War on the threshold
Today the war came close to the borders of Russia. You do not need to be a great strategist not to understand: tomorrow, having stepped over them, it will begin with us. Leaving out of the scope of the article idle talk on the topic: “when?” And “why?”, We will focus on finding the answer to the question: “Is our Army ready for it?”. Again, this is not about the level of equipment or the provision of modern models of equipment and weapons, but about the level of combat readiness of servicemen - specifically: the readiness of soldiers and officers ... to die in battle.
If only there was no war
Alas, we were deceived for many years, calling the Soviet army a school of life. In fact, the army, even for many years not at war, is rather a school of death. Here (especially in the army more contractual) are taught to fight professionally: that is, to destroy with less losses for oneself - to kill the enemy. But the enemy does not sleep, so losses are inevitable on both sides. For some reason, this elementary truth is often ignored by soldiers of “peace armies”, and their relatives have to remember it when the soldiers themselves fall into the number of battle losses.
Severely, but fairly, as soon as a war can be, called once a continuation of politics. It is said 200 years ago, but what has changed? They are still trying to drive the war “into the framework”, outlined by some pieces of paper in the form of treaties, non-aggression pacts, but it always easily breaks these obstacles. And the more humanity is zealous in its peacemaking efforts, the more sophisticated the process of killing their own kind becomes. New wars do not become more humane, and the killing of citizens of another country with the creation of weapons of mass destruction put on stream. All this is said to go to the main idea - are our soldiers ready to protect the people, the country and die if necessary? After all, in the family, school and even in the army we were convinced for a long time that the main thing, even in battle, is to survive! At any price! And this is correct in essence, and in no way contradicts logic, meaning, and human nature. Is it not for that mother gave birth to us? Life is the most valuable thing we have! Life is great! And given that the personnel army consists of men and women of reproductive age, and the leadership of the Armed Forces set a course for its rejuvenation, the question should be removed by itself. Let the Army march - chatter weapons only in parades and pleases the eye with spectacular “window dressings”: various air shows and tank biathlon. I, like, I’m sure you are “for!” With both hands. If it were not for one “but”: the war (be it wrong) comes in spite of the results of the most legitimate referendums on peace!
“If a war starts, I’ll quit”
The army is currently not deprived of the attention of the leadership of the country and the Ministry of Defense: exercises and trainings are constantly held in all its branches of command: tactical, operational and strategic; rearmament is in full swing, a package of laws has been adopted that stimulate interest in the service. All this implies a correspondingly high level of military and moral-psychological training of the military, therefore the country looks at its defenders with hope. I don’t want to doubt that our Army is still “stronger than all”, but life itself involuntarily makes us look into the future with alarm.
The fact is that after being laid off after 27 years of service, while continuing to live in a military camp, communicate with servicemen, I have the opportunity to study the interests and views of military personnel. Hence, doubts that scrape the hearts of the actual combat readiness of our soldiers and officers — that is, their willingness to protect the country, the people, if necessary, at the cost of their lives. And all the checks and “alarms”, according to which the level of combat readiness of subunits, formations, armies and districts is assessed and which surrender, as a rule, to “good and excellent”, have nothing to do with it. To the question: “Will today's Russian army stand to the death on the sacred frontiers of the Fatherland?” Only time will answer.
And why do I actually doubt it? Wary of the motivation for the service of the current military. I rarely find people among them who correspond to the high vocation of the defender of the Motherland, sincerely love their profession, are proud of it, and, as a result, live in the service even outside it: it was these “campaigners” that were enough for my officer corps and my father — also a military professional . Today, more and more often come across "businessmen" who came to the army with selfish motives. What is the reason? Complying with the decree of the President - Supreme Commander on transferring the Army to a contract basis, today it widely opened the gates of the checkpoint not only for "real men", as poster calls say, but also for all people of both sexes, including foreigners, who want to , if you do not improve your financial situation, then solve the housing and other issues. The fact that for the sake of this will have to risk life, to substitute the head modestly silent. Moreover, neither in the contract nor in the oath does anyone demand this: “I, (last name, first name, patronymic), solemnly swear allegiance to my Fatherland - the Russian Federation. I swear to follow piously the Constitution of the Russian Federation, strictly comply with the requirements of military regulations, orders of commanders and chiefs. I swear to fulfill the military duty worthily, to courageously defend the freedom, independence and constitutional order of Russia, the people and the Fatherland. ”
Today, the Army is no longer associated with feats, courage, generosity and danger, but with the office to solve housing and social problems: you go to work, called service, and the state undertakes to provide you with a set of benefits. But these benefits in the form of apartments and cars need alive. Why are they dead? Therefore, we had to hear such confessions of professional defenders, said in their spiritual simplicity: “And if a war starts, I will quit.”
Golden Double Bass
But do the state need defenders with such an approach to the case? After all service, service is, first of all: dedication, self-restraint and self-sacrifice, and not vice versa. And military service is a constant and complete readiness to lose something, to suffer somehow. And not only temporarily starving or not getting enough sleep, but giving all of oneself, all my life for others, for ideals, which at all times are not without reason called supreme. And therefore ideals have nothing to do with housing and financial issues that lie in another, lower plane. Well, it is impossible, in fact, to give life for an apartment? Shot from the hardship and adversity of the military quarters causes pity and is called the victim, and who fell in the battle for the Motherland deserves respect and is called a hero. This is the essence and courageous beauty of military service.
