Russian paratroopers are revered not only in their own country. They are respected by the whole world. It is known that one American general said that if he had a company of Russian paratroopers, he would conquer the whole planet. Among the legendary formations of the Russian army - 45 special forces regiment of the Airborne Forces. It has an interesting story, the central part of which is occupied by heroic deeds.
We are proud of our paratroopers, we honor their courage, valor and willingness to defend the interests of the Motherland at any cost. The glorious pages of the military history of the USSR, and then Russia, appeared, largely thanks to the heroic exploits of the paratrooper soldiers. The soldiers serving in the Airborne Forces fearlessly carried out the most difficult tasks and special operations. Airborne troops are among the most prestigious formations of the Russian army. Soldiers strive to get there, wanting to feel involved in the creation of the glorious military history of their country.
45th Airborne Regiment: basic facts
45th Special Forces Airborne Regiment was formed in early 1994. Its base was separate battalions number 218 and 901. By the middle of the year, the regiment was equipped with weapons and fighters. The 45th regiment began its first military operation in December 1994 in Chechnya. The paratroopers participated in the battles until February 1995, and then returned to the Moscow region, to their base of deployment on a permanent basis. In 2005, the regiment received the Battle Banner of the Guards Regiment number 119 of the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
From the moment of foundation, the military formation became known as the 45th Airborne Reconnaissance Regiment. But at the beginning of 2008 it was renamed the Special Forces Regiment. In August of that year, she participated in a special operation to force Georgia to peace. In 2010, the tactical group of regiment number 45 ensured the safety of Russian citizens during the riots in Kyrgyzstan.
Background
The basis for the formation of the 45th Separate Guards Regiment was the 218th and 901th Special Forces Battalions. The soldiers of the first battalion by that time took part in three military operations. In the summer of 1992, the battalion served in Transnistria, in September - in the territories where the conflict between the Ossetian and Ingush combat groups took place, and in December - in Abkhazia.
Since 1979, battalion number 901 was part of the Soviet troops in Czechoslovakia, in 1989 it was redeployed to Latvia and transferred to the structure of the Baltic Military District. In 1991, the 901st Special Forces Battalion was redeployed to the Abkhaz ASSR. In 1992, it was renamed the paratrooper battalion. In 1993, the formation performed tasks related to the protection of state and military facilities. In the fall of 1993, the battalion was redeployed in the suburbs. Then came the 45th Airborne Regiment of Russia.
Awards
In 1995, the 45th Airborne Regiment received a Certificate of Merit from the President of Russia for his services to the country. In July 1997, the formation was presented with the Banner of the Airborne Regiment No. 5, which participated in the hostilities during the Great Patriotic War. In 2001, the regiment received Vympel from the Minister of Defense of Russia for courage, high military training and real valor when participating in hostilities in Chechnya. The 45th Guards Airborne Regiment owns the Kutuzov Order - a corresponding decree was signed by the President of Russia. The military formation was awarded this award for success in the heroic performance of military operations, shown by the soldiers and the command of heroism, courage. The regiment became the first carrier of the Kutuzov Order in the recent history of our country. In July 2009, the formation received the possession of the St. George Banner.
The title of Hero of Russia was received by ten fighters whose place of service was the 45th Airborne Regiment. The Order of Courage was awarded to 79 paratroopers. The medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" of the second degree was awarded to ten servicemen of the regiment. Seventeen and three paratroopers, respectively, received the orders “For Military Merit”, as well as “For Merit to the Fatherland”. 174 servicemen received medals “For Courage”, 166 Suvorov medals. Seven people were awarded the Zhukov medal.
Anniversary
Kubinka near Moscow - 45th Airborne Regiment is based there - in July 2014 it was the place where the anniversary celebrations dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the formation took place. The event was held in an open door format - paratroopers showed their combat skills to the guests, parachute units launched the flag of the Airborne Forces, and the famous pilots from the Russian Knights team showed miracles of aerobatics on fighters.
Legendary regiment as part of the Airborne Forces
The type of troops, which includes the 45th regiment, is the Airborne Forces (Airborne Troops) of Russia. Their story starts from August 2, 1930. Then in our country the first paratroopers of the Moscow District Air Force landed with a parachute. It was a kind of experiment that showed military theorists how promising parachute units could be in terms of military operations. The first official unit of the USSR airborne troops appeared only in the next year in the Leningrad Military District. The composition of the formation included 164 people, all of them military personnel from the airborne landing squad. By the beginning of World War II, there were five airborne corps in the USSR, each of which served 10,000 soldiers.
Airborne Forces during World War II
With the outbreak of war, all Soviet airborne corps entered into battles taking place on the territory of the Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Lithuanian Republics. The largest operation involving paratroopers during the war is considered to be a battle with a group of Germans near Moscow in early 1942. Then 10 thousand paratroopers won the most important victory for the front. Parts of the airborne forces were connected to the battles near Stalingrad.
The paratroopers of the Soviet army honorably fulfilled the duty to defend the city. The USSR Airborne Forces took part in the battles after the defeat of Nazi Germany - in August 1945 they fought in the Far East against the imperial armed forces of Japan. Over 4 thousand paratroopers helped the Soviet troops to win the most important victories in this direction of the front.
