3rd separate special forces brigade. How to get into the GRU (special forces)? Russian GRU special forces

3rd Guards OBRSpN GRU GSh MO (military unit: 21208, formerly 83149)

3rd Guards Separate Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov III Class Special Purpose Brigade. (Samara, PrUVO) (Military Unit 21208, formerly Military Unit 83149)

83149, then 21208, then (possibly) 21353 - brigade control.

21209 - 503rd ooSpN

21353 - 509th ooSpN

33473 - 330th ooSpN

Compound:

Brigade management

330th ooSpN (2nd battalion)

501st ooSpN

503rd ooSpN

509th ooSpN (1st battalion)

510th ooSpN

512th ooSpN

School of Junior Specialists (SHMS)

Material Support Company (RMS)

Special Weapons Company (RSV). Recreated since 2000

1966-1992 - Neu-Timmen (Neu-Brandenburg district, former GDR), GSVG-ZGV.

Until 1975, part of the brigade's units were located in Neusterlitz. Later, the brigade’s location became the city of Noitimen.

January 1991-June 2002 - The 330th Special Forces Regiment was stationed in Riga, Latvia. Then he was taken to Russia in the village of Roshchinsky.

1992-present - Roshchinsky village, Chernorechye garrison, Samara region, Purvo.

Story:

The history of the brigade dates back to March 1944.

The brigade began to be formed by Lieutenant Colonel R.P. Mosolov, appointed to the post of deputy commander of the guard brigade.

In 1957, the 26th separate Special Forces battalion was formed in the GSVG (commander - Lieutenant Colonel R.P. Mosolov).

The brigade was formed in 1966 by the Directive of the Commander-in-Chief of the GSVG on the funds of the 26th separate battalion of the Special Forces (which in turn was formed on the basis of the 26th Guards Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov III class motorcycle regiment) in the Werder garrison with the participation of personnel of the 27th a separate battalion of the Special Forces of the SGV, the 48th and 166th separate reconnaissance battalions.

In the 80s, one of the main tasks of special forces groups was to detect and destroy enemy missiles. In addition, the Special Forces collected information for the GRU. The brigade alone could field about 48 reconnaissance groups. In addition to scouts, the groups included signalmen and sappers (depending on the assigned tasks). The brigade was one of the first in the GSVG to switch to the Airborne Forces uniform (vests and berets).

In May 1990, from the city of Fürstenberg (Neu-Timmen) of the GDR, the brigade was redeployed to the Chernorechensky military town, Roshchinsky village, Chernorechye, Volzhsky district of Samara.

Commanders:

09.1971-11.1975 - Guards. Colonel Yatchenko Nikolai Mikhailovich

11.1975-09.1978 - Guards. Colonel Zharov Oleg Mikhailovich

09.1978-11.1983 - Guards. Colonel Bolshakov Vyacheslav Ivanovich

11.1983-01.1986 - Guards. Colonel Starov Yuri Timofeevich

01.1986-11.1988 - Guards. Colonel Manchenko Vladimir Andreevich

11.1988-01.1992 - Guards. Colonel Ilyin Alexander Sergeevich

01.1992-09.1995 - Guards. Lieutenant Colonel Chernetsky Alexander Artemyevich

09.1995-2003 - Guards. Colonel, Major General Kozlov Vladimir Aleksandrovich

2003-present - Guards Colonel (since 2005 - Major General) Kersov Alexey Nikolaevich

Management:

Brigade commander - Major General Alexey Nikolaevich Kersov

deputy brigade commander Colonel Vydrov

deputy brigade commander for educational work Yury Anatolyevich Antonov

Heroes of Russia:

1. Guards Sergeant Major Ushakov A. B. (1972-1995), posthumously.

2. Guards Art. Lieutenant Dergunov A.V. (1979-2003), posthumously.

THE USSR:

The brigade was deployed according to wartime staff.

1985-1990 :

Tajikistan.

