Hero of Russia, Colonel Vladimir Vladimirovich Nedobezhkin reports:
- For me, the events associated with the breakthrough of the militants from the village of Pervomayskoye began on January 11, 1996. At this time, a detachment of army special forces, which I commanded, was in Khankala (the headquarters of the grouping of Russian troops in Chechnya. - Ed.). We closely followed the seizure of hostages in Kizlyar, we were very worried both for those who were held hostage there, and for our comrades who were painfully looking for a way out of the situation.
On the evening of January 10, General Anatoly Kulikov, the commander of the United Group of Our Forces, summons me and sets the task: in cooperation with the paratroopers, prepare a variant of an operation to free the hostages. Moreover, he, as if anticipating that the militants would be released from Kizlyar, by the decision of the Russian leadership, suggested storming buses with militants and hostages on their way to Chechnya. The paratroopers had to land and block the operation site, and we had to storm the buses, neutralize the militants and free the hostages. Only it was not very clear to me how they could be distinguished inside the bus - who is a hostage and who is not a hostage …
But the task was set. They began to think. We had six hours of time to think. We studied the area, however, only from the pictures. There was only one option - as soon as the column of bandits with hostages entered the territory of Chechnya, we would storm it in the place we had chosen. They reported to the command that they had chosen the most convenient place where the losses among the hostages would be minimal. Everyone understood perfectly well that it would not be possible to do without victims at all. But everyone also understood that it was impossible to repeat the shame that happened in 1995 in Budennovsk, when our men had to release the militants.
The specifics were not yet available at that time. According to calculations, the buses were supposed to arrive at the section we chose at seven or nine o'clock in the morning. The column consisted of several buses, where patients and doctors from the hospital in the city of Kizlyar were held hostage. According to official figures, the number of militants was from one hundred and fifty to three hundred people. I had forty scouts and seventy paratroopers. Road ambush - tactically, it's a classic. I believe that we prepared well for this option. And in terms of the number of fighters to complete this task, taking into account the surprise, we were quite enough.
We decided to attack the buses already on the territory of Chechnya. I think that the militants were calculating the option that there would be an attack. But they probably thought that this would happen on the territory of Dagestan. Therefore, the main thing for them was to get to Chechnya, where detachments were already waiting for them, which Maskhadov had sent to help them. But these units did not find us.
However, further events began to develop not according to our version. A column of militants with hostages passed through the village of Pervomayskoye. Behind the village there is a bridge over a ditch, and further on, the territory of Chechnya begins. Suddenly, the crews of our two MI-24 helicopters launch a missile attack on this bridge. The column immediately turns around and returns to Pervomayskoye back. Later, I managed to ask the commander of the 58th Army, General Troshev, who commanded the operation at the first stage: who gave the command to the helicopter pilots in front of the very nose of the column to destroy the bridge on the way to the place where we were waiting for them. Troshev replied: "I did not give."I still don't know the answer to this question … But if we had carried out the storming of the column according to our own version, then, firstly, there was no subsequent week-long sitting around Pervomayskoye, and secondly, there would have been losses among the hostages, and among the military there are much less. They would have been, but not like that …
They say that at that moment the seizure of Pervomaysky itself began. But in reality, there was no capture as such. Near the village there was a checkpoint of riot police (OMON - a special police detachment. - Ed.) From Novosibirsk. The column with militants and hostages was accompanied by a local police colonel (he was later shown on TV several times). He approached the Novosibirsk commander and, clearly not on his own initiative, invited them to lay down their arms, which they did. True, they say that some of the riot policemen refused to surrender and withdrew with weapons. After that, the militants gathered up their weapons, the surrendered policemen were attached to the hostages, and they themselves entered the village of Pervomayskoye.