After the war
According to the observation of military analysts, in the post-war development strategy of the USSR Airborne Forces, special attention was paid to organizing military operations behind enemy lines, increasing the combat effectiveness of soldiers, and interacting with army units, subject to possible use of atomic weapons. The troops began to be equipped with new aircraft of the AN-12 and AN-22 type, which, thanks to their high carrying capacity, could deliver automobile equipment, armored vehicles, artillery, and other means of warfare to the enemy rear.
Every year, an increasing number of military exercises were conducted with the participation of airborne troops. Among the largest - held in the spring of 1970 in the Belarusian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. As part of the Dvina exercises, more than 7 thousand soldiers and more than 150 military vehicles and guns were landed. In 1971, the South exercises of comparable proportions were held. In the late 1970s, the use of new Il-76 aircraft in landing operations was first tested. Until the collapse of the USSR, airborne soldiers at each exercise repeatedly showed the highest combat training.
Russian airborne troops today
Now the Airborne Forces are considered a structure that is called upon independently (or as part of the Ground Forces) to carry out combat missions in conflicts of various scales - from local to global. About 95% of the airborne units are in constant combat readiness. Airborne forces are considered one of the most mobile arms of Russia. They are also called upon to fulfill the functions of conducting military operations behind enemy lines.
The Russian Airborne Forces includes four divisions, its own training center, institute, as well as a large number of structures performing work on providing, supplying and servicing.
The motto of the Russian Airborne Forces is “Nobody but us!” The service of the paratrooper is considered by many to be one of the most prestigious and at the same time difficult. As of 2010, 4,000 officers, 7,000 contract soldiers, and 24,000 conscripts served in the Airborne Forces. Another 28,000 are civilian personnel.
Paratroopers and operation in Afghanistan
The largest participation of the Airborne Forces in hostilities after the Great Patriotic War took place in Afghanistan. The battles involved 103 divisions, 56 assault brigades, 345 airborne regiments, two battalions, and motorized rifle brigades. A number of military analysts believe that the specifics of the conduct of hostilities in Afghanistan did not imply the appropriateness of using parachute landing as a method of transferring the combat strength of the army. This, according to analysts, is due to the mountainous topography of the country, as well as the high level of costs for such operations. The personnel of the Airborne Forces, as a rule, were transferred using helicopters.
The largest operation of the USSR Airborne Forces in Afghanistan was the Panjer battle in 1982. It was attended by more than 4 thousand paratroopers (with a total number of soldiers involved in the operation of 12 thousand people). As a result of the fighting, the Soviet army was able to take control of the main part of the Panjer Gorge.
The fighting of the Airborne Forces after the collapse of the USSR
The paratroopers, despite the difficult times that came after the collapse of the superpower, continued to defend the interests of their country. They were often peacekeepers in the territories of the former Soviet republics. Russian paratroopers declared themselves to the whole world during the conflict in Yugoslavia in 1999. Soldiers of the Russian Airborne Forces made the famous throw at Pristina, having managed to get ahead of the military from NATO.
Throw on Pristina
On the night of June 11-12, 1999, Russian paratroopers appeared on the territory of Yugoslavia, starting movement from neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina. They managed to take an airfield located near the city of Pristina. There, a few hours later, NATO soldiers appeared. Some details of those events are known. In particular, US Army General Clark ordered his colleague from the British Armed Forces to prevent the Russians from taking control of the airfield. He replied that he did not want to provoke a third world war. However, the bulk of the information on the substance of the operation in Pristina is not - all of it is classified.
Russian paratroopers in Chechnya
The Russian Airborne Forces took part in both Chechen wars. Regarding the first, most of the data is still classified. It is known, for example, that among the most famous operations of the second campaign with the participation of the Airborne Forces is the Battle of Argun. The Russian army received the task - to block a strategically significant section of transport routes passing through the Argun Gorge. According to him, the separatists received food, weapons and medicines. The paratroopers joined the operation in December as part of the 56th Airborne Regiment.
The heroic feat of the paratroopers participating in the battles for 776 heights near the Chechen Ulus-Kert is known. In February 2000, a sixth company of the Airborne Forces from Pskov entered the battle with the group of Khattab and Basayev, ten times larger in numbers. During the day, militants were blocked inside the Argun Gorge. Performing the task, the soldiers of the Pskov Airborne Company did not spare themselves. Only 6 fighters survived.
Russian paratroopers and the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
In the 90s, units of the Russian Airborne Forces performed in the territories where the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict occurred, mainly peacekeeping functions. But in 2008, the paratroopers participated in military operations. When the Georgian army attacked South Ossetia, parts of the Russian army, including the 76th Russian Airborne Division from Pskov, were sent to the war zone. According to several military analysts, there were no major landing landings in this special operation. However, according to experts, the participation of Russian paratroopers had a psychological effect - primarily on the political leadership of Georgia.
Forty-fifth Regiment: Renaming
Recently, there is information that the 45th Airborne Regiment may receive the honorary name of the Preobrazhensky regiment. A military formation with this name was founded by Peter the Great and became legendary. There is a version that the initiative that the 45th Airborne Regiment of the Russian Federation should be renamed proceeds from the statement of the President of Russia, who expressed the opinion that formations named after the famous regiments such as Semenovsky, Preobrazhensky should appear in the Russian army. At one of the military councils of the Russian Airborne Forces, as indicated in some sources, the President’s proposal was considered, and as a result, those responsible were given the task of preparing information on the start of work on the creation of historical army regiments. It is possible that the rank of Preobrazhensky will receive the 45th Special Forces Regiment of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation.