6th company biography. "Step into Immortality"

From February 29 to the morning of March 1, 2000, soldiers of the 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment of the 76th (Pskov) Airborne Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin entered into battle with a large illegal armed formation near Argun in Chechnya, at the Ulus line -Kert-Selmentausen, at an altitude of 776.

The battle lasted from one o'clock in the afternoon to five in the morning on March 1st. According to various sources, the number of militants was estimated from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand.

84 military personnel were killed in the battle, including 13 officers. Only six fighters survived. The militants' losses ranged, according to various estimates, from 370 to 700 people.

By decree of the President of the Russian Federation, 22 paratroopers were nominated for the title of Hero of Russia (21 of them posthumously), 69 soldiers and officers of the 6th company were awarded the Order of Courage (63 of them posthumously).

The death of the 6th company of Pskov paratroopers, which heroically took the battle, shook the entire country, leaving even people far from the army and the war indifferent. Feat winged infantry became a symbol of military valor and the new Russian army.

List of dead paratroopers of the 6th company:

Guard Sergeant Komyagin Alexander Valerievich, grenade launcher 6 pdr. Born in the city of Rasskazovo Tambov region September 30, 1977. Russian. He was buried in the city of Rasskazovo. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Captain Viktor Viktorovich Romanov, commander of the 1st SAB. Born May 15, 1972. Russian. Buried in the village of Soseva Sverdlovsk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard senior lieutenant Panov Andrey Aleksandrovich, deputy commander of the PDR for educational work. Born in the city of Smolensk on February 25, 1974. Russian. He was buried in the city of Smolensk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Senior Lieutenant Alexey Vladimirovich Vorobyov, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company. Born in the village of Borovukha-1, Vitebsk region, on May 14, 1975. Russian. Buried in Kurmanaevsky district Orenburg region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Lieutenant Ermakov Oleg Viktorovich. Born in the city of Bryansk on April 26, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Bryansk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Lieutenant Kozhemyakin Dmitry Sergeevich, platoon commander of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in the city of Ulyanovsk on April 30, 1977. Russian. He was buried in the city of St. Petersburg. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Major Alexander Vasilyevich Dostavalov, deputy commander of the parachute battalion. Born in the city of Ufa on July 17, 1963. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin Mark Nikolaevich, commander of the parachute battalion. Born in the city of Yoshkar-Ola on May 1, 1964. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Denis Petrovich Shevchenko, grenade launcher of the 6th Pdr. Born in Pskov on December 20, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Opochka, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order Courage.

Guard Private Zinkevich Denis Nikolaevich, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born on March 15, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Gornevo, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Sergeant Dmitry Viktorovich Grigoriev, grenade launcher of the 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Zakharinovo, Novosokolniki district, Pskov region, on November 6, 1978. Russian. He was buried in the Kunyinsky district of the Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guards Private Arkhipov Vladimir Vladimirovich, grenade launcher 6 pdr. Born in the village of Vyazki, Porkhovsky district, Pskov region, on October 27, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Shikov Sergei Aleksandrovich, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Velikiye Luki, Pskov region, on April 29, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Koshma, Velikoluksky district, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Lance Sergeant Shvetsov Vladimir Aleksandrovich, mechanic of the aviation equipment regulation and repair group. Born in the city of Pskov on September 18, 1978. Russian. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Mikhail Vitalievich Travin, driver-mechanic of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Pskov on February 11, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Islentyev Vladimir Anatolyevich, grenade launcher 6 pdr. Born in the village of Pyatchino, Strugokrasnensky district, Pskov region, on May 14, 1967. Russian. He was buried in the Strugokrasnensky district of the Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Major Molodov Sergei Georgievich, commander of the 6th parachute company. Born in the city of Kutaisi, Georgian SSR on April 15, 1965. Russian. Buried in Chelyabinsk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Dmitry Ivanovich Ivanov, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Opochka, Pskov region on August 6, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Opochka, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard senior lieutenant Kolgatin Alexander Mikhailovich, commander of an engineer platoon. Born in the city of Kamyshino, Volgograd region, on August 15, 1975. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kamyshino. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Vorobyov Alexey Nikolaevich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Demya, Novosokolniki district, Pskov region, on November 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Zhitovo, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard senior lieutenant Sherstyannikov Andrey Nikolaevich, commander of an anti-aircraft missile platoon. Born in the city of Ust-Kut Irkutsk region February 1, 1975. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ust-Kut. Posthumously awarded the Star of the Hero of Russia.

