In Gudermes they know how to win the respect of the King of Jordan and are ready to share their experience
“In the media reporting on the law enforcement agencies of the Chechen Republic, we are mistakenly called SOBR“Terek”. This is not true. Officially, we are called the instructor group and are not part of the Terek. We are preparing the personnel of this detachment,”Daniil Martynov, assistant to the head of the Chechen Republic for interaction with the security forces, told the Military-Industrial Courier.
The instructor group appeared in 2013, after the decision was made to build an international training center in Gudermes for training special forces. In it, as the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov wrote on his Instagram page, special forces units of all branches and types of troops and special services of both Russia and other countries will be trained.
Universal sensei
“The center is not only classrooms, simulators, models and so on. First of all, these are instructors - people who organize and conduct classes, show by personal example what to do and how to do it,”explains Daniil Martynov.
“In nature, there are no uniform shapes and black color. All these are unmasking signs. Therefore, we pay close attention to the coloring of our weapons”
The group consisted of officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Chechen Republic - with higher education, experience of participation in hostilities and with awards. All candidates took serious tests in physical fitness, underwent psychological testing.
“We paid close attention to tests for intelligence, for compatibility in a team. We need not just excellent fighters, teachers. People who are capable of teaching fighters,”the assistant to the head of the Chechen Republic in the power unit formulates the task.
By mid-2014, the core of the instructor group was formed. Fighter-mentors were divided into several departments: for actions in mountainous and wooded areas, urban, airborne, diving (combat swimmers) and fire training. In the summer of last year, the acquisition was completed.
“If an employee is from the airborne department, this does not mean that he is only jumping with a parachute. All instructors, regardless of which department they serve, have the same training. They know how to scuba dive, storm buildings, and fight in the highlands. In the summer of 2015, following the results of training, we held an internal final exam, - continues Daniil Martynov. - In the process of training, the instructors received a second higher education. Initially, they all had legal education, and now they are certified teachers. The construction of the training center has not yet been completed, but the instructor group is already training employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Chechen Republic, police officers from other regions, servicemen of the internal troops and even the Ministry of Defense of Russia who come to special courses."
Students master the basics of tactical medicine, the "alphabet" of actions in difficult combat situations, and other important elements of special training. Instructors conduct classes and take tests.
In April last year, the staff of the Gudermes center became the winners of the international competitions of special forces for the prize of the King of Jordan, ahead of teams from more than forty countries.
“They were hard trials, they took a lot of strength and nerves. To be honest, by the end many had already "broken", had various injuries and injuries. Willpower helped. If in the first days none of the participants took us seriously, then in the end everyone wanted to be photographed with the tactical bearded men, as they called us then,”says an employee of the instructor group.
But according to Daniil Martynov, we cannot stop at what has already been achieved: “If we want to train combat-ready special forces, we must be aware of the world experience, moreover, we must be ahead of it in many ways. We are constantly testing new samples of equipment, equipment from all over the world. We are developing and perfecting new tactics."
As already mentioned, there is a fire training department in the center. “Now the so-called practical shooting is actively developing in the world. Of course, this is primarily a sport. There, the main task is to complete the exercise and get a grade. But for a special forces soldier, the task is completely different: he must win not the competition, but the battle. To act as part of a subunit, to cover comrades, to carry out a combat mission. Although some elements of practical shooting are useful in combat training. On their basis, we are already creating our own tactical exercises, introducing new standards,”the instructor in charge of firepower shares his experience.
High School of Special Forces
The future alma mater of the world special forces is located at the entrance to Gudermes. To get here, you need to drive through a forest well known to all combatants in those places near the village of Dzhalka, where militants attacked columns of federal forces several times a day. Now it is a quiet section, which we pass in a matter of minutes. "In the summer, there will be a cafe with excellent barbecue", - laughs the attendant, who had previously been here on a business trip several times.
Despite the fact that the construction of the center began recently, in the summer of this year, according to Daniil Martynov, a training ground for urban combat will be commissioned, and in the fall a wind tunnel will appear, followed by a parachute complex, a runway and equipped landing sites for practicing jumps. The training group is already training in several fully equipped shooting ranges.
