houses, the names of the streets... I give the command to the company commander to get ready: take as much ammunition as we can carry. And somewhere around sixteen o'clock a guide came - a motorized rifleman - with a white bandage on his sleeve.

They counted, checked and loaded the weapons, sent the cartridges into the chamber, and put the machine guns on fuses. Sentinels were appointed, who went ahead with the guide. The anti-tank battery was placed in the center, because it is harder for them to go (they carry their own ammunition). Behind us guarded the rear patrol. In general, we did everything according to science and went.

In what unthinkable ways the guide led us! If I were there again, I would never find the road we were walking on! We moved in dashes through the streets, cellars ... Then we went upstairs, passed through pedestrian crossings under the ground ... On one street we came under fire and could not cross it for a long time. They shot at us from everything they could: from grenade launchers, from machine guns, from machine guns ...

At last they have arrived somewhere. The conductor waved his hand: "There is the Council of Ministers, you go there." And he disappeared ... We looked around: the facade of the building nearby was riddled with bullets along and across, empty window openings without frames, flights of stairs demolished. Here and there flashes from shots, screams in our and Chechen languages ​​...

There were a total of one hundred and twenty people in the detachment. I divided it into groups of ten people, and in between shelling we took turns running across the street in front of the Council of Ministers.

Here we see - paratroopers carry out their wounded from the building of the department store (forty-five people survived from their battalion). We began to help them. This department store was part of the complex of buildings of the Council of Ministers of Chechnya. The whole complex resembled an irregular rectangle in shape, about three hundred by six hundred meters in size. In addition to the department store, the complex included the buildings of the Central Bank, a canteen and some other buildings. One side of the complex overlooked the bank of the Sunzha River, which flows through the center of Grozny, the other side overlooked Dudayev's palace, which was a hundred and fifty meters away.

After a thirty-minute respite, the battle began. And the 2nd company immediately got into trouble with me: it went forward, and immediately behind it the wall of the house collapsed (from the fifth to the first floor), and the house itself began to burn. The company was cut off both from my command post and from the anti-tank battery. I had to take them out.

The paratroopers gave a sapper. With an explosion, he made a hole in the wall of the house, through which we began to pull the company out. And the company was still pressed by fire - we had to cover it. As soon as I went out of the house into the courtyard to see how the company was leaving, I saw a flash - a shot from a grenade launcher! They fired aiming at point-blank range from the second floor, from a hundred meters. I threw my signalman to the ground, fell from above myself ... We were very lucky: the house had a small dormer window. And the grenade hit him, flew inside and exploded there! If it exploded above us, we would definitely die.

When the dust cleared, I began to drag the radio operator into the basement. He was stunned, he didn’t understand anything ... Then someone began to crawl out of the basement and shout, clearly not in Russian, “alarm!” (“anxiety”, English - Ed.). I, without much hesitation, fired a burst into the basement and threw a grenade in pursuit. Only after that I ask the paratroopers: “Are there ours in the basement?” They: no, but the "spirits" are constantly climbing out of there. In the central department store where we settled down, there were, of course, huge cellars. Using them, the “spirits” under the ground could move freely and constantly tried to knock us out of the department store from below. (Later we learned that from these cellars there was an underground passage to Dudayev's palace.)

And then, almost immediately, the “spirits” went on the attack through the Sunzha and opened heavy fire on the courtyard in front of the department store! .. To hide from it, we ran into the archway and lay down. Immediately, two grenades fly to us one after another and burst under the arch! Everyone who was lying along the wall was shell-shocked: blood came from the nose, from the ears ...

Thoroughly exploded under the arch! .. The paratrooper's machine gunner's legs were torn off, they began to pull him out. I turn around and see a fighter next to me: a tracer burst passed right over his head! .. But we didn’t have tracers, we were forbidden to use them. The guy sat down dumbfounded, his eyes burning in the dark. I told him: “Alive?”. And he pulled him on himself so that he left the line of fire, and began to push his own people back into the courtyard! .. This was our first battle.

A paratrooper officer comes up: “Do you have promedol?” (painkiller. - Ed.). Have them have themselves promedol long over. I had it for five injections. Of these, I gave him three, and kept two for myself, just in case. By that time, the paratroopers had not only promedol, but in general everything was over. We came fresh, so we shared food and ammunition with them.

On the same day we seized the dining room of the Council of Ministers. After this battle, seven wounded appeared in the detachment. The wounded soldiers swaggered, especially when they talked to the paratroopers: no, we will stay. Let them bandage us, and we are ready to fight further. But I gave the command for any injury, even a tangent, to send the wounded immediately to the rear at the first opportunity. To keep the kids alive.

We didn't have a doctor. Help was provided to the fighters, paramedics-sergeants - almost boys. They will bandage the wounded, they will transfer them across the street and back. But none of them escaped to the rear.

Everything was very scary - not at all like in the movies and not like in books. But the mood of the fighters instantly changed. Everyone understood: here it is necessary to survive and fight, otherwise it will not work. Although, for the sake of truth, it must be said that there were those who could not cope with their fear. Some even, like mice, huddled in a corner. I had to pull them out of the nooks and crannies by force: "Don't stand under the wall, it's about to fall!". I gathered such fighters together and ordered: "You will crawl around, collect magazines, equip them and smash them to those who shoot." And they did it.

The task remained the same: to completely take the complex of buildings of the Council of Ministers, clear it and go to Dudayev's palace. We started looking for ways to do it. At night they tried to bypass along Komsomolskaya Street. But they immediately ran into shelling and lay down in the middle of the street at the crossroads. And there is not a pebble or a funnel around ... Although it is only five meters to the wall of the house, but no one can climb: they are firing at us densely.

Then the fighter, who was lying next to me, said to me: “Comrade Captain, I have a smoke grenade!” Me: "Come here." He tossed it to me. They lit a grenade, I told the fighters: "Go away, we will cover you." The grenade burns for two minutes, during which time everyone retreated under the walls, and Volodya Levchuk and I cover them. The grenade stopped burning, the smoke cleared. We lie together at the crossroads almost flush with the asphalt, we can’t raise our heads. But there was nothing to be done, they began to crawl back.

And you can’t turn around, we crawl backwards. It turned out that a helmet without a double chin strap is a very uncomfortable thing: it falls on the eyes. I had to drop my helmets. Let's move on. And then I noticed the window from where they were shooting at us! He got up and fired a long burst from his knee... The shooting stopped immediately. It turns out that I was ahead of the “spirit” by a fraction of a second and managed to shoot first. This time, no one died in our country, although there were wounded and stunned (when they fired at us from a grenade launcher, the wall was slashed with fragments).

Immediately, we were given another task: the paratroopers were completely withdrawn, and we occupied the entire line of defense along the Sunzha River. For those militants who defended Dudayev's palace, this place was very important: after all, ammunition was brought to the militants across the bridge (it was intact). We had to completely stop the supply of ammunition. The landing party itself managed to mine the bridge and put stretch marks on it.

But in addition to everything, the "spirits" continued to try to get out from below, from the basements. After all, the floor from the explosions failed. But we already clearly knew: no one walks in our basements, only the enemy can be below. Appointed "hearers", put stretch marks. The order is this: if they hear steps, rustles, then we throw down a grenade and give a long machine-gun or automatic burst.

The militants also climbed out of the sewers. During the next battle, the “spirit”, suddenly sticking out of the sewer hatch, opens dagger machine-gun fire at us! Taking advantage of this, the militants rushed to the assault and on top, grenades flew at us. The situation became simply critical. Salvation was in one thing - immediately destroy the machine gunner. I took off from behind the wall, pulling the trigger at the same time. The machine gunner was late for a fraction of a moment, but that was enough for me ... The machine gun fell silent. "Spirits" rolled back again ...

There was no continuous front line at all, we were hollowed out from three sides. Only one street remained relatively free, along which ammunition and water could be brought up at night. Yes, and water, if they brought a couple of thermoses, then they shared it for everyone. Everyone got quite a bit. Therefore, we took slurry from the sewer and passed it through gas mask boxes. What has dripped, we drink. And there was practically no food at all, only cement and brick chips creak on the teeth ...

On January 14, we had the first dead. I gave the command in a relatively quiet place to lay the bodies in one line. Those who died on January 15 were supposed to be placed on top in the second line, and so on. And for those who remain alive, I set the task of telling about it. In just five days of fighting, out of one hundred and twenty people, sixty-four of us remained in the ranks.

The situation of those who defended Dudayev's palace became very difficult: after all, with the blocking of the bridge, we practically stopped the supply of ammunition to them. In five days, only one BMP managed to break through to Dudayev's palace, we burned everything else on the other side. And on January 15, the militants tried to completely destroy us: they attacked us in the forehead right through the Sunzha. They climbed over the bridge and wade across the river. Closer to the Sunzha palace, it was deeper, but in front of us, it practically turned into a shallow ditch. Therefore, the militants went to where the river is shallow and narrow. This area was only 100 meters wide.

But the scouts reported in advance that a breakthrough was possible. I contacted the commander of the mortar battery, and we decided in advance how they would support us. And at seven o'clock in the evening, when it was almost dark, the "spirits" went on a breakthrough. There were a lot of them, they climbed like locusts ... The river in this place is only thirty or forty meters wide, and another fifty meters to the wall of our house. Although it was already dark, everything around was glowing from the shots.

Some militants managed to get ashore, so we hit them at close range. To be honest, there is no time to aim calmly when such a crowd is rushing at you. You press the trigger - and in a few seconds you release the entire magazine with dispersion. He gave several bursts, reloaded, again several bursts. And so on until the next attack bogs down. But a little time passes - and everything starts all over again. Again, they crowd the rod, again we shoot ... But no one has ever reached the walls of our buildings from the "spirits" ...

