The title of Hero of Russia was awarded to senior lieutenant Viktor Vdovkin during the first Chechen campaign. As chief of staff of the Northern Fleet Marine Battalion, he led the assault group in the capture of the Council of Ministers building in Grozny. Surrounded for four days, without water or food, helping the wounded, his group held the line. “Attacks were expected around every corner” On January 7, 1995, the 61st Marine Brigade of the Northern Fleet was alerted. “We had to move out in trains by rail, all the equipment was first secured on platforms,” recalls retired Colonel Viktor Vdovkin. “Then, urgently, on Christmas Day, they gave the command, the battalion formed up, and marched to the Korzunovo airfield. On helicopters and An-12 we were transferred first to Olenegorsk, and from there on an Il-76 to Mozdok. Already on the spot we received equipment, ammunition, and communications. In a column, through the pass, we advanced to Grozny. We were well staffed, there were many contract guys. Back in the fall, it became clear that Chechnya would not survive without us. Those demobilized soldiers who were supposed to go home lined up and told me: “We are staying.” They could not allow young boys without proper experience to step into the bullets. We had to remove several people; they allegedly did not pass the second medical examination, although they were healthy. Some of them were from those places, some were the only son in the family. They talked to everyone individually; anyone who had any doubts was not taken with them. Arrived at the place. The battles for Grozny were in full swing. The cannonade did not stop day or night. The Marines almost immediately found themselves in the thick of it. The commander of the northern group of federal troops was told that the building of the Council of Ministers had allegedly already been taken. In fact, it was a misconception, it turned out like a children's game with a broken phone. The first to arrive were the paratroopers of the 98th Airborne Division. During the assault they were pretty battered, they had heavy losses. The landing party managed to gain a foothold only at the front wall of the building. An order followed to bring in the Marines. The second company, commanded by Captain Viktor Shulyak, went to the Council of Ministers. Deputy battalion commander Andrei Gushchin left with her. The Dudayevites clung to the Council of Ministers building with all their might. All the walls were riddled with bullets, many spans were demolished, and window openings were blocked with boards. Having divided into groups, in short dashes Shulyak’s company entered the building in silence without losses. The spirits were confused when they saw the Marines. The massacre began, hand-to-hand combat. Vitya Shulyak was seriously wounded. We had to urgently send scouts to get the company commander out of there at night. Shulyak was carried by a soldier from the headquarters security. The commander of the second company, before losing consciousness, managed to report the situation and, gritting his teeth, sketch out a diagram of where everything was and who was located. There was no connection with Gushchin's group. It was necessary to restore it, but the communications chief, Lieutenant Igor Lukyanov, and the communications sailor Rashid Galliyev came under fire. They were covered by one mine. The sailor died on the spot. And the lieutenant, with his legs torn off, in shock, kept trying to get up to get to headquarters... He later died in the hospital from loss of blood. Viktor Vdovkin himself decided to lead the assault group. It seemed out of rank for the chief of staff to go there. But there was no other way. Officers were knocked out, we had an operational group in our brigade, commanders took the places of company and platoon commanders. For example, my friend Sasha Lazovsky began to perform the duties of head of communications. I went to the Council of Ministers because it was necessary to get the guys out of there. He went - this is figuratively said. In fact, I crawled with the group under the cover of the night until dawn. We crossed the square in front of the Council of Ministers, which was under fire from militants. The building was burning, there was blood, dirt, smoke everywhere, holes in the walls, rubble of bricks... We got to our people and established communication. It turned out that the company was divided into separate groups, Gushchin was shell-shocked. Viktor Vdovkin never returned to headquarters. After several assault attempts, the militants cut off their group from the main forces. For four days, surrounded, they held the defense. “The bodies of the dead paratroopers had to be put somewhere, there were many wounded who needed to be treated. It was impossible to get them out, the area was under fire,” he says. The wounded soldiers were placed in the basement. It was cold, the room needed to be heated somehow. There was a bank there, and there was a lot of counterfeit money and old banknotes that had been withdrawn from circulation. We burned them to warm the wounded. There was not enough water, it barely seeped through the pipes, they melted snow, and they even got it from the sewer. They put up helmets and filtered them through gas mask filters. Water was given only to the wounded. Sasha Lozovsky, who replaced me at headquarters, crawled through the area under fire and brought charged batteries to the radio station. In a duffel bag he collected everything that he had hastily found in the galley: cookies and halva. While I was crawling, it all got mixed up and stuck together. But it was at least some kind of food, and we gave it to the wounded. Leaving me with all the ammunition, Sasha Lozovsky crawled back with one horn.
The militants tried several times to knock the Marines out of the building. We had to act in close combat. They shot point-blank, a knife was used... Screams in Russian, Chechen, and Arabic were heard everywhere. “When clearing the building, they expected attacks around every turn,” says Victor. – Thanks to hand-to-hand combat skills. In the smoke and noise they acted purely on reflexes; there was no time to think and assess the situation. We were, in fact, machines, with the edge of our consciousness noting that we needed to lunge, bend down, and crawl away. There were many militants in the building of the Council of Ministers. The training center of the Dudayevites was located here. The Marines were opposed by Chechen militants, Afghan Mujahideen, and Arab mercenaries. Local militants knew underground communications well, sometimes they even appeared from sewer hatches. “Dudaev’s men are warriors, we must respect them, but they are used to acting only in a herd, swaggering in front of each other. And when there is only one, he is weaker than a Russian warrior. Our guys are stronger in spirit,” says Victor.
“Reality was scarier than the creepiest movies” Victor spent his childhood in Southern Kazakhstan. My parents divorced early, they were geologists and constantly traveled on business trips. The boy was raised by his grandparents. To this day he remembers his grandfather San Sanych and his huge, sledgehammer-sized fists. Finding himself in the Caspian during his school years, Vitya became sick from the sea. He finally decided to become a sailor when he almost drowned. From the “land” village of Georgievka, Chimkent region, he moved to the granite embankments of the Baltic. I didn’t get into the famous Leningrad Arctic School; it turned out that all the necessary documents had not been collected. He put on his cadet uniform at the nautical vocational school, which was located in Petrokrepost, former Shlisselburg, in the Leningrad region. He completed his swimming practice on the floating base "Alexander Obukhov". He graduated from the school with honors. Many cadets served in the army in the auxiliary fleet, and Viktor Vdovkin and his friend asked to join the Navy. In Severodvinsk, Victor passed selection for a submarine and was supposed to serve as a radio operator. But then scouts appeared at the assembly point. Looking through the files of conscripts, we selected those who had ranks in strength sports. Among them was a candidate for master of sports in boxing, Viktor Vdovkin.
