Military feat of border guard Ivan Barsukov. The life and feat of the head of the Brest border outpost, Ivan Barsukov

It doesn’t matter who served on the border and for how long – a few years or their whole life. These years forever united people into brotherhood not by blood, but by conscience.

At the village club

The car turned off federal highway, and immediately the speedometer needle moved to the left. The driver slowly navigates around numerous potholes on the once paved road, which now resembles a rock road, but not heavily beaten military equipment, but by time. Apparently, the money allocated for road repairs did not reach here. It was also sad that it led to an almost forgotten corner. And the House of Culture, where a meeting with the Hero’s fellow countrymen was to take place Soviet Union border guard officer Ivan Barsukov will probably greet guests with unsettled conditions and cold premises. After all, this is how it is, the Russian outback – impoverished, decaying.

With these thoughts, I entered the village of Kazgulak, Turkmen region. But as soon as I saw the villagers meeting me, the pessimism disappeared. People who looked into my eyes were not gloomy, not happy with life, but bright and even cheerful, despite the fact that sometimes things are tough for them and much of what made them happy before is really in desolation. They preserved what they could - first of all, culture, history and identity.

The House of Culture deserves special attention. Not new, with simple renovations, but warm and cozy. In the midst the day goes by preparations for an amateur concert, clubs are working, and the largest brass band in the region, which is 70 years old, is rehearsing here. The most interesting thing is upstairs – on the second floor there are the halls of the rural museum. This is wealth that has no price. It’s simply amazing how, in the avalanche of changes, everything here has survived and is being preserved properly.

Here are portraits of the first collective farmers who started new life in the Land of Soviets in the 30s of the last century. They were drawn with a pencil (this was later by the advanced workers agriculture It was already filmed). When receiving awards, they look from the walls with a proud gaze. The museum contains many evidence of their labor glory: certificates, pennants, books of honor. Villagers constantly replenish the museum with exhibits telling about the life of the residents of Kazgulak.

Father's order

There is also a page about a fellow countryman - the hero Ivan Barsukov. Many Kazgulak residents don’t even need to come to the museum in order to kind words remember a fellow villager. After all, they grew up with him, and after, when Ivan Petrovich was already famous person, met with him easily. He knew how to value friendship, respected people and never became arrogant.

“We had a very friendly class,” says Ivan Barsukov’s classmate Nina Galchenko. – We still get together and always remember Vanya.

Heroes don't appear out of nowhere. Ivan Barsukov in school years was a leader among his peers, he was raised by honest and hardworking people. The father, Pyotr Kirillovich, fought and really wanted his son to join the army. That’s why he didn’t go anywhere after school, but immediately went to serve. After returning, he promised his father to continue his grain-growing business. But fate decreed otherwise.

Ivan Barsukov was drafted into the border troops, into the Prishibsky border detachment on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border. For the boy from the steppe region, everything was new and everything was interesting: the mountains, the control and trail strip, getting up on alarm and going out on patrol to the very extreme border of the state. Everything is as he told it school teacher Alexey Kalmychenko. Alexey Arkhipovich also served on the border, several times participated in the detention of violators, and the boys listened to him with burning eyes and a dream of the same service.

Ivan began to think about military profession. I wrote a letter home and asked for advice. His father approved of his decision and gave an order: if he is to be an officer, then set an example to his subordinates in everything - in discipline, endurance, skill. Ivan firmly remembered these words. In his studies, and then in his service, he followed them without fail. The main thing that I learned myself and taught to my subordinates was the ability to act quickly, decisively, and competently in any situation.

Star - for Afghanistan

These traits of a commander were clearly evident in Afghanistan, where Barsukov commanded an air assault group. These units received the most complex tasks. More than once we had to fight for many hours, repelling the attacks of the Mujahideen. But the border special forces always left the battle with minimal losses.

