Spilled blue ...

Airborne troops - the elite of the Armed Forces. Therefore, any landing part is special. And yet, the Guards Separate Order of the First World War, the Don Cossack Air Assault Brigade, commanded today by Colonel Igor Timofeev, deserves a separate discussion.


The realities of today ...

The brigade leads its start from the 351 Guards Landing Regiment, which during the Great Patriotic War had a chance to participate in the liberation of Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia. In 1949, the named regiment became a paratrooper, and 30 years later became a separate assault brigade. With the outbreak of hostilities in Afghanistan, one of the Brigade’s assault battalions as part of the 40 Army went “over the river” - the paratroopers were to guard the Salang Pass and the Salang-Somalia Tunnel, which ensured the advancement of Soviet troops in southern Afghanistan. And soon, the entire brigade was deployed in Afghanistan, which was stationed in the Kunduz area and conducted military operations throughout the Afghan territory. Even less than a year later, a new move to Gardez. In total, the brigade guards had a chance to spend almost eight and a half years on the “undeclared war”. During this time, about 13 thousands of rebels were destroyed, about 1,5 thousands were captured. Dozens of caravans are eliminated, thousands of small units weapons, hundreds of guns, rocket launchers and mortars, dozens of cars and tanks. And this is the uncountable number of saved lives of our soldiers and local civilians.

However, Afghanistan did not become the last combat test for the paratroopers. In 1990, the brigade personnel were able to perform special tasks in a state of emergency in the Azerbaijan and Kirghiz SSR. And then - in the North Caucasus. By the way, after the collapse of the USSR, the brigade was relocated to the North Caucasus region. From October 1992 to June 1993, it was located in Karachay-Cherkessia. Then - until August 1998 - in the Rostov region. It was from here that the battalion tactical group of the brigade went to 1994 in December to restore constitutional order to Chechnya. The paratroopers left one of the last from the rebellious republic - at the end of October 96.

The new movement (this time to the Volgograd region) coincided with the removal of the brigade from the Airborne Forces and the transfer of the North Caucasus Military District. Then, in fact, an experiment was conducted to create a new staff structure: formed on the basis of the brigade of the airborne assault regiment, it became part of the Volgograd motorized rifle division of the SKVO. “Division of the XXI century” - this name was given to the reinforced motorized rifle unit. It was assumed that the introduction of DSP into the division would make the latter most combat-ready. The idea was a success. With the beginning of the new Caucasian war in August, 1999, paratroopers, together with military personnel from other units of the compound, went to Dagestan, and then to Chechnya. They fought in the most difficult areas. Basic operations were not without Volgograd. The liberation of Dagestan, the assault of Chervlennaya, Grozny, Komsomolsk - this is not a complete list of the military successes of the guards. And the paratroopers have always been at the forefront of these battles. Landing in the Argun gorge and the destruction of the militants who were there was among the most successful actions of the landing units. The guardsmen of the assault regiment also participated in the destruction of a number of odious militant leaders, including Arbi Barayev, Ruslan Gelayev and others.

- From May 1, 2009 of the year, the CIN became again a brigade. And from 1 in July of this year, she switched to a new state and became known as a separate assault air assault brigade (light), concludes the excursion into history deputy commander of educational work, lieutenant colonel Oleg Nedbaylov.

States in the brigade really changed significantly. And in many respects very well.

- Talk about what it would be right to combine logistics and technical units, was a long time. Now it has become a reality, commented the commander of the logistics battalion, Major Sergei Belosheikin.

In the created battalion, which Major Belosheikin headed, several companies at once: providing assault assault battalions, providing the control battalion and artillery units, material support, supplying, repairing vehicles and repairing weapons. From now on, all issues related to the provision of combat training, and, if necessary, fighting, are in the same hands. Inconsistency can not be in principle. Major Sergei Belosheikin, who has studied at the Ryazan Airborne School in his arsenal, trained at the Volsk rear military school and attended academic courses at the Academy of Rear and Transport, and endless lengthy missions to the war, not even in theory, but in practice, he comprehended: the battalion commanders should not have a headache about bringing ammunition, refueling equipment, feeding personnel. These issues are required to deal with support units.

