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On July 29, 1974, by order of the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR Yuri Andropov, a secret unit was created in the Seventh Directorate - Group “A”. The decision to create it was made after the terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, which killed 11 members of the Israeli team. On the eve of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, it was necessary to ensure security in the territory Soviet Union.

The main tasks that the group faced were the fight against terrorists and other extremist entities, as well as the release of captured hostages, Vehicle and state facilities on the territory of the USSR and beyond.

Until 1985, Group A was personally subordinate to the General Secretary and the leadership of the KGB. At that time, the special unit consisted of no more than 40 employees.

• The first composition of Group "A"
• alphagroup.ru

Since 1990, Alfa members have been active participants in counter-operations in the North Caucasus. After the collapse of the USSR and the reorganization of the KGB, Group A was transferred to the subordination of the Federal Security Service. The unit's employees received additional tasks to protect senior officials of the state.

In 1995, the anti-terrorist group became part of Federal service security (FSB) of Russia, and from 1998 to this day, Directorate “A” is part of the Center special purpose FSB of Russia.

Today Group "A" is better known as "Alpha" in the world.

Combat chronicle

During the existence of the anti-terrorist unit, its employees conducted more than 30 successful special operations.

The famous seizure of Amin's palace in Kabul on December 27, 1979 is considered the baptism of fire for Group A.

“Alfovtsy”, together with fighters of the “Zenith” group (48 people in total), with the support of the “Muslim battalion” and paratroopers, stormed a well-fortified palace in 43 minutes. The combat operation in Afghanistan still has no analogues in the world. At the same time, Group A suffered its first losses - two soldiers died in the line of duty.

• This is how Alpha fighters saw Amin’s palace before the assault. Photo from 1979
• specnaz.ru

In December 1988, employees of the anti-terrorism unit had to free children taken hostage. In the city of Ordzhonikidze, armed bandits seized a passenger bus with fourth grade students. The criminals set conditions - to provide them with a plane and unhindered travel to any country.

For about seven hours, the commander of Group “A” Gennady Zaitsev conducted negotiations with the bandits on the radio.

“We were given instructions: “Not a single hair should fall from the child’s head. Children must be released,” Zaitsev said in an interview with RT. “The criminals’ demands were wild: to give them weapons and body armor. According to the rules, doing this is strictly prohibited, but sometimes the situation forces you to deviate from the canons. We had to partially satisfy their demands. They gave me a bulletproof vest - for it, a child or two, and I also had to give away one machine gun.”

As a result, all thirty children were released, and the bandits were detained by Group A employees in Israel.

On June 17, 1995, terrorists took more than a thousand people hostage in the Budennovsk city hospital. The Alpha unit was involved in the operation to free the people. The soldiers stormed the building. During the special operation, three employees of Group A were killed and 15 were seriously injured.

• Hostages held by a group of Chechen militants in a hospital in the city of Budyonnovsk during liberation
• RIA News
• Alexander Zemlyanichenko

“This was the first operation of this scale in world practice,” Alexey Filatov, a participant in the counter-operation in Budyonnovsk, vice-president of the international anti-terrorist association “Alpha,” recalls those events in a conversation with RT. — For the first time, there were such a huge number of people hostage and so many terrorists armed to the teeth. They were even better armed than us. None of the old-timers of the group will remember such a density of fire in a battle that lasted more than four hours, it was just a rain of bullets.”

“Alfa members” have participated in the release of hostages more than once. In 2002 - in the Theater Center on Dubrovka, and in 2004, employees of the anti-terrorism unit stormed a school in Beslan, captured by armed terrorists, who on September 1 took more than 1,100 people hostage, most of whom were children.

Also, the fighters of Group “A” participated in operations to detain spy-traitors and repeatedly protected the lives of top officials of the state.

“They guarded Vladimir Putin when he was in Chechnya in 1999. We were ready to take the fight if necessary and give our lives for our president if necessary,” said Alpha unit veteran Colonel Vitaly Demidkin to RT.

Selection bias

Alpha Division is considered the elite Russian special forces. It is very difficult to become one of the Group A employees. Candidates must undergo a strict selection process. RT's interlocutors, veterans of Group A, told how they ended up in the ranks of the special forces.

Gennady Zaitsev took over as commander of Group A at the invitation of the head of the Seventh Directorate of the KGB. He said that the first time, after weighing the pros and cons, he refused. And only when the offer came a second time did he agree.

Veteran of the Alpha anti-terrorism group Igor Shevchuk told RT that he purposefully went to serve in the unit.

“It was no accident that I ended up at Alpha. I learned about the group while still a cadet: I read the book “Alpha Didn’t Want to Kill” and wanted to serve in this unit. I graduated from the border school, passed all the exams, but failed to get into the group the first time. In 2003, he finally became an employee of Group A,” says Shevchuk.

Vitaly Demidkin also first became acquainted with the anti-terrorism unit when he was very young. He stated that education and physical training helped him in many ways to become one of the Alpha members.

“I got into Group A in 1979. I learned about the unit while still a cadet. I am a paramedic by training, the commission paid attention to this. But besides this, I passed all the exams perfectly. That’s how they took me,” Demidkin recalls.

All RT's interlocutors - veterans of the Alpha anti-terrorism unit - noted that one of the main selection criteria is very good physical fitness, ideal health and professional suitability.

• Alpha special forces training
• YouTube video screenshot

“The selection is quite tough. After exams and tests, interviews with commanders follow. Then the commission comes to the family for an interview, looks at the situation, how the person lives, warns loved ones what awaits them in the future and what risks this entails,” Shevchuk noted.

A fighter from the Alpha unit must always be ready to go on a mission. “Our officer, for the most part, does not belong to himself, he is always in combat readiness,” emphasized Sergei Goncharov, president of the Association of Veterans of the Alpha anti-terror unit.

In Soviet times, personnel were recruited exclusively from KGB officers who had undergone special training. Today, according to Goncharov, there are military schools in Russia from which future “Alfa members” are selected.

“Those who are capable of serving in Alpha are selected from among the students of military schools. They are trained from the very beginning of their service until they graduate from college, and then they are sent for special training. Out of a dozen who try, one or two succeed,” Goncharov noted.

The Alpha phenomenon

However, to become a combat unit of the Alpha division, physical data and great desire are not enough. Excellent analytical skills and high speed of thinking are required. An important feature of service in Group “A” is the ability to work in a team and be ready to always, in any situation, come to the aid of a friend.

