I will serve in the paratroopers, but I refuse to jump with a parachute! When jumping with a parachute, the main thing is not to give up. Pre-jump training in the Airborne Forces

Airborne troops perform a huge range of combat missions. And airborne jumps are one of the main trump cards used by paratroopers. Specially prepared airplanes and helicopters are used for this purpose. The Airborne Forces are equipped with a large number of modern effective weapons, special equipment, military equipment, allowing high efficiency cope with the tasks assigned to them.

The task of the Airborne Forces fighters is to capture strategic industrial facilities, administrative and political centers, areas of concentration and forces of a potential enemy, to capture and hold infrastructure nodes, mountain passes, crossings, and communication lines; destruction of funds mass destruction, power plants, runways and airfields, and other key facilities; disruption of the enemy's work in the deep and near rear and coordination of his forces, disruption of the movement of enemy reserves.

One of the main tasks of the Airborne Forces is related to the implementation of operational-tactical landings on special important areas potential local conflicts.

Completing such a task is impossible without airborne parachute jumps. The Airborne Forces train their personnel especially scrupulously. Therefore, paratroopers carefully become familiar with the theoretical foundation of parachute jumping, landing techniques, modern systems parachute-jet and parachute type, landing containers, platforms and systems with the help of which the installation and landing of weapons and military equipment is carried out. Special attention is devoted to the study of current military transport aviation.

Airborne jumps at the stage of emergence and development of the military branch

The first jump into the Airborne Forces took place in the thirties of the last century. It was then that a new branch of troops appeared in the Red Army - the Airborne Forces. The first paratroopers had to complete a completely accessible task - to land in a given area, where they were delivered by aircraft. Paratroopers with parachutes were initially transported on any aircraft in service: strategic heavy bombers TB-1 or training U-2, which were not the best solution For young generation troops. The choice of aircraft depended on the number of paratroopers transported.

Resolving the issue of transporting cars, armored vehicles or guns turned out to be more difficult. We decided to opt for the TB-1 bomber. To create specialized systems with the help of which equipment would be successfully landed, an OKB was created. Among the very first types of weapons adapted for air transportation and landing, one should name mountain cannon 76 mm caliber, invented in 1909, chosen because suitable weights and dimensions. The gun crew was transported along with the gun and had the opportunity to parachute from an airplane, slightly reducing the bomber's flight performance. Then the first parachute jump in the Airborne Forces took place, and since then the paratroopers have come a long way.

Airborne parachute jumps in modern army Russia

Fast forward to modern life soldiers of the Airborne Forces. In 2012, servicemen of this type of troops stationed at military service, in just one week, more than 11 thousand parachute jumps were performed! Including the airborne jumps from Ila-76 amounted to more than four hundred. Nowadays, jumps during long daylight hours are performed at an intensity of two parachute jumps per minute, and even more often.

There was a message about how many jumps they do in the Airborne Forces, for example, in the unit stationed in Ivanovo. As it turned out, 2800 jumps per division. In the mountain, air assault formation stationed in Novorossiysk, and the Tula airborne division, paratroopers make 2,000 jumps each. The cadets of the Ryazan School manage to make more than one and a half thousand jumps within one week.

Airborne jumps were more regular in Soviet army. Let's say, in the 80s, an ordinary paratrooper made about 30 airborne jumps from an Il-76 during his military service. In the 90s, their number decreased sharply, but nowadays one can once again observe a gradual increase in the role of combat training of paratroopers, which means an increase in the number of airborne parachute jumps for cadets and conscripts.

Recruit training Airborne art landing

Representatives make a lot of jumps young replenishment, arriving at the Airborne Forces unit. Young soldiers have a lot to do airborne training. They are given the proud title of paratroopers after they make their first parachute jumps.

In addition, technicians specializing in parachute instruments are constantly trained and trained in Ryazan. Seminars on retraining for commanders of parachute units are also held there. They are studying issues of landing and preparation military equipment. During the summer period, which is characterized by favorable weather conditions, Russian paratroopers plan to perform more than 35 thousand airborne parachute jumps.

