October 29 is Special Forces Day. Special Forces Day

Every year on October 24, Russia celebrates the Day of Special Forces (SpN) - a professional holiday for all Russian military personnel of special forces. This is a relatively young Russian professional holiday, it was established on May 31, 2006 on the basis of a decree by President Vladimir Putin.

The date of the new holiday was not chosen by chance. It was on this day in 1950 that the Minister of War of the USSR, Marshal Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, signed the directive marked "secret". This directive provided for the creation in the Soviet Union of special-purpose units (deep reconnaissance or special-purpose reconnaissance) for operations deep in the rear of a potential enemy. Vasilevsky ordered the creation in the shortest possible time (before May 1, 1951) as part of the armed forces of 46 special forces companies with a staff of 120 people each. They were to be created in all military districts, fleets and groups of troops. The order was carried out and already on May 1, 1951, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union included units of the Special Forces with a total number of more than 5.5 thousand people.

At the same time, the combat use of various military formations that performed special and reconnaissance tasks behind enemy lines is very rich in our country. There have always been people in Russia who went to the enemy's rear with special assignments and carried out their dangerous and very difficult work at the risk of their lives. At various times in Russian history, these were scouts, Cossacks, flying hussars, scouts. A historical example of such special forces is the horse-chasseur teams of Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev, which were intended for special operations and reconnaissance behind enemy lines. In addition, the future Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov began his military career with successful partisan actions.

The emergence of special intelligence in our country can be attributed to the years of the civil war, the period of opposition of the Red Army to the White Guard formations and interventionists. The reason for this was the creation in March 1918 of a special reconnaissance department, which was mainly engaged in organizing reconnaissance and sabotage work behind enemy lines.

In the 1930s, in the event of a future war in the Soviet Union, in the border districts, on the basis of engineering and sapper units, sabotage and partisan detachments and groups were trained, which received the name of sapper-camouflage platoons. Also, taking into account the experience of the civil war in Spain, the leadership of the Intelligence Directorate of the Headquarters of the Red Army in 1939 proposed the creation of separate special-purpose companies as part of the border districts.

During the Great Patriotic War, a large number of special military formations were created as part of numerous fronts and in the navy, designed to conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations behind enemy lines. Many of them were designated as separate detachments or separate brigades of a special (special) purpose. At the same time, during the war years, 5360 groups of intelligence agencies were abandoned in the German rear.

After the end of World War II, the decisive factor that determined the course of the further development and use of the armed forces was the appearance of mass destruction, as well as various means of its delivery. For the timely detection and destruction of nuclear weapons of a potential enemy, as well as their means of delivery, special army units were needed that could effectively conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations behind enemy lines. Such army units were created by May 1, 1951. And in 1953, the creation of military units of the Special Forces as part of the Navy began. Initially, 7 naval reconnaissance divisions were created in the USSR, which in the future were transformed into reconnaissance points for special purposes.

The subsequent aggravation of the world military-political situation required the high military command of the USSR to strengthen reconnaissance in the operational-tactical depths. To solve this problem in the country in 1962, the process of forming separate special forces brigades began. In the 1970-80s, there were already 13 special-purpose brigades in the Soviet Army. It was during these years that their active combat work took place, which took place outside our country - in Angola, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Vietnam and Cuba. Over the years, the country has been able to systematize and debug the mechanisms and methods of training future special forces. The outbreak of war in Afghanistan also required the dispatch of special forces soldiers there. As part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops in this country, 8 special forces operated, which were organizationally combined into two brigades. These parts of the special forces performed the following tasks in Afghanistan: the destruction of detachments and caravans of the Mujahideen, reconnaissance, detection and inspection of caravans, mining the routes of movement of gangs and caravan trails, installation of reconnaissance and signaling equipment.

