Ilya Kramnik, military observer for RIA Novosti.
Ten years ago, February 28 - March 2, 2000, one of the most famous episodes of the 2nd Chechen War took place - the battle at Height 776. During this battle, the 6th company of the 2nd battalion of the 104th parachute airborne almost completely died regiment from the famous 76th (Pskov) Guards Airborne Division.
The battle with superior forces of militants, during which 84 soldiers and officers of the Airborne Forces were killed, has become a symbol of the courage and heroism of the Russian soldier of our days, however, there is still no consensus on the circumstances of the battle and the prerequisites that determined its outcome, and, by and large, , the battle is still waiting for its explorer. What exactly was happening these days at height 776 and in the surrounding area?
The 6th parachute company under the command of Major Sergei Molodov, which had to take the main blow of the militants, was supposed to take a position between the villages of Ulus-Kert and Selmentauzen to prevent the militants of Basayev and Khattab from breaking through towards Vedeno. Since the company commander had only recently taken office, the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin, went out with the company for the operation.
During the mission, on the afternoon of February 29, the reconnaissance patrol of the 6th company encountered militants, and Mark Evtyukhin decided to retreat to Hill 776 and organize a defense there. During the retreat, the paratroopers suffered their first losses, including the death of Sergei Molodov.
Soon the militants began fierce attacks on Hill 776, where the paratroopers were defending. The balance of power was clearly not in favor of the 6th company: 90 paratroopers against a large gang, the number of which, obviously, exceeded a thousand people, and according to some sources reached 2500.
By the end of the day, the company had already lost 31 soldiers and officers killed, but continued to fight. At three o'clock in the morning, 15 soldiers from the 4th company, which occupied positions nearby, came to the aid of the 6th company, under the command of the deputy battalion commander, Major Alexander Dostavalov. This assistance, however, did not help turn the situation around. More significant support - the 1st company of the 104th regiment - was sent to the battlefield too late and in a roundabout way, and as a result was late. Its units were ambushed and were able to break through to height 776 only on the morning of March 2.
Despite their overwhelming numerical superiority, the militants for a long time could not break through the positions of the company, which skillfully defended itself with the support of artillery. Having suffered significant losses, they offered the paratroopers to let them through for a ransom, but this offer, naturally, was rejected.
The battle of the 6th company ended at seven o'clock in the morning on March 1, when the bandits launched another decisive attack. 26 paratroopers, many of whom were already wounded, could not withstand it. In total, only seven people from the company broke through to their own people, among whom there was not a single officer. The losses of the bandits, according to various sources, amounted to 400-600 people, including several field commanders.
The bandits managed to occupy height 776, after which they scattered in the surrounding area - a further breakthrough was no longer possible for them. By decree of the President of the Russian Federation, 21 paratroopers were nominated for the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously), 69 soldiers and officers of the 6th company were awarded the Order of Courage (63 of them posthumously).
The feat of the paratroopers who fulfilled their duty is beyond doubt, but when studying the battle of the 6th company, one should understand that this medal has two sides. One of them shows the courage of soldiers and officers, the other shows the miscalculations of the command that made such a battle possible.
When examining these miscalculations, the following questions arise:
1. What were the reconnaissance activities, and how was the number of militants estimated before the start of the battle? If it was underestimated, then this is an intelligence miscalculation; if it was assessed correctly, then the actions of the command, which placed only three companies in positions remote from each other in the most likely direction of the gang’s breakthrough, look inadequate, despite the presence of sufficiently large forces nearby.
2. Why was help so late? The meeting of the 6th company with large forces of militants, who forced it to retreat, became known by one o'clock in the afternoon on February 29. Nevertheless, the 1st company received the order to advance to Hill 776, to help the defenders, only towards the end of the day, when the militants managed to organize ambushes along the path of a possible approach of reserves.
3. Why was the 6th Company virtually deprived of heavy weapons that could have been delivered to Hill 776 by helicopters before heavy fog covered the area?
4. Why didn’t long-range artillery fire on the areas where militants were concentrated, before they got close to a dangerous distance, and there were no sorties of Su-24 front-line bombers, the characteristics of which allow them to operate at night and in difficult weather conditions? De facto, the company's artillery support was limited only to the fire of the 120-mm Nona self-propelled guns, which were part of the regimental tactical group.
5. Finally, why, when it became clear that the 6th company was faced with a much superior enemy, did it not receive an order to withdraw? Given the presence of large forces nearby, a breakthrough by the militants after the retreating company would only lead to luring the bandits into a trap and their destruction.