From September 1992 to March 1993, the brigade took part in combat operations in Tajikistan.

Dushanbe, Kulyab.

Detachments "Pyanj", "Moskovsky", also the Dusti region and partly Kalaikhumb.

SM together with RU FPS in the interests of the group, protection of the ambassador and family members, events against the Vovchiks and the most radical Yurchiks.

Losses in Kosovo:

Andrey Kuzovov (Ulyanovsk), died in Kosovo, May 2001.

From January to June 1995, the 509th separate special forces detachment of the brigade fought in Chechnya.

On January 17, 1995, the 509th separate special forces detachment of the 3rd separate special forces brigade on an Il-76 was transferred from near Samara to Mozdok, and then to Khankala on a BMP-1, in a column. The detachment was engaged in reconnaissance of the outskirts of the city of Argun, even when the battles for Grozny were just going on. The reconnaissance group scouted a ford across the Argun River, where equipment was then transported to encircle the city. Serious trials befell the detachment near the village of Komsomolskoye (near Argun), where the detachment stormed a high-rise building for a marine regiment.

On the night of March 20-21, 1995, troops of the United Group “North” began an operation to disarm illegal armed groups in the Argun and Mesker-Yurt region. During night operations, the detachment and reconnaissance company of the 165th infantry infantry regiment advanced and by 6.00 captured the level. 236.7 (Goytin Court). At 6.00, the 165th infantry regiment crossed the Argun River with two battalions and began creating an outer and inner encirclement ring.

Subsequently, the detachment fought near Gudermes and Shali.

At the end of May - beginning of June 1995, the detachment was withdrawn to its permanent deployment point.

For military distinction, 176 people of the brigade were awarded orders and medals, and guard sergeant major Anton Borisovich Ushakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously).

4 people died in Chechnya.

1. St. Ushakov Anton Borisovich (posthumously Hero of Russia)
2. Art. Sr. Bulushev Rem Shamilevich
3. R. Biryukov Alexander Mikhailovich
4. R. Tudiyarov Anatoly Mikhailovich
5. Mr. Tikhomirov Alexander Pavlovich

The functioning of state intelligence organizations is always unclear to the average person due to secrecy, first of all, as well as the variety of tasks and areas of activity. In addition, the system of foreign and military intelligence involves the mutual integration of specialists from different structures within the framework of performing one combat mission.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces is the main organ of military intelligence; the tasks performed by GRU units are characterized by the utmost degree of secrecy. The active military personnel, in addition to officials coordinating the work of the main headquarters, consists of operational employees who make up the intelligence network of the organization and combat units of special forces.

The list of combat missions represents actions to collect secret information and samples of equipment of value to the country, secret operations to eliminate or neutralize persons threatening state security, and the recruitment of new employees. GRU combat divisions are special forces units, the elite of the internal troops of the Russian Federation. Since time immemorial, sabotage and reconnaissance activities have been carried out by the armies of different states; the first prototypes of modern special units were brigades of reconnaissance saboteurs within the NKVD, created during the Second World War.

The reconnaissance special forces acquired their formalized form and structure in the middle of the last century; the existence of this type of troops dates back to October 24, 1950, when the USSR Minister of War signed a secret directive on the creation of “deep” intelligence units. From the first days of their existence, these formations have been under the control of the Main Intelligence Directorate, which, by the way, resumed its activities a year before. The head of this department at that time was Marshal of the Soviet Union M.V. Zakharov.

So, GRU special forces are units of the regular army, primarily trained to solve sabotage and reconnaissance tasks. The black bat is a symbol of military intelligence of Russia and the Soviet Union. The flag is a blue cloth with a white circle in the center, on top of which is a bat and the corresponding inscription.