At the same time, the “spiritual” tank went to the bridge. Intelligence reported about him in advance. But when he nevertheless appeared, everyone instantly immediately hid somewhere, climbed into the farthest cracks. That's what tank fear means! It turned out that this is a very real thing. Me: "All in place, in position!". And the soldiers feel good when an officer decisively gives an order. They immediately returned to their positions.

We see the T-72 tank, the distance to it is three hundred meters. He stopped, turning his turret... We didn't have anti-tank grenades. I give the command: "Flame thrower to me!". To a flamethrower with a "bumblebee" (reactive infantry flamethrower RPO "Bumblebee". - Ed.) I say: "You hit under the tower and immediately fall down!". He shoots, falls, I watch the shot. Flight ... I: "Come on from a different position, hit exactly under the tower!" He hits and hits right under the tower! .. The tank lights up! The tankers got out, but did not live long. At such a distance, they had no chance to leave ... We knocked out this tank in a very good place, in addition, it also blocked the bridge with itself.

In a few hours we repulsed about five frontal attacks. Then two commissions came to investigate. It turned out that, together with the mortarmen, we threshed a lot of militants: according to the commission, about three hundred corpses were counted in this area alone. And we, along with the paratroopers, were only a hundred and fifty people.

Then we had complete confidence that we would definitely stand. The sailors for several days of fighting completely changed: they began to act prudently and courageously. They became experienced. And we clung to this line tightly - after all, there is nowhere to retreat, we must stand, no matter what. And we also understood that if we leave here now, then all the same, ours will come later. And they will have to take this house again, there will be losses again ...

Before us, the paratroopers were hollowed out from all sides. The militants fought very competently: groups of five or six people came out either from the basements, or from the sewers, or sneaked along the ground. They approached, shot and left in the same way. And they are replaced by others. And we managed to block a lot: we closed the exits from the basements, covered our rear and did not allow ourselves to be attacked from the side of Dudayev's palace.

When we just went to the positions, we were told that there were only paratroopers in the Council of Ministers. But already during the fighting, we established contact with the Novosibirsk (they then covered us from the rear) and with a small group of fighters from Vladikavkaz. As a result, we created such conditions for the militants that they could only go where we offered them. They probably thought: we, they say, have pulled up such forces, and the Council of Ministers is defended by some handful. Therefore, they went to us in the forehead.

But we also established interaction with the tankmen who were in the courtyard of the vocational school, on the back of the Council of Ministers. The tactic used was simple: the tank flies out of cover at full speed, fires two shells where it managed to aim, and rolls back. I got into a house with militants - it's already good: the ceilings are collapsing, the enemy can no longer use the upper points. Then I met a man who commanded these tanks. This is Major General Kozlov (then he was a deputy commander of some regiment). He says to me: “It was I who rescued you from the Council of Ministers!”. And it was the pure truth.

And on the night of January 15-16, I almost died. By this moment, consciousness was already dulled from losses, from all the horror around. Some indifference set in, fatigue set in. As a result, the radiotelephonist and I did not change my KNP (usually I changed places from where I got in touch five times a day). And when he sent another report on the radio, we came under mortar fire! Usually they fired at us from behind Sunzha with mortars mounted on Kamaz trucks. From the sound, I realized that a hundred and twenty-millimeter mine had arrived. A terrible roar! .. The wall and the ceiling of the house collapsed on me and the radio operator ... I never thought that cement could burn. And then he was on fire, even felt warm. I was covered in debris up to my waist. Some sharp stone damaged the spine (then I was treated for this in the hospital for a long time). But the fighters dug me up, and I had to continue to fight ...

On the night of January 17-18, the main forces of our battalion approached with the battalion commander and it became easier - the battalion commander gave the command to withdraw my consolidated detachment from the battle. When a little later I looked at myself in the mirror, I was horrified: the gray face of a mortally tired stranger looked at me ... For me personally, the result of five days of the war was this: I lost fifteen kilograms of weight and caught dysentery. God spared me from the wounds, but I received a spinal injury and three concussions - my eardrums were torn (the doctors at the hospital said that a slight wound is better than a contusion, because after it the consequences are unpredictable). All this is still with me. By the way, I received one and a half million rubles in 1995 prices for war insurance. For comparison: a heating battery fell on a familiar ensign. So he got the same.

Correct relations between people in this war developed very quickly. The soldiers saw that the commander was able to control them. After all, they are here like children: you are both dad and mom for them. They carefully look into your eyes and if they see that you are doing everything so that no one stupidly dies, then they follow you into fire and into water. They completely trust you with their lives. And in this case, the strength of the combat team doubles, triples ... We heard that it was not by chance that Dudayev ordered the marines and paratroopers not to be taken prisoner, but to be killed immediately on the spot. It seems that at the same time he said: "To heroes - a heroic death."

And even in this war, I saw that one of the main motives why we fought to the death was the desire to avenge our fallen comrades. After all, here people quickly approach each other, in battle everyone stands shoulder to shoulder. The practical results of the battles showed that we can withstand unthinkable conditions and win. Of course, the traditions of the Marine Corps worked. In this war, we no longer divided: these are real marines, and these are sailors from ships. Every single one of them became Marines. And many of those who returned from Grozny did not want to return to the ships and to their units and remained to serve in the brigade.

I remember with great warmth those sailors and officers with whom I had a chance to fight together. They showed, without exaggeration, miracles of heroism and fought to the death. What is only the senior warrant officer Grigory Mikhailovich Zamyshlyak, or "Grandfather", as we called him! He took command of the company when there were no officers left.

Only one officer died in my company - Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Sartin. Nikolai, at the head of the assault group, burst into the courtyard of the Council of Ministers, and there was an ambush. They shot at the guys point-blank... One single bullet pierced Nikolai's body armor, the officer's identity card and hit the heart. It is hard to believe this and not explain it from the point of view of medicine, but the mortally wounded Nikolai ran for another hundred meters to warn us of an ambush. His last words were: "Commander, take people away, ambush ...". And fell...

And there are moments that you can never forget. The fighter receives a bullet wound in the head, a fatal wound. He himself clearly understands that he is living his last minutes. And he says to me: “Commander, come to me. Let's sing a song..." And at night we tried only to talk in a whisper, so that nothing would fly from the other side to the sound. But I understand that he will die now, and this is his last request. I sat next to him, and we sang something in a whisper. Maybe “Goodbye Rocky Mountains”, maybe some other song, I don’t remember now ...

It was very hard when we returned from the war and I was imprisoned with all the relatives of the dead sailors of the battalion. They ask: how did mine die, and how did mine? .. But you don’t know about many how he died ... Therefore, every year, when January comes, I continue to fight at night in a dream ...
The marines of the Northern Fleet coped with the task, they did not drop the honor of the Russian and St. Andrew's flags. Motherland ordered, they obeyed the order. It is bad that time has passed, but there is no due care for the participants in this war. They say that Grozny has already rebuilt - like Las Vegas, all shining with lights. And look at our barracks - they are practically falling apart ...

Location of events

Colonel Sergei Kondratenko recalls what the marines of the Pacific Fleet faced in Chechnya in 1995

I think I won’t be mistaken if I classify Colonel Kondratenko (we have known him for more than a year) as the type of Russian officer-intellectual that we know from Lermontov and Tolstoy, Arsenyev and Gumilyov. From January to May 1995, Kondratenko was in Chechnya with the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet and kept a diary there, recording by the day, and sometimes by the minute, what was happening around. I hope someday these notes will be published, although Sergei Konstantinovich himself believes that the time has not yet come to speak aloud about everything.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the start of the war in Chechnya, Sergei Kondratenko and my colleague, editor-in-chief of Novaya v Vladivostok, Andrey Ostrovsky, have already published the fourth edition of the Primorsky Territory Memory Book, which lists all Primorye residents who died in the North Caucasus over the years (and those called up from Primorye) . New names were entered into each reprint, each time hoping that these additions were the last.

I will preface the conversation, the occasion for which was this non-holiday anniversary, with a brief background. Sergei Kondratenko was born in 1950 in Khabarovsk, graduated from the Far Eastern Higher School of Education in Blagoveshchensk. From 1972 to 2001, he served in a division (now a brigade) of the Marine Corps of the Pacific Fleet, having retired from the post of deputy division commander. Later he led the regional search and rescue service, headed the organization of veterans of local wars "Contingent", now he is the chairman of the council of veterans of Vladivostok. He was awarded the Order of Courage and "For Military Merit".

The Pacific in the Caucasus: "Everything was learned on the spot"

Sergei Konstantinovich, all your life you have been studying and teaching others to fight, and with an external enemy. Remember, they told me how, as a cadet of the Far Eastern Military District in March 1969, during the battles on Damansky, you occupied positions in Blagoveshchensk on the Amur embankment ... Then it worked out. And the marines were not sent to Afghanistan. You had to fight only a quarter of a century later - already a mature man, a colonel. Moreover, the war broke out on the territory of our own country ...

Yes, many of us in the marines wrote reports, asked to be sent to Afghanistan, but we were told: you have your own combat mission. But, by the way, then our landing groups were constantly on ships in the Persian Gulf ...

June 1995 Sergei Kondratenko after returning from Chechnya

When we arrived in Chechnya, saw the destroyed Grozny, talked to civilians, we realized that there really was a genocide of the Russian population. Not only Russians spoke about this, but also the Chechens themselves, especially the old people, and we ourselves saw it all. True, some said that we should not have interfered - they themselves, they say, would have figured it out. I don't know... Another thing is that the decision to send troops was hasty, that's 100 percent.

As the division's deputy commander, I was appointed chief of the division's task force. This group is created for the convenience of control when the regiment operates at a distance from the division. Its commander was in charge of the regiment itself, and I was the first to “jump out” to the rear area, to Grozny, agreed with the Baltic marines to transfer the tent camp to us ... During the hostilities, I ensured the interaction of the “regiment - grouping”. Then he took over the exchange of prisoners, the collection of weapons from the population. I traveled through departments. If some kind of emergency, skirmish, death, always jumped out, sorted it out on the spot. On February 18, I received a barotrauma - four of our comrades died in battle that day ... In general, I did not sit idle.

