SOBR, OMON, military reconnaissance and special forces units will be united under a common command

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.

New departments will be organized according to territorial principle and 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.

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 of optimal structure of services and units of the Russian Guard, including special forces departments, is currently being discussed, 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”.

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 interaction Rosgvardia 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 to go for detention, 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 Investigative Committee the Russian Federation or the police to conduct special operations and send appropriate forces.

According to riot police officers, cooperation can be improved. To do this, the leadership 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 solve 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.

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.

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 effectively redeploy to different areas and solve a wide range of tasks there: combat riots, detain criminals and terrorists, and 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 moved 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.

The merger of the former special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - OMON and SOBR - with the troops of the Russian Guard (FSVNG) is not without problems. As Gazeta.Ru learned, some experienced employees of these structures are dissatisfied with a number of innovations that appeared after the transfer of special forces to the guard.

In particular, one of the officers of the Ryazan SOBR wrote an appeal to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Commander-in-Chief of the FSVNG Viktor Zolotov. It was received by the electronic reception of the Russian head of state and is at the disposal of Gazeta.Ru.

“We also continue to work with the operatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so why burden the already loaded paper bureaucracy with additional approvals through fifth hands? What kind of efficiency can we talk about when, not so long ago, being part of the criminal police, we went out on the first call. The specificity of operational units is that they are needed here and now, and not sometime in a week, or even two,” writes the author.

This is not the only thing that angers the SOBR soldier. He is dissatisfied with the fact that the unit’s fighters are sometimes forced to clean up the area, since

“With the transition to the FSVNG units, janitors and cleaners disappeared in all units. Probably, guided by the logic that we, like soldiers, must spend the park and maintenance day from morning to night. But the question arises: when to engage in combat training?

I didn’t come to the special unit to wash floors and sweep streets,” the appeal states.

This letter is not the only manifestation of dissatisfaction with the special forces. Gazeta.Ru has at its disposal a copy of a written appeal to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Guard, Zolotov, this time from a riot police officer. He also believes that after the transfer of this unit to the National Guard, many new shortcomings were revealed there.

“Combat training is carried out on paper. The entire service is conducted according to the principle of internal troops (on their basis the Russian Guard was created - Gazeta.Ru). All the best that has been developed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs is cut off and not accepted.

The service is based on show and constant reports, which distracts from service and combat missions. Initiative, the ability to take responsibility and make decisions are eradicated by all means. We often hear from leaders from the internal troops that the effectiveness of our units is low, while the internal troops are positioned as professionals, better than us in everything,” writes the author of the appeal.

He further complains that during a business trip to the North Caucasus District, his unit lived in tents of 15-20 people without basic living conditions; also, according to the author of the letter, the special forces had their mobile phones taken away from them.

“We were forced to beat down the beds, straighten the pillows, were forbidden to sit on the beds during the day, were forced to line up 10 times a day, and go to the dining room in formation. In general, they treated us like soldiers conscript service. Only the “conscripts” are 30-35 years old and most of them are at the rank of senior officers,” the letter states.

The wipers were found, but the sediment remained

The press service of the Central Command of the Russian National Guard told Gazeta.Ru that these appeals did not go unnoticed by the leadership of the FSVNG. “The leadership of the Russian Guard pays Special attention moral and psychological climate in the OMON and SOBR units and does not ignore a single appeal, including an anonymous one, from employees of the above-mentioned units. Based on the requests specified in the request dated June 27 and August 21, 2017 addressed to the director of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops Russian Federation Comprehensive internal checks were carried out,” the press service said.

The command of the Central District of the National Guard troops held a meeting with the SOBR officer from Ryazan and discussed in a calm atmosphere all the facts indicated in his letter, the press service added.