The initial stage of creating the structure of special military intelligence units consisted of the formation of separate special forces companies, each with 120 personnel, 46 such combat units were created in 1950. Only in 1961 did the creation of separate GRU special forces brigades and corresponding educational institutions begin. The impetus for this process was the Decree “On the training of personnel and the development of special equipment for organizing and equipping partisan detachments.”

In 1961, the first junior command courses for GRU special forces were opened. In 1964, the first large-scale exercises were held on the basis of the Belarusian, Baltic and Leningrad military districts. Within military schools and universities, faculties are being created to train qualified personnel. One of the most famous training centers is the Faculty of Special Intelligence of the Ryazan Airborne School, opened in 1968.

Despite the fact that the GRU special forces system had already existed for 18 years by that time, it was the first official training center for special forces officers. The Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan - one of the most unpleasant pages in the history of the Russian internal troops - became the main reason for conducting an in-depth analysis of the state of the army.

The level of graduates of military schools was subjected to it, the results of which showed that the training was head and shoulders above any other military school in the country. However, the special forces units in Afghanistan generally acted more than confidently.

The system of separate special forces brigades still operates today. From 1961 to the present day, dozens of such combat formations have been created and disbanded. The structure began to take shape in 1961; by 1963, the GRU had 10 special forces brigades at its disposal. As of 2012, the active army consists of eight separate special forces brigades.

Among them is the renowned “3rd Guards Separate Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov III Class Special Purpose Brigade.” Formed as a single military unit in 1966, it was created on the basis of the fifth separate motorcycle regiment, which, in turn, dates back to March 1944 on the basis of the 238th Tank Brigade.

The fifth motorcycle regiment demonstrated high combat training from the first days of participation in hostilities; the result of its activities as part of the 1st Belorussian Front was the awarding of the Order of the Red Banner to the formation in August 44th; December of the same year was marked by the awarding of the title “Guards”. In January, the regiment was the first to enter the capital of Poland - Warsaw. The Great Patriotic Regiment graduated from Berlin, from 1945 it became known as the Berlin and Warsaw Regiment, and in October of the same year it was awarded the Order of Suvorov, III degree.

At the end of World War II, the regiment was part of the group of Soviet troops in Germany and was based in the city of Werder Havel; in 1957, the 26th special reconnaissance battalion was formed on its base. The third separate special forces brigade was created by combining the 26th and 27th Special Forces battalions by directive of the commander of the GSVG in 1966. The first commander was Guard Colonel A.N. Grishakov.

The creation of the 3rd Special Forces Brigade (3rd GRU Special Forces Brigade) occurred at the height of the Cold War. The main task of the special forces soldiers was to fight similar NATO units. In conditions of a constant nuclear missile threat, GRU special forces units as part of the German Group of Forces focused on the fight against sabotage groups of a potential enemy that were engaged in installing mobile missile systems and destroying them.

Of course, the sabotage and reconnaissance activities of the brigade were not limited to countering enemy saboteurs on their territory. There is no doubt that in the 70s and 80s, fighters performed many tasks outside the countries of the Warsaw Warsaw Forces, but the details of these operations are unlikely to become public knowledge any time soon.

The brigade's personnel made it possible to deploy up to 48 reconnaissance groups at a time. The 1970s also became the period when the brigade was one of the first to come under the flag of the USSR Airborne Forces - the nature of the tasks performed corresponded to this particular branch of the regular army.

The brigade also included companies of signalmen and sappers. The GRU special forces training system in the form that exists now - of course, with the exception of particulars related to the development of weapons and changes in the geopolitical situation - was formed in the early 70s of the twentieth century.

In addition to compulsory combat training, training in signalman skills and sapper work, compulsory study of foreign languages ​​appeared. In 1977, on the basis of the Military Academy named after. Frunze, where an intelligence department already existed, courses for training special forces officers are being created, where a systematic integrated approach and in-depth, versatile training are practiced.

In 1979, fighting began in Afghanistan - a separate page for both the Soviet armed forces as a whole and the GRU special forces. The third separate brigade of the GRU Special Forces continued to be based in Germany and did not officially take part in hostilities, however, during the war, individual companies became part of the units that took an active part in the Afghan epic.

