Special rapid response squad. How riot police and special forces killed the National Guard
Will celebrate soon big anniversary- Fourty years! - one of the oldest special forces in Russia - SOBR Center special purpose(TsSN) Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Moscow.
Most of those who have anything to do with law enforcement agencies know this detachment by its very nature. famous name- OMSN, i.e. Special Purpose Police Unit.
The unit became the first special forces detachment in the structure of the then Soviet police, and in fact, it was in its image and likeness that all other police special forces in Russia were subsequently created.
STORY
The Moscow SOBR was formed on November 9, 1978. Before this, the police did not have a unit capable of performing special tasks. In case of special situations, the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate had a so-called freelance group - employees of this formation were involved in service during particularly important events: ensuring security during the celebration of the November and May holidays, holding congresses of the CPSU and other events of national importance.
Also, employees of this group were involved in the event of any emergencies. In the 1970s, a number of terrorist attacks occurred in the world, which forced us to take a much closer look at the problems of ensuring the security of the state and its citizens. In addition, in 1980, one of the most significant events for the country - the Olympic Games - was to take place in Moscow.
As a result, a special-purpose unit was created under the Moscow City Executive Committee, which was to work at the Olympics and ensure the protection of the Olympic flame.
The employees of the new detachment had the high honor of accompanying the Olympic flame from the border with Romania through the territory of the USSR, as well as maintaining round-the-clock duty at many Olympic venues throughout the Olympics.
The best of the best were selected for the squad. The requirements for the first special forces soldiers were higher than ever - after all, starting is doubly difficult! For the first time, complex psychological and physical tests were introduced into the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was impossible to do otherwise - the highest responsibility was entrusted to the detachment. Future special forces were required to sports titles or ranks in any type of military applied sport. In some ways, the selection was reminiscent of testing in the airborne forces and army special forces.
At that time, any methods for training personnel to perform special tasks had not yet been developed; army developments were not entirely applicable to the specifics of the work of police special forces. And the KGB special forces were so secret at that time that few people knew about their existence—there was no talk of any exchange of experience. As a result, the detachment officers had to develop everything practically from scratch.
After the end of the Olympics, the question arose - what to do next with the unit. On the one hand, they created it to work for themselves Olympic Games, and no one thought about how to use it after the end of the event. On the other hand, the squad members showed themselves to be high-level professionals and coped well with the tasks assigned to them - the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, of course, did not want to lose such a combat-ready unit, which has no analogues.
The fate of the unit was decided by life itself. In 1981, a girl was taken hostage in Moscow, and since only special forces had any experience in performing special tasks, they were involved in the liberation operation. The squad members worked efficiently and harmoniously. The operation was completed successfully.
After this, it became clear that there would still be work for the police special forces and they were regularly subordinated to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate. True, the detachment was initially called not OMSN, but OMON, and in addition to special tasks, the unit also performed the functions of public security police, participating in the suppression of riots.
Over time, it became increasingly difficult for the special forces to cope with these functions - troubled times were coming in the country, massive and notorious miners' strikes began, so there simply weren’t enough squad members to do everything. Then the Ministry of Internal Affairs decided to reform the PPS regiment in the riot police and assign the task of combating riots to this unit. Thus, at one time there were two riot police in Moscow, which the officers themselves called Big and Small.
In 1989, the detachment was given an abbreviation, which was assigned to it on long term. It is for this reason that the unit became best known - the Special Purpose Police Unit (OMSN). The detachment worked with this name until 2011, when, in connection with the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, all police special forces were renamed Special Purpose Units (OSN).
During the same period, the unit structurally became part of the newly formed Special Purpose Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow.
In 2012, all police special forces units were given a common designation - SOBR, i.e. special squad rapid response. The unit is currently operating under this name.
COMBAT WORK
The main tasks of the detachment are the detention of armed and special dangerous criminals, repeat offenders, destruction of gang groups, release of hostages.
The detachment works in the interests of the Moscow criminal investigation department and other services of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow, implementing information received by operational officers and carrying out the forceful detention of criminals.
The unit is a reserve for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The squad members have completed hundreds of successful operations. Almost no security operation in the Moscow region is complete without the participation of officers from the Moscow SOBR.
Many of the operations carried out by the detachment became widely known due to their resonance. This is how the detention of criminals who attacked cash collectors near the Molodezhny store received wide publicity. The group was well armed and was responsible for several murders. It was possible to detain all members of the gang only after a full-scale search operation, which was carried out by the squad members.
Since police special forces are an operational combat unit, squad officers often have to work undercover, using a wide variety of legends. In the 1980s, there was a gang of drug addicts in Moscow who called an ambulance on a false case and then robbed doctors, taking all their medications.
On one of these calls, an ambulance team came to the resourceful businessmen, and instead of medicine, they brought with them handcuffs, which they put on the criminals. Another high-profile operation was carried out by Moscow special forces in 1983 at Vnukovo airport, where criminals were detained carrying almost 2.5 million Soviet rubles - in the USSR this was simply an astronomical amount.