However, there are new states and flaws. Commanders must immediately be appointed to the positions of lieutenants in the army. And this despite the fact that the practical knowledge and skills of young officers is not enough. But their further career growth is slow. In addition, while the universities of the Ministry of Defense of Russia are preparing the rear men and techies separately. Therefore, it is necessary already in the army to improve their skills.

Nevertheless, the commander of the logistics battalion is pleased that the necessary attention has recently been given to logistics support. In the battalion, technical equipment continues: new 10-ton KamAZ trucks are being replaced by outdated vehicles, and other equipment is also planned for delivery. PAKI previously mounted on the base

ZIL, now on the "Urals". It is very convenient that everything is transferred to diesel fuel.

We found work in the sky ...

The team still remembers the times when parachuting was almost a form of encouragement. Then, in two years of service, the servicemen made jumps less than they do in a year. The commander of the airborne service of the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Tikhomirov, is pleased to note that the intensity of the airborne training increases every year. In 2008, a little more than 3,5 thousands of parachute jumps were made, in a year - about 7 thousands. This year, the plan is 11.448. And in the middle of July, 4.838 jumps have already been committed.

The program provides for 4 training jumps for the year, but in reality many military personnel jump more. Adjustments are made exercises in which the paratroopers of the brigade are to participate. So this autumn, the brigade will be involved in an experimental tactical exercise, during which personnel of several units will be parachuted from the aircraft. And this means that young people who came to the army during this call will also “fill their parachutes with blue”. A quarter of them - and this is about 200 people - have already successfully completed the parachute jump program, the rest will be in the very near future.

“The most important thing is that nothing prevents us from conducting training jumps,” notes Lieutenant Colonel Andrey Tikhomirov. - Airborne training goes without interruption.

Again, a comparison with the past, when there were problems with the allocation for the landing of helicopters and airplanes. Today, scheduled classes are stable. Make adjustments can only the vagaries of the weather. The commander of the airborne assault company, Lieutenant Dmitry Peskarev, with whom he had the opportunity to talk in jumps, said that his guardsmen are engaged in combat training more than actively. With his subordinates, combat shooting of detachments and platoons, company tactical and combat drills have already been conducted. In August, a company tactical doctrine is planned, and then a BTU, which will also be attended by members of the Army Corps of Lieutenant Peskarev.

“Today, in my unit, 25 servicemen are jumping, six of them for the first time,” explains the company officer. - And there are those who already have 4-5 jumps. My opinion: there is an opportunity - you need to jump ...
This view is supported by all - from the command of the brigade to the "yellowed" conscripts. For that fact, they went to the landing party ...

By amphibious, guards laws ...

“Himself die, but comrade help me out” - in the landing force it’s not just a catch phrase, it’s almost a law. Unwritten, but piously observed. And there are many examples of this in the brigade. In 2000, the junior sergeant of the reconnaissance group Yuri Vornovskaya saved his comrades with his own life. With machine gun fire, the guardsman did not allow superior militant forces to pursue paratroopers. For this feat, the junior sergeant Vornovskaya was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Russia.

More recently, another brigade reconnaissance officer - the commander of the reconnaissance company Captain Alexei Pavlenko - also performed a feat. That's just not in battle, but in a peaceful life. "Red Star" spoke in detail about his exploits.

“Today, Captain Pavlenko’s subordinates recall that he often repeated:“ Do it seriously. I do not want to look into your parents' eyes if something happens to you. It is better to die myself than allow your death ... ”The officer remained faithful to his words.

It remains to hope that the feat of the commander of the reconnaissance company Alexei Pavlenko will be appreciated by the Motherland as well - let the officer who saved his subordinate posthumously be awarded the state reward ...

At the end of last year, a separate guards order of the Patriotic War of the first degree Don Cossack Air Assault Brigade of Colonel Igor Timofeev was named among the best in the district. And her officers were again rewarded by the Russian Defense Minister on the 400 order. And yet, even among the best are the best. This is, first of all, the units commanded by Lieutenant Colonels Vladimir Zhigulin (airborne assault battalion) and Vitaly Mutygullin (control battalion), airborne assault company of Lieutenant Alexei Gusev and anti-missile battery of Captain Evgeny Kobzar. I would like to congratulate them and all the paratroopers of the brigade on their success in combat training activities and the anniversary of the Airborne Forces. Even as part of the Ground Forces, the guardsmen of Colonel Igor Timofeev remain paratroopers.