It just so happened in the Russian army that an elite gradually emerged from all types of troops. They deserved their status not by a beautiful form and not by the attitude of the public, they are really reliable defenders of the Fatherland, ready at any moment to rise in alarm to repel aggression or carry out assigned tasks. Marine Corps units are considered one of these representatives. A high level of physical and combat training more than once came in handy when solving the most difficult combat missions. Even the enemy is imbued with respect along with understanding high degree dangers in the work of special forces. The Marines are most likely referred to as the Black Death because of their black uniforms.

Marine detachments, which are now organized in all Russian fleets, have never in their entire history given reason to doubt the professionalism, courage and courage of the fighters. G.K. himself Zhukov during the Great Patriotic War recognized the invaluable contribution of infantrymen in the difficult path to victory.

The direct purpose of the Marine Corps is in military operations at sea and coast, so they are included in the Russian Navy. The Black Sea Fleet, the Northern Fleet, the Baltic, Caspian and Pacific have their own detachments of infantry and paratroopers, but the fact that they were involved as independent combat units in the conduct of CTO in the North Caucasus really indicates their indispensability.

Service record of the Marines

Being the "pearl of the fleet", the infantry participated in almost all armed conflicts. In addition to the Second World War, these are Dagestan and Chechnya. Marines The USSR in Afghanistan, according to official data, was not involved. This is confirmed by the absence of any orders in the archive. However, without a high degree of combat training, the army of the USSR would not have been able to oppose anything to the bandit formations, which are well prepared and perfectly oriented on the ground.

The detachments formed from MP volunteers, like the paratroopers in Afghanistan, solved key tasks, saving inexperienced nineteen-year-old boys from inevitable death, and although the fighters were forced to take off their native vests and change them to the uniform of the ground forces, the hardening of the Marine made itself felt. Comrades in arms did not treat them condescendingly. On the contrary, the shoulder provided by the professional military, already considered the elite at that time, to a large extent raised morale.

Find out: When is Russian Army Day celebrated?

Crisis in the army during the first Chechen campaign

Without going into history, we note that the conflict in Chechnya reached its climax at the most inopportune period for the country. Against the backdrop of a general decline in the economy, a kind of crisis was observed in the army. It was represented by low material equipment, lack of competent regular officers, low interest and motivation of the younger generation. As a result, the Russian army in the mid-1990s was not really prepared for real combat operations.

The memory of those inexperienced guys who had to die doing their duty will never fade, but it is quite certain that the marines have become a real trump card for the federal forces in the war in Chechnya. After all, they are staffed by military personnel who have passed special training both physically and morally. The infantrymen confirmed their heroism not by word, but by deed. Saving other people's lives, they constantly risked and sometimes sacrificed their own.

Neither one nor the other was practically observed in the ranks of the active army of the Russian Federation. No, young people could not be called cowards, because many of them consciously gave their lives, but not everyone was mentally ready for this, and conscripts were sent to the war, who received only basic knowledge.

In the battles, I had to face the enemy, professionally trained. It is now known that most of Dudayev's militants consisted of foreign mercenaries. The local population was ambivalent about the situation in the republic. Being officially on the side of the integrity of the state, almost every family helped the separatists. It was only possible to oppose them to prefabricated special forces from among the MP, Airborne Forces, GRU. The marines in Chechnya, unlike in Afghanistan, were used as a separate brigade.

Naturally, MP fighters took on a large share of all the burdens of the conflict. It so happened that the detachments did not leave the battle for weeks. The militants were on their own land, so they knew the area better than Russian troops, but in courage and courage they were significantly inferior, despite all religious beliefs. Today, the conflict is considered and analyzed by historians, but not a single case is known of a marine, even a prisoner, asking for mercy. According to rough estimates, about a hundred fighters did not return home. But then it was not yet known that in 1995 the marines had not yet completed their mission in Chechnya.

Find out: What does demobilization mean in the army, how is this hazing rank assigned

Feats that will remain in history

The bloody events of January 1995 showed that the calculations of the command for the use of the forces of the Marine Corps justified themselves. It was at this time that the assault on Grozny fell. The militants used every house, every building to set up an ambush. The sappers did not always cope with so many objects, so the marines often acted at their own peril and risk.

The Marine Corps consisted of only experienced military personnel who had more than one year of military experience behind their backs. They organized voluntary assault groups that fearlessly recaptured building after building from Dudayev's militants. If it happened to lose a close friend, then the fighters became even more obsessed in trying to take revenge on the bandits. Once again it was proved that the strength of morale plays a decisive role in the battle, and on January 19, 1995, the St. Andrew's flag was raised over the government building in Grozny.

Separately, it is necessary to note the excellent organizational skills of the officers. After all, they go to war with the idea of ​​keeping alive as many of their wards as possible. Often causing fire on themselves, they saved hundreds of young children at the cost of their lives. Russian and soviet history knows many facts when skillful command led to a brilliant victory. Three MP officers were awarded the highest award for the capture of Grozny. Darkovich A.V., Polkovnikov D.A. and Vdovkin V.V. carried out the command of their detachments, and coped with the task, despite the superior forces of the enemy.

Among the heroes of this war there are valiant successors of real dynasties. Grandfather defended the Motherland from Nazi German invaders, the father is a veteran of the Afghan events, and the son ended up in Chechnya. It is hard to imagine that three generations in the family chose the difficult path of the military.

Experience gained in combat

Transformations in the army, modern reforms and new directions can be implemented only after having received bitter experience, which is very unfortunate, since in order to realize mistakes, one must lose the best shots. However, history inexorably turns this statement into a law. Thus, the paratroopers in Chechnya proved the failure of some pieces of equipment, and the process of storming the presidential palace in Grozny was complicated due to the severity of the ammunition, an inconvenient form of protective purpose.

Find out: Summer and winter uniforms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The Marines of the Tofa (Pacific Fleet) were the first to withdraw from Chechnya. In March, units of the Northern and Baltic Fleets also ceased their activities. But the Black Sea people remained in their positions for a long time to restore constitutional order. The combat experience gained in Chechnya affects not only the additional requirements for military equipment or to arms. The war brought huge changes in the minds of the soldiers. No matter how tough the workouts are, they are just theoretical part. When a close friend dies, everything around begins to be evaluated from a different perspective. It is necessary to be morally very stable in order to continue the work begun.

Location of events

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

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the start of the war in Chechnya, Sergei Kondratenko and my colleague, Chief Editor"New in Vladivostok" Andrei Ostrovsky has already published the fourth edition of the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory, where all the Primorye residents (and those called up from Primorye) who died in the North Caucasus over the years are named. New names were entered into each reprint, each time hoping that these additions were the last.

I will preface the conversation, the occasion for which was this non-holiday anniversary, with a brief background. Sergei Kondratenko was born in 1950 in Khabarovsk, graduated from the Far Eastern Higher School of Education in Blagoveshchensk. From 1972 to 2001, he served in a division (now a brigade) of the Marine Corps of the Pacific Fleet, having retired from the post of deputy division commander. Later he led the regional search and rescue service, headed the organization of veterans of local wars "Contingent", now he is the chairman of the council of veterans of Vladivostok. Awarded with orders Courage and "For Military Merit".

The Pacific in the Caucasus: "Everything was learned on the spot"

Sergei Konstantinovich, all your life you have been studying and teaching others to fight, and with an external enemy. Remember, they told me how, as a cadet of the Far Eastern Military District in March 1969, during the battles on Damansky, you occupied positions in Blagoveshchensk on the Amur embankment ... Then it 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 marines wrote reports, asked to be sent to Afghanistan, but we were told: you have your own combat mission. But, by the way, then 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 destroyed Grozny, talked to civilians, we realized that there really was a genocide of the Russian population. Not only Russians spoke about this, but also the Chechens themselves, especially the old people, and we ourselves saw it all. True, some said that we should not have interfered - they themselves, they say, would have figured it out. I don't know... Another thing is that the decision to send troops was hasty, that's 100 percent.

As the division's deputy commander, I was appointed chief of the division's task force. This group is created for the convenience of control when the regiment operates at a distance from the division. Its commander was in charge of the regiment itself, and I was the first to “jump out” to the rear area, to Grozny, agreed with the Baltic marines to transfer the tent camp to us ... During the hostilities, I ensured the interaction of the “regiment - grouping”. Then he took over the exchange of prisoners, the collection of weapons from the population. I traveled through departments. If some kind of emergency, skirmish, death, always jumped out, sorted it out on the spot. On February 18, I received a 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 came back from vacation and found out that a directive had come: to complete the 165th regiment to wartime states and conduct 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 parts of the fleet. Of these, 50 percent were eliminated, if not more. Firstly, this is an old army tradition: they always give the very “best”. Secondly, they did not take anyone who said: "I will not go." Or if there are health problems.

At the Bamburovo and Clerk training grounds, we managed to carry out almost everything that was supposed to be done: 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 the preparation of another plan? Let's say cultural?

This just did not happen, and this is a huge omission. Everything had to be found out on the spot. I loved history, but I still did not know much when I went to the first negotiations with the Chechens. At a meeting with the inhabitants of Belgatoy, an old man comes out and hugs me. I was confused at first. And then it was like that all the time - hugging a man who could kill me in half an hour. It is so customary there - the elder hugs the elder.

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

You know, the general impression is this: we were taught one thing, but there everything was different. We did not expect much, starting with the mud and mess and ending with the use of units. Learned on the go.

- Among you were combatants?

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

In general, the marines were well prepared. Approximately a third of our dead are non-combat losses, but in the same 245th regiment (245th Guards motorized rifle regiment Moscow military district, replenished by the Far East. - Ed.) non-combat losses were 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 exactly how a person died. You can’t tell his parents that, for example, he took drugs ... And there all the vices of a citizen crawl out. In general, in 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 will shoot at him ...

- Did the Marines have any special tasks?

No, they were used as regular infantry. True, when we "forced" Sunzha, our PTS participated there - a floating conveyor. We joked: the marines are used for their combat mission!

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

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

On January 19, when Dudayev's palace was taken, Yeltsin announced that the military stage of restoring the operation of the Russian Constitution in Chechnya had been completed. Just in time for this date, our regiment concentrated in the rear area not far from Grozny. After reading the newspaper "Krasnaya Zvezda" of January 21, in which this statement of the President was published, I thought: fir-trees-sticks, what the hell were we being dragged from 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 marines of the Pacific Fleet ...

When this battle began (the battalion fought, the sailor was wounded), I immediately "jumped" into place. Not only because of the wounded: our communication was lost, interaction was lost, 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, and ammunition. We went to the carbide plant, where the units of the second battalion were located. This is Khabarovskaya street - my "native" street. And I almost flew in there - I could have died three times on this first exit. We were given a ten-page card, but we didn’t work with such cards, and I couldn’t “get it” into it. We walked on two armored personnel carriers along Khabarovsk, jumped out to the bridge over the Sunzha, but the bridge was not visible - it was blown up, and it caved in, sank. The spirits placed blocks in front of the bridge. I look through the triplex - nothing is clear, black figures are rushing about with weapons, obviously not our sailors ... We stopped and stood there for a minute or two. If they had a grenade launcher - write wasted. I look around - on the left there is some enterprise, on the pipe - a sickle and a hammer. And they told me at the headquarters of the group: a pipe with a sickle and a hammer is “carbide”. I look - the gates are opening, a figure in camouflage is waving. We jumped in there. The second point: when we drove into the yard, I drove along the wire from MON-200 - directional mines. But it did not explode - ours set a mine for the first time, the tension was weak. And when we passed there, I already opened the hatch, leaned out. It would have been severely cut - it would not have pierced the armor, but the wheels would have been damaged and the head blown off ... And the third. We drove into the yard of the carbide plant, took the wounded away, but there was no other way out. I realized that the spirits had driven us into a mousetrap and would not let us out just like that. 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 did not have time to shoot at us from a grenade launcher. A second armored personnel carrier immediately followed us. They fired at him, but because of the high speed of the grenade passed by. At this time, Rusakov looked out from behind the gate, and a grenade hit him ... We learned about his death after arriving at the command post of the regiment. When it got dark, I again went to the positions of the second battalion. We managed to take out the body of Maxim only at night - the militants held the gates of the plant at gunpoint.

Ruined Grozny

I drank a glass that evening, I 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 anymore. But he drew conclusions. And then in such cases I always analyzed and predicted.

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

Yes, from Afghanistan, but we used it. "Bandits" - no one said. And the "Czechs" - it's already gone.

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

At first it was hard - and accommodation, and food, and heating. Then people got used to it. At first, there was lice, and then baths were set up in each unit: in tents, dugouts, wagons ... Morale - at first it was very difficult, I even wonder 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 cursed terribly - they just talked obscenities during this stressful period. Then they got used to it.

At first, I had a lot of colds. The mud was terrible, it was cold, and they also sent us rubber boots ... We then threw them away. The second is skin diseases. But then they screwed up again. At first I got sick myself, I lay in bed for a day, and then, no matter how much I dangled - my legs were wet, cold, - there was nothing, not even snot.