Already in modern Russian history, special forces units during the two Chechen campaigns successfully solved their immediate tasks, conducting sabotage and reconnaissance and search and ambush activities in the republic. At the same time, in April 2001, for special distinction in battles within the framework of ensuring the security and integrity of Russia, the 22nd separate special-purpose brigade of the Russian army was awarded the title of guards. This was the first military formation in Russia, which was awarded this honorary title after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

Modern special forces units are designed to conduct subversive, sabotage, reconnaissance and special operations on enemy territory. In wartime, special forces are able to solve the tasks of reconnaissance, destroying and capturing important objects, eliminating important persons, conducting psychological operations, as well as organizing partisan operations behind enemy lines. Even in the most difficult and non-standard situations, special forces demonstrate a very high level of their professional training, personal courage and fortitude, they adequately withstand all tests and tests of strength, which by right could earn respect and honor not only among representatives of the military fraternity, but also among ordinary Russian citizens.

The main feature of special forces units is their relatively small number, excellent level of training, surprise, audacity, initiative, speed of decisions, coordination of actions. Special forces soldiers are able to skillfully use a wide range of weapons and military equipment, combine their strike and maneuver capabilities, make full use of the protective properties of the terrain, and perform tasks at any time of the day and under any weather conditions.

Units and units of the special forces of the GRU General Staff of the Armed Forces (detachments, groups, separate battalions, regiments and brigades) played a very important role during the Afghan war, military operations in Tajikistan, in operations on the territory of Chechnya, as well as in other hot spots. This is also confirmed by the fact that their military work was highly noted by the military-political leadership of the country. For the heroism and courage that were shown in the performance of special tasks, more than 20 thousand special forces soldiers were awarded various orders and medals. Including 8 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union, another 39 people - Heroes of the Russian Federation.

On this day, the Military Review team congratulates all Russian servicemen of special forces units, as well as special forces veterans on their professional holiday. Your service is a symbiosis of steadfastness, courage, determination, unparalleled heroism and self-sacrifice, readiness to always come to the aid of comrades.

Based on materials from open sources

Special Forces Day in the Russian Federation is becoming a holiday for an elite military unit that performs the most difficult combat missions. Warriors in "maroon" berets have always been respected among Russians, and the name of the headdress of the special forces is associated with the word "sprinkled", that is, covered in blood. So it is called in honor of the special forces who died during the performance of special operations, and among the military personnel of this unit of the troops, the "marked" beret is a symbol of courage.

Story: Today, Special Forces Day is officially celebrated by all servicemen of military special forces, and this one has undergone a long evolution. The first such structures were created back in 1918 in order to fruitfully fight the Basmachi and the rebels of Central Asia at the time of the establishment of Soviet power on the territory of the former Russian Empire.

These departments are considered the ancestors of modern special forces, although the names of these military units and their structure have changed repeatedly. However, the essence of the work of special detachments remained unchanged for decades, since groups of qualified military personnel were engaged in the search for and subsequent detention of the most dangerous criminals, freed hostages and eliminated various gangs.

At present, the Russian special forces are modern paramilitary formations subordinate to various federal authorities, and each of them is characterized by the presence of its own code name. Such branches include Vityaz and Alfa, Rus and Vympel, and the fighters of each individual unit have specific tasks.

Distinctive characteristics of servicemen in maroon berets are coordination of actions, responsiveness and mobility, and Special Forces Day was approved as recognition of the special merits of soldiers in ensuring stability in the state. Special Forces is celebrated on October 24 according to a presidential decree signed in 2006. But the troops have another “birthday”, which is celebrated on August 29, since on this date in 1957 it was decided to form five special battalions of special forces.

Peculiarities: GRU Special Forces Day is now an official holiday celebrated on October 24, however, neither mass celebrations nor any demonstration performances are held on the streets of domestic cities at this time. The GRU units were created back in 1950 on the initiative and the main task of this separate special forces unit was to combat the spread of what was being created in the territory

The Day of the Special Forces of the Airborne Forces coincides with the professional holiday of other troops, since October 24 is a date that unites all military personnel of the elite units of the Russian army. Only police officers serving in the OMON can solemnly celebrate Special Forces Day on another date - November 9, listening to congratulations and parting words from their direct superiors - the heads of the Internal Affairs Directorate.

celebration: Special Forces soldiers serving in elite units celebrate their professional holiday in different ways, but strangers are rarely allowed to solemn events. As a rule, competitions of various reconnaissance groups are held on such a day, however, they are often held on the territory of closed combat units, and only the command is able to fully assess their level of tactical and special training. Many commandos celebrate the unofficial part of the holiday in a close circle of colleagues, recalling past special operations, and almost no owner of a maroon beret celebrates a professional date in clubs.