Guard Private Alexey Alexandrovich Khrabrov, gunner-operator 6th Pdr. Born in Tapa, Estonia, May 30, 1981. He was buried in the village of Chertova Gora, Pushkinogorsk district, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard captain Sokolov Roman Vladimirovich, deputy commander of the airborne forces, instructor of the airborne forces. Born on February 16, 1872 in the city of Ryazan. Russian. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guards Private Nishchenko Alexey Sergeevich, senior rifleman 9 pdr. Born in the village of Bezhanitsy, Pskov region on August 2, 1981. He was buried in the village of Borok, Bezhanitsky volost, Bezhanitsky district, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Lieutenant Ryazantsev Alexander Nikolaevich, platoon commander of the 3rd SAB. Born June 15, 1977. Russian. Buried in the village of Voinovo, Korsakov district Oryol region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Corporal Lebedev Alexander Vladislavovich, senior intelligence officer of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in the village of Shchiglitsy, Pskov region, on November 1, 1977. Russian. He was buried in the city of Pskov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard senior lieutenant Petrov Dmitry Vladimirovich, deputy commander of the PDR for educational work. Born in the city of Rostov-on-Don on June 10, 1974. Russian. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Alexander Vladimirovich Karoteev, senior gunner 3rd air rifle. Born in the city of Ostrov, Pskov region, on November 10, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Novaya Usitva, Palkinsky district, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Senior Sergeant Medvedev Sergey Yuryevich, deputy platoon commander, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Biysk Altai Territory September 18, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Biysk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Mikhailov Sergey Anatolyevich, gunner-operator 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Novorzhev on September 28, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the city of Novorzhev, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Shukaev Alexey Borisovich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Ura-Guba Murmansk region October 24, 1963. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ostrov, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Trubenok Alexander Leonidovich, gunner-operator 9 pdr. Born in the village of Polotsk, Starodub district Bryansk region August 21, 1972. Russian. He was buried in the village of Polotsk, Bryansk region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Alexey Anatolyevich Nekrasov, machine gunner 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Kirov on February 4, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kirov. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Alexey Valerievich Kiryanov, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Tchaikovsky, Perm region, on September 23, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Olkhovochka, Perm region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Kobzev Alexander Dmitrievich, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Orlovo Voronezh region in 1981. He was buried in Orlovo, Voronezh region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Denis Sergeevich Strebin, commander of the BU SAND department. Born in the village of Redkino, Tver Region on August 17, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Konakovo, Tver region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Timashev Denis Vladimirovich, commander of a combat vehicle, commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in Zhizdrinsky district Kaluga region in July 1980. Russian. He was buried in the Itkyaran region, Karelia. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Ivan Gennadievich Pavlov, driver-mechanic of the 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Osyanka, Marevsky district, Novgorod region, on February 23, 1966. Russian. He was buried in the city of Novgorod. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Denis Aleksandrovich Tregubov, senior rifleman 9th Pdr. Born in the city of Chusovoy, Perm Region, on April 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Chusovoy, Perm region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Sergei Olegovich Kozlov, commander of a combat vehicle of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in the village of Mirny, Tver Region on April 13, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Olenino, Tver Region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Vasilev Sergei Vladimirovich, commander of a combat vehicle, commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Bryansk on April 27, 1970. Russian. He was buried in the city of Bryansk. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Ambetov Nikolai Kamitovich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born January 20, 1981, Kazakh. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Corporal Sokovanov Vasily Nikolaevich, gunner-operator 9 pdr. Born in the city of Kirov in November 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Orel, Kirov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Sergei Alekseevich Ivanov, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Borovichi, Novgorod region, on May 26, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the city of Borovichi, Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Vladimir Nikolaevich Izyumov, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Sokol, Volgograd region, on August 13, 1977. Russian. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard senior sergeant Aranson Andrey Vladimirovich, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Sevastopol on June 30, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Sevastopol. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Rasskaz Alexey Vasilievich, deputy platoon commander, squad commander, commander of the 6th Pdr combat vehicle. Born in the city of Staraya Guta, Bryansk region, on May 31, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Uchinsk, Bryansk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard junior sergeant Eliseev Vladimir Sergeevich. Born in the city of Uralsk, Kazakh SSR on October 5, 1972. Russian. He was buried in the village of Boronitsy, Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Corporal Gerdt Alexander Alexandrovich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in Ordzhonikidze, Kazakhstan, February 11, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Siny Kolodets, Bryansk region. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard Private Kuatbaev Galim Mukhambetgalievich, gunner-operator 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Astrakhan on May 26, 1981. Kazakh. He was buried in the city of Astrakhan. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Biryukov Vladimir Ivanovich, machine gunner 6th Pdr. Born in Jurmala on June 6, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ostrov, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Isaev Alexander Dmitrievich, surveyor of the control and artillery reconnaissance battery. Born in the city of Kirovsk Leningrad region January 16, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Shlisselburg, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Afanasyev Roman Sergeevich, squad commander, head of the radio station of the 2nd communications platoon. Born in the city of Pskov on October 11, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the village of Sharovka. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Denis Igorevich Belykh, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Severodvinsk on March 30, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kotelnichi, Kirov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Sergei Mikhailovich Bakulin, grenade launcher 6th pdr. Born in the village of Dedovichi, Pskov region, on June 2, 1978. Russian. He was buried in the village of Dedovichi, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Evdokimov Mikhail Vladimirovich, orderly 6 pdr. Born in the village of Ulyanovka, Tosnensky district, Leningrad region, on October 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the Tosnensky district of the Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Sergeant Isakov Evgeniy Valerievich, platoon commander, squad leader. Born in the city of Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk region on February 8, 1977. Russian. He was buried in the city of Kholm. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Kenzhiev Amangeldy Amantaevich, senior rifleman 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Vladimirovka Astrakhan region April 23, 1981. Kazakh. He was buried in the village of Vladimirovka, Astrakhan region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Popov Igor Mikhailovich, gunner-operator 7th Pdr. Born in the city of Fergana on January 4, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the village of Yablonovo, Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard senior sergeant Siraev Rustam Flaridovich, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Satka, Chelyabinsk region. September 5, 1976. Russian. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Savin Valentin Ivanovich, radiotelephone operator of the 2nd communications platoon. Born in the city of Staraya Russa, Novgorod region on November 29, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Staraya Russa, Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Grudinsky Stanislav Igorevich, machine gunner 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Rybinsk Yaroslavl region June 18, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Igor Sergeevich Khvorostukhin, medical instructor of the 6th Pdr. Born in St. Petersburg on December 5, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of St. Petersburg. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Konstantin Valerievich Krivushev, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in the Komi Republic, the village of Ydzhidyag on May 31, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Koslan, Komi Republic. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Piskunov Roman Sergeevich, driver-mechanic of the 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Sokolskoye, Sokolnichesky district Ivanovo region March 14, 1980. Russian. Buried in the city of Balakhny Nizhny Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Batretdinov Dmitry Mansurovich, machine gunner 6th Pdr. Born in Orenburg on May 23, 1980. Tatar. He was buried in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Timoshinin Konstantin Viktorovich, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Petrodvorets, Leningrad Region, on January 8, 1976. Russian. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Lyashkov Yuri Nikolaevich, machine gunner 6 pdr. Born in the city of Zhmerynka, Vinnytsia region on March 15, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Chernyd, Perm region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Zaytsev Andrey Yuryevich, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in the village of Diveevo, Nizhny Novgorod region on February 1, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the village of Diveevo, Nizhny Novgorod region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Sudakov Roman Valerievich, grenade launcher 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region, on May 18, 1981. Russian. He was buried at the Makarovskoye cemetery in the Rybinsk region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Ivanov Yaroslav Sergeevich, gunner-operator 6 pdr. Born in the city of Tikhvin, Leningrad region on August 21, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Tikhvin, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Vadim Vladimirovich Chugunov, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in St. Petersburg on October 5, 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Orzhitsy, Lomonosov district, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Erdyakov Roman Sergeevich, gunner-operator 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Kirov on June 13, 1979. Russian. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Roman Aleksandrovich Pakhomov, grenade launcher of the 9th Pdr. Born in the city of Dankov Lipetsk region March 25, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the village of Gryazi, Lipetsk region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Sergei Valerievich Zhukov, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th Pdr. Born in St. Petersburg on June 20, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of St. Petersburg. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Alexandrov Vladimir Andreevich, machine gunner of the 6th PDR, was born in the city of Ivangorod, Leningrad Region on March 21, 1981. Russian. He was buried in the city of Ivangorod, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Dmitry Sergeevich Shchemlev, intelligence officer. Born in St. Petersburg on July 28, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of St. Petersburg. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Sergeant Vladimir Ivanovich Kuptsov, commander of the 9th Pdr. Born in the village of Otradnoye, Kirov district, Leningrad region, on April 28, 1974. Russian. He was buried in the village of Priladozhsky, Leningrad Region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Vladislav Anatolyevich Dukhin, combat vehicle commander, squad commander of the 6th pdr. Born in the city of Stavropol on January 26, 1980. Russian. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Guard junior sergeant Alexey Yurievich Vasiliev, topographic geodesist, computer 2 SAB. Born in the village of Gostilitsy, Lomonosovsky district, Leningrad region in 1979. Russian. He was buried in the village of Gostilitsy, Leningrad region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard junior sergeant Khamatov Evgeniy Kamitovich, intelligence officer of a separate reconnaissance company. Born in the city of Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk region on September 9, 1979. He was buried in the city of Podporozhye, Leningrad Region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Shalaev Nikolai Vasilievich, gunner-operator of the 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Lodeynoye Pole, Leningrad Region, on August 12, 1980. Russian. He was buried in the city of Lodeynoye Pole, Leningrad Region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Lebedev Viktor Nikolaevich, gunner-operator 6th Pdr. Born in the city of Orenburg on October 6, 1976. Russian. He was buried in the city of Sevastopol. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Guard Private Mikhail Vyacheslavovich Zagoraev, sapper. Born on February 4, 1971 in the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. He was buried in the military cemetery of the city of Porkhov, Pskov region. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
come back

The regimental tactical group of the 104th Parachute Regiment, by the decision of the commander of the Eastern Group, was given a combat mission: by 14.00 on February 29, 2000, complete the 2nd battalion’s entry to the line of marks 705.6, 626.0, and 787.0, which is four kilometers southeast of Ulus- Kerta. In this direction, the guards were supposed to block the area and prevent the enemy from moving towards the settlements of Makhkety, Kirov-Yurt, Elistanzhi, Selmentauzen, Vedeno.

Carrying out the combat mission assigned by the high command, the 2nd battalion, with the help of the 6th parachute landing company, 3rd platoon of the 4th parachute company and reconnaissance platoon in the early morning of February 28, began moving from mark 636.0 along the route - mark 828.0, 819.0, Mount Dembay-irzy. By the end of the day, the paratroopers needed to cross the Abazulgol River and set up checkpoints at marks 776.0, 787.0, 626.0, Mount Istykort in order to prevent the enemy from heading towards Ulus-Kert, Selmentauzen. The unit was headed by the commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin. The exit to the indicated line was carried out on foot.

Moving at maximum speed, the 1st platoon of the 6th parachute company, together with a reconnaissance patrol under the command of Guard Senior Lieutenant Vorobyov, reached an altitude of 776.0 by 16:00 on February 28

However, until the end of the day the paratroopers were prevented from completing their assigned task. weather. A sudden thick fog made further movement of units almost impossible. Therefore, the group commander made a decision: to suspend the task until the morning and free time take to prepare the fire system, engineering equipment positions and rest. The 6th parachute company with the 3rd platoon of the 4th airborne division and with reinforcement equipment were also forced to stop moving and stay overnight on Mount Dembayirzy.