In April 1985, the 186th separate Special Forces detachment began combat activity in Afghanistan, which included fighters from the personnel of the 3rd Special Operations Brigade - this unit was recognized as one of the most effective based on the results of the campaign. The detachment's scouts captured for the first time a sample of the American Stinger portable anti-aircraft missile system. Until the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the brigade's fighters were part of various military formations.

In 1990, the famous fall of the Berlin Wall took place, marking the unification of the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany into a single Germany. On January 1, 1991, the withdrawal of units of the Soviet group of forces from the country began. Thus, in April 1991, the 3rd Guards Brigade was redeployed to the territory of the Chernorechye training center in the Samara region, under the command of the Volga-Ural Military District.

As a result of the collapse of the USSR, independence was declared in the former Soviet republics and elections were held. The election results in Tajikistan provoked an armed conflict in 1992 between the opposition and supporters of the official government. The 3rd brigade of the GRU Special Forces took part in the hostilities; the main responsibilities of the special forces were to ensure the safety of members of the government of the republic and employees of the Russian consulate and the protection of strategic facilities. The units were stationed in Dushanbe and Kulyab from September 1992 to March 1993.

The next important stage in the activities of the military intelligence special forces was the Chechen campaign of 1994-1996. The collapse of the USSR led to a drop in the overall level of combat readiness of the internal troops; as a result, in the first year of the war, military intelligence special forces units were forced to perform unusual tasks - participation in assault operations, regular military reconnaissance, escorting vehicle convoys.

Coupled with gross miscalculations by the command, such activities caused unprecedented losses of personnel of special forces units - this period is considered the most tragic in the history of special forces brigades. In January 1995, the 509th separate detachment of the 3rd reconnaissance brigade of the Airborne Forces of the GRU special forces was transferred to Mozdok by IL-36 aircraft, and then redeployed to Khankala.

Here they were engaged in reconnaissance activities in the vicinity of Argun, and in March they took an active part in the operation to encircle and neutralize a large group of illegal gangs. Until June 1995, when the detachment was withdrawn from Chechnya, special forces fought in the vicinity of Gudermes and Shali. The brigade's losses amounted to 4 people, including Guard Sergeant A.B., who died on March 21. Ushakov, who was awarded the title of Hero of Russia posthumously for his selfless actions. 176 intelligence officers from the brigade were awarded orders and medals.

In July 1999, the combined detachment of the 3rd ObRSpN GRU (3rd separate brigade of the special forces - in unit 21208) was transferred to Kosovo to carry out a peacekeeping mission; the detachment’s activities as part of the Kosovo group of forces continued until October 2001, losses were avoided during that period.

The official date of the start of the second Chechen war was September 30, 1999, when troops were brought into Chechnya; this was preceded by the invasion of Dagestan by militants and various separatist actions on the territory of the republic. Special forces units took part in the campaign from the very beginning, providing regular army units with intelligence information, blocking the distribution and transportation of weapons, and fighting sabotage detachments of international terrorist organizations.

Soldiers of the 3rd Special Forces Brigade were transferred to Chechnya in 2002 and served regularly until January 2007. In December 2002, detachments of the unit were transferred to the Tsumandinsky region of Dagestan, where a gang of field commander Ruslan Gelayev was discovered.

The pursuit of the gang took place in hard-to-reach mountainous areas; one of the conscript soldiers, senior lieutenant of the GRU special forces A.V., fell into one of the passages into the abyss. Dergunov attempted to save his subordinate, but fell down with him and died. Alexei Dergunov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia. In general, during the “Second Chechen War,” the brigade’s personnel losses amounted to 14 people.