It is absolutely forbidden to force people who do not know how to control themselves in the sky to skydive. To prevent an erratic fall, parachutes D-5 and D-6 include a stabilizing exhaust canopy. Thanks to the presence of the canopy, the parachutist cannot be carried away in a disorderly fall. To an inexperienced person, it seems that the earth is everywhere from him. The function of the stabilizing canopy is that the lines do not interfere with the skydiver's ability to take to the sky. The dome comes out first, after which the PPK-u device is triggered within five seconds, opening the backpack. The backpack is equipped with a double-cone lock, which can be opened either with a ring or with a device. A parachutist can pull the ring without waiting for five seconds of free fall to expire. With the help of a stabilizing parachute, the canopy is completely extended from the parachute pack.

Airborne jumps from Il-76

Speaking about the training of paratroopers, one cannot fail to mention the role of military transport aviation. Airborne jumps from the Il-76 can be called the most effective today. The main military transport aircraft Il-76 easily copes with the following tasks:

• parachute landing of military units;
• parachute landing of standard military equipment and cargo;
• l/s landing airborne units;
• landing of military equipment and cargo of established dimensions;
• transportation and evacuation of the wounded to the rear.

Each of the above options requires the use of specialized equipment.

When landing from an IL-76 they use:

• two streams into the side doors, to minimize the possibility of parachutists converging in the air;
• three streams, one of which goes into the ramp, and the other two into the side doors;
• four streams - two each into the ramp and side doors (subject to combat conditions).

During the landing personnel The plane's speed reaches 300 km/h. Let us note the tightness of the cargo compartment of the IL-76. If it is necessary to make long-distance flights at high altitudes, the pressure in the aircraft cabin is equal to the pressure at an altitude of 2.5 km. Airborne jumps from the Il-76 have been considered one of the safest and safest for many years. effective types landing. In emergency situations, all seats are equipped with oxygen masks, so all paratroopers have the opportunity to individually receive oxygen nutrition.

Pre-jump training in the Airborne Forces

Before you prepare a real paratrooper, you need to go through a serious combat training. Pre-jump training in the Airborne Forces is carried out at the most modern level. Not a single paratrooper is allowed to make real parachute jumps without thorough special training.

The IL-76 is an aircraft that fully corresponds to the tasks assigned to paratroopers. The aircraft cabin provides all the nuances that ensure the safety of parachute jumps. Traffic lights are installed at all exits from the aircraft. There are traffic lights on both sides of the ramp. Green light lights up with the inscription “Go”, yellow - with the command “Get Ready”, red - with the command “Hang Up”. When a yellow traffic light is turned on, a short siren is simultaneously turned on, and when a green traffic light is turned on, a long, blaring siren is turned on. She continues to roar until there is not a single parachutist left on the plane.

Every paratrooper who performed parachute jumps in the Airborne Forces will never be able to forget this siren. During a long-distance flight, the engine hums smoothly and calmly, which is conducive to sleep, but because of the sound of the siren, there is nothing left of sleep. After the command “Get ready” and a short warning siren, each paratrooper jumps up, waiting for the command to jump into the Sky.

Photos and videos of airborne jumps

Photos of airborne jumps are especially spectacular. You can admire parachutists flying in the sky, the second suspended deck of the Il-76MD transport, and the cargo cabin of the Il-76. Thanks to the increased capacity, the cargo compartment of the IL-76 transport can accommodate three BMD-1s, and can be dropped by parachute or landing.

The aircraft's capabilities include landing four cargoes weighing 10 tons each, or two cargoes weighing 21 tons each. The IL-76MD is produced in a double-deck version and is capable of transporting up to 225 fighters, and not as in a single-deck version - no more than 145 fighters.

Watching equipment landing from an Il-76 aircraft is always amazing. Today everyone can watch airborne jumping videos, thanks to the Internet. Interesting fact is the establishment of high-altitude world records by Soviet paratroopers. These jumps by our skydivers were made in 1975 and then in 1977. Girls were jumping with parachutes from an Il-76 plane flying at an altitude of over fifteen thousand meters. And no one has yet been able to break the records set then.

Video Airborne jumps with a parachute can convey the external impression of this unique and exciting process. And the parachutists themselves consider these the most exciting moments of their lives. Each jump is different from the previous one. The first jump is especially emotional.

