The decision to transfer soldiers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Special Forces and Riot Police to the National Guard will be made after the adoption of the law. The Russian Guard gathers elite units into a fist
Read also
About 400 thousand people will serve in the National Guard, including fighters of elite special forces: riot police, sobrovtsy, special forces, Chechen special forces. Now many of them duplicate each other
The National Guard will include units of internal troops (VV) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, SOBR and OMON, Center special purpose rapid response forces and aviation, private security, in particular the Special Forces Center private security Ministry of Internal Affairs, and divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that monitor compliance with legislation in the field of arms trafficking and private security activities. This is stated in the presidential decree signed on April 5.
The total number of the National Guard will be determined by the president, but Interfax's source suggests that it will be 350-400 thousand people: 170 thousand are internal troops, another 200 thousand are private security. About 30 thousand more people serve in OMON and SOBR detachments, notes RBC’s interlocutor in law enforcement agencies.
Riot police
Mobile units special purpose were created in 1988, when the likelihood of riots increased. The number of units is not disclosed. Riot police units are deployed on a regional basis and report to local departments of the Main Internal Affairs Directorate.
Riot police. Mobile special forces (OMON) were created in 1988. Riot police are involved in ensuring security at public events, as well as in hot spots. Riot police officers undergo special training and are better armed than ordinary police officers. The number of riot police units is not disclosed. According to RBC's source in law enforcement agencies, a total of about 30 thousand people serve in the OMON and SOBR detachments. In the photo: riot police take part in a patriotic education lesson at a school in St. Petersburg. (Photo: AP)
In 2010 the magazine The New Times wrote about soldiers of the second battalion of the riot police of the capital's police department, who complained to Dmitry Medvedev, who held the post of president at that time, about unbearable working conditions. According to the magazine, the battalion leadership set a plan for subordinates to make arrests during the shift and used fighters for security elite cottages and “protecting prostitutes.” Later, the magazine wrote, pressure was put on the heroes of the publication. Vladimir Kolokoltsev, who at that time was the head of the capital’s Main Department of Internal Affairs, argued that the internal audit did not confirm the facts stated in the article.
One of the largest riot police units is "Bison". It was created in 2006 on the basis of the riot police of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate for the Moscow region. The number of the unit is about 2.5 thousand people. “Zubr” ensured order at the “March of Dissent” in Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan and Moscow. In 2011, a criminal case was opened against a gang involved in kidnapping and extortion. The group included Zubr fighters and henchmen of crime boss Hakob Meliksetyan, who was considered an associate of thief in law Aslan Usoyan, nicknamed Ded Hasan.
"Bison". The Zubr detachment was created on the basis of the riot police near Moscow in 2006 and reports directly to the Minister of Defense. “Zubr” ensured order at the “March of Dissent”. In 2011, a criminal case was opened against several members of the detachment for kidnapping and extortion. In the photo: demonstration exercises of the Zubr detachment in Shchelkovo near Moscow, 2011. (Photo: Kommersant)
In 2013, the Zubr detachment took part in the operation to capture the “Belgorod shooter.”
SOBR
The functions of most special forces now overlap in many ways, notes in a conversation with RBC deputy chairman State Duma Committee on Security Ernest Valeev . "The difference is that they were created in different time different structures. SOBR were created under RUBOPakh as special units that were supposed to support efforts to combat organized crime. Riot police were created under the Ministry of Internal Affairs earlier SOBR when organized crime It hasn’t happened yet.”
SOBR. Special rapid reaction units (SOBRs) were formed under RUBOP (regional departments for combating organized crime) as special units that were supposed to support the actions of RUBOP employees. In October 2013, SOBR participated in the arrest of Orkhan Zeynalov, who was later convicted of the murder of Yegor Shcherbakov, a resident of the capital’s West Biryulyovo district. This crime provoked riots. In the photo: demonstration performances by Sobrov members. (Photo: Kommersant)
Predecessor Special squad rapid response was formed in 1978 by a special police detachment at the capital's Central Internal Affairs Directorate. Modern name SOBR received in 2012 after several renamings.
In October 2013, SOBR participated in the arrest of Orkhan Zeynalov, who was later convicted of the murder of Yegor Shcherbakov, a resident of the capital’s West Biryulyovo district. This crime provoked riots and led to clashes with the police. After Zeynalov’s capture, SOBR soldiers delivered the suspect to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vladimir Kolokoltsev.