To a large extent, according to many researchers, the tragedy of the 6th company was predetermined by the position of the high command, which by that time announced the destruction of the “main forces” of the militants. “Today we will put an end to the destruction of gangs. This does not mean that they are completely defeated, but as gangs from today they no longer exist. There were bits left that fled to save their skins,” he said on February 29, 2000, i.e. on the very day when the battle of the 6th company began, General Troshev (the author’s vocabulary has been preserved).
On the same day, Defense Minister Igor Sergeev reported to Acting President Vladimir Putin on the successful completion of the “third stage of the counter-terrorism operation.”
After such a statement, the use of heavy artillery and front-line bombers could have been perceived inadequately by the leadership of the Armed Forces and the country - so it turns out?
As a result, even when information about the battle began to leak to the press, the command of the joint group of troops in the North Caucasus continued to deny the fact of the battle and the losses suffered by the paratroopers. However, it was not possible to hide what happened - 30 of the 84 dead were natives of the Pskov region, and local newspapers very soon reported both the number of dead and the main circumstances of the battle.
No official conclusions from the incident were published, and the military prosecutor’s office considered that in the circumstances of the battle there were no grounds for initiating a criminal case. Only partly the guilt of the command was recognized in the summer of 2000 - on the day of the 70th anniversary of the Airborne Forces, Vladimir Putin, who was in Pskov, admitted the guilt of the leadership “for gross miscalculations that have to be paid with the lives of Russian soldiers.”
March 6, 2015Outside the window is the 21st century. But, despite this, military conflicts do not subside, including with the participation of the Russian army. Courage and valor, bravery and bravery are qualities characteristic of Russian soldiers. Therefore, the exploits of Russian soldiers and officers require separate and detailed coverage.
How our people fought in Chechnya
The exploits of Russian soldiers these days do not leave anyone indifferent. The first example of boundless courage is the tank crew led by Yuri Sulimenko.
The exploits of Russian soldiers of the tank battalion began in 1994. During the First Chechen War, Sulimenko acted as a crew commander. The team showed good results and in 1995 took an active part in the assault on Grozny. The tank battalion lost 2/3 of its personnel. However, the brave fighters led by Yuri did not flee from the battlefield, but went to the presidential palace.
Sulimenko's tank was surrounded by Dudayev's men. The team of fighters did not surrender; on the contrary, they began to conduct targeted fire at strategic targets. Despite the numerical superiority of the opponents, Yuri Sulimenko and his crew were able to inflict colossal losses on the militants.
The commander received dangerous wounds to his legs, burns to his body and face. Viktor Velichko, with the rank of sergeant major, was able to provide first aid to him in a burning tank, after which he carried him to a safe place. These exploits of Russian soldiers in Chechnya did not go unnoticed. The fighters were awarded the titles of Heroes of the Russian Federation.
Yuri Sergeevich Igitov - hero posthumously
Very often, the exploits of Russian soldiers and officers these days become publicly known after the death of their heroes. This is exactly what happened in the case of Yuri Igitov. The private was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously for performing a duty and a special task.
Yuri Sergeevich took part in the Chechen War. The private was 21 years old, but despite his youth, he showed courage and valor in the last seconds of his life. Igitov’s platoon was surrounded by Dudayev’s fighters. Most of the comrades died under numerous enemy shots. The brave private, at the cost of his life, covered the retreat of the surviving soldiers until the last bullet. When the enemy advanced, Yuri blew up a grenade without surrendering to the enemy.
Evgeny Rodionov - faith in God until his last breath
The exploits of Russian soldiers these days cause boundless pride among fellow citizens, especially when it comes to young boys who gave their lives for the peaceful sky above their heads. Yevgeny Rodionov showed boundless heroism and unshakable faith in God, who, under threat of death, refused to remove his pectoral cross.
Young Evgeniy was called to serve in 1995. Permanent service took place in the North Caucasus, at the border point of Ingushetia and Chechnya. Together with his comrades, he joined the guard on February 13. Carrying out their direct task, the soldiers stopped an ambulance in which weapons were transported. After this, the privates were captured.
For about 100 days, the soldiers were subjected to torture, severe beatings and humiliation. Despite the unbearable pain and the threat of death, the soldiers did not remove their pectoral crosses. For this, Evgeniy’s head was cut off, and the rest of his colleagues were shot on the spot. For his martyrdom, Evgeniy Rodionov was awarded the Order of Courage posthumously.
