In the course of OSINT reconnaissance, focused on identifying and identifying the Russian occupying forces located on the territory of Ukraine, undeniable evidence was obtained confirming the presence of servicemen from the 22nd Special Forces Brigade in the Luhansk region of Ukraine (military unit 11659, the location of Stepnoy , Rostov region) Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces.
As a result of studying the profiles of social networks of servicemen of the 22nd Special Forces Brigade (photographs georeferenced / objects, contacts, comments, statuses, etc.), photographs were revealed that were uploaded in May 2015, taken in Luhansk in recognizable places against the background of local sights: the monument to the tank of the First World War "Mark-5", in the park "Friendship of Peoples" and in the Zoo.
All these photos were posted on the profile page of the social network of one of the servicemen of the 22nd Special Forces Brigade, Iskander Garipov located in the so-called. "Ukrainian business trip".
Among the photo collection of Garipov's album, a group photo should be distinguished, which shows three servicemen dressed in non-statutory uniforms, one of them has a chevron of “Novorossiya”.
Having studied Garipov's "profile", it was possible to establish the identities of the other two, who also turned out to be Russian contract servicemen from the same 22nd Special Forces Brigade. So:
1. Iskander Garipov (archived: profile and photo album) - the fact that he is a serviceman of the RF Armed Forces, in particular, of the 22nd Special Forces Brigade, directly and indirectly confirms a number of evidence. By his profile, you can track the entire track record - from military service in the Northern Fleet to subsequent service under a contract:
- Garipov served for about 2 years in the 346th Special Forces Brigade (military unit 31681, Kabardino-Balkaria, Prokhladny) of the GRU: he underwent paratrooper training in Mozdok, North Ossetia, special training at the center for training reconnaissance units at the Daryal mountain range in North Ossetia, a special course based on the 16th Special Forces Brigade (military unit 54607, Tambov).
- Since 2015 Garipov already appears in the status of a serviceman of the 22nd special forces brigade of the GRU, which is stationed in the Rostov region, which is confirmed by a number of photographic evidence of 2015, including a photograph with a chevron of the 22nd Special Forces brigade (one of the variants of the chevron of this special forces brigade), as well as photographs from the skiing championship of the Southern Military District.
Note: According to information from open sources, including the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in February 2015 in Volgograd, a ski racing championship was held in Volgograd, among the participants and winners are the teams of the 58th and 49th combined-arms armies, the 4th Air Force Command and Air defense, as well as a special forces compound from Rostov-on-Don.
2. Alexander Ryazantsev - the second commando, who appears in the collective photo from Luhansk on the page of the aforementioned Garipov and has the same photo in his photo album, is also a serviceman of the 22nd Brigade of the Special Forces.
As a result of studying Ryazantsev's profile, which turned out to be much more modest than the page of the previous special forces soldier Garipov, it was still possible to restore a number of events and a track record: service and training (presumably sergeant courses) at the Ryazan Airborne School, service in the 346th Special Forces brigade - passing special training in the aforementioned Daryal Special Training Centers and mountain-mountaineering training at the Tertskol Mountain Training Center in Kabardino-Balkaria, participation in the ski championship of the Southern Military District in February 2015.
At the end of 1950, a diplomatic conflict broke out between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. As a result, the military leadership of the USSR had to reorganize in the districts bordering the Mongolian People's Republic and the PRC. As a result of these measures, the Turkestan Military District since 1960 already consisted of two: Turkestan and Central Asian. The latter required new military formations responsible for combat and logistics support. So, in 1976, the 22nd separate brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate (22 OBRSPN GRU) was created. You will find information about the history of the creation of this formation, participation in special operations and the leadership team in the article.
Acquaintance
The General Staff of the GRU of Russia has 15 army units. Among them there are also 22 OBRSPN GRU. According to experts, this military formation is the only one that has been awarded the title of "Guards". It is noteworthy that it was assigned only to those formations of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army that showed heroism and especially distinguished themselves during the years of the Great Patriotic War.