For a D-5 parachute jump, an altitude of 800 to 1000 meters is required. At minimum height throws 600 meters. The period from the moment you exit the plane to the moment when the parachute should open is 200 meters. The parachutist has to fly about six hundred meters under the canopy.

Today, instead of parachutes of old systems, they use landing parachute D-10, with a dome area of ​​100 sq.m., improved parameters and a shape reminiscent of squash. On airborne weapons entered and D-12, Listik, recognized as excellent parachute system, which has no analogues in the world.

Who are paratroopers? How can we judge from the rally in honor Airborne Forces Day, there are at least a hundred of them in Revda - active, active and deeply devoted to their troops and each other. The Revda-info.ru portal asked four of them what service in the Airborne Forces gave them, what it was like to jump with a parachute, and what they remember about the army today.

"I would G I haven’t chosen the path"

Vladimir Semkov, 56 years old

Since childhood, Vladimir Semkov dreamed of becoming a military man. Role models were his father, who served in Moscow in the KGB, and his uncles, a sailor and a tanker. Vladimir served in the army for a year and a half and entered the Ministry of Internal Affairs school. He worked in the police and then served as deputy commander of special forces.

In the special forces, we guarded Boris Yeltsin,” recalls Vladimir. - Afterwards he served in Tajikistan and Chechnya. There was a lot of bad things: blood and the death of friends, but service is service. What remains is friendship. The guys from my native third company, with whom I was in Chechnya, have been calling since eight in the morning to congratulate me on the holiday.

In 2000, Vladimir retired after full service - as a major. Now he works in security and is raising two grandchildren. He says that a military career is guaranteed for one of them - he is three years old, and he is already shouting: “For the Airborne Forces!”

“I’m proud of how I lived my life, and my daughter is proud of me,” says Vladimir. - If I started my life again, I wouldn’t choose any other path. Everything is the same: both Tajikistan and Chechnya. I have never looked for another way.

“I wanted to join the Marine Corps”

Vladimir Shevchuk, 64 years old

Vladimir Shevchuk came to the rally in honor of Airborne Forces Day this year on a motorcycle. He says he marks the date every year because “I want to put on a beret at least once a year and remember all the friends with whom I served.” And the man served for two years. At the commission I asked to marines, but he was offered airborne troops. And without thinking twice, he agreed.

He served in Tula, in the 51st Parade Regiment. But first he spent three weeks in Kostroma, and from there he volunteered to transfer to Tula. He says he decided to transfer because a friend served there.

Previously, as they say, every other day on the belt,” says the paratrooper. - We had shooting, demonstrations, training - there was no time to relax. But now the service is only a year. Well, what is it? Men definitely need to serve.

After the army, Vladimir trained as an electrician and, as he says, wandered around the Soviet Union. As a result, I stopped in Revda. Now he enjoys foresting and fishing.

“My father is a paratrooper, I’m following in his footsteps”

Kirill Mokrousov, 23 years old

Kirill is following in the footsteps of his father, Valery Mokrousov, an “Afghan” veteran. At the commission, the guy was offered to join the Marine Corps, but he refused: he wanted to join the winged infantry, like his father.

At the recruiting station, Yegorshino waited a long time for the paratroopers to arrive for reinforcements. Kirill studied for four months in the 242nd training center training of marching specialists of the Airborne Forces in Omsk, receiving the specialty of a driver mechanic. Then he was sent to Kostroma in the 331st airborne regiment. He ended up in a reconnaissance company and served there for the remaining eight months.

During his service, the paratrooper made five jumps. He says that it was familiar to him: he jumped to the army, but it took his breath away every time.

I also wanted to join the airborne troops because I was always a prepared person - I did karate. I believe that paratroopers are the elite of the troops, and they should be stronger and more prepared than others.

Kirill graduates from UrFU and serves under a contract. He still communicates with his army friends. He says that the army was for him a step into his future life, which the guy wants to connect with service.