Yanina Irina is an example of heroism and courage
The exploits of Russian soldiers today are not only the heroic deeds of men, but also the incredible valor of Russian women. The sweet, fragile girl took part in two combat operations as a nurse during the First Chechen War. 1999 became the third test in Irina’s life.
August 31, 1999 became fatal. At risk for her own life, nurse Yanina saved more than 40 people by making three trips in an armored personnel carrier to the line of fire. Irina's fourth trip ended tragically. During the enemy counter-offensive, Yanina not only organized the lightning-fast loading of wounded soldiers, but also covered the retreat of her colleagues with machine gun fire.
Unfortunately for the girl, two grenades hit the armored personnel carrier. The nurse rushed to the aid of the wounded commander and 3rd private. Irina saved the young fighters from certain death, but did not have time to get out of the burning car herself. The armored personnel carrier's ammunition detonated.
For her valor and courage, Irina Yanina was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously. Irina is the only woman who was awarded this title for operations in the North Caucasus.
Maroon beret posthumously
The exploits of Russian soldiers these days are known not only in Russia. The story about Sergei Burnaev leaves no one indifferent. Brown - that’s what his comrades called the commander - was in the “Vityaz”, a special division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 2002, the detachment was sent to the city of Argun, where an underground weapons warehouse with numerous tunnels was discovered.
It was possible to reach the opponents only by going through an underground hole. Sergei Burnaev went first. The opponents opened fire on the fighter, who was able to answer the call of the militants in the darkness. The comrades were rushing to help, it was at that moment that Bury saw a grenade that was rolling towards the soldiers. Without hesitation, Sergei Burnaev covered the grenade with his body, thereby saving his colleagues from certain death.
For his accomplished feat, Sergei Burnaev was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. At the school where he studied, a memorial plaque was unveiled so that young people would remember the exploits of Russian soldiers and officers in our days. The parents were given a maroon beret in honor of the memory of the brave soldier.
Beslan: no one is forgotten
The exploits of Russian soldiers and officers these days are the best confirmation of the boundless courage of men in uniform. September 1, 2004 became a dark day in the history of North Ossetia and all of Russia. The seizure of the school in Beslan did not leave a single person indifferent. Andrei Turkin was no exception. The lieutenant took an active part in the operation to free the hostages.
Andrei Turkin was wounded at the very beginning of the rescue operation, but did not leave the school. Thanks to his professional skills, the lieutenant took an advantageous position in the dining room, where about 250 hostages were housed. The militants were eliminated, which increased the chances of a successful outcome of the operation.
However, a militant came to the aid of the terrorists with a detonated grenade. Turkin, without hesitation, rushed towards the bandit, holding the device between himself and the enemy. This action saved the lives of innocent children. The lieutenant posthumously became a Hero of the Russian Federation.
Combat Sun
During ordinary everyday life of military service, exploits of Russian soldiers are also often performed. Sergei Solnechnikov, or battalion commander Solntse, in 2012, during military exercises, became a hostage to a situation, the way out of which was a real feat. Saving his soldiers from death, the battalion commander covered with his own body the activated grenade, which flew off the edge of the parapet. Thanks to Sergei’s dedication, tragedy was avoided. The battalion commander was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
Whatever the exploits of Russian soldiers these days, every person should remember the valor and courage of the army. Only the memory of the actions of each of these heroes is a reward for the courage that cost them their lives.
They say that there were too many tragic events in the past year, and there was almost nothing good to remember on the eve of the New Year. Constantinople decided to argue with this statement and collected a selection of our most outstanding compatriots (and not only) and their heroic deeds. Unfortunately, many of them accomplished this feat at the cost of their own lives, but the memory of them and their actions will support us for a long time and serve as an example to follow. Ten names that made a splash in 2016 and should not be forgotten.
Alexander Prokhorenko
A special forces officer, 25-year-old Lieutenant Prokhorenko, died in March near Palmyra while carrying out missions to direct Russian air strikes against ISIS militants. He was discovered by terrorists and, finding himself surrounded, did not want to surrender and drew fire on himself. He was awarded the title of Hero of Russia posthumously, and a street in Orenburg was named after him. Prokhorenko’s feat aroused admiration not only in Russia. Two French families donated awards, including the Legion of Honor.