“An important circumstance for serving in this unit is mutual assistance,” Zaitsev emphasized. “Confidence in each other must be unconditional: if someone takes a bullet, then he is sure that the comrade next to him will definitely cover him and help him.”

“Alpha” has its own spirit and its own traditions, which are important for the formation of a cohesive team.

“It is wrong to consider a special forces soldier as a kind of Rambo who risks his life and acts alone,” Alpha veteran Mikhail Fedotov noted in a conversation with RT. — On the contrary, it is a team of people that can work as a single mechanism. And all this thanks to traditions and many years of experience passed on from generation to generation.”

“The phenomenon of the unit lies in the fact that even if a person is young, he has a family, he is still ready to take risks to save the lives of people he does not know,” Fedotov emphasized. — You need to have a certain psychology in order to understand all this and not retreat into Hard time. People bury their comrades, and the next day they go into battle and make life in our state safer.”

Life after service

The service life of the Alpha unit fighters is on average 10 years - the psychological and exercise stress. However, veterans of the special forces told RT that “it’s impossible to just pick up and leave Group A.”

According to Zaitsev, he has still not been able to move away from the group regime, although he is preparing to celebrate his 83rd birthday in September.

• Group A commander Gennady Zaitsev
• RIA News
• Ramil Sitdikov

“When I retired, I felt destitute,” said the Alpha veteran. — I had a strict schedule, I got up before 06:00, and was already at the unit at 08:00. My comrades and I created the Alpha-95 Security Agency in 1995. I am now the head of this structure. I also get up at 06:00 and arrive an hour before the start of the working day, probably out of habit. My experience with the military has been more than 60 years.”

After his retirement, Demidkin began to engage in the security business. But nostalgia for his service in Group “A” still haunts him.

“I left Alpha when I was 51 years old. For a long time I could not believe that I was left without service, without work. At first I was depressed. It was as if I got out of the carriage onto the platform to have a smoke, and my train left without me,” Demidkin said.

Currently, more than 500 retired Group A fighters are members of the Association of Veterans of the Alpha anti-terror unit. The Alpha members remain faithful to the military brotherhood all their lives.

• Association of Veterans of the Anti-Terror Unit "Alpha"
• alphagroup.ru

“Here, real male friendship is formed, tested in the most difficult, deadly situations; this friendship cannot be stronger,” Filatov emphasized.

Pride of Russia

Alpha Squad is an elite Russian special forces unit.

“Today’s officers are very well equipped, very physically prepared, they have a lot of modern technology and weapons. IN modern conditions Given the growing threat of terrorism, these points are extremely important. On this moment I consider Alpha to be the most prepared unit in the world, Russia should be proud of this,” says Goncharov.

Group A is known throughout the world as one of the most highly qualified, experienced and effective anti-terrorism units.

“The name “Alpha” thundered throughout the world after a series of military operations. The Americans looked at us with their mouths open. They also have a similar division, but everything about them is so “film-like.” We didn’t shout to the whole world, but worked effectively,” Fedotov noted.

The brilliant and well-coordinated work of the employees of the special anti-terrorism unit is also noted by their foreign colleagues.

“Alpha” was not the first to be created. Anti-terrorism units have already operated in Great Britain, Germany, and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also served in such a group, and he once said that he considered Alpha the best unit in the world,” said Zaitsev.

"Alfo members" often take part in competitions of anti-terrorism units in different countries, and foreign colleagues can evaluate their work.

“When I served, the South Korean anti-terrorism unit “White Tigers” admitted: “Yes, we good specialists, but the best unit is Alpha. They had reason to say so, because there was an exchange of experience - our guys went to them, and the Koreans went to us,” Shevchuk said.

Alpha veterans are rightfully proud of their combat past and remember their years of service as the best in their lives. “The entire service in the group is one big bright moment, because it is a great honor for every officer to be among the Alpha men,” Shevchuk concluded.

In addition, Alpha fighters also participate in other FSB operations of special and increased complexity; they operate in “hot spots”, in Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, etc.

There are essentially similar anti-terrorism special forces in many countries, but our Alpha is known as one of the most effective, professional and experienced security forces in the world.

On July 29, 1974, the Chairman of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Yu. V. Andropov, signed Order No. 0089/OV (“Of Special Importance”) on changes in the staff of the Seventh Directorate and approval of the Regulations on Group “A”. This date is the official birthday of the special forces. The decision to create it was made after the terrorist attack at the Munich Olympics in 1972.


The first composition of Group “A” (A.I. Alutsenko, A.S. Afanasyev, V.M. Bagrov, A.I. Baev, N.V. Berlev, V.N. Vankin, V.S. Vinogradov, S. A. A. Golov, M. V. Golovatov, V. P. Emyshev, G. E. Zudin, Yu. A. Izotov, V. S. Kislenkov, S. G. Kolomeets, P. Yu. Klimov, S. I. Koptev, G.A. Kuznetsov, D.A. Ledenev, A.M. Lopanov, A.M. Molokov, V.S. Mochalkin, V.M. Pankin, A.N. Savelyev, A.I. Simonov , V.I. Filimonov, V.M. Fedoseev, A.A. Tsymbalyuk and E.N. Chudesnov.)

Initially created to prevent plane hijackings and free hostages, Group A gradually transformed into a powerful structure to combat terrorism in all its forms. As subsequent events showed, the birth of Alpha became a necessary, timely and adequate challenge to modern terrorist threats.


Only KGB officers could be enrolled in the group. The selection criteria are the most stringent. The first composition of "Alpha" was recruited from employees fit for service in Airborne troops. Physical data and achievements in various disciplines were taken into account. Particular attention was paid to moral and business qualities and psychological endurance. Moreover, the formation of the group was carried out only on a voluntary basis.


Initially, Alpha Group consisted of thirty people. The place of “registration” is the Security Service of Diplomatic Representatives (DPR) of the Seventh Directorate of the KGB of the USSR. And by the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of Group “A”, taking into account regional divisions, was already five hundred people.

Information about it became available to the general public only in 1991. Before this, the special forces were top secret. At the suggestion of journalists, the unit was dubbed “Alpha.” After the State Emergency Committee, it was transferred to the Security Directorate under the Office of the President of the USSR, and then to the Main Directorate of Security (GUO) of Russia.