About the formation of the unit
In March 1976, directive No. 314/5/00359 was created, according to which a special task force brigade for the new Central Asian military district should be formed by August of this year. 22 OBRSPN GRU was created in the city of Kapchagoy in a military town, in which the 1164th anti-aircraft artillery regiment was stationed. It was later reorganized into a rocket. The first commander of the brigade, IK Moroz, took over the arrangement of the unit. To create 22 OBRSPN GRU, one battalion of special forces and radio communications was transferred, which was previously listed as the 15th separate brigade in the city of Chirchik (Uzbek SSR). The 22nd Separate Guards Special Forces Brigade was formed already in July 1976. The replenishment was carried out under the leadership of V.A.Voinov.
First stage
As retired Colonel Boris Kerimbayev recalls in his article "Kapchagai Battalion", in the first months the infrastructure in the unit was not up to the mark. In the absence of barracks, the soldiers lived in tents. To keep warm, the servicemen had to constantly train. For this reason, the cold was considered a plus. Despite the fact that the 22nd separate brigade of the GRU of the General Staff had only one parachute company, special attention was paid to parachute jumping from the very beginning. As B. Kerimbayev recalls, training in this area was completed by almost every fighter. Soon the Kapchagoy 22 OBRSPN GRU General Staff became the best in the military district and the country.
Commanders and awards
The command of the fighters of the 22nd Guards OBRSPN GRU was carried out by the following military in the rank of colonel:
- from 1976 to 1979 I. K. Moroz;
- from 1979 to 1983 S. I. Gruzdev;
- from 1983 to 1987 D. M. Gerasimov;
- from 1987 to 1988 Yu. A. Sapalov.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Colonel S. Breslavsky (1994-1995) led the military personnel of the 22nd Specialized Brigade. - Popovich A.M., from 1997 to 2002 - P. S. Lipiev.
The brigade received the following awards:
- Passing Banner of the Military Council of SAVO.
- "For Courage and Military Valor" in 1987.
- In 2001 she was awarded the title of "Guards".
Formation of the 177th detachment
The separate 22nd special forces brigade became the base for the formation of the 177th separate special forces unit (177th oospn). The formation was intended to carry out reconnaissance and sabotage activities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC. For this reason, the 177th detachment recruited 300 servicemen of Uyghur nationality. Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and Turkmens were hired as officers. Judging by numerous reviews, 70% of the 177th separate detachment in 22 OBRSPN GRU consisted of Turkic-speaking graduates of general military schools. The officers studied Chinese at an accelerated rate. The staff consisted of three reconnaissance companies and additional: grenade launcher, engineering flamethrower (or engineering mortar) and transport companies. The battalion staff was also manned by an anti-aircraft artillery group, a repair platoon, a headquarters security group and a medical platoon. According to military experts, there have not yet been army formations with such a complete set, equipment and organizational structure. This measure was taken in order to increase the unit's firepower in the event of the outbreak of hostilities. In 1981, the hour came for the conscripts to be fired. A new set was required. The detachment was trained for work in Afghanistan.
Operations in Afghanistan
According to experts, the Amin regime in December 1979 was overthrown not by local rebels, but by the Soviet special forces of the State Security Committee, namely by the soldiers of the 22nd separate battalion. The servicemen arrived in complete secrecy. The place for their deployment was first chosen by Maimen, and then by the Panjiri Gorge. The combat missions were performed on the Salang pass near Kabul and Jalalabad, in the vicinity of the city of Bagram.
In 1984, the Soviet Union decided to eliminate the channels through which weapons and ammunition were supplied to Afghanistan for the Mujahideen. The special forces fighters were tasked with controlling the routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Soviet units destroyed caravans, conducted reconnaissance. Soldiers of the 22nd separate brigade killed 5 thousand Afghan mujahideen. Over the entire period of service, the brigade suffered losses: 199 people were killed.
Operations in Russia
In 1992, the 22nd brigade from Azerbaijan was redeployed to Rostov. 22 OBRSPN GRU were involved during the Ossetian-Ingush mazhnational conflict. The fighters carried out raids and blockaded areas. In December 1994, servicemen of the 22nd separate brigade arrived in Ichkeria by the forces of the OBRSPN, constitutional order was established.