On the morning of February 29, the units resumed movement again and advanced to the designated lines. By 11.00, the 3rd platoon of the 4th parachute company reached a height of 787.0, and by 11.20 the 6th airborne division reached a height of 776.0 - a clearing of Mount Istykort.

A reconnaissance platoon, advancing at a distance of 100-150 meters from two platoons of the 6th parachute company, unexpectedly discovered a group of militants numbering up to 20 people. Without wasting a second, the paratroopers opened aimed fire at the militants from small arms, and the artillery spotter of the guard, Captain V. Romanov, called in artillery fire.

The enemy responded with machine gun fire and sniper rifles and began sipping on reinforcements. The commander of the 6th Airborne Company of the Guard, Major S. Molodov, was not at a loss, but competently organized the battle, during which the militants suffered losses. However, there were also wounded among the paratroopers.

Having brought up additional forces and thereby creating a numerical superiority in manpower, the militants opened hurricane fire on the paratroopers from sniper rifles, machine guns and underbarrel grenade launchers. Has developed difficult situation, for the resolution of which the commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin, took the only the right decision- make a retreat to a height of 776.0 and there, at a more advantageous line, organize defense.

The reconnaissance officers under the command of Guard Senior Lieutenant A. Vorobyov were entrusted with covering the withdrawal of two platoons of the 6th parachute company. Having taken up convenient positions on the southern outskirts of the clearing, the reconnaissance soldiers returned fire at the militants, which allowed the 6th Infantry Division to retreat, evacuate the wounded and organize a defense.

During the retreat, the paratroopers suffered their first losses. Carrying a wounded guard sergeant out from under fire contract service S. Ivanova, the guard company commander, Major S. Molodov, was mortally wounded.

Having occupied a height of 776.0, the 6th parachute company under the command of the deputy commander of the guard company, Captain R. Sokolov, repelled attacks by militants until 16.50, who, despite significant losses (about 60 people were killed), continued to advance.

By 5 p.m., the militants again brought up reinforcements and, increasing the intensity of the fire, attempted to attack the heights from two directions - western and northwestern. A difficult battle ensued.

The commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin, personally directed the fire of his subordinates, adjusted artillery fire and constantly moved to the most dangerous directions. During the continuous shelling, he managed to remove five wounded subordinates from the enemy’s fire, and evacuated the wounded guard sergeant A. Suponinsky from the battlefield, who subsequently fought to the end next to Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin.

At the same time, two platoons of the 3rd parachute company, located at around 666.0, commanded by Guard Captain Vasiliev, entered into battle with the bandits. The guards repelled several enemy attacks, killing 12 militants, and attempted to break through to the 6th Airborne Company. However, this attempt was unsuccessful: the paratroopers were stopped by heavy enemy fire. During the breakthrough, Guard artillery spotter Lieutenant Yu. Zolotov was wounded.

The 3rd platoon of the 3rd parachute company, under pressure from bandits, was forced to retreat to their positions and repel attacks by militants.

Until the evening of February 29, the militants continued to fire heavily from small arms and grenade launchers. Suffering heavy losses, the bandits continued to attack the paratroopers' positions over and over again. Khattab himself gathered militants and uncontrollably threw them into battle formations mouth. However, all attempts by the bandits to take control of the height were in vain. The guardsmen courageously repulsed all enemy attacks.

The 6th Airborne Company came under mortar fire, but this did not allow the militants to achieve success.

The militants made another attempt to knock down the brave guardsmen from the heights. A “Jamar” detachment of more than 400 people, led by one of Khattab’s field commanders, Bodi Bakuev, with the support of the detachments of Vakha Arsanov and Khattab, rushed into a massive attack on the company stronghold. The bandits came in waves. Using river beds and exposed flanks, they attempted to outflank the company's position on the left flank. To prevent encirclement, a platoon of guard Lieutenant D. Kozhemyakin advanced, who, having taken an advantageous position, repelled the fierce attacks of the militants for three hours. At the cost of their lives, the guards thwarted the bandits' plan.

For several hours the bandits tried to overthrow the company from above, but all their attacks were repulsed.

Having failed to achieve success, at 01.50 on March 1, the militants ceased fire and retreated. Seeing that all their massive attacks were being smashed against the well-organized defenses of the paratroopers and were not bringing any results, the bandits decided to resort to other methods. They began asking the guards to leave their position, let them through, and surrender. But this had no effect on the fighters. Showing restraint, composure, and remaining faithful to military duty, each paratrooper made the only right decision for himself - to stand to the end and not let the militants through at all costs. Behind them were those freed from gangs settlements, artillery positions, command posts.

The 1st parachute landing company and a reconnaissance platoon led by the chief of reconnaissance of the regiment, Major Baran S.I., who arrived at Mount Dembayirzy at approximately 23.00, at the direction of the regiment commander, attempted to cross the Abazulgol River in the water crossing area - mark 520.0 and break through to the 6th PDR, but were stopped by heavy enemy fire. Subsequent attempts to break through to their comrades were also unsuccessful. Each time the paratroopers ran into heavy fire from the bandits. Having failed to achieve the desired result, the 1st PDR was forced to retreat to Mount Dembayirzy by 04.00.

Taking advantage of the short-term lull, the 3rd platoon of the 4th airborne division (guard platoon commander Lieutenant O. Ermakov) led by the deputy commander of the guard battalion, Major A. Dostavalov, attempted to break through to the 6th parachute company. Hiding behind one squad, which was headed by Guard Lieutenant O. Ermakov, by 03.40 Guard Major A. Dostavalov with a group of paratroopers managed to break through to the battalion commander. During the breakthrough of the guard, Lieutenant O. Ermakov was seriously wounded in the stomach. Realizing that the wound he received was fatal, the brave officer covered his comrades until his last breath, allowing the platoon to break through to the 6th parachute company.

During the breakthrough, Guard Major A. Dostavalov was wounded. However, overcoming the pain, the officer remained in service.

The militants, not paying attention to their losses, launched an attack on the company's strong point from all directions. In some areas they managed to get close to the positions of the 6th Airborne Company. Despite multiple leg wounds received as a result of a mine explosion, artillery spotter V. Romanov continued to correct artillery fire. As the militants approached, shell explosions approached 50-60 meters to the front line of the paratroopers’ defense. After the death of Guard Captain V. Romanov, the fire was adjusted by Guard Lieutenant A. Ryazantsev, who gave the necessary coordinates to the artillerymen until he was hit by an enemy bullet.

The militants concentrated their main efforts in the northern direction. They managed to capture the height
Nameless, seeing that the defending detachments had noticeably thinned out, the bandits rushed to a height of 776.0, but Guard Senior Lieutenant A. Kolgatin managed to install two MON-60 guided mines in this area. Wounded in the chest, the young officer managed to detonate the mines as soon as the militants went on the attack. From powerful explosions more than ten militants were killed. But this is only for a short time stopped the bandits. Having come to their senses, they again went to storm the heights. To stop the approach of militants from the northern direction, the battalion commander sent a free group led by Guard Senior Lieutenant A. Panov. Accurately firing from a machine gun, the brave officer with ten paratroopers managed to repel the onslaught in his direction for another forty minutes.

The militants again brought up the selected Jamar detachment of about 400 people for reinforcements. Having failed to achieve success in the northern direction, the bandits this time concentrated their efforts on south direction, which was defended by Lieutenant A. Kozhemyakin with his guard group. Despite the enemy's multiple superiority, the paratroopers did not flinch, but courageously repelled the attacks of the bandits. During the guard battle, Lieutenant A. Kozhemyakin was mortally wounded.

The surviving small group of paratroopers, led by the battalion commander, concentrated at the triangle of the summit. Here the 6th company was received last Stand. At 06.10, communication with the battalion commander was lost. The last words of Guard Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin were: “I call fire on myself.”