Since 2010, the 3rd Guards Separate Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov III Class Special Purpose Brigade (3rd Guards Obrspn) has been stationed on the basis of the former Tolyatti Military-Technical Institute of Logistics. Now it is here, above military unit 21208, that a personalized flag flutters, which is a blue-green panel with the image of a parachute, a black bat and the name of the brigade. It combines the symbolism of the Airborne Forces and military intelligence, because the military personnel here consider themselves equally to these two branches of the military.

• 1. History
• 2 Eyewitness impressions
• 3 Information for mom
  • 3.1 Parcels and letters
  • 3.2 Contact numbers
  • 3.3 Your visit
• 4 Where to stay

The location of military unit 21208, or the 3rd separate Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov 3rd degree special forces brigade, is the city of Togliatti, Samara region. The unit belongs to the GRU special forces units, which are subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. These formations are engaged in reconnaissance and sabotage activities and take part in various combat operations.

Story

The unit, currently known as military unit 21208, dates back to 1966. It was formed in Germany on the basis of two special forces battalions stationed in the Werder garrison and several reconnaissance battalions. The predecessor of the 3rd Special Forces Brigade was the 48th Separate Motorized Rifle Battalion, which became a reconnaissance battalion in November 1948.

Banner of the 3rd Guards Special Purpose Brigade

The name of the brigade - Warsaw-Berlin - is closely connected with the events of the Second World War. At that time, the 48th motorized rifle battalion took part in the attacks on the capital of Poland.
The successful completion of combat missions was marked with the name “Warsaw” (February 1945). The unit received the second part of the name after the surrender of Germany, in May 1945, for special services during the capture of Berlin. Even before the end of the war, the battalion received the Order of Suvorov, 3rd degree.
From October 1945 to May 1990, the unit was located in Germany, in the city of Tiefenbrunn, and then in Furstenberg. These settlements were part of the republic of the GDR, friendly to the USSR.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991, the 3rd Special Forces Brigade changed its location to the Volga Military District, namely the village of Roshchinskoye. Since 2010, military unit 21208 has been located in the city of Tolyatti.

Awards for participation in sporting events

The brigade performed various combat and government missions.
In particular, military personnel participated in the evacuation of foreign embassies from Tajikistan in 1992, carried out peacekeeping missions during the armed conflict in Chechnya (1995), and various missions in Kosovo (1999).
Currently, the training of GRU special forces soldiers in Tolyatti is carried out on the basis of a former military engineering university. Soldiers of military unit 21208 now not only master the skills of long-range and close combat, but also swimming, cryptography, and the ability to work with radio equipment. Soldiers study mathematics and foreign languages ​​in depth and are able to navigate the latest developments in military and computer technology.

Eyewitness impressions

Interestingly, military unit 21208 is not isolated from the urban population. Most officers and contract soldiers who have families rent housing in the blocks closest to the unit - 10, 12 and 15.

Living conditions in part. Recreation room and barracks of the 3rd brigade

The rest live in comfortable cabin barracks with a gym, a recreation room and a kitchen for two cabins. There are no hazing or hazing in the unit, and the unit itself is called, if not elite, then exemplary.
On the territory of the garrison there are such infrastructure facilities as a post office, a bathhouse, hairdressers, shops, schools, kindergartens and hotels.
The training process for GRU special forces soldiers, as eyewitnesses say, differs from that in ordinary units. Employees take advanced exams in military affairs, and at the Roshchinsky training ground there is an obstacle course simulating mountainous terrain. Field training uses real weapons, mines and grenades, and soldiers also master numerous martial arts.
Civilians work in the canteen of military unit 21208; military personnel are not involved in preparing food. The menu is quite extensive - there are two first and two second courses to choose from.