- When did you find out that you were going to fly to the Caucasus?

The fighting in Chechnya began on December 11, 1994, and on December 22, I came back from vacation and found out that a directive had come: to complete the 165th regiment to wartime states and conduct combat coordination - we have such an expression, the computer emphasizes this word. It was clear that they were preparing for Chechnya, but then I thought: just in case, the reserve is not the first echelon ... They began to give us people from ships and parts of the fleet. Of these, 50 percent were eliminated, if not more. Firstly, this is an old army tradition: they always give the very “best”. Secondly, they did not take anyone who said: "I will not go." Or if there are health problems.

At the Bamburovo and Clerk training grounds, we managed to carry out almost everything that was supposed to be done: shooting, driving ... On January 10, when it became clear that the New Year's assault on Grozny had failed, we were given the command to go to Chechnya.

- Shooting, driving - it's clear, but was the preparation of another plan? Let's say cultural?

This just did not happen, and this is a huge omission. Everything had to be found out on the spot. I loved history, but I still did not know much when I went to the first negotiations with the Chechens. At a meeting with the inhabitants of Belgatoy, an old man comes out and hugs me. I was confused at first. And then it was like that all the time - hugging a man who could kill me in half an hour. It is so customary there - the elder hugs the elder.

- What were the “black berets” not ready for?

You know, the general impression is this: we were taught one thing, but there everything was different. We did not expect much, starting with the mud and mess and ending with the use of units. Learned on the go.

- Among you were combatants?

The commander of the 165th regiment, Colonel Alexander Fedorov, commanded a motorized rifle battalion in Afghanistan and applied this combat experience. In general, our percentage of losses was the lowest. Including because we were understaffed mainly at the expense of our own. I knew all the officers of the regiment from company commanders and above, many platoon officers. Few of the officers were outside. We were given people from ships and parts of the fleet, but the Marines were still the basis.

In general, the marines were well prepared. Approximately a third of our dead are non-combat losses, but in the same 245th regiment (245th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Moscow Military District, replenished by the Far East. - Ed.), Non-combat losses amounted to more than half. "Friendly fire" has been and will be in all wars, but much depends on the organization. In the same Book of Memory, we did not always write exactly how a person died. You can’t tell his parents that, for example, he took drugs ... And there all the vices of a citizen crawl out. In general, in war the threshold of legality is lowered. A man walks with a machine gun, his finger is on the trigger, if he doesn’t shoot first, they will shoot at him ...

- Did the Marines have any special tasks?

No, they were used as regular infantry. True, when we "forced" Sunzha, our PTS participated there - a floating conveyor. We joked: the marines are used for their combat mission!

First fight: “I could have died three times that day”

- Could you imagine then how long all this will drag on, what will result in?

On January 19, when Dudayev's palace was taken, Yeltsin announced that the military stage of restoring the operation of the Russian Constitution in Chechnya had been completed. Just in time for this date, our regiment concentrated in the rear area not far from Grozny. After reading the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda of January 21, in which this statement of the president was published, I thought: Christmas trees, what the hell were we dragged from the Far East? .. And on the night of January 21-22, the second battalion of the 165th regiment was brought into battle, and already
On January 22, Senior Lieutenant Maxim Rusakov died.

- The first loss of the marines of the Pacific Fleet ...

When this battle began (the battalion fought, the sailor was wounded), I immediately "jumped" into place. Not only because of the wounded: our communication was lost, interaction was lost, panic began - all this is called the first battle ... I took with me an engineer, a medic, a signalman, spare batteries for the radio station, and ammunition. We went to the carbide plant, where the units of the second battalion were located. This is Khabarovskaya street - my "native" street. And I almost flew in there - I could have died three times on this first exit. We were given a ten-page card, but we didn’t work with such cards, and I couldn’t “get it” into it. We walked on two armored personnel carriers along Khabarovsk, jumped out to the bridge over the Sunzha, but the bridge was not visible - it was blown up, and it caved in, sank. The spirits placed blocks in front of the bridge. I look through the triplex - nothing is clear, black figures are rushing about with weapons, obviously not our sailors ... We stopped and stood there for a minute or two. If they had a grenade launcher - write wasted. I look around - on the left there is some enterprise, on the pipe - a sickle and a hammer. And they told me at the headquarters of the group: a pipe with a sickle and a hammer is “carbide”. I look - the gates are opening, a figure in camouflage is waving. We jumped in there. The second point: when we drove into the yard, I drove along the wire from MON-200 - directional mines. But it did not explode - ours set a mine for the first time, the tension was weak. And when we passed there, I already opened the hatch, leaned out. It would have been severely cut - it would not have pierced the armor, but the wheels would have been damaged and the head blown off ... And the third. We drove into the yard of the carbide plant, took the wounded away, but there was no other way out. I realized that the spirits had driven us into a mousetrap and would not let us out just like that. Then I drove the armored personnel carriers to the far corner of the yard in order to disperse them as much as possible, turned the KPVT barrels to the left and ordered them to shoot from the left loopholes. I jumped out, they did not have time to shoot at us from a grenade launcher. A second armored personnel carrier immediately followed us. They fired at him, but because of the high speed of the grenade passed by. At this time, Rusakov looked out from behind the gate, and a grenade hit him ... We learned about his death after arriving at the command post of the regiment. When it got dark, I again went to the positions of the second battalion. We managed to take out the body of Maxim only at night - the militants held the gates of the plant at gunpoint.

Ruined Grozny

I drank a glass that evening, I remembered that my patron was Sergius of Radonezh. I decided that I had chosen my limit: it flew by three times, which means it won’t kill me anymore. But he drew conclusions. And then in such cases I always analyzed and predicted.

- By the way, is “spirits” an Afghan word?

Yes, from Afghanistan, but we used it. "Bandits" - no one said. And the "Czechs" - it's already gone.

- How was life organized? What was the mood like? Were you sick?

At first it was hard - and accommodation, and food, and heating. Then people got used to it. At first, there was lice, and then baths were set up in each unit: in tents, dugouts, wagons ... Morale - at first it was very difficult, I even wonder how the sailors withstood it. After all, I was already 44 years old, I had service experience, physical training, but it was also difficult. And for the sailors... During the battle, everyone cursed terribly - they just talked obscenities during this stressful period. Then they got used to it.

At first, I had a lot of colds. The mud was terrible, it was cold, and they also sent us rubber boots ... We then threw them away. The second is skin diseases. But then they screwed up again. At first I got sick myself, I lay in bed for a day, and then, no matter how much I dangled - my legs were wet, cold, - there was nothing, not even snot.

- Did the locals complain about your fighters?

It was like that, I had to sort it all out. There was a case - after the death of senior lieutenant Skomorokhov, the guys took five drops in the evening, and the Chechens violated the curfew: movement after 18 hours was prohibited, and here a man and a young guy were driving a tractor. The man ran away, and the guy got under a hot hand - ours slapped him. The next day - booze. I understood that the Chechens had also violated, but still it was impossible to touch them ... I went to the elder - this guy's uncle, and asked for forgiveness. He offered to gather the residents, he was ready to publicly apologize, but they told me: no, you asked for forgiveness - in an hour the whole village will know.

- What were the militants armed with besides small arms? How were they with tactical literacy?

I personally once was under fire from an 82-mm mortar - a great car! Another time, I came under fire from the Grad - they poured about half a package somewhere, since there were no dead. There was an anecdote - a sailor-signaller was hiding from the "Grad" in a tent ... Then they forced everyone to dig in.

The militants knew the area well. And then, ours changed, and those remained in place. Those who survived were very well prepared. They had assertiveness, impudence... We couldn't change people like that - they come unfired, not knowing the situation... There was a sad experience with the introduction of the 9th company into battle, which at first remained in Mozdok at the command post of the grouping, performed commandant functions. After that, we made it a rule: an officer comes to replace him - let him first sit, listen, grow into the situation. I know this from my own experience - I couldn’t even “get it” into the map right off the bat. Or the same triplex - you can't see anything through it. Then it's always - the hatch is open, you look. If the situation is very disturbing, you look into the gap between the hatch and the armor. When I went to the first exit - I put on a helmet, a bulletproof vest ... As a result, I could not climb an armored personnel carrier - the sailors pushed me like a medieval knight! It’s somewhere on the block you can sit in a bulletproof vest ... On January 22, I put on a bulletproof vest and a helmet for the first and last time and I don’t regret it. All comes with experience.

War and Peace: “Maskhadov even invited me to visit”

- The military were dissatisfied with the February truce ...

We considered such a decision inappropriate. The initiative was on the side of our troops, and by this time Grozny was completely controlled by us. Peaceful respite was beneficial only to the militants.

During that period, I met a lot with local residents and militants. He was engaged in the collection of weapons in the villages of Belgatoy and Germenchuk, carried out the exchange of prisoners.

- I had to become a diplomat... Later you supported Troshev's negotiations with Maskhadov - how did they go?

Maskhadov's talks with Major General Troshev, commander of our troops in Chechnya, took place on April 28 in Novye Atagi, in the house of a local resident. At first, field commander Isa Madaev and I discussed the details. Already on the day of the negotiations, security was provided. On the other side were Aslan Maskhadov and his assistant Isa Madaev, Deputy Prime Minister of Dudayev's government Lom-Ali (I don't remember his last name), Shamil Basaev's elder brother Shirvani Basaev. Our side was represented by General Troshev, lieutenant colonel of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, captain of the FSB and myself.