The bandits rushed like an avalanche towards a handful of brave paratroopers. Without shooting, with shouts of "Allah"
Akbar!", the bandits made a breakthrough. The battle escalated into hand-to-hand combat. But the forces were too unequal. The extremists, the selected bandits Khattab, were opposed by 26 wounded guardsmen. But, despite the numerical superiority, the paratroopers of the guard of Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin showed steadfastness, courage and heroism They fulfilled their military duty to the end.

The surviving guard, Senior Lieutenant A. Vorobiev, with two soldiers, attempted to break out of the encirclement. During the battle, the brave commander was wounded in the stomach and leg.

Acting according to the laws of the airborne brotherhood, the officer ordered the guard privates R. Khristolubov and A. Komarov to make their way to their own, while he himself remained to cover the retreat of his subordinates. Saving the lives of soldiers, the courageous officer died.

Guard Private E. Vladykin, seeing the suffering of his wounded comrades in extreme cold, tried to make a sortie to get sleeping bags for them. However, he was captured by militants and severely beaten. Having received a blow to the head with the butt of a machine gun, he lost consciousness. Waking up from the cold, half naked, the paratrooper managed to return his machine gun and, together with sergeants A. Suponinsky and A. Porshnev and privates V. Timoshenko and A. Voronin, went to the location of their troops.

The bandits paid dearly for the death of the paratrooper heroes. More than 400 militants found their deaths on the battlefield. Guard senior lieutenant A. Vorobyov killed the field commander Idris. In total, as it became known from radio interception and intelligence data, three detachments of militants from the group under the command of Khattab, totaling up to 2,500 people, tried to break through in the direction of the 2nd battalion, but, thanks to the tenacity and courage of the paratroopers, they managed to break out of the Argun Gorge failed…

Officers, sergeants and soldiers - they all, as one, entered into battle with the brutal bandits of Khattab, and did not retreat a single step, holding their position until their last breath. In a bloody battle with an enemy twenty times superior, the paratroopers won.

Still alive, fighters from 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment. . .

In that short essay there will be no description of the feat of the 6th company. It will not contain a description of the battle itself and the characteristics of the fighters who took part in it and died in it. I want to talk about the survivors and how and at the expense of whom or what they survived.
The fates of the six surviving paratroopers were not easy. Many in the regiment considered them traitors. There were rumors that two of them even had greased guns, with full magazines: supposedly they had sat out somewhere while the battle was going on. Most of the officers of the unit were against being nominated for awards. But five of them received the Order of Courage, and Private Alexander Suponinsky received the star of the Hero of Russia.
The families of the victims created the organization “Red Carnations” to preserve the memory of the children and try to find out the truth about their deaths.
“The guys from the regiment came to me and said that you couldn’t tell them everything,” says Alexandra Zagoraeva. “They showed on the map where they were sitting with weapons in their hands, ready to rush to the rescue of the company. But there was no order. The person who opened a criminal case into the death of the company was fired. He told me that he knew how the guys died and would tell us when he retired. Many people told us that the trail with our boys was sold. We will probably never know who sold it. Three years later, we wanted to get acquainted with the investigation materials, but we were not allowed to read them.
The commander of the 104th regiment, Sergei Melentyev, was responsible for the death of the heroes, who during the battle six times asked the commander of the Eastern group, General Makarov, to allow the company to retreat. Melentyev was transferred to Ulyanovsk with a demotion. Before leaving Pskov, he went to every house where the families of dead soldiers lived and asked for forgiveness. Two years later, Melentyev died - the 46-year-old colonel’s heart could not stand it.

Night fight.

Of the 90 paratroopers, only 6 survived, here are their names: Suponinsky, Porshnev, Komarov, Hristolyubov, Vladykin and Timoshenko. Moreover, Suponinsky was given the star of the Hero of Russia to the only survivor! Why he received his star is a separate story.
As, for example, writes a journalist who was closely involved in this matter. And he interviewed officers of the Pskov division who served with the dead and, accordingly, knew a lot about them. Then one of the unnamed officers (since the command forbade them to give interviews) gave this version regarding the awarding of Suponinsky. " All officers were warned not to give interviews to anyone...

A.A. Suponinsky.
The privates were awarded the Gold Star based on their service record: how they showed themselves during the service - diligence, discipline.
- But heroism is often shown by inflexible and extraordinary people.
- I'm telling you how it was. Now about why Suponinsky ran from you. That he was one of the last defenders on the hill and Kozhemyakin let him and Porshnev go is a lie. That they jumped from a cliff as high as a five-story building is a lie. Show me this cliff. I climbed this hill up and down. On March 1, following fresh tracks, he ascended, on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th, when all the dead were carried away from the heights. The battlefield says a lot. Kozhemyakin, the reconnaissance platoon commander, is a good hand-to-hand fighter and apparently put up a good fight. His face was completely smashed with rifle butts, and several stabbed militants were lying nearby. They probably wanted to take him alive as the last officer.
On the morning of March 1, when everything was quiet, I met Suponinsky and Porshnev at the foot of the hill. Suponinsky said something feverishly as they walked away, and Porshnev remained silent, his eyes downcast. He had not yet had time to come up with his own legend. And how is it - they retreated together, and only one became a Hero? Suponinsky's shin was severely cut by a shrapnel; with such a wound he would not have descended from a height.
They weren't up to par. They hid, waited and came out.
Soon Khristolubov and Komarov appeared at the foot. Yes, they abandoned the seriously wounded Vorobyov, that’s true. Both have clean barrels and a full complement of cartridges. They didn't fire a shot.
The last to leave was Timoshenko, the battalion commander's liaison officer.
One of our officers directly told Suponinsky: “Take off the star”... All six of them should not have been awarded.”
By the way, this version is indirectly confirmed by the story of the mother of guard private R. Pakhomov, Lyudmila Pakhomova: “Only our sons, under the command of Dostovalov and company commander Ermakov, rushed to rescue the 6th company. Nobody else. ... following fresh steps, I showed a photograph of my son to Suponinsky: “Sash, have you seen my Roma?” And he says: “No, I was wounded at the beginning of the battle and they carried me out.” At the beginning of the battle!

A.V. Dostovalov.
Suponinsky himself said this: “Somewhere in the morning I realized that everything was a mess. Evtyukhin was killed in the head, there will be no help, he himself was wounded in the leg, the artillery is silent. He brought the machine gun to his temple, the last horn remained, and then ours hit the “spirits” like fire, and exactly like that, right at their positions. He yelled something and the entire store was released in their direction. Then our people fell silent again. He crawled up to the guys, took more cartridges and grenades, and began to snap. There are no more thoughts at all, just one desire - to kill at least one!
We are paratroopers who have fulfilled our duty to the end! I feel sorry for the boys. But the guys fought to the end, no one threw down their weapons, no one ran away... Lieutenant Ryazantsev, when the cartridges ran out, let the “Czechs” get closer and blew himself up and them with a grenade. Such people died, such guys... The main thing is that they are always, always remembered!”
The last surviving officer, senior lieutenant Kozhemyakin, ordered Suponinsky and Porshnev to leave, jump from a cliff, and he covered them with a machine gun. “Above, from the height of the cliff, about fifty militants fired at them for half an hour from machine guns. After waiting, both, wounded, first crawled, then on all fours, then full height began to leave." It was a miracle that we survived.
But at the same time, Porshnev received the Order of Courage and Suponinsky the star of Hero, for the same feat, all this is strange.