One of the significant milestones in the history of the detachment, of course, was the “dashing nineties” - crime at that moment was at its peak, so to speak, almost no exit was possible without forceful detention. Then all the detachments of the country had to work - there were no quiet areas on the map of Russia. The main “contingent” then, of course, were various organized crime groups.
The Moscow detachment has an impressive list of gangs whose “careers” the Sobrov members ended forever. The special forces had enough work in the new millennium. Solonik's killer was detained by the forces of the detachment. The Sobrovtsy also worked meticulously in the very center of Moscow, when hostages were taken in a jewelry store on Tverskaya.
Another high-profile operation to free hostages was carried out on Frunzenskaya Embankment. The Moscow detachment caught the kidnapper of Kaspersky's son.
More recently, at the end of 2014, together with colleagues from other units, Sobrov officers neutralized members of the notorious “GTA gang,” which terrified the entire Moscow region.
Since 2003, one of the detachment’s combat squads has been constantly located in business trip in the North Caucasus. In the region, the detachment carries out tasks to combat the gangster underground and destroy illegal gangs.
Starting from the first business trips, the Moscow SOBR demonstrated the highest efficiency of its work. Each SOBR unit spends three months on a business trip, with an average of two or three trips every day. Before being sent to the Caucasus, the departing squad conducts a field trip to perform training tasks on terrain orientation, camp equipment, search and destruction of conditional criminals - the main emphasis is on working in mountainous and wooded areas.
REAL HEROES
Only officers serve in the detachment, and a Russian officer is not only a readiness to give his life “for his friends” and the Fatherland, but also a completely special internal culture. Culture is in everything - in communication, in behavior, in actions.
A special forces officer will never act meanly, will always help a comrade and will never allow evil to happen. Every member of the squad is like that.
SOBR officers are people of a very special formation. No, they are not supermen, not aliens. Anyone who is accustomed to movie stereotypes will most likely pass one of them on the street and not even suspect that in front of him is a special forces officer.
A special forces soldier is a sporty, fit man between 25 and 40 years old. An open and smiling person with an extremely positive outlook on life. And he is always calm. Olympic calm! Because calm is a sign of truly strong man. And these guys are really strong, because in their work you literally have to be forged from steel!
SELECTION FOR THE TEAM
The requirements for those who want to become an officer of the Moscow SOBR have not changed much since the founding of the detachment. They just became even tougher. Candidates are also required to have the highest level of physical fitness and sports titles not lower than candidate master of sports in any martial arts or military applied sport.
Most of those who serve in the detachment, with early childhood They devoted themselves to sports: some do wrestling, some do karate or boxing, others are involved in all-around events from the army. The essence is the same - these are 100% healthy men, medically fit to be at least cosmonauts. Besides martial arts not only strengthening the body, but also strengthening the spirit.
That is why the final stage of testing for a unit is sparring. The so-called special forces “acceptance”. Seven to eight one-minute sparring sessions with current squad officers. And this is full contact - you won’t see such low kicks (thai boxing strikes) in the “octagon”, but professional boxers will envy powerful uppercuts! Every blow is as hard as possible - no one is spared here.
The difficulty of such a test is that sparring - final stage physical fitness tests. Before him, the subject must run a marathon, perform exercises from the Cooper test, and all this without rest. The candidate enters the ring already quite exhausted. And against him are fresh and full of strength Sobrov members. This is not so much a test of fighting qualities as a test of fortitude.
The subject must endure even when exhausted and exhausted. Everyone understands that if necessary, they will knock out even a UFC champion. That's why no one tries to kill a person. The main thing is to understand who is in front of you. And if the subject does not break down, even when there is no more strength, then he is “the guy”!
But, of course, hand-to-hand combat is not the only thing that someone who decides to connect his life with SOBR needs to go through. A lot of psychological tests that should reveal the absolute mental adequacy of the person to whom the state will entrust weapons, the lives of law-abiding citizens and his comrades in the squad!
One of the most important moments is a personal interview. If a person comes to such a unit, he must do so consciously. He must understand WHERE and WHY he came. After all, here he will have to walk under bullets and shield his comrades, and maybe completely strangers— such actions require very strong motivation. And everyone must clearly answer all the questions for themselves before they even cross the threshold of the detachment.
There are other mandatory conditions (since SOBR is an officer unit) - only employees with higher education or those who complete their studies at a university are accepted into the detachment.
Upon entering the detachment, a newcomer must undergo a probationary period - from three months to six months. This is the time in which he will have to prove himself, show with the best side and not tarnish your reputation in any way. If the officers of the squad understand that they can go into battle with this person and trust him with their lives, then the candidate will be given the high honor of becoming a full member of the elite special forces.