In 1980, he was sent by train to Kyiv to Rybalsky Island, where on the banks of the Dnieper there was a school of naval technicians at the 316th OSNAZ training detachment. In the secret training they trained “scout-listeners”, direction finders, as well as naval saboteurs - combat swimmers. “After two years of training, we were awarded the military rank of midshipman, given shoulder straps, a dagger, and scattered among the special forces of the Navy,” recalls Victor. – I ended up in the Baltic states, in Tallinn, but our unit was subordinate to the Northern Fleet. The detachment consisted of only officers and midshipmen, all of them super-professionals. Operational duty and combat work on ships began. The reconnaissance officers made contact with aircraft, submarines, and surface ships, monitored the enemy, and collected the necessary materials. Having served in the special forces detachment of the Navy in Tallinn for five years, Victor decided to leave naval reconnaissance to go to the front line, to join the Marine Corps. extensive experience in operational work, I wanted to be in a more combative environment,” he admits. In 1987, he was sent beyond the Arctic Circle to the 61st separate marine brigade of the Northern Fleet, which was based in the village of Sputnik near the city of Zapolyarny. This was a real brotherhood of Marines, who were called both the “black cloud” and the “striped devils.” Here they paid little attention to ranks, human qualities came to the fore, the main thing was how you were in business and how you acted in battle. Service in the brigade was not for weaklings. Frosts in the Arctic reached 56 degrees, and even in summer snow could fall. Viktor Vdovkin was appointed platoon commander of the air assault battalion. The exercises took place in any weather. They didn’t skimp on ammunition and fuel. “It’s not for nothing that the Marines from Sputnik are called “polar bears.” The silhouette of the beast is depicted both on the chevron on the sleeve and on the regimental armored vehicles. When we were in combat service in Angola, on the armor there was a polar bear hugging a palm tree,” recalls Victor. Continuing to serve in the 61st separate brigade, Victor graduated in absentia from the Leningrad Higher Naval School of Radio Electronics named after Popov. He was appointed first deputy and then chief of staff of the battalion. During the August putsch in 1991, the brigade was put on combat readiness. “We were sitting and on duty at the Korzunovo airfield. But the all-clear was given,” says Viktor Vdovkin. The situation in the country was heating up. The words “Chechnya” and “illegal armed groups” were increasingly broadcast on television. The breath of war was felt ever closer. And then it became known about the death of the 131st Maikop motorized rifle brigade. On New Year's Eve, December 31, 1994, the combined detachment of the brigade was tasked with entering Grozny and capturing the railway station.
It was a trap. When the fighters occupied the empty station building, joining forces with units of the 81st Motorized Rifle Regiment, a barrage of fire fell on them. Large forces of militants were thrown against the brigade. Completely surrounded, motorized riflemen held the station for a day. There was confusion in the administration. The tank battalion that was coming to the rescue had almost all its vehicles burned. When the ammunition was running out, having received no support from artillery, troops, or ammunition, brigade commander Colonel Savin decided to make a breakthrough. During the battle, the brigade lost 157 people, almost all command officers were killed, including the brigade commander himself. Of the 26 tanks that were recklessly driven into the crowded streets without cover, 20 were burned. Of the 120 infantry fighting vehicles, only 18 were evacuated from the city. All six Tunguska anti-aircraft systems were destroyed. Alexander Nevzorov made the film “Purgatory” about the storming of Grozny. He was reproached that the film was replete with brutal scenes of violence. “Nevzorov and I collided in Mozdok when we were unloading. The character in the film with the call sign Cobra is a real person, I worked with him on air (later it will become known that this is GRU Major Alexey Efentyev - auto.) I’ll tell you that the reality was even worse than shown in the film,” Victor recalls.
“We came to the St. George’s Hall four times for the awards ceremony” Viktor Vdovkin had his own purgatory. The militants in the Council of Ministers building expected the Marines to defend themselves, but they suddenly launched an attack. Vdovkin personally destroyed three firing points, silenced two flamethrowers and two snipers forever, killed 14 militants, three of them in hand-to-hand combat. During reconnaissance of the militants’ positions, Victor was seriously wounded and shell-shocked. They were hit on the square in front of the Council of Ministers by a sniper who had holed up in a nearby cinema. Noticing two of our tanks that were rolling out onto the square, Viktor Vdovkin radioed the sniper’s coordinates to the “armor.” The point was destroyed. But return fire was opened on the tanks. A grenade that exploded next to the scout showered him with hot air and stunned him. The second powerful explosion threw Victor against the wall. His spine was damaged, his leg was cut by shrapnel. He was carried out of the square by scouts. Consciousness constantly “floated away”. At headquarters, being in a state of shock, he did not allow the machine gun to be pulled out of his hands. Brigade commander Colonel Boris Sokushev had to personally persuade Vitya... “How they carried him out and took him by car to the hospital, first in Grozny, and then in Mozdok, I don’t remember, I was passed out,” says Victor. “Thanks to the deputy battalion commander Andrei Gushchin, I ended up in a military hospital in St. Petersburg, and then we had beds next to each other. He was also seriously wounded in Grozny, when we were being loaded, he said: “This is my chief of staff, he is with me.” I came to my senses already in St. Petersburg. I confess that all my life I have dreamed of being sick. To lie in a hospital bed, sleep off, read, with nurses in snow-white coats nearby... I woke up in the hospital, due to a severe concussion, both speech and hearing were impaired. It took several minutes to move one's gaze from one object to another. I saw the white ceiling, the silhouette of a nurse, and thought: “An idiot’s dream has come true, I’m alive, now I’ll sleep off.” In oblivion, he spoke with his wife Zhenya. She was again the girl who sat with him at school at the same desk and danced in the same ensemble. When Vitya entered the school in Petrokrepost, she followed suit and became a student at the Pedagogical Institute in Leningrad. They went to the registry office just before graduation. The first daughter was born in 1985 in Tallinn, the second three years later in the Arctic. Viktor Vdovkin spent a month in the hospital, then went through four rehabilitation centers. He returned to his native brigade, leaning on a stick. And briefly, as if he had hit a nail, he announced: “I want to quit.” “We were angry, the loss of our colleagues affected us.” The operation was poorly organized; there was no basic interaction between the various units,” says Viktor Vdovkin. – When losses began, we ourselves sent signalmen and scouts to those who were on our right and left. I think that if troops were already brought in, there was no need to give the command “stop”. This is the worst thing when you go, work, there are already losses, and then a ceasefire is announced, negotiations begin. And the militants, having gained time, threw a white flag, regrouped and went on the offensive again. When asked how the management reacted to his intention to submit a report for dismissal, Viktor Vdovkin replies: “They told me that we have been raising you for so many years, you should go.” to Moscow, study for three years, get some medical treatment.” Victor admits: he thought that due to his damaged spine he would end up in a wheelchair. Official medicine was unable to help him. Then the colleagues found a unique chiropractor, who put the marine back on his feet. The decree conferring the title of Hero of the Russian Federation on senior lieutenant Viktor Vdovkin was signed by the president on May 3, 1995. - But the awarding was postponed; President Boris Yeltsin still could not find time for this , - the Marine says bitterly. – I already studied at the Military University. Four times we came to St. George's Hall, waited and left. By that time there were already 14 of us, and there were also non-walking guys among us. Seeing all this, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev ensured that the authority to present the highest awards was transferred to him. The Golden Stars of Heroes were awarded to us by the Ministry of Defense after a meeting at which all the commanders-in-chief gathered. A severe wound did not allow Viktor Vdovkin to become a combat commander. After graduating from the Military University, he was first deputy and then head of the legal service of the General Staff of the Navy. Later, together with the commander in chief, Victor went to work for the Ministry of Transport, worked in the Russian Railways, in the Federal Property Management Agency. He took an active part in the development of a program to provide housing for military personnel. Now Viktor Vdovkin is the deputy chairman of the Heroes Club. He is raising three grandchildren. The events of 1995 in Chechnya still haunt him. Victor often dreams of the storming of Grozny. There are happy days when fellow soldiers remain alive. But this is only in a dream...
*** At the entrance to the village of Sputnik, where the 61st Separate Marine Regiment of the Northern Fleet is stationed, there is a monument to the “black berets” who died in Chechnya. There are about 100 names carved into the granite.

Place of events

I think I will not be mistaken if I classify Colonel Kondratenko (we have known him for many years) as the type of Russian officer-intellectual who is known to us from Lermontov and Tolstoy, Arsenyev and Gumilyov. From January to May 1995, Kondratenko with the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet was in Chechnya and kept a diary there, recording day by day and sometimes minute by minute what was happening around him. I hope that someday these notes will be published, although Sergei Konstantinovich himself believes that the time has not yet come to speak out loud about everything.

On the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the war in Chechnya, Sergei Kondratenko and my colleague, editor-in-chief of “New in Vladivostok” Andrei Ostrovsky, published the fourth edition of the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory, which names all the Primorye residents who died in the North Caucasus over these years (and those called up from Primorye) . New names were added to each reissue, each time hoping that these additions were the last.

I will preface the conversation, the occasion of which was this non-celebratory anniversary, with a brief background. Sergei Kondratenko was born in 1950 in Khabarovsk, graduated from the Secondary Educational Institution in Blagoveshchensk. From 1972 to 2001, he served in a division (now a brigade) of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps, retiring from the post of deputy division commander. Later he headed the regional search and rescue service, headed the organization of local war veterans “Contingent”, now he is the chairman of the Vladivostok Veterans Council. Awarded the Order of Courage and the Order of Military Merit.

Pacific Islanders in the Caucasus: “Everything was learned on the spot”

Sergei Konstantinovich, all your life you have studied and taught others to fight, and with an external enemy. Remember, they told me how, as a DVOKU cadet in March 1969, during the battles on Damansky, you took up positions on the Amur embankment in Blagoveshchensk... Then everything worked out. And the Marines were not sent to Afghanistan. You had to fight only a quarter of a century later - already a mature man, a colonel. Moreover, the war broke out on the territory of our own country...

Yes, many of us in the Marine Corps wrote reports and asked to be sent to Afghanistan, but we were told: you have your own combat mission. But, by the way, at that time our landing groups were constantly on ships in the Persian Gulf...

June 1995. Sergei Kondratenko after returning from Chechnya

When we arrived in Chechnya, saw the destruction of Grozny, talked with civilians, we realized that there really was genocide of the Russian population. Not only the Russians spoke about this, but also the Chechens themselves, especially the elderly, and we saw it all ourselves. True, some said that we shouldn’t have interfered; they would have sorted it out themselves. I don’t know... Another thing is that the decision to send troops was hasty, this is 100 percent.

Being the deputy division commander, I was appointed head of the division's operational group. This group is created for ease of control when the regiment operates at a distance from the division. The regiment itself was handled by its commander, and I was the first to “jump out” to the rear area, to Grozny, and agreed with the Baltic Marines to transfer the tent camp to us... During the fighting, I ensured the interaction between the “regiment and the group.” Then he took upon himself the exchange of prisoners and the collection of weapons from the population. I traveled to different departments. If there was some kind of emergency, skirmish, death, he always jumped out and sorted it out on the spot. On February 18, I received barotrauma - four of our comrades died in battle that day... In general, I did not sit idle.

- When did you find out that you were going to fly to the Caucasus?

The fighting in Chechnya began on December 11, 1994, and on December 22 I returned from leave and learned that a directive had arrived: to complete the 165th regiment to wartime levels and carry out combat coordination - we have such an expression, the computer emphasizes this word. It was clear that they were preparing for Chechnya, but then I thought: just in case, the reserve is not the first echelon... They began to give us people from ships and fleet units. Of these, 50 percent were eliminated, if not more. Firstly, this is an old army tradition: they always give up the “best”. Secondly, they didn’t take anyone who said: “I won’t go.” Or if you have health problems.

We managed to carry out almost everything that was required at the Bamburovo and Clerk training grounds: shooting, driving... On January 10, when it became clear that the New Year's assault on Grozny had failed, we were given the command to go to Chechnya.

- Shooting, driving - it’s clear, but was there another plan in preparation? Let's say, cultural?

This is precisely what did not happen, and this is a huge omission. Everything had to be learned on the spot. I loved history, but I still didn’t know much when I went to the first negotiations with the Chechens. At a meeting with the residents of Belgatoy, an old man comes out and hugs me. At first I was confused. And then it happened all the time - I was hugging a man who could kill me in half an hour. It’s customary there - the elder hugs the elder.

- What were the “black berets” not prepared for?

You know, the general impression is this: we were taught one thing, but there everything was different. We didn’t expect much, from the dirt and chaos to the use of units. We learned on the go.

- Were there combatants among you?

The commander of the 165th regiment, Colonel Alexander Fedorov, commanded a motorized rifle battalion in Afghanistan and used this combat experience. In general, our percentage of losses was the lowest. Partly because we were staffed mainly by our own people. I knew all the officers of the regiment from company commanders and above, many platoon commanders. Few of the officers were from the outside. We were given people from ships and parts of the fleet, but the Marines were still the basis.

In general, the Marine Corps was well prepared. About a third of our deaths were non-combat losses, but in the same 245th regiment (245th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Moscow Military District, replenished by Far Easterners. - Ed.) non-combat losses amounted to more than half. “Friendly fire” has been and will be in all wars, but much depends on the organization. In the same Book of Memory we did not always write how exactly a person died. You can’t tell his parents that, for example, he took drugs... And then all the vices of the citizen come out. In general, during war the threshold of legality is lowered. A man walks with a machine gun, his finger is on the trigger, if he doesn’t shoot first, they’ll shoot at him...

- Were the Marines assigned any special tasks?

No, they were used like regular infantry. True, when we “crossed” Sunzha, our PTS - a floating transporter - was involved there. We joked: the Marine Corps is used for its combat purpose!

First battle: “I could have died three times that day”

- Could you imagine then how long all this would drag on, what it would result in?

On January 19, when Dudayev’s palace was taken, Yeltsin declared that the military stage of restoring the Russian Constitution in Chechnya had been completed. Just in time for this date, our regiment concentrated in the rear area near Grozny. Having read the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper of January 21, in which this presidential statement was published, I thought: why the hell were we being dragged from the Far East?.. And on the night of January 21-22, the second battalion of the 165th regiment was brought into battle, and already
On January 22, senior lieutenant Maxim Rusakov died.

- The first loss of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps...

When this slaughter began (the battalion was fighting, a sailor was wounded), I immediately “jumped out” to the place. Not only because of the wounded: ours lost contact, there was no interaction, panic began - all this is called the first battle... I took with me an engineer, a medic, a signalman, spare batteries for the radio station, ammunition. We went to the carbide plant, where units of the second battalion were located. This is Khabarovskaya Street - my “native” street. And I almost flew into it - on that first trip I could have died three times. We were given a ten-fold card, but we didn’t work with such cards, and I couldn’t “get into it” with it. We walked along Khabarovskaya in two armored personnel carriers, jumped out to the bridge over the Sunzha, but the bridge was not visible - it was blown up, and it bent and sank. The spirits placed blocks in front of the bridge. I look through the triplex - nothing is clear, black figures are rushing around with weapons, clearly not our sailors... We stopped and stood there for a minute or two. If they had a grenade launcher, it would be lost. I look around - there is some kind of enterprise on the left, on the pipe there is a hammer and sickle. And at the group headquarters they told me: a pipe with a hammer and sickle is “carbide.” I look - the gate is opening, a figure in camouflage is waving. We dropped in there. Second point: when we drove into the yard, I drove along the wire from the MON-200 - a directed action mine. But it didn’t explode - ours were setting the mine for the first time, the tension was weak. And when we passed there, I already opened the hatch and leaned out. If it had been severely slashed, it would not have penetrated the armor, but the wheels would have been damaged and the head would have been blown off... And the third thing. We drove into the courtyard of a carbide plant, picked up a wounded man, but there was no other way out. I realized that the spirits had driven us into a mousetrap and would not just let us out. Then I drove the armored personnel carriers to the far corner of the yard in order to disperse them as much as possible, turned the KPVT barrels to the left and ordered them to shoot from the left loopholes. I jumped out; they didn’t have time to shoot at us from a grenade launcher. A second armored personnel carrier came out immediately behind us. They fired at him, but due to the high speed the grenade missed. At this time, Rusakov looked out from behind the gate, and a grenade hit him... We learned about his death after arriving at the regiment command post. When it got dark, I again went to the positions of the second battalion. We managed to remove Maxim’s body only at night - the militants were holding the factory gates at gunpoint.

Destroyed Grozny

That evening I drank a glass and remembered that my patron was Sergius of Radonezh. I decided that I had chosen my limit: it flew by three times, which means it won’t kill me. But I made conclusions. And then in such cases I always analyzed and predicted.

- By the way, “perfume” is an Afghan word?

Yes, from Afghanistan, but we used it. “Bandits” - no one said. And the “Czechs” - that’s what happened later.

- How was life organized? What was the mood like? Were you sick?

At first it was difficult - accommodation, food, and heating. Then people adapted. At first there was lice, and then baths were established in each unit: in tents, dugouts, trailers... The moral state - at first it was very difficult, I’m even surprised how the sailors withstood it. After all, I was already 44 years old, I had service experience, physical training, but it was also difficult. And for the sailors... During the battle, everyone swore terribly - they simply spoke obscenities during this stressful period. Then they got used to it.

At first, we suffered a lot from colds. The mud was terrible, it was cold, and they also sent us rubber boots... We later threw them away. The second is skin diseases. But then they got used to it again. At first I got sick myself, I lay down for a day, and then, no matter how much I tossed around - my feet were wet, I was cold - there was nothing, not even snot.

- Did local residents complain about your fighters?

It was like that, I had to sort it all out. There was a case - after the death of Senior Lieutenant Skomorokhov, the guys took five drops in the evening, and the Chechens violated the curfew: movement was prohibited after 18 o'clock, and here a man and a young guy were driving a tractor. The man ran away, and the guy fell under the hot hand - our people pushed him. The next day - chaos. I understood that the Chechens had also violated, but still I couldn’t touch them... I went to the elder - this guy’s uncle - and asked for forgiveness. I offered to gather the residents and was ready to publicly apologize, but they told me: no need, you asked for forgiveness - in an hour the whole village will know.

- What were the militants armed with besides small arms? How was their tactical literacy?

I personally was once under fire from an 82mm mortar - a great machine! Another time I came under fire from a Grad - about half a packet was dropped, fortunately there were no casualties. There was an anecdote - a communications sailor was hiding from the Grad in a tent... Then they forced everyone to dig in.

The militants knew the area well. And then, ours changed, but those remained in place. Those who survived were very well prepared. They had assertiveness, audacity... We couldn’t change people like that - they come unfired, not knowing the situation... There was a sad experience with the introduction of the 9th company into battle, which initially remained in Mozdok at the group’s command post, performing commandant functions. After that, we made it a rule: when a replacement officer comes, let him first sit, listen, and grow into the situation. I know this from myself - I couldn’t even get the hang of the map right away. Or the same triplex - you can’t see anything through it. Then it’s always - the hatch is open, you look. If the situation is very alarming, you look into the gap between the hatch and the armor. When I went on my first trip, I put on a helmet and body armor... As a result, I couldn’t climb onto the armored personnel carrier - the sailors pushed me like a medieval knight! Somewhere on the block you can sit in a bulletproof vest... On January 22, I put on a bulletproof vest and helmet for the first and last time and I don’t regret it. All comes with experience.

War and Peace: “Maskhadov even invited me to visit”

- The military were unhappy with the February truce...

We considered such a decision inappropriate. The initiative was on the side of our troops, and by this time Grozny was completely controlled by us. The peaceful respite was beneficial only to the militants.

During that period, I met a lot with local residents and militants. He was engaged in collecting weapons in the villages of Belgatoy and Germenchuk, and carried out an exchange of prisoners.

- I had to become a diplomat... Later you facilitated negotiations between Troshev and Maskhadov - how did they go?

Negotiations between Maskhadov and the commander of our troops in Chechnya, Major General Troshev, took place on April 28 in Novye Atagi, in the house of a local resident. At first, field commander Isa Madayev and I discussed the details. Already on the day of negotiations, security was provided. On the other side were Aslan Maskhadov and his assistant Isa Madayev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Dudayev government Lom-Ali (I didn’t remember his last name), Shamil Basayev’s older brother Shirvani Basayev. Our side was represented by General Troshev, a lieutenant colonel of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, an FSB captain and myself.

Negotiations in New Atagi. In the center - Isa Madayev, Gennady Troshev, Aslan Maskhadov.Photo from the archive of S. K. Kondratenko

Troshev came in a camouflage cap, and Maskhadov in an astrakhan hat. Troshev asks: “Aslan, why haven’t you switched to a summer uniform yet?” He answers: “And I am like Makhmud Esambaev.” There was no firmness in Maskhadov's behavior, he looked unsure of himself - they were then pressed... Troshev clearly dominated - he joked, behaved assertively. Maskhadov understood that he was in a losing position, but his own people would not have understood him if he had accepted our conditions. Therefore, the main goals of the negotiations were not achieved (they wanted us to withdraw troops, we wanted them to disarm). But they agreed on the release of the bodies of the dead and the exchange of prisoners. Maskhadov even invited me to visit. I told General Babichev, the commander of the West group, about this, and he said: “What, don’t even think about it.” Although I am sure that if I had gone there with Isa Madayev, everything would have been fine.

In your notes you call the Peace of Khasavyurt shameful and tantamount to capitulation. And what about the second war - could we have done without it?

I don't think so. Firstly, we left our prisoners and dead there. Secondly, Chechnya has turned into a real hotbed of banditry. All these former "brigadier generals" carried out raids on the surrounding areas. Dagestan in 1999 was the last straw.

May 5, 1995, Knevichi, return from Chechnya. Left - Governor of Primorye Evgeny Nazdratenko

As for the first war, I think it could have been completely avoided. In the same Ingushetia, it was also on the brink, but Ruslan Aushev (President of Ingushetia in 1993–2002 - Ed.) was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and so on. It was possible to come to an agreement with Dudayev.

War does not start by itself. And it’s not the military that starts it, but the politicians. But if a war starts, let professionals, military men deal with the war, and not so that they fought, then stop - they kissed, then start again... The most important thing is that the death of people could have been prevented, there was no need to lead to such a conflict. The war in Chechnya is the result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. And what is happening now in Ukraine has the same roots.

Hero of Russia Colonel Andrei Yurievich Gushchin says:

– During the capture of Grozny, I, with the rank of captain, was appointed to act as deputy commander of the 876th separate air assault battalion of the 61st separate Kirkenes Red Banner Marine Brigade of the Red Banner Northern Fleet. The battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Vikentievich Semyonov.

When it just started in December 1994, there was immediate talk about the possible participation of Northern Fleet marines in it. But we didn’t experience any particular shock about this. After all, no one really knew what was really happening in Grozny.

They didn’t talk about bloody battles and numerous losses on TV and didn’t write about them in newspapers. Silenced. We had no idea about the scale of the tasks that we had to perform and conscientiously prepared to protect important facilities and carry out passport control.

But everything changed in an hour when, in the first days of January 1995, we learned about the death of soldiers and officers of the Maykop motorized rifle brigade. It became clear: the situation in Chechnya is not at all what was initially seen.

And on Christmas Day, January 7, at seventeen o’clock, the brigade sounded the alarm. And already at night of the same day, the air assault battalion was at the long-range aviation airfield in Olenegorsk. From there, on January 7 and 9, we were flown to Mozdok.

