Uniform of Russian special operations forces. What are the special operations forces of the General Staff
As part of the reform Russian army, which began in 2008, a special MTR structure was formed in the Armed Forces. The abbreviation stands for Forces special operations Russian Federation. From the moment of the formation of the Special Operations Directorate on the basis of one of the military units of the Moscow region, the history of the formation of the MTR of the Russian Armed Forces began. In 2013, in Kubinka near Moscow, the Special Forces Center of the Ministry of Defense (TsSN) opened with about 500 special forces serving under contract. Direct management of this unit was entrusted to a separate command within the Ministry of Defense, developed the legislative framework regulating activities new structure. In the same year, exercises were conducted in an environment as close as possible to the conditions of real combat operations. Since 2015, February 27 is celebrated professional holiday this type of military force, after which a previously unnamed mountain in North Ossetia was named.
Structure, goals and objectives of special operations troops
The need for the formation of Special Operations Forces arose from the state's need for a highly mobile, well-trained, equipped last word science grouping of professionals. The new troops are given goals that can only be achieved by those who are trained and technically equipped. military formations. For guidance and personnel assigned special tasks related to protecting the interests of the country on its territory and abroad. The constant and high readiness of the MTR makes it possible to immediately begin performing military duty, as in Peaceful time and in conditions of armed conflict.
IN currently The structure of the MTR troops is as follows:
- TsSN "Senezh";
- TsSN "Kubinka-2";
- 561st Emergency Rescue Center;
- Center for training specialists.
The planned increase in MTR will be 9 special forces brigades with the simultaneous creation of detachments special purpose by military districts.
The creation of the MTR indicates that the country's army is becoming more professional; it meets the requirements of modern tactics and strategy for conducting military missions. The expediency of special operations lies in the totality and coordination of their actions, subordinated to a single plan and aimed at achieving the tasks set by the command. The advantage of MTR brigades lies in their equipment and the use of non-trivial combat operations. Special Operations Forces soldiers are trained to carry out the following activities:
- intelligence and counterintelligence;
- sabotage and counter-sabotage;
- anti-terrorist;
- subversive;
- partisan and anti-partisan.
These are just some of the skills that Special Operations Forces units possess. The high efficiency of the department can be judged by the operations carried out, including the successful fight against pirates from Somalia, a number of North Caucasian counter-terrorism measures, and participation in hostilities on the territory of the Syrian Republic.
How to get into the country's military elite
The tasks assigned to the new formation dictate the need for strict selection of candidates to serve in it. It is impossible to get conscripted into the MTR; these units are staffed only by contract employees, but they are also subject to strict requirements:
- perfect health;
- high intelligence;
- psychological stability;
- learning ability
These qualities are identified by a military medical commission and during multi-stage testing conducted by specialists from the military department. The future employee must have high level physical fitness and have:
- by force;
- endurance;
- flexibility.
These parameters are determined when passing the standards developed for each age group and military affiliation. It would be useful to have sporting achievements in strength sports and martial arts. Skiers, swimmers and track and field athletes will also find use for their talents, since the troops include units of combat swimmers, divers and mountain shooters.
The high moral qualities of applicants for service are checked by collecting characterizing material, requests to information centers. The possibility of secretly collecting operational information about the candidate cannot be ruled out:
- The path to service will be closed to those who have been prosecuted. Candidates whose relatives have not passed a criminal record check will also not be accepted into the MTR.
- If an applicant has previously used psychotropic substances, was a drug addict or suffered from alcoholism, he will not be able to hide this information, because all candidates are subject to a polygraph test.
Special forces officers have an advantage in entering the service. Graduates of military schools in Ryazan and Novosibirsk, where there are faculties that train special forces specialists, have a good chance of enlisting in the MTR.
It is possible that the leadership of the MTR is empowered to select military personnel in other units and recruit the most suitable ones.
Questions and opinions can be posted in the comments block, share your information about the country's Special Operations Forces.