Negotiations in Novye Atagi. Center - Isa Madaev, Gennady Troshev, Aslan Maskhadov.Photo from the archive of S.K. Kondratenko

Troshev came in a camouflage cap, and Maskhadov in an astrakhan cap. Troshev asks: “Aslan, why haven’t you switched to a summer uniform yet?” He replies: "And I am like Makhmud Esambaev." There was no firmness in Maskhadov's behavior, he looked unsure of himself - then they were pressed down ... Troshev clearly dominated - he joked, behaved assertively. Maskhadov understood that he was in a losing position, but his own people would not understand him if he accepted our conditions. Therefore, the main goals of the negotiations were not achieved (they wanted us to withdraw our troops, we wanted them to disarm). On the other hand, they agreed on the release of the bodies of the dead, on the exchange of prisoners. Maskhadov even invited me to visit. I told General Babichev, the commander of the Zapad group, about this, and he said: “Don’t even think about it.” Although I am sure that if I went there with Isa Madaev, everything would be fine.

In your notes you call the Khasavyurt peace shameful and tantamount to capitulation. And the second war - could you do without it?

I don't think so. First, we left our prisoners and dead there. Secondly, Chechnya has turned into a real hotbed of banditry. All these former "brigadier generals" carried out raids on the surrounding territories. Dagestan in 1999 was the last straw.

May 5, 1995, Knevichi, return from Chechnya. Left: Governor of Primorye Yevgeny Nazdratenko

As for the first war, I think it could have been avoided. In the same Ingushetia, it was also on the verge, but Ruslan Aushev (President of Ingushetia in 1993-2002 - Ed.) was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and so on. It was possible to agree with Dudayev.

The war itself does not start. And it is not the military who start it, but the politicians. But if a war starts, let the professionals, the military, deal with the war, and not in such a way that they fought, then stop - they kissed, then start again ... The most important thing is that the deaths of people could have been prevented, it was not necessary to bring to such a conflict. The war in Chechnya is the result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. And what is happening now in Ukraine has the same roots.

dezzor

Marines who died on the First Chechen 165th regiment of the 55th division of the MP Pacific Fleet

Our fallen, they will not leave us in trouble,

Our fallen, like sentries...

V. Vysotsky

This material is dedicated to the unfairly forgotten Marines who fell in the line of duty.

In 2010, the anniversary of the Victory of our people in the Great Patriotic War is celebrated, you realize with bitterness that not everyone understands and realizes what kind of Victory it was and at what cost it was achieved. Not all are buried yet, not all are still identified. Although late, the country's authorities rushed to eliminate the shortcomings of their predecessors. And this is good.

But the victims of recent conflicts, not even Soviet Russia, but already, like, democratic, are forgotten. They are remembered only by those close to them. Really, in thirty years, the authorities and the public will also plug their gaps in relation to these people? I would like to live, at least until then, but it is better to start now. Let's remember them by name, let's remember, even if we never knew them. They gave their lives for us, so let's appreciate the greatness of their death.

Everlasting memory!

All materials of the Book of Memory of Primorsky Krai are collected and processed by Sergey Kondratenko. The material was compiled by Arkhipov Kirill, the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory was provided by Oleg Borisovich Zaretsky, a photo of Yuri Lysenko from a personal file was provided by Seryoga.

165th Marine Regiment, 55th Marine Division, Pacific Fleet

The attack of militants on a convoy of communication vehicles 165 PMP near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.

1. Andrey Vladimirovich Konoplev, born in 1970, Volgograd, midshipman, head of the communications equipment group of the 165th Marine Regiment. On the night of January 30-31, 1995, a convoy of communication vehicles was ambushed near the village of Samashki. Got a concussion. Got captured. Subjected to severe torture. A medical examination established that death allegedly occurred on February 6-7, 1995. He was buried in the city of Volgograd.

Afterword.

Andrei from the age of eleven was fond of technology, at first it was a passion for modeling aviation equipment, then, when his older brother went into the army and ended up in tank troops, he switched to armored vehicles. The result of technical hobbies was admission to the engineering college. After being drafted, he joined the Pacific Fleet, where he remained after the end of his service, in 1992 he received the rank of midshipman.

2. Antonov Vladimir Anatolyevich, born in 1976, sailor, driver-electrician of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died on January 30, 1995, when militants destroyed a convoy of communication vehicles that were ambushed near the village of Samashki. He was buried at home in the village of Hornozary, Vurnarsky district of the Republic of Chuvashia.

Afterword.

The date of death is approximate.

3. Kandybovich Nikolai Evgenievich, born in 1972, sailor, signalman of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment, orphan. He died near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995 during an attack by Chechen fighters on a convoy of communication vehicles. He was buried by the Marine Corps of the Pacific Fleet at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok.

Afterword.

Orphan. The date of death is approximate.

4. Sergey Vasilievich Ipatov, born in 1975, Krasnoobsk village, Novosibirsk Region, sailor, driver of the communications group of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died near the village of Samashki on January 30, 1995 during an attack by Chechen fighters on a convoy of communication vehicles. He was buried at home in the village of Krasnoobsk.

Afterword.

The date of death is approximate, he was in a group with Konoplev and Chistyakov.

Battle of the reconnaissance group 165 PMP, ambushed by militants in the southern suburbs of Grozny on February 7, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.

5. Sergey Alexandrovich Firsov, born in 1971, Serebryanyye Prudy, Moscow Region, senior lieutenant, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). He was buried in the city of Silver Ponds.

6. Vyzhimov Vadim Vyacheslavovich, born in 1976, drafted to the Pacific Fleet from the Altai Territory, sailor, driver of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in the city of Novoaltaisk, Altai Territory.

7. Yury Vladimirovich Zubarev, born in 1973, Ulyanovsk region, sergeant, squad leader of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died in a street fight on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. Buried in Dmitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region.

8. Soshelin Andrey Anatolyevich, born in 1974, Nizhny Novgorod, senior sailor, radiotelephonist-reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. Killed in action on February 7, 1995 in Grozny. Buried in Nizhny Novgorod.

Afterword.

From a letter from the only survivor of the Malina group, sailor Andrey Serykh:

“... At the beginning of the letter, briefly about myself. I work at a woodworking plant, I got married, I live separately from my parents. We often meet with Romka Chukhlov, he was recently awarded the medal "For Courage". I haven’t seen Seryoga Volkov for a year, he and his wife went to Irkutsk. I have not seen anyone else, no one writes ...
I don't know how to begin to describe that day. On February 7, we crossed the bridge over the river, met our guys from the air assault battalion, they said that everything was calm here. We went further, reached the factory, left a platoon there, and then went on as a reconnaissance group. When we were going up to the bus station, we were fired on from the left. We launched a green rocket, they finished shooting at us. After passing the bus station, we went to the right. When we reached the high curb (where the boys died), they opened fire on us from a five-story building. Firsov, Zubarev and the young Vyzhimnov were in front of the curb, Soshelin and I covered them a little behind. Tooth sniper wounded to death immediately. We also opened fire on the enemy. Then the young man was wounded, and Firsov ordered to retreat. I was the first to leave, but Soshelin was delayed for some reason ...
And I didn't see anything else...
Well that's all. Every year, Romka and I commemorate the guys ... "

The battle of units of the 1st Airborne Battalion on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of ​​the Railway Hospital during the ceasefire concluded with the militants on February 18, 1995. 4 Marines were killed.

9. Borovikov Vladimir Valerievich, born in 1973, lieutenant, platoon commander of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died in a street battle on February 18, 1995 on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of ​​the Railway Hospital, covering the retreat of an ambushed unit with fire. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). Buried in the cemetery of St. Pivan, Komsomlsk-on-Amur.

Afterword.

“... They ran into an ambush suddenly - ambushes are always sudden. And when the submachine guns and machine guns of the militants began to work, Lieutenant Borovikov managed to shout to his soldiers to retreat, and he himself tried to cover them with fire. Such a battle is fleeting, Vladimir Borovikov was one of the first to die. How many lives did you save - two, three, five? Who will count, - the logic of war cannot be taken into account ... "
Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Lyubetsky: "There was still a search for such officers as Borovikov ...".
Captain Vadim Chizhikov: “If it weren’t for him, then we would all have been mowed down ...”

10. Zaguzov Vladimir Anatolyevich, born in 1975, the village of Bondari, Tambov Region, junior sergeant of contract service, commander of the airborne assault battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in a street fight on February 18, 1995 on the southern outskirts of Grozny in the area of ​​the Railway Hospital. He was buried in the village of Bondari, Tambov Region.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Maria Mikhailovna Zaguzova:

“I am very grateful for your concern for our sons, in particular for my dear son Volodya. You ask to send a photograph of your son, preferably in military uniform. I will definitely send, only a little later, you have to wait. The thing is this: in the form I have left the only photograph of him, and, to tell the truth, somehow his face is thin; Apparently the shadow fell so that dark circles appeared under the eyes. It’s not about some special beauty, don’t get me wrong, but I want the army soldier to look like a soldier, and he wasn’t bad-looking - forgive me for such words, but I can’t do otherwise ...
Thank you for your condolences, for sharing with us the bitterness of loss. My pain will always stay with me. It will soon be five years since Volodya has been gone, but there has not been a day, and probably not even an hour, that his image did not rise before me - both in a boy playing in the sand, and in a guy walking with a girl, and even a young man, leading a son or daughter by the hand. I see - and my heart shrinks, turns to stone ... Something I was so open, I usually try not to show my grief, I don’t consider it necessary, but here you go, you opened it on a piece of paper, maybe because I write late at night. My hair has turned gray, it has become completely white, my health is undermined, and the white light has darkened without a son ... "

11. Akhmetgaliev Robert Balzitovich, sailor, grenade launcher of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on February 18, 1995 in a street fight in Grozny on Nakhimov Street. He was buried in the village of Kushmanovka, Buraevsky District, Republic of Bashkortostan.

Strokes for the portrait.