International Children's Book Day is an annual event organized and sponsored by the Swiss non-profit organization International Council on Books for Youth (IBBY).

As part of the event, writing competitions are organized, awards are given, meetings with children's writers are held.

International Children's Book Day is always celebrated April 2, birthday Hans Christian Andersen.

That is, World Children's Book Day is celebrated:
* April 2 - the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen.

G.H. Andersen is a Danish writer, author of many plays, travel writing, short stories, novels, and, of course, fairy tales. It is thanks to his "fabulous" works that the author immortalized his name. At the moment, no less than 3380 fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen have been translated into more than 125 world languages ​​(including Russian).

In Russia, the famous storyteller became famous for the following creations: "The Snow Queen", "The Little Match Girl", "Thumbelina", "The Ugly Duckling", "The King's New Dress", "The Princess and the Pea", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "Ole Lukoil" etc..

In this way:
* With a five-day week, May 10, 2019 is a day off.
* With a six-day week, May 10, 2019 is a working day.

If the calendar date 05/10/2019 coincides with the annual paid vacation, the vacation is NOT extended by one day.

March 18 in Crimea is a day off or a working day:

According to the above laws, in the territory of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol the date "March 18" is a non-working holiday, an additional day off.

That is:
* March 18 in the Crimea and the city of Sevastopol is a day off.

If March 18 falls on a holiday (as happens in 2023, for example), the holiday is moved to the next business day.

If the holiday date coincides with the annual paid vacation, March 18 is not included in the number of calendar days of vacation, but extends it.

Is March 17 a shortened working day:

If the calendar date March 17 falls on a working day, then the duration of work on this day is reduced by 1 hour.

This norm is established in the 95th article of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and applies to working days preceding, among other things, regional holidays.

Today, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation celebrate the Day of Special Forces Units, which, in particular, are the most important component of the intelligence system of the Ground Forces. Special forces units, units and subunits have successfully solved and continue to solve the tasks assigned to them, including in all the "hot spots" of recent decades. They are equipped with the most modern weapons, military and special equipment.

Special Forces Day, celebrated annually on October 24, was established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 549 dated May 31, 2006 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

The beginning of the history of special forces in Russia is considered to be the creation in 1918 of special forces - CHON. They were subordinate to the Cheka and were intended to fight the Basmachi in Central Asia and the rebels on the territory of the Russian Republic. In the future, the VChK (NKVD, MGB, KGB) mainly had special units.

On October 24, 1950, the Minister of War of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky, issued a directive ordering the formation of 46 special-purpose companies with a staff of 120 people by May 1, 1951. In other words, the ARMY SPECIAL FORCE was created. Over time, the structure and quantitative composition of the army special forces changed more than once, but the essence of its purpose, in principle, always remained the same.

Currently, special forces are paramilitary formations of the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Emergencies, the Ministry of Justice and other federal government bodies (detachments, groups, reinforced groups), which have their own code names - "Alpha", "Vityaz", "Vympel" , "Rus".

Special units are designed for anti-terrorist actions, actions to search for and detain especially dangerous and armed criminals, eliminate criminal groups, free hostages and conduct other special operations.

The main feature of special forces units is their relatively small composition, excellent training, audacity and surprise, initiative, speed and coordination of actions, skillful use of shock and maneuver capabilities of weapons, military equipment, as well as the protective properties of the terrain, time of day, weather conditions.

These parts demonstrated their viability and usefulness already in 1968 during the first major operation. We are talking about the entry of troops of the Warsaw Pact countries into Czechoslovakia. It all started with the fact that a Soviet transport plane requested an emergency landing from Prague due to engine failure. After landing, events unfolded at lightning speed.

