“We are not storming the peaks. The main thing is to understand the difficult terrain, choose the only correct route and outwit the enemy "
An hour's drive from Grozny, in the village of Borzoi, the 8th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (mountain) is stationed. Its military town at an altitude of almost 900 meters above sea level in itself underlines the status of the unit.
The only flat place is the parade ground, they joke in the G8, everything else is up or down. Therefore, even ordinary movements across the territory of the unit become a passing training. After the plain, after walking around the town for half an hour, you feel how your legs start to ache out of habit and shortness of breath appears.
"Highlanders" are a special people
A few kilometers from the village of Borzoi - Itum-Kale and the pass connecting Georgia and Russia. On a clear day, the mountains shining with snow, along the tops of which the border runs, are very clearly visible - it seems that they are close at hand.
8th Omsbr (G) - one of four Russian mountain rifle brigades, its personnel are trained and equipped for operations at altitudes up to 3500 meters. Instead of infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers in the G8 motorized rifle battalions, passable and hardy MT-LB tractors, there is not a single tank in the brigade, and the artillery is represented by light and maneuverable 122-mm 2S1 self-propelled howitzers even on narrow paths.
Currently, each combined-arms brigade or division has separate reconnaissance battalions, which include reconnaissance companies operating on armored vehicles, as well as one reconnaissance-landing force, whose personnel work deep behind enemy lines. But as part of the ORB of the 8th brigade, it is not just a RDR, but a special alpinist reconnaissance company, whose personnel are trained to set up ambushes and search at any altitude.
“Compared to conventional reconnaissance and landing companies, we can solve a much wider range of tasks. Passes, glaciers, gorges, sheer cliffs - our scout-climbers work everywhere,”the chief of staff of the reconnaissance battalion of the 8th brigade tells the Military-Industrial Courier.
The personnel of the mountaineering company also undergo airborne training and can act as reconnaissance and landing units of combined arms brigades and divisions. But first of all, scout-climbers are high-class mountain shooters, for whom there are no obstacles. Moreover, as the brigade modestly admits, the personnel of a special company are involved in combat missions in the troubled areas of the North Caucasus.
In addition to high-altitude reconnaissance officers in the 8th Omsb Brigade, there is another interesting unit - a special-purpose platoon as part of a rifle company of snipers. Its fighters are not just mountain climbers, but primarily high-class snipers working on mountain peaks and passes.
“This is the most armed platoon in my company. In addition to conventional SVD and silent VSS, there are also high-precision sniper systems, as well as large-caliber ASVK. Servicemen undergo special high-altitude training,”reports the commander of a rifle company of snipers.
Left bank, right bank
“Now we are preparing to participate in the Elbrus Ring competition. We will compete with other mountain shooters, scouts and special forces. But they are confident in their strength,”says the commander of the reconnaissance group of the company of climbers, which will represent the brigade at the competition.
The scouts participating in them practice passing a special obstacle course, crossing mountain rivers, and other important elements of combat and special training.
“For work high in the mountains, for example, on Elbrus, such an element as a crossing is not needed. But when we carry out combat missions, we have to cross the rivers quite often, - explains the scout. - On the surface, the technology is quite simple, but this is only at first glance. First, one fighter crosses the river. He is backed by two, one upstream, the other opposite the crossing point. On the other side, the leader makes a station, attaches the ropes, which on our side are tied with a special self-dropping knot. First, people cross over, and then, when two or three people remain, they send raid backpacks by shuttle. A carbine and a rope have already been prepared on the self-dumping knot, allowing them to "remove the ends" when the last person crosses."
And yet, the scouts admit, it is easier to work on steep grassy slopes, to overcome rivers and even rocky areas in the middle mountains than to perform tasks high in the mountains - on mountain passes, glaciers and snowfields.
“Moving at an altitude of more than 3500 meters is very difficult. Hypoxia begins - oxygen starvation, possibly the appearance of altitude sickness. We need acclimatization, serious practice of high-altitude ascents,”the fighter-climber shares his experience.
It is a mistake to think that the soldiers of the special mountaineering reconnaissance company are a kind of Rambo.
“The main thing for a scout is secrecy. We do not storm peaks, passes, glaciers. The task is to get out unnoticed, equip the NP and conduct surveillance. In exceptional cases, organize an ambush or raid and immediately retreat, says the chief of staff of the reconnaissance battalion, himself a former commander of a mountaineering company, who has not only numerous exercises, but also completed combat missions.
The work of a scout-climber requires excellent physical shape and professional training, and most importantly - the ability to understand the difficult terrain, choose the only correct route and outwit the enemy.
“Tourists walk along already marked trails. Even on Everest there are trails used by commercial groups. But the scout needs to find a way to unnoticeably go to the given place. At the same time, take into account many factors, the main ones being the weather and the terrain,”explains the commander of the reconnaissance squad.