From my father's letter:

“...Robert grew up as a kind, cheerful boy, he is still remembered with a smile on his face. He was very hardworking, loved village life, was fond of beekeeping and wanted to take up this business closely after the army. His openness and sociability made it possible to quickly find a common language with everyone. You can write a lot about your son, but I don’t know if anyone but me needs it ...
Robert's mother, my wife, could not endure this terrible grief, she only lived for six months after the death of her son.
I turned 60 at the end of July. I am very ill, the disease worsened after Robert's death. They offered disability of the 2nd group, I refused. I recently got out of the hospital with a heart attack.
You are asking about perks. This is the situation for me and all other parents who have lost their sons. Since May 1999, we have canceled benefits for medicines, do not pay for travel tickets for local communications and urban transport - all this is due to the difficult situation of the republic. Before I retired, I received a pension for my son of 269 rubles, now it has been cut to 108 ... I have to give up expensive medicines ...
You probably already understood: do the local authorities and the draft board help?
I wish everyone in the world good health and that no one experiences such grief as has fallen to my lot ... "

NO PHOTO

12. Semenyuk Vladimir Yuryevich, born in 1975, Moscow, sailor, crew commander of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on February 18, 1995 in a street fight in Grozny on Nakhimov Street. Buried in Moscow.

Afterword.

He died together with Akhmetgaliev, during the "truce", together they moved away from the checkpoint on Nakhimov Street in Grozny, 50 meters, and were shot at close range.

13. Betcher Evgeny Pavlovich, sailor, orderly gunner of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment, drafted from the Tomsk region. He died on January 26, 1995 in a street fight in the city of Grozny. He was buried in the town of Strezhevoy, Tomsk Region.

Afterword.

Killed in one of the first battles, in the southern part of Grozny. The group, which included Evgenia, covered the tank on the territory of the carbide plant, the tank fired at the points of the militants, and then retreated. On one of these wastes, a grenade from an RPG, which did not hit the tank, struck a Marine, practically nothing was left of him. According to eyewitnesses, a woman fired from a grenade launcher.

14. Brovkin Igor Anatolievich, born in 1975, Tula region, Aleksin, sailor, gunner-crew number of the 6th company of the 165th Marine Regiment. On January 29, 1995, he was mortally wounded in a street fight in the city of Grozny. He died of wounds in the Vladikavkaz hospital on February 4, 1995. He was buried in the town of Aleksin, Tula region.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Nina Ivanovna and Anatoly Ivanovich Brovkin:

“... It is difficult to write about your own son. Igor was born on July 16, 1975 in the city of Aleksin, Tula Region. After graduating from 9 classes, he entered a vocational school, where he received the specialty of an electric and gas welder. He was accepted to the mechanical plant as an electric and gas welder of the 3rd category. But he did not have time to work for long - on December 14, 1993 he was drafted into the army, to the Pacific Fleet. He began his service on Russian Island, then he was transferred to Vladivostok, where he stayed until about December 25, 1994 - his last letter was from that date. We received no more letters. From official documents, we only know that on January 29, in a battle in Grozny, he was seriously wounded and died on February 4 in a hospital in Vladikavkaz. And on February 13, this terrible news overtook us ...
The last letter we received was signed by the deputy commander of the company in which Igor served, Andrei Alexandrovich Samoylenko: “...I would very much like you to know how your son served. Igor came to our company shortly before being sent to the North Caucasus, but immediately quickly and easily entered the team, won the respect of his comrades. His voice was one of the decisive in the opinion of the company, colleagues, sometimes even with a long service life, listened to him ... You can be proud of such a son, man, citizen, warrior ... "
What can be added? He treated us in such a way that the words “later”, “once”, “no” did not exist for his parents. He had a special friendship with his grandfather, a participant in the war. He knew where his grandfather fought, for which he had awards, how many times he burned in a tank. And like any boy, he was very proud of this friendship ... "

15. Bugaev Vitaly Alexandrovich, born in 1975, Vladivostok, sailor, radiotelegraph operator-machine gunner of the communications platoon of the 2nd Battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in action April 26, 1995 at the height of Goyten Court. He was buried in the cemetery of Dalnegorsk, Primorsky Krai.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Ekaterina Platonovna's mother:

“My son Vitaly Alexandrovich Bugaev was born on October 7, 1975 in Vladivostok. Then, for family reasons, we moved to Dalnerechensk, where we still live. My son graduated from the eight-year school, entered the vocational school, where he received the specialty of a gas and electric welder. In his free time, he always worked - on the railway or at our factory, he unloaded wagons. It was not easy - because he grew up without a father ...
Since childhood, I wanted to serve in the army. After college, I quickly passed the exams, and on December 28, 1994, I took my son to work. He dreamed of serving as soon as possible and going to work to help his family. When the regiment was being recruited for Chechnya, it was on the lists, I didn't know about it. Yes, and from Chechnya he wrote letters to relatives, he didn’t write to me, he was afraid that I would not stand it ...
Mom, Ekaterina Platonovna.

16. Golubov Oleg Ivanovich, sailor, machine gunner of the 8th Marine Corps of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died on April 8, 1995 near the village of Germenchuk. He was buried at the Gonzha station of the Magdagachinsky district of the Amur region.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Nina Petrovna Golubova:

“... Oleg had to go to work early before the army, he decided to help me, since he was the eldest, and he had two more brothers. I raised them alone, my father died. He loved to draw, he was very good at drawing. He drew a picture for me and burned it, now it hangs on the wall. And he sent drawings from the army. He had one friend; he believed that a friend should be alone, but real.
He helped both me and my grandmother in everything and kept saying: I’ll be back from the army, and we will break out of this poverty ...
In 1994 I got married - he wanted it that way. And he really wanted to have a sister. His wish came true, but he never saw her. She was born on January 23, 1995, and on April 8 he was killed.
Excuse me for writing so torn, I'm very worried, it's hard for me to write ...
How did he serve? Back in March, Oleg was awarded the medal "For Courage", and letters of gratitude came to me from part of him with gratitude for such a son.
Are you asking if the local authorities are helping? Yes, they helped us buy a house. And I don’t want to talk about the military registration and enlistment office. I asked them to help with a monument and a fence - they refused ... It's good that in Blagoveshchensk there is an organization of former Afghan soldiers, they help as best they can. There is a monument to the Afghans in Blagoveshchensk, and our guys who died in Chechnya were also recorded there...
That's all. Sorry, I can't write more...

NO PHOTO

17. Dedyukhin Igor Anatolyevich, born in 1976, shooter of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died on April 15, 1995 at a checkpoint near the settlement of Belgotoy. Buried in the city of Angarsk, Irkutsk region.

Afterword.

He died absolutely ridiculous. In April, after the fighting in Grozny, Syurin-Kort and Goiten-Kort, there was a respite, the Marines were waiting to be sent home. The 5th company was located at checkpoints along the Argun-Gotein-Kort road. The platoon of senior lieutenant Gordienko blocked the Rostov-Baku highway. On April 15, by means of warning fire, a car of internal troops was stopped at the checkpoint. After checking the documents of the older car, Gordienko sent her back, not missing on the route. After the car disappeared into the nearest copse, a burst of machine-gun fire was heard from there, one of the bullets of which hit Igor. The investigation yielded no results.

Checkpoint of the Marine Corps in the Goyten Court area

18. Andrey Vladimirovich Dneprovsky, born in 1971, warrant officer, commander of a grenade-machine-gun platoon of the 8th Marine Corps of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died in battle on March 21, 1995 at the foot of the Goyten-Kort height. Awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously). Buried in Vladikavkaz.

Afterword.

In the armed forces since May 1989, he remained after military service. He served on Russian Island, lived on Zelenaya Street. He flew to Chechnya as part of the 8th company of the 165th regiment.
On March 21, 1995, in conditions of dense fog, the company took the dominant height of Goyten Kort. When moving along the eastern slope, he was the first to detect and destroy the militant, then a group of departing spirits was discovered, which, under fire from the Marines, fell into the grass near the oil pumping unit. Considering them dead, Dneprovsky, together with Sorokin and another sailor, went down for weapons and to check the results of the battle. Andrei was the first to notice that the militants were alive and managed to warn the others, which saved them from the fire, he himself took it upon himself. With the help of Captain Barbaron's Shilka, Dneprovsky's body was evacuated and the battle ended with the destruction of three militants.

19. Zhuk Anton Alexandrovich, born in 1976, Vladivostok, sailor, senior gunner of the 9th company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on March 23, 1995 at the crossing over the Argun. He was buried at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok.

Afterword.

In the Book of Memory of Primorsky Krai, the following fact is recorded in relation to Anton, he twice got into the reports of the Vladivostok newspaper, the first time with a posted photo of a smiling Anton with the headline “Mom! I'm alive". The second report was already from the funeral ...

20. Komkov Evgeny Nikolaevich, born in 1975, Bryansk, senior sergeant, deputy platoon commander of the 4th Marine Corps of the 165th Marine Regiment. Sent to Chechnya after a personal appeal to the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Khmelnov, at his own request. He died on February 16, 1995 at a checkpoint near Nakhimov Street in Grozny. Buried in Bryansk.

Afterword.

He served in Cam Ranh (Vietnam) in the guard battalion. On January 5, when Igor Khmelnov, commander of the Pacific Fleet, visited the base, Evgeny asked him to send him to Chechnya with the 165th regiment departing there.

21. Andrey Nikolaevich Kuznetsov, born in 1976, Moscow, sailor, grenade launcher of the 7th Marine Corps of the 165th Marine Regiment. Killed in action on January 31, 1995, while defending a bridge across the Sunzha River on the outskirts of Grozny from a hand grenade thrown at it. Buried in Moscow.

Afterword.