Barsukov demanded strict discipline and obedience from soldiers, especially during operations. Accurate calculations and the ability to distribute forces determined their victorious outcome. And the subordinates completely trusted their commander. They knew he would do everything to save the lives of his soldiers. And once they saved his life. In one of the battles, Private Kalkov covered the commander with his body. Barsukov was very worried about this and often remembered the soldier. And not only him. He always believed that the Hero Star received for Afghanistan belonged not only to him, but also to all those who swallowed the Afghan dust with him.

Outpost named after the hero

After Afghanistan, Ivan Barsukov graduated from the academy and was appointed head of the Brest border detachment. Until the collapse of the Soviet Union, its part was the best. The hero kept the bar high. The authorities of the new Belarusian state offered the legendary colonel service in their troops. But Ivan Petrovich refused, saying that the oath is given only once, and resigned. I didn’t forget about the border. Working at an electromechanical plant, in a commercial company, he helped the detachment financially. At the beginning of the new century, he was overcome by illness, and in 2001, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Barsukov passed away. He was buried in Brest at the garrison cemetery, and a bust was erected there. In the same year, by decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the Peschatka border outpost was named after Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Petrovich Barsukov.

People's love

In his native village, the memory of his fellow countryman is also alive. The street where lived before Barsukov family, a football tournament named after the Hero was established. Ivan Barsukov loved sports. In my school years I kicked the ball, and in my adult years too physical training didn't put it on last place. The Cup named after the Hero of the Soviet Union was played during his lifetime. But in perestroika times everything somehow stopped by itself.

In 2000, a farmer from the Turkmen region Vasily Andryushchenko posed the question point blank: the cup must be revived. The village council tells him:

- The treasury is empty. What to do?

“Nothing,” answered Vasily Alexandrovich, “set a date!”

He invested his funds, turned to the villagers, primarily to those who served in border troops Oh. On October 29, 2000, the football tournament for the Ivan Barsukov Cup was revived and is now held every spring on the eve of Border Guard Day. Four cups “For the will to win” were awarded on behalf of the regional North Caucasus Border Department.

Not all of the money was spent then. The rest were given to Ivan Barsukov’s sister for a monument at his father’s grave. Then the whole world raised funds to install a bust of the heroic countryman - also on the initiative of Vasily Andryushchenko. And there was no need to walk with an outstretched hand. People responded personally and with their souls: veterans, his classmates, and just villagers.

That's what people's love is like. No participation of the authorities, no slogans, no announcement of a donation campaign. All from pure heart.

Here, for example, is the same Vasily Andryushchenko. He was not a friend of Ivan Barsukov. Their paths almost never crossed. Andryushchenko older than Hero for nine years, finished border service in 1959. When he returned to his native village, Barsukov, perhaps, still did not know that he would also be a border guard.

V. Andryushchenko lived all his life in the Stavropol region. He was, as they say, both a joiner and a carpenter, and built more than one house. And since the late 50s, I have never been to the border again. But military honor, remained faithful to border glory forever. Both he and former director school Nina Galchenko, in which the younger generation is now being brought up on life example Ivan Barsukov, and all his fellow countrymen retained a fond memory of the border guard hero.

Live, spring

We, today, are sometimes reproached for forgetting heroes. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the desire to complete new tasks, we don’t find time to look back... But everyone who happened to learn about the exploits of the heroes of bygone times, I think, at least occasionally thinks about the true values ​​of life and the origins of our sense of patriotism. Maybe not all Kazgulak residents know that on the Internet on the forum “Pogranets” is dedicated to Ivan Barsukov whole topic. I will give just one entry: “I served with Ivan Petrovich in the Uch-Aral border detachment. We developed friendly relations with him. It turned out that the apartments were nearby: balcony to balcony. We went out for a smoke. Suddenly a call from the detachment: I was assigned captain. Ivan says: “Maybe they gave me a major?” Let me clarify - there is. Ivan took off and handed me the captain's shoulder straps, which I wore until they were worn out. That same year I entered the Academy of Communications, and he entered Afghanistan.”

