Duba-Yurt tragedy
In early September, the division headquarters received a directive from the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces on the creation of an operational-tactical grouping of the 3 Motorized Rifle Division indicating the states. On September 11, the division commander brought the order for dispatch to the area of the counter-terrorist operation to the units involved. The first units loaded into trains and moved to the North Caucasus on September 12. September 13 The 84-th separate reconnaissance battalion with a specified staff and equipment departed to the Caucasus.
At the time of dispatch, the professional training of the conscripts of the battalion left much to be desired. Some of the soldiers and sergeants have already quit in the summer, they were replaced by untrained green boys, who, at best, have shot several times at the shooting range and have not yet mastered the material part of the battalion's military equipment. Some young mechanics-drivers of combat vehicles did not know from which side to approach the equipment, not that to drive a car in difficult conditions. I had to show everything on the go. When the convoy moved to the loading station of the battalion, several vehicles went out of order - they urgently had to be replaced with serviceable ones. tank units of the division, the equipment of which did not decrease on the Caucasian mission and which, according to the staff of their reconnaissance units, had the same special vehicles.
A few days before loading, combat reconnaissance of the reconnaissance battalion was conducted, during which additional equipment, weapons, personnel and material reserves were completed. Immediately in the "field" profits and financiers of the battalion. All monetary debts of the state to officers and contract servicemen were paid until August inclusive, as well as in other parts of the division, which were decreasing to an unknown war ...
From the first days of the hostilities in Chechnya, the battalion fought boldly and decisively. The officers acquired the necessary experience, the boy conscripts became tempered, and they got into their hands in the hell of the Chechen daily routine. As a result, the 84 th separate reconnaissance battalion became a formidable force capable of effectively resisting professional mercenary gangs.
From September to December 1999, the battalion performed the specific tasks of the reconnaissance unit as part of the Zapad group. For the first two months of the fighting in 84, the orb had no personnel losses, and all assigned tasks were carried out correctly, for which the battalion was respected by the group's command. Lieutenant-General Vladimir Shamanov, the commander of the "West" grouping, demanded that the intelligence officers be used only for their intended purpose, and not as assault groups or for the protection of any military officials.
In addition, after seeing the deplorable standard armament of reconnaissance units, with which they had to perform combat missions, the group commander ordered to provide SVD sniper rifles, PKM machine guns, AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers and, until now, special rifle guns unseen in the 84 orb. weapons NRS-2 (scout shooting knife) and PSS (special self-loading pistol), which by state was intended only for GRU units. At first, there were not enough sleeping bags for all the intelligence officers, and here too the Shamans helped too - each soldier and officer in the intelligence units received a sleeping bag.
In December, combat units of the “Zapad” group approached the Chechen capital, the city of Grozny, to which detachments of bandit groups flocked to from all directions. The storming of the city by federal troops was obvious to everyone. The troops of the group were ordered to seize the dominant Gikalovsky heights, which were of strategic importance for the subsequent attack on Grozny.
Already in the first Chechen war, Gikalovsky heights were a well-fortified area, which our troops stormed, suffering losses. During the second campaign, engineering structures on the heights grew even more, like the tentacles of a giant octopus. New rifle cells, trenches and passages of the message were dug up, old ones were reconstructed, turning into impregnable fortresses. The heights hung over Russian troops, bristling with large-caliber machine guns scattered everywhere, mounted for stability in concrete, disguised with mortars and sniper rifles.
The deputy commander of the group, who performed the duties of General Vladimir Shamanov at the time of his treatment at the military hospital, assigned the 84 orb personnel the task: to conduct search activities at a height marked 398.3, destroy the enemy when detected, organize the all-around defense at the height and hold it until the approach 752 motorized rifle regiment of the 3 motorized rifle division. At the same time, the group headquarters did not have accurate information on the concentration of large militant forces. At this height, according to staff officers, the defense was kept by small militant groups of up to 30 people. The nature of the upcoming task was set out in general terms, did not sign in detail. It was decided to use the scouts as assault groups, to perform tasks unusual for them.