We are urgently given the command to take off and disembarked one and a half kilometers from the northwestern outskirts of Pervomayskoye. They set a new task - to block the north and northwest sides. We chose the minimum distance to the village and began to prepare - to dig trenches, organize defense. Anyone who knows will understand what it means to make the commandos dig trenches. But then many remembered with gratitude that we did it after all.
In my opinion, the task of blocking and storming the village of Pervomayskoye could be carried out by any experienced battalion commander with the forces of one battalion - after all, this is an ordinary army operation. But everything went very differently. Various forces were involved in the operation - the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, the Ministry of Defense. However, the combat experience of all the participants in the operation was mainly my soldiers and officers (there were fifty-five of us together with the doctor and signalmen), as well as the paratroopers who stood to our left. The main units of the Ministry of Defense were from the 135th motorized rifle brigade from Budennovsk.
In my opinion, given the number of forces involved in the operation, it should have been commanded by General Anatoly Kvashnin, then the commander of the North Caucasus Military District. But FSB director Mikhail Barsukov and Interior Minister Viktor Erin were at the scene. So who actually commanded - I do not know. I had contact with the chief of intelligence of the 58th Army, Colonel Alexander Stytsina. When the militants broke through, he was at the positions of our detachment and died in battle. But first he was at the command post, and it was he who gave me commands.
But the tasks themselves were not set by the military. For example, a combined detachment of army special forces arrives from Rostov. But this unit has no combat experience at all! And I have a whole detachment on Khankala. It is much closer, from there you can deliver everything you need much faster - property, ammunition. So, my friend Valera arrives with the Rostov detachment. I ask him what their task is. He replies: “During the assault on the village, four of our scouts must ensure the passage of each Alpha fighter (special unit of the FSB. - Ed.). The scouts must take the alphas to the mosque, where the militants are concentrated, and provide them with its assault. But what kind of madhouse is this ?! Four conscripts provide passage for an adult alpha man! This task was clearly not set by the military. The plan with four scouts for one alpha was dropped - I managed to convince the command of the operation that this was nonsense.
From the moment when the missile strike was struck on the bridge on January 11, and until January 15, this boozer with negotiations and conversations lasted. Additional troops gradually began to move in. By the way, I still don’t understand why the militants didn’t leave right away. This, of course, is Raduev's idiocy. The south, south-west and south-east were open for another day. Only a day later the so-called ring was completely closed. This ring was about the same density as ours - fifty-five people per one and a half kilometers.
We stood in the place where there was the most convenient place for a breakthrough. First, close to the border with Chechnya. Secondly, it was here that a gas pipe passed through the river, above the water. I suggested: "Let's blow up the pipe." And to me: "And let's leave the whole republic without gas?" I again: “So what is the task? Don't miss it? Then to fight like this. " And I’m talking about a republic without gas again. At our own peril and risk, we put mines in front of the chimney. All of them subsequently worked when the militants climbed the pipe.
On the third or fourth day, our people attempted an assault. "Vityaz" (special forces of the internal troops. - Ed.), "Alpha", "Vympel" (special forces of the FSB. - Ed.) Tried to enter the village from the southeast and got caught there. Then I talked to the guys from Vityaz. They said: “We went in, caught on, we are fighting in the village for every house. And "Alpha" could not follow us. " That is, Vityaz's back remained open. After all, "Alpha" with such a battle formation had an order to go behind and help "Vityaz", to concentrate, to storm houses together, and so on. In a populated area, walking forward with an open back is simply suicide. (I had the same case in my life, when in the same year, 1996, we were also framed by the EMVs.)
As a result, the "Vityaz" was surrounded, and it left this boiler on its own, with heavy losses. After the battle, the Vityaz commander naturally said to the Alpha team: “Thank you! I don't go there anymore. Not with you, not with others …”There they even passed on to personalities.
The next day, the command planned another assault by the same forces. But first, I had to simulate an assault from the northwest. We were given the task of reaching the first houses, distracting the militants and attracting their main forces. And in the southeast at that moment a real assault was about to begin.