D.S. Kozhemyakin.
The journalist interviewed an officer who went with his unit on the first, second, third and fourth of March to the hill where the battle had taken place before, and, following the footsteps of the battle, reported to the regiment commander about the dead and wounded, officers and privates. This officer then met Suponinsky and Porshnev at the foot of the hill, who, allegedly, according to them, were ordered to leave the top by the last surviving officer Kozhemyakin. The officer expressed great doubt that both were at their best among the last defenders. “If they had been, they would not have been saved... It’s not for nothing that Suponinsky is hiding from you...” he told a journalist writing about the hero of Russia. Or as it was written about gross inconsistencies in the memories of surviving soldiers in one blog by an anonymous participant, but judging by the vocabulary, also an active or former military man: “So, I wanted to draw attention to some inconsistencies in the stories of A. Porshnev and A. Suponinsky. In the Bratishka magazine (link: http://www.bratishka.ru/archiv/2007/8/2007_8_6.php) I found an article in which Suponinsky talks about the battle and how he managed to escape. His words: When Dostavalov and Evtyukhin died, I counted the remaining ammunition. Not a lot - 6 rounds... Romanov, inserting the last magazine of cartridges into the machine gun, said: “Someone must survive and tell the truth about us. Go away, boys, I’ll cover you” - according to him, it turns out that Evtyukhin and Dostavalov died before Mr. Romanov, but in the description of those events on the Pskov website it is said that Mr. Romanov (I quote) “At 5.10 on March 1st, the militants launched an attack on the heights from all directions. Their number was more than 1000 people. By this time he had died Guard fire spotter Captain Romanov suffered from wounds, so the commander himself, Evtyukhin, corrected the artillery fire, Guard Lieutenant Ryazantsev Alexander Nikolaevich helped him, but he also soon died." (link: http://www.pskovgorod.ru/cats.html?id=632) - there is an obvious contradiction here. If we take the data from the Pskov article as a basis, it turns out that at six o’clock in the morning Suponinsky was no longer at the height. Meanwhile, in one of the issues of Bratishka magazine for 2008, an interview with D. Kozhemyakin’s father was published. The words of A. Suponinsky are again cited there, but they differ from what he said in 2007. to the editor of the aforementioned magazine (I quote): “According to the recollections of the surviving senior sergeant Suponinsky, they met the last onslaught of the militants with only four machine guns: the battalion commander, Alexander Dostavalov (deputy battalion commander, major), Lieutenant Dmitry Kozhemyakin and he. The first to die was Mark Evtyukhin (lieutenant colonel , battalion commander)... Then the major will die. And then Dima Kozhemyakin (he will not live exactly one month before his twenty-fourth birthday) will order the senior sergeant and the crawling private Porshnev to retreat." On the Internet you can also find Porshnev’s explanations: “There were five of us, the last ones left,” Andrei Porshnev later recalled, “battalion commander Evtyukhin, deputy battalion commander Dostavalov and senior lieutenant Kozhemyakin. Officers. Well, Sasha and I. Evtyukhin and Dostavalov died, and Kozhemyakin's both legs were broken, and he threw cartridges at us with his hands. The militants came close to us, there were about three meters left, and Kozhemyakin ordered us: leave, jump down..." (link: http://army.lv/ru/6-rota /1152/2525) Here is an excerpt from another article (newspaper “Izvestia”, article - “Suvorik”): “Officer (I won’t mention not only the name, but also the rank): . .. ...That he [Suponinsky] was one of the last defenders on the hill and Kozhemyakin let him and Porshnev go is a lie. That they jumped from a cliff as high as a five-story building is a lie. Show me this cliff. I climbed this hill up and down... On the morning of March 1, when everything was quiet, I met Suponinsky and Porshnev at the foot of the hill. Suponinsky said something feverishly as they walked away, and Porshnev remained silent, his eyes downcast. He had not yet had time to come up with his own legend. And how is it - they retreated together, and only one became a Hero? Suponinsky's shin was severely cut by a shrapnel; with such a wound he would not have descended from a height. Soon Khristolubov and Komarov appeared at the foot. Yes, they abandoned the seriously wounded Vorobyov, that’s true. Both have clean barrels and a full complement of cartridges. They didn't fire a shot. (link: http://www.izvestia.ru/russia/article26469/)

In the photo: For a whole day after the death of the 6th company, federal troops did not appear at altitude 776.0. Until the morning of March 2, no one fired at the height where the militants were in charge. They were in no hurry: they finished off the surviving paratroopers, dumping their bodies in a heap...

We can conclude that one of the two (or both) is telling a lie. These discrepancies indirectly support suspicions that Suponinsky and Porshnev could have left the height without permission. Their reaction is understandable; they just wanted to live. You can only condemn lies... As the journalist himself writes: “I did not “discredit” this paratrooper, because I still think that he did the right thing, managing to save his life. Moreover, in conditions when high-ranking generals sold the escape route to the Chechens, and the 6th company with this boy was framed for credibility, in order to cover up the money trail. This is what all Pskovites say, and not only them.” And further, "They knew about the militants, it is possible that they were being led. It seems true that, moving at night, they gave a sign with flashlights and ours did not shoot without orders. Whether it was like this or not doesn’t matter.” The interlocutors believe one thing for sure: not to notice more than 2,500 people in the mountains devoid of vegetation (greenery) is on the verge of fantasy. But at the same timeThe regimental chief of staff, Teplinsky, and other officers were against rewarding two living paratroopers who abandoned a dying scout on the slope of a hill. But Moscow decided everything, both received the Order of Courage. I repeat again: “it was a reward action, a political action in which there should have been no place for anyone unworthy - without “exceptions”.” And, for example, the other two surviving paratroopers, Komarov and Khristolubov, did not even take part in the battle. They were walking at the tail of the column when shooting began ahead, and they found themselves at the foot of the hill. The grenade launcher Izyumov jumped up to them, took the machine gun, and rushed upstairs, and these two simply simply disappeared; no one saw them anywhere else until the end of the battle. They returned to the unit's location after the battle, with full ammunition and without soot in the barrels from shots. But, nevertheless, much later, the same Komarov did not hesitate to tell journalists how he fought hand-to-hand with bandits with a sapper's shovel. As officer Oleg P. says: “Khristolubov and Komarov were going down, hiding in a crevice, and heard a groan: “Guys, help!” This was called by Senior Lieutenant Vorobiev, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company. Both chickened out and ran away. After the battle below, at the foot of the hill, they mumbled: “There, on the slope, the officer remained, still alive.” When our men got up, Vorobyov was already dead. Khristolyubov and Komarov were also awarded the Order of Courage. The regiment's chief of staff, Teplinsky, was against it, and we, all the officers, were against it, but apparently in Moscow they decided differently: the entire company was heroes. The most amazing thing is that Khristolubov and Komarov quickly got used to this role. Another one of the survivors simply surrendered to the militants. This is how, for example, a journalist who interviewed this fighter describes it: “Everything around was already burned out, and no one was left alive when the rebels, in full force, like winners, went straight at him, the only one. But since he no longer had anything to fight back with, he knelt down and asked: “Don’t shoot, I surrender.” They hit him on the head, stripped him and took off his shoes. I woke up from the cold. I found a machine gun under the body of the dead man, walked around the height, and did not meet any wounded people. He moved independently to the location of his troops. There he himself told everything, honestly, as it happened. If I had hidden it, remained silent, no one would have ever known anything. At home, he tried to commit suicide; his mother pulled him out of the noose. The military prosecutor's office conducted an investigation and found no crime or gross violations. The guy, like others, was awarded the Order of Courage. And absolutely right. But the pain did not subside: “Why didn’t I die along with everyone else? It’s my fault that I didn’t die.” The guy did not come to the opening of the monument and ended up in a mental hospital. And another one didn’t come: he’s also in a mental hospital. But at the same time, as he writesIgor Isakov: “The one from the top, still not himself, is being executed: “Why didn’t I die then along with everyone else.” Another one, from those who left the commander, went home after the hospital and returned to Chechnya, debts return. He fought brilliantly until he was wounded, until he atoned for his guilt with blood. The last one to come out to his friends was the radio operator of battalion commander Evtyukhin - Timoshenko. According to his version, a machine-gun crew of militants entered their flank, which was very disturbing, and the battalion commander allegedly sent him and staff clerk Gerdt to destroy the enemy crew, and kept the radio. At this time, mortar fire began and one of the mines hit a nearby tree, which covered both of them. Moreover, Gerdt was killed on the spot, and Timoshenko was only wounded, but without ammunition. And supposedly the bandits’ machine gunners were never able to reach him, although they were 5-7 meters away from him with a machine gun. Here two questions immediately arise: first, how could the commander send the only radio operator at that time to destroy the machine-gun point. If the well-known army rule states that the commander and radio operator are protected and protected first and foremost, and there can be no exceptions? The second question is how could the “Czechs” leave Tymoshenko alive, being 5-7 meters away from him? In general, I wrote everything I wanted to write about the survivors of the 6th company on this topic. It seems to me that over time this truth will be forgotten about them, the feat will be smoothed over, as in the situation with the “cruiser Varyag”. What do you think about all this, my dear readers? http://my.mail.ru/community/istoriamira/0C5F590982E150BC.html#0C5F590982E150BC Author Denis Diderot.