Special Forces (OSN) were in the structures correctional institutions and in the internal troops. "N AC Guard will unite these different parts that performed the same functions,” explained Valeev RBC.
About one and a half dozen special forces are known. OSN are located in Moscow, Novocherkassk, Khabarovsk, Kemerovo, Chelyabinsk region and in the North Caucasus. The most famous of them is the 604th Red Banner Special Purpose Center, formed from the Vityaz and Rus centers.
“Vityaz”, in particular, participated in the storming of the Theater Center on Dubrovka during the hostage taking in 2002, the observer wrote “ Novaya Gazeta» Anna Politkovskaya.
Moscow "Peresvet" was created in 2006 to maintain order in the capital. “The creation of the detachment is due to the fact that in the capital there should be<…>another unit for participation in mass events,” explained its creation in 2006 by Colonel-General Nikolai Rogozhkin, Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Detachment "Vyatich", located in the city of Armavir Krasnodar region, took part in the second Chechen campaign. In 1999, in the Novolaksky region of Dagestan, “Vyatich” was attacked by militants and airstrikes by the Russian Air Force, as a result of which it suffered heavy losses (according to various estimates, from 23 to 80 people). The centers “Rosich” and “Edelweiss” participated in the Caucasian campaigns.
Chechen special forces
The 46th Separate Operational Brigade of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia is considered one of the largest in the internal troops, it includes, among other things, military units that are recruited on a national basis - these are the Chechen battalions “North” and “South”. Their total number, according to Novaya Gazeta, does not exceed 2 thousand people.
The North battalion was formed in 2006. Its members included former militants who went over to the side of Ramzan Kadyrov after 2003.
"North". The North battalion is led by Alibek Delimkhanov, brother State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov, a close associate of Ramzan Kadyrov. Several people accused in the murder of Boris Nemtsov, including the alleged killer Zaur Dadaev, served in the battalion. In the photo: soldiers of the Sever battalion in Grozny, 2009. (Photo: RIA Novosti)
The North battalion is led by Alibek Delimkhanov, the brother of State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov, whom Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov calls his successor. Ruslan Mukhudinov served in the battalion, whom investigators consider the organizer of the murder of Boris Nemtsov. An officer of the same unit was Ruslan Geremeev, whom the lawyers of the oppositionist’s relatives consider to be the real organizer of the assassination attempt. In the battalion, those whom the Investigative Committee calls the direct perpetrators are Beslan Shavanov, who died during the arrest, and the alleged murderer Zaur Dadaev.
The regiment of private security of oil infrastructure facilities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Chechnya numbers about 3 thousand people. In 2003-2006, this unit was headed by Delimkhanov. According to Memorial, the regiment was financed by the company Grozneftegaz, a subsidiary of Rosneft. Human rights activists have repeatedly accused fighters of the “oil regiment” of kidnapping and torturing Chechens.
Unification of special forces
The inclusion of law enforcement units into the National Guard troops, which were hitherto part of the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will allow them to devote more time to improving their professional skills and more clearly distribute responsibilities among themselves, says United Russia deputy Mikhail Starshinov. “SOBR and OMON units were police structures, but performed security functions. Now they will go to the security forces, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will have units that deal with operational work", he explained.
Former deputy chairman of the Security Committee Gennady Gudkov also sees no point in leaving various special forces. "There's no point in preserving them. various names, symbolism and etc. . no, because they had the same functions, but now they have merged,” he says in a conversation with RBC.
Lawyer and former investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Vladimir Zherebenkov disagrees with him. In his opinion, such units such as SOBR, Zubr, and OMON do not need to be unified. “Each of them performs its own tasks: “Vympel” is the fight against terrorism, “Zubr” is security in the colonies, OMON is about order during public events,” the lawyer notes. Different specifics of work require highly specialized specialists, Zherebenkov believes, while unification can lead to a decrease in the level of professionalism.
According to the lawyer, the authorities are too carried away with reforming the law enforcement system. “The police were renamed the police, and nothing has changed, they just spent money on rebranding,” the lawyer complains.
With the participation of Farida Rustamova, Anastasia Mikhailova, Maria Makutina
OMON and SOBR officers of the Russian Guard will switch to military service until the end of January next year, Colonel General Sergei Melikov, deputy director of the department, told reporters on Wednesday.