“The author was given comprehensive explanations about the decisions made by the district command. All of them were adopted in accordance with the governing documents and, above all, in the interests of the service and safety of the unit’s personnel. However, they have absolutely no effect negative influence on the effectiveness of the operational and service activities of the unit. At the same time,

“The opinion of the employees was taken into account, the district command decided to consider proposals for introducing into the staff of the territorial department workers responsible for cleaning the premises, including SOBR and OMON,”

— noted the press service of the FSVNG.

As a source familiar with the situation explained to Gazeta.Ru, there would be no negative consequences for the officer after his letter: “He was told that there were no complaints against him in his service.” The press service of the Russian Guard also emphasized that the author of the other appeal is not and has never been an employee of the special forces units of this department. The press service did not explain who he was and what prompted him in this case to write a letter addressed to the Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard Zolotov.

In other regions, special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs encountered similar problems when transferring to the guard. For example, a video recently appeared on Youtube where a man in the uniform of a Russian National Guard serviceman explains in detail to clearly middle-aged men in camouflage how to make beds. Those standing in the front rows listen very carefully, and those standing behind make fun of the situation.

A source of Gazeta.Ru, familiar with the situation, explained that the events shown in the video took place recently in the training of machine gunners of the Russian Guard in Omsk, where about 30 riot policemen arrived from other regions, and among them were mainly employees with many years of service experience. “The classes on making beds were conducted for them by the major, the battalion commander,” explained Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor.

The soldiers burst into "Thunder"

“After moving to the Russian Guard, there are many shortcomings in the riot police. But among them there are several critical ones. The most important thing is the red tape when making decisions about the use of our unit. In order for an operative to “call us”, he must write a statement addressed to the head of the regional police, after his signature, the head of the department where this operative serves must go to bow to the territorial department of the Russian Guard, where he must sit in line at the reception of a native of the internal troops, who may not know all the specifics of the work of riot police.

Then you have to explain to him the essence of the task, and then it turns out that something is written in the papers that is not military-style and everything needs to be redone. No wonder they prefer opera from the criminal investigation department with us once again don't contact. The criminal won’t wait,” said Andrei, a 39-year-old riot policeman from one of the detachments in the Sverdlovsk region.

According to him, the FSVNG leadership also pays increased attention to cleaning the unit’s territory, which often comes at the expense of combat training. “For some reason we were forced to keep a book of those who left the riot police unit without permission. The men here are over 30 years old, where will they run from their place of work?” asks Andrey.

“I don’t want to throw mud at the Internal Troops; there are a lot of decent people there who carried out combat missions, including in the North Caucasus. But the leadership of the National Guard, from my point of view, has a poor understanding of the tasks of the riot police, and therefore is trying to make soldiers out of us. The situation with physical training is also extremely poor, at least in my squad. Because of all the innovations, they began to allocate less time to it. Besides,

sparring between fighters was canceled - but this is the basis for us! But management felt that this would lead to an increase in injuries,”

- said the special forces soldier.

Including this, many riot policemen joined the “Grom” detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which appeared in the police force after the disbandment of the Federal Drug Control Service and the transfer of some of the fighters to the police. It was created for power support of operational services. According to Andrei, in the future, riot police may face a shortage of experienced personnel, and there will remain young fighters who do not know how to think outside the box, are less prepared, but will be absolutely loyal to the leadership of the Russian Guard.

However, some special forces have a different point of view. “I didn’t notice any special changes. The drill guys were already intimidating me. I usually answer that I won’t march until I want to. It is better to ask someone from management about changes. They seem to have added a significant amount of documents. I tend to characterize people who don't like something as whiners. And recommend looking for Sobrov’s salary in national economy. In addition to the mentioned salary, it seems to me that we should not forget, first of all, about the oath that was given by both the military and the police,” explained Victor, a SOBR soldier from Ryazan.