However, one should not think that at this stage a person can relax and “reap his laurels.” Service in SOBR means constant training, self-improvement and preparation for work in all areas. A special forces soldier must constantly strive to become even better. There are no people who have nothing to learn. During the service, various classes are constantly conducted with employees in a wide variety of disciplines, however, first of all, each of the special forces must be passionate about what they do and constantly try to become a little better and, of course, learn from experience from more experienced and senior colleagues.
Ending in the next issue.
LAZAREV Konstantin. Journalist and photographer, main subject is special forces units. Behind Lately managed to work with most of the units in the Moscow region. He is interested in weapons and military equipment.
In addition to print media, he works on television as a journalist and TV presenter: in the program “ A military secret"on the Ren-TV channel and in the author's projects "Special Forces" and "War Years Equipment" on the OST-TV channel.
“Golden” laureate of the “Russian Journalists against Terror” award.
A short interview with police colonel Vladimir Ivanovich Baranov, former employee(since March 1979), and later as commander (since November 1995) of the OMSN (Special Purpose Police Detachment) of the criminal police of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate for the city of Moscow, now Moscow or the so-called "Petrovsky" SOBR , the first special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in our country.
The detachment was formed on November 9, 1978. What motivated the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to create a detachment? The upcoming Olympics-80 in Moscow?
He was driven by the desire to control and influence the operational situation in the city of Moscow and the country as a whole. Judging by some official events that the detachment carried out in the early eighties, such a need really arose and the leadership absolutely accepted correct solution. What was needed was a detachment capable of performing at any moment a special task that was beyond the capabilities of other units. What was needed was a special detachment, or special forces, as it has now become fashionable to say.
The very word “special forces” - was it already heard in conversations then?
Yes. The very word “special forces” came into use somewhere in the seventies, although it existed before. Maybe, so, they didn’t talk publicly about special forces then.
Was there any secrecy surrounding the unit at the time of its creation?
Initially - yes, of course. But then, when we were given the task of protecting the Olympics and the Olympic flame in particular, the secrecy was practically removed. In part, it still existed, of course: but not to the extent that was needed, but also the means mass media back then they didn’t talk much about special structures in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other services.
Spetsnaz Moscow-1980.
Photo from the archives of the Moscow SOBR.
The process of enrolling new employees into the detachment - what did it look like?
A man came here, and I, as a commander, talked with him. Next he had to undergo testing. So that both he and we are absolutely convinced and confident: the person knows where and why he came and what he will do. Only after passing all the tests was the range of his tasks explained to the recruit in detail. We gave preference to people who came to us from the troops: border guards, marines, Airborne paratroopers, from internal troops there were people from Vityaz. They looked at everyone carefully, checking both masters of sports and candidates for master of sports with a lot of sports experience. No exceptions were made, it was necessary.
What stages did the candidate testing consist of?
People were tested on general physical fitness, they passed the usual standards - pull-ups, running, push-ups. Plus special physical training. The candidate had to endure several fights with sparring partners, without having to prove himself as a “hand-to-hand fighter.” We were looking for people who were ready to stand without fear of injury; it should be clear from a person that he is ready, will fight to the end, will put himself in order to get into our unit. The successful candidate was going exactly to this result. Sometimes the subject refused - they say, I can’t fulfill your standards until I’m ready. This was a natural part of the professional selection for our squad.
Members of the first police special unit. Photo from the archives of the Moscow SOBR.
Sneakers and vests on squad members looked quite unusual for those times. Photo from the archives of the Moscow SOBR.
As an instructor hand-to-hand combat Please rate the sparrings mentioned - how tough were they?
The sparring was carried out quite harshly, but taking into account the expected readiness of the candidate who was being tested, taking into account his physical and psychological capabilities. If the candidate was ready to continue the fight to the end, he did so. Before the sparring he was given exactly this task - to stand to the end. The answer that testing gave was always clear: “ready” or “not ready” to serve with us. Of course, not everyone survived this test.
Were there any exceptions: did a person still come to serve in the detachment without surviving a duel or somehow avoiding sparring? Or that required condition?
This was a mandatory condition. Sometimes the candidate passed all the exams - demonstrated a decent physical training, could run a brilliant cross-country, do push-ups, pull-ups, but in the ring, with sparring partners, he showed some uncertainty. We monitored this and made the appropriate decision.
Is the percentage of personnel rejected during testing high?
About 30% of candidates passed the test.
Did an employee of your particular squad differ from an ordinary policeman in material terms?
Yes, of course, there were differences, but small ones. We had cash bonuses and special length of service: a year and a half. The monetary bonus for special forces was insignificant. Wage, of course, the category is important. The salary of police officers was more modest than that of military personnel, for example. We received less. But not everything then came down to material wealth, although this was important. It was hard in the nineties, and it was hard in the late eighties too, but people worked, they held on, they received a salary, albeit a small one. The question about money is significant, but our service is also a state service, which requires some sacrifice. This is especially true for service in special forces. Employees did not come to the detachment for a “long ruble,” but here they could test themselves and find out to the end. And, of course, people felt needed here.