“When you jump with a parachute, the main thing is not to give up”

Mikhail Zaitsev, 79 years old

This year Mikhail Zaitsev will turn 80 years old, who spent three years serving in airborne troops Oh. He served in Kostroma in the 331st Guards Parachute Regiment. He says that he was commissioned into the Chemical Engineering Troops, but at the regional distribution point he was taken away by paratroopers.

“I never regretted joining the Airborne Forces,” he smiles. - I remember that I made my first jump somehow completely fearlessly: if I’m alive, then I’ll be alive. But the main thing is not to give up. Until the eleventh jump, everything is as per the pattern, but after that you jump consciously. I jumped with a parachute 36 times during my service.

Mikhail Zaitsev was called up in 1956 during the Hungarian uprising. He remembers that their regiment was in combat readiness No. 1: the planes were loaded and ready to take off. But the unrest in Hungary ended, and there was no need to fly out.

After service, the paratrooper studied at the Sredneuralsk Training Center to become a first-class driver. He got a job in the internal affairs department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he served for 34 years. He left the service with the rank of ensign - he wanted a peaceful life.

“I’m proud to be a paratrooper,” says Mikhail Zaitsev. - Thanks to the service, I began to look at life more seriously. And this service is a memory for life. No matter how long we live, we remain paratroopers for the rest of our lives.

• “Of the five thousand residents of Rostov celebrating Airborne Forces Day, only one and a half thousand actually served in the airborne forces”
  

Today is Airborne Forces Day!

Airborne Forces Day!

Day of the Paratroopers or “Landing Forces”!

Of course, every year, the “Landing Forces” are becoming quieter. Grandiose fights and showdowns with the “Watermelon” mafia in the markets are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Still, our country is becoming more and more tough on all kinds of lawlessness, on the one hand, on the other hand, we are fighting in some places around the world. And it has long been noticed that if the country’s Army leads real fighting, less people bathes in fountains and goes to protest rallies.

Therefore, the question is always relevant: how to distinguish a real paratrooper from one who simply puts on a vest and takes it, or maybe even wears a “Throwaway” tattoo, drinks in the fountain and tells army stories.

By the way, this is what distinguishes Muscovites. Anyone who served in the Airborne Forces knows that rotten soldiers are more often found among those drafted from Moscow...

Of course not all, there are many excellent fighters among the guys from Moscow. I myself had a “friend” from the Capital in the army.

But honestly, everyone knows that among the residents of Moscow there are “not very good comrades”, more than from the outskirts of the country...

In our company there was a “Muscovite”, the only communist among the soldiers. By the way, he was sent to the army after “shar” (shar or sharatsya is another slang expression in the army and airborne forces) in civilian life. He was the released secretary of the Komsomol, I don’t remember where. There was a reprieve, but he got knocked up and was sent to serve in elite troops. I'm sure he bathes in the fountain and drinks in a beret and vest.

But for every real paratrooper there are several fake ones. So let's start learning to identify the deceiver. I will give below a few questions and some detailed answers to these questions.

Knowing the answers to these questions, you can identify a fake “Landing”!

1. Where did you serve?

The answer to the Airborne Forces or DShB does not work, just like the DMB (this is demobilization!). As well as the place of service, such as Pskov, Ryazan, and so on. Maybe he's heard enough army tales from his older brother or neighbor. By the way, addition, in the military camp of the airborne unit there may even be construction battalions. For example in Pskov. If anyone remembers, soldiers from the construction battalion went to the photographer and took photos in a “demobilization parade with axels” and a blue beret. They sent us home and boldly told us that they were serving in the Airborne Forces. Of course they did it secretly. The construction battalions were not very fond of landings. In Pskov, there was a garrison lip (gaubwatch), this is a place where soldiers and officers are detained for minor and major violations of military discipline. The lip was guarded by the guard of the Pskov division

2. Part number?

Each military unit has a number. The unit number is hammered into the soldier's head. As well as the number of the machine gun and military ID. I served almost 30 years ago and still remember.

3. What is the VUS?

VUS, this military registration specialty is written on the Military ID. If such a Landing is shown to you by his military officer, then looking at his VUS, you will understand who he really is. “Military specialty (MRS) is an indication of the military specialty of an active or reserve service member of the Russian Armed Forces and other troops and formations. Information about the military service is entered into the military ID. All VUS are divided into groups; the VUS designation itself is a multi-digit number (for example, VUS-250400).