About three hours after landing in Mozdok, we were ordered to unload the wounded evacuated from Grozny from the helicopters. I think this was a mistake. Guys in bloody bandages are screaming, moaning... And let our fighters tell: “It’s real hell there!” Where are you going?!." And if before this everyone simply felt tension, then real fear appeared in the eyes of the fighters. Then anger came. (But that was later, when we began to lose our own in battle.)

We must not forget that the actual marines in the battalion were only about two hundred out of one thousand, the rest were sailors from submarines, surface ships, from coastal units, security and support units. What did the sailor see in a submarine or on a ship? He served in a warm room, in comfort... Such a sailor held a machine gun in his hands, at best, only during the taking of the Military oath. And here there is cold, dirt, blood...

But here’s what’s surprising: this fear became life-saving for them, mobilizing and disciplining people. Now, when the officers explained to the sailors how to behave in combat conditions, how to move, how to look for shelter, they didn’t have to be repeated twice, they understood everything perfectly.

The 1st air assault company of the battalion immediately left Mozdok on helicopters for Grozny, to the Severny airport. The rest went in a column, about thirty vehicles in total with just one armored guard personnel carrier. The rest of the armored group's equipment immediately broke down.

The mud on the road was impassable, and our two Urals with ammunition fell behind. The brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Boris Filagreevich Sokushev, says to me: “Gushchin, get on the armor and drive, look for vehicles with ammunition.” And already darkness is coming. I'm going straight through the airfield. Shots!.. I stop.

Some general asks: “Where are you going?” Me: “The brigade commander sent cars to search.” He: “Get back! You can’t drive through the airfield in the dark.” And it’s already completely dark. I rushed further, there was no time to turn around. I reached the first security tank. I stop and ask: “Have you seen two cars? A convoy passed here literally an hour ago.” Tankers: “Go back, it’s already dark. This is where our area of ​​responsibility ends.”

I remembered from daylight hours where I came from. He turned around and walked back along the old track. On the way, the general stopped me again, it seemed like a different one. But I still drove across the airfield; there was no time to go around. As it turned out, they were waiting for the arrival of the Minister of Defense at the airfield, so the runway had to be clear.

In Grozny, our battalion was assigned to the 276th motorized rifle regiment of the Ural Military District. It was commanded by Colonel Sergei Bunin. First, we were given the task of positioning ourselves at Severny Airport and taking up defensive positions. Our combat units were transported by air, and the rear units were sent by rail (they arrived in two weeks!). Therefore, we only had ammunition and dry rations for two or three days with us.

The infantry shared with us what they could. But when we opened the containers and took out the rice and pasta, it became clear that they had been stored in warehouses for a very long time: there were worms inside, albeit already dried. That is, the products were so ancient that even the worms died. And when we were served soup, everyone immediately remembered the film “Battleship Potemkin.” Just like in the movies, there were worms swimming in our soup. But hunger is not a problem. You scoop the worms to the side with a spoon and eat... The higher command promised that soon there would be cheese and sausage. But I didn’t wait for this happy moment.

On the night of January 10-11, our 3rd airborne assault company went to take the Main Post Office. There was a battle, but our guys took it with virtually no losses. The surprise had its effect - the militants were not expecting them!..

At that moment I myself still remained in Severny, I was appointed temporarily responsible for ammunition. But on January 13, when the warehouse chief arrived, I went with the 2nd company to Grozny to get acquainted with the situation.

This situation turned out to be terrible. Mortar attacks, constant explosions... There are many corpses of civilians all around, right on the streets, our damaged tanks without turrets stand... The command post (command observation post - Ed.) of the battalion itself, where I arrived, was also under constant mortar fire. And in about thirty to forty minutes, by and large, everything became clear to me...

Then the brigade commander (he was the senior operational group) saw me: “Well done for coming! Now you will receive the task. The paratroopers took the Council of Ministers building twice, twice the militants knocked them out. Now there are both “spirits” and ours in the Council of Ministers. But the paratroopers suffered heavy losses, you will go to their aid. Take the 2nd airborne assault company and the anti-tank battery. The task is to hold out in the Council of Ministers for two days.”

The brigade commander gave me a map from 1979. It was almost impossible to navigate it: everything around was burned and destroyed. There are no numbers on the houses, no street names... I give the command to the company commander to prepare: take as much ammunition as we can carry. And somewhere around sixteen o'clock the guide came - a motorized rifleman - with a white bandage on his sleeve.

They counted, checked and loaded the weapons, loaded the cartridges into the chamber, and put the safety locks on the machine guns. They appointed lookouts, who and their guide went ahead. The anti-tank battery was placed in the center because it was harder for them to walk (they carried their own ammunition). A rear patrol guarded us from behind. In general, we did everything according to science and went.

What unimaginable paths our guide led us! If I were there again, I would never have found the road we were on! We moved in dashes through the streets, basements... Then we went upstairs, passed through underground pedestrian crossings... On one street we came under fire and for a long time could not cross it. They shot at us from everything they could: from grenade launchers, from machine guns, from machine guns...

Finally we arrived somewhere. The conductor waved his hand: “The Council of Ministers is over there, you should go there.” And he disappeared... We looked around: the facade of the building nearby was riddled with bullets up and down, empty window openings without frames, flights of stairs demolished. Here and there flashes of gunfire, screams in our and Chechen languages...

In total there were one hundred and twenty people in the detachment. I divided him into groups of ten people, and in between shelling we took turns running across the street in front of the Council of Ministers.

Here we see the paratroopers carrying out their wounded from the department store building (about forty-five people from their battalion were left alive). We began to help them. This department store was part of the complex of buildings of the Council of Ministers of Chechnya. The entire complex resembled an irregular rectangle in shape, measuring about three hundred by six hundred meters. In addition to the department store, the complex included the buildings of the Central Bank, a canteen and some other buildings. One side of the complex overlooked the bank of the Sunzha River flowing through the center of Grozny, the other faced the Dudayev Palace, which was one hundred and fifty meters away.

After a thirty-minute respite, the battle began. And the 2nd company immediately got into trouble: it went forward, and immediately the wall of the house collapsed behind it (from the fifth to the first floor), and the house itself began to burn. The company found itself cut off from both my command post and the anti-tank battery. It was necessary to take them out.

The paratroopers provided a sapper. With an explosion, he made a hole in the wall of the house through which we began to pull the company out. And the company was still pinned down by fire - we had to cover it. As soon as I left the house into the courtyard to see how the company was leaving, I saw a flash - a shot from a grenade launcher! They shot point-blank from the second floor, about a hundred meters away. I knocked my signalman to the ground and fell on top myself... We were very lucky: there was a small dormer window in the house. And the grenade hit him, flew inside and exploded there! If it had exploded above us, we would definitely have died.

When the dust cleared, I began to drag the radio operator into the basement. He was stunned, he didn’t understand anything... Then someone began to crawl out of the basement and shout, clearly not in Russian, “alarm!” (“anxiety”, English – Ed.). Without thinking too much, I fired a burst into the basement and threw a grenade after him. Only after that I ask the paratroopers: “Are there any of ours in the basement?” They: no, but “spirits” are constantly creeping in from there. The central department store where we settled had, naturally, huge basements. Using them, the “spirits” underground could move freely and constantly tried to knock us out of the department store from below. (Later we learned that from these basements there was an underground passage to Dudayev’s palace.)

And then almost immediately the “spirits” went on the attack through Sunzha and opened heavy fire on the courtyard in front of the department store!.. To hide from it, we ran into the arch and lay down. Immediately two grenades fly towards us one after another and explode under the arch! Everyone who was lying along the wall was shell-shocked: bleeding came from the nose, from the ears...

It exploded under the arch completely!.. The paratrooper’s machine gunner’s legs were torn off, they began to pull him out. I turn around and see a fighter next to me: a tracer burst passed right over his head!.. But we didn’t have tracers, we were forbidden to use them. The guy sat down, dumbfounded, his eyes burning in the darkness. I told him: “Are you alive?” And he pulled him towards himself so that he would leave the line of fire, and began to push his people back into the courtyard!.. This was our first battle.

A paratrooper officer approaches: “Any time to eat?” (painkiller - Ed.). They themselves ran out of time long ago. I had it for five injections. I gave him three of them and kept two for myself just in case. By that time, the paratroopers were not only sick, but everything was over. We came fresh, so we shared both food and ammunition with them.

On the same day we captured the canteen of the Council of Ministers. After this battle, seven wounded appeared in the detachment. The wounded soldiers swaggered around, especially when they talked to the paratroopers: no, we will stay. Let them bandage us up, and we are ready to continue fighting. But I gave the command that in case of any wound, even a tangential one, at the first opportunity, the wounded should be immediately sent to the rear. So that the guys stay alive.

We didn't have a doctor. The paramedic-sergeants provided assistance to the soldiers - they were almost boys. They will bandage the wounded and take them across the street and back. But none of them ran to the rear.

Everything was very scary - not at all like in the movies and not like in the books. But the mood of the fighters instantly changed. Everyone understood: here we have to survive and fight, it won’t work out any other way. Although, in truth, it must be said that there were those who could not cope with their fear. Some of them huddled in a corner like mice. We had to pull them out of the nooks and crannies by force: “Don’t stand under the wall, it’s going to fall!” I gathered these fighters together and ordered: “You will crawl around, collect magazines, equip them and distribute them to those who shoot.” And they coped with this.

The task remained the same: to completely take the complex of the Council of Ministers buildings, clear it and go to Dudayev’s palace. We began to look for ways to do this. At night we tried to take a detour along Komsomolskaya Street. But they immediately came under fire and lay down in the middle of the street at an intersection. And there’s not a pebble or a crater around... Even though the wall of the house is only about five meters away, no one can climb up: they’re firing heavily at us.

Then the soldier who was lying next to me said to me: “Comrade captain, I have a smoke grenade!” Me: “Come here.” He sent it to me. They lit a grenade, I told the soldiers: “Go away, we will cover you.” The grenade burns for two minutes, during which time everyone retreated under the walls, and Volodya Levchuk and I covered them. The grenade stopped burning and the smoke cleared. The two of us are lying at the intersection almost level with the asphalt, we can’t raise our heads. But there was nothing to do, they began to crawl back.

But we can’t turn around, we crawl backwards. It turned out that a helmet without a double chin strap is a very inconvenient thing: it falls on your eyes. I had to throw away my helmet. Let's move on. And then I noticed the window from where they were shooting at us! He stood up and fired a long line from his knees... The shooting stopped immediately. It turns out that I was ahead of the “spirit” by a fraction of a second and managed to shoot first. This time no one died, although we were wounded and stunned (when they fired at us from a grenade launcher, the walls were cut by shrapnel).

They immediately gave us another task: the paratroopers were completely withdrawn, and we occupied the entire line of defense along the Sunzha River. For those militants who defended Dudayev’s palace, this place was very important: after all, ammunition was delivered to the militants across the bridge (it stood intact). We had to stop the supply of ammunition completely. The landing force managed to mine the bridge itself and put tripwires on it.

But on top of that, the “spirits” continued to try to crawl out from below, from the basements. After all, the floor collapsed from the explosions. But we already knew clearly: no one from ours walks in the basements, there can only be an enemy below. They appointed “listeners” and set up banners. The order is this: if they hear footsteps or rustles, then we throw a grenade down and fire a long machine-gun or machine gun burst.

The militants also came out of the sewers. During the next battle, the “spirit”, which suddenly stuck out of the sewer hatch, opens dagger machine-gun fire on us! Taking advantage of this, the militants rushed to attack and grenades were thrown at us from above. The situation has become simply critical. There was only one salvation - to immediately destroy the machine gunner. I rushed from behind the wall, simultaneously pulling the trigger. The machine gunner was a fraction of a moment late, but that was enough for me... The machine gun fell silent. “Spirits” rolled back again...

There was no continuous front line at all; we were being hammered from three sides. Only one street remained relatively free, along which ammunition and water could be transported at night. And even if they brought a couple of thermoses of water, they shared it among everyone. Everyone got quite a bit. Therefore, we took the slurry from the sewer and passed it through gas mask boxes. Whatever drips, we drink. And there was practically no food at all, only cement and brick chips squeaked on the teeth...

On January 14, we had our first deaths. I gave the command to lay the bodies in one line in a relatively quiet place. Those who died on January 15th were to be placed on top in the second line and so on. And for those who remain alive, I set the task of telling about it. In just five days of fighting, out of one hundred and twenty people, sixty-four of us remained in the ranks.

The situation of those who defended Dudayev’s palace became very difficult: after all, with the blocking of the bridge, we practically stopped the supply of ammunition to them. In five days, only one infantry fighting vehicle managed to break through to Dudayev’s palace; we burned everything else on the other side. And on January 15, the militants tried to completely destroy us: they attacked us head-on right through Sunzha. We climbed over the bridge and forded across the river. Closer to the Sunzha Palace it is deeper, but opposite us it practically turned into a shallow ditch. Therefore, the militants went to where it is shallow and the river is narrow. This area was only about a hundred meters wide.

But the scouts reported in advance that a breakthrough was possible. I contacted the commander of the mortar battery, and he and I decided in advance how they would support us. And at about seven in the evening, when it was almost dark, the “spirits” began to break through. There were a lot of them, they climbed like locusts... The river in this place is only about thirty to forty meters wide, and the wall of our house is still about fifty meters away. Although it was already dark, everything around was glowing from the shots.

Some militants managed to crawl ashore, so we hit them point blank. To be honest, there’s not much time to take aim calmly when such a crowd is rushing towards you. You press the trigger and in a few seconds you release the entire magazine with dispersion. Fired several bursts, reloaded, again several bursts. And so on until the next attack fails. But a little time passes and everything starts all over again. Again they rush in a crowd, again we shoot... But no one from the “spirits” has ever reached the walls of our buildings...

Then the “spiritual” tank went to the bridge. Intelligence reported about him in advance. But when he did appear, everyone immediately immediately hid somewhere, crawled into the farthest cracks. This is what tank fear means! It turned out that this is a very real thing. Me: “Everyone in place, in position!” And the soldiers feel well when an officer decisively gives an order. They immediately returned to their positions.

We see a T-72 tank, the distance to it is three hundred meters. He stopped and moved his turret... We didn’t have anti-tank grenades. I give the command: “Flamethrower to me!” To the flamethrower with the “bumblebee” (rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower RPO “Shmel” - Ed.) I say: “You hit the tower and immediately fall down!” He shoots, falls, I watch the shot. Flight... Me: “Come on from a different position, hit right under the tower!” He hits and hits right under the tower!.. The tank catches fire! The tankers got out, but did not live long. At such a distance they had no chance to escape... We knocked out this tank in a very good place; in addition, it also blocked the bridge.

In a few hours we repulsed about five frontal attacks. Then two commissions came to investigate. It turned out that, together with the mortar men, we thrashed a lot of militants: according to the commission, we counted about three hundred corpses in this area alone. And there were only about one hundred and fifty of us together with the paratroopers.