We approached these houses for twenty minutes (the distance was about seven hundred meters), and we departed for four and a half hours. One group of ours went almost to the outermost houses along the ravine. Another - through the destroyed building of some kind of farm, and then - already to the houses. The group in which I myself was walking was making their way through the foundations of a building. They managed to reach these foundations, but it was already difficult to stick out because of them - the assault, for some reason, did not take place again. We lay down, no one else attacks the village, and they give us the command to retreat. It turns out: we have carried out reconnaissance in force. When moving forward, we did not really hide ourselves, walked with noise, specially attracting attention to ourselves. The militants, as planned by the command, went to our side of the village and started shooting at us. And it was about ten in the morning.
During the time we gave them, the militants managed to organize a defense, the hostages dug trenches. We saw the houses in which the militants were sitting, destroyed several machine gunners, snipers, and began directing artillery. Our MI-24 helicopter appeared from behind. Launches rockets at the houses that we have indicated. And suddenly two rockets come out, but they don't fly forward, but fall behind us and explode. We - to the helicopter pilots: "What are you doing?" And they: "Sorry guys, the missiles are substandard." But it's funny to remember this just now. There was no laughing matter then …
When we were given the command to withdraw, I began to withdraw the groups one by one: two groups were concentrating fire, covering, and one was slowly moving away. During the so-called assault, we had one wounded, and during the retreat - three.
The paratroopers were stationed not far from our positions. They also got it, even the dead seemed to be … The militants hit us, and grenades pass over our heads and explode at the paratroopers in their positions. Then they burned two BMPs (infantry fighting vehicle. - Ed.). We see that the militants are aiming at the BMP ATGM (anti-tank guided missile. - Ed.), We wave to the paratroopers: "Get out!" The crew managed to jump out, and the car was smashed. The paratroopers put another in its place, and everything repeats from the beginning - the militants aim, we wave, the crew to the side, the rocket hits the car. But it seems that at that moment they did not hook anyone …
Who led and how he led everything, I do not know. But I have never seen a more illiterate and disorderly operation in my life. And the worst thing, even ordinary soldiers understood this. There was practically no leadership, and each division lived its own separate life. Everyone fought as best he could. For example, the task was set for us by one, and the paratroopers to our right - by another. We are neighbors, we are a hundred meters from each other, and different people command us. It is good that we have more or less agreed with them. We had communication with them both visually and by radio. True, the radio communication was open, the militants must have listened to our talks.
On the night of January 13-14, the old New Year began. From the place of permanent deployment of the detachment, we sent a huge basket of gifts. It was very handy, because we went here only with ammunition - it was supposed to work on the assault on the column for about forty minutes. And then we got up in an open field, and in the yard - January … I asked them to send us felt boots - they were thrown to us from a helicopter. Later I heard someone complaining: they slept in "ikarus", it was very uncomfortable!.. And all this time we slept, as usual, on the ground, someone - in the trenches. Then they brought the sleeping bags, we made capes out of them. At night - frost, during the day - frost, all day legs and all the uniforms are wet. We were very unlucky with the weather.
But the detachment helped us as best it could. So for this New Year they sent salads, vinaigrettes. We made an impromptu table out of the door. The chief of intelligence, Colonel Alexander Stytsina, was still amazed how in such conditions we were able to organize a "festive" table. One bottle of vodka for twelve people drank purely symbolically, and left the rest for later.
The same hassle and shootings continued. Now they shoot, then my machine gunners with snipers … So we kept each other in suspense. When we realized that the operation was protracted, we ourselves began to think over the options for the operation in groups, at night, quietly. After all, we were prepared for just such actions - from the base of the detachment in Khankala, they transferred all the silent weapons to us, mines. But in the end we were used as infantry.