The assault on heights was assigned to two groups by a total of 29 people. The first group was commanded by the deputy commander of the reconnaissance-landing company for educational work, Captain Andrei Seredin, the second - by the commander of the reconnaissance-landing platoon of the same company, Senior Lieutenant Alexander Soloviev.
Both groups simultaneously left in the evening of 10 in December of 1999 of the year, passing the extreme position before the Gikalovsky heights of the platoon position of the 752 th motorized rifle regiment. From an officer of a motorized rifle unit, the scouts learned that at the height of 398.3 there are enemy mortars that fire at them every night, and the number of fighters there exceeds 60 people.
The distance from the forward positions of the motorized infantrymen to the 398.3 mark was approximately 2 – 4 kilometers. The armored reconnaissance unit in the amount of one unit remained at the location of the motorized rifle platoon in case of evacuation of both groups and to maintain fire with machine guns.
From this place with the onset of darkness on the night advanced along the southern slope. The rise was long and protracted, the groups were led, in a checkerboard pattern. The route was chosen on the map, trying to move the groves to the specified height. On the slope there were three torches of oil wells more than 12 meters high. The whole area before the burning well was illuminated so that a thread could be seen on the ground. Intelligence groups fell on the illuminated area, while the militants were on the dark side. The enemy was so sure of the inaccessibility of the Gikalovsky heights that the guards and the observers slept peacefully, without waiting for the scouts' night visit.
Intelligence groups began to bypass the torch area from the south-west side. Making their way through the numerous moves of the message of the militants, the reconnaissance group of the captain Seredina stumbled upon the outposts of the bandits, who at first took the scouts for their own, sleepily asking for a smoke. In response to the "spirits" shots rang out. And at this time the heights came to life.
The barrage of bullets was so tight that the scouts could not lift their heads first. Militants fired on a group of three mainstream. Earned machine guns and mortars. Bullets and mortar shots, a word agitated by an wasp swarm, whipped up a veil of night calm. First, the "spirits" were beaten at random, trying to find unwanted guests in response shots. Then the fan of bullets began to fall more orderly, snatching the silhouettes of our children from the darkness.
Captain Seredin decided to retreat. But the scouts had already been discovered by militants who were about to enter the group from the flanks. The location of the second detachment "spirits" has not yet been revealed, so they went to their full height, anticipating a quick reprisal against the feds.
An art officer, assigned to reconnaissance unit No. 1 from a motorized rifle regiment, on his radio set, caused artillery fire at the position of the bandits. The shells lay down at a dangerous distance, beyond 300 – 400 meters to our fighters, providing departure for the group.
Artillery breaks drowned heart-rending cries of "Allah akbar" and selected Russian fighters mat. As it turned out later, in addition to the Chechens and Arabs, the defense Slavs and Ukrainian mercenaries kept the defense of the Gikalovsky heights.
The commander of the reconnaissance group No. 2, Senior Lieutenant Soloviev, gave the order to his men to take the battle, covering the retreat of the neighboring group. Mikhail Zosimenko, a senior wireless telegraph intelligence officer, ensuring the withdrawal of the group number 1, received a fatal wound to the head. Senior Lieutenant Alexander Solovyov, who was nearby, risking his own life, under a hail of bullets, charged Zosimenko and in full growth ran to the oil tank. Behind the cistern there were already his fighters, who poured all around with automatic weapons, creating a dense fire for their comrades to leave.
"Spirits" have already crowded the scouts from the flanks, not paying attention to the artillery fire. Senior Sergeant Dmitry Sergeev, noticing the deadly trap of the militants for them, rose to his full height and fired a machine gun from his hip until he was hit in the head. The second bullet was killed by a machine gun, which in combat became useless, like a cudgel on long distances.
The group retreated back rolls, in turn. The wounded soldiers were dragged on their cloaks, forgetting about fear and fatigue. "Spirits" followed in the heels. And when it seemed that the scouts did not get away from the chase, an armored personnel carrier emerged from the bottom of the mist. Having opened a random machine-gun fire to the heights on the move, the combat vehicle under the command of the reconnaissance platoon commander, Senior Lieutenant Gennady Bernatsky, with his appearance forced the militants to step back and evacuate the reconnaissance groups of the battalion.