A source familiar with the situation told Gazeta.Ru that the conflict between a number of OMON and SOBR officers and the commanders of the Russian Guard has several reasons. “Both the Internal Troops and the above units were recently part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The leadership of the ministry was, as a rule, civilian and often did not support the initiatives of the command staff of the internal troops. In a number of regions, the heads of departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs believed that the “veshniks,” as they were called, should not be listened to, although this is unfair: soldiers of the Internal Troops, for example, serve and served in crowded places, helped police officers in the metro, in a word, did their job and did it well.

With the transfer of the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the guard, military leaders introduced certain elements of army order. And not all “civilians” liked this,

- said the interlocutor. According to him, OMON and SOBR fighters will soon become military personnel, but for now they continue to carry special ranks of police officers.

“This is also a cause for concern among many special forces: they think that after this they will have more responsibilities and fewer rights. But they won’t be able to resign from the Russian Guard so easily, since the status of a military personnel imposes a number of restrictions on the timing and possibility of dismissal,” the source said.

He noted that “grinding in” is now underway former employees police who transferred to the Russian Guard, to new tasks and requirements. “It’s too early to draw conclusions, we’ll see what happens in six months or a year, when they all become military personnel. It is clear that there will be negativity, those who are happy with everything will not write appeals, they will calmly carry out their service. It’s the dissatisfied who write,” he concluded.

About 400 thousand people will serve in the National Guard, including soldiers elite special forces: riot police, security forces, 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, the Special Forces Center for Rapid Reaction Forces and Aviation, private security, in particular the Special Purpose Center for Private Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that monitor compliance with legislation in the field of arms trafficking and the field of 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 special forces were created in 1988, when the likelihood of mass unrest increased. The number of units is not disclosed. OMON detachments are deployed on a regional basis and are subordinate to local departments of the Central 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 New Times magazine wrote about soldiers of the second OMON battalion of the capital's Central Internal Affairs Directorate 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 shifts and used fighters to guard elite cottages and “protect 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)

The predecessor of the Special Rapid Reaction Detachment was the Special Purpose Police Detachment formed in 1978 at the capital's Central Internal Affairs Directorate. SOBR received its current name 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 of 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 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 public events,” explained its creation in 2006 by Colonel-General Nikolai Rogozhkin, Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Vyatich detachment, located in the city of Armavir, Krasnodar Territory, 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 are engaged in operational work,” he explained.

Former deputy chairman of the Security Committee Gennady Gudkov also sees no point in leaving various special forces. ​ “It makes sense to preserve their different 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

According to the decree of the President of Russia on the creation of the National Guard, all power structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation - internal troops, SOBR, OMON and private security - become part of the National Guard. That is, now the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (and its territorial bodies) is limited in making personnel and operational decisions regarding employees of these law enforcement agencies.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the department is joined by units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, namely OMON, SOBR, and private security units. But, despite a number of difficulties, the Russian Guard will be formed on time and, according to Viktor Zolotov, will begin to work for the benefit of society and the state and ensure law and order.

The next day the user will already have the rating necessary to participate in R-topics. The forum administration is in favor of ensuring that the forum does not descend into negativity and abuse, so that it is aimed at meaningful discussion. We are confident that the overwhelming majority of users support us in this.

Ministry of Internal Affairs. The apparatus (personnel, logistics, finances, etc.) will be completely cut, the operational staff will be cut by at least 30%, too, because The Ministry of Internal Affairs has its own structure for BNON.

In the National Guard, maybe everything will be different, or maybe they will leave a similar allowance. It seems that Kadyrov has already expressed that he is in every possible way for the creation of the National Guard and that his special forces will gladly go there.

Now, if a situation arises while the police are doing their work (capturing a tough gang), when it is necessary to urgently use, for example, riot police, this is done quickly and simply. A policeman calls: “We urgently need riot police there!”, and he: “Call my superiors,” he calls his superiors, and they: “Only if there is a command from my superiors,” etc. But, naturally, the question now is how all this will be spelled out in the law. Yes, but the Guard won't investigate, right? And it does not report directly to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In Russia there are 208 units: 121 - OMON (special purpose mobile unit) and 87 - SOBR (special rapid response unit). The riot police are mostly contract soldiers - privates and sergeants. And in this very first part it is stated that the troops of the National Guard are entrusted with the tasks of protecting public order, ensuring state security and the state of emergency.