And no one knew the prospects, did not know what would happen next. Either we are storming, or we are waiting for them to come out. And this uncertainty influenced a number of my decisions. We began to lay minefields in front of us every night to cover ourselves. After all, the militants had the only real way - through our positions to get to the gas pipe and cross the river along it. I reported this to Colonel Stytsin, who asked the command to at least reinforce us with armored vehicles. Armored vehicles do not give a great advantage in fire, but they have a strong psychological effect on the enemy. (I myself have been under such fire a couple of times - it is very psychologically pressing.)
Every night from 15 January until the breakthrough on 18 January, flares were suspended over the village by parachutes. This illumination, of course, was amazing. And on January 17, I was given the command: tomorrow at dawn there will be a re-assault. But now we no longer distract, but go to the end together with others in our sectors. Therefore, I naturally did not place mines in front of me at night. At 2.30 am I asked the group of observers who were in front: "Quiet?" The answer is: "Quiet." And I gave them the command to retreat to position. I leave a third of the people to guard, and the rest I give the command to rest, because in the morning there is an assault. A week has already passed in such conditions: naturally, people began to sway slightly while walking. But in the morning you have to run another seven hundred meters. And it's not easy to run, but under fire.
… And then almost immediately everything started …
Interestingly, there was no illumination at all that night. Therefore, we noticed the militants over forty meters. There is frost in the air, you can hardly see anything through night binoculars. At this time, the group that was returning followed our trenches. My signalmen, who were on duty in turn, launched a rocket and saw the militants. They start counting - ten, fifteen, twenty … a lot!.. I give a signal: everyone to fight! A group of twelve people, which was walking from the observation post, was fully prepared and immediately hit the militants from the left flank. Thus, they gave the rest of the opportunity to prepare.
And the breakthrough itself was built competently. The militants had a distracting group to the side, a fire group with large-caliber weapons, grenade launchers, machine gunners. Their fire group did not let us raise their heads. Basically, all the dead and wounded appeared precisely during this first strike. The density of the fire was such that officer Igor Morozov shattered a finger on his hand. He, an experienced officer, passed Afghan and fired, sitting in a trench, sticking out only his hands with a machine gun. His finger was crippled here. But he remained in the ranks.
Their fire group hits, and the rest under their own fire go. They came close to us. We hear: "Allahu Akbar!" Most likely, they were on drugs, then they found a bunch of medicines and syringes in each backpack. And under our fire, they did not run, but simply walked, as in a psychic attack. And here's another thing that was bad. Our scouts have a 5.45 mm caliber. After all, bullets of 7.62 caliber stop, and 5.45 are simply stitched through, but the action movie still goes on. And the fighters are of different psychological training. He shoots, sees that he hits the militant, and he walks another twenty meters, does not fall. It gets on the nerves very cool, and the impression will remain with the fighters for a long time. A children's tale about Koschey the Immortal involuntarily comes to mind.
We have formed a gap in defense of two or three rifle cells. In one of them, Vinokurov immediately died; during the first fire strike, a bullet hit him in the head. This distance turns out to be thirty meters. The militants went along the parapet of our trenches - the group that returned with fire forced the militants to turn in the opposite direction. And then we started throwing grenades at them. They went further past us - and then suddenly they turn to Valera Kustikov. He later said: "I did not shoot at all, I only threw grenades." The sergeant sat, screwing in the fuses and handing them to him. And Valera pulled out the check and threw it. Here's a conveyor belt they have turned out. Then the paratroopers entered the battle and also began to squeeze the militants along the line to the center.
The militants, whom Valera stopped with his conveyor grenade throwing and the paratroopers with their fire, return to the center of our positions and begin to pass through this thirty-meter gap. I didn’t have a second line of defense - there were only fifty-five of us on the front one and a half kilometers, together with a doctor and radio operators. Behind us was a post of five or six people, Igor Morozov, who was supposed to watch so that the militants did not come behind us. He was just the head of the night shift and at that moment he came to drink some tea.