Possible list of military specialties

Apparently, there are no open sources containing decryption of the codes of all currently operating VUS: the VUS catalog is a document of the Russian Ministry of Defense with the secrecy level “Secret”.

The first three digits of the VUS for warrant officers, sergeants, foremen and soldiers indicate specialization (VUS code), for example:

100 - rifle
101 - snipers
102 - grenade launchers
106 - military reconnaissance
107 - units and units of the Special Forces
122 - BMD
461 - HF radio stations
998 - not having military training fit for military service
999 - the same thing, only LIMITEDLY fit for military service, etc.

The following three digits indicate the position (position code):

97 - ZKV
182 - KO
259 - MV
001 - battery operator, etc.

The letter at the end indicates “special characteristics of the service”:

A - having none
B - missile weapons specialists
D - Airborne Forces
K - crew of surface ships
M - MP
P - V.v.
R - PV (FPS)
S - Ministry of Emergency Situations (?)
T - construction parts and divisions
F - SpN, etc.
E - Flight personnel for warrant officers, sergeants, soldiers

4. How many times did you jump? Usually you will hear mind-boggling numbers of 30-40-50, or maybe 100 jumps. “The annual norm for a conscript soldier is 12 jumps, 6 in each training period. At all parachute training- a mandatory condition of service in the Airborne Forces. Everyone is parachuted - from the general to the private" - interview with Shamanov. For those who don’t know, Vladimir Shamanov is the Airborne Forces Commander and Colonel General. Even in the USSR, jumping more than 20 times during military service was problematic. Because the soldier went on guard duty (this is when a man with a gun buries “Guba”, warehouses and parks with equipment), went on duty in the park (where the equipment is located), and finally on duty in the dining room (where he peeled potatoes, set the table and washed the dishes), stood “on the bedside table” (company duty), and so on... In the army there was self-service, the soldier did everything himself and no one freed him to make the jump. Of course, there were sports companies in the army. These are free units where soldiers mainly train and perform for the unit. For example, where I served, there was a “squadron”. Conscripts were skydiver athletes who did nothing but jump and compete. But this is a separate caste, they even wore a unique uniform, officer’s greatcoats and shoulder straps of conscripts. Rudiments contract army. I'm not talking about contract sergeants and warrant officers. They were already professional soldiers then. But an ordinary paratrooper did not jump very much. Just like now. Only “for demobilization” could they buy a “nausea” (a parachutist badge in the form of a dome with a pendant in the form of numbers according to the number of jumps) with big amount jumping.

5. Did you jump in combat? Many fake paratroopers do not know that the Airborne Forces and special forces in every possible way can jump in several options.

I will give the simplest ones:

Without weapons and RD (Paratrooper's Backpack)

With RD and weapons in transport position. An assault rifle, SVD and even an RPG, in a special transport case, are “screwed” behind the back of the dashing landing force.

With taxiway and main body (Cargo Container)

With a combat weapon, on the chest under the chest strap of the harness. Allows you to fire while descending by parachute, straight from the sky.

Then there are night ones, in the forest, on the water, at high altitudes, and so on. Only no one jumps inside the equipment, although this option was developed for war. The son of the legendary founder of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov, Alexander Margelov, made a parachute jump inside a BMD-1 back in 1973. For this feat, he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia, 20 years later... Since then, more than 110 people have jumped inside the equipment, but these are testers. An ordinary paratrooper who tells you about this is simply pi....!

6. Have you jumped with the ISS? For reference, the ISS is a Multidome system for landing equipment, for example the ISS-5-760. A person simply cannot jump with this crap. But I met Landing Forces who claimed that they jumped with it... In the Airborne Forces they jump mainly with parachutes: D-1-8 is the oldest parachute, created back in 1959. This parachute has the main advantage, the canopy cover clings through an extension halyard to an airplane or helicopter. The paratrooper doesn't even have a ring. They took me to the hatch and gave me a kick in the ass. Then everything works automatically without any devices. This is the perfect parachute for your first jump. 300% guarantee, the main thing is not to twist the slings during installation. D-1-5U is the oldest controlled parachute. D-6 and all its modifications. You have seen this dome in most films about the Airborne Forces. The paratroopers fly for some time on a stabilizing small canopy. The same canopy extends the main canopy of the parachute if you pull the ring or when a belay device like PPK-U is triggered. PPK-U - Semi-automatic Parachute Combined Unified (device) - designed to deploy the parachute pack (after a certain period of time at a certain altitude). Now they are planning to supply the D-10 to the troops. PSN - Parachute Special Purpose. I jumped with PSN-71, it is more controllable. It has rolls for better handling (which we were forbidden to unlock) and locks on suspension system. When landing, you can immediately unfasten the canopy. For example, in the wind, when jumping into water or in battle. Created for the GRU Spetsnaz and Airborne reconnaissance companies. Software - Planning Shell. These are the same rectangular “wings” or “mattresses” on which all athletes now jump. From PO-9, from the times of the USSR, to modern PO-16, PO-17 and the famous “Crossbows”. A conscript has never jumped with such canopies!

7. And finally, what is “Razor - Smile”? Or did they shave you with a smile? This is a flexible pin from the same PPK-U device. In the Airborne Forces and among civilian paratroopers, the most fashionable keychain and souvenir. On the neck, on the keys and so on. When straightened, the hairpin specifically catches the hairs, no worse than an epilator. In the army it is used to punish careless soldiers, and just for fun. Airborne humor, I shaved with a smile. Did they shave you with a smile? Only understandable to paratroopers.

In principle, there is still a lot of information that only those who served in the Airborne Forces can know. But I think that what I wrote will be enough to identify the fake paratroopers who disgrace the glorious name of Uncle Vasya’s Troops. Vasily Margelov is the founder of the Airborne Forces and the father of all paratroopers!

Happy Airborne Forces Day to all real paratroopers!
Nobody except us!

I work as a fitness instructor. I have professional education and 25 years of coaching experience. I help people lose or gain weight muscle mass and at the same time maintain health. I conduct training via the Internet or at the Mamba fitness club in Rostov-on-Don.

All the boys in the country dream of being conscripted into the Airborne Forces. Blue berets are attractive due to their fighting spirit, sense of camaraderie, beautiful uniform, from under which a blue vest peeks out. Everyone already knows...

All the boys in the country dream of being conscripted into the Airborne Forces. Blue berets are attractive due to their fighting spirit, sense of camaraderie, beautiful uniform, from under which a blue vest peeks out.

Everyone has known for a long time that a fighter receives a vest after his first parachute jump. The romance of the sky is captivating. And the slogan they carry through life? "Nobody except us"! AND bright holidays, celebrated on August 2.

Annual swimming in all reservoirs of the country and complete disregard for all conventions. I wish I could bring all the Airborne Forces guys together on August 2nd. They would tear up everyone who decided to encroach on the country.

Uncle Vasya's troops passed through Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Chechnya and a number of other countries, which we will learn about 30 years later. North Caucasus a special zone for our paratroopers.

It's hard to imagine a paratrooper who doesn't jump with a parachute. Everyone jumps: cooks, nurses, generals and warrant officers. But Grigory Mazilkin managed to become a paratrooper without ever jumping with a parachute.

He served in conscription internal troops, having returned, began to serve in private security. Everything went as it usually does for a guy returning from military service.

And then an acquaintance encouraged me, as they say, to go serve under a contract in the Pskov division. After passing the interview, he became a paratrooper. For some reason, he wrote in the contract that he refused to jump with a parachute.

Photo: emergency service, Sverdlovsk region, G. Mazilkin on the right

Probably there weren't enough fighters. And the personnel officer told him that there were enough people willing to jump without him. The personnel officer must have been impressed by his track record. He was hired. And in mid-December the First Chechen Company began to operate.

On January 10, Grigory, as part of the combined battalion, flew to Chechnya. He was appointed head of the clothing warehouse. Dust-free work, safe. Someone refused to go. They were fired immediately.

