How the IDF took Tskhinval
"... Motivation none of them have, and never will be"Now, when the anniversary of the tragic events in South Ossetia is approaching, a number of materials have appeared in the press, allowing for a better understanding of some aspects of what happened. Our Israeli instructors have done a lot to prepare the Georgian army for the August slaughter, we wrote often. But Vladimir Bader's material, “The IDF, Tskhinval - nowhere else,” published in “Ogonyok”, dedicated to General Hirsch, allows you to learn about this from a primary source.
Israeli Army Reserve Team Brigadier General (IDF) Gal Girsch and his former special forces associates created Defensive Shield. The company is peculiar. The press claimed that General Hirsch was busy reforming the Georgian army, that his company was training Georgian special forces. And when the war began, it was suggested that the capture of Tskhinval and the attack on the Russian tank the column was prepared by the Israelis and carried out according to the Israeli method.
Hirsch himself categorically denies any involvement in the preparation of the Georgian army. General told Beider that Defensive Shield specialists prepared for the Georgian government a review of the state of national security, and this concerned not only the defense sphere, but science, education, leadership, technology, infrastructure, road development and road safety. All his contacts with the Georgian army were limited mainly to units involved in the actions of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For some reason, the story of General Hirsch about science, education, etc., which he helped to develop, makes us think of the trees that were planted by soldiers of the “limited contingent” in Afghanistan, according to the Soviet propagandists. True, Hirsch admitted, there were other Israeli companies that carried out other military orders of the Georgian authorities, but they, he stressed, acted under the complete control of the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
In general, the general, as best he could, defrauded the journalist with infrastructure, leadership and road safety, but without much success. The author wrote: “Israeli General Gal Hirsch denies that he was preparing Georgian special forces to take Tskhinval. Why does no one believe him? ”
The Israeli press wrote about 200 Israeli military specialists working under contracts in Georgia. Here is what Bader wrote about their impressions: “The Israeli military, even the young guys who worked as instructors there, do not understand how you can treat war and military training. The motivation of the Georgians simply discouraged them. “If we are the elite of the army,” one Israeli instructor of the Georgian Air Force heard, “why do we have to get up at 8 in the morning, like salagi?” Surprised, however, and Russian. “They came to the war on such old and old things that we don’t even have in army dumps,” one military instructor told me. But does not save and nove. Pictures of the newest technology thrown on the Georgian military bases confused all Israeli observers, even especially civilian ones. ” Everything coincides with the stories of our military. And about our old stuff, on which they managed to win, and about the new stuff thrown by the Georgians.
The unnamed local journalist formulated the attitude of employers towards Israeli military advisers: “They think that Israelis are wizards. They pay money to make them our six-day war. And when a miracle does not happen, they are terribly offended, they are considered to have been thrown. They do not understand that we have always fought for their existence. That in any war for us to lose is to die. And no one of them has such a motivation, and never will. Certainly in Georgia they now believe that the Israeli military experts did not justify their hopes. That they fell for the myth of the omnipotence of the Israeli war machine. "
It should be noted that not only in Georgia were the Israelis preparing Georgians for war. Cooked in Israel itself.
Georgian snipers instructed in Russian
The curious and informative material “Ordinary Georgians” was published in the anthology “The Art of War” by Yegor Losev (the author of a series of stories and stories about the Israeli army in Russian). Losev managed to interview one of those who trained Georgians in Israel: “Dozens of so-called private military companies engaged in training military personnel and modernizing various equipment. Two major Israeli companies also engaged in general and special training for the soldiers: Defensive Shield, led by retired General Galem Hirsch, and Global CST, with former Israeli General Israel Ziv in charge. Part of the "cadets" was trained in Israel. In the field of sniping, they were coached by V. An experienced instructor, a professional sniper, who himself repeatedly participated in military conflicts.
- Tell me, until what moment were you in Georgia? Did you find the beginning of hostilities?