Of course, no one counted the militants at night. But there were several hundred of them. And they all rushed into this gap. We had to work both along the front and along the flank, where the militants went. When we did not have time to do this, I gave the command to retreat to the flanks and make a corridor, and let the militants into it. I myself went to the side of the infantry, the other part - to the side of the paratroopers. I called the artillery and said: "Strike at our location." They: "Give the coordinates." I give the coordinates. They: "So you are there!" Me: "We have moved away." They: "Where have you gone?" And all this is through open communication. In short, the artillery never hit. It was still dark for the helicopters.
About thirty minutes later, this shaft passed, we closed the defenses and began to look around. It became clear that the first assault group of militants, which we threw with grenades, and the fire group did not pass. We, together with the paratroopers who were standing on the right, suppressed it with crossfire. Only the group that included Raduev left. The breakthrough itself was well organized. But in practice, it was not Raduev who did this, but one Arab who was often shown on TV. Raduev is just a Komsomol bandit who has been raised by family ties.
The bandits went into the forest, which, on one side and on the other, came close to the river behind our back. The width of the river in this place is fifty meters. KAMAZ trucks were already on the other side, the boats were already prepared for the crossing.
It was getting light. We examined those militants who remained in our positions. There were almost no wounded among them, only killed. We later found many wounded in the forest, and killed too. These are those who walked through us and were mortally wounded, but still moved by inertia.
By that time, we had already calculated our losses. Out of fifty-five people, I still have ten. Five were killed. Fifteen were wounded (they were evacuated immediately). The rest were about the same as the officer with the shot off finger - they remained in the ranks, but no longer walkers. And then my ten remaining scouts were assigned the task of going into the forest to look for the militants hiding there. And at the same time, one hundred fresh paratroopers from the reserve are sent to the forester's house. In the woodland to the north of us there was a forester's house, a shabby hut. I say to the command: “There is no one there. The militants, on the other hand, understand that if they enter the house, they will be blocked, and that is all. Let the paratroopers be thrown onto our bank of the river, they will squeeze the militants onto me, and I will meet them here. " Before that, my detachment had been in battles for almost ten days, they slept on the ground in the trenches. And after the night battle we got such stress! But they did not listen to me, and an order is an order - we moved into the forest. Just entered - we have one "300" (wounded. - Ed.), Then another. That's how it turns out because of our Russian mentality! The ensign, who came up and saw a wounded girl and a guy there, did not think that a girl by her female nature could shoot. A burst of automatic weapons broke the warrant's knee … Then the same thing happened with the old man, who also seemed unable to shoot. But he can. Naturally, ours threw grenades at them, and I gave the command to retreat.
When I brought mine out, I ask the helicopter pilots: "Work in the woods." But the artillery never fired. And the paratroopers did not find anyone in the forester's house, loaded into helicopters and flew away victorious.
When dawn began, on the field in front of the village we began to collect hostages, who walked along with the militants and carried their wounded. And how to distinguish them there: is he a hostage or not? Those who were in police uniform were asked a couple of questions. They seem to be their own … We lit a fire, we will drink tea. Among them, many doctors were from the Kizlyar hospital, which Raduev captured. Doctors, one might say, were the luckiest of all. When the militants went to break through, they put on white coats. The soldiers immediately realized. The militiamen were in their uniforms. But here the Russian mentality showed itself again. We see among the hostages a girl of about nineteen, beaten like that. Immediately her hot tea, crackers, stew. And she doesn't eat stew. The FSB guys came up: "Can I talk to the girl?" - "Oh sure". And they take her under white little hands and take her with them. Then we look at the cassette with the recording of the capture of Kizlyar, and she is among the militants!
I also remember how someone from the high command explained why the killed militants were barefoot. It seemed to make it easier to sneak up on us. In fact, everything is much simpler. One of the fighters of the Novosibirsk riot police points at the dead man and says: "Oh, my boots, can I take them off?" And the jackets from the killed bandits were also removed. I do not consider this a looting, considering what the riot policemen were wearing.