- Did the locals 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 after 18 hours was prohibited, and here a man and a young guy were driving a tractor. The man ran away, and the guy got under a hot hand - ours slapped him. The next day - booze. I understood that the Chechens had violated it, but still it was impossible to touch them ... I went to the elder - this guy's uncle, and asked for forgiveness. He offered to gather the residents, he was ready to publicly apologize, but they told me: no, you asked for forgiveness - in an hour the whole village will know.

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

I personally once was under fire from an 82-mm mortar - a great car! Another time, I came under fire from the Grad - they poured about half a package somewhere, since there were no dead. There was an anecdote - a sailor-signaller 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, and those remained in place. Those who survived were very well prepared. They had assertiveness, impudence... 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 at first remained in Mozdok at the command post of the grouping, performed commandant functions. After that, we made it a rule: an officer comes to replace him - let him first sit, listen, grow into the situation. I know this from my own experience - I couldn’t even “get it” into the map right off the bat. 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 disturbing, you look into the gap between the hatch and the armor. When I went to the first exit - I put on a helmet, a bulletproof vest ... As a result, I could not climb an armored personnel carrier - the sailors pushed me like a medieval knight! It’s somewhere on the block you can sit in a bulletproof vest ... On January 22, I put on a bulletproof vest and a 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 dissatisfied 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. Peaceful respite was beneficial only to the militants.

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

- I had to become a diplomat... Later you supported Troshev's negotiations with Maskhadov - how did they go?

Maskhadov's talks with Major General Troshev, commander of our troops in Chechnya, took place on April 28 in Novye Atagi, in the house of a local resident. At first, field commander Isa Madaev and I discussed the details. Already on the day of the negotiations, security was provided. On the other side were Aslan Maskhadov and his assistant Isa Madaev, Deputy Prime Minister of Dudayev's government Lom-Ali (I don't remember his last name), Shamil Basaev's elder brother Shirvani Basaev. Our side was represented by General Troshev, Lieutenant Colonel internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs, FSB captain and me.

Negotiations in Novye Atagi. Center - Isa Madaev, Gennady Troshev, Aslan Maskhadov.Photo from the archive of S.K. Kondratenko

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

In your notes you call the Khasavyurt peace shameful and tantamount to capitulation. And the second war - could you do without it?

I don't think so. First, 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 territories. Dagestan in 1999 was the last straw.

May 5, 1995, Knevichi, return from Chechnya. Left: Governor of Primorye Yevgeny Nazdratenko

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

The war itself does not start. And it is not the military who start it, but the politicians. But if a war starts, let the professionals, the military, deal with the war, and not in such a way that they fought, then stop - they kissed, then start again ... The most important thing is that the deaths of people could have been prevented, it was not necessary to bring 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.

Moreover, their role increases during military operations in hot spots, when it is clearly shown 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 has shown that it rightfully bears the nickname "Black Death".

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

This text "Voenpro" would like to dedicate to the fighters of the Marine Corps of Russia. Marine units stand out significantly from the rest of the units. Russian army. The famous pride of all Russian fleets, from the Northern to the Pacific. Fighters who took part in all combat operations of the latest Russian history. With their fearless actions, the detachments of the troops in Chechnya really deserve honor and respect among fellow soldiers of all kinds. And this is no exception.

Video about the marines in Chechnya

The Marine Corps in combat throughout its history has shown first-class combat training, combined with the best human qualities. Even Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov - grand marshal ground forces during the Second World War - spoke extremely flatteringly about the marines and their contribution to the victory over the enemy.

Enemies called the Russian marines "Black Cloud", and the soldiers of other Russian units - 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 have become a truly saving unit for the Russian army.

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

By the way, you will be interested to watch a video about the Marines in Chechnya:

And in Chechnya, they hastily began to assemble special forces - paratroopers, the GRU, marines of the Baltic ... But, despite all the haste of formation and the crumpled preparation, it was by no means “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.

A lot of hardships fell on the lot of the marines in Chechnya - constant battles, losses, hardships. But . They did not give up in Chechnya either. During both Chechen campaigns, not a single unit of the black berets left its borders - not a single house, street, locality or hills. Not a single Marine has ever asked for mercy or mercy, even looking death in the face.

About a hundred fighters forever remained lying in the Chechen land. But they will never be forgotten - the memory of them will live forever in the hearts of their colleagues and relatives. This text "Voenpro" also dedicates to all the dead Russian marines who did not live to see this day.

Especially for black berets, their friends and relatives, the Voenpro website has great amount . Having bought a thing with the symbols of the Marine Corps, you will remind others of the heroism of the guys who gave the most precious thing in the name of the victory of Russia and Russian weapons. It could be something very significant, for example , or maybe a simple trifle - or another souvenir - it does not matter at all. Only the undying memory of the fallen heroes is important.

January 1995 is inscribed in the history of the Russian Marine Corps as a separate chapter. In that 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, realizing 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" - the area adjacent to the presidential palace.

Marines in Grozny during the fighting showed unparalleled courage and courage. The assault groups, formed purely from volunteers, courageously and resolutely rushed to Dudayev's positions and knocked out the militants from there practically without loss. 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 strength of mind and the training of the Marines played a role. showed its 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 of the Baltic Fleet, who raised the St. Andrew's flag over the palace.

Marine Corps officers in Grozny became the main smiths of victory. Superbly commanding the personnel, and sometimes causing fire on themselves, they kept the fire in the hearts of their fighters, made them believe in victory even in the most difficult situations. For the capture of the palace and adjacent quarters, three marine officers were once awarded the title of Hero Russian Federation- an exceptional case in military history Russia.

Heroes of the Marine Corps in Chechnya

Lieutenant Colonel Darkovich A.V. received an award for the competent command of the 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 encirclement of the group.

Guard captain Polkovnikov D.A. with a detachment under cover of night 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 retreated from this building no more, showing unparalleled courage and destroying a large number of militants.

Captain Vdovkin V.V. showed exceptional courage and heroism in the course of taking the building of the Council of Ministers. Skillfully organizing the offensive and overcoming the fierce resistance of 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 Marine Corps in battle, who took the brunt in moments of greatest danger.

Video of Marine Corps in Chechnya

There are a huge number of videos of the Marine Corps on the Internet. The training of infantrymen, their way of life, participation in hostilities - all this is captured on video and can become a real encyclopedia for everyone who is interested in the life and glorious victories and traditions of the Russian marines. The training of the Marines is beyond doubt - they are real patriots and professionals. Footage of demonstration performances is also captured on the video of the marines. And the video of the assault on 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 marines in Grozny.

On the website "Voenpro" you will find a huge amount of goods for the marines. Division flags, , other items of clothing ... every marine can find here something for himself and his fellow soldiers.

They are rightly considered the elite of the Navy and are sent to the most risky operations. And they never fail, saying "where we are, there is victory." Today the Marines celebrate their professional holiday, and we decided to remember the exploits of the heroes in black berets.

He received the Hero of Russia when he was 25. Marine of the Black Sea Fleet Vladimir Karpushenko in the midst of the second Chechen campaign served in the area of ​​conflict.

From September 1999 to February 2000, commanding a reconnaissance company, he participated in 60 combat operations.

On the eve of the new year, 2000, after the death of a group of Marines Lieutenant Yuri Kuryagin, Captain Karpushenko was given the task of identifying the whereabouts of the militants operating in the area of ​​the village of Kharachoy. After a two-day raid, on January 2, Karpushenko's reconnaissance group managed to find them.

The bandits were engaged in strengthening new positions, leaving for the nearest village for food.

On one of these departures, Karpushenko and his soldiers occupied the abandoned fortifications. The Marines met the returning militants with heavy fire from machine guns.

In a matter of minutes, the bandits were destroyed ...

Militants hastily arrived at the battlefield, but Karpushenko's fighters, who had occupied the enemy line in a businesslike manner, did not even think of retreating. The young officer commanded the battle, competently organizing the defense - on that day, all the attacks undertaken by the enemy ended in defeat.

In 1995, Guards Colonel Yevgeny Kocheshkov commanded a group of marines in Chechnya.

On January 10, immediately after arriving in the conflict area, his unit was sent to Grozny, where fierce fighting was going on at that time. Kocheshkov's marines, having replaced a detachment of paratroopers in the center of the city, which had suffered serious losses, knocked out militants from dilapidated buildings on the outskirts of the presidential palace.

The incessant, heavy battle lasted for several days. After each unsuccessful attempt to return the lines occupied by the Marines, the militants made a new, even more fierce attempt.

All attacks ended in hand-to-hand combat...

On January 19, the fighters managed to take the presidential palace, holding it until the tanks of the federal forces approached.

Commanding talent, composure, endurance and responsibility of Colonel Kocheshkov gave strength and confidence to subordinates.

In this operation, not a single fighter went missing, was not captured. None of the 18 dead were left on the battlefield.

In August 1995, Evgeny Kocheshkov was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

In early January 1995, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Vdovkin was sent on a business trip to Chechnya to the post of Chief of Staff of the 61st Marine Battalion. separate brigade Northern Fleet.

The officer led the assault group during the capture of the former building of the Council of Ministers in Grozny. It was an important node of the militants' defense, an almost impregnable fortress...

After heavy street fighting, the assault squad still managed to break into the building and gain a foothold on the first floor. But the battle continued, the embittered Dudayevites repeatedly tried to regain control of the object, undertaking several counterattacks.

During one of them, Viktor Vdovkin was wounded, but continued to lead the battle.

After several assault attempts, the separatists were able to cut off Vdovkin's group from the main forces. Needless to say, the position of the Marines was extremely difficult. But they didn't give up. The senior lieutenant organized the defense of the line, continuing to repulse enemy attacks.

This pitch hell lasted four days.

Vdovkin's group, without food and water, fought against the militants, inflicting significant losses on them. During the reconnaissance of the positions of the Dudayevites, Vdovkin received another wound and a shell shock. Colleagues carried the commander from the battlefield in an unconscious state, and after a breakthrough to the main forces, they were evacuated to the hospital.

In May 1995, Viktor Vdovkin received the "Gold Star" of the Hero.

Captain Andrei Gushchin knows firsthand about the first Chechen. In 1995, during a business trip to the conflict area, the marine served as deputy battalion commander.

Street fighting in Grozny, the assault on the building of the Council of Ministers of Chechnya became the pages of his military biography. Andrei Gushchin led the third detachment, which was tasked with recapturing the building of the Council of Ministers from the militants - the first two groups failed to do this.

This time, the scene of action was the building itself, where the Marines burst in with a surprise attack. For five days, Gushchin's fighters fought a fierce battle, holding control of the building.

The militants, who knew the area well, attacked from all sides. It happened that they even appeared from sewer manholes.

The captain skillfully organized the defense, supported and instructed his colleagues and coolly led the battle - this allowed not only to keep the building, but also to save the lives of most of the soldiers. And it was not easy for them: many lost their nerves, the fatigue of many days of incessant battle affected, vigilance was dulled ...

At a critical moment, Gushchin did something that the enemy did not expect in any way - with a sudden throw, he led his fighters into the attack. It was a risky and desperate move that decided the outcome of the battle.

The Dudayevites suffered colossal losses, and the survivors retreated.

In this hard fight Andrey Gushchen was wounded several times. The news that he was awarded the highest state award found the hero in the hospital. It happened in February 1995.

In January 1995, Yevgeny Kolesnikov arrived in the Chechen Republic as part of the combined marine battalion of the Baltic Fleet. It was not the first time for an officer to serve in a hot spot - before that there was Afghanistan, which brought the Order of the Red Star and the medal "For Courage". And now, Chechnya.

The officer, who had combat experience, was assigned the most difficult task - to clear the houses from militants and snipers that made it difficult to take the presidential palace in Grozny. Kolesnikov's detachment, advancing with battles to the city center, recaptured the building from Dudayev kindergarten- stronghold of their defense. For several days, the marines fought off the violent attacks of the bandits, held the defense and went forward, inflicting numerous losses on the militants.

On January 17, when Kolesnikov's group was going to storm the next building, Dudayev's men opened fire from machine guns. The Marines, pressed to the ground, took cover from the fire - the attack was thwarted.

Shot through every meter of the earth. It was impossible to wait - the price of delay could be the death of the group.

Then Kolesnikov got up from the ground and led the fighters into the attack. A moment later, a machine-gun burst pierced his chest. The officer died, but his colleagues managed to knock the militants out of the building and establish their control over it.

After many hours of fighting for the body of the commander, the marines carried him away from the battlefield, not giving him up for reproach by the militants.

In May 1995, for courage and heroism, Yevgeny Kolesnikov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

No one now remembers that in 1995 the naval tradition of the Great Patriotic War was revived - a company of marines was formed on the basis of more than twenty units of the Leningrad Naval Base. Moreover, it was not a marine officer who had to command this company, but a submariner ...

Just like in 1941, the sailors were sent almost straight from the ships to the front, although many of them held a machine gun in their hands only on the oath. And these yesterday's mechanics, signalmen, electricians in the mountains of Chechnya entered into battle with well-trained and heavily armed militants.