According to the military leader, the formation of National Guard troops takes place in three stages. During the first, territorial governing bodies of the Russian Guard were created in all regions of Russia.
At the second stage, which will be completed by August 31, 2017, it is planned to complete the formation of groups in the regions of Russia to ensure the fulfillment of “legally assigned tasks and ensuring public safety, including during the Confederations Cup.”
The latter will be held in Russia in the summer of 2017 under the auspices of the International Football Federation (FIFA) with the participation of the national teams of Russia, Germany, Portugal, Australia, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand and Cameroon. The competition is considered to be a kind of rehearsal for the World Cup in the host country.
“During the third stage, until January 31, 2018, the main task of the National Guard troops will be the transfer of OMON and SOBR police officers to military service and conduct with others law enforcement agencies joint activities to prepare for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,” Melikov explained.
According to the Regulations on the Federal Service of National Guard Troops (FSVNG), signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin last fall, the National Guard can have on its staff employees with both military and police ranks, as well as state civil servants.
Thus, the OMON, SOBR and licensing service officers who came to the Russian Guard from the Ministry of Internal Affairs retained their special ranks, and soldiers and officers of the Internal Troops are military.
Even disciplinary responsibility for guardsmen, according to the document, is divided between two charters: the Disciplinary Charter of the Armed Forces and the Disciplinary Charter of the Internal Affairs Bodies.
In February, Melikov clarified that the process of transferring riot police and SOBR officers would take the entire 2017. According to him, the procedure is complicated, in particular, by the fact that when transferring former police officers, they must undergo a military medical commission.
At the same time, the process should not affect the social guarantees of employees, advisor to the head of the Russian Guard Alexander Khinshtein explained to Gazeta.Ru.
“The director of the Russian Guard, Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov, has clearly set the task that police officers, when transferring to military service, should not lose either money or social guarantees. Today, they are subject to all the norms of the current police legislation, including social guarantees, cash payments, bonuses, medical care, and so on. Today we are actively working on rulemaking so that no one loses anything,” adviser to the head of the Russian Guard Alexander Khinshtein explained to Gazeta.Ru.
According to the presidential decree on the creation of the Russian Guard, OMON and SOBR officers “will be accepted for military service in the National Guard troops in 2018 Russian Federation V in the prescribed manner with the assignment of appropriate military ranks to them.”
The purpose of the transition of riot police and special forces to military service is the unification of fighters and officers of former police special forces and special forces of the Internal Troops. According to the country's leadership, this will make the interaction of the relevant units closer, and will also allow officers and soldiers to move from one unit to another.
Among additional features, which former police officers will automatically receive upon becoming military personnel, in particular, the choice between a preferential military mortgage or allocated ready-made housing instead of a one-time benefit to improve housing conditions.
Now the Russian Guard includes troops (former units and formations of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs), as well as regional detachments of SOBR and OMON.
According to an informed interlocutor of Gazeta.Ru in the security forces, the total staffing level of the OMON and SOBR detachments transferred to the guard alone totals more than 45 thousand soldiers. Their integration into the National Guard troops will increase the number of the latter by almost 30%. In addition, the department was transferred to the private security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Special Purpose Center for Rapid Reaction Forces and Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Okhrana.
The service, headed by Putin’s former bodyguard, Army General Zolotov, reports personally to the president. The leadership of the National Guard will discuss the procedure for interaction with colleagues from the Ministry of Internal Affairs with them independently.
At a board meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in March, the head of state said that the capabilities of the police department should increase through deepening coordination with the Russian National Guard, and not through “the growth of [its own] law enforcement component.”
As a source of Gazeta.Ru said earlier, there was talk of forming the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ own special forces from former employees of the “Grom” special forces of the abolished Federal Drug Control Service.
Starting Monday, a sudden check of combat readiness was announced in the National Guard troops, which is being carried out for the first time since the creation of the National Guard. The decision to check was made personally by Zolotov.
The events began in the Central Federal District and will continue in other federal districts, according to a message published on Monday. Command and control bodies, formations, military units and subunits are put on combat readiness. Deployed to guide forces and assets special system management. At the central command post of the National Guard troops, “gathering, summarizing, analyzing the current situation and monitoring the actions of formations and military units are carried out around the clock.”