Since the 1970s, Alpha has been armed with unique types of weapons and special equipment, which are invariably and constantly replenished with the best modern models of military and weapons equipment. Silent pistols, rifles and machine guns (including those capable of firing underwater) - all made to special orders. The group's employees use body armor made of titanium and Kevlar, as well as bulletproof spheres - helmets with a visor and an individual communication device.


The majority of Alpha employees know how to drive all types of cars, all types of armored vehicles, have mountaineering and diving training, and the ability to have psychological endurance. Many of them have flight training skills. All this is designed to solve the main task - preserving the lives of people who find themselves hostages in the hands of terrorists.


Based on the world's and its own vast experience, Alpha has developed and applied its own special operations tactics (for example, the Alarm Plan), which helps ensure success even in the most difficult situations.

Currently, the structure of Directorate “A” includes:
Headquarters
5 departments (One department is constantly on a business trip to Chechnya)
Regional departments and special forces.


More than five hundred employees were awarded for dedication, courage and bravery shown in the performance of military duty state awards. Two officers of Group “A” were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union”: Major General Viktor Karpukhin and Major General Gennady Zaitsev. Eight Alpha employees are Heroes of Russia. These are junior lieutenant Gennady Sergeev (posthumously), Colonel Anatoly Savelyev (posthumously), Major Vladimir Ulyanov (posthumously), Major Yuri Danilin (posthumously), Colonel Sergey Dyachenko, Colonel Valery Kanakin, Major Alexander Perov (posthumously), Colonel Andrey Kumov.

By many measures, Group A is one of the best counter-terrorism units in the world. Evidence of this is the hundreds of unique operations carried out by its employees. Combat duty, established in 1974, does not stop for a minute. This year “Alpha” will turn 39 years old.

Alpha's combat commandments.





1. Sweat saves blood.
2. The volume of the biceps does not affect the speed of the bullet.
3. A gun is just a working tool, the weapon is you.
4. Lead to normal battle What is needed is not a weapon, but an employee’s head.
5. The main value of the anti-terror unit is the instructors. (Signed: Instructors)
6. If a mistake is made at the selection stage, training is meaningless 7. Equipment, like life, has no price.
8. It is not the one who shoots first who wins, but the one who hits first.
9. For gaps in fire training, a “failure” rating in battle is given by an enemy bullet.
10. Weapons are not a source of increased danger, but your friend and working tool.

11. Best weapon the one you work with.
12. Your skills are the best fuse.
13. The shooter's level is his worst shot.
14. The best pistol is a machine gun.
15. You need a pistol in order to get to your machine gun, which you didn’t have to leave anywhere.
16. The main means of preparing an anti-terrorism unit is realistic professional training.
17. Darkness is the friend of a trained employee.
18. Are you afraid to use weapons in a crowd? Get on your skis!
19. Errors in tactics can be corrected by quick and accurate shooting, errors in shooting cannot be corrected by anything.
20. Be a professional in battle, let the enemy die a hero.

21. The strength of special forces is not in muscles, but in brains.
22. Destroying an enemy is a craft, but making him shoot himself is an art.
23. All special forces soldiers died in fire contact, and not in hand-to-hand combat.
24. If you get to the point of changing magazines in fire contact, it means you missed too much before that. 25. No one has ever managed to miss fast enough to win.
26. The main means of fighting terrorists is weapons. The rest is secondary.
27. Effective fire is accurate fire.
28. Nothing can replace a quick and accurate shot.
29. TEST: Night, distance 15 m. Target - the head of a terrorist. The hostage is your child. (Answer: Yes - employee / No - discharged athlete)
30. An employee of the anti-terrorism unit is the master of every shot he fires.

31. Treat every shot as if it were your only shot.
32. Did you miss? Welcome! (Signed: Military Prosecutor's Office)
33. Successful circumstances reinforce bad tactics.
34. The main quality of an employee is the ability to make an informed decision and make a quick and accurate shot in any conditions and at any actual firing distances.
35. What is worth your shot is worth a second shot.
36. Anti-terrorism unit - the highest professional specialization of a special forces unit
37. You don’t need to quickly disassemble a weapon, you need to quickly shoot it.
38. Mental clock - balance of accuracy and speed.
39. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
40. There is no point in shooting faster than you can hit.

41. Nothing is more inspiring than being shot at and missed.
42. It’s better to hit once with a PM than to miss twice with a Glock.
43. You can’t nail a firing course to an employee’s coffin.
44. There is never too much money, information and ammunition.
45. If a hooligan at a distance of 10 meters is simultaneously hit in one knee with a 5.45 mm bullet and in the other with a 7.62 mm bullet, he will not notice the difference.
46. ​​Win and survive to win again.
47. Special forces - quality, not quantity.
48. An effective anti-terror unit cannot be created by command - it takes decades.
49. People are more important than technology.
50. Employee - weapons - equipment - personal protective equipment and communications - equivalent elements of combat kit.

51. In hand-to-hand combat, the one with the most ammunition wins.
52. You are above all the uninitiated, improve yourself to be the first among those who know.
53. By sending fighters to war unprepared, we betray them (Confucius).
54. Military science requires courage and presence of mind, talent, undying genius, tireless study and absorption of experience in all areas of military affairs (Marshal of France Sebastien de Vauban).

Some operations

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

As part of the non-standard combat group "Thunder" (24 people), members of the unit, together with fighters of the Zenit Special Forces of the First Main Directorate of the KGB of the USSR (30 people), captured the Taj-Bek, also known as Amin's palace, in the Dar-ul-Aman area. Active support for the KGB special forces was provided by the “Muslim battalion” of the GRU and the 9th company of paratroopers of the 345th separate regiment Airborne Forces under the command of Senior Lieutenant V.A. Vostrotin. This operation is considered Alpha's best operation. The senior subgroups were: O. A. Balashov, S. A. Golov, V. P. Emyshev and V. F. Karpukhin. General management was carried out by the deputy commander of Group “A”, Major M. M. Romanov. The commander of "Zenith" is Ya. F. Semenov.

Simultaneously with Operation Storm-333, special forces soldiers were deployed together with paratroopers to capture strategically important objects located in different parts the Afghan capital - Tsarandoy (Ministry of Internal Affairs), the headquarters of the Air Force and the central telegraph. The code name for the entire operation in Kabul to change power is “Baikal-79”.

November 19, 1983 - Tbilisi.