Romanticists, who went to the army to realize their youthful ideals and aspirations, which constituted the beauty and pride of military teams, according to military sociologists, (who have long been concerned about this alarm), are today less and less. And what do they do in the Army when all the romance disappears when confronted with the realities of service, where almost all colleagues, starting with the commanders, are obsessed with "grandmas": literally go with calculators, counting how much money is left until the end of the loan payment for a cool "car" "; how much has been accumulated in a personal account to buy an apartment and is there enough dough to hang out on holiday on some exotic islands? Alas, even such warriors today in many combat units are literally worth their weight in gold; here and there, they just do not blow dust particles away: God forbid they quit, what will spoil the indicators on the staffing of a part of them with contract soldiers. A familiar officer who served in one of the brigades that make up the rapid reaction force, with sadness and pain, told how, on command from above, they were forced to turn a blind eye to the various antics of the worn out "double basses". Even the most disciplined of them, exactly at 18.00, strive to leave home and accept the commanders' offers to enter the service on their "legal day off" with hostility.
"Look more often at the sky"
Alas ... the war is war, that its main task is to destroy the world, and with it all plans for the future and life in any variants. You were going to get married, just got an apartment and are planning to do some repairs or are waiting for a vacation to spend it in Bali, and here ... some kind of war. She does not only postpone our plans indefinitely: a non-played wedding, a postponed housewarming party or a trip to a resort. She often cancels life itself, which we love so much, we treasure and for the sake of the comfortable provision of which many went to serve in the Army! Therefore, to the disappointment of supporters of the contract army, I must say: a soldier who is burdened with solving his financial problems, to really fight (that is, to really risk his life) is very hard. This rule is repeatedly confirmed by all wars. The more the fighter is tied to the “ground”, the less one should expect from him feats of self-sacrifice. The more he is “cut off from the ground” - the higher his fighting spirit, contempt for death, the greater his fighting-readiness - the ability to die for ideals! "Look more often at Heaven, - my favorite bard Andrei Selivanov sings, - And in life everything will be different / Not in the sense of money and not in the sense of a dacha / A in the sense of bread and salt."
Take the events in Ukraine, where militias reinforced by volunteers and humanitarian aid from Russia are fighting, even if poorly trained, but the regular army of Ukraine, the national guard, the BTO, staffed for the most part with contract soldiers and volunteers. What is the difference between the Ukrainian security forces - the same, though confused, but Slavs - from ours? Worse armed and equipped? Do they have less money allowances or are they not patriots of their country? Bullshit! The equipment and weapons that they abandoned during the retreat indicate the opposite. And one of the main reasons (according to the interrogation of prisoners), on which the soldiers and officers went to war, was money. At the same time, judging by the abundance of national symbols on equipment and equipment, the Ukrainian army confidently occupies a leading position in the world in patriotism. Yes, and their battle cry: "Glory to Ukraine!" - "Heroes - Glory!" Quite spiritually lifted. Only here with combat readiness they are not so good. Have you heard anything about mass heroism or the exploits of the Ukrainian military? Me neither. But who will guarantee that our professionals, being surrounded by a situation or a situation involving a deadly risk, will act differently? At least our guardsmen of the paratroopers “lost” in Ukraine, being captured, looked no better than their Ukrainian colleagues.
We can also recall the events of twenty years ago - the “first Chechen war”, the participants of which are among us today: “... There were no feelings except one. And there was fear. Great fear. He ousted everything from the body, from the head, the brain. There was no longer a captain or a citizen Mironov, but there was only a lump of shit that was shaking with horror, which only wanted to survive. And that's all. Just survive. Here long-forgotten prayers are not remembered, but simply rushing into the darkness. Stumble, fly, without feeling pain from bruises, abrasions. Nothing but a chilling soul, a body of fear ..., ”recalled one of the participants in the notorious New Year’s storming of Grozny, Captain V. Mironov in his autobiographical book,“ I Was This War ”. The quotation is not intended to accuse him or someone of cowardice, because once in their place it is extremely difficult, it is almost impossible to control oneself, to control oneself.
However, “there were people in our time” who, in similar situations, having crossed the animal fear, committed the feat of self-sacrifice, preferring death to the shame of betrayal and disgrace! ... 84 of the Pskov paratrooper, who entered into an unequal battle with the superior forces of the enemy in February 2000 in the Argun gorge ... Guard captain 56 of the Guard RSB Aleksey Pavlenko, who closed the soldier with an unsuccessful throw of a military grenade in July 2010 ... Captured soldier border guard Yevgeny Rodionov, executed by thugs in May 1996 for his refusal to remove his cross ...
Such examples, thank God, in stories There is enough Russian Army, but all of them, albeit in the near, but past. And the war is on the threshold. So how ready is our army for it?
Information