- I was not in Georgia. Georgian soldiers were trained here in Israel.
- In what area did you work as an instructor?
- Sniping.
- Who were your "wards": regular units, reservists, specialists? What age are they?
- Spices. Commanders sniper groups. Age from 20 to 35 years.
- How did they turn out to be exactly the commanders of sniper groups? Why were they sent to Israel?
“I have no idea, but everyone in Ashdod had relatives.”
- Did they take part in the hostilities in Iraq?
- No.
- Did they have any combat experience?
- Well ... According to the stories each - at least "knight in tiger skin". And there - who knows. Judging by the level of fire training - so-so.
- What are your impressions about the "wards" as a pro and how about people?
- Pros (sniping) they are zero. Therefore, they came to learn. People are like people. Ordinary Georgians: funny, friendly.
- Did they talk about the upcoming war and were they preparing for it?
- They said a lot, despite the strict ban on the group commander. But Tvishi and the real Georgian shish kebab in the quantities in which we consumed them, act better than any “elixir of truth” and remove any prohibitions.
- How do you assess the level of training of Georgian soldiers? Their combat capability? The degree of their equipment?
- The level of their general education leaves no room for an acceptable level of military training. In sniping, anyway. Evaluation of the combat readiness of Georgian soldiers is an incorrect question. Among them are skilled saboteurs, and pot-bellied reservists. There are fanatics and deserters. I will refrain from an overall assessment, although the events of recent days (the interview took place shortly after the war in South Ossetia) showed "who is who?" Sniper equipment weapons and equipment - high. By US Army standards. Only the Georgian army could not master it.
- Have they assumed that they will have to fight against the Russian troops?
- Not only expected, but were confident. True, they were convinced of its complete non-readiness and inability to tough, vigorous actions. I honestly warned them that if something happens, Russia will tear up the Georgian army like a Bobby rag. And in response they told me that American boots are better than Russian boots, that I live with old ideas, and that they will give me a house overlooking the sea in Sukhumi.
- How did they assess the situation, the level of their army and the level of the Russian army?
- These guys cool powdered brains. Intimacy and friendship with "Uncle Sam" gives a distorted understanding of the realities about himself, and Georgian propaganda - about the enemy.
- How did they treat their government, Saakashvili? Blindly believed? How "politically active" were they at all? Or were these professionals and politicians not discussing?
- Sober no. Drunk yes. Opinions are different. Those who are younger, repeated Saakashvili's nonsense. Those who are older were remembered by the kind word of Comrade Stalin. After the fifteenth toast, everyone: we, the instructors, and they, and the attendants of the hotel where they lived, came to the conclusion that under the Soviet regime, everyone lived better, and after the thirtieth, that all politicians except Sarkozy are asshole and not men. Then there was fraternization, then I do not remember.
- Can you tell any personal stories from the life of the "wards", something you especially remember?
- Well, in personal, we did not climb. And especially remember the meeting and the first day of classes. Their leader asked me to teach Hebrew. But the translator did not understand the terminology, but there are no such words in Georgian at all. Then they decided to switch to English. After half a minute, it became clear that our joint vocabulary consists of five words. Fak you, Hitler kaput and OK. I had to go to the only one everyone understood. In Russian.
- Now on different sites News write about the mercenaries who fought in the Georgian units. What can you say about this?
- Yes, there was a place to be. Not massively, in some specialties.
- Can you comment on what happened in South Ossetia? Why and how, in your opinion, did the fighting begin?
- Of course. The Caucasus in this sense is a problem region. Wars, war and war there have been going on for more than one millennium. Tradition. The administrative borders of states, regions and regions were drawn artificially under Soviet rule, that is, when a military confrontation of someone inside the USSR was even theoretically impossible, and therefore irrelevant. These borders were inherited by the current states of the Caucasus. At this play forces with geopolitical interests in the region.
