Different problems arise in human life, the solution of which requires different tools. In some cases, you need a sledgehammer, in others - a surgical scalpel. Political and military issues are no less diverse. Sometimes it is necessary to move tank columns, but sometimes the conflict can be resolved without undue noise, removing the harmful formation with a sharp lancet with jewelry accuracy. In the hands of the Russian leadership there is such a tool. His name is FSB special forces.
Alpha, Pennant, and Cascade
The youth of the eighties, the words "Alpha" and "Pennant" spoke little. The creation of these units took place in secrecy, they recruited the best state security officers, who most often showed themselves in Afghanistan in the initial period of hostilities. Only the initiates knew how difficult the task was to solve a group of specially trained KGB officers during the assault on Amin’s palace. Numerous security was neutralized, and the order was executed with minimal losses.
Today it is possible to evaluate the political side of this power operation in different ways, but the professionalism of the people who realized it is undeniable. In addition to physical training, all members of the special group possessed extraordinary intelligence. Two or three higher educations, sometimes a degree, resistance to psychological overload, knowledge of foreign languages and other personal qualities and achievements were an indispensable condition for enrolling in the Vympel, Cascade, or Alpha units. In total, several hundred selected fighters served in them. The heir to this glorious cohort was the FSB special forces. The standards for those who expressed a desire to serve in the Russian special services remained high.
Hard times
Since the beginning of the nineties of the twentieth century, FSB special forces have been in demand in resolving difficult political situations. In addition to the tasks of law enforcement and anti-terrorism, special groups were supposed to be used for political purposes. However, the highest moral qualities of the fighters "Alpha" and "Pennant" did not allow them to carry out orders, the competence of which they doubted. During the coup of 1991, they refused to take the side of the GKChP, and in 1993, avoiding unjustified bloodshed and risking their lives, they did not open fire on its many defenders. Such rebellion then leadership of the country did not forgive these heroes. All structures historically associated with the Soviet GB were disbanded, and detachments reassigned the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, a few years later, the state security service under the name of the FSB was re-created. Special Forces has revived.
Russian special forces today
FSB special forces were needed in 1999, when militants attacked the Novolaksky district of Dagestan. New times have come, the terrorist threat has become not a hypothetical, but a very real political factor. Actions to eliminate the leaders of illegal armed groups were carried out methodically, and the whole world witnessed the effective actions of the Russian special services. In a short period, all the authoritative separatist leaders were destroyed or captured. News channels regularly reported on the capture of the next leader or showed his corpse. FSB special forces modestly remained behind the scenes, sometimes only somewhere in the background a silhouette of a masked soldier flickered. The fighters of the “A” control do not strive for fame, they have different concerns.