Drone training room

On the territory of the unit there is a swimming pool with a 25-meter track, which can also be visited by civilians with a subscription.
The daily routine of military personnel, with the exception of enhanced combat and military training, is the same as in combined arms units: duty, guard duty, detachments and inspections. The latter are carried out no more often than once every 2 months.
Soldiers of military unit 21208 take the oath on Sunday. On this day, the soldier is allowed leave until 21.00; the rest of the time he must notify his relatives in writing about the arrival.
You can choose Megafon or MTS as your mobile operator. The first operator is convenient when the fighter is at the training ground, and the second one is convenient during free time from field exercises, from 19.00 to 21.00 on weekends. You can also communicate through social networks.

Practicing parachute flying skills

It is better to make money transfers to military personnel to a VTB Bank or Sberbank card. The first ATM is located at the checkpoint.
The following applicants are admitted to contract service in the GRU special forces, namely in military unit 21208:

1. Having completed secondary education (at least 11 classes);
2. Age from 18 to 35 years;
3. Passed a medical commission (certificate form A-1);
4. Trained in airborne units, as well as drivers of categories “C”, “D” and “E”.

Information for mom

Parcels and letters

On May 18, a message appeared in the news feed that a people’s gathering against the war in Ukraine was held in Togliatti. The reason was the detention of Yevgeny Erofeev and Alexander Alexandrov by Ukrainian security forces. Both introduced themselves as active servicemen of the 3rd GRU special forces brigade.Journalist Dmitry Pashinsky went to Tolyatti to find out the circumstances of what happened.

“Polite people” from the Tolyatti GRU do not differ in manners. “This is a sensitive facility! Get out of here!” shouts the duty officer at the central checkpoint. He turns on the radio and, contrary to regulations, reports to his superiors about my arrival.

“There’s still a muddy passenger, are we working?” I’m standing in the sun and photographing the military base of the 3rd GRU brigade, guarded so diligently that trying to figure out what’s going on there is reminiscent of an army joke: “The part was so secret that the soldiers could only talk about the fact that they served in boots.”

“The commanders covered themselves with reports”

But in fact, a little more is known about this part. The 3rd Brigade appeared in 1966 and changed addresses more than once. For a long time it was located in the village of Roshchinsky, Samara region, and since 2010 it has been stationed in Tolyatti on the site of a former military school.

“It’s a part within a part, you know? There are external borders where conscripts are on duty, and behind them begin internal - closed facilities, where special forces are on duty and preparations are underway for combat missions. There are about 2.5 thousand people in total,” Alexander Obukhov, a former conscript soldier of the Togliatti brigade, explains to Medialeaks. The last time he was here was at the beginning of March for an open day.

“I come in, and there’s no one around. I ask a sergeant I know, where is everyone? And everyone in Crimea – both conscripts and “double basses” – went for medals.” Alexander does not communicate with his colleagues. Although many signed a contract at his call. “They actively encouraged us to stay in the army, they put leaflets on bedside tables and beds, played films, brought in various contract soldiers and they told us how great it was for them.”

Those contract soldiers could well have been captain Evgeny Erofeev or sergeant Alexander Alexandrov. On May 16, near the village of Shchastya, Lugansk region, they were captured and interrogated by the 3rd GRU special forces brigade.

The Russian side does not recognize them as such. Even a month before the news about the captured soldiers, President Vladimir Putin during the “direct line” makes it clear that it is impossible to talk seriously about the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine.

When it became known in May that special forces soldiers had been captured, the Ministry of Defense gave an explanation: they were there of their own free will, having previously resigned from the Armed Forces.

“We checked the information from the Ukrainian side - these guys actually previously served in one of the formations of the Russian Armed Forces and have military training. Moreover, I can confirm that the leadership of the Association of Special Forces Veterans approached us with a request to go through official channels to the General Staff of Ukraine in order to stop the abuse of their wounded comrades by SBU officers in the process of extracting favorable testimony,” said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashenkov.

Now in Ukraine, now former military personnel are facing terrorism charges, which could result in 15 years in prison for them.