Special Forces soldiers jumped out of the plane almost as soon as it touched the runway, and ran towards the control tower of the airfield. Czech soldiers were so confused that they did not even think of resisting. The successful capture of this airfield made it possible to transfer the Vitebsk Airborne Division to Prague.

Meanwhile, other special forces units that had infiltrated Prague a few days before the start of the operation seized the city’s radio and television centers, telephone exchanges, newspaper editorial offices and other important buildings, and in the morning the fighters entered the building of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, where they At the same time, a meeting of Alexander Dubcek's cabinet was taking place.

Having seized the government building, the special forces soldiers held the ministers of Czechoslovakia for five hours, and then took them to Moscow. It is worth noting that the famous German saboteur during the war, Otto Skorzeny, observing the development of events in Prague, later called the operation carried out by the Soviet special forces "brilliant".

In May 1968, a special forces group of 9 people raided a secret American helicopter camp, which was located on the territory of Cambodia, 30 km from the border with Vietnam. This camp was used by American troops to send their reconnaissance and sabotage groups to Vietnam, as well as sorties in order to search for their downed pilots. On the airfield of the camp, 2 light helicopters, 8-10 heavy transport helicopters and 4 Super Cobra fire support helicopters were always on alert.

The purpose of the operation was precisely the Super Cobra helicopters, which were armed with guided missiles and were equipped with the latest targeting systems. As a result of the operation, which lasted 25 minutes, one helicopter was hijacked to Vietnam, and the rest were destroyed. The Americans lost about 15 people killed and wounded. The fact that these were precisely the Soviet special forces, the American intelligence services found out only a few years later.

Both before and after that, many operations were carried out that were no less effective and spectacular than this one. And not all of them are known to the general public. Therefore, these guys, whom no one knows by sight, but whom the whole world knows about, really deserve the right to be considered legends.

And it is all the more insulting to realize that today these military units, which have no analogues in the whole world, are completely destroyed by their own government. So, in March 2009, one of the best brigades was disbanded - the Berd brigade of the GRU special forces. Well, politicians know better. Apparently, they believe that Russia does not need professionals who are ready and able to fight for the HONOR and FREEDOM of their country. What will tomorrow bring us? Let's see…

/Based on materials topwar.ru /

Every year on October 24, Russia celebrates the Day of special forces units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This holiday is very young. Its appearance in the holiday calendar is directly related to the 549th presidential decree, signed on May 31, 2006. The decree determined the list of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The very date of October 24, as the Day of Special Forces units of the RF Armed Forces, is usually associated with such an event as the signing by the Minister of War of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky of a secret directive on the creation of special forces units for operations in the deep rear of a probable (potential) enemy. The directive aimed at the formation of more than 5.5 thousand personnel of 46 special-purpose companies. According to the letter of the directive, it was necessary to report on the results of the formation to the minister by May 1, 1951. As you can see, the framework was set very rigid.

However, the rigidity of the time frame did not prevent the creation of the required number of army special forces units, which by 1951 had been formed in all Soviet military districts without any exception. Special purpose companies also appeared in the fleets of the Soviet Union to increase the combat capability of naval units and formations.

The need to create special forces units in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union was primarily associated with the emergence and activities of NATO. After all, Vasilevsky's directive itself was born just a few months after a number of Western states (Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the USA and France) announced the creation of the North Atlantic military bloc. The Soviet leadership, realizing that the military alliance to the west of the borders of the USSR is not being created out of the best of intentions, decides to start work aimed at creating its own countermeasures system. What the opposition first of the USSR and NATO, then the countries of the Warsaw Pact and NATO resulted in, is well known to everyone, but this, as they say, is completely different.