“Urban combat is an important element of combat training. But we went further. Look at modern wars. The battles take place not only in urban areas, but also on the ruins of complex technological structures. The assault on Donetsk airport is a good example. But modern urban development also includes underground communications, in fact, another city that can be successfully used. Therefore, we will have a separate course in the center - a battle in ruins and underground utilities,”the assistant to the head of the Chechen Republic for the power block shares his plans.
Parachutists will practice in the center both long jumps with the opening of the canopy near the ground (the so-called HALO - high altitude low opening), and jumps with opening at high altitude, immediately after exiting the plane (HAHO - high altitude high opening), which allows commandos secretly plan from the point of release for several kilometers.
In total, it is planned to create 33 training sites in the center. There will be separate shooting ranges for all types of small arms - from pistols to machine guns and sniper rifles, swimming pools for combat swimmers, training sites for mine explosives, racing tracks.
With the completion of construction, 12 Russian sports federations will move to the center, and in the spring of 2017, a parachuting championship will be held in Gudermes.
By dress they survive
“We do not strive for modern tactical fashion, but choose the most suitable equipment, uniforms and equipment for us. We test everything, check, and we must shoot the means of protection. It doesn't matter who the manufacturer is, the main thing is that it is convenient, practical and reliable,”says the employee of the instructor group in charge of logistics.
For this reason, they abandoned the field uniform in the colors so popular in the world for cartoons. For the terrain prevailing in the Chechen Republic, A-Tacs was more suitable. In urban areas, the AU variant is used with a predominant gray color, and in mountainous wooded areas, the greener FG is used.
It is noteworthy that for the instructor group not only trousers, pants, tactical shirts, but also wind and moisture-proof suits made of softshell and membrane materials are purchased not from such world leaders as Crye or Tactical Perfomance, but from Polish companies that produce similar products for a group of Polish special forces " Thunder".
On the one hand, there are no strict dress code requirements in the group. Employees wear what is comfortable. The management encourages instructors to choose what works for them. But there are certain standards that cannot be violated.
“At one time we also took thermal underwear from the Polish Helikon, but now we switched to Italian X-bionics. "Teplyak" (clothes for low temperatures - AM) we have from Carinthia. But we also buy a lot in Russia, for example, hats made of Polartek material. Now we are testing products of the domestic company "Magellan", - notes the interlocutor of "VPK".
As for footwear, the instructor group prefers LOWA - both trekking models and products with a shortened top, the so-called tactical sneakers, which are comfortable for working in urban conditions.
But the personal protective equipment is all Russian.
“Our armor plates in their characteristics are much better than Western ones, even the widely advertised American ones. We design bulletproof vests together with manufacturing firms for specific tasks. True, while in Russia there are certain difficulties with materials, so threads, fabrics and accessories for our products have to be taken abroad. The group has all types of body armor - from mobile plate-carriers to heavy assault. Our ballistic helmets are also domestic, produced in Nizhny Novgorod,”says one of the instructors.
The group's own development was an unloading vest for operations in mountainous and wooded areas with the ability to install an armored plate. “Withstands the hit of the B-32 armor-piercing bullet of 7.62 mm caliber from five meters. Experience shows that such a decision increases the head patrol's chance of surviving in the forest and mountains if it suddenly collides with an enemy. The plate is put into unloading as needed. The rest of the time is carried in a backpack,”explains a member of the instructor group.
Weapon to measure
Much attention is paid to the tuning of weapons: Picatinny rails, various handles, adjustable stocks, sights and other necessary elements.
“It is important that everything is regulated. Each person has his own physiological characteristics, and when adjusting the weapon, all this must be taken into account. We have worked with various MAGPUL and FAB products, but we still prefer the domestic Zenit, - the instructor admits.
Despite the fact that there is now a huge amount of various tuning for Russian Kalashnikov assault rifles on the world market, Zenit products are distinguished for the better by their durability.
“There is a famous video of American amateur shooters, when they dragged a Kalashnikov assault rifle with a Zenit receiver cover behind a pickup truck for several kilometers, and after that the AK fired normally, the lid did not fall off, and the sight remained zero,” explains an employee of the group.
Depending on the task at hand, a reactive muzzle brake-compensator or a tactical flash suppressor is installed on the Kalashnikov assault rifle.
