In late 1950, a diplomatic conflict occurred 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 China. As a result of these measures, the Turkestan Military District since 1960 already consisted of two: Turkestan and Central Asian. For the latter, new military formations responsible for combat and rear support were required. So, in 1976, the 22nd separate special-purpose brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate (22 OBrSpN GRU) was created. Information about the history of the formation of this formation, participation in special operations and the leadership team can be found in the article.
Acquaintance
The General Staff of the GRU of Russia has 15 army special forces. Among them are 22 OBrSpN GRU. According to experts, this military formation is the only one that was awarded the title of "Guards". It is noteworthy that he was appropriated only to those formations of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army that showed heroism and especially distinguished themselves during the years of World War II.
On the formation of the unit
In March 1976, a directive No. 314/5/00359 was created, according to which by August this year a special forces brigade should be formed for the new Central Asian military district. 22 OBRSpN GRU created in the city of Kapchagoi (Kazakh SSR) in a military town in which the 1164th anti-aircraft artillery regiment was stationed. He was later reorganized into rocket. The first brigade commander I.K. Moroz was engaged in arranging the unit. To create 22 OBRSpN GRU, they transferred one battalion of special forces and radio communications, which had previously been assigned to the 15th separate brigade in the city of Chirchik (Uzbek SSR). The 22nd Separate Guards Special Forces Brigade was formed in July 1976. Replenishment was carried out under the guidance of V. A. Voinov.
First stage
As retired Colonel Boris Kerimbaev recalls in his article “The Kapchagai Battalion”, in the first months the infrastructure in the unit was not up to standard. Due to the lack of barracks, soldiers lived in tents. To warm, the military personnel were forced to constantly train. For this reason, cold was regarded as a plus. Despite the fact that the staff of the 22nd separate brigade of the GRU of the General Staff had only one parachute company, from the very beginning, special attention was paid to parachuting. As B. Kerimbaev recalls, training in this area was completed by almost every fighter. Soon the Kapchagoy 22 OBrSpN GRU GSh became the best in the military district and the country.
Commanders and awards
The command of the soldiers of the 22nd Guards OBrSpN GRU was carried out by the following military men with 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), from 1995 to 1997, led the military personnel of 22 OBrSpN. - Popovich A.M., from 1997 to 2002. - P.S. Lipiev.
The team 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”.
The formation of the 177th detachment
A separate 22nd special forces brigade became the basis for the formation of the 177th separate special forces detachment (177th Special Forces). The formation was intended to carry out intelligence and sabotage activities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC. For this reason, in the 177th detachment, 300 troops of Uyghur nationality were recruited. Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and Turkmens took over as officers. Judging by numerous reviews, in 22 OBRSpN GRU, 70% of the 177th separate detachment consisted of Turkic-speaking graduates of combined-arms schools. Officers studied Chinese at an accelerated rate. The state included three reconnaissance companies and additional ones: a grenade launcher, an engineering flamethrower (or engineering mortar), and a transport company. The battalion staff was also equipped with an anti-aircraft artillery group, a repair platoon, a headquarters security group and a medical platoon. According to military experts, there were no army units with similar equipment, equipment, and organizational structure. This measure was taken in order to increase the firepower of the unit in the event of hostilities. In 1981, the time came to dismiss conscripts. A new set was required. The detachment was prepared for work in Afghanistan.
Operations in Afghanistan
According to experts, in December 1979, the Amin regime was not overthrown by local rebels, but by the Soviet special forces of the State Security Committee, namely the soldiers of the 22nd separate battalion. The servicemen arrived in complete secrecy. The place for their deployment was first Meimen, and then the Panjersky Gorge. The place of combat missions was Salang Pass near Kabul and Jalalabad, a neighborhood of the city of Bagram.
In 1984, the military command of the Soviet Union decided to liquidate the channels through which arms and ammunition were delivered to the Mujahideen for Afghanistan. The task force was tasked with fighters - to control the paths between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Soviet units destroyed caravans and carried out reconnaissance. Soldiers of the 22nd separate brigade destroyed 5, 000 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 relocated to Rostov. 22 OBRSpN GRU involved during the Ossetian-Ingush major conflict. Fighters carried out raids and blocked areas. In December 1994, servicemen of the 22nd separate brigade arrived in the Chechen Republic. In Ichkeria, the forces of the ObrSpN brought constitutional order.
In 1998, the General Staff of the Armed Forces analyzed the situation in Dagestan. The 22nd separate brigade was sent there. The fighters carried out reconnaissance of the area, studied the security alert system operating on the border with the Chechen Republic. In addition, special forces troops tracked the channels through which oil products obtained illegally were sold.
Law enforcement agencies identified channels for the sale of narcotic substances, ammunition and weapons. During the Wahhabi revolt, 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.