Special Operations Forces (SSO) are a relatively new formation in the structure of the Russian Armed Forces. Its formation began in 2009, during the army reform, and was completed in 2013. Over the past five years, the Special Forces took part in the Crimean operation and combat operations in Syria.
Experts and journalists call this date “the day of polite people” - it was on the night of February 27, 2014 that the transfer of Russian units to Crimea began.
The military blocked Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities on the peninsula and occupied administrative buildings.
In addition to the MTR units, the operation involved: Marines, paratroopers and motorized riflemen. Professional work“polite people” made it possible to disarm a 30,000-strong group of Ukrainian troops practically without firing a single shot.
Meanwhile, the activities of the MTR are secret. The state has the right not to disclose information about the size and armament of the Special Operations Forces, and is also not obliged to report on the results of operations and losses incurred.
"Asymmetrical Actions"
Special operations forces are a single structure that includes units army special forces different types and childbirth of the sun. The tasks of the MTR include conducting operations both on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad.
The main governing body of the Special Operations Forces - the Command - is directly subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces (since November 9, 2012 - Valery Gerasimov).
- Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov
- RIA News
Western think tanks are showing enormous interest in the activities of the MTR. Foreign experts believe that Russia created Special Operations Forces to more effectively conduct foreign expeditionary missions.
According to the West, the greatest contribution to the development of the MTR was made by Valery Gerasimov, who gained the image of a “hybrid war” strategist.
Foreign experts base similar conclusions on the article by the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, “The Value of Science in Foresight,” which was published in the Military-Industrial Courier magazine at the end of February 2013.
In his material, Gerasimov said that the Russian General Staff studied the organization of military operations American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US experience, Gerasimov believes, has demonstrated the need for change " existing models operations and combat."
“Asymmetrical actions have become widespread, making it possible to neutralize the enemy’s superiority in armed struggle. These include the use of special operations forces and internal opposition to create a permanent front... The changes taking place are reflected in the doctrinal views of the leading countries of the world and are tested in military conflicts,” Gerasimov wrote.
View from the outside
A teacher at the Institute of National Security in Tel Aviv, Sarah Feinberg, in her article “Russian Expeditionary Forces in the Syrian Operation,” argues that the idea of uniting “mobile intervention forces” arose during the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989). Then the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the USSR Ministry of Defense opposed the creation of the MTR. However this idea reappeared on the agenda after two Chechen campaigns.
According to Fainberg, the use of GRU special forces and other elite units in the North Caucasus was successful and made it possible to offset the shortcomings in the combat training of combined arms units.
At the same time, Russian special forces experienced problems in planning and conducting operations due to insufficient coordination between law enforcement agencies to whom they obeyed. In this regard, the need was realized to unite army special forces units into a single command structure under the control of the Chief of the General Staff.
- Russian special forces during tactical exercises
- Press service of the Ministry of Defense
The consulting unit of the US Army Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) in the report “Manual on the Next Generation Russian Army” reports that the SOF appeared as a result of optimizing the size and structure of the Russian Armed Forces during the period when the Ministry of Defense was headed by Anatoly Serdyukov (2007-2012).
The army reform was aimed at disaggregating formations (transition to a brigade system) and creating so-called battalion tactical groups.
As AWG specialists clarify, “battalion tactical groups” are mobile, well-trained units that can be in short time transferred hundreds of kilometers from the state border.
From the AWG report it follows that “battalion tactical groups” form the backbone of the MTR. According to analysts, these units were first used for the “annexation” of Crimea, then they were allegedly transferred to Donbass, and since 2015 they have been operating in Syria.
Asymmetric Warfare Group believes that when forming the MTR, Russia relied on experience foreign countries. However, the decision to create Special Operations Forces was made after the South Ossetian conflict (August 2008).
In 2009, on the basis of the Special Purpose Center "Senezh" (Moscow region, military unit No. 92154) the Directorate of Special Operations Forces was formed. The formation of the MTR as a single, clearly functioning organism was completed in March 2013.
Coherence and professionalism
Senior Researcher Institute of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense Thor Bookvoll in materials devoted to the elite units of the RF Armed Forces, notes that the basis of the MTR are GRU officers. Of the 14 thousand Special Operations Forces soldiers, 12 thousand are military intelligence officers.
Foreign analysts agree that the MTR arsenal includes the most modern weapons, uniforms and the latest military equipment, including communication systems and drones. Russian special forces can carry out tasks at any time of the day and in any climatic conditions.
- Soldier of the diving unit of the Special Operations Forces
- Press service of the Ministry of Defense
Sarah Feinberg believes that Syria has become the main “military training camp” for Russian special forces. The tasks of special forces in the SAR include collecting intelligence, directing artillery and airborne forces fire, eliminating the leaders of gangs, conducting assault operations and sabotage activities.
“Syria truly represents the first territory in which Russia has coordinated and large-scale deployed and organized control over a contingent of expeditionary forces, including Special Operations Forces (SSO) and various categories special forces,” notes Fainberg in the article “Russian Expeditionary Forces in the Syrian Operation.”
As the expert explained, the Syrian operation allows the Russian Special Forces to hone their skills “without additional burden on the military budget.” Group size Russian special forces in the SAR, Feinberg estimates 230-250 people. According to her, the successful work of the MTR in Syria testifies to the “revival of Russian military art.”
The presence of Russian special forces in Syria was first announced by Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central Military District Alexander Dvornikov on March 23, 2016. Nevertheless, Russian and foreign experts are confident that the SOF have been operating in Syria from the very beginning of the operation (September 30, 2015) or since the summer of 2015.
“I will not hide the fact that units of our Special Operations Forces are also operating in Syria. They carry out additional reconnaissance of targets for Russian air strikes, guide aircraft to targets in remote areas, and others decide special tasks", Dvornikov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
On December 11, 2016, the Rossiya 24 TV channel showed footage of the participation of Special Forces soldiers in battles in Aleppo, Syria. It is also known from the media that MTR soldiers participated in the liberation of Palmyra.
According to official data, during the entire period of the operation in the SAR, two special forces gunners were killed - captain Fyodor Zhuravlev (November 9, 2015) and senior lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko (March 17, 2016). By order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zhuravlev was awarded the Order of Kutuzov posthumously, Prokhorenko was awarded the title of Hero of Russia, also posthumously.
In May 2017, information about the feat of the MTR group in the province of Aleppo was partially declassified.
16 Russian special forces, engaged in directing aircraft fire, entered the battle against 300 Jabhat al-Nusra militants*.
The special forces acted in coordination with government troops. However, the Syrians retreated in confusion and left the detachment without cover. Russian troops repelled several attacks and, when it got dark, mined the approaches to their positions.
“The fire density was high. But it was scary only in the first minutes, and then a banal routine begins,” said one of the officers.
- A MTR mortar crew fires at terrorists
- Frame: video RUPTLY
The fighters held their positions for two days and were able to leave without losses. During the battle, the special forces destroyed several armored vehicles and a tank. Group commander Danila (last name not given), who received the title of Hero of Russia, noted that the key to success was well-coordinated professional actions subordinates.
A participant in counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus, Alexey Golubev, in a conversation with RT, said that the Russian Special Forces are rightfully called the most trained elite formation in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In his opinion, the success of the operation in Syria would have been impossible without the Special Operations Forces.
“The classified nature of the MTR’s activities is due to the fact that the fighters work outside of Russia. In Syria, special forces are deployed behind enemy lines to target the air forces. In my opinion, this is the most difficult and dangerous job. And, as far as I can judge, our guys are coping with it,” Golubev emphasized.
*“Jabhat Fatah al-Sham” (“Al-Nusra Front”, “Jabhat al-Nusra”) - the organization is recognized as terrorist by decision Supreme Court RF dated December 29, 2014.
