The system of military departments at civilian universities, which developed back in Soviet times, has played a role in the post-Soviet space as well. Thousands of graduates of these departments completed military service, including taking part in hostilities, and at the same time, despite the condescending and dismissive nickname "jackets", they showed themselves worthy of some regular "officers".
I want to tell you about Lieutenant Maxim Barbashinov, born in 1972, who died on January 2, 1995.
Lieutenant M. I. Barbashinov
Maxim graduated from the military department of the Tver Polytechnic Institute (now the Technical University) in the same year as me, in 1993. He studied, as I remember, at the Faculty of Automatic Control Systems, and I, a student of the Faculty of History at Tver State University, was assigned to the students of the Faculty of Industrial and Civil Engineering, so Maxim and I crossed paths only at the military training camp. In any case, the officers-teachers of the military department of the Tver Polytechnic University trained only artillerymen and mortarmen. Theoretically, they trained seriously, there are no complaints here: there have even been cases of expulsion from the department for academic failure. Many times during the service, I remembered my teachers with gratitude, especially Lieutenant Colonels Zorchenkov and Ryzhov. Major Razdaibeda demanded knowledge of the materiel of a 120-mm regimental mortar model 1943, so that after 26 years I still remember all its details. But I cannot understand how Maksim, an officer with a military accounting specialty of an artilleryman, was appointed to the post of commander of a motorized rifle platoon ?!
The building of the Tver Polytechnic University, which housed the military department
Now about our "combat training". Despite the fact that for two academic years one day a week was devoted to military affairs among students of the Tver Polytechnic University, during training at the department we did not feel like fighters, let alone future commanders. Once they fired from an AKM, while never firing or emptying a full horn. They turned the PM in the hands, never firing from it. BTR, BMP, RPK, RPG, AGS and hand grenades, i.e. weapons of the ISV, were seen only on educational posters and in educational films of the 70s, over which they laughed together. They had no idea about the grenade launchers at all. And the military training took place not in the field, but at the training ground of the military department, where we traveled every morning by city transport. There was no firing from the artillery systems that were studied either. Maxim, who was drafted into the army, like me, in October 1994, managed to serve for about three months and went into battle, as can be seen from my story, having a driving level of military equipment and fire training hardly better than his subordinates. Maybe that's why he died …
In the military registration and enlistment office, Maxim received an order to the Ural Military District. On December 22, 1994, he was sent as part of the 2nd company of the 1st battalion of the 276th motorized rifle regiment (military unit 69771), as ordered to this regiment by the commander of the Ural Military District, Colonel-General Grekov, to the North Caucasus "for actions as part of a group covering the state border of Russia”. Before the assault on Grozny, the 276th SME was included in the "North" grouping under the command of Major General Pulikovsky …
The 276th regiment entered Grozny, bypassing the village of Proletarskoye, and the region of Tver, where the aforementioned polytechnic corps is located, is called Proletarsky. Probably, this reminder of his hometown and institute was the last for Maxim …
When I found out about Maxim's death, I went to find out the circumstances of his death, to the military department of the Polytechnic University: my military unit 53956 (brigade of "Tornadoes") was stationed in the 29th military town, i.e. literally across the street. The deputy head of the department told me that Maxim performed the duties of the castle militia in the educational part, participated in the New Year's assault on Grozny and died of his wounds received in battle.
I also cannot understand why some of the residents of Tver, with whom we studied at the military department, were called up, and some were not. I met in the city those with whom I passed the credentials committee together: some, seeing me in uniform, guiltily hid their eyes, and some grinned …
Lieutenant Maxim Igorevich Barbashinov was awarded the Order of Courage posthumously. He was buried at the Dmitrovo-Cherkassky cemetery in the city of Tver.