Used materials

Battle at Height 776 (Chechen War) - a clash between the 6th PDR (parachute landing company) of the 2nd battalion of the 104th Airborne Regiment and a large group of militants led by Khattab from February 29 to March 1, 2000.

Versions

It is worth noting that a lot of different versions of what happened, various investigations, and so on are associated with this battle. It is still not known for certain how everything happened. Both the number of militants and the words of Captain Romanov vary. Calling fire on yourself or shouting into the radio that the paratroopers have been betrayed. In this article, the main emphasis is on the official version about the battle at height 776. True or false - we will never know.

Background

Chechnya. The final 3rd phase of the combat operation of federal forces to combat gangs. A large group of militants, numbering more than 3,000, was blocked in the Shatoi region. In February, from the 22nd to the 29th, battles took place for Shatay. Being surrounded, the Wahhabis attempted to break out of it. The attempt ended with the release of two gangs led by Ruslan Galaev and Khattab. On February 28, the 6th airborne company of the 104th regiment was sent to the height of East Cord. Subsequently, this will lead to an event such as the battle at Hill 776.

Chronology

On February 26, the 104th Regiment received the task of redeploying to the required heights and creating a barrier.

By the morning of the 27th, the 2nd battalion received instructions to advance to the Ulus-Kert area and blockade this area along the heights.

02/28/2000 The 6th PDR was given an order from Colonel Melentyev: to occupy the height of East Kord. Commander Molodov sends a group of 12 people on reconnaissance, while he and the main forces remain at height 776. It was decided to build a strong point.

At 12 o'clock the next day, the reconnaissance group enters into battle with a detachment of militants. This forces her to retreat to Molodov's positions.

At 16:00 on the same day, the battle began at Height 776. On March 1, at 7:00 in the morning, the battle was over. 84 paratroopers were killed.

Before the fight

Expecting to return to the unit's location by the evening, Mark Evtyukhin, who acted as the battalion commander, decides to go on a forced march with Major Molodov, who had recently arrived at the unit and was just beginning to get used to it.

One of the mistakes of such a historical event as the battle at Hill 776 was that the company set off on a forced march without any prior preparation. The soldiers left the unit’s location with everything necessary to set up the camp.

On the way, the company was stretched very thin. The vanguard of the group was the scout squad of Lieutenant Vorobyov. They walked a kilometer from the main detachment. According to Evtyukhin’s calculations, at such a speed the fighters should have arrived at height 776 only by late night.

After the company arrived at the designated location, it was decided to establish a strong point and send reconnaissance towards the desired height.

When the fighters took the battle at Height 776, the firing points and positions were not yet properly equipped.

During the battle

02/29/2000, 11.00. Lieutenant Vorobyov's scouts reported a group of militants. With the help of several artillery salvos, following a tip from spotter Romanov, it was possible to destroy the enemy.

When the reconnaissance squad began to advance further, someone snagged the tripwire. It later turned out that Medvedev was wounded. To clarify what happened, Molodov takes several fighters and advances to the group. When the fighters get to the place, the shelling begins. Vorobyov, who was wounded in the neck by a militant sniper, calls the stronghold and reports that they are under sniper fire.

When the number of Wahhabis becomes more and more, and the fire becomes denser, the reconnaissance group begins to retreat to positions at the height, to the place that for many fighters will be the last - height 776. Photos after the battle show that the 6th company was not ready for such a number of militants .

Meanwhile, the forced march was not yet over, and most of the fighters were just rising to the heights, knowing nothing about what was happening.

A small retreat

The 2nd battalion, which included the 6th company, always stood in so-called blocks, so the paratroopers simply did not have the experience of marching, like, for example, the soldiers of the 1st battalion, who often made raids into the mountains.

While Colonel Sergei Baran learned about Medvedkov’s injury, he requested an order to descend to the foot of the mountain and provide medical assistance, for which he received the go-ahead. With reserve soldiers and the commander of the medical unit Knyazhishche, he advanced to Selmentauzen. He also requested help from the 1st company, which was located nearby, but was refused (according to Colonel Baran), since according to Evtyukhin’s reports it turned out that everything was under control. Alexey Vorobyov reported on the enemy advancing in “waves” of 50-70 people.

Even in the evening, the militants continued the assault, as a result of which Colonel Baran received an order: to gather all combat-ready soldiers of the 1st company and move to the aid of the 6th company blocked at a height. There are three versions of what happened next.

Firstly, the detachment was ordered not to interfere in the battle and retreat, which is absolutely pointless. Secondly, when they contacted Evtyukhin by radio, he said that no support was needed. Thirdly, the fighters were pinned down by dense (this happened later - on the morning of March 1st) enemy fire and could not break through. They only succeeded on March 2nd. This is a battle at height 776.

What happened directly at the height?

The attack did not stop for the rest of the day. There were short breaks while the militants carried away the wounded. During such intervals, mortar and sniper fire was fired at the positions of the paratroopers.

During the night, at approximately 11:20 p.m., the assault intensified. Thanks to spotter Romanov, more than 1,000 volleys of regimental artillery were fired at the militants.

Even then, the battle at Height 776, the battle of the 104th Parachute Regiment, which will forever remain in the history of the country, claimed the lives of more than thirty soldiers.

By the morning of the next day, around 3-5 o'clock, the assault subsided a little, although the Wahhabis continued to attack in groups. Then Evtyukhin contacted Major A. Dostovalov and asked for help. He was located one and a half kilometers from the battle zone. The major and his group immediately responded and reached the company positions, extending the defense for several hours.

The next attack was the most massive. The militants walked without bending down. They came so close that at one of the lines a hand-to-hand combat. In the future, the militants will find remains of narcotic substances on the battlefield.

When the militants were a few steps from the strong point, Evtyukhin decided to call fire on himself.

Since the morning of the same day, the 6th company will never make contact again.

Comment

Battle at height 776, unofficial version. Here we should make a digression. According to some versions, Evtyukhin’s last words were allegedly: “You betrayed us.” And these are by no means words about requesting artillery fire on oneself. And no attempts were made to in any way help the dying company. However, it is worth noting that such means as aviation and regimental artillery could not be used in the conditions in which the battle took place at height 776, for reasons of the possibility of being hit by friendly forces and due to poor visibility. And the scattering of regimental artillery shells is fraught with hitting the positions of friendly soldiers at such a distance and such areas as Hill 776. The battle of the 6th company was supposed to be supported by the 1st company, but it was ambushed (another version) and under massive enemy fire near the river Abazulogol. Even with the support of self-propelled, regimental artillery and helicopters, the soldiers of the first company were able to break through enemy fire only by the morning of the next day.

Thus, only on March 2nd a covering group of 80 (from the 1st company) and an evacuation group of 50 (4th company) were able to break through to the positions.

Results of the battle

The height was taken by militants. Vorobyov personally killed one of the militant commanders, Irdis. Of the entire company of 90 soldiers, six people remained alive. According to various estimates, the total number of militants, including rear lines and mortar crews, was about 2000. 350 - 600 Mujahideen were killed during the time the battle lasted at Height 776.

Lieutenant Kozhemyakin gave the order to the fighters Porshnev and Suponinsky to jump into the cliff. They jumped and the very next day they came out to their own people.