In a certain sense, special forces soldiers can be compared to doctors. Both save lives. Often, in order to stop a war and save an entire region, or even a country, special forces soldiers must work quickly, accurately, performing “local surgery.” However, operating as part of special forces is not as simple as it seems at first glance.
Sea Devils
Even from the point of view of planning the operation, the fighters of the PDSS (short for “Underwater Sabotage Forces and Facilities”) are faced with atypical ground forces tasks. Behind short description the tasks that “sea devils” can perform contain something more than just extreme hard work. Combat swimmers are considered to be part of the navy only nominally. In fact, the battlefield for such specialists is air, water and land.
Landing on a captured object? Please. Secretly approach a given area and complete the task? Fine. Land from the sea and do work on the shore? No problem. The equipment and weapons of combat swimmers are as unusual as the people themselves. What is the cost of the special underwater pistol SPP-1, specially designed for PDSS fighters, or the equally unusual special underwater assault rifle APS. “Needle-shaped” ammunition for such weapons even differs in appearance from conventional rifle and pistol cartridges.
They are much longer, and fire such ammunition mainly underwater. The timid and frail are not accepted into the PDSS. Even from the point of view of regular military service, the health requirements for PDSS candidates are significantly higher than usual. Withstand landing from a submarine, when the exit in full equipment is carried out through torpedo tube- difficult not only physically, but also psychologically. The special equipment and “clothing” of PDSS fighters is much more complex. Technologies for manufacturing special heavy-duty fabric for a diving suit, its composition, place of production - all this information is top secret. The situation is exactly the same with the special set of underwater equipment “Amphora”. The closed-cycle breathing system is one of the most modern developments for special forces. Contrary to popular belief, the Amphora is not just a fancy, modern military scuba gear.
Besides breathing apparatus The system also includes special complex communications, and even a special body armor with a suspension system. All specialized equipment, including protective equipment and weapons are needed " sea devils"with one goal - to act as covertly and as quickly as possible. Experts explain that although the number and organizational structure PDSS included navy Russia is classified, one thing can be said for sure - the geography of work of combat swimmers is not limited to the borders of the Russian Federation.
Spetsnaz GRU
The history of the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces is a topic for a separate film, if not for a voluminous one scientific work. The period of combat work of the GRU special forces in Chechnya during the first and second campaigns in this case is especially worth studying. In order to effectively counter militants in mixed terrain, it took not only all the experience of combat work, but also enormous courage. Experts still talk with admiration about the enormous effectiveness of the GRU General Staff special forces during the fighting in the Caucasus.
They say about special forces soldiers - general specialists. During the fighting in Chechnya, special forces soldiers performed in, perhaps, all possible roles. They acted as part of sabotage and reconnaissance groups, directed aircraft at targets, destroyed hiding places and caches of militants, hunted leaders and field commanders, and much more. High degree autonomy and secrecy are two main qualities that helped the GRU special forces operate in difficult conditions. One of the main achievements of the special forces and special operations command was the disruption of the militants' logistics. Caravans with weapons for Chechen militants from the territory of neighboring states were organized according to all the rules of military science. Special forces soldiers who retired long ago say that “on the other side” they knew well who was hunting the militants. “It was well clear that foreign sponsors were working on the issue of organizing the supply of weapons, equipment, money and everything that ensured the “work” of the militants. When the approximate routes were discovered and successful forays began, tactics were changed almost immediately. They began to launch one or several “false” caravans, empty, and at the same time they spread “misinformation” through satellite channels. What paths the real caravan followed, with valuable cargo, had to be found out,” one of the former intelligence officers explained in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.
To track the “recipients” and destroy the caravan with weapons and money, it was necessary not only modern means electronic intelligence and interception, but also high intelligence. Experts note that the leadership of special forces of this level is trusted only to the most experienced officers who have proven themselves more than once.