When you already became a commander, did you have the opportunity to reward a distinguished employee financially or nominate him for an award?
Yes, I had a commander’s fund, allocated by financial services and I could manage it myself, for example, provide one or another employee, albeit small, but material assistance. Later, this practice was abandoned, the fund no longer existed, but I could petition the leadership of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate so that my employee could be provided with additional financial support. I substantiated this, proved it, wrote a report. I would not say that it was difficult and I must give credit to the leadership of the headquarters - they met me halfway and often helped me.
Did the detachment have any personal protective equipment for employees?
Yes, we certainly had such means. Military, mostly. They were then common to both the Ministry of Internal Affairs and army units. There were protective body armor. Maybe not very perfect, but certain type they were holding weapons. We didn't have everything we needed to perform special tasks, but we had some.
The squad members are dressed in standard jumpsuits for the Soviet Airborne Troops and are wearing Soviet hiking boots - “vibrams”.
Steel helmets of the army type SSh-68 and body armor ZhZT-71 (titanium protective vest), designed specifically for employees of internal affairs agencies and military personnel of the internal troops, are used as personal armor protection.
From 1971 to 1979, about 30 thousand bulletproof vests of the ZhZT series were produced, which, in accordance with the current standards of personnel status, fully satisfied the needs of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Noteworthy are the bayonet-knives and the non-standard pistol holster on the far right fighter.
Even more interesting photo sniper group police special forces. The body armor is of a different type, apparently - it is Zh-81 (6B2), a serial Soviet anti-fragmentation and bulletproof general-arms body armor of the first generation. It was developed in the USSR "Research Institute of Steel" in 1978, in 1979 it was accepted for supply Soviet army in 1979 and managed to serve the Soviet internationalist soldiers in Afghanistan. Zh-81 provides protection from shrapnel and pistol bullets, the weight of the body armor is 4.8 kg.
I can’t identify the means of communication and this is the first time I’ve seen such a construct. Is this the R-147 “Action”? In this case, the presence of cloth “gas mask” bags on staff is understandable.
Photo from the archives of the Moscow SOBR.
As for weapons - some special weapon were you in the squad?
Yes, sure. In the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs there was special institute, who developed samples of weapons, equipment and special means. And first of all, all this was intended for us.
Question for experts: what kind of shield appears in the picture? Photo from the archives of the Moscow SOBR.
Could you personally somehow influence the developments that were carried out in the interests of yours and similar units?
Without any doubt. I myself was a member of the commission for the acceptance of such weapons systems, protective equipment and special equipment and made my own adjustments to improve the characteristics and adapt new items to solve the problems facing us.
Did you have the opportunity to come up with a proposal to develop something completely new to support the squad?
Yes. We contacted the relevant services that dealt with these issues, and they met us halfway.
The training process is underway. Photo from the archives of the Moscow SOBR.
Photo from the archives of the Moscow SOBR.
How did the detachment gain experience? Was there an opportunity to communicate and exchange experience with related organizations, for example, the KGB?
Was. First of all, we carefully studied the experience of the Munich Olympics; as you know, not everything was good and smooth there. We studied the experience of foreign special forces, both army and police. A little later, I personally and many of our employees took part in visiting these units abroad. I personally, for example, trained for about a month in the Cobra special forces in Austria (EKO Cobra -Einsatzkommando Cobra). Personally, I scrupulously studied this issue, then analyzed it and applied it here when training my personnel. This is a very useful experience that needs to be studied and used.
In your personal opinion, which of the world's special forces are the most professional?
At that time these were the West German GSG-9, the British SAS, " green berets"in the USA and the Austrian "Cobra". Well and a number of others special units, which we have always kept in our area of attention.
Who would you single out from among the Soviet and Russian special units?
Of course, this is group “A”, “Alpha”, then the KGB, now the FSB. “Vympel” are our brothers in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the special forces “Vityaz” of the internal troops. We communicated closely with these units.
What operations does your squad carry out? Soviet time Would you call them ordinary and even routine? What did you do most often?
We were operationally subordinate to the MUR (Moscow Criminal Investigation Department). Our usual task was physical support of departments, especially the department for premeditated murders of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department, departments that dealt with serious crimes. Physical protection and support. We usually had the extreme phase of police operations and activities: if the criminals were armed firearms, if they behaved particularly impudently, if police officers and ordinary citizens could have been harmed during the arrest. This was our job in Soviet period, she hasn’t changed much even now.
Please rate the crime: the one that was in the Soviet Union and the one that is now - is there any noticeable difference between them?
In Soviet times, the bandits also had weapons, they were used by the bandits, but not as often and not to the same extent as it is done now, especially in the nineties. Perhaps, in the hands of the population, gangs and criminal communities it has become more weapons, before there was less of it.
From your point of view, are attempts to legalize the sale of, for example, short-barreled weapons good or bad for society?
