Among all the existing combat arms in the Russian Armed Forces, the command places especially high hopes on the airborne troops, which have already proved their effectiveness in performing various combat missions. During the conflict in Afghanistan, Chechnya and other hot spots, the Ryazan 137th Airborne Regiment was especially distinguished.
Ryazan - the capital of paratroopers
This city can rightfully be considered the center of the airborne forces. There are a number of institutions in Ryazan that are directly related to these troops:
- Higher Command School of the Airborne Forces named after V.F. Margelova.
- Airborne Museum.
- Monument to the first paratrooper Army General Margelov V.F. (located on the central square of the city).
- Alley of Heroes of the Airborne Forces.
- 137th paratrooper regiment. Today it is known as the 137th Airborne Regiment.
Ryazan is a city in which big holidays are celebrated at the same time. This is City Day, the Day of the Prophet Elijah and Airborne Forces Day.
When was the 137th Airborne Regiment created?
Ryazan has excellent conditions for training airborne personnel. In 1948, on the basis of the 347th Ryazan Parachute Airborne Guards Regiment (RAP), an airborne landing regiment was created. In 1949, it was renamed the Guards 137th RAP.
In 1997, the 137th Airborne Regiment (Ryazan) was awarded the honor of being called the Kuban Cossack Regiment and received the Order of the Red Star. The unit is part of the 106th Red Banner Guards Airborne Division. Its headquarters is deployed in Tula. Troops are located in cities such as Tula, Narofominsk and Ryazan.
Events in Nagorno-Karabakh
To destroy the gangs and restore public order, among other units, 137 Airborne Regiment (Ryazan) was used. 1980 was the beginning of a difficult period in the life of the country. In 1988, a reunification movement with Armenia arose in Nagorno-Karabakh . Azerbaijan stirred up a series of rallies and demonstrations that ended in bloody clashes. After the tragic events in Sumgait, the general terror and destruction, the previously thriving industrial city was on the verge of an economic and technological disaster. The Soviet leadership decided to attract the 137th Airborne Regiment (Ryazan) to resolve the conflict. After the landing of a regiment near the city of Baku, the unit commander, Lieutenant Colonel V. Khatskevich, sent an airborne assault to fulfill the assigned task (neutralizing bandit groups). Upon completion of the combat mission, the regiment returned back to the city of Ryazan.
Military operations in Grozny
The first and second Chechen campaigns did not bypass the Ryazan regiment. Lieutenant Colonel G. Yurchenko (commander) in November 1994 was tasked with arriving in Grozny. And on New Year's Eve of 1995, an order was issued to break into the area of the railway station. There was surrounded by the 131st motorized rifle brigade. The commanders of the two landing companies Koshelev and Teplinsky decided to gain a foothold in the two five-story buildings closest to the station. From there the attack on the militants was carried out. The Ryazan regiment became a cover for the Russian armored group, which attacked the bandits from the back of the station. Terrorists did not provide resistance for long. In January 1995, the Airborne Regiment launched an assault on a five-story building occupied by militants. Captain Alexander Borisevich commanded a company of paratroopers. Since the "spirits" were already ready for the advance of the Airborne Forces, this battle was very difficult for the 137th regiment. The victory of the Russian paratroopers was not easy: seven soldiers were injured.
Who are the regiments proud of?
During the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya in 1994, 137 airborne regiments (Ryazan) were especially distinguished among the units that fought there. The leadership in battle set an example of courage to his subordinates.
Lt. Col. Svyatoslav Golubyatnikov and Gleb Yurchenko, Major A. Silin, Captains Alexander Borisovich and Mikhail Teplinsky became Heroes of Russia. The entire airborne battalion, which took part in the “station” battle, was presented to the Order of Courage. One of the paratrooper guards, Igor Potapov, who lost his legs in Chechnya, remained in the army and serves in the peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo, thereby once again proved his right to such a high award. For the entire period of the existence of this regiment, 700 fighters were awarded with the Motherland.