Sailors-Baltic in the battalion of marines of the Baltic Fleet fought back in Chechnya with honor. But out of ninety-nine fighters, only eighty-six returned home ...

List of servicemen of the 8th company of the Marine Corps of the Leningrad Naval Base who died during the conduct of hostilities on the territory of the Chechen Republic in the period from May 3 to June 30, 1995

1. Guard Major Yakunenkov Igor Alexandrovich (04/23/63–05/30/95)

2. Guards Senior Lieutenant Stobetsky Sergey Anatolyevich (24.02.72–30.05.95)

3. Guards sailor contract-based Yegorov Alexander Mikhailovich (03/14/57–05/30/95)

4. Guard sailor Kalugin Dmitry Vladimirovich (11.06.76–08.05.95)

5. Guard sailor Kolesnikov Stanislav Konstantinovich (05.04.76–30.05.95)

6. Guard sailor Koposov Roman Vyacheslavovich (03/04/76–05/30/95)

7. Guards foreman of the 2nd article Korablin Vladimir Ilyich (24.09.75–30.05.95)

8. Guards junior sergeant Dmitry Metlyakov (04/09/71–05/30/95)

9. Guards senior sailor Romanov Anatoly Vasilyevich (04/27/76–05/29/95)

10. Guards senior sailor Cherevan Vitaly Nikolaevich (01.04.75–30.05.95)

11. Guard sailor Cherkashin Mikhail Aleksandrovich (03/20/76–05/30/95)

12. Guards senior sailor Shpilko Vladimir Ivanovich (21.04.76–29.05.95)

13. Guards Sergeant Yakovlev Oleg Evgenievich (05/22/75–05/29/95)

Eternal memory to the dead, honor and glory to the living!

Captain 1st rank V. (call sign "Vietnam") says:

- I, a submariner, became the commander of a marine corps company by accident. At the beginning of January 1995, I was the commander of a diving company of the Baltic Fleet, at that time the only one in the entire Navy. And then suddenly an order came: from the personnel of the units of the Leningrad naval base to form a company of marines to be sent to Chechnya. And all the infantry officers of the Vyborg Antiamphibious Defense Regiment, who were supposed to go to war, refused. I remember that the command of the Baltic Fleet then threatened to put them in jail for this. So what? Did they imprison at least someone? .. And they told me: “You have at least some experience in combat. Take the company. You answer for her with your head.

On the night of January 11-12, 1995, I received this company in Vyborg. And in the morning you need to fly to Baltiysk.

As soon as I arrived at the barracks of the company of the Vyborg regiment, I lined up sailors and asked them: “Do you know that we are going to war?” And then half a company faints: “Ka-a-ak? .. To some kind of war! ..”. Then they realized how they were all deceived! It turned out that some of them were offered to enter the flight school, someone was going to another place. But here’s what’s interesting: for some reason, the “best” sailors were selected for such important and responsible cases, for example, with disciplinary “flights” or even former offenders in general.

I remember a local major running up: “Why did you tell them that? How are we going to keep them now? I told him: “Shut your mouth ... It’s better that we collect them here than I later collect them there. By the way, if you don't agree with my decision, I can trade with you. Any questions?". The Major had no more questions...

Something unimaginable began to happen to the personnel: someone was crying, someone fell into a stupor ... Of course, there were just finished cowards. Out of a hundred and fifty of them, there were fifteen people. Two of them generally rushed out of the unit. But I don’t need these either, I wouldn’t take these myself anyway. But most of the guys were still ashamed in front of their comrades, and they went to fight. In the end, ninety-nine men went to war.

The next day in the morning I built the company again. Vice-Admiral Grishanov, commander of the Leningrad Naval Base, asks me: “Do you have any wishes?” I answer: “Yes. Everyone here is going to die.” Him: “What are you? This is a reserve company! ..». I: “Comrade commander, I know everything, this is not the first time I see a marching company. Here people have families, but no one has apartments.” He: “We didn’t think about it ... I promise, we will solve this issue.” And then he kept his word: all the families of the officers received apartments.

We arrive in Baltiysk, to the Marine Brigade of the Baltic Fleet. The brigade itself at that time was in a dilapidated state, so the mess in the brigade multiplied by the mess in the company resulted in a mess squared. No food, no sleep. And after all, this was only a minimal mobilization for one fleet! ..

But, thank God, the old guard of Soviet officers still remained in the fleet by that time. They pulled out the beginning of the war on themselves. But in the second “walker” (as the Marines call the period of hostilities in mountainous Chechnya from May to June 1995. - Ed.), Many officers from the “new” went to war for apartments and orders. (I remember how, back in Baltiysk, one officer asked to join my company. But I had nowhere to take him. I then asked him: “Why do you want to go?” He: “But I don’t have an apartment ....” I: “Remember : they don’t go to war for apartments.” Later this officer died.)

The deputy commander of the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Artamonov, told me: "Your company is leaving for the war in three days." And out of a hundred and twenty people, I even had to take the oath without a machine gun! But those who had this machine gun also left not far from them: practically no one knew how to shoot anyway.

Somehow settled down, went to the training ground. And at the range, out of ten grenades, two do not explode, out of ten rifle cartridges, three do not shoot, they simply rotted. All these, if I may say so, ammunition were produced in 1953. And cigarettes too, by the way. It turns out that the most ancient NZ was raked out for us. With machine guns - the same story. In the company, they were still the newest - the release of 1976. By the way, the trophy assault rifles that we later took from the “spirits” were manufactured in 1994 ...

But as a result of "intensive training" on the third day, we held classes in combat shooting of the squad (under normal conditions, this is supposed to be done only after a year of study). This is a very difficult and serious exercise, which ends with combat grenade throwing. After such a “study”, all my hands were cut with shrapnel - this is from the fact that I had to pull down those who got up at the wrong time.

But study is only half the trouble... The company is leaving for lunch. I'm doing a shmon. And I find under the beds ... grenades, explosives. These are eighteen-year-old boys!.. They saw the weapon for the first time. But they did not think at all and did not understand that if it all exploded, then the barracks would be blown to smithereens. Later, these fighters told me: "Comrade commander, we do not envy you, as you had to do with us."

We arrive from the landfill at one in the morning. The fighters are not fed, and no one in the brigade is going to feed them especially ... Somehow, they still managed to get something edible. And so I generally fed the officers with my own money. I had two million rubles with me. This was then a relatively large sum. For example, a pack of expensive imported cigarettes cost a thousand rubles ... I can imagine what a sight it was when we, after a training ground with weapons and knives, tumbled into a cafe at night. Everyone is in shock: who are they? ..

Representatives of various national diasporas immediately began to frequent in order to ransom fellow countrymen: give the boy back, he is a Muslim and should not go to war. I remember people like that driving up in a Volkswagen Passat and calling to the checkpoint: “Commander, we need to talk to you.” We came with them to the cafe. They ordered such a table there! .. They say: “We will give you money, give us the boy.” I listened to them attentively and I answer: “Money is not needed.” I call the waitress and pay for the whole table. And I tell them: “Your boy will not go to war. I don’t need such people there!” And then the guy felt uneasy, he already wanted to go with everyone. But then I clearly told him: “No, I definitely don’t need one like that. Free…”.

Then I saw how people are brought together by a common misfortune and common difficulties. Gradually, my motley company began to turn into a monolith. And then in the war I didn’t even command, but just cast a glance - and everyone understood me perfectly.

In January 1995, at a military airfield in the Kaliningrad region, we were loaded onto a plane three times. Twice the Baltics did not give permission for aircraft to fly over their territory. But for the third time, they still managed to send the “Ruevskaya” company (one of the companies of the Baltic Fleet marine brigade. - Ed.), But we were gone again. Our company was preparing until the end of April. In the first "walker" to the war from the whole company, I got alone, went to replace.

On the second "walk" we were supposed to fly on April 28, 1995, but it turned out only on May 3 (again, because of the Balts, who did not let the planes through). Thus, the Pacific Fleet (Naval Infantry of the Pacific Fleet. - Ed.) and the "Northerners" (Northern Fleet Marines. - Ed.) arrived before us.

When it became clear that we were facing a war not in the city, but in the mountains, for some reason there were moods in the Baltic Brigade that there would be no more dead - they say, this is not Grozny of January 1995. There was some kind of false idea that a victorious walk through the mountains was ahead. But for me it was not the first war, and I had a premonition of how everything would actually be. And then we really found out how many people in the mountains died during artillery shelling, how many - during the executions of columns. I really hoped no one would die. I thought: "Well, the wounded, probably, will be ...". And I firmly decided that before sending, I would definitely take the company to the church.

And in the company, many were unbaptized. Among them is Seryoga Stobetsky. And I, remembering how my baptism changed my life, really wanted him to be baptized too. I myself was baptized late. Then I returned from a very scary business trip. The country fell apart. My own family was broken up. It was not clear what to do next. I found myself in a dead end in life ... And I remember well how after baptism my soul calmed down, everything fell into place, and it became clear how I should live on. And when I later served in Kronstadt, I sent sailors several times to help the rector of the Kronstadt Cathedral of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God clear the garbage. The cathedral at that time was in ruins - after all, it was blown up twice.

And then the sailors began to bring me the royal gold coins, which they found under the ruins. They ask: "What to do with them?". Imagine: people find gold, a lot of gold… But no one even thought of taking it for themselves. And I decided to give these chervonets to the rector of the church. And it was in this church that I later came to baptize my son. At that time, Father Svyatoslav, a former "Afghan", was a priest there. I say: “I want to baptize the child. But I myself have little faith, I don’t know prayers ... ” And I remember his speech verbatim: “Seryoga, were you underwater? Have you been to the war? So you believe in God. Free! And for me this moment became a turning point, I finally turned to the Church.

Therefore, before leaving for the “second trip”, I began to ask Seryoga Stobetsky to be baptized. And he firmly answered: "I will not be baptized." I had a premonition (and not only me) that he would not return. I didn’t even want to take him to the war at all, but I was afraid to tell him about it - I knew that he would go anyway. Therefore, I worried about him and really wanted him to be baptized. But here nothing can be done by force.

Through local priests, I turned to the then Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad Kirill with a request to come to Baltiysk. And, what is most surprising, Bishop Kirill left all his urgent business and came to Baltiysk on purpose to bless us for the war.

It was just the Bright Week after Easter. When I was talking to Vladyka, he asked me: “When are you leaving?” I answer: “In a day or two. But there are unbaptized people in the company.” And about twenty boys who were unbaptized and wanted to be baptized, Vladyka Kirill personally baptized. Moreover, the guys did not even have money for crosses, which I told Vladyka about. He replied: "Don't worry, everything here is free for you."

In the morning, almost the entire company (only those who served on guard and in finery were not with us) stood at the liturgy in the cathedral in the center of Baltiysk. The liturgy was officiated by Metropolitan Kirill. Then I formed a company at the cathedral. Vladyka Kirill came out and sprinkled the soldiers with holy water. I still remember how I asked Metropolitan Kirill: “We are going to fight. Perhaps this is a sinful thing? And he replied: “If for the Motherland, then no.”

In the church, we were given icons of St. George the Victorious and the Mother of God and crosses, which were put on by almost everyone who did not have them. With these icons and crosses, a few days later we went to war.

When we were seen off, the commander of the Baltic Fleet, Admiral Yegorov, ordered the table to be laid. The company lined up at the Chkalovsk airfield, the soldiers were given tokens. Lieutenant Colonel Artamonov, deputy brigade commander, took me aside and said: “Seryoga, please come back. Will you have cognac? Me: “No, no, no. Better when I get back. And when I already went to the plane, I rather felt than saw how Admiral Yegorov crossed me ...

At night we flew to Mozdok ( military base in North Ossetia. - Ed.). There is complete confusion. I gave my command to set up guards just in case, get sleeping bags and go to bed right next to the take-off. The guys managed to at least take a nap before the upcoming restless night already in positions.

On May 4, we were transferred to Khankala. There we sit on the armor and march in a column to Germenchug near Shali, at the position of the TOFIK battalion.

We arrived at the place - there was no one ... Our future positions, more than a kilometer long, are scattered along the Dzhalka River. And I only have a little over twenty fighters. If then the "spirits" attacked immediately, then we would have had a very hard time. Therefore, we tried not to reveal ourselves (no shooting) and began to slowly settle down. But no one even thought to sleep that first night.

And they did it right. That same night, we were fired upon by a sniper for the first time. We covered the bonfires, but the fighters decided to smoke. The bullet passed only twenty centimeters from Stas Golubev: he stood in a trance for some time with eyes on the “fifty kopeck”, and the ill-fated cigarette fell on his “armor” and smoked ...

At these positions, we were constantly fired upon both from the side of the village and from the side of some unfinished factory. But then we removed the sniper from the AGS (automatic heavy-duty grenade launcher. - Ed.) at the plant.

The next day the whole battalion arrived. It seemed to be more fun. Engaged in retrofitting positions. I immediately established a normal routine: getting up, exercising, divorce, physical training. Many looked at me with great surprise: in the field, charging looked somehow, to put it mildly, exotic. But three weeks later, when we went to the mountains, everyone understood what, why and why: daily exercises gave results - I did not lose a single person on the march. But in other companies, fighters who were not physically ready for wild loads simply fell off their feet, lagged behind and got lost ...