“Commanders have long hidden behind reports of the dismissal of soldiers. The papers lie in a neat pile on their table. Now this is common practice in any military unit of this level,” says Vyacheslav Tolstov, once a GRU officer and now a criminal lawyer. We are sitting in his spacious office in the center of Samara. On the walls there is not a hint of Tolstov’s past as a scout and veteran of the Afghan war. He calls what happened a moral decline for the army and its officers, who split during interrogation: “When I served, we all carried a grenade nearby, because there are a lot of ways to loosen one’s tongue – torture, blackmail, chemicals. In Afghanistan, a dose of heroin was enough for this.”

According to Tolstov, this is not the first trip of the 3rd brigade to Donbass as instructors for militias from the DPR and LPR. “Did they go there voluntarily? Of course not! - he answers. “Nothing is done voluntarily in the army.” An order came from above to send a prefabricated unit to Ukraine. They stopped letting people out of the unit, they waited until the rest came back from leave, at night in trucks and to the military airfield. In return they promised apartments, cars, bonuses. And families should remain silent, otherwise no one would cancel the article for treason.”

Many years ago, lawyer Tolstov won back 30 million rubles in court - this is a bonus unpaid to Samara police officers for combat missions to Chechnya. “They also promised them apartments. But in the end they didn’t make free prosthetics. The men went to the mountains five times..."

Invisible rally

A video of the interrogation of Erofeev and Aleksandrov appeared on Sunday, May 17. The next morning, a spontaneous rally of relatives of other GRU officers sent to Donbass allegedly took place in Togliatti. But there is still no clear evidence of the action, except for the words of an anonymous eyewitness who told Novaya Gazeta journalist Natalya Fomina about what he saw: “About ten o’clock in the morning, people, about ten, both men and women, approached the military registration and enlistment office building next to the checkpoint . They started shouting slogans. I wouldn’t like to repeat it verbatim, because I don’t want to stir things up, but the point was that the Russian army has nothing to do in Ukraine. Then two men took turns throwing something at the wall. Paper bombs or eggs. Five to seven minutes later they were dispersed, and the police immediately appeared from somewhere. No one was detained, they were simply ordered to disperse.”

Later, he promised to send photographs of the action, but suddenly disappeared and stopped communicating, afraid of being discovered, Fomina suggests.

The search for other eyewitnesses of the action did not bring success. Passers-by either openly ignored me or answered that they knew nothing and quickened their pace. A heavyset man in a military uniform doesn’t believe the rumors about the rally, but this is the first time he’s heard about captured special forces soldiers. Finally, he advises me to get treatment for hallucinations or get out of town as quickly as possible, otherwise nothing will happen.

This is a threat?

Friendly advice, says the man with the holster.

That same evening I meet with human rights activist from the Golos association Lyudmila Kuzmina. In her opinion, there could be no planned protest: “For this you need to have civic consciousness and courage, but here you have neither one nor the other. Most likely, nine or ten saw their husbands’ colleagues on TV and rushed to the unit to find out what happened to the rest. Then they were quickly processed. After all, they are also on a mission: husbands are ordered to fight, and wives are ordered to cover them from the rear with lies.”

GRU dormitory next to the base. A shabby panel high-rise. Inconspicuous, like a good scout. On the porch, a tipsy local jokes that he is ready to fight even in Antarctica in order to move out of here. He shows how to find the apartment of Ekaterina Alexandrova, the wife of one of the prisoners. In an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel, she said that her husband retired from the army in December 2014. But Ekaterina did not open the door to other journalists, including me. And for some reason her suspicious neighbors don’t remember their names or faces.

Young mothers with strollers are walking on the playground.

Do you live in a dormitory? – I’m interested.

They correct me with a challenge:

Actually, this is a residential building! And who are you? What you need?

I introduce myself. I explain why I came.

Oh, we have the press here! Call the police! – one of the mothers shouts, while the other calls for help from a nearby checkpoint. - For help! Here! Faster!