Our days
Today the place of deployment of the airborne regiment is military unit No. 41450. Recruitment to 137th Airborne Regiment (Ryazan) is carried out mainly for contract service (80%). Employees undergo mandatory training at the Ryazan Command School. Margelova V.F.
Conscripts and contract personnel are convinced that of all the airborne regiments available in the Russian Federation, the best is 137 Airborne Regiment (Ryazan). His address: October Town, military unit No. 41450.
What do you need to enter the unit?
Upon receipt, contractors must submit the following documents:
- Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation.
- Autobiography. It is compiled in any form.
- Labor book.
- Completed application form.
- Description from the last place of work.
- Copy of birth certificate.
- Graduation certificate for 9th grade.
- Health certificate.
Those wishing to enter the contract service undergo a psychological selection, after which each applicant is assigned its category. For admission to the Airborne Forces division engaged in rear support, it is sufficient to have a category not lower than 3rd. Holders of the 2nd category are accepted into the combat battalion.
In what conditions are the paratroopers?
Special dormitories of the kubrick type, designed for 5 people, and not standard barracks, are intended for those who chose the 137th Airborne Regiment (Ryazan) as their place of service. The reviews of the soldiers indicate good material conditions:
- Each unit is equipped with a separate bathroom and shower.
- The hostel has laundry facilities and a dining room.
Military personnel with families can rent housing in the garrison. After signing a second contract for the military, a mortgage-funded system begins to operate. Such contractors can get their own housing.
According to Valery Yasenev, an officer in charge of testing future contractors, young people show interest in the Airborne Forces as an opportunity to acquire their own housing on the mortgage system.
On the territory of the military unit there is:
- House of Culture.
- Airborne Museum.
- Gym.
- Training complex airborne. It contains special towers for jumping.
- Library.
For personnel of the 137th regiment, dismissal is provided. The conscript has the right to leave the territory of the military unit before 20.00, if relatives leave a passport on bail. After taking the oath, servicemen are allowed to leave on leave once every two weeks.
Soldiers have the right to receive money transfers from relatives on a bank card. Monetary allowance for each soldier is charged once a month.
Military control
Limited communication by mobile phone before the oath is a rule that everyone who wishes to enroll in 137 Airborne Regiment (Ryazan) must abide by. The staff before the oath has the right to use the telephone exclusively on Sundays, from 20 to 22. On the remaining days, the soldiers give their phones to the commander on receipt.
Usually the oath is taken in the morning, on Saturdays. Especially for this event, at the checkpoint of the military unit, a diagram is posted on which the location of tables and lists of recruits are indicated. Here you can also get all the necessary phones to get in touch with the leadership.
After the oath, the phones are at the contractors. During periods of field exercises or inspections, all communications from the personnel are withdrawn again. Employees of the commission of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation check:
- Personal accounts of soldiers on social networks.
- Calls
- MMS and SMS messages.
Armored vehicles
To fulfill its combat missions, the regiment uses:
- BMD-4 (landing combat vehicle). It has been in service with the 137th Airborne Regiment since 2006. After the demonstration of command and staff exercises at the training ground in Dubrovichi in August 2006, the combat training of personnel of the 137th regiment was highly appreciated by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
- 2C25 Octopus (self-propelled anti-tank gun).
- Armored personnel carrier "Shell".
It is believed that the Ryazan school today is experiencing its rebirth. On the Day of Airborne Forces in army tents, wanting to get advice on contract service, young people lined up in long lines. Ryazans are proud of their military university and military unit No. 41450. The festive tradition of bathing paratroopers in fountains on Airborne Forces Day, which in recent years has already been considered a relic of the past, has returned to the city.
Today, military service is gaining in popularity. The participants and organizers of the holiday of the Airborne Forces in Ryazan are united by a sense of patriotism and love for their army.