The Tu-134A plane, flying along the route Tbilisi - Leningrad with 57 passengers on board and 7 crew members, was hijacked by a group of “golden youth” of 7 people. During the raid, they killed pilots Z. Sharbatyan and A. Chedia, flight attendant V. Krutikova and two passengers. Navigator A. Plotko and flight attendant I. Khimich were seriously injured and left disabled. The bandits' demand: set a course for Turkey. During the shootout in the cockpit and the organization of aerodynamic overloads, the pilots managed to repel the attack of the terrorists, killing one of them, and blocking the door. The commander of the ship, A. Gardakhadze, landed the plane at the Tbilisi airport. On November 19, the plane was freed during a combined assault undertaken by employees of Group “A” (senior - G.N. Zaitsev). None of the passengers were injured. The capture groups were headed by M.V. Golovatov, V.V. Zabrovsky and V.N. Zaitsev.

1985 - 1986.

Forceful capture of twelve agents recruited by foreign intelligence services.

A gang of four people (the leader is a repeat offender P. Yakshiyants, V. Muravlev, G. Vishnyakov and V. Anastasov) seized a LAZ-687 passenger bus, in which, after an excursion to the printing house, the 4th “G” class of school No. 42 was returning together with teacher N.V. Efimova. The terrorists drove the bus to the Mineralnye Vody airport, where they were ahead of Group A, which had taken off from Moscow. During grueling negotiations, which were conducted by G.N. Zaitsev on the radio for almost seven hours, he managed to agree on personal contact with them by Evgeniy Grigoryevich Sheremetyev, an employee of the KGB for the Stavropol Territory. As a result of his (Sheremetyev’s) six-hour personal negotiations with the bandits, at the risk of his life, all the children (thirty people), the teacher and the driver were released, and instead of them, Evgeny Sheremetyev remained a hostage, whom the bandits also released just before flying to Israel in exchange for two million foreign currency.

After the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, with which diplomatic relations were not maintained at that time, gave the go-ahead for the extradition of the criminals, the Il-76 T transport aircraft (RA-76519) (crew commander A. Bozhko) headed for the Middle East. Upon arrival at Ben Gurion airport, the bandits were arrested. Employees of Group “A” led by G.N. Zaitsev, who arrived next, after a compromise was reached on the non-application of capital punishment against terrorists (which the Israeli side insisted on), deported the Yakshiyants gang to the Soviet Union.

August 1990 - Yerevan, Armenian SSR.

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

22 employees of Group “A” under the command of Colonel V.F. Karpukhin, as well as 31 soldiers of the special forces training battalion (“maroon berets”) of the OMSDON named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky were urgently transferred to Sukhumi, where 75 criminals took hostages and a temporary detention center. During the negotiations, the leaders put forward a demand: to provide them with a RAF minibus so that they could travel outside the temporary detention center, to the mountains. When the armed bandits loaded into the minibus with the hostages, the capture team began an operation to neutralize them.

At the same time, two groups began storming the detention center. In a matter of seconds, the criminals in the RAF were neutralized and the hostages were freed. The bandits in the detention center also surrendered after a short resistance. During the operation, Alpha employee I.V. Orekhov and one of the Vityaz fighters were slightly wounded. This special operation has no analogues in the domestic and world practice of using special forces units to free hostages taken by bandits in institutions of the penitentiary system.

December 5, 1992 - Moscow, Vnukovo Airport.

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

A well-armed group of Sh. Basayev burst into the city in two KamAZ trucks. The militants captured city ​​hospital with medical staff and patients, including women in labor and mothers with infants. On the morning of June 17, in extremely difficult conditions, Alpha employees stormed the hospital. The terrorists, placing hostages at the windows, fired from behind them, which negated the success of the assault. Later, Basayev contacted the 1st Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, V. Chernomyrdin, by mobile phone. According to the agreement reached, the terrorists were provided with a corridor. The Alpha group fighters fighting in the hospital building were ordered to retreat.

Alpha officer Konstantin Nikitin, a participant in the assault, commented on these events: “Let’s assume that the Ashniks still entered the hospital and went out to the second floor. It is difficult to even imagine how they would carry out the task further, when the space between the terrorists and the fighters of the anti-terrorism group is filled with hostages. From whose bullets would they have suffered more, and what would have started, what kind of panic and confusion in this meat grinder?”

Taking 123 hostages with them, the militants boarded buses and headed towards Chechnya in a column. Not far from the mountain village of Zandak, all the hostages were freed. As a result of the action of Chechen militants in Budyonnovsk, 130 civilians, 18 police officers, 18 military personnel were killed, including three Alpha employees - Major Vladimir Vladimirovich Solovov, lieutenants Dmitry Valerievich Ryabinkin and Dmitry Yuryevich Burdyaev. Over 400 people were injured of varying degrees of severity. About 2 thousand people were held hostage. The eldest is the commander of Alpha, Lieutenant General A.V. Gusev. This operation is still considered the unit's most unsuccessful.


October 14, 1995 - Moscow, Vasilyevsky Spusk.

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

December 19-20, 1997 - Moscow, Swedish Embassy. A terrorist took a Swedish diplomat hostage.

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

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

November 26, 2006 - Khasavyurt, Republic of Dagestan.

Elimination of the representative of Al-Qaeda and the leader of all foreign fighters, one of the leaders and financiers of the “jihad” in Chechnya and in adjacent regions Abu Hawsa (real name - Faris Youseif Umeirat). Four militants were killed along with him. The force phase of the operation began with the fact that at dawn one of the groups deliberately revealed itself. The two militants were immediately killed by snipers. A shot was fired at the gate from a grenade launcher, and after this an assault group burst in in an armored KamAZ vehicle. The surviving militants took up defensive positions. They rejected the offer to surrender. The operation was completed in half an hour, a victory for the Alpha special forces.

May 2009 to present.

Conducting special operations in the territory North Caucasus as part of the operational combat groups of the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia.

As an illustration for the post, photographs from the calendar of Directorate “A” of the Central Security Service of the FSB of Russia for 2013 were used

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

general information

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

Preparation of TsSN FSB "Alpha"

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

Physical fitness requirements:

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

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

Combat Operations Alpha

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

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

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

Armament and equipment

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

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

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

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

SIG SG 550 assault rifle

SIG SG 550 assault rifle.

Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle

Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle.

Having adopted the G3 into service in 1958, Germany for a long time did not switch to the reduced 5.56 mm ammunition. Reconfiguring the G3 rifle for the new cartridge did not cause any problems. This was done already in 1968, when the NK 33 model appeared, which was an analogue of the G3, converted from a caliber of 7.62 to 5.56 mm.