I ask who intimidated them so much. But my question dissolves in a woman’s scream and a child’s cry. A sergeant runs up to me, his cap on the back of his head, his belt dangling. The awkward appearance meets his requirements:

Young man, leave the yard immediately!

On what basis? This is a yard, not GRU territory,” I object.

This is GRU territory. Leave now!

The verbal altercation lasts about five minutes. A police car is parked on the side of the road. I cross the road, get into the car and drive away. The sergeant takes pictures of the license plates and shouts that the “Interception” plan has been announced. Hopefully no helicopter.

I return to Tolyatti a day later. Clear footsteps and voices can be heard in Alexandrova's apartment. I knock - there is no call.

Ekaterina, are you home?

(silence).

I am a journalist from Moscow. Can I ask you a few questions?

(silence).

Facebook and GRU special forces

GRU special forces are the elite of the Russian army, the secrecy regime there is appropriate. Information from the unit practically does not leak out to the outside world. But there are already people on social networks who talk about the brigade in Togliatti.

Video description
Interrogation of a captured saboteur - sergeant of the 3rd Guards. OBRSpN GRU General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation by intelligence officers of the ORR 92 OMBr of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the town of Shchastya, Lugansk region, Ukraine.
05/16/2015 Soldiers of the 5th company of the 1st btg in the area of ​​​​the “facade” - the bridge over the Seversky Donets river in the village of Shchastye - detained two Russian servicemen, Sergeant Aleksandrov Alexander Anatolyevich and Captain Erofeev Evgeniy Vladimirovich.
Immediately before this, they killed our Vadik Pugachev - with six bullets. As a result of return fire, wounded and captured

Supreme Commander-in-Chief V.V. Putin, he is also an international terrorist, he is also a lying bastard,
the captured soldier leaked you.
Why did you have to convince your subordinates that Ukrainians cut out the kidneys of prisoners?
The kidneys were not cut out and the soldier told everything.

The vile lies of Putin’s lackeys will not help their master avoid the tribunal:

UPD.
On May 16, 2015, at about 2:30 p.m., in the area of ​​the Lugansk Thermal Power Plant (the town of Shchastya, Lugansk region), a military clash occurred between the combat group of the SBU Counterintelligence Department (carrying out tasks approved by the leadership of the SBU in the ATO area) and a unit of the 92nd separate mechanized brigade (military unit B6250 , Chuguev, Kharkov region, performs station security tasks) with a reconnaissance detachment of special forces of the RF Armed Forces (numbering up to 30 people).

During the battle, two Russian servicemen were wounded and captured. On the Ukrainian side, losses were: 1 killed (AFU) and 1 wounded (DKR SBU). As a result of interrogation by DKR officers of these individuals, it was established that they belonged to the personnel of the 3rd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces (3rd Separate Guards Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov III Class Special Purpose Brigade, military unit 21208, Tolyatti, brigade commander - Guard Colonel S.A. Shchepin).

An AK (Russian-made) assault rifle was confiscated from the detainees. Now the detainees are in the city hospital of Kramatorsk (Donetsk region). From the testimony of captain Erofeev E.V. and Sergeant Aleksandrov A.A., they arrived on the territory controlled by militants in March 2015 as part of a unit of their brigade and carried out combat reconnaissance and sabotage missions against ATO forces.

On May 16, they were given the task of reconnaissance of the territory of the Lugansk Thermal Power Plant, to find out the state of its security for subsequent capture by units of “LPR” militants. Additionally, facts were established confirming the Russian citizenship of the detainees, in particular, their addresses of residence, study and work (in the past), as well as information about close relatives who live in the Russian Federation.

Commander of the reconnaissance group, captain Erofeev Evgeniy Vladimirovich
(01/18/1985, native of Kuibyshev, Russian Federation, call sign "Dolphin")

Senior intelligence officer, contract service sergeant Alexandrov Alexander Anatolievich
(01/07/1987, native of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russian Federation, call sign "Alex")