“We are working on issues of testing readiness to fight sabotage and reconnaissance groups, terrorist and extremist groups,” the Russian National Guard clarified.
In addition, during the inspection, the Russian Guard intends to work out mechanisms to strengthen the protection of particularly important state energy, industry and transport facilities. In accordance with the plans, to strengthen their security, reserves were created from special forces units, ready for immediate action.
“A set of measures was carried out to counter terrorist threats near objects guarded by troops of the Russian National Guard, with military units special tactical exercises have been planned with access to training grounds and training centers", the Russian National Guard added.
During the exercises, “operational, special forces and reconnaissance units of the Russian Guard, using special and armored equipment, practice practical actions to neutralize conditional terrorists."
In February, the head of the contractual and legal department of the Russian Guard, Alexander Shkolnikov, said that the Russian Guard was preparing a bill to tighten liability for non-compliance with the rules of anti-terrorist protection of objects of national importance.
According to the Regulations on the Russian Guard, the department created in the spring concentrated in its hands full control over the sphere of security services, including state protection of especially important facilities, communications and facilities in the fuel and energy industry, as well as over the circulation of civilian weapons.
MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. The decision to transfer military personnel of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, as well as fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs units - SOBR and OMON - to the National Guard troops will be made only after entry into force federal law"On the troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation." A law enforcement source reported this to TASS.
“The decision on the transfer of soldiers of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as SOBR and OMON, will be made only from the moment the relevant law comes into force. The preparatory period is currently underway,” the agency’s interlocutor said, noting that recertification is not provided for military personnel of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“They will be transferred to the National Guard automatically,” the source explained.
According to him, the monetary allowance for the National Guard soldiers has not yet been determined. Currently, in the Internal Troops it ranges from 16 to 90 thousand rubles. “In the National Guard, maybe everything will be different, or maybe they will leave a similar monetary allowance. As for benefits, they have not yet been determined, since the document has not yet been adopted and there are no clarifications on this yet. In any case “, the social security of the National Guard soldiers, both those transferred from the Internal Troops and from the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will not worsen,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
In turn, the head of the press service of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Vasily Panchenkov said that the draft decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the regulation "On Federal service troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation" has aroused interest. "It has aroused interest, it is being read and studied, but it is premature to comment on anything,” he said.
New form and strength
"The guards, of course, will have new form, emblem, banner. They will take time to develop. It is expected that the new uniform will appear by the end of the year,” the source added.
The number of guardsmen will be approved by the President of the Russian Federation. “According to preliminary calculations, it could be about 300 thousand people, 170 thousand of them are those who are currently serving in the Internal Troops, more than 20 thousand are riot police, about 8-9 thousand are SOBR. To them we must add about 80 thousand employees of private security, as well as the licensing and permitting department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but they are not numerous,” the source said.
“As for the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Okhrana of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, its founder will change; it will become the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation,” he added.
Bill
On April 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a Decree on the creation of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops and submitted to the State Duma the bill “On the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation” and amendments to legislation related to its adoption.
According to the bill, among the main tasks are participation together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs in protecting public order and ensuring public safety, participation in the fight against terrorism and in ensuring the legal regime of the counter-terrorism operation, participation in the fight against extremism and participation in the territorial defense of the Russian Federation. In addition, its main tasks include the protection of important government facilities and special cargo, assistance to border authorities in the protection state border, implementation of state control over compliance with legislation in the field of arms trafficking and private security activities.
According to the draft Decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the regulation "On the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation", the new federal service will have a short name - Rosguard. It will include OMON detachments, SOBR, private security units, FSUE Okhrana, the Special Purpose Center for Rapid Reaction Forces and Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The new federal service will provide state control (supervision) over compliance with legislation in the field of arms trafficking and in the field of private security activities, as well as the implementation of private security.
The Federal Service of National Guard Troops (FSVNG, Rosgvardia) has begun a large-scale reform of special forces. As the department told Izvestia, the plan is to gather SOBR, OMON, as well as individual reconnaissance detachments (ORO) and special purpose detachments (OSpN) into the directorate of special forces (USpN) of the Russian Guard.