From the memoirs of Colonel Kondratenko, Deputy Commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Division:

“... A platoon of the 7th company under the command of senior lieutenant Dolotov, in which Andrey Kuznetsov fought, held most through the Sunzha on the outskirts of Grozny. By holding this bridge, we did not allow the enemy to move freely and have communications between several suburban areas. On the night of January 30-31, the militants decided to attack and capture the bridge. At about 6 am on January 31, counting on surprise, taking advantage of the darkness and fog and believing that the sailors were sleeping, several militants crossed above the bridge and began to covertly approach from the right flank. MainThe main group of attackers, hoping that the outposts of the bridge would be destroyed by the advanced group, prepared themselves in front of the bridge to attack the positions of the sailors. At that time, the sailor Kuznetsov was in the guard. He was the first to discover the creeping militants and opened fire on them from a machine gun - thereby the surprise of the attack was thwarted. Attackers across the bridge were met with heavy fire. The sailors testify that when they opened fire on those running across the bridge, they heard one of the militants, apparently having received a bullet, shout: “What are you doing, lads? ...”.
During the ensuing battle, five of the six sailors who were on guard were wounded, and the sixth, Andrei Kuznetsov, died from a grenade thrown at him.
Sailor Andrey Kuznetsov is buried in Moscow.
But the tragedy did not end there. Six months after the death of Andrei, his mother, Nina Nikolaevna, died, and six months later, his father, Nikolai Petrovich ...
They can also be attributed to the victims of the Chechen war ... "

. Lobachev Sergey Anatolyevich, born in 1976, Altai Territory, Aleisky District, village of Krasny Yar, sailor, corpsman of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on April 11, 1995 from a mine explosion in the area of ​​​​the crossing over the Argun River. He was buried in the village of Ashpatsk, Dzerzhinsky District, Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Lyudmila Mikhailovna Kosobukova:

“... Sergei Lobachev's aunt is writing to you. Why I am writing - you will understand from the letter.
The fact is that Serezhin's father, my brother, died when Serge was three years old. I helped my mother raise him. He was born on January 6, 1976. He studied at school, after nine classes he went to work on a collective farm, then he was drafted into the army.
You ask about the letters - yes, there were letters both from his commander and from Serezha himself from Chechnya. But it's been so long and I can't find them. Serezha was probably a good soldier, because by decree No. 3928 of April 10, 1995 he was awarded the medal "For Courage", and by decree No. 8972 of February 3, 1996, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
Serezha died on April 11, 1995, they brought us on April 22. The coffin was opened because they were not sure that it was he. But everything turned out to be correct.
After the death of Serezha, his mother became very ill and died six months later, they said - lung cancer. Now the whole family lies nearby.
I am writing to you, and I have tears in my eyes, how cruelly fate disposed of them ...
Please send me the Book of Remembrance, let there be something left…”

23. Andrey Aleksandrovich Makunin, born in 1976, Magadan, sailor, cook of the material support battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment. He died on February 9, 1995 near the city of Beslan. He was buried in the city of Ingulets, Dnepropetrovsk region, Ukraine.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Ekaterina Feodorovna Dorokhin:

“... The mother of Andrei Makunin, a soldier who died in Chechnya, is writing to you. How hard and painful it is to write this letter: remembering your son in the past tense, looking at photographs and documents. How many children have been killed in vain! Well, at least someone other than us, mothers, remembers this, that they decided to publish a book of memory. I'm sending a photo, it's the only one and it's very dear to me, please return it. There were no letters from Chechnya from my son, with the exception of one, which he began writing in Vladivostok and finished in Beslan. On the reverse side of the letter, the son wrote addresses in Vladikavkaz, the villages of Sleptsovsk and Nesterovskaya - it was I who was going to fly there in search of my son, but did not have time. The coffin arrived earlier... He was the first person to die in Chechnya from Magadan.
My son was by nature cheerful, optimistic, never discouraged. Although his life from childhood was not too sad, for the first 12 years I raised him alone ...
Andrei went to the army with a desire, did not hide or hide, he believed that every man should go through this test. He was very proud that he got to serve in the navy, and when he was transferred to the marines, he was doubly proud. He even drew ships in letters ...
We buried him in Ukraine, where his grandmother lives and where he was born. The local recruiting office helped us a lot.
You ask about health - what can it be like after such a shock? I had a minor stroke, now I'm holding on as best I can, because my daughters are 10 and 12 years old. And the soul is like one continuous wound that hurts and oozes - does not heal ... "

24. Grigory Vasilievich Meshkov, born in 1951, colonel, head of missile troops and artillery of the 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet. Died May 20, 1995 from a massive stroke. Buried in Berdsk.

Afterword.

He died not in the war, but from its consequences. I spent the first two months with the 165th regiment, during which Grigory Vasilyevich's heart was beating. It could not stand it already at home with the news of May losses in the 106th regiment, which replaced the 165th.

25. Novoseltsev Nikolai Nikolaevich, born in 1976, the village of Chernava, Izmailovsky District, Lipetsk Region, sailor, machine gunner of the 1st Air Assault Company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in a night battle on March 13, 1995 at an altitude of 355.3 in the mountain-forest massif of Syurin-Kort. He was buried at home in the village of Chernava.

Strokes for the portrait.

From the memoirs of Marine Corps Colonel Sergei Kondratenko:

« ... In early March 1995, at an altitude of 355, 3 of the Syurin-Kort mountain-forest massif, a command and observation post (CNP) of the airborne assault battalion was equipped. Naturally, our activity could not fail to attract the attention of the militants, especially since there was less than one kilometer in a straight line from the KNP to the outskirts of Chechen-Aul. And there were militants in Chechen-Aul at that time.
On the night of March 13-14, the militants of the Chechen-Aul group, taking advantage of the tightness and good knowledge of the area, quietly crept up to the location of the KNP battalion. At that time, sailors Sukhorukov and Novoseltsev were on guard in one of the directions.
Sailor Novoseltsev literally at the last moment managed to see the attackers and opened fire on them with a machine gun. His shots served as a signal both for the outposts and for the entire KNP personnel. In response to Novoseltsev's fire, the militants threw an F-1 grenade at him, from the explosion of which the sailor died on the spot.
A lively skirmish ensued, during which the sailor Sukhorukov was also killed. The outcome of the battle was decided by the fire of machine guns mounted on armored personnel carriers. That night, the militants tried several more times to attack the KNP from various directions, but the guards were on the alert and successfully repelled these attacks.
Only thanks to the properly organized security and defense and the vigilance of the sailors standing in combat guards did the militants manage to take the KNP personnel by surprise and the battalion avoided heavy losses.

26. Osipov Sergey Alexandrovich, born in 1976, Bratsk, Irkutsk region, sailor, driver of the engineering company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on April 13, 1995. He was buried at home in the city of Bratsk.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Nadezhda Alexandrovna, Sergei's mother:

“... You ask: what was he like before the service?
Was…
How painful and hard it is. But this is our fate...
In general, Sereda was a simple, ordinary guy: no different from the rest. Maybe the only thing is that he was very sociable, there were a lot of friends around him, who even now, thank God, do not forget us.
I am sending you a photograph of Serezha, however, a small one, and he was taken in civilian clothes, but we do not have a photograph in military uniform. In general, he didn’t really like to be photographed, and at home we have a few of his photographs ...
Are you asking if the local authorities and the draft board are helping us? What can be said here? If I write that it is not, then it will not be true. Every year before February 23, we, the parents of the dead children, are gathered together, interested in our problems, write down questions and requests. Sometimes we get a small one-time cash benefit. That's actually all.
Maybe I misunderstood something, but I think that this is my pain, this is my grief, and no one will pay for it or compensate me for it ...
And thank you for not forgetting our guys.

27. Pelmenev Vladimir Vladimirovich, born in 1975, Khabarovsk Territory, sailor, grenade launcher of the 3rd airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in a street fight on January 27, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried in the village of Novoe Leninsky district of the Khabarovsk Territory.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Vladimir's sister:

“Sister Vladimir Pelmenev is writing to you; since our mother is very worried when writing a letter, she trusted me to write. We have a big family Volodya was one of the youngest, which means he was one of my favorites. But he was never spoiled. My mother and father worked all their lives on the collective farm, so Volodya knew any village work, and he knew how to do everything around the house, he even cooked great ...
And now ... After the death of Volodya, my mother became very ill, her eyesight was lost from the tears that she still sheds. My father is not in good health either, his heart is playing tricks and his age is not the same.
There is no help from the local authorities and the military registration and enlistment office.
And thank you for not forgetting our Volodya ... "
From a letter from Vladimir to his relatives (still from Vladivostok):
“Hello, mother! I sat down to write you a letter. A little about myself and my work. Everything seems to be in order with the service, I do not complain about anything.
I have little left to serve, only four months - home. I was going to sign a contract, but I thought about it and decided: why do I need it? Here, I began to miss my home.
Well, I don’t even know what else to write to you. I seem to be all right. Well, everyone, my relatives - mom, dad, and everyone else. I kiss you all. Your son Volodya. Waiting for an answer.
And further. I found a good wife in Vladivostok. I'll probably come home with her and play a wedding. Your son Volodya.