Illustration: contract clauses for military personnel leaving for the Chechen Republic

While the Minister of Defense was talking on television about the successes, we were badly beaten there. At the Terek stadium, Grigory saw the first killed. On January 19, they took part in the capture of Dudayev’s palace.

Baptism - two in one. He worked in the clothing warehouse, as prescribed. Providing uniforms, ammunition, water (it was attributed, in importance, to ammunition). Once you find yourself in the meat grinder of war, it is impossible to get out without a fight.

We needed water. Several cars drove to the reservoir under the protection of the BMD. As soon as we sat down to drink one hundred grams from the front line, a soldier rushed over. There are people on the horizon, about thirty of them. The militants left Grozny.

Photo: upon returning from Chechnya at the Chkalovsky airfield, August 21, 1996. (G. Mazilkin in bottom row far left - with a beard)

The battle went on for forty minutes. All this time, water was pumping from the reservoir, immediately becoming the price of human life. The militants fired grenade launchers while hiding in the industrial zone. But their own people were already coming to help. We managed to escape without casualties that day.

The award, the medal “For Courage,” reminds me of that battle. The certificate was signed by Boris Yeltsin. Returning from the war, he left the army. I wanted to be closer to home. A civil life was strange.

Photo: at the Foundation for Support of Heroes of the USSR and the Russian Federation with the President of the Foundation Vyacheslav Sivko, Hero of Russia

Arguments about books, trips to the store. Ordinary. Somewhere far away there are explosions, hunger, blood, death. The paratrooper did not fit into civilian life. And he left again for Chechnya.

The motorized rifle brigade guarded the checkpoints. Active fighting began in April. Bamut, Goyskoye, Sernovodsk were liberated. And suddenly everything froze. Preparations for the presidential elections have begun.

The militants also became silent. The unit descended from the mountains and went to the city of Grozny. It was assumed that they would provide assistance to surrounded units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and troops who had been fighting for two days.

Minutka Square has already become a household name. And the main battles took place there. It was there that we needed to gain a foothold. The order was not fulfilled. They were able to gain a foothold at the Dynamo stadium. In two hours of battle, a third of the battalion was killed.

Continuing to fight was like accepting a meaningless death. Fierce resistance was everywhere. Here General Lebed began peace negotiations.

He took part in the evacuation of RTR journalists. This matter is very complicated. They manage to fit in everywhere. Try tracking them down. For saving the group civilians nominated for another award.

As often happens during times of complete confusion, all documents were thrown into a landfill. It was no longer possible to find them. No one began to restore it. And the command changed again. This happens quite often in combat situations.

He doesn't like to talk about a lost war. And who loves? But bad world better than a good fight. I spent almost a year in the North Caucasus with interruptions. There are also other awards. They warm the heart.

He lives in small, provincial Torzhok. A well-tailored and tightly sewn Russian peasant. Adult sons and two sweet daughters. Member public organization"The Brotherhood of War".

The Heroes Support Fund in Moscow is headed by a personal friend and commander with whom we went through the war - Sivko Vyacheslav. They meet when Grigory is in Moscow. Having served together in the Airborne Forces, they still hold high the motto of the paratroopers “Nobody but us”!

photo from the personal archive of G. Mazilkin and the Internet

"The Blue Berets" talks about service, first jumps and the influence of the army.

August 2 is Airborne Forces Day. Despite the working day, several hundred men in blue berets took to the streets of Kirov, and some were supported by their families.

The official part of the Airborne Forces day began at 10 a.m. at the Philharmonic. Here the “blue berets” laid flowers at the monument to the soldiers who died in local conflicts. The first persons addressed the audience: the acting governor Kirov region Igor Vasiliev, city mayor Valery Vladykin and chairman of the Legislative Assembly Vladimir Bykov.

After laying flowers, the column set off along Kazanskaya Street to the Eternal Flame. Along the way, the paratroopers accepted congratulations from passers-by.

For those who served, the holiday is a reason to see their comrades and remember the brightest moments. They shared their stories with our portal.

Dmitry, draft 2013:

– We get together with our colleagues every year on holiday. There are pleasant memories and not so pleasant ones. For some of us, the service was unsuccessful. We served in Omsk in the 242nd training center. There, in 2015, a barracks collapsed, killing 25 of our guys. Every year during our meetings we always remember them.