We collected eighty-three corpses in front of our position, thirty-two more to the edge of the forest behind us, not counting those who had already died in the forest. We took twenty prisoners.
The command had such euphoria when they arrived at the scene of the battle!.. I thought they were going to carry me in their arms. The picture is good: corpses, mountains of weapons. All this is normal by military standards. The first to come up to me was General Anatoly Kvashnin, the commander of the North Caucasian Military District. We have known each other for a long time. At the beginning of the war, he personally instructed the first groups, I was the commander of one of them. When we met later, he always had the same phrase first: "Are you here again?" This time he greeted me like that again.
But our ordeals did not end there. I understood that during the day or night the bandits, according to the laws of Islam, must come for the bodies. There will be a fight, there will be no fight - it is not known, but they will definitely come for the bodies. But when the victorious euphoria ended, everyone sat in the helicopters and flew away. The paratroopers also sit on the equipment and leave, the motorized rifles fold and leave. And I am left alone with my own, who are still intact, because our slightly wounded were also sent. Colonel Stytsin, with whom I had contact, died in this battle. I ask the command: “What should I do? You gave me the command forward, but the command back?.. When will my task end? " And in response to me: "Take up the defense, only in the opposite direction." I say: “Are you stupid? My people are falling off their feet, the frost starts again! " And to me: "This is an order, your people are fired upon." I answered: "Yes, very well fired, fired all night."
There is nothing to do, we are taking up a defensive front to the river. At first I pushed a few people forward, but given their condition, then I brought them back - if they fall asleep, no kicks can lift them. The night was fun, especially for the officers. After all, they understand that if they fall asleep, then that's it, the end. Two are sitting by the fire, the rest are walking along the line back and forth, waking up the soldiers: "Do not sleep!" You yourself are almost cut out. I pass and see that one soldier is asleep. I kick him in my hearts: "Do not sleep, you bastard, you will destroy everyone!" And the fighters around are giggling. It turned out to be a killed "spirit", because they had not yet been taken out. The soldiers then recalled this incident to me for a long time …
In the morning the Dagestani police arrived. They wanted to detain us by all means. They say: "You will leave now, the spirits will come, but we cannot do anything." I answered them: "No, brother, I'm sorry, this is already your war." And as soon as we started to take off, we immediately saw the "spirits" coming out of the forest. But they had no fight with the Dagestani policemen. But then the entire list of my detachment, who participated in this battle, ended up with the Dagestan militia. We, as witnesses, were held in a criminal case.
None of ours was then deprived of awards and attention. The officers and warrant officers were handed personalized weapons, although only officers were supposed to. Five from our squadron were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, and the soldiers were given orders and medals. I was given the rank of lieutenant colonel ahead of schedule, the star of the Hero was given and a personal pistol. In this regard, the authorities atoned for sins well. Now I understand that they simply closed their mouths to us.
I wear this star with a clear conscience. And I deserved my title, and everything else, not only with this operation, but also with my entire service … My conviction is this: the heroism of one is the failure of someone else, who should have done everything normally. One thing is bad - the militants still broke through. Then my comrades and I analyzed this battle and came to the conclusion that it was possible to prevent a breakthrough. And just a little was needed - to strengthen us with armor.
According to all military laws, I should have had much more losses. But the preparation and the fact that the people were fired upon had an effect. And an important role, as it turned out, was played by the fact that the trenches were dug. The soldiers later thanked that we forced them to dig trenches, because for the special forces it is almost like another feat to perform.
I often remember the bike that goes between those who participated in the siege of Pervomaiskiy. By the time the militants broke through on the night of January 17-18, the entire operation was commanded by Mikhail Barsukov, director of the FSB. At night they report to him: "The militants are breaking through!" And he was tough, he commands: "Come to me!" And he sarcastically answered: "Excuse me, comrade general, they are just breaking through."