Then we had complete confidence that we would definitely survive. Within a few days of fighting, the sailors completely changed: they began to act prudently and courageously. They became experienced. And we clung tightly to this line - after all, there is nowhere to retreat, we must stand, no matter what. And we also understood that if we leave here now, our people will still come later. And they will have to take this house again, there will be losses again...

Before us, the paratroopers were being hammered from all sides. The militants fought very competently: groups of five or six people came out either from basements, or from sewers, or sneaked along the ground. They approached, shot and left the same way. And they are replaced by others. And we managed to block a lot: we closed the exits from the basements, covered our rear and did not allow ourselves to be attacked from the side of Dudayev’s palace.

When we were just going to the positions, we were told that the Council of Ministers only had paratroopers. But already during the battles we established contact with the Novosibirsk residents (they later covered us from the rear) and with a small group of fighters from Vladikavkaz. As a result, we created conditions for the militants so that they could only go where we suggested to them. They probably thought: we have brought up such forces, and the Council of Ministers is defended by just a handful. That's why they came at us head-on.

But we also established interaction with the tankers who were in the courtyard of the vocational school, on the back side of the Council of Ministers. The tactics used were simple: the tank flies out of cover at full speed, fires two shells where it managed to aim, and rolls back. Getting into a house with militants is already good: the ceilings are collapsing, the enemy can no longer use the upper points. Then I met the man who commanded these tanks. This is Major General Kozlov (then he was the deputy commander of some regiment). He tells me: “It was I who rescued you from the Council of Ministers!” And it was the honest truth.

And on the night of January 15-16, I almost died. By this moment, consciousness had already become dulled from losses, from all the horror around. A kind of indifference set in, fatigue set in. As a result, the radiotelephonist and I did not change my control point (usually I changed the places from which I made contact five times a day). And when I sent another report over the radio, we came under mortar fire! Usually they fired at us from behind Sunzha from mortars mounted on KamAZ trucks. By the sound, I realized that a hundred and twenty-millimeter mine had arrived. A terrible roar!.. The wall and ceiling of the house collapsed on me and the radio operator... I never thought that cement could burn. And here it was burning, you could even feel the warmth. I was covered in debris up to my waist. Some sharp stone damaged my spine (I then spent a long time in hospital for treatment for this). But the soldiers dug me out, and I had to continue to fight...

On the night of January 17-18, the main forces of our battalion with the battalion commander arrived and things became easier - the battalion commander gave the order to withdraw my combined detachment from the battle. When a little later I looked at myself in the mirror, I was horrified: the gray face of a mortally tired stranger was looking at me... For me personally, the result of five days of war was this: I lost fifteen kilograms of weight and caught dysentery. God had mercy on me from my injuries, but I received a spinal injury and three concussions - my eardrums were ruptured (the doctors at the hospital said that a slight injury is better than a concussion, because after it the consequences are unpredictable). All this has remained with me. By the way, I received one and a half million rubles from insurance for the war in 1995 prices. For comparison: a heating radiator fell on a warrant officer I knew. So he got the same amount.

Correct relationships between people in this war developed very quickly. The soldiers saw that the commander was able to control them. They are like children here: you are both dad and mom for them. They look carefully into your eyes and, if they see that you are doing everything so that no one foolishly dies, then they will follow you through fire and water. They completely trust you with their lives. And in this case, the strength of the combat team doubles, triples... We heard that it was no coincidence that Dudayev ordered the marines and paratroopers not to be captured, but to be immediately killed on the spot. It seems that at the same time he said: “For heroes - a heroic death.”

And during this war, I saw that one of the main motives why we fought to the death was the desire to avenge our fallen comrades. After all, here people quickly get closer, in battle everyone stands shoulder to shoulder. The practical results of the battles showed that we can survive in unimaginable conditions and win. Of course, the traditions of the Marine Corps worked. In this war, we no longer divided: these are real marines, and these are sailors from ships. Every single one of them became Marines. And many of those who returned from Grozny did not want to return to the ships and to their units and remained to serve in the brigade.

I remember with great warmth those sailors and officers with whom I had the opportunity to fight together. They showed, without exaggeration, miracles of heroism and fought to the death. Just look at senior warrant officer Grigory Mikhailovich Zamyshlyak, or “Grandfather,” as we called him! He took command of the company when there were no officers left in it.

Only one officer died in my company - senior lieutenant Nikolai Sartin. Nikolai, at the head of an assault group, burst into the courtyard of the Council of Ministers, and there was an ambush. They shot at the guys at point-blank range... One single bullet pierced Nikolai's bulletproof vest, the officer's ID card and hit his heart. It’s hard to believe and cannot be explained from a medical point of view, but mortally wounded Nikolai ran for about a hundred meters to warn us about the ambush. His last words were: “Commander, take the people away, it’s an ambush...”. And fell...

And there are moments that can never be forgotten. The fighter receives a bullet wound to the head, the wound is fatal. He himself clearly understands that he is living his last minutes. And he says to me: “Commander, come to me. Let's sing a song..." And at night we tried to talk only in whispers, so that nothing would fly from the other side in response to the sound. But I understand that he is about to die, and this is his last request. I sat down next to him, and we sang something in a whisper. Maybe “Farewell Rocky Mountains”, maybe some other song, I don’t remember...

It was very difficult when we returned from the war and I was put together with all the relatives of the dead sailors of the battalion. They ask: how did mine die, and how did mine?.. But for many you don’t even know how he died... Therefore, every year, when January comes, in my dreams I continue to fight at night...
The Marines of the Northern Fleet coped with the task, they did not lose the honor of the Russian and St. Andrew's flags. The Motherland ordered, they carried out the order. It’s bad that time has passed and there is no proper care for the participants in this war. They say that Grozny has already been rebuilt - like Las Vegas, all shining with lights. And look at our barracks - they are practically falling apart...

On January 9, 1995, marine units of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and Northern Fleet entered Grozny. The Marines had to operate in assault groups and detachments that successively captured buildings and neighborhoods, sometimes without neighbors to the right or left, or even completely isolated. The soldiers of the 876th Northern Fleet Division fought especially effectively and competently in the city. In the direction of their actions there were serious points of militant resistance: the building of the Council of Ministers, the Main Post Office, the Puppet Theater, and many high-rise buildings. Soldiers of the 2nd Airborne Assault Company (ADS) of the battalion stormed the Council of Ministers. The fighters of the 3rd battalion fought for the building of a nine-story building, which occupied a dominant position and was turned by the militants into a powerful stronghold, blocking the exit to one of the main centers of resistance - the Main Post Office building.

On January 14, the building of the Council of Ministers, a high-rise building and the Main Post Office were occupied by marines. On January 15, assault groups of the 3rd company captured the Puppet Theater.

But the hardest part was yet to come. Federal troops gradually advanced towards the center of Grozny - towards the presidential palace, the buildings of the Council of Ministers and the Caucasus Hotel. The buildings located in the city center were defended by elite militant detachments, in particular the so-called “Abkhaz battalion” of Sh. Basayev.

On the night of January 17, the 3rd DShR advanced in the direction of the Council of Ministers. On Komsomolskaya Street, the company's advanced groups were ambushed by 6 soldiers. The bandits tried to surround one of the groups of marines. Sergeant V. Molchanov ordered his comrades to retreat, while he remained to cover them. The regrouped Marines pushed back the militants. Around the position where Molchanov remained with the machine gun, 17 bandits were killed. The sergeant himself died.

On January 19, the Marines, in cooperation with scouts from the 68th separate reconnaissance battalion (ORB) and motorized riflemen from the 276th Motorized Rifle Regiment, captured the presidential palace. A group of Baltic soldiers led by the deputy battalion commander of the Guards. Major A. Plushakov hoisted the Naval and Russian state flags over the palace.