But there was a lot good times: how they “pump” us, make us better. And when we meet with the older generation, who spent 2-3 years in the army, they say that we didn’t serve at all, so to speak, we didn’t smell gunpowder. But time passes and even we can say that there are changes in the army. For example, my friends are now also serving in the Airborne Forces. They don’t “hem” or wear foot wraps - everything is more loyal. On the one hand, it’s correct, more guys will go to serve. I think this is important, the army is a school of life. It’s interesting how each guy shows himself, for example, a well-groomed guy who is in demand among girls in civilian life behaves too impressively in the army, and this does not help him much.

Leo, call 2004:

“I served for two years and decided to stay on contract. Why? This is romance, audacity, a challenge to oneself. Imagine day and night parachute jumps and shooting. Moreover, I served in Ivanovo, and we constantly went on field trips to Yeisk on the sea. In general, everything is beautiful and chic. For me, the service turned out to be the acquisition of discipline and independence, because you live without parents, no one cares for you, and throughout the entire time, faithful comrades appear who are always ready to lend a helping hand. This is very cool.

I like it parachuting, in total I made 18 jumps. Of course, I want to jump again, but not to Poroshino, but to go to new level and jump from four thousand meters. The first jump, to be honest, I don’t remember at all - everything was in a fog, and the second and third times it was very scary, I tried to get into the outfit so as not to jump with a parachute, but I failed. Kidding! (laughs)

Alexander, draft 2004:

– The most striking thing that happened to me during my two years in the army was my first parachute jump. As I remember now, it was August 14th. It was so memorable that I lost two kilograms. I associate the service not only with jumps, but also with the obstacle course that we had to overcome, as well as with initiation into the paratroopers, the presentation of blue berets and vests.

In general, I consider my service in the Airborne Forces to be my pride, because I ended up in intelligence, which is considered more elite unit. Being a paratrooper is not given to every man, you need to undergo special physical and psychological preparation. I hope that my son will definitely be one of those who ended up in these elite troops.

Vladimir, draft 1981:

– I served for two years, and then spent a year in Afghanistan. I clearly remember my first parachute jump; it wasn’t scary. Why be afraid? If we went to the Spartak stadium and drove cars there at 110-120 km/h, and the plane flies a little faster. To be honest, we didn’t even have anyone who was afraid. The commander did not force anyone out of the plane. Our generation, I think, was more courageous because it was brought up differently. We were not intimidated by the service.

The Airborne Forces instill in a man courage, boldness, and develop a sense of friendship, because your crew is your family, everyone helps and supports each other. Everyone must master two things: run well and hide well, because a paratrooper, like a wolf, is fed by his legs.

Mikhail, draft 1984:

– I made my first jump in Poroshino. The emotions were vivid: you fly and see small houses, and Kirovo-Chepetsk and Kirov seem to be closer friend to friend. You look from above, everything is side by side and very beautiful, captivating. I am not the least bit disappointed that I ended up in the Airborne Forces; first I was in “training” in Lithuania, and then served in combat companies. In my youth, I practiced sambo and knew for sure that I would end up in the elite troops. The most important thing here is discipline; if you run, then the regiment commander runs with you. By the way, he is now a Hero Soviet Union, Army General Vostrotin.

For those who are just planning to serve, I can advise them to be less afraid, and most importantly, to be more useful after the army. Moreover, now they only serve for a year.

Evgeniy, call 2014:

– When we get together with our colleagues, we most often remember how mass exercises of our entire intelligence service took place. This is probably the most colorful and vibrant thing that happened to us during our year of service. Just imagine, 700 people in the air - it’s beautiful! It’s paradoxical, but I don’t even remember my first jump, it was so fast and exciting: I jumped, the parachute opened and peace appeared in my soul.

I jumped only 18 times and I can say with confidence that everyone should definitely try it at least once in their life. The main thing is to gain courage and desire.

After the official part of Airborne Forces Day, the paratroopers went to Poroshino to make new jumps and relax outside the city.

The editors of the Svoykirovsky.rf portal congratulate the “blue berets” on their holiday and wish them always flying weather.