During the first Chechen campaign, Bamut remained the main outpost of the militants for a long time. "Bamut - Russians will never take!" - this expression, like a spell, repeated in Grozny markets, wrote on the walls of houses, chanted from the crowd. Bamut is a stronghold! Bamut is a symbol! Bamut is faith! Three times the Russian troops approached Bamut, and there was a failure three times. Leaving after a multi-day assault, as they say, "in the forehead," burning equipment, dozens of dead and wounded ... At that time, General Shamanov made the opposite decision. The “Czechs” are used to the fact that the Russian units in this war are advancing, as if by a memorized pattern — along roads, on equipment in open places, substituting for the fire of Chechen grenade launchers, flying into ambushes and, as a result, suffering losses. With this in mind, the Chekhov defense was also built with a fasion to the valley and to the roads. But this time the military acted differently.
The troops turned directly in front of the defense front, thereby diverting and misleading the militants, demonstrating the “usual stupidity”, but at the same time not being substituted for the deadly fire of the Chechens. And through the mountains, bypassing Bamut, special assault and assault units of motorized rifle brigades with reconnaissance and “special forces” attached to reinforcements were advanced. Dudayevites, who had previously believed that the forests were their patrimony and felt safe there, were simply overwhelmed by the appearance of soldiers in their seemingly most secure place. We did not expect and did not believe. It could not be like that. Of course, it was a shock for the militants, when on forest paths and roads along which caravans with necessary cargoes were going, in places of “lezhek” and “skhronov”, they suddenly stumbled upon Russians, who began to mow down those who did not understand, relaxed and lost their vigilance "the warriors of Allah". Hundreds of them died in these forests, and did not understand what happened.
As a result, panic began. Those few "spirits" who survived in ambush, in fire bags, intimidated rushed back to Bamut, reporting about the Russian "special forces" flooding the woods, about the "hordes of apostates" walking along the forest paths. So long the front held collapsed. As expected, in the current situation, each of the militants thought only of themselves, of their own skin. In a panic, both equipment and ammunition were thrown. "Warriors of Allah" ran through the forests, trying to infiltrate through barriers and ambushes. For the Russian army it was a victory, competent and decisive. For the Chechens, it was the collapse of the last hope, the last outpost.
On the fourth day of the fighting, the reconnaissance forces of the 166 th motorized rifle brigade hoisted the Victory Banner over Bamut. To the complete disgrace of the militants, Bamut himself was taken virtually without a fight. Horror and panic shackled their desire for resistance. 25 May 1996 was all over. Dudayevsky Bamut fell.
One of the heroes of the famous assault was a low, well-knit major - the head of the 166 reconnaissance of the motorized rifle brigade, Alexei Efentiev, whom many knew from his radio call, Gyurza. It was Efentiev who was at the head of the assault squad that had bypassed the militants from the rear ...
Two months later, Gyurza and his subordinates were the first to be able to reach the coordination center in the city of Grozny, surrounded by militants. For this feat, Alexey Efentiev was presented to the title of Hero of Russia, but for some unknown reason, he was not officially awarded.
Alexey Viktorovich Efentiev, the son of a hereditary military man, was born in 1963 year. Active service took place in the ranks of the sailors. After demobilization he entered the famous Baku Higher Military All-Arms Command School, immediately after completing his studies as a lieutenant, he was sent to Afghanistan. During his service in the war-torn Afghanistan, Aleksey Efentiev went from being a platoon commander to the head of an intelligence group. After that was Nagorno-Karabakh. From 1992 to 1994, Captain Alexei Efentiev is the head of the headquarters of a separate reconnaissance battalion in Germany.
From 1994, Alexey Efentiev in Chechnya. The military unit he commanded was one of the best and most efficient units of the Russian troops. The call sign of A.Efentiev "Gyurza" was well known. "Gyurza" was a legend of the first Chechen war. He has dozens of dangerous raids on the rear of the army of Dudayev’s militants, storming Bamut and removing the blockade from the special Coordination Center surrounded in the center of Grozny, when many high ranks of the Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as a large group of Russian correspondents . For this feat in 1996, Mr. A.Efentiev was presented to the rank of "Hero of Russia". During his service in the hot spots, he was awarded the Order For Military Merit, Red Star, Courage, the Medal For Distinction in Military Service I Degree, two medals For Military Merit and other awards and insignia. A.Efentiev was the hero of numerous television programs on central television channels, and also became the prototype of "Gyurza" in Alexander Nevzorov's film "Purgatory".
Taking part in the bloody war, he was not hardened, not embittered. Friendly and open-minded, he continued to be in love with his work with a boyish passion. He categorically refuses all official growths and appointments, considering the intelligence unit to be his family, his home.
After the first Chechen war, Gyurza pulled more than half of the army men into his company, with whom he fought in a separate 166 motorized rifle brigade. Some pulled from a deep booze, some literally picked up on the street, some saved from dismissal. The “Special Forces”, headed by their commander, themselves installed a monument to their comrades who died in Chechnya. They ordered a granite monument with their own money, and built a foundation for it on their own.
The reconnaissance commanded by Gyurza was called by the Chechen militants "mad." In order not to be confused with the usual infantry, the special forces tied black headbands on their heads. They invariably went first and joined the battle, even when the numerical advantage was far from their side. In April, 1996, under machine gunner Romka captured by the militants, continued to fire, point-blank, to his full height, without hiding, and went to the firing point, like Alexander Matrosov. The hero died, and his body from under the fire of the Chechens pulled out his comrade Konstantin Mosalev, who later A. Nevzorov will show in the film “Purgatory” under the pseudonym “St. Petersburg”.
That's what Gurza himself said about his comrades: “I remember them all well. By name and by last name. Let them stay with me forever. To some extent this can be considered our common mistake. But they were and remain the best. I loved them and I love them until now. Even when, by the will of fate, they leave this life, no one takes their holy place ... "
Today, Alexey Efentiev, Gyurza, is engaged in agriculture in his homeland and is the general director of an agricultural enterprise. Taking a completely bankrupt collective farm under his direct control, over the course of two years, Aleksey Viktorovich was able to achieve considerable success. The failed Hero of Russia is currently breeding rabbits and dreams of feeding the army. All that Alexey lives now is his favorite children, family and work.