That day was the first death since the beginning of the Chechen battles in the 84 reconnaissance. Without regaining consciousness, ordinary Mikhail Zosimenko died at the location of the first-aid post 752 MSP. For the first time, the battalion served as an assault group instead of motorized rifle subunits, as a result of which the scouts in this night battle amounted to four wounded and one killed.
The next day, the group headquarters re-planned the 398.3 altitude reconnaissance. This time the militants showed vigilance. At the approaches to the height, the group was fired from all types of weapons from the same trenches and rifle cells, which the day before were opened by the battalion's scouts. After the report on the radio to the deputy commander of the reconnaissance battalion, Major Pakov, about intense enemy fire, the group was ordered to return to the initial region.
All subsequent days, up to 17 December, 84 orb companies as part of several battle groups stormed the heights with 398.3 and 367.6 marks, revealing militant strongholds and firing points, provided the 752 msp units to approach these lines. The battalion’s losses from 13 to December 17 were seven wounded (1 officer, 6 soldier).
The fighting on Gikalovsky heights were fierce. Neither side wanted to give in to each other. Engineering structures "spirits" snake on all the slopes of the heights, which could not penetrate the artillery of the Russian troops. The approaches to the heights were swept by bandits day and night. The enemy was not going to leave here, believing in the inaccessibility of his fortress. A reconnaissance battalion, this time together with the divisions of the motorized rifle regiment, again and again rose to heights.
For personal courage, heroism, and skilful leadership in fighting at the height of 367.6, the commander of the battalion 2 reconnaissance company, Senior Lieutenant Alexander Khamitov, was awarded the title Hero of Russia. All fighters of the battalion storming the Gikalovsky heights were also awarded state awards.
During the battles for the dominant heights, the defense of the enemy was broken by the courage, dedication and strength of the spirit of our troops.
In the second half of December 1999, the 84 orb changed direction. From Gikalovsky heights he was transferred to the Argun gorge under the Duba-Yurt.
... The year was approaching 2000. The most tragic year in stories 84 th separate reconnaissance battalion ...
The Chechen settlement of Duba-Yurt is located at the entrance to the strategically important point of Chechnya - the Argun gorge. The “wolf gate,” as the area was called, the militants considered locked up. Here, militants under the leadership of Khattab prepared for protracted and bloody battles with the feds to prevent them from entering the southern districts of the republic.
84 Orb received from the command of the grouping the task of jointly with the units of the army special forces to determine the forces and means of the enemy in this part of the mountainous Chechnya.
All combined units of the Zapad group (245 MSP, 752 MSP, 15 MSP, 126 MSP) launched an attack on the Chechen capital. At the disposal of the commander of the grouping in the southern direction were 138 OMSBR, 136 orb 19 MSD, the island of the Leningrad Military District with the area of responsibility Urus-Martan - Goiskoye - Starye Atagi. They performed the task of reaching the heights on the west side. 160 TP, 84 ORB and 664 OS should have captured and retained heights east of Duba-Yurt.
Duba-Yurt was a "contractual" village, that is, the elders assured the command of the group that the residents did not help the bandits and did not allow them into the village. At the same time, it was allowed to have their own rural self-defense detachments to protect the village from the militants. Accordingly, the military actions of the federal troops in Duba-Yurt were categorically prohibited, and the violation of these conditions by our troops entailed criminal responsibility both for the persons who gave the order and for those who directly violated the peace agreements.
The group headquarters was assigned the task of the 84-th separate reconnaissance battalion to seize the dominant heights above Duba-Yurt for the subsequent advancement and consolidation of the motorized rifle divisions assigned to the 160-th tank regiment. For these purposes, consolidated assault detachments were assembled with interconnection with the 664 axis of the GRU. In each detachment, consisting of two groups of special forces, the reconnaissance group of the 84 battalion was attached. In total there were three consolidated groups that consisted of 6 special forces groups and 3 reconnaissance groups. All consolidated detachments were commanded by officers of the 664 Special Forces Detachment.