They remember Ivan Barsukov. Colleagues and those who simply met him once remember him. And here in Russian outback, his name, his deeds are not forgotten. And as long as people's memory of best sons Our homeland and our people cannot be remade in a foreign way. Live, spring, live, spring of the Russian soul...

Ivan Petrovich Barsukov(January 22 - May 18) - Hero of the Soviet Union, Soviet and Belarusian border guard officer, participant in the Afghan War (1979-1989) as head of the air assault maneuver group of the 35th border detachment of the Eastern Border District - major, in 1991 year - colonel.

Biography

Born on January 22, 1948 in the village of Kazgulak, Turkmen district, Stavropol Territory, into a peasant family. Russian . Member of the CPSU since 1972. Secondary education. He worked on the collective farm named after May 1st.

Since 1981, for two years he was part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

“By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 11, 1983, for the courage and heroism shown in providing international assistance to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Major Ivan Petrovich Barsukov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and medal “ Gold Star“(No. 11495)”

Further service

Since 1984 he served at the headquarters of the Eastern Border District. In 1987 he graduated from the M.V. Frunze Military Academy and was appointed chief of staff of the Brest border detachment.

Lived in the city of Brest. From 1993 to 1995 he headed the headquarters civil defense at the Brest Order of the Red Banner of Labor Electromechanical Plant. Died on May 18, 2001.

Awards

• Medal "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union (No. 11495)
• Medals

• Afghan Order "Star" III degree

Memory

• Buried at the garrison memorial cemetery in Brest.
• In his native village of Kazgulak, a bust of the Hero was erected; one of the streets of the village was named after him.
• By Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 712 of December 4, 2001, the name of Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel I.P. Barsukov was assigned to the 5th border outpost of the Brest Red Banner Border Group named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky. A monument to the Hero was erected at this outpost; he is forever included in the lists of its personnel.

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Notes

Literature

• Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov. - M.: Voenizdat, 1987. - T. 1 /Abaev - Lyubichev/. - 911 p. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN ex., Reg. No. in RKP 87-95382.

Links

15px . Website "Heroes of the Country". (Retrieved November 17, 2011)

Excerpt characterizing Barsukov, Ivan Petrovich

On Monday, January 22, a rally was held at the Brest Garrison Cemetery in memory of the Hero of the Soviet Union and former commander Brest border detachment Ivan Barsukov. The reason for the rally was the 70th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Petrovich. The event was attended by military personnel of the Brest Border Group and the Institute border service, students of military-patriotic classes high school No. 31, Brest, veteran border guards and colleagues of Colonel Barsukov.

“More than one generation of Brest border guards has been brought up on the example of Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Barsukov”, - noted the deputy head of the Brest border group for ideological work And staffing lieutenant colonel Vitaly Lisovenko.

Ivan Petrovich Barsukov was born on January 22, 1948 in the village of Kazgulak, Petrovsky district Stavropol Territory in a family of collective farmers. His father was a front-line soldier, so Vanya often heard his father’s stories about the war.

In the spring of 1967, Ivan was called up to serve in the border troops. The law for all the years of service for Ivan Petrovich Barsukov became his father’s words spoken to him at parting: "The main thing for a soldier is discipline and skill. Without them, you will not learn to defeat the enemy."

Ivan Barsukov did his military service in Transcaucasia. As the best border guard, he was sent to school non-commissioned officers.

Returning to the outpost as a squad commander, Barsukov continued to improve his skills and at the same time taught his subordinates. His father approved his decision to stay and serve on the border.

In 1969, Barsukov completed courses for junior lieutenants at the Moscow Border Command School. Then he served in the Red Banner Eastern Border District.

In 1982, as part of limited contingent Soviet troops Barsukov ended up in Afghanistan. The fact that border motorized maneuverable, airborne assault and battle groups Border troops of the KGB of the USSR carried out combat missions in the DRA since 1980, but were not officially reported until 1992.

On December 12, 1979, at a meeting of the Politburo, a decision was made to send Soviet troops into Afghanistan. And a little later, Soviet border guards appeared in Afghanistan.