I personally am categorically against it, especially against the legalization of short-barreled weapons. Even with traumatic weapons Lately we have had a lot of questions, sometimes it has come to the point of converting traumatic into combat and its absolutely uncontrolled use and application, disproportionate to the necessary self-defense. TO hunting weapons I have no complaints.
Traditionally, we place a lot of emphasis on camaraderie. We don’t leave you in trouble, we go to help. If you want to be in the unit, but something doesn’t work out, they will help you. This is one of the traditions - to go to the rescue. You see, it’s like a family, we are united by our thoughts. And for us there is no bond more sacred than comradeship.
What was condemned by the detachment team?
I would highlight cowardice, self-doubt and commercialism. The main thing that was condemned was cowardice. The detachment got rid of cowards, sometimes without any negative connotation; it happened that a person simply ended up in the wrong place.
Since the USSR ceased to exist, political officers have also been abolished. Now they are partly replaced by religion. How did things go with this in the detachment?
I don’t remember any obvious persecution of religion; there was no rejection of Orthodoxy during the Soviet period either. Yes, going to church was not very common, but we went. Now Orthodoxy has become one of the cores of the unit; the detachment has a confessor and a garrison church. Father Alexander, our confessor, went with us on business trips to the North Caucasus many times, and this practice continues to this day.
Is this useful for the service?
Definitely useful.
How did the squad feel about smoking and alcohol?
I personally don't smoke. Smoking harmed our employees; when a person was heavily exposed to smoking, it was clear that he was lagging behind in sporting achievements, in competitions, especially in applied ones. We didn’t have and don’t have a “Prohibition Law.” It’s almost a tradition; it’s customary among Russians to “wash” titles, birthdays, and other holidays. But I want to say - you need to know when to stop. If you serve and work in such a unit, and even if not in such a unit, in any case, you need to know when to stop and control yourself. If an employee came to work and was not ready to perform his duties, then we parted with such employees. There were isolated examples.
What could possibly lead to the expulsion of an employee from the detachment? Have there been such cases?
Were. We will not consider emergencies. Every year we carry out a final check and special passing of all standards: general physical training and special physical training, shooting and special tactical training and a number of others. Every employee knows about them and prepares. If a person does not take care of himself, does not practice, does not support his physical fitness- the question is asked. To begin with, a conversation is held with him, of course. If he remains deaf and dumb, and does not perceive the management’s arguments, then a special commission considers the issue of expulsion.
You caught the moment when the police began to be called the police. What do you think about this? After all, the police were the people's, but the current police no longer exist?
Both the police and the police - the tasks remain the same. They changed the name, someone didn’t agree with it, wrote a report and left.
Have there really been such cases? Because of the name?
Were. But once the decision has been made by management, it means it has already been made. We have all been certified, gone through all the necessary procedures to serve in the police and are now serving. But I’ll emphasize once again - the tasks remain the same, the name just changed. Well, the police were closer to the people, as was originally intended during the Soviet period.
Have you ever nominated any of your employees for awards?
Yes. 70-80% of the employees in the detachment have state awards. Who else, if not they, were always at the front line and performed the most difficult and dangerous tasks?
Can you tell us more about the award process itself?
The proposal for the award was compiled by the personnel apparatus here in the detachment; it was the first draft, but it contained all the necessary information for the higher-level personnel apparatus. There they looked at our documents and made their own adjustments, but even here everything depended on the leadership of the detachment. As a rule, the initial decision of the detachment command was supported and the employees were presented with state awards. We have never had any serious failures. And we have carried out many operations worthy of being awarded military orders. Among them, for example, the release of hostages on Frunzenskaya Embankment (author’s note: more about this operation at the end of the material) and Pugachevskaya Street, special operations conducted by our employees in the North Caucasus region.
Do you think that during your service as a commander, could one of your subordinates remain undervalued and underrewarded?
No one has ever raised this question; this certainly never happened in my memory. People don’t come here for awards and are ready to sacrifice themselves, so conversations in the style of “Vladimir Ivanovich, I deserve more” or “I want this award, but they gave me this one” - I can’t even imagine in my entire thirty-six years of service .
Please tell us about your awards.
My first award was for the Goodwill Games, which were held in Moscow in 1986. I was awarded the medal "For labor distinction"(Author's note: The medal "For Labor Distinction" was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated December 27, 1938 to reward for hard work and achievement of high performance indicators. The last award of this medal in our country took place on December 21, 1991) and was I'm very happy about this. Later, in the nineties, I received the Order “For Personal Courage” (author’s note: The Order “For Personal Courage” was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated December 28, 1988 to reward citizens of the USSR for courage and bravery shown in saving people, protection of public order and socialist property, in the fight against crime, natural disasters and in other emergency circumstances. In 1994, the Order “For Personal Courage” was not included in the system of state awards of Russia; in fact, it was replaced by the Order of Courage) and the medal “For Distinction in the Protection of Public Order.” It was nice to be recognized with such awards, but somehow we didn’t think about it, we were doing our job. We were not happy about the awards, but about the fact that the operation was carried out without losses, everyone was alive and well, and most importantly, the people who were hostages and whom we freed were alive and well.
