Igor Rodobolsky - a little about those who are worthy of gratitude
This article is dedicated to the hero of Russia, Lieutenant Colonel Igor O. Rodobolsky - the brave commander of a helicopter squadron belonging to a separate Sevastopol helicopter regiment in the North Caucasus Military District. About this man made short films, telling about the operation to evacuate militants squeezed into a tight ring, special forces, many articles and publications have been written. However, it was in the life of Igor Olegovich and many other events and actions that can also be safely called feats.
Rodobolsky was born in Belarusian Grodno 18 March 1960. There is not much information about the childhood and youth of the hero, it is only known that he graduated from high school in Novopolotsk and the Vitebsk flying club. Igor Olegovich became a soldier as soon as he reached the age of majority, and in 1982 he already received a diploma from the Higher Military Aviation School in Syzran. After graduation, the fate threw the young pilot in Hungary, where he served as part of the helicopter air forces of the Southern Group. Soon the navigator was admitted to independent flights as the commander of the crew of MI-8. Since 1986, Rodobolsky participated in the Afghan war. In difficult conditions of the mountainous terrain, he made over two hundred sorties, for which he was awarded three orders. You can talk about courage and courage for a long time, every soldier who visited the mouth of a terrible all-consuming beast called war can be considered a hero. However, among them there are people who not only performed their duty, but also understood its significance. Igor Olegovich belongs to such Russian soldiers.
Afghanistan did not break the young officer and Rodobolsky continued military service. He participated in the first Chechen war, faced with all the "charms" of organization and command, but did not refuse to serve the Motherland. From 1999, he is appointed first as a deputy and then as commander of a helicopter squadron. He also participated in the second Chechen one, flying in the total 4800 hours and making more than 1600 sorties, each of which was associated with a deadly risk.
The operation near the village of Tsentoroy from 31 in May 2001 was entrusted to Igor Olegovich through three Mi-8 helicopters. Rodobolsky went to evacuate army special forces, who was ambushed by militants. In combat units, they know well how rarely do groups survive in ambush in mountainous conditions. The use of artillery in this area is extremely difficult, and with close contact with the enemy is impossible. Shooting accuracy is insufficient, and not only enemy forces can be destroyed, but also their own units. It is also not possible to urgently pull up the forces to the besieged ones, because the mountains are difficult to reach areas, sometimes completely overgrown with shrubs. It is especially hard for reinforcements to be lifted, since very little is allotted for adaptation to the height of time, which is difficult for exhausting for trained people. Ambush in the mountains is also dangerous due to the fact that the special groups do not have armored vehicles, behind which it would be possible to hide from enemy fire, and also have very limited ammunition and food. The mobility of a detachment, as a rule, depends on the weight of the equipment, therefore, for the operation of the group, they take only the most necessary. Helicopter aircraft, in fact, is the only means of emergency evacuation and support for troops that have entered into an unequal battle with the enemy. The only hope for the salvation of the army special forces, which for a long time has been opposed to rabid fanatics in the mountains, is Mi-8 subordinates to it.
Upon arrival, the helicopter pilots found that they could not land, so they decided to evacuate the soldiers, hanging in the air. However, the militants opened fierce fire on vehicles, threatening to destroy not only the crew, but also the helicopters themselves. Rodobolsky's decision was instantaneous. He diverted the attention of the Mujahideen, maneuvering and shelling them from a height. Even the art of pilots could not save the Mi-8 from machine-gun fire, literally riddled the body of the helicopter. Igor O. and the crew were unequal battle until the receipt of the order to withdraw. By that time, only half of the Special Forces troops were loaded aboard the other two helicopters, the rest covered the loading. The fuel tank of the Rodobolsky helicopter turned out to be shot through and the kerosene from it flooded the cabin, the car could explode at any moment, or simply collapse. However, Igor O. tried to take another turn over the militants. A decisive voice from the radio ordered the retreat. What was it like to leave to the faithful death of the brothers arms, can only tell the crew members brave squadron. The order is an order, the withdrawal provided life for those who managed to dive aboard, the rest either died or were captured. I must say that the Chechen captivity is much worse than death. The brutalized gazavat participants cruelly torture Russian soldiers. Ways of causing suffering to their victims are superior to torture in fascist concentration camps. Many prefer to fall in battle, rather than voluntarily surrender to the mercy of the winner. Two helicopters with rescued onboard could not reach the base and were forced to sit a few kilometers from the battlefield. The Mi-8, managed by Rodobolsky, returned to the base independently, although it had more than 30 holes.
Already 31 December 2001, the commander of the Mi-8 personally evacuated the wounded in complete darkness at a distance of 400 meters from the camp of the militants. The noise of the engine attracted the attention of the enemy and the car was fired. Rodobolsky, despite numerous injuries, did not stop the rescue action.
11 January 2002, Igor Olegovich again finds himself in a difficult situation in the Sharo-Argun area. Rodobolsky led three helicopters in an operation to destroy the militant base. The intelligence about the camp contained information on the availability of the Igla man-portable air defense system capable of destroying not only the helicopter, but also a large aviation object. To obtain the exact coordinates of the camp of the Mujahideen, the brave commander calls fire on himself. The fact is that it is extremely difficult to establish the exact location of the enemy base in the mountains because of the dense vegetation that hides the location. Specific coordinates can be transferred only after contact with the enemy, which is an extremely risky undertaking. After the application of point fire, the landing force entered the battle, which was confronted with the fierce resistance of the machine gun preserved by the militants. Many of the soldiers were injured, and Rodobolsky decided to take them on board. Since there was no landing area for the helicopter, Igor Olegovich “leans” the car onto two wheels for loading the injured in battle. Mi-8 receives serious damage, including the breakage of two propeller blades and damage to the control panel, but a skilled pilot retains control and takes the car out of the fire. In battle, Rodobolsky was wounded in the arm, but steadfastly continued to perform a combat mission.
In 2002, the lieutenant colonel participates in an operation in Ingushetia to eliminate a large group of terrorists who took refuge in the village of Galashki. His car again got about 20 holes, but remained in the ranks and continued to fight. Among the merits of Rodobolsky also included activities for the transportation of civilians, carried out, including in remote areas, in conditions of almost zero visibility. In addition, Igor Olegovich gave his experience to young pilots in the period between combat and civil sorties. He was the author of the original and unexpected ways to use helicopter aircraft in combat operations, tactics and methods of dealing with the enemy.
The recognized hero among his army comrades, received his well-deserved reward only after the third performance in September 2003. The golden star and the title of hero were assigned to Rodobolsky. Today, the lieutenant colonel continues to serve as the head of the aviation department in the city of Yekaterinburg. Among his awards are also present the Order of the “Red Star”, “Courage”, “For Military Merit” and others.
There is practically no information about the Rodobolsky family - apparently, the Hero of Russia does not seek to disclose such personal information about himself. However, what is known about this person is enough to make a conclusion about the strength of character, selflessness and will of this person. The second most important military award to Russia was deservedly received by him, but the most important reward to Igor O. is the lives of young Russian children and civilians saved by his courage.
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