In January 1982, by decision of the Politburo and the Soviet government, border guards received a 100-kilometer zone of responsibility on Afghan territory in order to secure the Soviet borders at distant approaches.

The length of the border with Afghanistan is 2800 km, of which 400 km are mountains, and the rest is desert and semi-desert. The temperature in the shade reaches 50 degrees, in the sun - about 70 or more. In such conditions, it was very difficult to withstand 10-12 days of combat operations to destroy a center of resistance or a mountain base.

The Green Caps had excellent personnel and units trained for search and raid activities - motorized maneuver groups available in each border detachment. In the border detachments of the USSR, MMGs served as a combat reserve and were originally intended to combat sabotage groups and enemy gangs. In Afghanistan, these units, reinforced by helicopter squadrons (also border guard), came in handy.

Border guards received a zone of responsibility along the Soviet-Afghan border with a depth of 35 - 65 km. It contained 34 counties and about 3,000 settlements. From the very first days, the motorized maneuver groups entered into battles with the “spirits.”

Soon it was decided to create full-time airborne assault maneuver groups (ASMG) in the border troops. Commanding one of these groups, Ivan Barsukov took part in hostilities in 1982-1983. As a commander, Major Barsukov treated his subordinates with care and protected their lives.

On October 21, 1982, when at one of the passes the airborne assault group led by Barsukov was ambushed by the Mujahideen and fought a continuous battle from 2 pm until the evening. Barsukov and a group of border guards managed to break through the encirclement and with a sudden fire strike from the rear ensured the success of the battle. A large detachment of dushmans was completely defeated. Border guards killed more than 100 people and captured large number enemy weapons.

Afghanistan. Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Barsukov (left).

On April 3, 1983, 23 soldiers of Barsukov’s airborne assault maneuver group landed at the site of the planned breakthrough of a group of dushmans. Barsukov was tasked with ensuring the safety of the advance of a convoy of Soviet trucks with food along one of the mountain roads of Afghanistan.

Barsukov suddenly saw the Mujahideen approaching the mountain road. Numerous, well-armed, confident in their impunity, they walked cheerfully, openly, in anticipation of an easy victory.

Barsukov's small group was difficult to notice. Therefore, he calmly waited, trying to bring the “spirits” as close as possible to the positions occupied by the border guards. And suddenly a uniform, strained roar of many engines was heard, and the first trucks of the convoy appeared around the bend. The plan collapsed. It was necessary to immediately call fire on oneself.

Within a few minutes, the dushmans had to give up on the column and concentrate fire on Barsukov’s group. Heavy machine guns rattled. Their tracer bursts ricocheted off the rocks with squeals and bright flashes. The bandits hoped to quickly destroy the Shuravi, relying on their multiple superiority in numbers of people and weapons. But that was not the case. They soon realized that they had made a big mistake.

Barsukov skillfully organized the battle. The border guards accurately struck the bandits, preventing them from dispersing or taking advantageous positions. Dushman attacks in an 8-hour battle are a handful Soviet soldiers successfully repelled 12 times. At the end of the battle, Barsukov rose from cover and led the border guards into the attack.

The rapid hand-to-hand combat ended in the complete defeat of the gang. Combat mission was completed. And almost without losses. As, indeed, many other operations led by Major Barsukov.

In Afghanistan, Ivan Barsukov participated in the development and implementation of 40 combat operations. As a result, more than 1.5 thousand bandits were destroyed, about 3 thousand were captured, more than 3 thousand units were captured various weapons, he personally destroyed 57 bandits.

In March 1983, at the Sherkotal pass, the personnel of the DShMG, entering the battle immediately after landing from helicopters into the center of the Basmachi stronghold, destroyed about 150 bandits, captured defensive structures, warehouses, a hospital, more than 400 weapons and ensured the success of the entire operation.