FAMAS F3 assault rifle

FAMAS F3 assault rifle.

For several post-war decades, the French army was armed with MAS 49/56 self-loading rifles chambered in a unique 7.5 mm caliber cartridge, which was not used in any NATO country, although the French MAT 49 submachine guns had the standard NATO caliber - 9 mm.

Valmet/Sako assault rifle

Valmet/Sako assault rifle.

After the end of hostilities, Finland, which had a hard time surviving World War II, did not dare to join NATO, fearing the reaction of the powerful USSR. Relying solely on their own forces, the military command introduced universal conscription and a reservist system, which made it possible to quickly deploy a peacetime army into thousands of self-defense troops.

FN SCAR assault rifle

FN SCAR assault rifle.

In 1987, a new structure was formed within the US armed forces - US SOCOM (US Special Operations Command). It united special units of the Army, National Guard, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

M4 and Colt Commando assault rifle

M4 and Colt Commando assault rifle.

Colt, a manufacturer of M16 A2 rifles, established in the 1980s. release of a whole family of assault rifles of the 700 series. Most likely, the number 7 in the designation is the number of types of rifles that Colt produced in different years.

M16 assault rifle

M16 assault rifle.

In 1963, a new weapon was adopted into service in the United States to replace the 7.62 mm M14 rifle. This was an epochal event in the history of wars. For the first time, a rifle with a reduced caliber of 5.56 mm was put into service. It had the designation M16 A1.

Beretta AR70 and AR70/90 assault rifles

Beretta AR70 and AR70/90 assault rifles.

The first standard rifle of the army of post-war Italy was the American one self-loading rifle M1 Garand. The famous company Pietro Beretta was involved in the licensed production of this weapon. In 1959, the Italian Army adopted new model Beretta VM 59.

CETME assault rifles

CETME assault rifles.

Immediately after the end of World War II, a state enterprise CETME - Centra de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales ("Research Center for Special Technical Materials"), which was engaged in the production of ammunition, gunpowder and explosives.

TAR 21 assault rifle

TAR 21 assault rifle.

For several decades, a number of assault rifles have been in service with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). various designs and different manufacturers. These are the American M16 and M4, produced both in the USA and in Israel under license, the American CAR 15 rifles from Armalite, as well as modifications of the Israeli Galil rifle.

Galil assault rifle

Galil assault rifle.

Specialists from the Israeli company IMI (Israel Military Industries) have never denied that the prototype of this weapon was the Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle. From the beginning of its existence, Israel was surrounded by the armies of the Arab League, which were armed with Soviet AK-47 assault rifles.

L85 assault rifle

L85 assault rifle.

The history of the development of this weapon is perhaps the longest in history. modern practice. Back in the early 1950s. British designer Noel Kent-Lemon presented a completely non-standard EM2 rifle to the British military.

FN F2000 assault rifle

FN F2000 assault rifle.

In the mid-1990s. leading design bureaus Western countries led the development of a new universal type small arms for arming soldiers of the 21st century. The customer was the joint command of NATO countries.

FN FAL and FNC assault rifles

FN FAL and FNC assault rifles.

Europe was just beginning to recover from the wounds inflicted by the Second World War, and work was already in full swing in the design bureau of the famous Belgian arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale. A group of engineers led by Dieudonne Seve began developing an automatic assault rifle.

Steyr AUG 77 assault rifle

Steyr AUG 77 assault rifle.

After World War II, Austria became one of the founding countries of the NATO bloc. In 1958, the Austrian army adopted the M58 assault rifle, which was a modification of the FN FAL rifle from the Belgian concern Fabrique Nationale.

Russian special forces weapons

Army weapons

Army weapons.

One of the most common types of weapons is military-style weapons. On its basis, hunting versions and self-defense weapons are created, and most often they end up in private hands in their original form.

Army Weapon Review

Review of army weapons.

It is no secret that the basis for such developments was the Czechoslovak Scorpion submachine gun. This sample belongs to the so-called small submachine guns, which are almost no different in size and weight from automatic pistols.

Automatic grenade launcher complex OTs-14 "Groza"

The OTs-14 “Groza” automatic grenade launcher system was developed in the early 1990s. for arming special police forces operating in dense urban areas. At the same time, the designers sought to create a weapon that would ensure reliable destruction of openly positioned manpower, including personal armor protection, light armored vehicles and vehicles, and at the same time give a minimum number of ricochets. We also took into account the fact that installing an under-barrel grenade launcher, necessary for solving these problems, on a weapon of a classical layout design significantly worsens the balance of this weapon. In addition, to facilitate the introduction of the new complex into mass production, it was decided to unify it to the maximum extent with the serial 5.45-mm Kalashnikov AKS-74U assault rifle.

A prototype of the complex was demonstrated in 1994. It included an assault rifle, a VII-25 under-barrel grenade launcher, and special SP cartridges. 5 and SP. 6, fragmentation rounds VOG-25 and VOG-25 P.

The machine gun is designed according to the bullpup layout with the automatic mechanisms and magazine placed behind the fire control handle. This made it possible to significantly reduce the length of the weapon, reduce its “bounce” under the influence of recoil force, and, in the presence of an under-barrel grenade launcher, to ensure balance with the location of the weapon’s center of gravity in the area of ​​the fire control handle.

Silent small arms grenade launcher systems "Silence" and "Canary"

In the 1970s, it was adopted by special forces brigades Soviet army and special forces units of the border troops of the KGB of the USSR, the silent rifle-grenade launcher system “Silence”, developed by the designers of the TsNIITOCHMASH enterprise, began to arrive. The creation of the complex was due to the fact that for solving a number of special tasks (destructing missiles on the march and launch positions, defeating light armored vehicles, helicopters and airplanes on the ground, etc.) the effectiveness of special silent small arms was insufficient.

The “Silence” complex includes: a special silent modification of the 7.62-mm Kalashnikov assault rifle with a folding shoulder rest AKSMB with a silent and flameless firing device PBS-1; 30-mm special silent under-barrel grenade launcher BS-1; a special combat cartridge 7.62 x 39 mm US (reduced velocity) with a subsonic initial velocity of a weighted bullet and a throwing cartridge based on the standard 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge.

A special feature of the complex is that it combines not only two types of projectiles (bullet and grenade), but also two basic principles of reducing the sound level of a shot - expansion of powder gases in a variable-closed volume (gas cut-off) and preliminary expansion and cooling of powder gases before releasing them into the atmosphere.