Surgeons of war
The MTR of the Russian Ministry of Defense is in some way the quintessence of experience, technology, methods and the result of colossal work. Experts say that numerous speculations about SOF fighters and ways of entering the service are largely untrue. Retired military officers say that getting into such a unit is difficult. at will It's unlikely to work. In most cases, a candidate with combat experience, impressive track record and special skills, they are “invited for an interview,” and only then is the question of enrollment in the detachment decided.
For a general understanding of the differences between the fighters of the Special Operations Forces of the Ministry of Defense and other special forces within the Russian Armed Forces, it is important to understand that the MTR is a kind of “dad” to all special forces combined. The specialists of the special forces unit formed in 2009 can do everything. They are trained in sabotage work, operate equally well under water and on land, parachute from a height of many kilometers, carrying in addition to light small arms even anti-tank missile systems.
MTR of the Russian Ministry of Defense - surgeons modern warfare, acting in all directions at once. For a long time the very fact of the existence of the MTR was hidden, but quite recently the presence of Special Operations Forces specialists was officially confirmed. The combat path of military personnel in Syria, unique even by army standards, is already being studied, because not in last resort It was thanks to the actions of SOF fighters in Syria that it was possible to achieve phenomenal accuracy when carrying out airstrikes.
A separate line in the combat work of MTR fighters in Syria is the use of special equipment for reconnaissance and detection of the enemy. Infrared sights, thermal imagers, reconnaissance small-sized drones and combat robotic platforms. All the experience of the military-industrial complex and special training for ten years is combined together. The actions of MTR specialists in Syria best fit into the concept of “military surgical intervention": operating deep behind enemy lines with the help sniper weapons can be achieved significantly great success than weeks of continuous bombing. Despite the fact that the MTR is a young unit by army standards, certain qualitative changes already on the way. One of the creators of the MTR of the Ministry of Defense, and now a member of the board of the Military-Industrial Commission of Russia Oleg Martyanov told on Special Operations Forces Day that the Ministry of Defense, together with the FPI, is implementing a project to unite unified system all equipment components. According to Martyanov, we're talking about about the “Defender of the Future” project, in which sighting, observation and other devices, as well as communications and protection equipment, will be combined into a single whole. In general, in the history of domestic special forces this happened extremely rarely. Of course, specialists performing unique tasks in a combat zone have always received the most modern equipment and weapons, however, such a rapid qualitative leap forward in terms of support, equipment, and, as a result, efficiency has been observed for the first time. However, this phenomenon cannot be called a surprise. Behind all this is competent planning, financing and control, thanks to which Russia will celebrate Special Operations Forces Day every year on February 27.
Our country celebrates many holidays dedicated to certain military professions, types and branches of the military.
Two years ago, a new holiday date appeared in the military calendar: February 26, 2015 - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Decree No. 103 “On the establishment of Special Operations Forces Day,” and now every year on February 27, Russia celebrates “Special Operations Forces Day of the Russian Federation” .
The Special Operations Forces of the Russian Federation (SSO RF) is a highly mobile army group of forces of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, designed to solve not only military, but also military-political tasks where Russia’s interests extend - including foreign countries and territories.
The range of tasks of the Russian MTR includes: protection from attacks on Russian citizens in other countries, evacuation of embassies, important officials, as well as special operations, which mean preventive measures to destroy the leaders of bandit groups, infrastructure facilities or weapons of other countries, as well as countering saboteurs, protection of strategic objects within our country.
In their activities, special operations forces fighters use methods and methods of combat that are not typical for conventional troops. The composition of the Special Operations Forces is secret, as are the vast majority of operations in which the Force participates.
From open sources: Currently, the Special Operations Forces have two special purpose centers: “Kubinka-2” and “Senezh”, but as necessary, other units of the Russian army can be introduced into the MTR.