Of course, there is no reason to believe that until 1950 (that is, before the appearance of the secret directive of Marshal of the USSR A.M. Vasilevsky) in our country there was not a single serviceman who performed the tasks that a representative of the special forces cohort of the Armed Forces was called upon to perform. So, back in 1916, the so-called OMBON was created as part of the troops of the Russian Empire. The decoding of this abbreviation is as follows: Separate Special Purpose Marine Brigade. The special purpose brigade included, as the name implies, naval officers. And since then, the domestic army special forces began their long journey, on which there were both their triumphs and very tragic events.

Servicemen of special forces units of the USSR Armed Forces and the RF Armed Forces took part in combat operations during various conflicts. A special page in the history of army special forces, of course, is connected with the fulfillment of international duty in the Republic of Afghanistan. As part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops on the territory of the DRA (Democratic Republic of Afghanistan), a variety of units and formations of special forces operated, including units for combat service, which include, for example, the 19th engineer-sapper battalion or the 2088th separate battalion barriers. The units of the army special forces in Afghanistan are, first of all, of course, the formations of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces.

Army special forces units proved themselves during both Chechen campaigns, when at times they had to confront enemy forces that outnumbered the Special Forces units of the RF Armed Forces by a multiple.

The main feature of special forces units is their relatively small composition, with each fighter having not only excellent military training in all respects, but also special psychological qualities: decisiveness, initiative, and the ability to act effectively in a team.

Today, the staffing of special forces units is made from professional military personnel. The reduction in the term of conscript service and the growth in the number of contract servicemen in the Russian army also played a role here.

A modern special forces fighter of the RF Armed Forces is a person who is fluent in various types, understands the nuances of mine-explosive business, and effectively uses optical-electronic devices in order to monitor the enemy. For some time now, special forces soldiers have been trained in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which allow reconnaissance of enemy combat positions and infrastructure.

The Ministry of Defense gives an additional description to the military personnel of the Russian Special Forces units:

The personnel of special forces units perform landing from airplanes and helicopters, including parachute jumps into the water, at night, from high altitudes with oxygen devices and sliding along the horizon, followed by access to the object.

Particular attention in the combat training of special forces is given to physical training. Each of them is fluent in the techniques of throwing piercing and cutting objects, as well as hand-to-hand combat, which is based on elements of domestic combat sambo, and other effective martial arts, in particular, karate and jiu-jitsu.

Due to the high level of combat training and equipment, there are no impossible combat missions for special forces units.

Special Forces units of the RF Armed Forces are actively re-equipping. So for the year in the Central Military District, the special forces received 24 Tigr-M SpN ​​armored vehicles, which have the fifth class of ballistic protection in the frontal projection and the third class in the aft and side projections.

Special Forces soldiers have increased the frequency of exercises. In particular, literally on the eve of their professional holiday, special forces units of the Southern Military District were involved in a special tactical exercise that took place on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory.

From the press service of the Southern Military District on the course of the exercise:

During the exercise, the crews of the Mi-8AMTSh transport and combat helicopters of the air base of the Southern Military District carried out a covert transfer and landing of tactical airborne troops in the specified area.

After landing in a landing method, servicemen of the Special Forces units in full gear made a 10-kilometer forced march across rough terrain to the area of ​​the counter-terrorist operation.

According to the plan of the exercise, a settlement consisting of 10 residential buildings and infrastructure facilities was captured by a conditional illegal armed formation (IAF) with a total number of about 30 people. In order to free the hostages, the assault squads blocked the settlement and destroyed the militants.

Before the start of active operations, reconnaissance of the area was carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The special forces also practiced reconnaissance and search operations, as a result of which information about the enemy was obtained.

To create a situation as close as possible to combat, during the assault on the positions of a conditional illegal armed formation, imitation mines "Im-100M" and smoke devices were used.

The servicemen worked out the procedure for destroying a bandit formation in the forest, actions in the rear, organizing ambushes and observation posts in the conditions of the use of sabotage and reconnaissance groups by the enemy.

About 300 military personnel took part in the special tactical exercise, up to 30 pieces of weapons and military equipment were involved.

"Military Review" congratulates the military personnel and veterans of the units of the Special Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (USSR) on their professional holiday!