In 1998, the General Staff analyzed the situation in Dagestan. The 22nd separate brigade was also sent there. The soldiers carried out reconnaissance of the area, studied the security warning system operating on the border with the Chechen Republic. In addition, spetsnaz servicemen monitored the channels through which oil products obtained illegally were sold.
With law enforcement officers, channels of trafficking in drugs, ammunition and weapons were identified. During the revolt of the Wahhabis, the troops received the necessary intelligence from the special forces. In 2008, servicemen of the 22nd brigade were sent to South Ossetia. 500 soldiers received state awards, another 8 were awarded the high title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
Our days
Today they are serving in 22 OBRSPN GRU under a contract in the village of Stepnoy, Rostov Region. The composition is represented by:
- the company responsible for material support;
- commandant company;
- a special communications detachment;
- a company of special weapons;
- a platoon, whose duty is to provide technical support for the brigade;
- engineer platoon.
The brigade has armored vehicles "Typhoon-K" and "Tiger". There are also 11 D-30A towed howitzers produced in 1963 in the amount of 11 pieces.
22nd Guards Separate Special Forces Brigade of the GRU. (22th Guards Special Forces GRU General Staff of the Ministry of Defense) For the courage and heroism shown by the servicemen of 22 Special Forces on the territory of the Republic of Afghanistan, more than three thousand people were awarded state awards, four of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and nine Hero of Russia. In the fall of 1985, it was decided to form another detachment as part of the 22nd special brigade. For this, it was planned to use the resources of the 40th Army. In accordance with this decision, at the end of 1985, on the basis of the 5th mechanized infantry division stationed in Shindand, 411 ooSpN was formed. His place of deployment was the city of Farahrud. Captain A.G. Fomin, who had previously been chief of staff of 186 ooSpN, was appointed to the post of detachment commander. The end of the eighties - the beginning of the nineties were marked by mass public unrest, as well as armed actions of militants of all kinds of separatist groups. From the 22nd brigade on November 23, 1988, the 173rd detachment was recruited to carry out tasks to maintain constitutional order in Baku. Located in the Kirov district of the city - a place of compact residence of Armenians, the detachment bore a special load to prevent acts of violence and robbery directed against the Armenians. 1989 was especially difficult. In the period from April to June 1990 and from May to July 1991, the 173rd separate special forces unit again took part in the settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Groups of the detachment, operating on the territory of Armenia in the area of n. Nayamberian and Shavar Shavan, destroyed 19 hail guns that fired at the settlements of Azerbaijan. After the collapse of the USSR in 1992, the brigade was transferred to the North Caucasian Military District. The withdrawal of the compound in its entirety was hindered by Azerbaijani nationalists. They wanted weapons and military equipment to remain in Azerbaijan. But Colonel Gerasimov, who had recently commanded it in Afghanistan, was responsible for the withdrawal of the brigade to Russia from the GRU. He responded to the ultimatum demands of the nationalists with his ultimatum, saying that if the cars were not removed from the road, he would order to open fire to kill. There was no need to repeat the ultimatum, and the brigade entered Russia without hindrance. But even here the brigade's units did not have to sit idle. Groups of the 173rd detachment performed special tasks in 1994 in the Republic of North Ossetia during the Ossetian-Ingush conflict. As soon as it was over, the events in Chechnya began. An operational group of 173 ooSpN, reinforced by support units, left for Chechnya at the end of 1994 and only left in October 1996. The brigade's commandos took part in the events in Budennovsk, being in helicopters in readiness to destroy the militants released by Chernomyrdin, inflicted the main defeat on the breakthrough detachments of Salman Raduyev near Pervomaisky, and ambushed the field commanders of the militants. During the first Chechen campaign, the actions of the brigade were led by Colonels S.V. Breslavsky and A.M. Popovich, both commanders of special forces in Afghanistan. In 1997, the brigade was headed by Lieutenant Colonel Pyotr Semenovich Lipiev. A small respite - and again the 411th and 173rd detachments in early 1998 began to conduct reconnaissance on the territory of Dagestan in the area of the border with the self-proclaimed