The commander of the first assault detachment "Aral" was appointed Senior Lieutenant Aralov, he was assigned to the reconnaissance group of Senior Lieutenant Solovyov "Romashka". The commander of the second Baikul assault squad was Senior Lieutenant Baykulov, a group of Senior Lieutenant Klyandin Sova was assigned to him. The third group Taras was commanded by Senior Lieutenant Tarasov, he was assigned to the Akula group by Lieutenant Mironov from the reconnaissance battalion. For the convenience of coordinating the actions of the teams, the management of the operation identified the same radio frequency.
The assault teams were tasked with capturing the heights to the left of the Wolf’s Gate, which reached one ridge, reaching the height and holding it until the units of the 160th Tank Regiment arrived from the border of the southern outskirts of Duba-Yurt in cooperation with the artillery of the regiment and the army aviation. On the left bank of Argun, the 138th Motorized Rifle Brigade and 136th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion operated with similar tasks.
The operation was planned for the evening of December 29. However, on this day it did not start, as the group of the 664 Special Forces detachment, which had been operating in this direction since December 27, was discovered by the militants, and the command decided to first assist the surrounded special forces.
A group of senior lieutenant Alexander Solovyov “Chamomile” was sent to the aid of two BRM-1 in the number of 16 people and a group of special forces of 12 people. The general management of the evacuation was carried out by the commander of 664, Colonel Mitroshkin.
When approaching the altitude at which the special forces were fighting, the scouts came under heavy crossfire of militants from small arms and grenade launchers. Dismounting from combat vehicles and hiding behind armor, the combined detachment began to enter the forest. Using the means of communication, they quickly found the presence of the blocked special forces, but they did not succeed in freeing them from their surroundings — all the approaches to them were swept through.
Only six hours later the scouts straddled the height. "Spirits", taking the dead and wounded, retreated. By that time, the special forces had one killed and three wounded, while the scouts had two wounded. After the evacuation of the special forces detachment, the group of Senior Lieutenant Solovyov was ordered to return to the battalion location.
On December 30, the chief of intelligence of the “Zapad” group clarified the tasks prepared by the consolidated assault detachments. Radio frequencies for joint actions were not changed, although, according to Alexander Solovyov, on December 10, the militants tried to play a radio game with him and pointed out the false coordinates of the special forces' location.
In 12.30, almost simultaneously, each along its own route, the consolidated detachments “Aral” with “Romashka” and “Baikul” with “Owl” began the nomination. The Akula Group was sent to the outskirts of the cement plant at the 84 orb location to rest. At night, she conducted intelligence. Group "Taras" came out last. For assault detachments advanced units of motorized infantry.
From commanding heights, it was not difficult for militants to observe the accumulation of our troops in front of Duba-Yurt.
The combined detachment, which included the group of Senior Lieutenant Solovyov "Romashka", performed the task of capturing the heights that they had already taken on December 29 while rescuing special forces.
The group reached intermediate heights without any surprises. Upon reaching the end points, the assault groups came under heavy fire from small arms, mortars and anti-aircraft installations. The “spirits” anti-aircraft installation blindly worked along the gorge in which there were “Baikul” and “Owl”. The scouts changed the route and moved up a steep ascent so that anti-aircraft guns did not hit them.
Meanwhile, the Aral groups with the Sova safely reached the height from which the special forces were evacuated the day before. In the ravine they found caches of killed militants, covered with hastily fresh leaves.
Not having managed to gain a foothold at the height and organize the defense, the scouts came under automatic fire of the enemy. After sending a group led by senior lieutenant Bernatsky ahead to suppress the fire of the "spirits", the commander of the reconnaissance group began to conduct reconnaissance of the area.
“Owl” and “Baikul” are located just below. “Baikul”, which was in front at some distance from the “Sova” group, discovered the movement of several militant groups towards the village of Duba-Yurt ...
31 has arrived on December 1999 of the year. Somewhere tables were already set up to celebrate the New Year, and here, in the deadly gorge of Argun, the scouts prepared to either defeat or die ...
At 4 in the morning, information came to the headquarters of the grouping that the special forces detachment of Senior Lieutenant Tarasov, who was operating in the immediate vicinity of the village of Duba-Yurt, was ambushed and blocked by the militants.
The command sets the task of the reserve of the 84 reconnaissance battalion - the reconnaissance group of Senior Lieutenant Shlykov (call sign "Nara") to advance to the southern outskirts of Dub-Yurt and take up defense at the 420.1 mark in order to prevent the militants from breaking through. All motorized rifle units at that moment were performing the tasks of blocking heights east of the village. The shortest route to the 420.1 mark passed through Duba-Yurt. The Nara group was assigned the task of being in the specified area until the main motorized rifle units approached, while the consolidated assault detachments would destroy the militants in the direction of the Taras group.
“Nara” under the command of the deputy commander of the 2 reconnaissance company for the educational work of senior lieutenant Vladimir Shlykov on three BMP-2 in the number of 29 people around 6 in the morning began to move out of the original area in the direction of Duba-Yurt. The village was covered with thick fog, visibility was almost zero.
A hundred meters from Duba-Yurt, the Nara column stopped. The commander of the group, having contacted the command of the operation, asked for confirmation of his actions in the conditions of limited visibility of the area. The answer came: "To continue the movement."
As it became known later, the Taras group did not reach the specified area, entangled in search of heights. They did not transmit any signals about the environment to the command center of the group. Identify the voice was not possible. Obviously, the militants prepared disinformation in advance on the air.
Having missed a column on 400 meters deep into the village, the militants simultaneously opened fire on reconnaissance aircraft from everything that they had.
The first shot from a grenade launcher hit the head BMP-2, which was the first lieutenant Shlykov. Private Sergei Voronin, who was next to the commander, was fatally wounded in the stomach. Under crossfire, the scouts dismounted, occupying all-round defense. It was not possible to determine the specific locations of the militants. The soldiers headed towards the nearest brick house, hoping to find shelter there. Protection for armor BMP-2 could not count. They were consistently incapacitated by enemy rocket launchers.
Crews of combat vehicles remained inside and continued to fight. The senior head machine operator Sergeant Viktor Ryakhovsky took the place of the gunner during the shelling. The mechanic-driver of the same machine, Private Nikolai Adamov, was hit by a sniper's bullet. The squad leader, Junior Sergeant Shander, was wounded and fought until the second round of grenade launchers cut off his life.
The radio is filled with calls for help, the sound of battle, the cries of the wounded.
Private Mikhail Kurochkin, a grenade launcher of the Nara group:
“Snipers on us worked. The fire came from all sides. We saw the militants coming down from the mountains into the village. They shot at us and from the houses of this village. And we all lay at the first padded "behi".
The fire was so dense that it scattered from hitting wire bullets over the road. Our second "beha" was not yet burning, her machine gunner was firing. The grenade launcher of the "spirits" crawled closer to her - the first shot ricocheted off, exploded behind the houses. The second hit the BMP tower. Sergeant Sergey Yaskevich dies there, his right leg was torn off. He until the last seconds of life asked for help on the radio, and died with headphones on his head. Around this BMP lay our dead and wounded.
The situation was such that I did not understand anything - only fired from a machine gun. The second car jammed the gun, the third boys still shot back.
Two guys are dragging Sanka Box - a direct hit by a sniper in the head, his entire face is bleeding, helping him to drag. I look - there is a bullet hole in the collar. He looked into his face - he has no eyes! The bullet hit the back of the head and out of the eye. ”
Almost simultaneously with the shooting of the column in Duba-Yurt, the reconnaissance and special forces troops in the mountains began to fire intensively at the militants. The anti-aircraft unit of the “spirits”, which had been silent all night, began to speak again. I had to call the aircraft and request the fire of the artillery battalion, which stood in the Old Atagi.
The attackers, due to the dense fire of the militants and poor visibility, were unable to work out the targets with high quality. The artillery partially suppressed the firing points of the "spirits", but it did not create a barrage and soon ceased firing.