Sniper rifle SV-99

The SV-99 rifle was developed by designers of the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. It is intended primarily for arming fighters of assault groups of special forces of the police, FSB and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, leading fighting in dense urban areas. It can also be used as an individual weapon of the second number in a large-caliber sniper rifle.

This purpose of the rifle determined the choice of ammunition for it - a 5.6 mm rimfire cartridge (.22LR). Although the effective fire range of this cartridge does not exceed 100 m, lethal effect bullets are relatively small, the cartridge is excellent for creating both precision weapons short range, and for weapons of silent and flameless shooting. When creating the SV-99, the designers used separate technical solutions, previously implemented in the biathlon rifle BI-7-2 (“Biathlon-7-2”) and the hunting carbine “Sobol” produced by the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant.

Special sniper rifle VSS “Vintorez”

Special units of the KGB of the USSR and reconnaissance and sabotage units of the Soviet Army in 1987 received a very effective silent sniper complex (VSK), developed by the designers of the TsNIITOCHMASH enterprise P. I. Serdyukov and V. F. Krasnikov in accordance with the tactical and technical requirements approved GRAU at the end of 1985

The complex includes a special sniper rifle VSS “Vintorez” (GRAU index 6 P29), a 9-mm special cartridge SP. 5 (index GRAU 7 N8), optical or night sight and accessories.

The sniper rifle is the main component of the complex. It is designed according to a classic layout scheme and is equipped with automatic reloading mechanisms that operate using the energy of powder gases discharged through a hole in the barrel into a gas chamber located above the barrel in a plastic fore-end. The barrel bore is locked by turning the bolt, which has six lugs.

The striker-type impact mechanism ensures firing in single shots and bursts. The fire mode selector is located inside the trigger guard behind the trigger. When the translator lever is moved to the right, a single fire is fired (there is one white dot on the right side of the receiver behind the trigger box), and when the lever is moved to the left, a continuous fire is fired (there are three white dots on the left side of the receiver).

Rifle sniper complex VSK-94

The VSK-94 silent rifle sniper complex was developed by the Tula enterprise KPB in 1995. It is intended to arm special police forces and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as reconnaissance groups of army special forces. The complex can be used as an individual weapon of the second number in a long-range sniper rifle, while the ability to fire silently in automatic mode significantly increases the capabilities of a sniper pair.

The complex includes the VSK-94 sniper rifle itself and special 9 x 39 mm SP cartridges. 5, SP. 6 or PAB-9, optical sights PSK-07 (day) and PKN-03 M (night), as well as a container case for carrying the complex.

The rifle was developed on the basis of the 9-mm assault rifle 9 A-91. It has the same automatic reloading mechanisms, which operate by using the energy of powder gases removed from the barrel when fired.

Automatic 9 A-91

To arm soldiers of special police units and special forces units of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the KPB in the early 1990s. developed a small-sized assault rifle 9 A-91. The assault rifle was adopted by the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in 1994. The command also showed a certain interest in the assault rifle Russian army, since it can be armed with military personnel who are not directly involved in hostilities: drivers of transport vehicles, radio and radar operators, etc.

The machine gun is designed according to a classic layout using automatic reloading mechanisms operating according to a well-developed scheme using the energy of powder gases removed from the barrel bore. Automation gas engine with a long stroke of the gas piston; to give the rod the required length, the gas chamber is extended forward. The barrel bore is locked by turning the bolt, which is equipped with four lugs.

The reloading handle located on the right side is rigidly connected to the bolt frame.

The hammer-type trigger mechanism allows firing single shots and bursts.

Automatic OTs-11 "Tiss"

Due to the aggravation of the criminal situation in the Russian Federation in the early 1990s. under the auspices of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, special departments (detachments) were created in the republics, territories and regions rapid response(COBR). There was a strengthening of special purpose police units (OMON), created back in Soviet times, as well as special purpose units, operational brigades and divisions of internal troops. The units of these formations were armed with army small arms, which were unsuitable for combat operations in dense urban areas. Bullets from live 5.45- and 7.62-mm cartridges gave a lot of ricochets and created a danger for passers-by who accidentally found themselves in the special operations zone. At the same time, the stopping effect of these bullets was not enough.

A weapon specially created for use in police special operations was the small-sized OTs-11 “Tiss” assault rifle. It was created in the early 1990s, and in 1993 the first batch of assault rifles of this type entered service with the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

In order to speed up the development and organization of mass production of new weapons, a standard AKS-74U assault rifle was used as a prototype, which was modified for new ammunition - SP cartridges. 5 and SP. 6.

Special automatic machine AS "Val"

Since the late 1980s. The AS “Val” special assault rifle (GRAU index 6P30) also entered service with special forces units of the KGB and the Soviet Army.

Currently, the AS "Val" is part of the armament of special forces units of many law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation. The machine was developed by a group of designers from the TsNIITOCHMASH enterprise headed by P. I. Serdyukov. It is part of a silent machine gun complex, which also includes a special machine gun cartridge SP. 6 and affiliation. The complex is designed to defeat the enemy during special operations in conditions requiring silent and flameless shooting.

When developing the AS “Val”, the VSS “Vintorez” rifle was used as a base; more than 70% of the parts and assemblies of these weapons were unified. Like a rifle, the machine gun has automatic reloading mechanisms that operate by using the energy of powder gases discharged through a side hole in the barrel. The barrel bore is locked using a rotating bolt, which has 6 lugs, using cutouts in the receiver. The rate of fire is 800 - 900 rounds/min, combat rate of fire is 40 - 60 rounds/min.

Underwater special assault rifle APS

Like the SPP-1 special underwater pistol, the APS special underwater assault rifle is designed to arm scuba divers of the naval special forces of the Navy. Research aimed at creating underwater small arms has been carried out in the USSR since the late 1950s.

In the 1960s they were activated, as underwater saboteur units were created in the fleets of a number of NATO countries.

The result of many years of research and development work was a unique, still unparalleled in the world, APS automatic machine (“underwater special automatic machine”), developed by the TsNIITOCHMASH enterprise. Its first versions were designed by P. A. Tkanev, an employee of this enterprise; subsequently, V. V. Simonov was the leading designer. The assault rifle was adopted by the naval special forces of the USSR Navy in 1975. Its production was organized at the Tula Arms Plant.