In May 1995, a moratorium on hostilities was declared. Everyone paid attention to the fact that these moratoriums were announced exactly when the "spirits" needed time to prepare. There were shootings all the same - if they shot at us, we would definitely answer. But we didn't move forward. But when this truce ended, we began to advance in the direction of Shali-Agishty-Makhkety-Vedeno.

By that time, there were both air reconnaissance data and short-range reconnaissance stations. Moreover, they turned out to be so accurate that with their help it was possible to find a shelter for a tank in the mountain. My scouts confirmed: indeed, at the entrance to the gorge in the mountain there is a shelter with a meter layer of concrete. The tank drives out of this concreted cave, shoots in the direction of the grouping and drives back. It is useless to shoot artillery at such a structure. We got out of the situation like this: they called in aviation and dropped some very powerful aerial bomb on the tank.

On May 24, 1995, artillery preparation began, absolutely all the barrels woke up. And on the same day, as many as seven mines flew to our location from our own "nons" (self-propelled mortar. - Ed.). I can’t say exactly why, but some mines, instead of flying along the calculated trajectory, began to tumble. A trench was dug along the road at the site of the former drainage system. And the mine falls right into this trench (Sasha Kondrashov is sitting there) and explodes! .. I think with horror: there must be a corpse there ... I run up - thank God, Sasha is sitting, holding on to his leg. The fragment broke off a piece of stone, and with this stone, part of the muscle on his leg was torn out. And this is on the eve of the battle. He doesn't want to go to the hospital... They sent him anyway. But he caught up with us near Duba-Yurt. It's good that no one else got hooked.

On the same day, "grad" drives up to me. The captain of the marine corps, “TOF” runs out of it, asks: “Can I stand with you?”. I answer: “Well, wait…”. It never occurred to me that these guys would start shooting!.. And they drove off about thirty meters to the side and fired a volley!.. It seemed that they hit me in the ears with a hammer! I told him: "What are you doing! ..". He: "So you allowed ...". They themselves stuffed their ears with cotton…

On May 25, almost our entire company was already at the TPU (rear control point. - Ed.) of the battalion south of Shali. Only the 1st platoon (reconnaissance) and mortars were moved forward close to the mountains. Mortars were put forward because the regimental “nons” and “acacias” (self-propelled howitzer. - Ed.) Could not shoot close. The “spirits” took advantage of this: they would hide behind the nearby mountain, where the artillery could not reach them, and make sorties from there. This is where our mortars came in handy.

Early in the morning we heard fighting in the mountains. It was then that the “spirits” bypassed the 3rd airborne assault company of the “TOFiks” from the rear. We ourselves were afraid of such a detour. The next night I did not lie down at all, but walked around in circles in my positions. The day before, a “northerner” fighter came out to us, but mine did not notice him and let him through. I remember, I got terribly angry - I thought that I would just kill everyone! .. After all, if the "northerner" calmly passed, then what can we say about "spirits"?

At night, I sent the castle platoon sergeant Edik Musikaev with the guys forward to see where we were supposed to advance. They saw two wrecked "Dukhov" tanks. The guys brought a couple of captured machine guns with them, although usually the "spirits" took away the weapons after the battle. But here, probably, the skirmish was so fierce that these machine guns were either abandoned or lost. In addition, we found grenades, mines, captured a "Dukhovsky" machine gun, a smooth-bore gun from an infantry fighting vehicle, mounted on a self-made chassis.

On May 26, 1995, the active phase of the offensive began: the “TOFiks” and the “northerners” fought forward along the Shali Gorge. The "spirits" prepared very well for the meeting of ours: they had echeloned positions - systems of dugouts, trenches. (Later on, we even found old dugouts from the time of the Patriotic War, which the “spirits” converted into firing points. And here’s what was especially bitter: the militants “magically” knew exactly the time the operation began, the location of the troops and delivered preemptive tank artillery strikes.)

It was then that my fighters first saw the returning MTLB (light armored multi-purpose tractor. - Ed.) With the wounded and dead (they were taken out right through us). They grew up on the same day.

"Tofiks" and "northerners" rested ... They did not even half fulfill the task for this day. Therefore, on the morning of May 27, I received a new command: together with the battalion, move to the area of ​​the cement plant near Duba-Yurt. The command decided not to send our Baltic battalion through the gorge head-on (I don’t even know how many of us would be left with such a development of events), but to send it around to go to the “spirits” in the rear. The battalion was given the task of passing through the right flank through the mountains and taking Agishty first, and then Makhkety. And it was precisely for such actions of ours that the militants were completely unprepared! And the fact that even a whole battalion will go to the rear of them in the mountains, they could not dream even in a nightmare! ..

By thirteen o'clock on May 28, we moved to the area of ​​the cement plant. Paratroopers from the 7th Airborne Division also came here. And then we hear the sound of "turntables"! In the gap between the trees of the gorge, a helicopter appears, painted with some kind of dragons (it was clearly visible through binoculars). And everyone, without saying a word, opens fire from grenade launchers in that direction! The helicopter was far away, about three kilometers, and we could not get it. But the pilot, it seems, saw this barrage and quickly flew away. We didn’t see any more “spiritual” helicopters.

According to the plan, paratrooper scouts were to go first. Behind them comes the 9th company of our battalion and becomes a checkpoint. Behind the 9th - our 7th company and also becomes a checkpoint. And my 8th company must go through all the checkpoints and take Agishty. For reinforcement, they gave me a "mortar", a sapper platoon, an artillery spotter and an aircraft controller.

Seryoga Stobetsky, commander of the 1st reconnaissance platoon, and I are starting to think about how we will go. They began to prepare for the exit. They arranged additional classes in "physo" (although we already had them from the very beginning every day). We also decided to hold competitions in store equipment for speed. After all, each fighter has ten to fifteen stores with him. But one store, if you pull the trigger and hold it, flies out in about three seconds, and life literally depends on the speed of reloading in battle.

Everyone at that moment already well understood that ahead - not the shootouts that we had the day before. Everything spoke of this: the burnt skeletons of tanks were all around, the wounded were coming out through our positions in dozens, the dead were being taken out ... Therefore, before going to the starting point, I approached each soldier to look him in the eye and wish him good luck. I saw how some of their stomachs twisted with fear, someone even pissed himself ... But I do not consider these manifestations to be something shameful. I just remember my fear before the first fight! It hurts in the solar plexus area as if you were hit in the groin, but only ten times worse! It is both sharp and aching and dull pain at the same time ... And you can’t do anything about it: even if you walk, even if you sit, it hurts so much in your stomach! ..

When we went to the mountains, I was wearing about sixty kilograms of equipment - a bulletproof vest, a machine gun with a grenade launcher, two ammo grenades, one and a half ammo cartridges, grenades for a grenade launcher, two knives. The fighters are loaded the same way. But the guys from the 4th grenade-machine-gun platoon were dragging their AGSs (automatic easel grenade launcher. - Ed.), "Cliffs" (heavy machine gun NSV caliber 12.7 mm. - Ed.) And plus each two mortar mines - more ten kilos!

I line up a company and determine the battle order: first comes the 1st reconnaissance platoon, then the sappers and the "mortar", and closes the 4th platoon. We are walking in complete darkness along the goat path, which was marked on the map. The path is narrow, only a cart could pass through it, and even then with great difficulty. I said to mine: “If someone screams, even if he is wounded, then I myself will come and strangle with my own hands ...”. So we walked very quietly. Even if someone fell, the maximum that could be heard was an indistinct lowing.

On the way we saw "spiritual" caches. Soldiers: "Comrade commander! ..". Me: “Set aside, don’t touch anything. Forward!". And it’s right that we didn’t poke our heads into these caches. Later we learned about the "two hundredth" (deceased. - Ed.) and "three hundredth" (wounded. - Ed.) in our battalion. The soldiers of the 9th company climbed into the dugouts to rummage. And no, in order to first throw grenades at the dugout, but go stupidly, into the open ... And here is the result - ensign from Vyborg Volodya Soldatenkov was hit by a bullet below the bulletproof vest in the groin. He died of peritonitis, he was not even taken to the hospital.

All the time of the march, I ran between the vanguard (reconnaissance platoon) and the rear guard (“mortar”). And our column stretched for almost two kilometers. When once again I came back, I met reconnaissance paratroopers who were walking, tied with ropes. I told them: "You're going great, boys!" After all, they were walking light! But it turned out that we were ahead of everyone, the 7th and 9th companies were left far behind.

Reported to the battalion commander. He says to me: "So go to the end first." And at five in the morning, with my reconnaissance platoon, I took the high-rise 1000.6. This was the place where the 9th company was supposed to set up a checkpoint and the battalion's TPU was to be located. At seven o'clock in the morning my whole company approached, and at about half past seven the reconnaissance paratroopers arrived. And only at ten in the morning the battalion commander came with part of another company.

Only according to the map we walked about twenty kilometers. Exhausted to the limit. I remember well how Seryoga Starodubtsev from the 1st platoon came all blue-green. He fell to the ground and lay motionless for two hours. And this guy is young, twenty years old ... What can we say about those who are older.

All plans failed. The battalion commander tells me: “You go forward, in the evening you take up a height in front of the Agishtas and report.” Let's go ahead. We passed the reconnaissance paratroopers and moved on along the road marked on the map. But the maps were from the sixties, and this path was marked on it without a bend! As a result, we lost our way and went along a different, new road, which was not on the map at all.

The sun is still high. I see a huge village in front of me. I look at the map - it's definitely not Agishty. I tell the aircraft controller: “Igor, we are not where we should be. Let's figure it out." As a result, they figured out that they went to the Makhkets. From us to the village a maximum of three kilometers. And this is the task of the second day of the offensive! ..

I'm getting in touch with the battalion commander. I say: “Why do I need these Agishtas? I have almost fifteen kilometers to return to them! And I have a whole company, a “mortar gun”, and even sappers, there are two hundred of us in total. Yes, I have never fought with such a crowd! Come on, I'll take a break and take the Makhkets." Indeed, by that time, the fighters could no longer pass more than five hundred meters in a row. After all, on each - from sixty to eighty kilograms. A fighter will sit down, but he can no longer get up ...

Kombat: "Back!". An order is an order - we turn around and go back. The reconnaissance platoon went first. And as it turned out later, we were right at the exit point of the “spirits”. “Tofiks” and “northerners” put pressure on them in two directions at once, and the “spirits” retreated in two groups of several hundred people on both sides of the gorge ...

We are back on the bend from which we went on the wrong road. And then the battle begins behind - our 4th grenade-machine-gun platoon was ambushed! It all started with a direct confrontation. The fighters, bending under the weight of everything they were carrying, saw some kind of “bodies”. Ours make two conditional shots in the air (in order to somehow distinguish ours from strangers, I ordered a piece of a vest to be sewn on my arm and leg and agreed with ours on the “friend or foe” signal: two shots in the air - two shots in response) . And in response, ours receive two shots to kill! The bullet hits Sasha Ognev in the arm and interrupts the nerve. He screams in pain. The doctor Gleb Sokolov turned out to be a fine fellow with us: the “spirits” beat him, and at that time he was bandaging the wounded! ..

Captain Oleg Kuznetsov rushed to the 4th platoon. I told him: “Where! There is a platoon leader, let him figure it out himself. You have a company, "mortar" and sappers! I put up a barrier of five or six fighters with the commander of the 1st platoon, Seryoga Stobetsky, on a high-rise, I give the rest the command: “Move away and dig in!”.

And then the battle begins already with us - it was from below that we were fired from grenade launchers. We walked along the ridge. In the mountains like this: whoever is higher wins. But not at this time. The fact is that huge mugs grew below. From above, we see only green leaves, from which grenades fly out, and the “spirits” see us perfectly through the stems.

Just at that moment, the extreme fighters from the 4th platoon were moving past me. I still remember how Edik Kolechkov walked. He walks along a narrow ledge of the slope and carries two PCs (Kalashnikov machine gun. - Ed.). And then bullets begin to fly around him! .. I shout: “Go left! ..”. And he is so exhausted that he cannot even turn off this ledge, he just spreads his legs to the sides so as not to fall, and therefore continues to go straight ...

There is nothing to do at the top, and I go into these damned burdocks with the soldiers. Volodya Shpilko and Oleg Yakovlev were the last ones in the chain. And then I see: a grenade explodes next to Volodya, and he falls ... Oleg immediately rushed to pull Volodya out and died right there. Oleg and Volodya were friends...

The fight lasted five to ten minutes. We did not reach the starting line only three hundred meters and retreated to the positions of the 3rd platoon, which had already dug in. Paratroopers stood nearby. And then Seryoga Stobetsky comes, he himself is blue-black, and says: “Spiers” and “Bull” are gone ... ".

I create four groups of four or five people, sniper Zhenya Metlikin (nickname "Uzbek") was planted in the bushes just in case and they went to pull out the dead, although this, of course, was an obvious adventure. On the way to the battlefield, we see a "body" that flickers in the forest. I look through binoculars - and this is a “spirit” in a makeshift armored coat, all hung with bulletproof vests. It turns out they are waiting for us. We return.

I ask the commander of the 3rd platoon Gleb Degtyarev: "Your everything?" He: "There is no one ... Metlikin ...". Well, how could you lose one out of five people? This is not one of thirty! .. I return, go out onto the path - and then they start shooting at me! .. That is, the "spirits" were really waiting for us. I'm back again. I shout: "Metlikin!". Silence: "Uzbek!". And then he just seems to rise from under me. Me: “Why are you sitting, don’t go out?”. He: “And I thought it was the“ spirits ”that came. Maybe they know my last name. But about “Uzbek” they definitely cannot know. So I went out."

The result of this day was as follows: after the first battle, among the "spirits", I myself counted only sixteen corpses that had not been carried away. We lost Tolik Romanov and Ognev was wounded in the arm. The second battle - seven corpses at the "spirits", we have two dead, no one was injured. We were able to pick up the bodies of the two dead the next day, and Tolik Romanov only two weeks later.

Twilight has come. I report to the battalion commander: "mortar" on a high-rise on the initial, I'm three hundred meters above them. We decided to spend the night on the same site where we ended up after the battle. The place seemed convenient: on the right in the direction of our movement - a deep cliff, on the left - a smaller cliff. In the middle is a hill and a tree in the center. I decided to settle down there - from there, like Chapaev, I could clearly see everything around. They dug in, posted guards. Everything seems to be quiet...

And then the reconnaissance major from the paratroopers began to make a fire. He wanted to warm himself near the fire. Me: "What are you doing?" And, when he later went to bed, he again warned the major: "Carcasses!" But it was on this bonfire that the mines flew in a few hours later. So it happened: the fire was burned by some, and others died ...

Somewhere at three in the morning I woke up Degtyarev: “Your shift. I need to get some sleep. Remain senior. If the attack is from below - do not shoot, only grenades. I take off my bulletproof vest and RD (a paratrooper's backpack. - Ed.), I cover myself with them and lie down on a hill. In the RD I had twenty grenades. These grenades saved me later.

I woke up from a sharp sound and a flash of fire. It was right next to me that two mines exploded from a "cornflower" (Soviet automatic mortar of 82 mm caliber. Loading is cassette, four mines are placed in the cassette. - Ed.). (This mortar was installed on the UAZ, which we later nevertheless found and blew up.)

I immediately became deaf in my right ear. I can't understand anything at first. All around the wounded are moaning. Everyone is yelling, shooting... Almost simultaneously with the explosions, they started firing at us from both sides, and also from above. Apparently, the “spirits” wanted to take us by surprise immediately after the shelling. But the fighters were ready and this attack was immediately repulsed. The fight turned out to be fleeting, lasting only ten to fifteen minutes. When the “spirits” realized that they couldn’t take us in an impudent manner, they simply moved away.

If I had not gone to bed, then perhaps such a tragedy would not have happened. After all, before these two damned mines, there were two sighting shots from a mortar. And if one mine arrives, it's already bad. But if there are two, it means that they take it into the “fork”. For the third time, two mines in a row flew in and fell just five meters from the fire, which became a guide for the "spirits".

And only after the shooting stopped, I turned around and saw ... At the site of the mine explosions, there was a bunch of wounded and killed ... Six people died immediately, more than twenty were seriously injured. I look: Seryoga Stobetsky is lying dead, Igor Yakunenkov is dead. Of the officers, only Gleb Degtyarev and I, plus the aircraft controller, survived. It was terrifying to look at the wounded: Seryoga Kulmin had a hole in his forehead and his eyes were flat, flowed out. Sashka Shibanov has a huge hole in his shoulder, Edik Kolechkov has a huge hole in his lung, a fragment flew into it ...

RD saved me. When I began to lift it, several fragments fell out of it, one of which hit the grenade directly. But the grenades were, of course, without fuses ...

I remember very well the very first moment: I see Seryoga Stobetsky torn. And then everything starts to rise up in my throat from the inside. But I say to myself: “Stop! You are the commander, take everything back!”. I don’t know by what effort of will, but it turned out ... But I was able to approach him only at six o’clock in the evening, when I calmed down a little. And he ran all day: the wounded groan, the soldiers need to be fed, the shelling continues ...

The seriously wounded began to die almost immediately. Vitalik Cherevan was dying especially terribly. Part of his body was torn off, but he still lived for about half an hour. Glass eyes. Sometimes something human appears for a second, then they turn glassy again ... His first cry after the explosions was: “Vietnam, help! ..” He addressed me with "you"! And then: "Vietnam, shoot ...". (I remember how later, at one of our meetings, his father grabbed me by the breasts, shook me and kept asking: “Well, why didn’t you shoot him, why didn’t you shoot him? ..” But I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t could...)

But (what a miracle of God!) Many of the wounded, who were supposed to die, survived. Seryozha Kulmin was lying next to me, head to head. He had such a hole in his forehead that his brains could be seen! .. So he not only survived - he even had his eyesight restored! True, he now walks with two titanium plates in his forehead. And Misha Blinov had a hole ten centimeters in diameter above his heart. He also survived and now has five sons. And Pasha Chukhnin from our company now has four sons.

We don’t have water for ourselves, even for the wounded - zero! .. I had pantacid tablets and chlorine tubes with me (disinfectants for water. - Ed.). But there is nothing to disinfect ... Then they remembered that the day before they had walked through impassable mud. The fighters began to filter this dirt. What happened, it was very difficult to call water. Muddy slush with sand and tadpoles... But there was still no other one.

All day trying to somehow help the wounded. The day before, we destroyed the “dukhovsky” dugout, in which there was powdered milk. A fire was lit, and this “water”, extracted from the mud, was stirred with dry milk and given to the wounded. We ourselves drank the same water with sand and tadpoles for a sweet soul. In general, I told the fighters that tadpoles are very useful - squirrels ... No one even had disgust. At first, pantacid was thrown into it for disinfection, and then they drank already and just like that ...

And the Grouping does not give the green light to the evacuation by "turntables". We are in a dense forest. Helicopters have nowhere to land ... During the next negotiations about the "turntables" I remembered: I have an aircraft controller! "Where is the airman?" We are looking for, looking for, but we can’t find it on our spot in any way. And then I turn around and see that he has dug a full-length trench with a helmet and is sitting in it. I don’t understand how he got the earth out of the trench! I couldn't even get through there.

Although it was forbidden for helicopters to hover, one commander of the "turntable" nevertheless said: "I'll hang." I gave the order to the sappers to clear the area. We had explosives. We blew up trees, age-old trees, in three girths. They began to prepare three wounded for dispatch. One, Aleksey Chacha, was hit by shrapnel on his right leg. He has a huge hematoma and cannot walk. I am preparing him for shipment, and I leave Seryozha Kulmin with a broken head. The sanitary instructor asks me in horror: “How? .. Comrade commander, why don’t you send him?”. I answer: “I will definitely save these three. But "heavy" - I do not know ... ". (For the fighters, it was a shock that the war has its own terrible logic. First of all, those who can be saved are saved here.)

But our hopes were not destined to come true. We never evacuated anyone by helicopter. In the Grouping, the "turntables" were given a final retreat and two columns were sent to us instead. But our battalion drivers in armored personnel carriers never made it through. And only in the end, by nightfall, five BMD paratroopers came to us.

With so many wounded and dead, we could not move a single step. And towards evening, the second wave of outgoing militants began to seep in. They fired at us from grenade launchers from time to time, but we already knew how to act: they just threw grenades from top to bottom.

I got in touch with the battalion commander. While we were talking, some Mamed intervened in the conversation (the connection was open, and our radio stations were caught by any scanner!). He began to talk some nonsense about ten thousand dollars that he would give us. The conversation ended with the fact that he offered to go one on one. Me: “Not weak! I will come." The fighters dissuaded me, but I really came to the appointed place alone. But no one showed up… Although now I understand very well that it was reckless on my part, to put it mildly.

I hear the rumble of the column. I'm going to go meet. Soldiers: "Comrade commander, just don't leave, don't leave...". It’s clear what’s the matter: the father is leaving, they are scared. I understand that it seems impossible to go, because as soon as the commander left, the situation becomes uncontrollable, but there is no one else to send! .. And I still went and, as it turned out, did a good job! The paratroopers got lost in the same place as we, when they almost reached the Makhkets. We still met, although with very big adventures ...

Our medic, Major Nitchik (call sign “Dose”), the battalion commander and his deputy, Seryoga Sheiko, came with the column. Somehow they drove a BMD onto our patch. And then the shelling begins again ... Battalion commander: "What is going on here with you?" After the shelling, the “spirits” themselves climbed. They probably decided to slip between us and our "mortar", which dug in three hundred meters on a high-rise. But we are already smart, we don’t shoot from machine guns, but only throw grenades down. And then our machine gunner Sasha Kondrashov suddenly rises and gives an endless burst from the PC in the opposite direction! .. I run up: “What are you doing?”. He: "Look, they have already come to us! ..". And indeed, I see that the “spirits” are thirty meters away. There were many, several dozen. They wanted, most likely, to impudently take us and surround us. But we drove them off with grenades. They couldn't break through.

I walk with a limp all day long, I can't hear well, although I don't stutter. (It seemed so to me. In fact, as the fighters later told me, I still stuttered like that!) And at that moment I didn’t think at all that it was a shell shock. All day running around: the wounded are dying, it is necessary to prepare the evacuation, it is necessary to feed the fighters, shelling goes on. Already in the evening I try to sit down for the first time - it hurts. He touched his back with his hand - blood. Medical paratrooper: "Come on, bend down ...". (This major has vast combat experience. Before that, I was horrified to see how he shreds Edik Musikaev with a scalpel and says: “Don't be afraid, the meat will grow!”.) And with his hand he pulled a fragment out of my back. This is where the pain hit me! For some reason, it gave the most to my nose! .. The major gives me a fragment: “Here, make a keychain.” (The second fragment was found only recently during an examination in the hospital. It is still sitting there, stuck in the spine and just a little bit did not reach the canal.)

They loaded the wounded on the BMD, then the dead. I gave their weapons to the commander of the 3rd platoon, Gleb Degtyarev, and left him in charge. And I myself, with the wounded and the dead, went to the medical battalion of the regiment.

We all looked terrible: all killed, bandaged, covered in blood. But ... while all in polished shoes and cleaned weapons. (By the way, we didn’t lose a single barrel, we even found the machine guns of all our dead.)

Twenty-five people were wounded, most of them were seriously wounded. They handed them over to the doctors. The most difficult thing remained - sending the dead. The problem was that some did not have documents with them, so I ordered my fighters to write their last name on each hand and put notes with the last name in their pants pocket. But when I started checking, it turned out that Stas Golubev mixed up the notes! I immediately imagined what would happen when the body arrived at the hospital: one thing was written on the hand, and another on the piece of paper! I pull the shutter and think: I will kill him now ... I myself am surprised now at my fury at that moment ... Apparently, this was the reaction to the stress, and the shell shock had an effect. (Now Stas does not hold any grudge against me for this. After all, they were all boys at all and were generally afraid to approach the corpses ...)

And then the medical colonel gives me fifty grams of alcohol with ether. I drink this alcohol ... and I almost don’t remember anything else ... Then everything was like in a dream: either I washed myself, or they washed me ... I only remember: there was a warm shower.

I woke up: I was lying on a stretcher in front of the “turntable” in a clean blue RB (one-time underwear. - Ed.) of a submariner and they loaded me into this “turntable”. The first thought: “What about the company? ..”. After all, the commanders of platoons, squads and castle platoons either died or were wounded. There were only fighters left ... And as soon as I imagined what would happen in the company, the hospital immediately disappeared for me. I shout to Igor Meshkov: “Leave the hospital!”. (It then seemed to me that I was screaming. In fact, he hardly heard my whisper.) He: “There is to leave the hospital. Give me the commander!" And he begins to pull the stretcher back from the helicopter. The captain, who received me in the helicopter, does not give me a stretcher. The "bag" adjusts its armored personnel carrier, points the KPVT (heavy machine gun. - Ed.) at the "turntable": "Give the commander back ...". They freaked out: "Yes, take it! ..". And it turned out that my documents flew without me to MOSN (medical detachment special purpose. - Ed.), Which later had very serious consequences ...

As I later found out, it was like this. A "turntable" arrives at MOSN. It contains my documents, but the stretcher is empty, there is no body ... And my torn clothes lie nearby. In MOSN they decided that since there was no body, then I burned down. As a result, a telephone message arrives in St. Petersburg addressed to the deputy commander of the Leningrad naval base, captain of the 1st rank Smuglin: "Lieutenant commander such and such died." But Smuglin knows me from the lieutenants! He began to think how to be, how to bury me. In the morning I called Captain 1st Rank Toporov, my immediate commander: “Prepare a load of two hundred. Toporov then told me: “I come into the office, I take out cognac - my hands are shaking right next to me. I pour into a glass - and then the bell rings. Fraction, set aside - he's alive! It turned out that when the body of Sergei Stobetsky arrived at the base, they began to look for mine. And my body, of course, no! They called Major Rudenko: "Where is the body?" He replies: “What a body! I saw him myself, he is alive!