The new departments will be organized on a territorial basis and will be responsible for certain regions of the country. The USpN will be linked directly to the leadership of the Russian Guard, or more precisely, to the Main Directorate of the Special Forces of the FSVNG, formed last spring. In addition to law enforcement units, it is planned to include aviation in the USPN: special-purpose air squads, which were previously transferred to the department from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to military experts, the concentration of the special forces of the Russian Guard in a single fist will increase its mobility and effectiveness. Special forces will be able to redeploy at lightning speed to any point in the country to maintain law and order and conduct special operations. The opinions of the employees and military personnel of the special forces of the Russian Guard interviewed by Izvestia were divided: some believe that the new structure will solve the problems of interaction with the operational structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, others call the USPN an unnecessary bureaucratic superstructure.
From riot police to intelligence
In 2016, special forces units of the police and Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which differ greatly in the level of training and types of tasks solved, joined the Russian Guard. In the Russian Guard, special forces are conventionally divided into police and military. The military unit includes 19 separate reconnaissance detachments and special forces units, as well as the legendary 604th Red Banner Special Purpose Center “Vityaz”. Military special forces are trained to detect illegal armed groups and destroy their leaders. The number of detachments is not disclosed by the department.
SOBR tactical and special exercises
The police unit includes 123 riot police units and 82 SOBR units. More than 20 thousand people serve in them. Riot police officers are involved in ensuring security during public events. SOBRs were created to fight organized crime. Both of them have been successfully used more than once in military anti-terrorist operations in the North Caucasus.
Now these units will be brought together under one roof.
All changes are designed to increase the efficiency of the power component of the Russian Guard, the FSVNG told Izvestia.
The first control has already been created
The reform is already underway. The first experimental USPN of the Russian Guard was created in the Moscow region. It is located on the territory of the Dzerzhinsky operational division. The new structure included SOBR from Dolgoprudny and riot police units stationed in Shchelkovo, Sergiev Posad, and Podolsk. The National Guard confirmed the creation of the new center to Izvestia, but declined to comment further.
It is planned that the second USpN will appear in Pyatigorsk this year. It will include the 17th Special Forces detachment, parts of the 98th Special Motorized Regiment and riot police. From Moscow, the work of such USSpN will be supervised by the Main Directorate of USSpN of the Russian Guard.
The issue is currently being discussed optimal construction services and units of the Russian Guard, including special forces departments, the FSVNG told Izvestia. - By the end of 2018, it is planned to have four departments, each of which will cover a specific territorial-geographical area.
After the reform, the FSVNG special forces will become ultra-mobile. For this purpose, the USPN, if necessary, will be assigned aviation units of the Russian Guard on a permanent or temporary basis. In the event of a threat, special forces must be anywhere in the country within a few hours. Previously, the Special Forces Center for Rapid Reaction Forces and Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which included SOBR “Lynx” and OMON “Zubr”, operated according to this scheme.
Legal difficulties
When creating the USPN, the leadership of the Russian Guard already had to face legal problems. Special Forces and Oro units are staffed by military personnel who are subject to army legislation. They serve according to military regulations. Labor activity SOBR and OMON officers are regulated by the Law “On Police”.
Riot police officers of the Main Directorate of the Russian Guard
Now the employees of these detachments are waiting to become military personnel,” Mikhail Pashkin, chairman of the interregional Moscow police union, told Izvestia. - After signing the contracts, they will begin to live according to military regulations. Before leaving the unit, they will have to inform the commander. The command in these units will be able to introduce a barracks situation.
Telephone interaction
Riot police officers say that there are already problems with interdepartmental cooperation between the Russian Guard and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In particular, this concerns force support for police operations.
Before the reform, the head of a police unit could personally call the commander of the SOBR and OMON and within five minutes agree on a trip to the arrest, said Mikhail Pashkin. - Now we need to ask for support from the Russian Guard and wait for approval.
Former deputy commander-in-chief of the Internal Troops of Russia, Lieutenant General Pyotr Rovensky, told Izvestia that issues of interaction are already being resolved at the level of operational duty officers of the two departments, and this takes minutes.
According to the officers, the USPN will primarily have dispatch functions - accept applications from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation or the police to conduct special operations and dispatch the appropriate forces.
According to riot police officers, cooperation can be improved. To do this, the management of the new USPN needs to include employees with experience in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They know the specifics of police special operations and all the nuances of interaction with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee.
Locals fear “headquarters superstructures”
During the reform, the leadership of the Russian Guard will have to decide several difficult problems. One of the OMON officers told Izvestia that the emergence of new departments could affect the interaction and controllability of units.