However, there are no special innovations here - all these rights and responsibilities of servicemen have long been spelled out in general military regulations and the federal law “On the Police”.

The reform will have enormous political consequences for one of the regions of the Russian Federation - the Chechen Republic. Thus, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic does not have any security forces similar in their capabilities and power to an army motorized rifle unit. You yourself have repeatedly heard how ordinary and high-ranking Chechen police officers expressed their personal loyalty, first of all, to Kadyrov.

The head of Chechnya received unlimited influence on decision-making by the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic, including personnel decisions regarding former militants. Now Ramzan Kadyrov will no longer be able to gather Putin’s National Guard at the stadium in Grozny. He will not be able to call the commanders of the relevant units of the National Guard to his meeting and give them the order to shoot to kill other National Guard soldiers.

And he may be notified of a special operation, for example, to detain a resident of Chechnya suspected of committing a crime in his region. But they may not notify.

New form and strength

And it was Kadyrov who later defended these fighters. Second. Traditionally, in the Ministry of Defense and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, military counterintelligence agencies were responsible for internal security. I know for sure that military counterintelligence works in the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, and it works well. In the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, this function is performed by its own security units. Amnestied militants serving in the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs have always been a stumbling block. They were checked by the personnel service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs locally (in Chechnya), and the influence of the subjective factor was enormous.

Since, as I have already said, special political conditions have developed in Chechnya, this principle has been massively ignored. The central office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, apparently, never welcomed this, but put up with it. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation did not have mechanisms to solve this problem, but now with the creation of the National Guard they have appeared. And they appeared, I must say, just in time to solve this problem peacefully, without incidents. The fact is that a serviceman’s contract implies that he can be transferred to any region of the country for service, and this is normal.

This precisely allowed Soviet army avoid ethnic conflicts. And that is why Colonel Maskhadov, a Chechen, was in the first place Soviet officer. Ethnic Chechen units will be diluted with military personnel of other nationalities, while sending part of the Chechen SOBR or OMON to other units in other regions.

How was it before? Police academies did not specifically prepare graduates for service in SOBR. Officers are trained in special forces, and then command units and, thus, the experience they gain in special forces is transferred to the soldiers of ordinary combat motorized rifle units. And it's very correct principle, when the selection of military personnel begins from military schools, that is, selection for suitability for military service begins at the cadet level.

Ramzan Kadyrov immediately responded to Putin’s decree on the creation of the National Guard, welcomed him and declared the readiness of Chechen security forces to serve in the ranks of the new security structure. First. I think people like Vismuradov will be transferred to the state defense department (subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and, accordingly, to the corresponding regional divisions).

E. M.), Tsakaev (commander of the Chechen riot police. - E. M.), Asukhanov (company commander of the SOBR. - E. M.) and others - transfer to the National Guard as part of their units

That is, in Chechnya this is, in fact, a special unit of bodyguards. I think it will remain that way for now. In any case, Kadyrov has enough time to think. In our case, most of Kadyrov’s supporters will now be under the jurisdiction of Khankala and Vladikavkaz. In the meantime, until the federal law on the National Guard comes into force, everything will work for some time by inertia.

And I think this point will be specifically spelled out in the federal law on the National Guard. And the Chechen Republic in this sense is one of their leaders. Cops serving in riot police and special forces, special purpose centers, as well as aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, become military personnel from 2018, and their status as cops is forgiven.2.

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 of optimal structure of services and units of the Russian Guard, including special forces departments, is currently being discussed, 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. The labor activities of 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 to go for detention, 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 leadership 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 solve 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 effectively redeploy to different areas and solve a wide range of tasks there: combat riots, detain criminals and terrorists, and 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 moved 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.