28. Pleshakov Alexander Nikolaevich, born in 1976, the village of Baevka, Nikolaev District, Ulyanovsk Region, sailor, chemical protection platoon of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in a street fight on February 19, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried at home in the village of Baevka.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from the parents of Alexander Pleshakov:

“... Sasha was an extremely hardworking guy, already at the age of 15 he began working at the Baevsky chalk plant - in the same place where we work.
After being called up for military service, he ended up in the Pacific Fleet, at first he served in Kamchatka. He often wrote home, twice a month we received letters from him. We received the last letter from him from Vladivostok. And when he got to Chechnya, we didn’t even know that he was there, and there were no more letters. Sasha wrote only to his older sister that they were being sent to Chechnya, but asking her not to tell us about it so that we would not worry.
And only when the letters stopped coming, we began to guess where he was. I knocked all the thresholds in the local military registration and enlistment office, called Moscow, but did not achieve any result. We learned about his death on the Day of the Armed Forces, February 23, 1995, when they brought the body ... I will not write about the funeral. You can imagine it yourself. It was the worst hell...
Sasha was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage. The military commissar handed it to us on July 15, 1997 - almost two and a half years after the death of my son.
We live in a small village, we continue to work at the factory, we have two more young sons in our arms. We live mainly on our own farm, because wages, as elsewhere, are paid very rarely. There is no point in talking about the benefits you are asking about…
There is a request: please take a picture of the monument to the Marines with the name of our son, because we are unlikely to ever be able to visit Vladivostok.
Let's wait for the Book of Memory ... "

29. Podvalnov Sergey Mikhailovich, born in 1975, Kiryanovo village, Neftekamsk district, Bashkir ASSR, junior sergeant, squad leader of the 5th company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on January 30, 1995 from a sniper's bullet in the city of Grozny. He was buried in the village of Kiryanovo, Neftekamsk district of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Afterword.

During the January battles for Grozny, Sergei was part of a platoon that held a stronghold on the right flank of the 2nd Marine Battalion. The platoon held the defense on the territory of a small enterprise on the banks of the Sunzha, the width of which in this place was no more than 50 meters. The militants were no more than 100 meters away. The positions of the Marines were heavily fortified and almost invulnerable, but Sergei's bullet still found it. The sniper fired through the gate, seeing the feet of a sailor approaching under it, the iron of the gate did not hold the bullet and she went to Sergei. “I got hit ...” - the last words of Podvalny.

30. Polozhiev Eduard Anatolyevich, born in 1975, Amur Region, junior sergeant, senior operator of the anti-tank platoon of the airborne assault battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. January 25, 1995 received multiple shrapnel wounds. On the same day, without regaining consciousness, he died in the hospital of the rear area of ​​the grouping of troops. He was buried at home in the village of Poyarkovo, Amur Region.

Afterword.

On January 25, Polozhiev was part of the 4th DSB checkpoint on Industrialnaya Street in Grozny. The observer found a man who was making his way from Andreevskaya Dolina to the plant, which was located next to the checkpoint. A group of several officers and sergeants advanced to intercept. They tried to stop the unknown, even opened warning fire from machine guns, but he managed to escape in the direction of Andreevskaya Dolina and popped into a brick house at the crossroads. Soon, a group of Marines opened fire from a machine gun from this house. The skirmish continued for some time, and then a Shilka drove out from the direction of Andreevskaya Dolina and opened fire on the marines, despite the fact that green flares were fired in the direction of the Shilka (identification signal for their troops). While the Shilka crew sorted out the situation and made sure that they had their own people in front of them, the whole group received heavy injuries: Lieutenant Kirillov was shell-shocked, Lieutenant Tsukanov had multiple shrapnel wounds. Polozhiev was also badly beaten by shrapnel, was unconscious, and on the same day, without regaining consciousness, he died in a hospital in the rear area of ​​the group.
As it turned out later, she shot a group of marines "Shilka" of the 21st Stavropol Airborne Brigade, and the unknown person with whom the shootout was fought was from the same brigade ...

31. Vladimir Alexandrovich Popov, born in 1952, Ordzhenikidze, major, deputy commander of a separate reconnaissance battalion of the Marine Corps unit of the Pacific Fleet, performed a special task in the special squad of the hospital in Rostov-on-Don to identify the bodies of dead Pacific Ocean servicemen, draw up relevant documents and ensuring their delivery to their home country. He died in Rostov-on-Don from acute heart failure. Buried in Novocherkassk.

Afterword.

One of the indirect, but still combat losses. He did not shoot, they did not shoot at him, but the war killed him. After the procedures for identifying the bodies of the dead sailors in the Rostov "refrigerators", the officer's heart could not stand it, to put it simply, it broke.

32. Rusakov Maxim Gennadievich, born in 1969, Yalutorovsk, Tyumen region, senior lieutenant, platoon commander of an engineer company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on January 22, 1995 in the center of Grozny near the bridge across the river. Sunzha as a result of a direct hit from a grenade launcher. He was buried at home in the city of Yalutorovsk.

Afterword.

Maxim was the first Marine to die from the Pacific Fleet.

From the editorial of the Vladivostok newspaper:

“Pacific warrior died in Chechnya”
“Tragic news from Chechnya: Senior Lieutenant Maksim Rusakov, commander of a marine platoon of the Pacific Fleet, died from a severe shrapnel wound received during another mortar attack. Three more Pacific soldiers were injured and hospitalized. The names of the wounded, unfortunately, are not reported, it is only known that they are sergeants by rank.
The press center of the Pacific Fleet, which transmitted this mournful news, also reported that by January 23, the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps unit, together with the formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, began active operations to clear Grozny from "separate groups of bandit formations." Previously reported. That one of the battalions of the Marine Corps of the Pacific Fleet takes part in the battles for the most "hot spot" - the Grozny railway station.
Official recognition of the participation of the Pacific contingent in active hostilities means the possibility of new victims. But the names of the next brave ones who died defending the “territorial integrity of Russia” in Primorye will be recognized with a long delay: the bodies will be delivered from Grozny for identification to Mozdok, and then to Rostov, where the command of the North Caucasus Military District is located. And only from there an officially confirmed funeral notice will be sent to the homeland of the dead.
No details about the circumstances of the death of senior lieutenant Maxim Rusakov are reported.

33. Aleksey Vladimirovich Rusanov, born in 1975, the village of Voskresenskoye, Polovinsky district, Kurgan region, sailor, machine gunner of the anti-aircraft missile platoon of the 2nd battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in a street fight on February 8, 1995 in Grozny. He was buried at home in the village of Voskresenskoye.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a parent's letter:

“... I am sending you a photograph of Alyosha, there are no very good ones; when he was buried, many friends came, asked for memory cards, apparently, they all took it away ...
I had five children, now two are gone, I buried the last two. There are three left - all live in different places. When I raised them, there was a lot of time to look after them, and there was no one to help us, and my father and I are always at work. But the children grew obedient. Here is Alyosha - whatever you say, he will do everything.
When they saw him off to the army, he said goodbye to everyone, as if he felt that he would never return home. Yes, and I cried so much, my heart broke so much that people said to me: why are you killing yourself like that? ..
And they escorted him to the cemetery with the whole village ...
There were no letters from him from Chechnya, the last one came from the Far East.
Of course, our health has deteriorated, but we try to do everything ourselves at home, we keep the household. Help is not expected from anyone. True, she wrote to Kurgan, to the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, they are trying to pull the district administration out of there.
Sorry for posting this…”

34. Skomorokhov Sergei Ivanovich, born in 1970, Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region, senior lieutenant, commander of a marine platoon of the 9th Marine Corps of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in a night battle on March 23, 1995. He was buried in the city of Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region.

Afterword.

According to the memoirs of colleagues and subordinates, he was an excellent specialist, both in shooting and in hand-to-hand combat. He drove his fighters up to a sweat, knowing that at a critical moment it could save lives. But Sergei did not save his life, and as an officer in such a situation he should not have. Being wounded, he fought with several militants until help arrived, and then died.

NO PHOTO

35. Surin Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, born in 1973, Seversk, Tomsk Region, sailor, assistant gunner of the grenade launcher of the 1st airborne assault company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on March 13, 1995 during a many-hour forced march in the area of ​​​​the mountain-forest massif of Syurin-Kort. He was buried in the city of Seversk, Tomsk Region.

Afterword.

The 1st company of the DShB made a 12-hour forced march in sub-zero temperatures, under the snow in the fog. The throw took place almost exclusively uphill. By the end of the day at a halt, during which the sailors fell into the snow and fell asleep, Vyacheslav died. Already at night, the marines of the DSHB with the body of Surin reached the height, the company completed the combat mission, in full force, Vyacheslav completed it too, but already dead.

36. Sukhorukov Yury Anatolyevich, born in 1976, the village of Krasny Yar, Aleisky District, Altai Territory, sailor, orderly gunner of the 1st Airborne Assault Company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died in a night battle on March 13, 1995 at an altitude of 355.3 of the Syurin-Kort mountain-forest massif not far from the Chechen-Aul settlement.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Lyubov Alexandrovna and Anatoly Ivanovich Sukhorukov:

“... Our Yurochka was awarded the medal “For Courage” and the Order of Courage. We were given his awards after Yura's death. What are our problems, you ask? We have one problem - no son ...
We receive a pension for Yura - 281 rubles each, and that one has not been paid for four months, barely enough for medicines. That's how we live…"

The circumstances of the death of Yuri are described in the description of the death of Nikolai Novoseltsev.

37. Shudabaev Ruslan Zhalgaebaevich, born in 1974, p. Tamar-Utkul of the Orenburg region, sailor, traffic controller of the commandant's platoon of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet. He died on February 20, 1995. He was buried at home in the village. Tamar-Utkul.

Strokes for the portrait.

From the letter of Kalam Shudabaev:

“... The brother of Ruslan Shudabaev, Kalam, is writing to you. We received your letter, which again brought back to us the pain of loss and the bitterness of memories of our dear Ruslan.
In our large family, Ruslan was the youngest son and brother - the last. Now you understand that we have lost the most precious and beloved.
Without exaggerating, I will say that since childhood, Ruslan has been the soul of the company. He stood out for his sharpness of thought and physical development. He was engaged in boxing, played the guitar well, loved to sing Tsoi's songs. By the way, he wrote that he was given a nickname in the army - Tsoi. And even in Chechnya he was called that. After graduating from school, he went away from us to Orenburg, to the road technical school. He lived in a hostel, and here the guys respectfully called him Babai - grandfather.
How we miss his loud bass laughter now! ..
And how many friends he had ... Many still come to us on his birthday. And on the day of his death...
Now about the parents. Mom is a disabled person of the second group, she is very sick. The condition, which was already difficult, after the loss of his beloved son, became even worse. And my father's health is no better. After the death of his pet, he aged very much and withdrew into himself. Sick all the time.
As for the help of local authorities... Ruslan's parents received insurance only three years later, having gone through all the instances. And pensions for the loss of the breadwinner were achieved only through the court ...
We know that in Vladivostok you have erected a monument to the marines who died in Chechnya. How I would like to look at him with at least one eye ... "

38. Shutkov Vladimir Viktorovich, born in 1975, Moscow, sailor, senior operator of the anti-tank platoon of the 2nd marine battalion. Killed in action March 21, 1995 at the height of Goyten Court. Buried in Moscow.