And this is what actually happened to me. In my blue underwear as a submariner, I took a machine gun, got into an armored personnel carrier with the fighters and drove to Agishty. The battalion commander was already informed that I was sent to the hospital. When he saw me, he was delighted. Here also Yura Rudenko returned with a humanitarian aid. His father died, and he left the war to bury him.

I come to mine. There is a mess in the mouth. There was no security, the weapons were scattered, the fighters were "razgulyaevo" ... I said to Gleb: "What a mess ?!.". He: “Yes, ours are all around! That's all and relax ... ". Me: “So relaxed for the fighters, not for you!” He began to restore order, and everything quickly returned to its previous course.

Just then, the humanitarian aid arrived, which Yura Rudenko had brought: bottled water, food! This is after that water with sand and tadpoles! I myself drank six one and a half liter bottles of water at a time. I don’t understand how all this water in my body found a place for itself.

And then they bring me a parcel, which the young ladies have collected in a brigade in Baltiysk. And the parcel is addressed to me and Stobetsky. It contains my favorite coffee for me and chewing gum for him. And then such anguish washed over me! .. I received this parcel, but Sergey - no longer ...

We got up near the village of Agishty. "Tofiks" on the left, "northerners" on the right occupied the dominant heights on the way to the Makhkets, and we stepped back - in the middle.

At that time, only the dead in the company were thirteen people. But then, thank God, there were no more dead in my company. Of those who remained with me, I began to re-form the platoon.

On June 1, 1995, we replenish our ammunition and advance to Kirov-Yurt. Ahead is a tank with a minesweeper, then "shilki" (self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. - Ed.) And a battalion column of armored personnel carriers, I am in the lead. The task was set for me as follows: the column stops, the battalion turns around, and I storm high-rise 737 near Makhketov.

In front of the very high-rise (a hundred meters remained before it), a sniper fired at us. Three bullets whistled past me. They shout on the radio: “It hits you, it hits you! ..”. But the sniper didn’t hit me for another reason: usually the commander sits not in the commander’s seat, but above the driver. And this time I deliberately sat in the commander's seat. And although we had an order to remove the stars from shoulder straps, I did not remove my stars. The battalion commander made comments to me, and I told him: "Fuck off ... I'm an officer and I'm not going to take off the stars." (After all, officers with stars went to the front line even in the Great Patriotic War.)

We go to Kirov-Yurt. And we see a completely unrealistic picture, as if from an old fairy tale: a water mill is working ... I command - increase speed! I look - on the right, about fifty meters below, there is a ruined house, the second or third from the beginning of the street. Suddenly, a boy of ten or eleven years old runs out of it. I give a command to the column: "Do not shoot! ..". And then the boy throws a grenade at us! The grenade hits the poplar. (I remember well that it was double, diverged with a slingshot.) The grenade bounces off with a ricochet, falls under the boy and tears him apart ...

And the “dusharas” were so cunning! They come to the village, and there they are not given food! Then they from this village fire a volley towards the Grouping. The group, of course, is responsible for this village. On this basis, one can determine: if the village is destroyed, then it is not “spiritual”, but if it is intact, then it is theirs. Here Agishty, for example, were generally almost completely destroyed.

Over the Makhkets, the "turntables" loiter. Aviation passes from above. The battalion begins to turn around. Our company is moving forward. We assumed that we, most likely, would not meet organized resistance and that there could only be ambushes. We went to the top. There were no "spirits" on it. We stopped to determine where to stand.

From above it was clearly visible that the houses in Makhetah were intact. Moreover, here and there stood real palaces with towers and columns. It was evident from everything that they were built recently. On the way, I remembered the following picture: a large rural house is solid, a grandmother with a little white flag is standing near it ...

In Makhkety, Soviet money was still in use. The locals told us: “Since 1991, our children have not gone to school, there are no kindergartens, and no one receives a pension. We are not against you. Thank you, of course, for getting rid of the militants. But it's time for you to go home." This is literal.

The locals immediately began to treat us with compotes, but we were careful. Aunt, the head of the administration, says: "Don't be afraid, you see - I'm drinking." Me: "No, let the man drink." As I understand it, there was a tripartite power in the village: the mullah, the elders and the head of the administration. Moreover, this aunt was the head of the administration (she graduated from a technical school in St. Petersburg at one time).

On June 2, this “chapter” comes running to me: “Yours are robbing ours!”. Before that, of course, we walked around the yards: we looked at what kind of people, whether there were weapons. We follow her and see an oil painting: representatives of our largest law enforcement structure take out carpets and all that from the palaces with columns. Moreover, they arrived not in armored personnel carriers, which they usually drove, but in infantry fighting vehicles. Moreover, they changed into infantry clothes ... I so marked their elder - major! And he said: "Appear here again - I will kill you! ..". They did not even try to resist, they were instantly blown away by the wind ... And I said to the locals: “Write on all the houses - “Vietnam farm”. DCBF". And the next day, these words were written on every fence. The battalion commander even took offense at me about this ...

At the same time, near Vedeno, ours captured a column of armored vehicles, about a hundred units - infantry fighting vehicles, tanks and BTR-80. The most funny thing was that the armored personnel carrier with the inscription "Baltic Fleet", which we received from the Grouping on the first "walker", was in this column! .. They did not even erase this inscription and the letter "B" on all wheels, stylized under the Vietnamese hieroglyph ... On the front of the shield it was written: "Freedom to the Chechen people!" and “God and St. Andrew's flag are with us!”.

We dug deep. Moreover, they started on June 2, and already finished on the 3rd in the morning. Assigned landmarks, sectors of fire, agreed with the mortars. And by the morning of the next day, the company was completely ready for battle. Then we only expanded and strengthened our positions. For all the time of our stay here, the fighters never sat down with me. For days on end we settled down: dug trenches, connected them with communication lines, built dugouts. They made a real pyramid for weapons, surrounded everything around with boxes of sand. We continued to dig in until we left these positions. They lived according to the Charter: getting up, physical exercises, morning divorce, guards. The fighters cleaned their shoes regularly ...

Above me, I hung the St. Andrew's flag and a home-made "Vietnamese" flag made from the Soviet pennant "To the leader of the socialist competition." We must remember what it was during the time: the collapse of the state, some gangs against others... Therefore, I did not see the Russian flag anywhere, and everywhere there was either the St. Andrew's flag or the Soviet one. Infantry generally traveled with red flags. And the most valuable thing in this war was - a friend and comrade nearby, and nothing more.

The "spirits" were well aware of how many people I had. But apart from shelling, they did not dare to do anything else. After all, the task of the "spirits" was not to die heroically for their Chechen homeland, but to account for the money received, so they simply did not meddle where they would probably be killed.

And on the radio comes a message that militants attacked an infantry regiment near Selmenhausen. Our losses are more than a hundred people. I was at the infantry and saw what kind of organization they have there, unfortunately. After all, every second soldier there was captured not in battle, but because they got into the habit of stealing chickens from local residents. Although the guys themselves, as a human being, could well be understood: there was nothing to eat ... These local residents grabbed them in order to stop this theft. And then they called: “Take yours, but only so that they don’t go to us anymore.”

We have a team - do not go anywhere. And how not to go anywhere when we are constantly shelled, and various "shepherds" from the mountains come. We hear the neighing of horses. We walked around constantly, but I did not report anything to the battalion commander.

Local "walkers" began to come to me. I told them: we go here, but we don’t go there, we do this, but we don’t do this ... After all, we were constantly fired at by a sniper from the direction of one of the palaces. We, of course, responded by firing everything we had in that direction. Somehow Isa comes, the local "authority": "I was asked to say ...". I told him: “While they are shooting at us from there, we will also hammer.” (A little later, we made a sortie in that direction, and the issue of shelling from this direction was closed.)

Already on June 3, in the middle gorge, we find a field mined “Dukhovsky” hospital. It was evident that the hospital had recently operated - blood was visible all around. Equipment and medicines "spirits" abandoned. I have never seen such medical luxury at all... Four gasoline generators, water tanks connected by pipelines... Shampoos, disposable razors, blankets... And what medicines there were!.. Our doctors simply sobbed with envy. Blood substitutes are produced in France, Holland, Germany. Dressing materials, surgical threads. And we really didn’t have anything but promedol (an anesthetic. - Ed.). The conclusion suggests itself - what forces are thrown against us, what finances! .. And what does the Chechen people have to do with it? ..

I got there first, so I chose what was most valuable to me: bandages, disposable sheets, blankets, kerosene lamps. Then he called the colonel of the medical service and showed all this wealth. His reaction is the same as mine. He simply fell into a trance: stitching materials for heart vessels, the most modern medicines ... After that, we were in direct contact with him: he asked me to let me know if I found anything else. But I had to contact him for a completely different reason.

There was a tap near the Bas River, from where the locals took water, so we drank this water without fear. We drive up to the crane, and then one of the elders stops us: “Commander, help! We have a problem - a woman gives birth to a sick woman. The elder spoke with a thick accent. A young guy stood nearby as a translator, in case something was not clear. Nearby I see foreigners in jeeps from the Doctors Without Borders mission, like the Dutch in conversation. I to them - help! They: "No-ee... We only help the rebels." I was so taken aback by their answer that I didn’t even know how to react. He called the medical colonel on the radio: "Come, you need to help with childbirth." He immediately arrived on a "tablet" with one of his own. Seeing the woman in labor, he said: "I thought you were joking ...".

They put the woman in a "pill". She looked scary: she was all yellow ... She was not giving birth for the first time, but, probably, there were some complications due to hepatitis. The Colonel himself took delivery, and gave the child to me and began to put some droppers on the woman. Out of habit, it seemed to me that the child looked very creepy ... I wrapped him in a towel and held him in my arms until the colonel freed himself. Here is a story that happened to me. I did not think, I did not guess that I would participate in the birth of a new citizen of Chechnya.

Since the beginning of June, somewhere at the TPU, a cooker has been working, but hot food practically did not reach us - we had to eat dry rations and pasture. (I taught the fighters to diversify the diet of dry rations - stew for the first, second and third - due to pasture. Tarragon grass was brewed like tea. You could cook soup from rhubarb. And if you add grasshoppers there, you get such a rich soup, and again protein "And earlier, when we were standing in Germenchug, we saw a lot of hares around. You go with a machine gun behind your back - then a hare jumps out from under your feet! Those seconds while you take the machine gun, you spent - and the hare is gone ... Only the machine gun was removed - they are here again like here. I tried to shoot at least one for two days, but gave up this occupation - it was useless ... I taught the boys to eat lizards and snakes. Catching them turned out to be much easier than shooting hares. Of course, there is little pleasure from such food, but what to do - there is something you need ...) Water is also a problem: it was cloudy all around, and we drank it only through bactericidal sticks.

One morning, local residents came with a local district police officer, a senior lieutenant. He even showed us some red crusts. They say: we know that you have nothing to eat. There are cows walking around. You can shoot a cow with painted horns - this is a collective farm. But do not touch the unpainted ones - these are personal. “Good” seemed to be given, but it was somehow difficult for us to step over ourselves. Then, nevertheless, one cow was killed near Bas. They killed him, but what to do with her? .. And then Dima Gorbatov comes (I put him to cook). He is a village guy and, in front of the astonished public, completely butchered a cow in a few minutes! ..

We have not seen fresh meat for a very long time. And then there's the barbecue! Another clipping was hung out in the sun, wrapped in bandages. And after three days it turned out dried meat - no worse than in the store.

What bothered me more was the constant night shelling. Of course, we did not immediately open fire back. Let's notice where the shooting came from, and slowly go to this area. Here the esbeerka (SBR, short-range reconnaissance radar station. - Ed.) helped us a lot.

One evening, we with the scouts (there were seven of us), trying to go unnoticed, went towards the sanatorium, from where they shot at us the day before. We came - we find four "beds", next to a small mined warehouse. We didn't remove anything, we just set our own traps. Everything worked at night. It turns out that they didn’t go in vain ... But we no longer checked the results, for us it was the main thing that there was no more shooting from this direction.

When we returned safely this time, for the first time in a long time I felt satisfied - after all, the work that I know how to do began. In addition, now I didn’t have to do everything myself, but something could already be entrusted to someone else. Only a week and a half has passed, and people have been replaced. War teaches quickly. But it was then that I realized that if we had not pulled out the dead, but left them, then the next day no one would have gone into battle. In war, this is the most important thing. The guys saw that we were not abandoning anyone.

Our outings were constant. Once we left the armored personnel carrier below and climbed into the mountains. We saw the apiary and began to inspect it: it was converted into a mine class! Right there, in the apiary, we found the lists of the company of the Islamic battalion. I opened them and couldn't believe my eyes - everything is like ours: the 8th company. In the list of information: first name, last name and from what place come from. A very interesting composition of the squad: four grenade launchers, two snipers and two machine gunners. I ran with these lists for a whole week - where to give it? Then I handed it over to the headquarters, but I'm not sure that this list has reached the right place. All this was up to the light bulb.