And below, in Duba-Yurt, the bloody slaughter continued. The time of the commander of the reconnaissance battalion, Major Vladimir Pakov, who at that time was at the command post of the 160 Tank Regiment, decides to pull the Nara from the battlefield with the forces of his battalion. The Shark group under the command of Lieutenant Mironov, hastily equipped and dressed in body armor, which the scouts never wore in raids, consisting of a BRM-1 K –1 unit, a BMP-2 – 2 unit and a 24 number of a person, hastily promoted to the octopus-xnumx — XNUMX unit and the number of XNUMX people hastily advanced to the Oak region in the Oak Army unit in the United States, in the United States, in the United States, an oman, an oman, an octog .
The grouping command attempted to use aviation to suppress enemy firing points in the village and on the heights adjacent to it. The dense and dense fog in Duba-Yurt makes the use of aviation lethal for the scouts in the village - the turntables and attack aircraft could hook on their NURS surrounded scouts. The 160 artillery commander of the Tank Regiment also could not fire on the southern outskirts of the village, considering that the fragmentation of the fragments within 400 meters can become destructive for our fighters in the open area.
Simultaneously with the advancement of the Akula group to the aid of the Nara reconnaissance, new evacuation groups are being prepared for the 84 orb from the remaining personnel of the battalion, two tanks with officer crews in Duba-Yurt were advanced from the 160 regiment. Later, with the last group of evacuation of the reconnaissance battalion, another tank with officers was headed.
Lieutenant Mironov's group flew into the village in one breath, having managed to notice that residents of Duba-Yurt, who crowded at the entrance to it, were already pouring out of the houses. It was clear that the head machine of the Nara group was burning in front of the torch and the other two still stood motionless with the bodies of our soldiers killed in the snow. Before them was about three hundred meters. At this time, the militants opened fire on the second column.
Dismounting from the armor and hiding behind the stern hatches for the landing, Lieutenant Mironov's scouts continued to move.
Lieutenant Mironov went over the radio to communicate with the battalion commander and said that “Nare” would not be able to break through to help, he had wounded and killed. Major Pakov ordered Mironov to stop, gain a foothold in the courtyards and wait for reinforcements.
The first appeared two T-64. Apparently, the militants did not expect tanks to appear here, and their fire began to diminish for a while. T-64 made a few volleys at the nearby hills, from where the enemy's fire was visible, and slowly headed towards the padded column of the first group. Hiding behind armor, several scouts of Lieutenant Mironov headed towards the building where the wounded soldiers of the Nara group were lying. The remaining soldiers of the group "Shark", taking advantage of the lull, ran ahead and took refuge in the ditch.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Kuklev:
“I collected all those who remained. Virtually all combat vehicles remaining in the battalion’s reserve had any serious problems with weapons or communications. What remained in the battalion is not considered a combat force, although these people knew how to shoot. Half of the soldiers remaining in the battalion have AKS-74 U assault rifles, effective at a distance of up to 50 – 60 meters, and two stores each. The art corrector commander of the artillery division of the tank regiment went with me. To the rescue of the ambassadors who were ambushed were thrown all who at that time remained in the location of the battalion. ”
Meanwhile, the battle continued in Duba-Yurt. The militants squeezed BelAZ trucks in the Shark’s extreme machine, intending to cut off the escape routes. Private mechanic-driver Eldar Kurbanaliev and junior sergeant motor mechanic of a repair platoon Mikhail Sergeyev, who in the battle performed the duties of the operator BRM-1 K, died.
Scout groups "Nara" and "Shark" were in a fire bag. Having loaded the wounded on the armor, the tanks went to the command post of the 160 regiment. After unloading the wounded, even without replenishing the ammunition, the tanks again went into Duba-Yurt.
The militants met with fire with the evacuation team led by Lieutenant Colonel Kuklev.