Have there been cases when released hostages later thanked your employees?
In my memory, this never happened and no one thanked me for saving me. Yes, this is probably impossible: our employees came for the bandits, all in black, in masks, in armor. The released hostages are immediately transferred to other services: medical, investigative, and others. And our work is already done, we are leaving, probably liberated, I don’t even know who we are. Maybe later, having recovered from the stress, they remember us kind words.
How difficult was it for you to manage such a team? Still sharp, strong, the best.
Yes, this question has always bothered me. I will say that throughout my many years of service in the detachment as a commander, this was very difficult for me. After all, people believe in a commander when they see that he himself serves, maybe knows, knows how - he is an example. And if necessary, the commander will teach you. I believe that a student should always be stronger than a teacher, or at least not weaker. This result is always pleasant. When preparing my personnel, I always assumed that a person would think individually, make decisions without looking at the opinion of the commander, but feeling his support. I really valued my employees, this was true throughout my service. Maybe somewhere he was too soft and forgave them some moments, but it was necessary. In my memory there were different people, but I never cut from the shoulder, I always found with them mutual language. And I think that I managed to preserve the spirit and traditions and the team of professionals in the detachment.
Read more about the above-mentioned operation to free the hostages on Frunzenskaya Embankment
On May 19, 1994, a criminal group of three people, armed with automatic weapons, attacked a currency exchange office located on Frunzenskaya Embankment, 54. The criminals captured two employees of the exchange office and began to confiscate cash. However, one of the “exchanger” employees still managed to press the panic button. Next I quote from the book F.I. Razzakova “Bandits of the times of capitalism”:
“At 13.53 this signal was received by the crew of the immediate response group of the 3rd PPS regiment, consisting of the crew commander, senior police sergeant Alexei Chebotarev and junior sergeant Sergei Karnaukh, who at that moment were on their way to lunch. Having received an alarm signal, they immediately rushed to the place of the call. A. Chebotarev headed to the main entrance, and S. Karnaukh decided to block the back door.
On the way there, he met a loader from a nearby store, Oleg Khomutov, and asked to take him to the exchange office. The moment they entered the door, they were attacked by criminals who tried to leave the crime scene in the same way. As a result of the shootout, S. Karnaukh received fatal wounds in the chest and stomach, and O. Khomutov was also wounded. However, the criminals were unable to get past them and therefore returned back and barricaded themselves in the premises of the exchange office.
Soon, the immediate response group of the 167th police department arrived at the point building, blocking the building from all sides. They were followed by soldiers of the rapid reaction detachment (SOBR) of the RUOP and a special purpose police detachment (OMON) of the Moscow Central Internal Affairs Directorate. The highest police authorities also arrived in the person of the head of the RUOP Vladimir Rushailo, the head of the GUOP of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Mikhail Egorov, and the head of the MUR Vasily Kuptsov. Moscow prosecutor Gennady Ponomarev and head of the Moscow department of the FSK Evgeny Savostyanov were also there.
By this time, the raiders had already declared Natalya Sidorova and Yana Stolyar, employees of the First Professional Bank currency exchange office, hostage. In exchange for their lives, they demanded from the authorities a million dollars, a fuel truck and unhindered travel beyond the police cordons.
Meanwhile, operatives combed the nearby area and found a white VAZ-2109 car with the engine running near the checkpoint. In her salon, documents were found in the name of 23-year-old student Roman Pisanko from the Institute of Physical Education. He was one of the raiders. His partners turned out to be 23-year-old former security guard Dmitry Komarovsky and 19-year-old unemployed Andrei Denisov.
Trying to prevent bloodshed, operatives called R. Pisanko’s parents to Frunzenskaya Embankment. However, despite all their persuasion to surrender, he never left the exchange point. He explained his action by saying that he could not leave his friends.
At 18.30, the unsuccessful parents moved away from the point building. City prosecutor G. Ponomarev gave the raiders a final warning. However, this proposal was also ignored. Moreover, the criminals demanded that the authorities drive a fuel truck to the building and pour gasoline on the area in front of the entrance and the entrance itself.
At 19.30, an unknown person called the duty department of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate and said that if the raiders from Frunzenskaya Embankment were not released, he would blow up one of the kindergartens located near the Koptevsky market. Immediately after this call, all ten kindergartens in the Koptevo microdistrict were placed under guard. The operation to search for an explosive device was led by the head of the 16th police department, Andronik Baboyan, but the bomb was never found.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters for the release of the hostages, the final decision was made to storm the terrorists. It was already eight o'clock in the evening, it was getting dark, and this circumstance could be used by criminals.