Farewell ceremony for the hero of Russia, senior lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko, who died in Syria, in the village of Gorodki, Tyulgansky district. Sergey Medvedev/TASS
In Orenburg, where the officer was from, he left behind a young wife, who, after the death of Alexander, had to be hospitalized in order to save the life of their child. In August, her daughter Violetta was born.
Magomed Nurbagandov
A policeman from Dagestan, Magomet Nurbagandov, and his brother Abdurashid were killed in July, but the details became known only in September, when a video of the execution of police officers was found on the phone of one of the liquidated militants of the Izberbash criminal group. On that ill-fated day, the brothers and their relatives, schoolchildren, were relaxing outdoors in tents; no one expected an attack by bandits. Abdurashid was killed immediately because he stood up for one of the boys, whom the bandits began to insult. Mohammed was tortured before his death because his documents as a law enforcement officer were discovered. The purpose of the bullying was to force Nurbagandov to renounce his colleagues on record, recognize the strength of the militants and call on Dagestanis to leave the police. In response to this, Nurbagandov addressed his colleagues with the words “Work, brothers!” The enraged militants could only kill him. President Vladimir Putin met with the brothers’ parents, thanked them for their son’s courage and awarded him the title of Hero of Russia posthumously. The last phrase of Mohammed became the main slogan of the past year and, one might assume, for the years to come. Two small children were left without a father. Nurbagandov's son now says that he will only become a policeman.
Elizaveta Glinka
Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS
The resuscitator and philanthropist, popularly known as Doctor Lisa, accomplished a lot this year. In May, she took children out of Donbass. 22 sick children were saved, the youngest of whom was only 5 days old. These were children with heart defects, oncology, and congenital diseases. Special treatment and support programs have been created for children from Donbass and Syria. In Syria, Elizaveta Glinka also helped sick children and organized the delivery of medicines and humanitarian aid to hospitals. During the delivery of another humanitarian cargo, Doctor Lisa died in a TU-154 plane crash over the Black Sea. Despite the tragedy, all programs will continue. Today there will be a New Year's party for the guys from Lugansk and Donetsk...
Oleg Fedura
Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Primorsky Territory, Colonel of the Internal Service Oleg Fedura. Press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Primorsky Territory/TASS
Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Primorsky Territory, who distinguished himself during natural disasters in the region. The rescuer personally visited all the flooded cities and villages, led search and rescue operations, helped evacuate people, and he himself did not sit idly by - he has hundreds of similar events on his account. On September 2, together with his brigade, he was heading to another village, where 400 houses were flooded and more than 1,000 people were waiting for help. Crossing the river, the KAMAZ, in which Fedura and 8 other people were, collapsed into the water. Oleg Fedura saved all the personnel, but then could not get out of the flooded car and died.
Lyubov Pechko
The entire Russian world learned the name of the 91-year-old female veteran from the news on May 9. During the festive procession in honor of Victory Day in Slavyansk, occupied by the Ukrainians, the column of veterans was pelted with eggs, doused with brilliant green and sprinkled with flour by the Ukrainian Nazis, but the spirit of the old soldiers could not be broken, no one fell out of action. The Nazis shouted insults; in occupied Slavyansk, where any Russian and Soviet symbols are prohibited, the situation was extremely explosive and could at any moment turn into a massacre. However, the veterans, despite the threat to their lives, were not afraid to openly wear medals and St. George ribbons; after all, they did not go through the war with the Nazis in order to be afraid of their ideological followers. Lyubov Pechko, who took part in the liberation of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War, was splashed with brilliant green directly in the face. Photos showing traces of brilliant green being wiped off Lyubov Pechko’s face have spread across social networks and the media. The sister of an elderly woman, who saw the abuse of veterans on TV and suffered a heart attack, died from the resulting shock.
Danil Maksudov
In January of this year, during a severe snowstorm, a dangerous traffic jam formed on the Orenburg-Orsk highway, in which hundreds of people were trapped. Ordinary employees of various services showed heroism, leading people out of icy captivity, sometimes putting their own lives at risk. Russia remembers the name of policeman Danil Maksudov, who was hospitalized with severe frostbite because he gave his jacket, hat and gloves to those who needed it most. After that, Danil spent several more hours in the snowstorm helping to get people out of the jam. Then Maksudov himself ended up in the emergency traumatology department with frostbitten hands; there was talk of amputating his fingers. However, in the end the policeman recovered.