Then, after the fall of Grozny, the 105th Combined Marine Regiment was formed in Chechnya on the basis of the 1st Battalion of the 106th Regiment of the 55th Marine Division, with a separate Marine Battalion from the Baltic (877 Marine Corps) and Northern Fleets, engineering a sapper unit from the OMIB (separate naval engineering battalion) of the Baltic Fleet, which for another two months, until June 26, 1995, destroyed militants in the Vedeno, Shali and Shatoi regions of Chechnya. During the fighting, more than 40 settlements were liberated from militants, and a large number of heavy weapons and military equipment were destroyed and captured. But here, unfortunately, there were losses, although they were much smaller. In total, during the 1995 fighting in Chechnya, 178 marines were killed and 558 were injured of varying severity. 16 people received the title of Hero of Russia (six posthumously).

In 1994, on the basis of the disbanded 77th Guards. or there was an attempt to form a new 163rd department. MP brigade. However, the brigade was never deployed and, in fact, resembled the BVHT. In 1996 it was disbanded.

In 1995-96, the 810th Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet was reorganized into the 810th Separate Marine Regiment, while the 382nd Separate Marine Battalion and a separate tank battalion were separated from it. Both allocated battalions were redeployed to the village of Temryuk (the coast of the Azov Sea, Krasnodar region of Russia). It should be noted that in the period 1990-91. this brigade did not have a tank battalion at all, and the newly recreated one (initially on T-64A/B tanks) was initially stationed in the village of Temryuk.

Pacific Fleet Marine Corps. May 1995 Chechnya

Moreover, their role increases during combat operations in hot spots, when it is clearly revealed who is only capable of showing off and beautiful reports for high headquarters, and who is really capable of solving combat missions in any conditions. The Marine Corps in Chechnya showed that they rightfully bear the nickname “Black Death”.

The Marine Corps has been the pride of Russia for 300 years

Voenpro would like to dedicate this text to the Russian Marines. Marine detachments stand out significantly from other detachments of the Russian army. The famous pride of all Russian fleets, from the Northern to the Pacific. Soldiers who took part in all military operations in modern Russian history. The troops in Chechnya truly earned honor and respect among fellow soldiers of all branches with their fearless actions. And this is not some exception.

Video about the Marine Corps in Chechnya

The Marine Corps in battle throughout its history has demonstrated first-class combat training combined with the best human qualities. Even Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, the great Marshal of the Ground Forces during World War II, spoke extremely flatteringly about the Marines and their contribution to the victory over the enemy.

The enemies called the Russian marines the “Black Cloud”, and the soldiers of other Russian units called them the pearl of the fleet. Marines fought in the Great Patriotic War, in Dagestan and Chechnya. The soldiers defended Moscow and stormed Grozny. Against the backdrop of a general crisis and the unpreparedness of regular troops to conduct combat operations in such conditions, the marines in Chechnya became a truly life-saving unit for the Russian army.

The Chechen conflicts were a heavy blow for the Russian army. Dudayev’s superbly trained militants, who are well acquainted with the geography of future theaters of military operations, who have almost every Chechen or Chechen as informants and intelligence officers... terrorist formations have become the most serious adversary for the regular Russian army. It became clear that regular connections alone would not be enough.

By the way, you might be interested in watching a video about marines in Chechnya:

And they quickly began to assemble special forces in Chechnya - paratroopers, GRU, Baltic marines... But, despite all the haste of formation and crumpled preparation, it was not “green” whipping boys who went to Chechnya, but fully trained professionals, ready to go into the thick of it for the sake of victory and for the sake of restoring constitutional order on Chechen soil.

The Marine Corps in Chechnya suffered a lot of hardships - constant battles, losses, hardships. But . They did not give up in Chechnya either. During both Chechen campaigns, not a single unit of black berets left their borders - not a single house, street, settlement or hill. Not a single Marine ever asked for mercy or mercy even when looking death in the face.

About a hundred fighters remained forever in Chechen soil. But they will never be forgotten - their memory will forever live in the hearts of their colleagues and relatives. Voenpro also dedicates this text to all the fallen Russian Marines who did not live to see this day.

Especially for black berets, their friends and relatives, the Voenpro website has a huge number . By purchasing something with the symbols of the Marine Corps, you will remind others of the heroism of the guys who gave their most precious things in the name of victory for Russia and Russian weapons. This could be something quite significant, for example , or it could be a simple trifle - or another souvenir - it doesn’t matter at all. What is important is the unfading memory of the fallen heroes.

January 1995 is inscribed in the history of the Russian Marine Corps as a separate chapter. During this bloody January, there was an assault on Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, an impregnable fortress of terrorists. The militants, on the orders of their leaders, were ready to defend Grozny to the last bullet. The command, understanding the complexity of the operation, throws the Marines - the elite of the Chechen corps - into the epicenter of events. The marines in Grozny were tasked with storming government buildings and the “Green Quarter,” an area adjacent to the presidential palace.

During the battles, the Marine Corps soldiers in Grozny showed unparalleled courage and bravery. The assault groups, formed entirely from volunteers, courageously and decisively rushed to Dudayev’s positions and drove the militants out of there with virtually no losses. We had to fight for every entrance, for every floor. Having known the bitterness of losses, the Marines did not want to give up their positions or weaken the onslaught. Ultimately, the Marines' fortitude and training played a role. showed her best qualities and skills, thanks to which the palace and the “Green Quarter” were cleared of militants and taken on January 19, 1995. It is symbolic that it was a marine, a marine from the Baltic Fleet, who raised the St. Andrew’s flag over the palace.

Marine officers in Grozny became the main architects of victory. Superbly commanding their personnel, and sometimes even calling fire on themselves, they kept the fire alive in the hearts of their fighters and made them believe in victory even in the most difficult situations. For the capture of the palace and surrounding areas, three marine officers received the title of Hero of the Russian Federation - an exceptional case in the military history of Russia.

Heroes of the Marine Corps in Chechnya

Lieutenant Colonel Darkovich A.V. received an award for competent command of assault groups and the highest heroism shown during one of the most violent counterattacks of the militants - the lieutenant colonel called fire on himself, preventing the group from being encircled.

Guard captain D.A. Polkovnikov with a detachment, under cover of darkness, attacked the militants located in one of the most fortified buildings and forced them to retreat. Repelling attack after attack, being shell-shocked, the captain continued to command the detachment. He and his unit never retreated from this building, showing unprecedented courage and destroying a large number of militants.

Captain Vdovkin V.V. showed exceptional courage and heroism during the capture of the building of the Council of Ministers. Having skillfully organized the offensive and overcoming fierce resistance from superior enemy forces, the captain personally destroyed 18 militants and also suppressed 3 firing points. The names of these people will forever remain in the annals of the Marine Corps, recalling the heroism of the Marines in battle, who took the brunt of the blow in moments of greatest danger.

Video of the Marine Corps in Chechnya

There are a huge number of Marine Corps videos on the Internet. The training of infantrymen, their life, participation in hostilities - all this is captured on video and can become a real encyclopedia for anyone interested in the life and glorious victories and traditions of the Russian Marine Corps. The training of the Marines is beyond doubt - they are true patriots and professionals. Footage of the demonstration performances was also captured on video by the Marine Corps. And the video of the storming of Grozny and footage from the scene will allow you to plunge into the atmosphere of January 1995 and feel all the horror that befell the Marine Corps in Grozny.

On the Voenpro website you will find a huge number of products for Marine Corps soldiers. Unit flags, , other items of clothing... every Marine can find something here for himself and his fellow soldiers.