The goal of any reform should be to increase efficiency, he noted. - There is a management system for SOBR and OMON, which has already proven its worth. Is it worth changing anything? The emergence of a superstructure in the form of the leadership of the USpN will inevitably affect the efficiency of decision-making.
Soldiers of the special SOBR unit
Special forces officers interviewed by Izvestia noted that combining OMON and SOBR into one structure could lead to problems. If only because the status, level of education and special training of the employees of these detachments are too different. SOBRs have always been staffed by officers, usually with the rank of major or lieutenant colonel. Riot police are mostly warrant officers. The unification of SOBR "Lynx" and OMON "Zubr" into a single structure precisely for this reason created many problems that affected the interchangeability of these units.
What's next?
The reform will increase the mobility of SOBR, OMON and military special forces into a single structure of the Russian Guard, as well as equalize the level of training of fighters from different units.
Now hundreds of OMON, SOBR and military reconnaissance units of the Russian Guard are scattered throughout the country, military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia. - The new USPN will become mobile forces. They will be able to quickly and efficiently redeploy to different areas and solve a wide range of tasks there: combat riots, detain criminals and terrorists, carry out special operations.
According to the expert, in the new centers these units will undergo a unified combat training program, using the same equipment and according to uniform departmental standards.
Now the police are partially financed from regional budgets,” said Vladislav Shurygin. “Uniforms and auxiliary equipment are purchased with this money. As a result, the SOBR and OMON detachments, although they transferred to the Russian Guard, still do not look uniform. The differences are especially pronounced in equipment and uniform. Riot police from different regions may look completely different from each other.
The most difficult thing for military reconnaissance officers to find a place in the Russian Guard. Now, unlike the 1990s and early 2000s, there are no numerous militant gangs in the North Caucasus. And the fight against terrorism is the responsibility of the FSB.
However, the presence of units with different specializations with a competent approach will allow the special forces of the Russian Guard to solve almost any problem - from protecting public events to searching for particularly dangerous gang groups in forests.
Dear Mikhail Petrovich!
We ask you to help prevent the collapse of the legendary OMON and SOBR units, which have been guarding order for many years. Team members have already repeatedly turned to your union for help. We hope that this time we will be heard through your activities. And the story is this.
In April of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin, by decree, created a new law enforcement agency in the country - the Russian Guard. A respected, authoritative leader and professional in his field, General Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov, was appointed commander. The ranks of the guard also included special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Initially, OMON and SOBR officers were proud to be part of such a force structure and perceived the transition with enthusiasm and hope for changes for the better. After all, since tsarist times, the guard has personified strength, valor and honor, protecting the interests of citizens and the state. However, the joy from these innovations was short-lived and ended when appointments of leaders to territorial bodies began. IN this moment we're talking about about management in Moscow.
The OMON and SOBR units have been going back decades. Of course, over the years, our own foundations and traditions have developed, which are supported not only by the personnel, but also by the leadership of the detachments. With the appointment of Vsevolod Ovsyannikov and Vyacheslav Pytkov (OMON and SOBR) as commanders, the soldiers and officers had confidence that these traditions would not only be maintained but also multiplied. These are respected commanders who have gone through all levels of service in our special forces, who have repeatedly participated in hostilities, they shining example courage and professionalism for all of us. But... There is also a higher leadership in the Main Directorate of the Russian Guard in Moscow, with whose arrival everything has changed.
The National Guard is created on the basis of the Internal Troops. With great respect to the experts, on what basis? Territorial? Spiritual? Which? According to the situation currently taking place in our units, it is understood as follows: Soldier, forget about everything, now you are in the army!!! Forget about what, about the spirit and traditions, about the combat path of the units? The opinion of the leadership of the Main Directorate is that we came to them and now we owe it to them for the rest of our lives.
There are many sayings that you should not go to Tula with your samovar or enter a monastery with your own charter. But Colonel Viktor Derkach does not know this. He decided to come to the riot police with a charter and turn the special unit into a construction battalion. Each member of the detachment has served in the army and knows first-hand what the hardships and deprivations of military service are. Everyone wishing to continue serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation signed contracts. The rest chose a different path. We went to serve in the special forces. But, unfortunately, after working for ten years, we are returning to square one. And there is no need to confuse a conscript soldier with a special forces soldier, who has more than one business trip to the Caucasus and more than one arrest of a dangerous criminal behind him.