Although the APS assault rifle is designed for firing underwater, its design, in principle, differs little from conventional land-based models of automatic small arms. It has automatic reloading mechanisms, the operation of which is based on the use of the energy of powder gases removed from the bore of a smooth barrel when fired.

Automatic SR3 "Whirlwind"

Currently, the 9-mm small-sized SR assault rifle is currently being mass-produced and entering service with special forces units of various law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation. Z. The machine was developed by the designers of the TsNIITOCHMASH enterprise A.D. Borisov and V.N. Levchenko. At the development stage, it was designated MA - a small-sized assault rifle; it was adopted into service in 1996 under the designation SR. Z (SR - special development).

Relatively small size and weight of the SR. These make it one of the most compact and convenient small arms for special operations, ensuring the destruction of protected targets at a range of up to 200 m. SR. The Z is designed on the basis of the 9-mm AS Val silent assault rifle, which, in turn, is a variant of the VSS Vintorez sniper rifle.

The main difference between SR. The main benefit of the prototype is the absence of a shot silencer, which made it possible to design the weapon as compact and suitable for concealed carry.

Submachine gun PP-93

Disadvantages of the PP-90 that reduce the effectiveness of its use by special forces units. These shortcomings include, first of all, the relatively long time it takes to bring the PP-90 into combat position, as a result of which special forces soldiers did not always have time to respond in time with fire to a sudden enemy attack.

The insufficient length of the stock and unsatisfactory ergonomics also cause criticism.

Due to the fact that many of the shortcomings of the PP-90 were due to the need to ensure its folding when transferred to the stowed position, it was decided to develop a new submachine gun based on the PP-90, the compactness of which in the stowed position is ensured by the metal butt folding forward and upward. great length.

The Tula enterprise KBP presented a prototype of a new submachine gun under the designation PP-93 for testing in 1993. It is intended for arming special police units and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The PP-93 can be used by crews of armored vehicles and helicopters; due to its compactness, the submachine gun is used for concealed carry by law enforcement officers.

PP-90 submachine gun

After what happened in the West in the late 1970s. kidnappings and murders of famous politicians and businessmen, the American Eugene Stoner (E. Stoner) developed a folding submachine gun FMG (Folding Submachine gun) for the security services, produced by Ares in a small series. In the stowed position, it looked like an inconspicuous metal box the size of a portable radio station, which within a few seconds turned into formidable weapon, capable of repelling an attack by armed terrorists.

The USSR became interested in a folding submachine gun. At the end of the 1980s. The Tula enterprise KBP was tasked with developing a similar weapon. A prototype of the Soviet folding submachine gun PP-90 was ready in 1991. After short tests, it was adopted by army and police special forces, and it also entered the units of the Main Directorate of Security and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. The PP-90 is close in design to the IMS submachine gun.

Shooting knife OTs-54 “Kit”

A very effective example of a personal weapon for fighters in special forces units is the OTs-54 “Komplekt” system.

The system includes a shooting knife, a saw with large teeth, an ax, as well as a carrying bag with compartments for an awl and other accessories necessary for long-term operations behind enemy lines.

The shooting knife is the main element of the OTs-54 system. It consists of a handle and a blade. The trigger mechanism of the firing device is mounted in the handle, made of electrically insulating material, and a blade is attached, approximately equal in length to the bayonet-knife of an AKM assault rifle. The firing device is designed in such a way that its 9-mm barrel chambered for the PM cartridge can be replaced with a barrel chambered for a different caliber. Options for a shooting knife chambered for 7.62 x 42 mm SP cartridges have been developed. 2 or SP. 3,5,45 x 18 mm MCP and 9 x 18 mm PM.

Scout shooting knife NRS/NRS-2

Shooting knives were personal weapons of attack and defense for military personnel of special reconnaissance units of the Soviet Army and the KGB of the USSR. They are also used by Russian special forces units. Knives are designed to defeat an enemy in close combat with a blade, when striking or throwing, as well as with a shot without noise and flame at a distance of up to 25 m.

The first example of a shooting knife was the NRS (scout shooting knife), developed in the 1970s. under the leadership of R. D. Khlynin. The knife was assigned the index GRAU 6 P25.

The NRS was created on the basis of a conventional HP reconnaissance knife chambered for a 7.62 mm special SP cartridge. 3, ensuring silent and flameless firing. It differs from the basic sample in that a disposable firing device is mounted in the rear part of the handle, consisting of a detachable barrel with a locking device and two locking protrusions made on the barrel, a trigger mechanism, a cocking lever, a safety lever and a release lever.

Underwater pistol SPP-1

Work on the creation of an underwater pistol for arming scuba divers of the naval special forces of the Navy began in the USSR in 1966. They ended in 1970 with the adoption by the Navy of an original pistol complex developed by the designers of the TsNIITOCHMASH enterprise O. P. Kravchenko and P. F. Sazonov . The complex consists of a 4.5 mm special underwater pistol (SPP-1) and an underwater pistol cartridge 4.5 x 39Ya SPS (with a steel bullet). The complex also includes ten cartridge clips, a holster made of artificial leather, a device for loading clips, a waist belt for carrying and three metal cases for loaded clips. Production of the complex was established at the Tula Arms Plant.

The “highlight” of the complex is the SPS underwater cartridge with a needle-shaped bullet of high elongation inserted into a special sleeve with a blunt head. The action of the cartridge is based on the use of a physical phenomenon - cavitation (from the Latin savitas - “cavity”, “emptiness”).

PSS "Vul" pistol

In 1983, a unique pistol complex, intended for use as a personal weapon for covert attack and defense, entered service with special forces units of law enforcement ministries and departments of the USSR. Silent shooting and no flash when fired make this complex an almost ideal weapon for special operations. The complex was designed in the early 1980s. designers of the TsNIITOCHMASH enterprise Yu. M. Krylov and V. N. Levchenko. It includes a “7.62-mm self-loading special pistol PSS” (GRAU b P24 index), a special pistol cartridge SP. 4 and a holster.

The most interesting element of the complex, which ensures silent and flameless firing from a pistol, is the special SP cartridge. 4, which uses a very effective scheme for reducing the sound level of a shot - “cutting off” the powder gases.

Pistol SME "Groza"

In the 1960-1970s. In the USSR, various types of silent small arms were developed for the so-called cartridge with cut-off of powder gases. This weapon belongs to systems with the expansion of powder gases in a variable-closed volume and is intended to hit targets in special operations that require silent and flameless shooting.