The war of Georgia and Ossetia - version for housewives. Neither this nor the one in FIG is needed. This is a war between America and Russia. Trial ball. Reconnaissance Test for lice. Other people's hands? Yes. Mass casualties on both sides? For big politics, it's the little things. Well, how did the fighting start? As usual, with a war crime - artillery and missile attack on Tskhinval.
- How do you think events in the Caucasus will unfold?
- Saakashvili and his entourage will soon be removed when it turns out the real losses of the Georgian army. Shamefully lost the war, the Georgians will not forgive him. The next government will be more moderate, will try to solve problems by diplomatic means. But, in any case, Georgia has already lost Ossetia and Abkhazia. ”
The Israeli instructor made a mistake, assuming that Saakashvili will be removed soon, because the Georgians will not forgive him for the shameful lost war. You would think that the war in Abkhazia in 1992-93 was lost less shamefully.
Eduard Shevardnadze, who staged a Caucasian-heroic show “I Will Not Leave This Land” in front of the camera, soon got away from it easily. And his behavior, and the behavior of fledged Georgian soldiers, who left their civilians, who had to be evacuated by the Russian military, did not particularly outrage anyone in Tbilisi.
They would kill everyone
Almost simultaneously with General Hirsch, NTV TV journalist Ruslan Gusarov, who worked in Tskhinval, before and after the start of the war, gave an interview about what was happening there, to the South Ossetian newspaper Respublika.
He did not mention the Israeli instructors, but he highly appreciated the results of the re-equipment and training of the Georgian army: “The Ossetian side apparently underestimated the last 3-4 of the year, the combat capability of the Georgian army.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s military budget has grown enormously in recent years, they have carried out titanic work to educate and prepare their troops to introduce war using heavy weapons, aviationmeans of suppressing electronic interference, air defense, etc. I know that the Ossetian guys were courageous, but even the most courageous fighter is not able to do anything against the falling bombs, exploding next to his position of shells ...
Besides, let's not forget that there was also a betrayal. I think that the percentages of the 70-80 coordinates of the South Ossetian positions were known very precisely, “thanks to” the Georgian, so-called peacekeepers. "Lapping" began in the first days of August, when shelling of the city began. In addition to all the factors listed above, the population was exhausted by a water blockade. I think that in the conditions of the war, when in quantitative terms the Ossetians were inferior five times, the Armed Forces of South Ossetia did a lot ...
It was the militia who played an important role in deterring Georgian troops, preventing them from fully taking control of the city. Since the defense at the distant approaches by that time was broken, it was practically impossible to hold back the defense of Tskhinval for a long time. They spent the entire supply of forces and ammunition, in fact defended the city with their bodies.
I can unequivocally state - if it were not for the fierce resistance of the militias, on August 8 would not exist for us at all. The Georgians would have captured the city fairly quickly and, apparently, would have killed everyone, including journalists, since they would not need living witnesses.
Having managed to preserve and clear the city before the arrival of the Russian troops, the militia carried out the Great Feat. In addition, not only did they not surrender the city, but performed miracles of heroism - only within the city limits were they destroyed 12 units of Georgian armored vehicles. These losses are surely sobered up by the enemy.
I don’t know what thoughts gave the Ossetian fighters strength, but personally, I honestly didn’t fully believe that help would come, because I saw what kind of policy was built over the years towards the Republic of South Ossetia, and what attitude peacekeepers. I have never understood the meaning of the mandate of the peacekeeping forces, their so-called “deterrence” policy. There was complete chaos in the Georgian enclaves - the Georgian police stopped, detained, beat, and sometimes even killed Ossetian civilians, and the Russian peacekeepers could not do anything. Then why were they needed? At the same time, peacekeepers themselves could be humiliated, insulted, etc. ”
Interestingly, if the Ossetian militiamen did not hold out, and Ruslan Gusarov’s forecast regarding the destruction of the civilian population of Tskhinvali would come true, what kind of “excuse” would our human rights activists come up with for Saakashvili?
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