Konstantin Parikozha
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Orenburg Airlines Boeing 777-200 crew commander Konstantin Parikozha, awarded the Order of Courage, during the state awards ceremony in the Kremlin. Mikhail Metzel/TASS
A native of Tomsk, the 38-year-old pilot managed to land a plane with a burning engine, which was carrying 350 passengers, including many families with children and 20 crew members. The plane was flying from the Dominican Republic, at an altitude of 6 thousand meters a bang was heard and the cabin was filled with smoke, panic began. During landing, the plane's landing gear also caught fire. However, thanks to the skill of the pilot, the Boeing 777 was successfully landed and none of the passengers were injured. Parikozha received the Order of Courage from the hands of the President.
Andrey Logvinov
The 44-year-old commander of the Il-18 crew that crashed in Yakutia managed to land the plane without wings. They tried to land the plane until the last minute and in the end they managed to avoid casualties, although both wings of the plane broke off when it hit the ground and the fuselage collapsed. The pilots themselves received multiple fractures, but despite this, according to rescuers, they refused help and asked to be the last to be evacuated to the hospital. “He managed the impossible,” they said about Andrei Logvinov’s skill.
Georgy Gladysh
On a February morning, the rector of the Orthodox church in Krivoy Rog, Priest Georgy, as usual, was riding home from service on a bicycle. Suddenly he heard cries for help from a nearby body of water. It turned out that the fisherman had fallen through the ice. The priest ran to the water, threw off his clothes and, making the sign of the cross, rushed to help. The noise attracted the attention of local residents, who called an ambulance and helped pull the already unconscious retired fisherman out of the water. The priest himself refused honors: " It wasn't me who saved. God decided this for me. If I had been driving a car rather than a bicycle, I simply would not have heard the cries for help. If I started to think about whether to help the person or not, I wouldn’t have time. If the people on the shore had not thrown us a rope, we would have drowned together. And so everything happened by itself"After the feat, he went on to perform church services.
Yulia Kolosova
Russia. Moscow. December 2, 2016. Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of the Russian Federation Anna Kuznetsova (left) and Yulia Kolosova, winner in the "Children-Heroes" nomination, at the awards ceremony for the winners of the VIII All-Russian festival on the theme of safety and rescue of people "Constellation of Courage". Mikhail Pochuev/TASS
The Valdai schoolgirl, despite the fact that she was only 12 years old, was not afraid to enter a burning private house after hearing the screams of children. Yulia took two boys out of the house, and already on the street they told her that their other little brother remained inside. The girl returned to the house and carried a 7-year-old baby in her arms, who was crying and afraid to go down the stairs shrouded in smoke. As a result, none of the children were harmed. " It seems to me that in my place any teenager would do this, but not every adult, because adults are much more indifferent than children", says the girl. Concerned residents of Staraya Russa collected money and gave the girl a computer and a souvenir - a mug with her photo. The schoolgirl herself admits that she did not help for the sake of gifts and praise, but, of course, she was pleased, because she is from a low-income family - Yulia’s mother is a saleswoman, and her father works at a factory.
Amitel news agency recalls the names of those who proved that real men live next to us
It is common to think that heroes are a thing of the past. That the modern generation is not capable of self-sacrifice and does not even know what it means to give one’s life for the Motherland. Today, on Defender of the Fatherland Day, the editors decided to refute this myth and remember the names of those who have become heroes in our days.
Alexander Prokhorenko
A special forces officer, 25-year-old Lieutenant Prokhorenko, died in March near Palmyra while carrying out missions to direct Russian air strikes against ISIS militants. He was discovered by terrorists and, finding himself surrounded, did not want to surrender and drew fire on himself. He was awarded the title of Hero of Russia posthumously, and a street in Orenburg was named after him. Prokhorenko’s feat aroused admiration not only in Russia. Two French families donated awards, including the Legion of Honor.
Oleg Fedura
The head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Primorsky Territory personally visited all the flooded cities and villages, led search and rescue operations, and helped evacuate people. On September 2, together with his brigade, he was heading to another village, where 400 houses were flooded and more than 1,000 people were waiting for help. Crossing the river, the KAMAZ, in which Fedura and 8 other people were, collapsed into the water. Oleg Fedura saved all the personnel, but then could not get out of the flooded car and died.
Konstantin Parikozha
A native of Tomsk, the 38-year-old pilot managed to land a plane with a burning engine, which was carrying 350 passengers, including many families with children and 20 crew members. The plane was flying from the Dominican Republic. During landing, his landing gear also caught fire. However, thanks to the skill of the pilot, the Boeing 777 was successfully landed and none of the passengers were injured. Parikozha received the Order of Courage from the hands of the President.