Not far from the apiary, they found a pit with an ammunition depot (one hundred and seventy boxes of sub-caliber and high-explosive tank shells). While we were looking at all this, the battle began. A machine gun started firing at us. The fire is very dense. And Misha Mironov, a village boy, as soon as he saw the apiary, became not himself. He lit the smoke, pulls out frames with honeycombs, looks like a bee with a twig. I told him: "Miron, shoot!". And he went into a rage, bounces, but does not throw a frame with honey! We have nothing special to answer - the distance is six hundred meters. We jumped onto the armored personnel carrier and left along Bas. It became clear that the militants, although from afar, grazed their mine class and ammunition (but then our sappers blew up these shells anyway).

We returned to our place and pounced on honey, and even with milk (the locals allowed us to occasionally milk one cow). And after the snakes, after the grasshoppers, after the tadpoles, we experienced simply indescribable pleasure!.. It's a pity, but there was no bread.

After the apiary, I told Gleb, the commander of the reconnaissance platoon, "Go, look all around further." The next day, Gleb reports to me: “I kind of found a cache.” Let's go. We see a cave with cement formwork in the mountain, it went fifty meters deep. The entrance is camouflaged very carefully. You can only see it if you get close.

The entire cave is lined with boxes of mines and explosives. I opened the box - there are brand new anti-personnel mines! In our battalion we only had machine guns as old as ours. There are so many boxes that it was impossible to count them. Only one plastite I counted thirteen tons. The total weight was easy to determine, because the boxes with plastite were marked. There was also explosives for the "Serpent Gorynych" (mine-clearing machine by explosion. - Ed.), And squibs for him.

And in my company the plastic was bad, old. To make something out of it, it was necessary to soak it in gasoline. But, it’s clear that if the fighters start to soak something, then some kind of nonsense will definitely happen ... And then it’s fresh. Judging by the packaging, 1994 release. Out of greed, I took four "sausages" for myself, five meters each. He also collected electric detonators, which we also did not have in sight. The sappers were called.

And then our regimental intelligence arrived. I told them that the day before we had found a militant base. "Spirits" were fifty people. Therefore, we did not make contact with them, only marked the place on the map.

Scouts on three armored personnel carriers pass by our 213th checkpoint, drive into the gorge and start firing from the KPVT on the slopes! I also thought to myself: “Wow, intelligence went on ... I immediately identified myself.” I thought it was kind of crazy at the time. And my worst premonitions came true: in a few hours they were covered just in the area of ​​​​the point that I showed them on the map ...

The sappers were minding their own business, preparing to blow up the explosives warehouse. Dima Karakulko, deputy commander of our battalion for weapons, was also here. I gave him a smooth-bore gun found in the mountains. Apparently, her “spirits” were removed from a wrecked infantry fighting vehicle and placed on a makeshift platform with a battery. An unsightly-looking thing, but you can shoot from it by aiming at the barrel.

I was about to go to my 212th checkpoint. Then I saw that the sappers had brought firecrackers to detonate the electric detonators. These firecrackers operate on the same principle as a piezo lighter: when a button is mechanically pressed, an impulse is generated that activates an electric detonator. Only the cracker has one serious drawback - it works at about one hundred and fifty meters, then the impulse fades. There is a "twist" - it operates at two hundred and fifty meters. I told Igor, the commander of a platoon of sappers, “Did you go there yourself?” Him: "No." Me: "So go and have a look...". He returned, I see - he is already unwinding the “vole”. They seem to have unwound to the fullest (this is more than a thousand meters). But when they blew up the warehouse, they were still covered with earth.

Soon we set the table. We have a feast again - honey with milk ... And then I turned around and I can’t understand anything: the mountain on the horizon begins to slowly rise up along with the forest, with trees ... And this mountain is six hundred meters wide and about the same height. Then there was fire. And then I was thrown a few meters by an explosive wave. (And this happens at a distance of five kilometers to the explosion site!) And when I fell, I saw a real mushroom, as in educational films about atomic explosions. And this is what happened: the sappers blew up the "Dukhovsky" explosives warehouse, which we discovered earlier. When we sat down at the table again in our clearing, I asked: “Where do the spices and peppers come from?”. But it turned out that it was not pepper, but ashes and earth that fell from the sky.

After some time, the air flashed: "The scouts were ambushed!". Dima Karakulko immediately took the sappers, who had previously been preparing the warehouse for the explosion, and went to pull out the scouts! But they also went to the armored personnel carrier! And also fell into the same ambush! And what could the sappers do - they have four stores per person and that's it ...

The battalion commander told me: “Seryoga, you are covering the exit, because it is not known where and how our people will come out!”. I after all stood just between three gorges. Then the scouts and sappers, in groups and one by one, went out through me. There was a big problem with the exit in general: the fog settled down, it was necessary to make sure that our own people did not shoot their own departing ones.

Gleb and I raised our 3rd platoon, which was stationed at the 213th checkpoint, and what was left of the 2nd platoon. It was two or three kilometers from the checkpoint to the ambush site. But ours went on foot and not through the gorge, but through the mountains! Therefore, when the "spirits" saw that it would not be possible to deal with these just like that, they shot and retreated. Then ours did not have a single loss, either killed or wounded. We probably knew that former experienced Soviet officers, because in the previous battle I clearly heard four single shots - even from Afghanistan, this meant a signal to withdraw.

With intelligence it happened something like this. "Spirits" saw the first group on three armored personnel carriers. Hit. Then they saw another, also on an armored personnel carrier. Hit again. Our guys, who drove the "spirits" away and were the first to be at the ambush site, said that the sappers and Dima himself fired back to the last from under the armored personnel carriers.

The day before, when Igor Yakunenkov died from a mine explosion, Dima kept asking me to take him on some outing, because he and Yakunenkov were godfathers. And I think that Dima wanted to personally take revenge on the "spirits". But then I firmly told him: “Don’t go anywhere. Mind your own business". I understood that Dima and the sappers had no chance of pulling out the scouts. He himself was not prepared to perform such tasks, and the sappers too! They learned differently ... Although, of course, well done for rushing to the rescue. And it wasn't panties...

Not all scouts died. Throughout the night, my fighters took out the rest. The last of them came out only on the evening of the seventh of June. But of the sappers who went with Dima, only two or three people survived.

In the end, we pulled out absolutely everyone: the living, the wounded, and the dead. And this again had a very good effect on the mood of the fighters - once again they were convinced that we were not abandoning anyone.

On June 9, information came about the assignment of ranks: Yakunenkov - major (it turned out posthumously), Stobetsky - senior lieutenant ahead of schedule (also turned out posthumously). And here's what's interesting: the day before we went to the source for drinking water. We return - there is a very ancient old woman with pita bread in her hands and Isa is nearby. He tells me: “Happy holiday to you, commander! Just don't tell anyone." And he hands over the bag. And in the bag - a bottle of champagne and a bottle of vodka. Then I already knew that those Chechens who drink vodka are given a hundred sticks on their heels, and those who sell - two hundred. And the next day after this congratulation, I was ahead of schedule (exactly one week ahead of schedule) was awarded the title, as my fighters joked, "major of the third rank." This again indirectly proved that the Chechens knew absolutely everything about us.

On June 10, we went on another sortie, to high-rise 703. Of course, not directly. First, they allegedly went in an armored personnel carrier to fetch water. The fighters slowly loaded water onto the armored personnel carrier: oh, they spilled it, then again it was necessary to smoke, then we had a trend with the locals ... Meanwhile, the guys and I carefully went down the river. First they found garbage. (It is always moved away from the parking lot, so that even if the enemy stumbles upon it, they would not be able to accurately determine the location of the parking lot itself.) Then we began to notice newly trodden paths. It is clear that the militants are somewhere nearby.

We walked quietly. We see the "spiritual" guard - two people. They sit and chat about something. It is clear that they must be removed silently so that they cannot make a single sound. But I have no one to send to remove the sentries - they did not teach the sailors on the ships this. Yes, and psychologically, especially for the first time, this is a very terrible thing. Therefore, I left two (a sniper and a fighter with a machine gun for silent shooting) to cover me and went myself ...

Security removed, let's move on. But the “spirits” were still alert (maybe a branch cracked or some other noise) and ran out of the cache. And it was a dugout, equipped according to all the rules of military science (the entrance was in a zigzag pattern so that it was impossible to put everyone inside with one grenade). My left flank had already come close to the cache, five meters were left to the “spirits”. In such a situation, the one who first pulls the shutter wins. We are in a better position: after all, they did not expect us, but we were ready, so ours fired first and put everyone on the spot.

I showed Misha Mironov, our chief honey beekeeper, and part-time grenade launcher, to the window in the cache. And he managed to shoot from a grenade launcher from eighty meters so that he hit exactly this window! So we overwhelmed the machine gunner, who hid in the cache.

The result of this fleeting battle: the “spirits” have seven corpses and I don’t know how many wounded, since they left. We don't have a single scratch.

And the next day, a man came out of the forest again from the same direction. I shot from a sniper rifle in that direction, but specifically not at him: what if it was “peaceful”. He turns and runs back into the forest. In the scope I see - he has a machine gun behind his back ... So he turned out to be not at all peaceful. But it was not possible to remove it. Gone.

The locals sometimes asked us to sell them weapons. Once grenade launchers ask: "We will give you vodka ...". But I sent them very far. Unfortunately, the sale of weapons was not such a rarity. I remember that back in May I came to the market and saw how the soldiers of the Samara special forces were selling grenade launchers! .. I went to their officer: “What is this going on?”. And he: "Calm down ...". It turns out that they took out the head part of the grenade, and in its place they inserted a simulator with plastite. I even had a recording on a phone camera of how such a “charged” grenade launcher tore off the “spirit” head, and the “spirits” themselves filmed it.

On June 11, Isa comes to me and says: “We have a mine. Help clear out." My checkpoint is very close, two hundred meters to the mountains. Let's go to his garden. I looked - nothing dangerous. But he still asked to be picked up. We stand and talk. And Isa was with his grandchildren. He says: "Show the boy how the grenade launcher shoots." I shot, and the boy got scared, almost cried.

And at that moment, on a subconscious level, I felt rather than saw flashes of shots. I instinctively scooped up the boy in an armful and fell with him. At the same time I feel two blows in the back, it was two bullets that hit me ... Isa does not understand what's the matter, rushes to me: “What happened? ..” And then the sounds of shots reach me. And I had a spare titanium plate in my pocket on the back of the bulletproof vest (I still have it). So both bullets pierced through this plate, but did not go further. (After this incident, complete respect began for us on the part of peaceful Chechens! ..)

On June 16, the battle begins at my 213th checkpoint! "Spirits" are moving to the checkpoint from two directions, there are twenty of them. But they do not see us, they look in the opposite direction, where they attack. And from this side, the “spiritual” sniper hits ours. And I see the place where it works from! We go down the Bass and come across the first guard, about five people. They did not shoot, but simply covered the sniper. But we went behind their lines, so we instantly shot all five at close range. And then we notice the sniper himself. Next to him are two more submachine gunners. We crushed them too. I shout to Zhenya Metlikin: "Cover me! ..". It was necessary that he cut off the second part of the "spirits", which we saw on the other side of the sniper. And I myself rush for a sniper. He runs, turns, shoots at me with a rifle, runs again, turns again and shoots ...

Dodging a bullet is completely unrealistic. It was useful that I knew how to run after the shooter in such a way as to create maximum difficulties for him in aiming. As a result, the sniper never hit me, although he was fully armed: in addition to the Belgian rifle, there was an AKSU assault rifle behind his back, and a twenty-shot nine-millimeter Beretta on his side. It's not a gun, it's just a song! Nickel-plated, two-handed! .. He grabbed the Beretta when I almost caught up with him. This is where the knife comes in handy. I got a sniper...

They took him back. He limped (I stabbed him in the thigh with a knife, as it should be), but he walked. By this time, the fighting had ceased everywhere. And from the front, our "spirits" were shunned, and from the rear we hit them. "Spirits" in such a situation almost always leave: they are not woodpeckers. I understood this during the fighting in January 1995 in Grozny. If during their attack you do not leave the position, but stand or, even better, go towards them, they leave.

Everyone's mood is upbeat: the "spirits" were driven away, the sniper was taken, everyone is safe. And Zhenya Metlikin asked me: “Comrade commander, who did you dream about the most in the war?” I answer: "Daughter." He: “But think about it: this bastard could leave your daughter without a father! May I cut off his head? Me: "Zhenya, fuck off... We need him alive." And the sniper limps next to us, and listens to this conversation ... I understood well that the "spirits" swagger only when they feel safe. And this one, as soon as we took it, became a little mouse, no arrogance. And he has about thirty serifs on his rifle. I didn’t even count them, there was no desire, because behind every notch is someone’s life ...

While we were leading the sniper, Zhenya addressed me all these forty minutes with other proposals, for example: “If it’s impossible to head, then let’s at least cut off his hands. Or I’ll put a grenade in his pants…” Of course, we didn't intend to do anything like that. But the sniper was already psychologically ready for interrogation by the regimental special officer ...