Strokes for the portrait.

From a letter from Vyacheslav Sumin to the authors-compilers of the Book of Memory:

“... First of all, thank you for not forgetting our dead guys.
As for the death of Volodya Shutkov, I remember well how it was. This happened on March 21 during the capture of Goyten_Kort. Five of us went from my platoon - Volodya Shutkov, Sergey Rysakov, Viktor Antonov, Vyacheslav Nikolaev and myself. There was a very heavy fog that night. We were moving along the road in the direction of the oil barrels, where the KNP of the 6th company was later located. We were led by special forces. To the left of the road, they found a dugout and told the commander of the 6th company, Cleese, that no one was there. Cleese gave me an order with my people to stay, guard the dugout and cover the rear. Along the road, on the left, there was a trench about two meters long, and from it there was immediately an entrance to the dugout. Behind the dugout, as if continuing the trench, there was a fire ditch. I posted a platoon behind the moat. Volodya was lying facing the road opposite the entrance to the dugout. Vyacheslav Nikolaev lay with his back to the road, covering our rear. I lay down to the right of Shutkov, next to Sergei Rysakov, facing the road. To the right of us, in the fire-fighting ditch, was Viktor Antonov.
Soon, to our right, on the road, three shadows appeared. Approximately 10 meters from the dugout, they sat down and began to shout something in Chechen. Without waiting for an answer, they got up and moved towards the dugout. They passed us literally half a meter. When they reached the entrance to the dugout, Shutkov opened fire on the first two, and I shot the last one in the head. The first two fell into the trench, and the third onto the road. We assumed they were all dead. I praised Volodya, turned on the radio and contacted Kliz. When I was talking, a grenade exploded next to Volodya Shutkov, and a second one a few seconds later. Rysakov immediately threw a grenade into the trench. I again tried to call Cleese, but a grenade flew at the voice. It exploded behind me, next to Nikolaev. Then Antonov and Rysakov blocked the entrance to the dugout, and I called for help on the radio. Volodya Yankov and five other people came running. While they were covering, I dragged Volodya and Vyacheslav across the road, about 30 meters from the dugout. The orderly took care of them, and we were militants. It turns out that there was only one "spirit" in the dugout, and one of those whom Volodya shot at was still alive. We killed them both.
I went up to Volodya Shutkov and saw that he was dying. The orderly said that it was a painful shock, but it was immediately obvious that it was death. We put Volodya and Vyacheslav on stretchers and carried them to the barrels, where a first-aid post was set up. Volodya was already reported dead. The chief medical officer took off his bulletproof vest, pulled up his camouflage. There was a wound from which Volodya died ...
Nikolaev's entire back and legs were in fragments. He recently visited me. Disabled person of the 2nd group. Learned to walk again. Yes, and now walks with a stick. Well, in general, that's all. And photography is a small monument that we tried to build at the site of Volodya's death.
Sincerely yours, Vyacheslav Sumin, nickname is Batya.

Place of death of Vladimir

The following materials were used in the preparation of the article:
Information from http://dvkontingent.ru/ was taken as a basis, on which texts and photographs from the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory were superimposed.

Attracted materials from the site http://belostokskaya.ru

Moreover, their role increases during military operations in hot spots, when it is clearly shown who is only capable of showing off and beautiful reports for high headquarters, and who is really capable of solving combat missions in any conditions. The Marine Corps in Chechnya has shown that it rightfully bears the nickname "Black Death".

The Marine Corps has been the pride of Russia for 300 years

This text "Voenpro" would like to dedicate to the fighters of the Marine Corps of Russia. The detachments of the Marines stand out significantly from the background of the rest of the detachments of the Russian army. The famous pride of all Russian fleets, from the Northern to the Pacific. Fighters who took part in all combat operations of recent Russian history. With their fearless actions, the detachments of the troops in Chechnya really deserve honor and respect among fellow soldiers of all kinds. And this is no exception.

Video about the marines in Chechnya

The Marine Corps in combat throughout its history has shown first-class combat training, combined with the best human qualities. Even Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov - the great Marshal of the Ground Forces during the Second World War - spoke extremely flatteringly about the marines and their contribution to the victory over the enemy.

Enemies called the Russian marines "Black Cloud", and the soldiers of other Russian units - the pearl of the fleet. Marines fought in the Great Patriotic War, in Dagestan and Chechnya. The soldiers defended Moscow and stormed Grozny. Against the backdrop of a general crisis and the unpreparedness of regular troops to conduct combat operations in such conditions, the marines in Chechnya have become a truly saving unit for the Russian army.

The Chechen conflicts have become a heavy blow for the Russian army. The superbly trained militants of Dudayev, who are perfectly familiar with the geography of future theaters of military operations, have almost every Chechen or Chechen as informers and intelligence officers ... terrorist formations have become a serious enemy for the regular Russian army. It became clear that regular connections alone were not enough.

By the way, you will be interested to watch a video about the Marines in Chechnya:

And in Chechnya, they hastily began to assemble special forces - paratroopers, the GRU, marines of the Baltic ... But, despite all the haste of formation and the crumpled preparation, it was by no means “green” whipping boys who went to Chechnya, but fully trained professionals, ready to go into the thick of it for the sake of victory and for the sake of restoring constitutional order on Chechen soil.

A lot of hardships fell on the lot of the marines in Chechnya - constant battles, losses, hardships. But . They did not give up in Chechnya either. During both Chechen campaigns, not a single unit of the black berets left its borders - not a single house, street, settlement or hill. Not a single Marine has ever asked for mercy or mercy, even looking death in the face.

About a hundred fighters forever remained lying in the Chechen land. But they will never be forgotten - the memory of them will live forever in the hearts of their colleagues and relatives. This text "Voenpro" also dedicates to all the dead Russian marines who did not live to see this day.

Especially for black berets, their friends and relatives, the Voenpro website has a huge number of . Having bought a thing with the symbols of the Marine Corps, you will remind others of the heroism of the guys who gave the most precious thing in the name of the victory of Russia and Russian weapons. It could be something very significant, for example , or maybe a simple trifle - or another souvenir - it does not matter at all. Only the undying memory of the fallen heroes is important.

January 1995 is inscribed in the history of the Russian Marine Corps as a separate chapter. In this bloody January, there was an assault on Grozny - the capital of Chechnya, an impregnable fortress of terrorists. The militants, on the orders of their leaders, were ready to defend Grozny to the last bullet. The command, realizing the complexity of the operation, throws the marines - the elite of the Chechen corps - into the epicenter of events. The Marines in Grozny were tasked with storming government buildings and the "Green Quarter" - the area adjacent to the presidential palace.

Marines in Grozny during the fighting showed unparalleled courage and courage. The assault groups, formed purely from volunteers, courageously and resolutely rushed to Dudayev's positions and knocked out the militants from there with practically no losses. We had to fight for every entrance, for every floor. Having known the bitterness of losses, the Marines did not want to give up their positions or weaken the onslaught. Ultimately, the strength of mind and the training of the Marines played a role. showed her best qualities and skills, thanks to which the palace and the "Green Quarter" were cleared of militants and taken on January 19, 1995. It is symbolic that it was a marine, a marine of the Baltic Fleet, who raised the St. Andrew's flag over the palace.

Marine Corps officers in Grozny became the main smiths of victory. Superbly commanding the personnel, and sometimes causing fire on themselves, they kept the fire in the hearts of their fighters, made them believe in victory even in the most difficult situations. For the capture of the palace and adjacent quarters, three marine officers were once awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation - an exceptional case in the military history of Russia.

Heroes of the Marine Corps in Chechnya

Lieutenant Colonel Darkovich A.V. received an award for the competent command of the assault groups and the highest heroism shown during one of the most violent counterattacks of the militants - the lieutenant colonel called fire on himself, preventing the encirclement of the group.

Guard Captain Polkovnikov D.A. with a detachment under the cover of night attacked the militants located in one of the most fortified buildings and forced them to retreat. Repelling attack after attack, being shell-shocked, the captain continued to command the detachment. He and his unit no longer retreated from this building, showing unparalleled courage and destroying a large number of militants.

Captain Vdovkin V.V. showed exceptional courage and heroism in the course of taking the building of the Council of Ministers. Skillfully organizing the offensive and overcoming the fierce resistance of superior enemy forces, the captain personally destroyed 18 militants, and also suppressed 3 firing points. The names of these people will forever remain in the annals of the Marine Corps, recalling the heroism of the Marine Corps in battle, who took the brunt in moments of greatest danger.

Video of Marine Corps in Chechnya

There are a huge number of videos of the Marine Corps on the Internet. The training of infantrymen, their way of life, participation in hostilities - all this is captured on video and can become a real encyclopedia for everyone who is interested in the life and glorious victories and traditions of the Russian marines. The training of the Marines is beyond doubt - they are real patriots and professionals. Footage of demonstration performances is also captured on the video of the marines. And the video of the assault on Grozny and footage from the scene will allow you to plunge into the atmosphere of January 1995 and feel all the horror that befell the marines in Grozny.

On the website "Voenpro" you will find a huge amount of goods for the marines. Division flags, , other items of clothing ... every marine can find here something for himself and his fellow soldiers.