At 20.13, the special forces, divided into two groups, moved from different directions to the exchange point building. The special means “Impulse” was used to blow up the back door, and an armored personnel carrier that drove up from the other side pulled out the window bars. Tear gas grenades flew into the gap that formed and the special forces burst in. Heavy fire fell on the terrorists, and two of them (Denisov and Komarovsky) were killed. The third was detained. The most amazing thing is that none of the hostages were hurt. They were in the next room, their mouths and eyes were sealed with tape.
As it turned out, the raiders were very impressively armed: a Kalashnikov assault rifle with several magazines, a Makarov pistol without a number, a TT pistol, a homemade small-caliber revolver and two Jaguar gas revolvers. Apparently, the raiders counted on the success of their enterprise and acted clearly and quickly. But the alarm button and the instantly arriving police squad confused their cards. However, what is surprising is that, even surrounded on all sides, the criminals did not surrender into the hands of the authorities and preferred death. But two of them were 23 years old, and the third was 19 years old.
I note that by May 1994, the situation with armed crime in Russia had become simply catastrophic. During 1991-1994, the number of crimes in the country committed with the use of weapons increased 5 times - from 4 thousand in 1991 to 19 thousand in 1993. With its use in 1993, 2,957 intentional murders, 1,173 cases of grievous bodily harm, 5,202 robbery attacks on state property, 4,035 attacks on private property, and 3,785 acts of hooliganism were registered.”
Hundreds of military special units guard the peace of Russians around the clock: GRU, FSB, army special forces. Their goals and objectives are generally clear. But with the police special forces, not everything is clear. Everyone has heard at least once such abbreviations as SOBR and OMON, but not everyone knows why these organizations were created and how they differ.
Definition
SOBR– this is the Special Rapid Response Department; both regional and federal special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, initially created as a structural unit of the Organized Crime Control Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (departments for combating organized crime).
Riot police— an acronym for “Mobile Special Purpose Detachment” (before the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Russia it was called the “Special Purpose Police Detachment”); special police units used to ensure public order and security in urban environments, as well as in hot spots of the Russian Federation.
Comparison
First of all, in terms of organizational structure and tasks to be solved. The main task of the riot police is to protect public order during mass events, actions to suppress riots and group hooliganism, in the event of emergency situations, in places with a difficult criminal situation.
SOBR does not solve such problems. This has a lot to do with the history of both divisions. Before the well-known reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the police were divided into public security police (PSM), special and criminal police (CM).
Explanation for non-specialists: the basis of the criminal police is the legendary criminal investigation department with its detectives. The most famous units of the MOB are local inspectors and police officers.
So, the OMON was subordinate to the head of the MOB, and the SOBR was part of the CM and was subordinate to the head of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate or his deputy. Hence the nature of the tasks solved by SOBR and OMON.
Unlike the OMON, the SOBR serves exclusively officers, and the main emphasis in selecting candidates for the SOBR is on men with higher education.
The training also differs: SOBR individually trains specialists in any of the areas, but each fighter is able to replace a comrade if necessary. In SOBR, more attention than in OMON is paid to “working” against an armed criminal in an urban environment. Riot police are more careful about carrying out tasks in crowded places.
In general, we can say that the tasks of SOBR are more narrow; it is called upon to deliver “targeted” strikes against crime.
Conclusions website
- SOBR are special units of federal and regional subordination that are part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
- OMON are special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, whose main task is to maintain public order and security.
- SOBR from the moment of its creation until the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation was part of the criminal police.
- Before the reform of the Russian Federation, OMON was a unit of the public security police.
- The tasks of the SOBR are narrower than those of the riot police and are often not associated with mass gatherings of people (at sports, entertainment events, rallies, etc.) .
- In SOBR, unlike OMON, only officers serve.
SOBR
| SOBR | |
| Special Rapid Response Squad | |
| A country: | USSR Russian Federation |
| Created: | February 10, 1992 |
| Jurisdiction: | Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Headquarters: | Moscow , |
| Previous service: |
tactical operations department |
| Management | |
| Supervisor: | |
Patch of the OMSN KM GUVD for Moscow
SOBR (Special Rapid Response Unit) - federal and regional special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, which were regularly included (until 2003) in the departments for combating organized crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (units of over 200 people were called squads since the late 1990s). Since 2002, the direct successors of SOBRs are OMSN (Special Purpose Police Unit). On November 30, 2011, by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliev, the special police units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs again became officially known as the Special Rapid Reaction Units.
The main task of creating SOBRs is to fight organized crime in all its manifestations, in all types and ways. However, due to changes in the internal political situation, SOBRs were successfully used, including in military operations carried out in the TFR.
Historical reference
The emblem of the SOBR of the Belgorod customs has nothing to do with the SOBR of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia
On February 10, 1992 it was created tactical operations department as part of the Main Directorate for Organized Crime (GUOP) of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the fall of 1992, by Presidential Decree Russian Federation Tactical Operations Division was renamed special rapid response squad(SOBR).