Colonel Derkach, who is now acting as head of the Moscow Department of the Russian Guard, felt omnipotent in this position. Instead of solving the real existing problems of the units that arose in connection with the transition from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the new department, he issues inadequate orders and instructions. Apparently everything that is written below is a priority task!
Any movement on the parade ground was prohibited. Only march or run. Or as part of a unit. Although riot police officers at the base in Strogino have been moving freely around the parade ground for more than 15 years, this did not in any way affect the quality of performance of official tasks.
Labels of the established type must be placed on all premises - red with bronze letters. All leaders from squad commanders to battalions are now puzzled not by the organization of service and preparation for it, but where and how to print these tags.
All uniforms should be stored in identical cases, and shoes - in special identical bags for shoes. Each department has metal cabinets for equipment and uniforms, where employees always carefully stored their property without any covers and nothing happened to it for so many years. And it turns out we have to buy the covers at our own expense?!
Remove flowers, calendars (!!!) and equipment that is not on the department’s balance sheet from office premises. Unfortunately, there is not enough funding for all office equipment, and some employees who take a responsible approach to performing their tasks, whenever possible, perform work on personal computer equipment. This never interfered, but only facilitated the work process. How calendars interfered with Derkach - no one still understands, and we have not yet been taught to determine the day of the week by the sun,
Within the established time limits, OMON and SOBR officers were required to visit two museums and a concert of a song and dance ensemble Internal Troops, and commanders need to report on the activities carried out. In accordance with Derkach’s order, it is necessary to visit the specified places within 10 days from December 15 to 25, and 100% of the personnel must attend excursions and concerts! That is, people for such important task need to be recalled from vacation! Not to mention the fact that employees who already work almost seven days a week will be required to attend cultural events on their days off. And what good will be the culture that they are trying to impose by force? What kind of responsibility will follow in the event of failure to comply with such an order of national importance is scary to even think about! And Colonel Viktor Derkach himself, together with riot policemen, will probably serve in the protection of public order during the cultural recreation of the soldiers.
This may seem like complete nonsense to some, but the destruction of the national idea and spirit comes precisely from the useless, incomprehensible innovations of incompetent leaders. By the way, the leadership of the State Administration is already demonstrating its competence at mass protests in the capital.
The leadership of the riot police provided a base for the deployment of the Main Directorate of the Russian Guard in Moscow. And he probably already regretted it. Here we must pay tribute to Deinichenko. The riot police headquarters were evicted from the renovated offices, freeing up these premises for the main administration. Where did the riot police officers go? They will be comfortable in the basement, in the production building, and maybe even on the roof - this is a universal special forces, according to Derkach. The personnel department employees were packed like sardines into a barrel in one office along with personal files - about fifteen people. You walk in and are amazed - try to find your personnel officer in this confusion and resolve service issues! If they do this to the headquarters, then what should the soldiers (combat soldiers, according to the new leadership) expect?
Why does Derkach need to think about his personnel? The main thing is to line up on time, report and draw a map. This is his priority.
Here's another case. The law prohibits smoking on premises. On the territory of the base there are specially designated areas for smokers outside. But the law is not written to Derkach. He smokes right at his workplace. Some squad members also don’t mind smoking at work, but for them this will most likely end in dismissal.
Now we are beginning to envy the SOBR and OMON officers, who probably foresaw that with such authorized commanders the spirit of the police would be suppressed, and did not join the Russian Guard, remaining in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It seems that after everything that begins to happen in the units, the shortage will only grow, and accordingly people will be removed from the weekend, as is happening now. Just how to give away days off, or the soldiers don’t need them. How long will all this continue???
With this approach to management, the Russian Guard in Moscow will soon be left without professionals from the riot police and special forces. Our units have repeatedly proven their loyalty to the oath and professionalism, fighting lawlessness and disruption of order. And if we stand on the threshold of the Ukrainian scenario, who will protect the country? Are the young conscript soldiers into whom the unbridled personnel policy all sorts of jerks? And most importantly, will the person be able to give an order?
Dear Mikhail Petrovich!
We sent this letter in order to find out the truth - do ordinary employees support the actions of the new management or not?
The letter is not signed, so some statements may be questionable.
Respond, OMON and SOBR officers.