“Although the jet breaker amplifies sound and flash, it seriously reduces recoil, which helps even novice shooters to hit the target. A tactical flash suppressor is a kind of silencer that partially removes the sound of a shot, but completely hides the flash, which is very important at night when you work with a night vision device,”one of the instructors reveals the secrets of the profession.
For AK-74M assault rifles, EOtech collimator sights with triple magnifiers are used, which, depending on the task, can be supplemented with either a night or thermal imaging attachment.
Instead of new machine guns PKP "Pecheneg" instructors use old, time-tested PC and PKM. “The PKP is heavier, because it has a thicker barrel, designed for 1,500 rounds. I do not know of a case when the special forces had to shoot so much in battle. Special forces do not get involved in such a war. And you have to carry everything on your back, so a lighter PC, in my opinion, is preferable,”the mentor admits.
On machine guns, as well as on Kalashnikov assault rifles, front handles, jet or tactical dTKs, as well as AImPoint or ACOG sights are installed. “Since the fire from the machine gun is carried out mainly at a long range, we immediately set the sights three or four times. But on the same ACOGs, if necessary, we deliver small collimator sights, with them it is more convenient to conduct close combat. We use sights in combination with night or thermal imaging attachments,”the instructor shares his experience.
The machine gunner always works with a partner, and when they go to the forest or mountains, in addition to the standard box with cartridges, the first number additionally carries two more, for 100 cartridges each, plus spare ribbons in the backpack. A total of about 500 rounds. The second number carries the same amount. “The situation is different in the city. There are cars and equipment where ammunition is stored, which, if necessary, will be brought to you by your comrades. Now we have tested a knapsack with ammunition for 500 rounds in urban conditions, "- says the interlocutor of the" VPK ".
True, for work in mountainous and wooded areas, for tasks solved by special forces, even a PC is heavy. “The Americans have an M249 machine gun. We would like the same chambered for 5, 45. Modern ammunition of this caliber is not inferior in its ballistics and characteristics to 7, 62 mm. Such a machine gun will be lighter, more compact, and most importantly, if necessary, unlike a PC, a full-fledged silencer can be installed on it,”the instructor explains.
Depending on the location of the task, the ammunition load is also selected. Instructors strongly discourage the use of tracer and armor-piercing tracer ammunition in the forest and mountains. They unmask the position of the shooter. But the BZT must necessarily be with the machine gunner if you work in urban conditions, when it is often necessary to stop the car trying to break out of the cordon.
“Another important element that many people prefer to save on is the color of their weapons. But in nature there are no even forms and black color. All these are unmasking signs. That is why we pay close attention to the coloring of our weapons,”says an employee of the center.
Nightlife set
The conduct of hostilities at night is an important element of combat training. “It only seems that he put on a night vision device and won everyone. With night vision devices, one must be able to work not only for one soldier, but for the entire unit. Competently cover each other, move around, do not fall under the fire of colleagues. There are a lot of nuances, and everything must be taken into account,”says the instructor.
If even 10-15 years ago, when night vision technologies were not so widespread, and the price of devices, various illuminators and lasers looked excessively high, the party using night vision equipment received an undeniable advantage over the enemy. But now, when relatively cheap night vision devices have become ubiquitous and it is not difficult to buy them, when carrying out the operation, it must be borne in mind that the same terrorists may have equipment that is no worse than that of special forces. And the victory will be won by a more trained, and most importantly - a well-coordinated and able to work unit at night.
The group tested various night vision devices and sights, including products from Russian firms Daedalus and Sot, American PVS-14, PVS-15 and even the newest ones, often referred to for their characteristic shape as four-tube PNVG-18.
Infrared laser illuminators combined with both IR and conventional laser designators are mandatory installed on the assault rifles and machine guns of the instructors of the center.
“The IR illuminator illuminates the NVG in those places where there is no required amount of light, especially such products are important in urban conditions, when storming closed rooms without windows. For these purposes, not only in the world, but also among many Russian special forces, the American AN / PEQ-15 device is popular. But we conducted long-term comparative tests using foreign products, in particular DBAL-D2 and AN / PEQ-15, and products of the Russian firms SOT and Zenit. We stopped at the Zenit Finger-3, which surpassed even the Americans in its characteristics,”explains an employee of the instructor group.