One of the first types of weapons chambered for a cartridge with a cut-off of powder gases was created by the designers of the Tula Arms Plant in the late 1960s. It was a pistol with the factory designation T03-37 M. It was adopted into service by the Soviet Army and the KGB of the USSR in 1972 under the designation “7.62 mm small-sized special pistol (SME).” It was also given the name "Thunderstorm".

Pistol PB

The PB pistol (“silent pistol”, index GRAU 6 P9) was developed by the designer of the TsNIITOCHMASH enterprise A. A. Deryagin. It was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1967. The main purpose of the pistol is to silently defeat the enemy at short distances.

The PB was developed on the basis of the Makarovn PM pistol and is distinguished, first of all, by a modified design of the barrel and bolt, integrated with a silencer. The muffler consists of a casing with an expansion chamber placed on the barrel and a nozzle with a separator screwed to the front of the casing. When fired, the powder gases following the bullet enter the expansion chamber, where they lose energy and speed. For the same purpose, a nozzle with a separator is used, in which powder gases swirl in counter-flows. As a result, powder gases flow out of the hole in the front of the muffler at subsonic speed, without producing the sound of a shot. At the same time, complete muffling of all sound sources is not ensured; the sound is sharp

Weapons for special forces have always been elite, some samples were produced in small batches, others almost individually, such as the SHAK-12 assault rifle complex (uses powerful 12.7x55 mm cartridges), the SKTs-9 sniper complex, the Vyuga machine gun " and others.

Some of these weapons were shown at an exhibition organized during the Cyber ​​Anti-Terror 2016 exercise. 42.TUT.BY chose the most interesting samples.

When Ksyusha needs SIG Sauer

The stand of the Special Training Center was literally bursting with a variety of weapons and equipment. Employees of the organization conduct training for all special forces units in Belarus. Since 2007 - training of special forces of foreign states.

The head of the training department of the center, Vladimir Evdokimov, said that the weapons used by the center’s specialists have special requirements, so often the cost of the “body kit” is several times higher than the price of the machine itself, as was the case with the AKMS, AKS74U, and Vepr-12 carbines shown at the stand. and Vepr-1V.

Mainly used in the center Russian weapons. In addition to machine guns, carbines and sniper rifles, MP and IZH-71 pistols are used for training personnel, with Russian-assembled Glock approaching.

According to Vladimir Evdokimov, these pistols are in no way inferior to Glocks assembled abroad; the only problems were with cartridges from the Barnaul plant with a metal sleeve. When using the latter, the shutter quickly breaks, unlike the brass one.

Accuracy is the key to success

If the DSP prefers to use expensive American devices, then ordinary army units choose cheaper products, and here the sights of the Belarusian unitary enterprise STC LEMT BelOMO are very popular.

The company’s specialists have developed the PC-28S sight for the AK-12 assault rifle, which is part of the Russian equipment of the soldier of the future “Ratnik”, as well as a sight for the Russian RPG-32 “Nashshab” grenade launcher system, manufactured by Jadara Equipment and Defense Company, and many others.

10,000 hours on one battery

The PC-28S sight was developed specifically for the Russian AK-12 assault rifle. The requirements for the collimator were quite strict - the Belarusian product had to withstand recoil when fired from the GP-25 under-barrel grenade launcher. It was necessary to expand the field of view, make the device as compact, short and unpretentious as possible.

The sight is made in a closed, hermetically sealed housing and is capable of operating in any climatic conditions. The PC-28S is capable of withstanding a shock load of 1000g, for comparison: regular sights The ultimate strength is set to 300−500g.

The Ratnik sight is capable of operating on one regular AA battery for 10,000 hours. But even with a minimum battery charge, the PC-28S sight is capable of functioning, adjusting the brightness depending on the degree of battery discharge.

Maximum protection

When storming city high-rise buildings, it is impossible to hide behind the armor of an armored personnel carrier, so it is best to carry the armor with you, and it weighs a lot. The photo below shows a bulletproof shield placed at the stand of the NPO KlaASS enterprise.

According to the head of the marketing department, Irina Maysarova, the Buckler-K-R ceramic-composite shield is capable of protecting against being hit at point-blank range by a B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet fired from an SVD rifle. The glass of the shield holds a 7.62 mm OPS bullet.

The Spetsnaz bulletproof vest is capable of resisting fire from a Kalashnikov assault rifle almost point-blank. The body armor is equipped with an emergency release system, operated with one hand. On the outside of the outer cases there are rows of belt loops in the form of horizontal stripes for attaching pouches with elements of weapons and special equipment, as well as shoulder rests for carrying weapons. The weight of “Spetsnaz” can reach up to 14 kg.

Weapons for the FSB

The SHAK-12 assault rifle complex was created by order of the Russian FSB as a highly effective close-combat weapon. Thanks to the large caliber (the machine uses 12.7x55 mm cartridges), the bullet has a high stopping effect.

The ShAK-12 weighs 4.5 kg without cartridges; the machine gun has two types of magazines - 10 and 20 rounds. Weapons can be fired in single shots or in bursts.

The ammunition used is subsonic bullets PD-12 (a cartridge with a double (duplex) bullet, two bullets inserted into one another), supersonic bullets with a high stopping effect PS-12A (a cartridge with a light aluminum bullet, at a distance of 100 meters it loses speed so much that not capable of killing a person, for example, a random civilian).

PS-12B - this cartridge is capable of penetrating most body armor and is even dangerous for lightly armored vehicles.

Without a muffler, but silent

PSS-2 is a modernized version of the Russian silent pistol PSS "Vul". The new product is twice as powerful as its predecessor in terms of bullet power at the target.

PSS-2 fires silent cartridges specially designed for it with the powder gases locked in the cartridge case. The weight of the pistol is 850 g, the caliber is 7.62 mm, the muzzle velocity is 300 m/s, and the weight is 10 g. The PSS-2 is capable of hitting targets wearing body armor of the 2nd protection class at a distance of up to 50 m.

Only for special forces snipers

The SKTs-9 9-mm target sniper system is designed to engage enemy personnel at a range of up to 1000 m. It includes the SR4 sniper rifle and a specially developed 9x69 SP14 cartridge.

The weapon provides accuracy at the 1MOA level, reloading is carried out manually, and a silencer can be installed. The rifle weighs about six kilograms, length with a silencer is 1490 mm, without - 1230 mm. The initial bullet speed is 860 m/s.