The actions of Barsukov and the group he led in Afghanistan were regarded as a feat. For courage, bravery and heroism shown in providing international assistance to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan by decree of the Presidium Supreme Council on August 11, 1983, Major Ivan Petrovich Barsukov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 11495). Among Barsukov's awards are: Also Order of the Red Star and Afghan Order of the Star, III degree.

In 1987, after graduating from the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze, Barsukov was sent to serve in the 86th, where he served as the chief of staff of the detachment, and a year later he became the chief of the detachment.

However, previous experience (including combat) could only partially help his formation in a new position. The Brest border detachment always occupied special place in the border troops. About the same as the Moscow Kremlin security brigade in security forces. Therefore, I had to learn a lot again. AND

In 1988 and 1989, the Brest border detachment took first place in the border troops system, andconfirmed the previous title of "excellent".

For the skillful organization of the border service Barsukov was awarded a medal"For excellence in protection State border USSR".

In 1991, Barsukov was awarded the rank of colonel.

In 1993, Barsukov turned 45 years old and was transferred to the reserve. Despite his serious illness, until his death in 2001, Barsukov carried out extensive military-patriotic work with military personnel of the 86th border detachment, and then the 86th border group.

Border guard, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Petrovich Barsukov died on May 18, 2001. He was buried in the Brest garrison cemetery, located next to the border group and the border to which he gave best years of your life.

By Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 712 of December 4, 2001, the name of Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Petrovich Barsukov was assigned to the 5th border outpost of the 86th border group. Barsukov is forever enlisted in the outpost's personnel.

Photo of the Brest border group.

Ivan Petrovich Barsukov was born on January 22, 1948 in the village of Kazgulak (Turkmen district of the Stavropol Territory). In 1966 he graduated from school. For several months he worked on the collective farm named after May 1.

In 1967 he was drafted into the army and served as a private in Transcaucasia. After sergeant school, he became a squad commander at one of the outposts of the 43rd Prishibsky border detachment. Later he completed courses for junior lieutenants and was sent to one of the border detachments of the Eastern Border District.

In 1982, as part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops, he was sent to Afghanistan.

On April 3, 1983, 23 soldiers of his air assault maneuver group were landed at a place where a bandit attack was expected. Border guards were tasked with ensuring the safety of the advance of a convoy of Soviet trucks with food. Suddenly, Ivan Barsukov saw dushmans approaching the mountain road.

Barsukov's small group was not easy to notice. He waited, trying to bring the enemy as close as possible to the positions occupied by the border guards. Then the first trucks of the convoy appeared around the bend. Ivan Barsukov realized that there was no more time to wait, he needed to call fire on himself. A few minutes later the bandits had to concentrate fire on a group of border guards.

Soviet soldiers did not allow the enemy to disperse or take advantageous positions. The battle lasted eight hours. Barsukov and his colleagues repelled 12 attacks. Then Ivan rose from cover and led the border guards into the attack. The hand-to-hand fight ended in the complete defeat of the gang. The combat mission was completed. The actions of Barsukov and his group were regarded as a feat.

The courageous officer kept a special memory of ordinary border guard Boris Kalkov. At a critical moment in the battle, he saved Ivan Barsukov’s life by shielding him with his body from a bullet from a bandit who had sneaked up from the rear.

Ivan Barsukov served as chief of a maneuver air assault group since May 1982. He took part in the development and implementation of 40 combat operations. As a result, more than one and a half thousand bandits were destroyed, about three thousand were captured, more than three thousand weapons were captured, and Ivan Petrovich personally destroyed 57 bandits.

Ivan Barsukov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Star, and the Afghan Order of Star, III degree.

In 1987, Ivan Barsukov graduated Military Academy named after Mikhail Frunze. Served in the border troops of the Republic of Belarus. In November 1993, he was transferred to the reserve as head of the Brest Red Banner Border Detachment named after Felix Dzerzhinsky.

On May 18, 2001, Ivan Barsukov died. The hero was buried in Belarus, where his last place of service was.

His father's work is continued by his son Evgeniy. He serves as a border controller in Brest. And Ivan Petrovich’s daughter Zhanna married a border guard.

By decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko dated December 4, 2001, the Peschatka outpost of the Red Banner Brest Border Group was named after Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Petrovich Barsukov.

In Kazgulak, a street is named after the hero. In the center of the village there is a bust of Ivan Barsukov.

A poem that his classmate A. S. Bondar wrote about Ivan Barsukov:

How few years he lived... only 53!
But the moment of victory is more than a year.
How hard it is to die to stay
Remain in our souls forever.
No, courage does not happen by chance,
It was born in the soul of a soldier.
When he doesn't forget about his friends
And he doesn’t think of himself apart from his homeland
I look, I look into his simple face.
A sad dash between two dates.
And I believe that this is the only way it’s worth it
To live on Earth as a soldier lived on it.

Born on January 22, 1948 in the village of Kazbulak, Petrovsky district, Stavropol Territory.
In 1967 he was drafted into the border troops of the Transcaucasian border district.

In 1969 he graduated from the courses for junior lieutenants at the Moscow border school, after which he was sent to the Eastern Border District, where he served until 1984 in various positions from deputy chief border outpost to the deputy head of the detachment.

Since 1981, for two years he was part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of August 11, 1983, for the courage and heroism shown in providing international assistance to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Major Ivan Petrovich Barsukov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 11495).

Since 1984 he served at the headquarters of the Eastern Border District. In 1987 he graduated from the M.V. Frunze Military Academy and was appointed chief of staff of the Brest border detachment.

After the collapse of the USSR, since December 1991, Colonel I.P. Barsukov. served in the border troops of the Republic of Belarus, was the head of the Brest Red Banner border detachment named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky.

Since November 1993 - in reserve. Colonel (1991).. Lived in the city of Brest. Died on May 18, 2001. He was buried in the garrison cemetery in Brest.

He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Star, medals, and the Afghan Order of Star, 3rd degree.

In his native village of Kazgulak, a bust of the Hero was erected; one of the streets of the village was named after him.

By Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 712 of December 4, 2001, the name of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel I.P. Barsukov. assigned to the 5th border outpost of the Brest Red Banner Border Group named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky. A monument to the Hero was erected at this outpost; he is forever included in the lists of its personnel.

By order of the Chairman State Committee Border Troops of the Republic of Belarus No. 223 dated May 14, 2001, for courage, heroism shown in the Defense of the Fatherland and for services to the Border Troops, he was enlisted as an Honorary Border Guard of the Republic of Belarus.

Ivan Petrovich Barsukov never led the outpost that now bears his name. He arrived in Brest as chief of staff of the detachment in 1987. With a diploma from the famous forge of military personnel - the Academy named after M.V. Frunze... and with the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. The Transcaucasus, the Eastern Border District, Afghanistan were already behind us...

Ivan Barsukov first put on a green cap twenty years before arriving in the city above the Bug. Two years of emergency service at one of the outposts of the Prishibsky border detachment on the Azerbaijani border. Then courses for junior lieutenants at the Moscow Border Command School in 1969. And a long officer’s service, full of both harsh romance and simple everyday hardships.

He started as deputy chief, then became the chief of the outpost. I also had the opportunity to try myself in staff positions, heading the detachment’s air assault maneuver group. And what places! It’s unlikely that anyone needs to explain what the high-mountain Tajik Murghab or the Kazakh Uch-Aral, blown by dusty winds, is... In such places, it’s not only difficult to serve, it’s difficult to live. Barsukov also had a chance to fight. As recorded in his personal file: “1982 – 1983 sent to Democratic Republic Afghanistan (repeatedly)."