Ichkeria. With the outbreak of hostilities in 1999 (in Dagestan), and then in Chechnya, the special forces of the 22nd brigade were constantly at the forefront of the strike. In April 2001, the 22nd separate special-purpose brigade was given the honorary name "Guards" for the massive heroism and courage, perseverance and courage shown by the personnel in hostilities to protect state interests in an armed conflict. In August last year, servicemen of the formation were involved in an operation to stabilize relations between Georgia and South Ossetia. The brigade is currently performing service and combat missions in Chechnya and Dagestan. The command has repeatedly recognized the units as the best in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of combat work in the North Caucasus
Hello, I saw inaccuracy the first number of this brigade was 42610, based on the consolidated detachment stationed in the city of Chirchik, Tashkent region. The described data on the formed detachment in the 80th year had the name among us "Muslim battalion", he was outside the territory of the unit and lived in tents And they were from all over the USSR and the criterion was one ... nationality. Also, the battalion that stood in the GDR against the city of Tsvaybryukin in the period 70 and before the collapse is not indicated. Three stories from the old brigade))))
1.On the order of Zaitsev, more precisely, according to his favorite words "I come and wonder" he said the following that when passing by the fish factory he discovered that some fishermen have Lenin, but our brigade does not have it !!! tomorrow, and distributedt 1 baht is responsible for the monument, 2 for the pedestal, and the third for the flowerbed))) in general, it happened)) though the next day at the gate of the checkpoint arrived 10-15 cars with the prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the administration. went out to them because the brigade commander was not there ... well, he raised a guard in full combat at the checkpoint, put the first line of the rest at random and ordered that any person crossing the white line at the checkpoint should be immediately shot, and added which of the soldiers would do the first thing to go home to vacation)) in general, there is no better dream for a soldier)) of course everyone left ... then from the stories I heard that he was summoned to the district, they gave him a strict one, and after a couple of months the extraordinary rank of colonel)))
2.The water was bad, and we just didn't have time to get to ZIL, in general, the old servicemen said to give birth to some water)) Well, the soldiers went to the city. They walk and see a barrel tied with a chain to a tree, and the KVAS inscription had a very effect on them, more precisely the fact that it is complete)). The barrel lost its chain and headed across the river to the steppe))) and by roundabout ways to the brigade. )
3.Well, this is directly related to me, our brigade commander "pioneer" made an unthinkable sports town, we hung there)) but that's just the trouble he said after building us, everything is done, the asphalt will also be one of these days, but there is no skating rink ... . general vacation to the one who "will give birth to this miracle"))) I went to the city. And passing by the newly built kindergarten I saw HIM)))) returning to the unit walked through the "kents" and purely out of friendship asked for help, was afraid the bride would be taken away)) ) there were 20 volunteers. I went to the DC and explained the situation ... more precisely, it was all on the orders of the brigade commander, he said I don’t know and I don’t see anything, then behind the car)) in general, they carefully tied the watchman with a caramultuk and loaded the skating rink on Zila. from the weight in front of the truck, almost lifted off the ground, well, they solved the problem very radically)) who is on the cool, who is on the hood)) imagine Zil is going and his 20 people are stuck in front))) well, in part of us, a guy with a spray gun was already waiting for us. it has an inverter number, like the part number. "Pioneer" liked to throw waves well, for a part, well, and through the guardroom to catch vigilance))) and some knew that during that night, and the skating rink stood in a prominent place)) When he saw it, he probably walked around for 10-15 minutes)) touched the paint, ehh not yet dried up))) the guys are pushing me in the side, they say, go, I gently approach and then he sees my maneuver responds to me, I run up, report and he is so well and that he starts up ??? I say yes. , smiles. Does he even go ?? I say, of course !! In general, he takes me by the sleeve, went to the personnel department, and I get the cherished leave to get married)))) There were such funny cases))) Thank you