In 2002, by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, SOBR were renamed into special purpose police units (OMSN)
In 2003, some of the special forces units received proper names, for example “Typhoon”, “Bars”, etc.
In 2011, in connection with the reform of the internal affairs bodies, and the renaming of “militia” to “police”, OMSN detachments were renamed OSN (special forces).
Since 2012, all OSN units have had their historical name- SOBR (special rapid response units).
The quantitative composition of SOBRs is determined by the tasks and region of deployment. The selection is carried out in a multi-stage and quite strict manner, with many screening criteria, which determines the qualitative composition of this unit (As a rule, young people of average age 28 years old, mainly athletes who have served in the ranks Armed Forces and the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Availability higher education. All exclusively officers).
The training of employees in SOBR, unlike other special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is clearly individual character. There are a lot of specialists in various directions applications, but interchangeability is paramount. The emphasis of the training is on working against an armed criminal in the city ( with a working distance of up to 100 m) and in transport, but SOBRs were successfully used in almost any conditions ( forest, mountains, steppes). Much attention is paid to physical and psychological preparation.
In the ICR, SOBRs have found successful use not only in cooperation with regular Russian security forces, but also in certain areas, and have shown excellent results in use in Chechen campaigns in the first echelons.
SOBR constantly trains by making mock seizures of houses (using climbing equipment), cars and even airplanes. Their training is not much inferior to that of the famous Alpha special forces (Group A in the USSR).
SOBR "Lynx" - took part in military operations in the TFR since 1994, participated in the release of hostages in a hospital in the mountains. Budennovsk (1995), carried out combat missions in the mountains. Kizlyar and s. Pervomayskoye (Dagestan) in 1996, Theater Center on Dubrovka (2002), participated in the counter-terrorist operation in the TFR since 1999.
Almost any SOBR has the same history of its combat path...
Analogs
In the system of the FSB of the Russian Federation - department "A" ("Alpha").
Similar units also exist in other countries: for example -
SOBR (Special Rapid Response Squad) are federal and regional special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, which were regularly included (until 2003) in the departments for combating organized crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (units of over 200 people were called squads from the late 1990s). In 2002, SOBR detachments were transformed into OMSN (Special Purpose Police Detachment). On November 30, 2011, by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliev, special police units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs again became officially known as special rapid reaction units.
The main task of the SOBR is to fight organized crime. However, due to changes in the internal political situation, SOBRs were successfully used, including in military operations carried out in the North Caucasus region.
Story
The first special unit in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (police) was the OMSN of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate. OMSN was formed on November 9, 1978. At that time, preparations for the Olympics were underway in Moscow, and the failure of the German police operation to free Israeli hostages during the Munich Olympics showed how destructive the actions of amateurs can be where professionals should act.
On February 10, 1992, a tactical operations department was created as part of the Main Directorate for Organized Crime (GUOP) of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the fall of 1992, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the tactical operations department was renamed into a special rapid reaction squad (SOBR).
In September 2002, by order of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, SOBR were renamed into special purpose police units (OMSN).
As of 2009, the total number of SOBR was 5,200 people in 87 detachments.
In 2011, in connection with the reform of the internal affairs bodies, and the renaming of “militia” to “police”, OMSN detachments were renamed OSN (special forces).
In 2012, the name SOBR (special rapid reaction units) was returned to all OSN detachments.
The quantitative composition of SOBRs is determined by the tasks and region of deployment. The selection is carried out in many stages and quite strictly, with many screening criteria, which determines the qualitative composition of this unit (as a rule, these are young people who have served in the Armed Forces and have a higher education).
Tasks and functions
The training of employees in SOBR, unlike other special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is of a clearly individual nature. There are a lot of specialists in various areas of application, but interchangeability is at the forefront. The emphasis of the training is on working against an armed criminal in the city (with a working distance of up to 100 m) and in transport, however SOBRs were successfully used in almost any conditions (forest, mountains, steppes). Much attention is paid to physical and psychological preparation.
In the TFR, SOBRs have found successful use not only in cooperation with regular Russian security forces, but also in certain areas, and have shown excellent results in the Chechen campaigns in the first echelons.
SOBR constantly trains by making mock seizures of houses (using climbing equipment), cars and even airplanes. Their training is not inferior to that of the Alpha special forces.
Differences from riot police
SOBR differs from OMON in its organizational and staffing structure and the nature of the tasks performed. Unlike OMON, all SOBR employees have special ranks of police officers. Before the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2011, when the police were divided into MOB (public security police) and KM (criminal police), OMON was a unit of the MOB and reported to the head of the MOB, while SOBR was a unit of the KM and reported directly to the head of the GUVD or his deputy.
SOBR, unlike OMON, does not solve the following problems:
- ensuring the protection of public order, including:
- in places with a difficult criminal situation,
- during public events,
- in case of emergency situations,
- suppression of group hooliganism and mass riots.
Documentary film "Our name is SPECIAL FORCES" (watch online)