Komarov and Khristolubov were in a platoon that was just climbing the mountain.

Evgeny Vladykin entered into hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, was hit with a rifle butt and lost consciousness. Only then did he wake up and go out to his people. Private Timoshenko was stunned and wounded.

When one of the soldiers escaped, Senior Lieutenant Sotnikov took 3 soldiers and went in search. The detachment returned to the strong point of the 1st battalion and handed over the fugitive. By this time the battle was already in full swing.

Later it became known that the 6th company was opposed to the best unit of the Mujahideen, which consisted of professional mercenaries from Arab countries.

Titles awarded

This is how the battle of militants against 19-20 year old boys took place - the battle at height 776. The Pskov region is the homeland of heroes who showed courage and stopped the militants at the cost of their lives. They completed the task that was assigned to the end.

Hero of Russia - 22 people (21 - posthumously)

Order of Courage - 68 (63 - posthumously)

We can safely say: that feat has not been forgotten. Until now, the requests “height 776”, “photo after the battle”, “6th company” remain very popular.

On March 1, 2000, the 6th company of Pskov paratroopers took on an unequal battle... Everything was rumbling around. Day and night the terrorists were ironed out by our artillery. And on February 9, Su-24 front-line bombers, for the first time during the operation in Chechnya, dropped volume-detonating explosives on militants in the Argun Gorge aerial bombs weighing one and a half tons. The bandits suffered enormous losses from these "one and a half" ones. Out of fright, they screamed on the air, mixing Russian and Chechen words:

– Rusnya used a prohibited weapon. After the hellish explosions, not even ashes remain from the Nokhchi.

And then there were tearful requests for help. The leaders of the militants surrounded in the Argun Gorge, in the name of Allah, called on their “brothers” in Moscow and Grozny not to spare money. The first goal is to stop dropping “inhumane vacuum” bombs on Ichkeria. The second is to buy a corridor to reach Dagestan.

From the “aquarium” - the headquarters of the GRU - the OSNA members in the Caucasus received a particularly secret task: to record all negotiations around the clock not only of the militants, but also of our command. The agents reported on the impending conspiracy.

Half a million per pass. Orders for heroism.

On the last day of February, Sergei recalls, we managed to intercept a radio conversation between Khattab and Basayev:

– If there are dogs ahead (that’s what the militants called the representatives internal troops), we can negotiate.

- No, these are goblins (that is, paratroopers, in the jargon of bandits).

Then Basayev advises the Black Arab, who led the breakthrough:

- Listen, maybe let's go around? They won’t let us in, we’ll only reveal ourselves...

“No,” Khattab answers, “we will cut them off.” I paid 500 thousand American dollars for passage. And the bosses set up these jackal-goblins to cover their tracks.

And yet, at the insistence of Shamil Basayev, we first went on the radio to the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin, who was in the 6th company, with a proposal to let their column through “in an amicable way.”

“There are a lot of us here, ten times more than you.” Why are you in trouble, commander? Night, fog - no one will notice, and we will pay very well,” Idris and Abu Walid, field commanders especially close to Khattab, exhorted in turn.

But in response there was such a masterly obscenity that the radio conversations quickly stopped. And away we go...

6th company, 90 against 2500 - they held out! The attacks came in waves. And not mental, as in the film “Chapaev,” but Dushman. Using the mountainous terrain, the militants got close. And then the fight turned into hand-to-hand combat. They used bayonet knives, sapper blades, and metal butts of “knots” (an airborne version of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, shortened, with a folding butt).

The commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the guard, senior lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov, personally destroyed field commander Idris, beheading the gang. To the commander of the self-propelled artillery battery Guard captain Viktor Romanov had both legs torn off by a mine explosion. But he's up to last minute life adjusted artillery fire.
The company fought, holding the height, for 20 hours. Two battalions of the “White Angels” – Khattab and Basayev – joined the militants. 2500 versus 90.

Of the 90 company paratroopers, 84 died. Later, 22 were awarded the title of Hero of Russia (21 posthumously), and 63 were awarded the Order of Courage (posthumously). One of the streets of Grozny is named after 84 Pskov paratroopers.

The Khattabites lost 457 selected fighters, but were never able to break through to Selmentauzen and further to Vedeno. From there the road to Dagestan was already open. By high order, all checkpoints were removed from it. This means that Khattab did not lie. He actually bought the pass for half a million bucks.
The switchman is to blame

Sergei takes it from the bookshelf spent cartridge case. And it’s clear without words, from there. Then he dumps a pile of some papers on the table. Quotes the former commander of the group in Chechnya, General Gennady Troshev: “I often ask myself a painful question: was it possible to avoid such losses, did we do everything to save the paratroopers? After all, your duty, general, is first and foremost to take care of preserving life. As hard as it is to realize, we probably didn’t do everything then.”
It is not for us to judge the Hero of Russia. He died in a plane crash. But until the last moment he was apparently tormented by his conscience. After all, according to the intelligence officers, during their reports from February 29 to March 2, the commander did not understand anything. He was poisoned by burnt vodka of the Mozdok spill.

Mark Evtyukhin - he led the sixth company.
The “switchman” was then punished for the death of the heroic paratroopers: regiment commander Melentyev was transferred to Ulyanovsk as chief of staff of the brigade. The commander of the eastern group, General Makarov, remained on the sidelines (six times Melentyev asked him to give the company the opportunity to withdraw without killing the guys) and another general, Lentsov, who headed the airborne task force.

In those same March days, when they had not yet had time to bury the 6th company, Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin, like other famous generals of the last Chechen war - Viktor Kazantsev, Gennady Troshev and Vladimir Shamanov, visited the capital of Dagestan. There they received from the hands of the local mayor Said Amirov silver Kubachi sabers and diplomas conferring upon them the title of “Honorary Citizen of the City of Makhachkala.” Against the backdrop of the huge losses suffered by Russian troops, this looked extremely inappropriate and tactless.

The scout takes another paper from the table. In the memorandum of the then commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Georgy Shpak, to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Igor Sergeev, the general’s excuses were again made: “Attempts by the command of the Airborne Forces operational group, PTG (regimental tactical group) of the 104th Guards RDP to release the encircled group due to strong fire gangs and difficult terrain conditions did not bring success.”

What's behind this phrase? According to the OSNA member, this is the heroism of the soldiers and officers of the 6th company and the still incomprehensible inconsistencies in the top management. Why didn’t help come to the paratroopers on time? At 3 o'clock in the morning on March 1, a reinforcement platoon headed by Yevtyukhin's deputy guard, Major Alexander Dostavalov, was able to break through to the encirclement, who later died along with the 6th company. However, why only one platoon?

It was on the first day of spring 2000 that paratroopers of the 6th company under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin entered into an unequal battle with Khattab’s militants near Ulus-Kert. They prevented the breakthrough of 2.5 thousand members of illegal gangs, destroying 700 of them. Of the 90 fighters, 84 died. For their courage, 22 military personnel were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, 69 soldiers and officers were awarded the Order of Courage, 63 of them posthumously.

Almost all the officers died in the first minutes of the battle. Trained snipers worked at the paratroopers' positions. Later it would become known that Khattab brought the best mercenaries, among whom there were many Arabs, to the Argun Gorge.

They walked without even shooting. In the last attack - at full height. Later, strong drugs would be found at the heights, which were injected into themselves by militants twenty times superior to the paratroopers. But the sixth one still fought.

Battle at height 776. Feat 6 airborne companies.

