It is practically impossible to find any information about the naval special forces of the Russian Navy in free access. And there are very good reasons for this, because these people are considered one of the most elite military units in the country, special requirements are placed on them so that soldiers can fully fulfill their role in reconnaissance and sabotage purposes in coastal directions. Analogs of the special forces of the Russian Navy exist in many countries of the world, especially those that have a strong fleet. They can be seen in France, the USA, Turkey, China, and in each of them only the strongest fighters go to such special forces. This article will describe in detail what the special forces of the Russian Navy are. "Sea devils" - such they received the name in everyday life.
Beginning of becoming
Units like the special forces of the Russian Navy began to appear in many countries around the world shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The first experiments began only in 1938 in the Pacific Fleet, and then in the Black Sea.
At first, scouts who were equipped with light diving uniforms were used to carry out the actions - they had to cut the anti-submarine networks of opponents at a depth. However, until 1941, such exercises practically did not carry any meaning, and therefore the authorities did not allow the development of a new unit. That is why after the start of the war they had to be created in a very big hurry - already in August 1941 the first unit of combat swimmers appeared. Even now, the Russian Navy special forces quite often call it that, although in their role they are more similar to "scout divers."
Role in the war
Special detachments that began to appear were of great importance in military operations during the Second World War. The special forces accounted for quite a few large operations that allowed them to inflict damage on the German navy. In addition, in 1944, members of the maritime special forces participated for the first time in raising a flooded German submarine, which had to be lifted from the utmost depth. It was on it that torpedoes of a special design were found, about which scientists of the allied countries did not know anything.
After the war ended in 1945, the new reconnaissance detachment was disbanded and remained in oblivion until 1952.
The second stage of formation
In 1952, the repeated resumption of the formation of naval special forces was explained not so much by military need, but by the fact that in foreign troops such detachments developed with might and main with the support of the state.
Rear Admiral Bekrenev L.K. put forward the initiative, which was adopted by the naval minister, after which the formation of special forces of the Russian Navy in its modern form gradually began. It began to operate in full only by 1960, although subsequently new units in the new fleets also continued to form. In 1967, a special camp was opened, which was engaged in training and combat training of naval fighters.
Squad activity
In order to best understand what constitutes a maritime special forces, you need to know exactly what tasks are included in its activities. The first things to do are:
- Water landing operations.
- Laying mines on ships and coastal bases of military opponents of Russia during the hostilities.
- Exploration or complete destruction of marine or coastal objects that may act as a means of missile attack, as well as reconnaissance of the location of opponents in the sea or coastal zone.
In addition, in peacetime, maritime special forces help to counter terrorist organizations, however, such operations are carried out only in isolated cases. Quite often, they also team up with other military units to conduct coordinated actions and attacks.
The call
As mentioned earlier, the special forces of the Russian Navy inherited from the USSR, however, the order of manning of this army has changed very much since then. If earlier there was enough draft and selection on the basis of good physical preparation, now that the army is only one year old, this practice does not justify itself, because in this case the elite troops will simply lose their status.
Selection criteria
Although now recruits and contract soldiers can be selected according to the documents, there is a very strict number of criteria that a recruit must meet. These criteria include:
- Good health and physical fitness - while the optimal growth should be about 175 cm, and weight about 75-80 kg. It is a person who is suitable for such parameters that can withstand the largest underwater loads.
- The optimal mental state - at the moment, it is forbidden to take orphans or children from single-parent families into the special forces of the Russian Navy. The main thing here was considered not so much courage or other similar traits, namely psychological stability, which is most clearly manifested in children from large families.
Screening stages
In addition to studying profiles and candidates, the screening procedure is mandatory. It is carried out in several stages, so that you can select the most appropriate applicants:
- The first stage includes a march. Its distance is almost marathon - 30 km, and candidates are loaded with an additional weight of 30 kg.
- The second stage is a test for psychological stability. To test it, the soldiers are left overnight in cemeteries to spend it on the graves.
- Then came a very tough test - a pipe check. The candidate must swim in a half-filled pipe with a length of about 10 meters in diving equipment.
- Blowing out a helmet is a very difficult test, because after diving to a depth, you need to open your own helmet so that it is completely filled with water, and then close it to blow water from a special etching valve. To pass this test, several attempts are given, since the first time many cannot pass it.
- 1 mile test swim to determine a candidate’s ability to swim. Each candidate is given a balloon with air, which at the finish line must show almost the same volume as at the start. This is considered an indicator that the swim passed with normal and calm breathing.
- The "weak link" is considered the latest test for aptitude. It reveals the psychological compatibility of the fighters. To verify it, a questionnaire is given with the names of all the fighters, where everyone should put down with whom exactly he wants to go in intelligence in the first, second and last place. Such a survey is conducted completely anonymously, so at the end all the points are summed up, and those who scored the largest number fly out of the program.
Only after this, candidates can wear a new uniform of the Russian Navy and be considered its members. Failed candidates also remain in the squad, however, they perform only economic work.
Regulations
As you can see, members of the maritime special forces are quite different in requirements from the army, because they do not need to be good combat masters in the first place. Although combat training is highly valued, first of all, only mentally stable people can get here, who without fear can plunge into the depths of the sea.
The process of preparing special forces of the Russian Navy is ongoing. The program itself is distinguished by its unusual saturation: fighters gain knowledge and apply in practice training in diving, sea, mountain special, airborne, fire and many other types of activities. From this it follows that the required standards for combat swimmers of the special forces of the Russian Navy are quite high. Almost all information on this issue is kept secret, however, there are still several well-known requirements:
- running 3 km in no more than 10 minutes, as well as a hundred-meter race in 12 seconds;
- 25 pull-ups without regard to time;
- 90 push ups.
These requirements are the most minimal, but in practice there are much more of them, since only the most powerful fighters are involved in the ranks of special troops of the Russian Federation.
Conclusion
The Navy special forces is one of the most elite troops that only exist in Russia, since in order to obtain a significant result, fighters must undergo intensive training and have high psychological stability.
Such a service is considered extremely dangerous not only because of psychological pressure, but also constant moral and physical overload. Earlier, mortality in such units reached several people a month, although now this indicator has significantly decreased. But despite this, naval fighters are still one of the best options that the country's authorities have for sabotage and reconnaissance.