We must not forget that an equally experienced enemy will act against the scouts, who can also predict the possible paths of the group's passage and block them. It is necessary to bypass the enemy barriers, remaining unnoticed.
“A rather difficult element of the scout's combat work in the highlands is overcoming a vertical rocky or ice section. It is not enough to rise here, it is also necessary to monitor the enemy, and if necessary, fight off him and retreat without loss. A circular defense is organized at the point of entering a difficult rocky relief. Then the leading one is launched - the fighter who is the most prepared in free climbing. He sets the trail, sets rocky hooks and belay. And then from above it covers the ascent of the group,”the scout climber reveals his professional secrets.
Transcendental sniping
“High in the mountains, two or three sniper pairs can easily block a pass or passage. But at high altitudes, we don't always work as a classic sniper pair. Often, in order to climb the mountains, you have to work in teams of three,”says a sniper from a special-purpose platoon.
Sniper shooting in the mountains is not at all the same as in the plains or in the forest. “The air is discharged, so the bullet flies a little further and faster. Accordingly, the sight should be taken lower. Plus, in the mountains, there is very strong wind and uneven temperature distribution, - says the sniper. - On the plain from 700 meters, I will take a full-length figure without any problems. But the worst thing for a sniper in the mountains is the weather. Rarely is the visibility of 700 meters, the maximum is 200–300. Moreover, the weather can change three or four times in a day."
Another difficulty is preparing a position. “In order to hold out at a high altitude for several days, it is necessary to equip a special shelter from snow - you can stand it on a rock or ordinary snow for only a few hours. But you need to arrange yourself so that you are not noticeable, and you can clearly see the goal. It is also important to move as little as possible, so as not to waste strength and not waste air, - an experienced sniper admits.
But the difficulties are surmountable - it all depends on the professionalism and work experience in the mountains. At the first stage, snipers go through the basics of using SVD in special courses. Those who have successfully graduated from them are sent to Solnechnogorsk, to the school of snipers.
If the courses give the basics, then in the "Sun" they teach applied work. A lot of attention is paid to firing from SVD with the so-called takeaway. And only fighters who have successfully completed the SVD and received certificates of completion of the courses, after passing the exams, are allowed to master high-precision sniper systems.
Mountains are not for amateurs
Scouts and snipers learn the basics of mountaineering in a specialized mountain training center located in the village of Terskol in the Elbrus region. During the year, servicemen of a reconnaissance mountaineering company and a platoon of special-purpose snipers come here several times in winter and summer. Depending on the stage of the training program, each visit takes two to three weeks.
The training course in Terskol is divided into three levels. The first one is introductory: grassy slopes, the basics of working with a rope and harness, passing the so-called rock laboratory, initial ice classes. On the second level - ascents, ending with the surrender to the "Alpinist of Russia" badge. At the third stage, the trainee becomes an instructor and gains experience in working with small groups, as well as in the methodical organization of classes.
The mentors are titled Russian climbers, leaders of the Russian Mountaineering Federation.
“At the first stage, we go through the so-called Soviet school. We do everything ourselves from the rope, learn to knit knots, harnesses, self-belay. It's tedious and tedious. At first, against the background of physical fatigue, when it does not work out, it really enrages. But then sleight of hand appears, the head starts to work, - recalls the scout-climber.
All three levels of training in the Terskol center are very intense. For example, before lunchtime - a mountain crossing, then the standard is surrendered. Everything is strictly for the time being. And after lunch - rock climbing. The instructors showed how to go up, how to go down, the fighters worked it out. And again, immediately passing the standard.
"Rock laboratory" - a section of a slope where routes of varying difficulty have already been laid. You also have to master alpine skiing, and not only the descent, but also the ascent with the help of the attached kamus strips, which facilitate the way up.
The second level of training ends with the ascent to the top of Elbrus. First, the servicemen reach the Pastukhov Rock, then the so-called Barrels, and there, if the weather permits, they take the top of the highest mountain in Europe.
“Our standard mountain equipment includes crampons, carabiners, a harness, an alpenstock, a set of ice axes, skis and snowshoes. We go to the ascent in bundles of two or three people. We carry a group kit, in particular a first-aid kit and 50 meters of rope, one tent for three people, a rock hammer,”the scout climber lists.
For drinking and cooking, servicemen use burners to melt ice and pour it into thermoses. Of the products, preference is given to sweet and sour and high-calorie, condensed milk. Dried fruits and jerky are recommended for climbing.
“We definitely take a lemon with us to the mountains. It helps when fatigue builds up and excess lactic acid builds up in the muscles. And of course, caramels. It's somehow more fun to go with them, and they dull the thirst. Now there are special mountain rations. Everything there is very high in calories, a lot of freeze-dried foods, meat, for dessert - grated prunes with nuts, various pates,”sums up the climber-scout. And swallows saliva.