However, previous experience (including combat) could only partially help one become a new position. From time immemorial, the Brest border detachment occupied a special place in the border troops. About the same as the Moscow Kremlin security brigade in the security forces. Or Bolshoi Theater in the field of culture. Therefore, I had to learn a lot again. The detachment then, for the umpteenth time, confirmed the title of excellent. Moreover, in 1988 he took first place in the border troops system. Of course, not without the participation of Barsukov. The student turned out to be capable. And a year after the transfer to Brest, the chief of staff of the detachment became its commander. By the way, that was Ivan Petrovich’s name most often. More, of course, in an informal setting, but if it already sounded - Commander - then no one needed to further explain who they were talking about.

People who knew Barsukov well unanimously noted his exceptionally high human qualities. Not a cherub, with his shortcomings, but direct, reliable and honest. Both there in Afghanistan and here, in the border detachment, Ivan Petrovich considered his fighters not pawns, but comrades-in-arms, maybe even friends. That is why he had a special attitude towards his subordinates. This was not at all a manifestation of familiarity. It’s just that a warrior who had seen a lot of blood and cruelty knew how not only to fight, but also to appreciate a person. In April 1983, in a battle on Darkad Island, a soldier named Kalkov overshadowed the commander. He died, giving Barsukov the opportunity to organize a rebuff to the Mujahideen who suddenly broke through and save the entire group. One life in twenty. This is the arithmetic... In 8 hours, border guards repelled 12 attacks numerically superior enemy and did not allow a large gang to break out of the blocked area.

One day, a small unit led by then-Major Barsukov had to engage in battle with a large enemy gang. The border guards not only defeated the main forces of the Mujahideen, but also seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition, and documentation of the gang leader. For that operation, Ivan Petrovich was awarded the order Red Star. Notes from a personal file tell a military man a lot about Barsukov. More precisely, from the presentation of the Hero of the Soviet Union:

“In the position of chief of the air assault maneuver group (airborne assault maneuver group) since May 82. took part in the development and implementation of 40 military operations. As a result, more than 1.5 thousand bandits were destroyed, about 3 thousand were captured, more than 3 thousand units of various weapons were captured, he personally destroyed 57 bandits... ...In March 1983, at the Sherkotal pass, personal The DShMG composition, entering the battle on the move after landing from helicopters into the center of the Basmachi stronghold, destroyed about 150 bandits, captured defensive structures, warehouses, a hospital, more than 400 weapons and ensured the success of the entire operation...”

To be honest, it happened that officers with such merits and combat experience fell ill with “star fever.” Not only will they “forget” to shake hands, they won’t always give you a nod. Ivan Petrovich managed to avoid this disaster. And in the detachment and units of the border, they quickly got used to the incompatible combination of unprecedented democracy and strict demands. Barsukov visited the Peschatka outpost especially often. And not just with checking or control. I came to talk with the team, as they say, “to feel the situation with my fingertips.” After all, the outpost is located in an important operational direction. Using it, as a standard, it was possible to verify the situation in the entire detachment.

In 1993, Colonel Barsukov turned forty-five years old. Having accepted the best border detachment in the Union, this is how he handed it over... How could it be different?! But even after leaving the reserve, Barsukov lived by the border and for the border. Working in a commercial company, he helped his native unit. It was thanks to Ivan Petrovich that the first computers began to appear at checkpoints, construction materials were purchased to repair checkpoints, paint was found for the same barriers, warehouses were built... And then trouble came. On May 18, 2001, the Hero’s heart stopped beating. Ivan Petrovich was buried in the garrison cemetery of the city.

His father’s work is now continued by Ivan Petrovich’s son, Evgeniy. He serves here in Brest as a controller of the Kozlovichi border control department. In his unit, Ensign Barsukov is in good standing, a real border guy. And Ivan Petrovich’s daughter Zhanna did not go far from her brother, marrying, naturally, a border guard. In a word, the Russian Barsukovs became closely related to the Belarusian land. Now this name is forever inscribed in the history of the country's border troops.

By decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated December 4, 2001, the Peschatka outpost of the Red Banner Brest Border Group - the same one where Ivan Petrovich so often visited - was named after the Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel Barsukov. And in his homeland, in the Stavropol village of Kazgulak, a street and a school were named in honor of the famous fellow countryman.