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Young policeman Danil Maksudov hardly dreamed of glory when he led frozen people to rescuers through the snow and wind. This happened on January 2, 2016 on the Orenburg-Ork highway. Then, due to a sudden snowstorm, hundreds of people were trapped in the snow. After the rescue operation, more than 10 people with hypothermia were hospitalized.
25-year-old Danil led people through the wind onto the highway, where rescuers were waiting for them (their equipment was unable to get through to the stuck cars). Maksudov gave the jacket to the frozen child and the mittens to the girl. He himself suffered frostbite on his hands and lost his fingers as a result.
Sergey Ganzha
A young resident of the village of Shipunovo, Sergei Ganzha, saved a drowning five-year-old girl in the summer of 2016 and was nominated for an award from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. The incident occurred on August 26. A 17-year-old boy was returning home from fishing along the banks of the Klepechikha River. On the way, his attention was attracted by the cry of a boy calling for help. It turned out that his little sister was in trouble. The guy jumped into the water with a running start and began diving, trying to find the child in the muddy water. The depth was at least six meters, and the strong current made the search much more difficult. After the fourth attempt, the guy was able to find the girl at the bottom and pulled her ashore. Sergei Ganzha began performing artificial respiration and chest compressions on the child. A few minutes later the child began to breathe. After this, the young man called an ambulance, and the victim was taken to the Shipunovo district hospital.
Photo: ru. wikipedia.org
A native of the Altai Territory, commander of the Su-24 bomber crew, Oleg Peshkov, flew a combat mission in Syria on November 24, 2015. The bomber was shot down by the Turkish military and fell on Syrian territory. The crew managed to eject. But Peshkov was killed during landing. He was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Russia. In the village of Koshikha, Altai Territory, a street is named after him.
On September 25, 2014, 40-year-old Colonel Serik Sultangabiev in the closed military town of Lesnoy in the Sverdlovsk region covered with his body a junior sergeant who had dropped a grenade. As a result, the sergeant was not injured, but the lieutenant colonel was seriously wounded.
On March 28, 2012, at a training ground near Belogorsk, the commander of the communications battalion, Major Sergei Solnechnikov, covered a ricocheting live grenade with himself. The major died, but at the cost of his life he saved many soldiers. He was awarded the title of Hero of Russia posthumously.
Alexander Makarenko
On October 5, 2010, in the Moscow region, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Makarenko shielded his subordinate from the explosion of a hand grenade. The soldier pulled the safety pin, but while swinging to throw, he dropped the grenade. The officer reacted instantly. He kicked the grenade away, pushed the soldier away and covered him with his body. As a result of the explosion, the lieutenant colonel received multiple shrapnel wounds and concussion. The officer underwent several operations. The soldier was not injured.
In 2007, at one of the training grounds in the Kaliningrad region, the firing pin of a grenade in Private Mirkhaidarov’s hand went off. Major Dmitry Ostroverkhov knocked the grenade out of the soldier’s hands into a trench, and pushed the private himself out of an earthen shelter. And he covered the falling fighter with his body. The private escaped with a slight fright, and the major was seriously wounded.
Alexander Belyaev and Alexander Golushchak
In March 2005, at the Zelenchuksky training ground, private Dmitriev dropped a grenade right under the feet of the soldiers and officers who were in the trench. Major Alexander Belyaev, who was nearby, managed to shout “grenade!”, threw the soldier out of the trench and covered him with himself. Another major, Alexander Goluschak, covered the rest of the soldiers with himself at this time. Private Dmitriev had to write an explanatory note addressed to the unit commander. And the officers were presented with the Order of Courage.
In March 2003, 45-year-old battalion commander Igor Yakunin died in the Kemerovo region. Private Denis Lobashev dropped the grenade with the ring already pulled out. The battalion commander managed to shield the young soldiers with his body. He died from his injuries a few days later.
On January 16, 2003, at the Kamyshinsky training ground in the Volgograd region, conscript soldier Daniil Bondarev dropped a grenade with the safety removed at his feet. The deputy commander of the unit, senior lieutenant Vitaly Popov, knocked the soldier down and covered him with himself during the explosion. The soldier was not injured. The officer survived miraculously and underwent serious operations. For his courage, the lieutenant was presented with a state award.
And this is not the entire list of those who have become heroes these days. Those who do not spare their lives so that others can return home. Happy holiday to all defenders of the Fatherland. We wish you to always return to your loved ones.