According to the plan, we were supposed to fight until September 1995. But then Basayev seized hostages in Budyonnovsk and, among other conditions, demanded the withdrawal of paratroopers and marines from Chechnya. Or, in extreme cases, withdraw at least the Marines. It became clear that we would be taken out.

By mid-June, only the body of the deceased Tolik Romanov remained in the mountains. True, for some time there was a ghostly hope that he was alive and went out to the infantry. But then it turned out that the foot soldiers had his namesake. We had to go to the mountains, where there was a fight, and take Tolik.

Before that, for two weeks, I asked the battalion commander: “Give me, I’ll go and pick him up. I don't need platoons. I’ll take two, so it’s a thousand times easier to go through the forest than in a column. But until mid-June, I did not receive a “go-ahead” from the battalion commander.

But now they are taking us out, and I finally got permission to go for Romanov. I build a checkpoint and say: “I need five volunteers, I am the sixth.” And… not a single sailor takes a step forward. I came to my dugout and thought: “How is it?”. And only an hour and a half later it dawned on me. I take the connection and tell everyone: “You probably think that I am not afraid? But I have something to lose, I have a little daughter. And I'm afraid a thousand times more, because I'm also afraid for all of you. Five minutes pass and the first sailor comes up: "Comrade commander, I will go with you." Then the second, third ... Only a few years later, the fighters told me that until that moment they perceived me as some kind of combat robot, a superman who does not sleep, is not afraid of anything and acts like an automaton.

And the day before, a “bitch udder” popped up on my left hand (hydradenitis, purulent inflammation of the sweat glands. - Ed.), A reaction to the injury. It hurts unbearably, he suffered all night. Then I felt for myself that with any gunshot wound, it is necessary to go to the hospital to clean the blood. And since I suffered a wound in my back on my legs, some kind of internal infection began. Tomorrow in battle, and I have huge abscesses under my armpit, and boils in my nose. I cured myself of this infection with burdock leaves. But for more than a week I suffered from this infection.

We were given MTLB, and at five twenty in the morning we went to the mountains. On the way, we came across two patrols of militants. Each had ten people. But the "spirits" did not join the battle and left without even firing back. It was here that they left the "UAZ" with that damned "cornflower", from the mines of which so many people suffered in our country. "Cornflower" at that time was already broken.

When we arrived at the battlefield, we immediately realized that we had found the body of Romanov. We didn't know if Tolik's body was mined. Therefore, two sappers first pulled him from his place with a “cat”. We had doctors with us who collected what was left of him. We packed our things - a few photographs, a notebook, pens and an Orthodox cross. It was very hard to see all this, but what to do ... This was our last duty.

I tried to restore the course of those two fights. Here's what happened: when the first battle began and Ognev was wounded, our guys from the 4th platoon scattered into different sides and started shooting. They fired back for about five minutes, and then the commander of the platoon gave the command to retreat.

Gleb Sokolov, the medical officer of the company, was bandaging Ognev's hand at that time. A crowd of ours with machine guns ran down, on the way they blew up the Utyos (12.7 mm NSV heavy machine gun - Ed.) and AGS (automatic easel grenade launcher. - Ed.). But due to the fact that the commander of the 4th platoon, the commander of the 2nd platoon and his “deputy” fled in the forefront (they fled so far that they later went out not even on ours, but on the infantry), Tolik Romanov had to end cover the retreat of everyone and shoot back for about fifteen minutes .... I think that the moment he got up, the sniper hit him in the head.

Tolik fell off a fifteen-meter cliff. There was a fallen tree below. He hung on it. When we went downstairs, his things were pierced through with bullets. We walked on spent cartridges like on a carpet. It seems that the "spirits" of his already dead riddled with anger.

When we took Tolik and left the mountains, the battalion commander told me: “Seryoga, you are the last to leave the mountains.” And I pulled out all the remnants of the battalion. And when there was no one left in the mountains, I sat down, and I felt so sick ... Everything seems to be ending, and therefore the first psychological return began, some kind of relaxation, or something. I sat for about half an hour and I go out - my tongue is on my shoulder, and my shoulders are below my knees ... The battalion commander shouts: “Are you all right?”. It turns out that during these half an hour, when the last fighter came out, and I was not there, they almost turned gray. Chukalkin: "Well, Seryoga, you give ...". I didn't think they could be so worried about me.

I wrote awards for the Hero of Russia for Oleg Yakovlev and Anatoly Romanov. After all, Oleg until the last moment tried to pull out his friend Shpilko, although they were hit with grenade launchers, and Tolik, at the cost of his life, covered the retreat of his comrades. But the battalion commander said: "The fighters of the Hero are not allowed." Me: "What's wrong? Who said that? They both died saving their comrades!..” The battalion commander snapped: “It’s not allowed according to the order, an order from the Group.”

When Tolik's body was brought to the location of the company, the three of us in an armored personnel carrier drove for the "UAZ" on which that damned "cornflower" was standing. For me, this was a matter of principle: after all, so many of our people died because of it!

We found the UAZ without much difficulty, it contained about twenty cumulative anti-tank grenades. Here we see that the UAZ cannot go under its own power. Something stuck in him, so the “spirits” abandoned him. While we were checking to see if it was mined, while the cable was being hooked, it was obvious that they made some kind of noise, and militants began to gather at this noise. But we somehow slipped through, although the last section was driving like this: I am driving a UAZ, and an APC is pushing me from behind.

When we left the danger zone, I could neither spit out nor swallow saliva - my whole mouth was tied from experiences. Now I understand that the UAZ was not worth the life of the two boys who were with me. But thank God it worked out...

When we had already gone down to our own, in addition to the UAZ, the armored personnel carrier also completely broke down. Doesn't drive at all. Here we see the St. Petersburg RUBOP. We told them: "Help with the armored personnel carrier." They: “And what is this UAZ?” We explained. They are on the radio to someone: "UAZ" and "cornflower" from the Marines! It turns out that two detachments of the RUBOP have been hunting for the "cornflower" for a long time - after all, he fired not only at us. We began to negotiate how in St. Petersburg they will cover the clearing on this occasion. They ask: “How many of you were there?”. We answer: "Three ...". They: "How three? ..". And they had two officer groups of twenty-seven people in each engaged in this search ...

Next to RUBOP we see correspondents of the second television channel, they arrived at the battalion's TPU. They ask: “What can we do for you?”. I say, "Call my parents at home and tell them you saw me at sea." My parents later told me: “They called us from television! They said they saw you in a submarine!” And my second request was to call Kronstadt and tell my family that I was alive.

After these races through the mountains in an armored personnel carrier, the five of us went to Bas to take a dip in the UAZ. I have four magazines with me, the fifth one is in the machine gun and one grenade in the grenade launcher. The fighters generally only have one store. We swim ... And then they undermine the armored personnel carrier of our battalion commander!

"Spirits" passed along the Bas, mined the road and rushed in front of the armored personnel carrier. Then the scouts said that it was revenge for the nine who were shot at TPU. (We had one alcoholic rear guard at TPU. Somehow they arrived peacefully, got out of the nine car. And he is cool ... He took it and shot the car with a machine gun for no reason at all).

A terrible mess begins: our guys take us with the guys for "spirits" and start shooting. My fighters in shorts are jumping, barely dodging bullets.

I give Oleg Ermolaev, who was next to me, the command to move away - he does not leave. Again I shout: “Go away!”. He takes a step back and stands. (The fighters only later told me that they had appointed Oleg to be my “bodyguard” and told me not to leave my side.)

I see the departing "spirits"! .. It turned out that we ended up in their rear. That was the task: to somehow hide from the fire of their own, and not to miss the “spirits”. But, unexpectedly for us, they began to leave not for the mountains, but through the village.

The one who fights better wins the war. But the personal fate of a particular person is a mystery. No wonder they say that "a bullet is a fool." This time, a total of sixty people were shooting at us from four sides, of which about thirty were their own, who mistook us for "spirits". In addition to this, mortars were hitting us. Bullets flew around like bumblebees! And no one even got hooked! ..

I reported to Major Sergei Sheiko, who remained behind the battalion commander, about the UAZ. At first, TPU did not believe me, but then they examined me and confirmed: this is the one with the “cornflower”.

And on June 22, some lieutenant colonel comes to me with Sheiko and says: “This UAZ is “peaceful”. From Makhketov came for him, he must be given. But even the day before, I felt how things could end, and ordered my guys to mine the UAZ. I told the lieutenant colonel: "We will definitely give it back! ..". And I look at Seryoga Sheiko and say: “Did you yourself understand what you are asking me about?” He: "I have such an order." Here I give my fighters the go-ahead, and the "UAZ" in front of the astonished public takes off into the air! ..

Sheiko says: “I will punish you! I am removing you from command of the checkpoint!” Me: “But there is no checkpoint anymore…”. He: “Then you will be an operational duty officer at TPU today!” But, as they say, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped, and in fact I just slept for the first time that day - I slept from eleven in the evening until six in the morning. After all, all the days in the war before that there was not a single night when I would go to bed before six in the morning. Yes, and I usually slept only from six to eight in the morning - and that's it ...

We begin to prepare for the march to Khankala. And we were about a hundred and fifty kilometers from Grozny. Just before the start of the movement, we receive an order: to hand over weapons and ammunition, leave one magazine and one underbarrel grenade with the officer, and the soldiers should not have anything at all. The order is verbally given to me by Seryoga Sheiko. I immediately take a combat stance and report: “Comrade Major of the Guard! The 8th company has handed over the ammunition. He understood…". And then he himself reports upstairs: "Comrade Colonel, we have passed everything." Colonel: "Are you sure you passed?" Seryoga: “Exactly, passed!”. But everyone understood. A sort of psychological study... Well, after what we did with the militants in the mountains, who would think of walking in a column for one hundred and fifty kilometers across Chechnya without weapons!.. We arrived without incident. But I am sure: only because we did not surrender our weapons and ammunition. After all, the Chechens knew everything about us.

On June 27, 1995, loading began in Khankala. The paratroopers came to snatch us - they were looking for weapons, ammunition ... But we prudently got rid of everything superfluous. I only felt sorry for the "Beretta" trophy, I had to part ...

When it became clear that the war was ending for us, the rear began a struggle for awards. Already in Mozdok I see a rear guard - he writes an award sheet for himself. I told him: “Yes, what are you doing? ..”. He: “If you perform here, I won’t give you a certificate!” Me: “Yes, you came here for help. And I pulled out all the boys: both the living, and the wounded, and the dead! ..». I got so wound up that after this “conversation” of ours, the personnel officer ended up in the hospital. But here's what's interesting: everything that he received from me, he issued as a shell shock and acquired additional benefits for this ...

We experienced more stress in Mozdok than at the beginning of the war! We go and marvel - people walk ordinary, not military. Women, children ... We have lost the habit of all this. Then they took me to the market. There I bought a real barbecue. We also made kebabs in the mountains, but there was neither salt nor spices. And then meat with ketchup... A fairy tale!.. And in the evening the lights on the streets lit up! It's amazing, and that's all...

We approach a quarry filled with water. The water in it is blue, transparent! .. And on the other side, the children run! And we in what were, in that and plopped into the water. Then we undressed and, like decent men, in shorts, swam across to the other side, where people were swimming. From the edge of the family: Ossetian father, child-girl and mother - Russian. And then the wife begins to shout loudly at her husband for not taking water for the child to drink. And after Chechnya, it seemed to us complete savagery: how is a woman commanding a man? Nonsense! .. And I involuntarily say: “Woman, why are you shouting? See how much water is around. She says to me: “Are you shell-shocked?”. I answer: "Yes." Pause... And then she sees the badge around my neck, and it finally hits her, and she says: "Oh, I'm sorry...". Here it already dawns on me that it is I who drink water from this quarry and rejoice at how pure it is, but not them. They won't drink it, let alone give the baby water, that's for sure. I say: "You must excuse me." And we left...

I am grateful to fate that she brought me together with those with whom I ended up in the war. I feel especially sorry for Sergei Stobetsky. Although I was already a captain and he was only a young lieutenant, I learned a lot from him. And on top of that, he behaved like a real officer. And sometimes I caught myself thinking: “Was I the same at his age?” I remember when paratroopers came to us after the explosion of mines, their lieutenant approached me and asked: “Where is Stobetsky?” It turns out that they were in the same platoon at the school. I showed him the body, and he said, "Out of our platoon of twenty-four, only three are still alive today." It was the release of the Ryazan airborne school in 1994 ...

It was very difficult to meet with the relatives of the dead afterwards. It was then that I realized how important it is for relatives to get at least some thing as a keepsake. In Baltiysk, I came to the house of the wife and son of the deceased Igor Yakunenkov. And there sit the rear and talk so emotionally and vividly, as if they saw everything with their own eyes. I could not stand it and said: “You know, don't believe what they say. They weren't there. Take it as a memento." And I give Igor's flashlight. You should have seen how carefully they took this scratched, broken cheap flashlight in their hands! And then his son started crying...