Before the fight

February 2000. Federal troops block a large group of Khattab militants in the Argun Gorge. According to intelligence data, the bandits number from one and a half to two thousand people. The militants hoped to break out of the gorge, reach Vedeno and hide in Dagestan. The road to the plain lies through height 776.
On February 28, the commander of the 104th regiment, Colonel Sergei Melentyev, ordered the commander of the 6th company, Major Sergei Molodov, to occupy the dominant heights of Isty-Kord. Let us note that the 104th Parachute Regiment arrived in Chechnya 10 days before the battle at height 776, and the regiment was consolidated and was staffed locally at the expense of the 76th Airborne Division. Major Sergei Molodov was appointed commander of the 6th company, but in 10 days he did not, and could not, have time to get to know the soldiers, much less create a combat-ready formation from the 6th company. Nevertheless, on February 28, the 6th company set off on a 14-kilometer forced march and occupied height 776, and 12 scouts were sent to Mount Isty-Kord, located 4.5 kilometers away.

Progress of the battle

February 29, 2000

At 12:30 on February 29, reconnaissance of the 6th company came across militants, and a battle began with a group of about 20 militants. During the battle, the scouts were forced to retreat to Hill 776, where the 6th company entered the battle. In the very first minutes of the battle, commander Sergei Molodov was killed, and the position of the paratroopers from the very beginning began to look hopeless: they did not have time to dig in, there was thick fog at the height.

After the death of Molodov, battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin took command, asking for reinforcements and air support. But his requests for help went unheard. Only the regimental artillery provided assistance to the 6th company, but due to the fact that there was no artillery spotter among the paratroopers, the shells often fell inaccurately.
The most paradoxical thing is that the outskirts of Argun were literally filled with army units. Moreover, units of federal forces located on neighboring heights were eager to come to the aid of the dying 6th company, but they were forbidden to do so.

By the end of the day, the 6th company lost 31 people killed (33% of the total number of personnel).
Fortunately, among the officers of Yeltsin’s rotten army there were still honest and decent people who could not stand by and watch the militants destroy their comrades. 15 soldiers of the 3rd platoon of the 4th company, led by Major Alexander Dostavalov, were able to make their way to the 6th company in just 40 minutes and, under heavy fire from the militants, connect with Evtyukhin. 120 paratroopers under the command of the chief of reconnaissance of the 104th regiment, Sergei Baran, also voluntarily withdrew from their positions, crossed the Abazulgol River and moved to help Evtyukhin, but they were stopped by a categorical order from the command to immediately return to their positions. Group commander Marine Corps of the Northern Fleet, Major General Otrakovsky repeatedly asked for permission to come to the aid of the paratroopers, but never received it. On March 6, because of these experiences, General Otrakovsky’s heart stopped. Another casualty of the battle at height 776...

March 1, 2000

At 3 o'clock in the morning, a group of soldiers led by Major Alexander Vasilyevich Dostavalov (15 people) was able to break through to the encircled people, who, having violated the order, left the defensive lines of the 4th company at a nearby height and came to the rescue. During the battle, all paratroopers of the 3rd platoon of the 4th company were killed. Alexander Dostavalov was repeatedly wounded, but continued to lead the fighters. Another wound turned out to be fatal.
At 6:11 the connection with Evtyukhin was interrupted. According to the official version, he called artillery fire on himself, but, as witnesses of those events say, the last thing the battalion commander said before his death were the words:

you are goats, you betrayed us, bitches!

After which he fell silent forever, and Hill 776 was occupied by militants who slowly finished off the wounded paratroopers and mocked the body of Mark Evtyukhin for a long time. Moreover, all this was filmed and posted on the Internet.

The soldiers of the 1st company of the 1st battalion sought to rescue their comrades. However, while crossing the Abazulgol River, they were ambushed and were forced to gain a foothold on the bank. Only on the morning of March 3 did the 1st company manage to break through to the positions of the 6th company

After the battle at height 776

Paratrooper losses

84 soldiers of the 6th and 4th companies, including 13 officers, were killed in the battle.

Militant losses

According to federal forces, militant losses amounted to 400 or 500 people.
The militants claim the loss of up to 20 people.

Surviving paratroopers

After the death of Dostavalov, only one officer remained alive - Lieutenant Dmitry Kozhemyakin. He ordered senior guard sergeant Alexander Suponinsky to crawl to the cliff and jump, and he himself picked up a machine gun to cover the soldier.

Kozhemyakin’s both legs were broken, and he threw cartridges at us with his hands. The militants came close to us, there were about three meters left, and Kozhemyakin ordered us: leave, jump down.

- Andrey Porshev recalls.
Following the officer's order, Suponinsky and Andrei Porshnev crawled to the cliff and jumped, and by the middle of the next day they reached the location Russian troops. Sergei Kozhemyakin himself, while covering the soldier, was mortally wounded and died. Alexander Suponinsky, the only one of the six survivors, was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of Russia.

I would return everything so that all the guys would remain alive.

- Alexander Suponensky later said.

Guard private Tymoshenko was also wounded. The militants searched for him following a trail of blood, but the soldier was able to hide under the rubble of trees.
Privates Roman Khristolubov and Alexey Komarov were in the third platoon, which did not reach the height and died on the slope. They did not participate in the battle at height.
Private Evgeniy Vladykin was left alone without ammunition; in the fight he was hit on the head with a rifle butt and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was able to get to my people.
Only 6 fighters survived.
Also, as a result of the outbreak of the battle, two GRU officers managed to escape from captivity - Alexei Galkin and Vladimir Pakhomov, who at that time were escorted by militants near Ulus-Kert. Subsequently, Alexei Galkin was awarded the title of Hero of Russia, and his image was used as a prototype for the main character of the film “Personal Number”

For their feat, the paratroopers of the 6th company were awarded the title of Hero of Russia (21 of them posthumously), 68 soldiers and officers of the company were awarded the Order of Courage (63 of them posthumously)

Betrayal?

Such a massive death of paratroopers who entered into battle with a detachment significantly superior in number Chechen militants raises a lot of questions. The main ones are why something like this could happen and, no less important, did the command remain unpunished?
The company could not die in almost its entirety simply by definition. The command could have come to her aid more than a dozen times during the day, but this was not done. Why come to the rescue! The command could do nothing at all: it was enough simply not to interfere with those units that arbitrarily decided to help the Pskov paratroopers. But even this did not happen.

While the 6th company died heroically at height 776, someone purposefully blocked all attempts to save the paratroopers

There are suggestions that the militants’ passage from the Argun Gorge to Dagestan was purchased from high-ranking federal leaders. “All police checkpoints were removed from the only road leading to Dagestan,” while “the airborne group had information about the militants at the level of rumors.” The price for the retreat corridor was also mentioned - half a million dollars. A similar amount (17 million rubles) was mentioned by the former commander of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment, Colonel S. Yu. Melentyev:

Don't believe anything they say about Chechen war in the official media... Exchanged 17 million for 84 lives

According to Vladimir Vorobyov, the father of the deceased senior lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov, “Regimental Commander Melentyev asked for permission to withdraw the company, but the commander of the Eastern Group, General Makarov, did not give permission to retreat.” It is clarified that Melentyev 6 times (according to the testimony of people who personally knew him) asked permission to withdraw the company immediately after the start of the battle, but without receiving permission, he obeyed the order.
Military observer Vladimir Svartsevich argued that “there was no heroism, an outright betrayal of the guys by specific individuals of our command”:
Contrary to the counterintelligence ban, we managed to talk to a witness to the death of the guys - a boy who was sent by battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin, who died in that battle, to tell the truth. The material was written overnight; I compiled a complete chronicle of what was happening, hourly and minute by hour. And for the first time he named the real number of deaths in one battle. Everything was true. But the pathetic words that Mark Evtyukhin allegedly said on the radio - “I’m calling fire on myself” - were not true. In fact he said:

You assholes, you betrayed us, bitches!

The successful raid by Dostavalov’s platoon clearly refutes all the claims of the Russian command about the impossibility of getting through to the dying 6th company.

About the story of the death of the 6th generation of Pskov paratroopers officials initially they did not want to talk openly - journalists were the first to talk about what happened at height 766, and only after that the military broke the many-day silence.

Video

Report from the RTR TV channel in 2000. Feat of the Pskov Paratroopers of the 6th company of the Airborne Forces 104 RAP

Documentary film about the feat of the 6th Airborne Company. Chechnya battle near Ulus-Kert Argun Gorge