Senior Officer reconnaissance-landing company, Senior Ensign Alexei Trofimov, who participated in this battle as part of the evacuation team:
"There were a group of three BMP, my - in the center. The militants noticed us from the road, they started shooting at us. We entered the village, jumped off the armor and, hiding behind it, reached the wall of the mosque. According to the situation I feel: the boys, the second company, were simply brought here with targets to the shooting range.
From the tankers crawled bulldozer, which was supposed to catch the technique. He was shot at. The fire was such that the tap dance was knocked out. Shot right and left. We put out distant firing points, but in reality they were, as it turned out, in 25 meters!
I saw the first wounded man. Covered his armor, took on board the BMP. They collected eight wounded people in the car. When the wounded were pulled out, the driver and the machine-gunner was wounded in my group. One kid was from a repair squad: he didn't take off his bulletproof vest - a bullet entered his side, he walked there, in the body. And we scoured to make it easier.
My BMP was hit like this: a grenade under the bottom, in power traction. And the BMP rolled back. From the gap under the armor, I severely hurt my knee, and a fragment fell into my shin.
All the wounded who could move were dragged to another BMP, the 6 – 7 man. The wounded were taken out by the conveyor - one batch, another ... Only made two flights. I brought the first batch to the regiment's checkpoint; there the doctors were already waiting for us.
We return to Duba-Yurt. At the BMP, I'm alone with the driver, there was no gunner. I fly to the wall near the mosque, turn around and start loading the wounded. Full BMP was wounded.
He sat in the tower for the gunner, turned around, checked the weapon - the gun and machine gun are wedged. I heard the "spirits" shouting: "Russian - Khan!" I shout to the mechanic: "Back!" I put my head out of the tower - and just next to it the house was formed from a rocket hit. The guys move back under the guise of smoke.
I hear a hum, I turn my head - there are three tanks behind. Passed between the tanks, and the guys left along the aryk.
I drove the second batch of wounded straight into the emergency room of the medbat. In 16.45, I was at the cars with the doctors. The sun was beginning to set, and the day was sunny. ”
In Duba-Yurt, the battle lasted more than six hours. Finally, the surviving infantry fighting vehicles fired several smoke grenades toward the village. Smoke curtain slowly enveloped the battlefield. Under the cover of smoke, the remnants of the scouts with the wounded under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Kuklew left the bloody nightmare.
The losses of the reconnaissance battalion were 10 people killed, 29 seriously injured and 12 people lightly wounded, who refused to go to hospital. Irreplaceable losses of armored vehicles amounted to: BMP-2 - 3 units, BRM-1 K - 1 unit. A few months later, a member of the battle in Duba-Yurt from the Nara group, Private Alexander Korobka, died in the hospital.
The next day, 1, January 2000, the militants did not leave the village.
The exchange of the dead took place in a few days.
Private Mikhail Kurochkin, took part in the battle as part of the Nara group:
“Three days have passed. SWAT brought the bodies of militants on the exchange. I was sent to identify the dead. I knew the earring Voronin well. Shortly before this operation, we did tattoos on his hands. He impaled a cross on his arm
with Jesus, the bat and the flames around the cross ... The dead are lying: contractor "spirits" cut off the head, and conscripts - ears. Earrings face stretched out, covered in mud, no ears - cut off. The face does not recognize, so disfigured. At first I recognized him by his sweater. I say: "Cut the jacket on his left hand. If the tattoo - he. Cut ... This is the ear ring Voronin. I was just shaking, kolbasilo, it was so scary ... "
A few weeks after the execution of the second reconnaissance company in Duba-Yurt, the special forces destroyed a detachment of militants in the mountains of the Argun gorge. Among the trophies were recording and fight, filmed by militants. The footage shot from about three hundred meters above the village, the episodes of the battle in Duba-Yurt 31 December 1999 year and morning 1 January 2000 year, when the bandits view the remains of the burned vehicles and the corpses of Russian soldiers.
When terrible shots of battle flickered on the television set in the army tent, the scouts were silent, clenching their fists from powerlessness and swallowing greasy mean tears. The tormenting question of who is to blame for the death of comrades, forever remained in the soul of every officer and soldier of the 84-th separate reconnaissance battalion ...
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