The employees of the MTR units are armed with a variety of units and ammunition. The “nomenclature group” includes: Glock pistol 17, automatic AK-74M, automatic underwater APS, machine gun "Pecheneg", self-loading gun"Saiga-12S", automatic grenade launcher AGS-17 "Flame".
The list of uniform sets for the MTR of the RF Armed Forces includes more than a dozen items. For example, the FORT “Raid-L” anti-fragmentation suit; wetsuit GKN-7; anti-fragmentation helmet 6B7-1M; body armor 6B43; Veer-6 armored shield.
MTR units use different kinds Vehicle, including armored cars, ATVs, helicopters, combat (transport) robots.
The Senezh detachment is the most closed division army, one might say the elite military intelligence, whose fighters are capable of performing tasks of any degree of danger. It is no coincidence that it was on the basis of this unit that the Special Operations Directorate was created in 2009, subordinate to the chief General Staff Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Career officers and contract sergeants serve in the MTR of the Russian Federation. Almost every serviceman of the RF SO Forces has several specialties. Feature: mandatory knowledge of foreign languages.
Become an employee elite unit maybe not every soldier. MTR representatives actually select candidates themselves who have the necessary knowledge and abilities. Preparation is carried out in special center, as well as directly at permanent deployment points.
Training sessions are conducted in conditions as close as possible to combat conditions (at mountain ranges, in Arctic conditions, etc.).
Many MTR employees are graduates of the Ryazan Higher Airborne Corps command school and Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School.
The debut of the Russian MTR was participation in the events of three years ago - during the famous events in Crimea, which became one of the manifestations of the “Russian Spring”. The military personnel provided the Crimeans with the opportunity to conduct a free expression of will, which resulted in the reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia. It was those events that served as the choice of date for the new military holiday.
On the night of February 27, 2014 parts armed forces Ukrainians in Crimea were blocked and disarmed without firing a single shot, and all strategic objects of the peninsula were occupied by the Russian Special Forces, who behaved politely and correctly both in relation to Ukrainian army, and to the residents Crimean peninsula. The politeness of the Russian military served as the birth of a concept now known throughout the world: " polite people". This is one of the names of Special Operations Forces Day - Polite People Day.
Since 2015, units of the Special Operations Forces have been used in Syria to conduct additional reconnaissance of targets for Russian air strikes.
Officers Russian Forces special operations, not sparing their lives, carried out tasks in different provinces of Syria, including the province of Homs, when the heroism of Russian military personnel helped the Syrian army liberate ancient Palmyra from terrorists - the pearl of the architectural, cultural and historical heritage of the entire modern civilization. Today in Syria, units of the Russian Special Forces ensure the security of the air force base in Khmeimim.
With the passage of time and gradual technical evolution, new devices and technologies were included in the activities of the military. This has led to the art of leading fighting is largely implemented remotely, via computer technology, relatively new physical principles, including the principles of aiming modern weapons at a target.
However, there are tasks that simply cannot be solved with the help of “machines”. It is necessary to involve people with a special level of training, people who are able to complete the task as efficiently as possible.
And there are such people in our country. They are not recognized on the street, they are not “promoted” by the media. We know them by their deeds, and not by their names - their personal files are kept classified as “Secret”. They are popularly known, and this has already been noted, as “polite people”, and officially they are military personnel of the Special Operations Forces. And today these heroic people holiday.
"Military Review"I am not ready to ignore the courage and heroism of the Russian Special Forces Special Forces servicemen and congratulates everyone involved on the holiday. Complete the tasks assigned by the command and return home safe and sound!
Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent Alexander Kots spent the day with a Special Operations Forces unit near Palmyra
Russian special forces in positions in front of the militants who retreated under the attacks of the Aerospace Forces
Along the deserted streets of Palmyra, the wind drives smoldering rags and dried leaves of branches cut by splinters. Deserted houses sadly slam the shutters of windows that have long since lost all their glass. Rare Syrian soldiers, seeing us, show ISIS (ISIS is an organization banned in the Russian Federation - ed.) a house of worship, followed by a field hospital in the basement. On some houses there are still inscriptions in Russian: “There are no minutes.” After the last release. Now the sappers have not finished their work yet. A black terrorist flag flutters on the roof of the Heliopolis Hotel - the former headquarters building has not yet been cleared of mines. Over the past three years, the town has been twice attacked by medieval barbarians. And each time they were driven out of the city mainly thanks to the help of the Russian military. In addition to the Aerospace Forces bombers that crushed strongholds and fortified areas of militants from the air, units of the Special Operations Forces worked on the ground.
Special Operations Forces - the elite of the Russian armed forces
The MTR is the elite of the Russian Armed Forces. Special forces, each fighter of which is a top-class specialist. These are snipers who destroyed terrorist leaders from among Russian immigrants. Thanks to them, Russian pilots accurately hit ISIS positions on the heights leading to Palmyra, bringing the liberation of the ancient city closer. Their names cannot be mentioned, their faces cannot be shown, and in many ways their work is classified as “Top Secret.” Together with a convoy of Special Operations Forces, I am moving to the front lines near Palmyra, from which the militants were thrown back, but they are leaving very reluctantly. In order of battle armored vehicles They travel only along proven bypass roads to minimize risks - militants can plant landmines at night.
SOF observers in position
MTR fighters differ from other representatives of the RF Armed Forces even in appearance. Although, if you meet such a person in civilian life, you will hardly be able to distinguish him from an ordinary passerby. Here you will find the most modern equipment, weapons and technical means. The fighters look, needless to say, impressive. Like in the movies. Just on real war the cost of error is disproportionately higher. You can't shoot a second take. The special forces from the hatches of the "Tigers" tenaciously peer along the flanks, moving the barrel of the AGS easel grenade launcher. The detour takes an hour and a half longer, but we get to the MTR observation post without incident.
MTR fighter in position
From here it is two kilometers to the village where the militants have settled. It’s five minutes to the “green patch” under the height occupied by terrorists. Several Russian special forces soldiers are lying on a hillock, drilling into enemy territory with binoculars. A few minutes later, several powerful explosions mushroom on the horizon. The Russian Aerospace Forces, thanks to coordinates from MTR specialists, suppressed the resistance of the militants in the green area.
An MTR soldier monitors enemy territory
There is a large concrete hangar nearby. Inside are three burnt ISIS tanks. Above is a huge hole in the concrete as an example of the filigree work of Russian pilots. But the coordinates of this hangar were transmitted directly from the ground.
Special forces special forces are equipped with the latest equipment
Special operations forces ensure the Syrian army moves forward. New look Russian special forces - well trained, well armed and equipped, performing tasks of any complexity anywhere in the world. Although, of course, the Syrians will have to do the main work themselves. No one will storm the heights occupied by ISIS for them. But thanks to the interaction Russian VKS and it will be much easier for the MTR to do this.
As soon as the MTR fighters find the target, they immediately transmit the coordinates to command post. Aviation continues
“This time, during the capture of Palmyra, everything went faster,” admit the Syrian fighters. — Almost all of us took part in the first assault and learned to interact with the Russians. We had to work hard to capture the Citadel - five machine gunners were sitting there, and you can’t bomb architectural monuments. But in the end we managed. We will not give up Tadmor (the Arabic name for Palmyra) again.
Thanks to the coordinates transmitted by the MTR soldiers, Russian aviation delivered a precise strike to the hangar in which three ISIS tanks were hidden
Four Syrians and one Russian planes and headed towards the old city. There, in the amphitheater, music sounded again. On the occasion of the arrival of the commander of the Russian group Andrei Kartapolov in Palmyra, the Syrians organized a small concert of student ensembles who performed patriotic songs in gratitude for Russian help.
The special forces are equipped with the most modern weapons and uniforms
EQUIPMENT OF MTR FIGHTERS
Equipment for Special Operations Forces soldiers