Russian peacekeeping units will appear in each district in 2021. By the end of 2020, a new organizational and staff structure and its number will be approved, sources in the defense Ministry told Izvestia. The General parameters have already been defined, and technical details are being worked out. It is assumed that more units of the Russian army will receive special training for humanitarian missions. Experts note that they can be deployed in conflict zones much faster than UN contingents, which was demonstrated in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russian peacekeeping units will appear in each district in 2021. By the end of 2020, a new organizational and staff structure and its number will be approved, sources in the defense Ministry told Izvestia. The General parameters have already been defined, and technical details are being worked out. It is assumed that more units of the Russian army will receive special training for humanitarian missions. Experts note that they can be deployed in conflict zones much faster than UN contingents, which was demonstrated in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Expanded the structure
According to Izvestia sources in the military Department, the new organizational and staff structure of peacekeeping units has already been determined. It is expected to come into force next year — only a few technical details remain to be agreed.
Soon, in each of the military districts (now there are four of them, and from 2021 the Northern fleet will receive the status of the fifth), one motorized rifle battalion, an aviation squadron, an engineering and sapper company and a medical detachment will begin training in peacekeeping. In addition, the category of peacekeepers will include one battalion of Marines in the Western, southern and Eastern districts, and in the Northern fleet — an amphibious assault.
Currently, the fully contracted 15th separate motorized rifle brigade of the Ground forces (peacekeeping) and 31st separate airborne assault brigade, two battalions of the military police of the southern military DISTRICT and a special medical unit of the Burdenko hospital specialize in performing such tasks. These are parts of constant combat readiness that can be moved to the right place in a matter of days.
This contingent receives additional training when performing special tasks. Military personnel are trained in English, international humanitarian law, conflict resolution, interaction with civilians, roadblocks and vehicle inspection.
The new peacekeeping units will retain their combat functions and weapons. But they will also undergo additional retraining. The tasks that can be assigned to them are demonstrated in regular exercises. So, during the maneuvers of the CSTO peacekeepers "Unbreakable brotherhood-2019" in Tajikistan, these units deployed a refugee camp in the conflict zone, organized the delivery of food, water and medicines to it by land and air. Also, in cooperation with combat aircraft, the military repelled militant attacks. Then they worked out the rescue of the crew of a transport plane that was conditionally shot down by terrorists, and the liberation of a locality occupied by militants.
Russian troops actively participated in UN missions in the 1990s, recalled former Deputy Secretary of the organization Sergey Ordzhonikidze. At that time, the country did not have specialized units that would be constantly trained as peacekeeping units. Ordinary formations of the airborne forces and other troops equipped with small arms were sent abroad.
- It got to the point that the soldiers themselves repainted their helmets in blue, - says the diplomat. — In General, then, and now, other members of the Security Council were very reluctant to discuss joint peacekeeping operations. The United States does not participate in them in principle, citing the fact that an American soldier cannot follow the orders of foreign officers.
Today, Russia has specialized peacekeeping units that can both conduct combat operations and carry out humanitarian operations, Sergei Ordzhonikidze added. They are able to arrive in the conflict area in a short time and stop it.
"The deployment of Russian peacekeeping units takes an order of magnitude less time than UN contingents," military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia. — After the decision was made in Karabakh, it took a day for our forces to arrive at their destination. The UN does not have a permanent military contingent. When the Security Council decides to deploy peacekeepers, it usually indicates which countries are providing them. Only then does planning begin, which at best takes a month. If there is an urgent need to put peacekeepers somewhere on the separation line, then UN observers will be there in a few days, and the military contingent in weeks or even months. In this sense, our peacekeepers, there is simply no competition.
Stopped civil wars
This year, a new mission of Russian peacekeepers has begun. The decision to introduce them to end the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh was agreed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on November 9. After a few hours in there reeling the first aircraft with the "blue helmets". The 15 Omsbr fighters quickly took up positions between the warring parties and ensured the return of refugees to the region.
Currently, Russian troops continue to monitor the implementation of the cease-fire conditions and the transfer of the areas of Karabakh stipulated in the agreement to Azerbaijan. They also take part in the demarcation of the new border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the disputed section that runs through the Sotsky gold mine.
According to the Ministry of defense, the forces of our contingent cleared 29.07 hectares of territory, 9.7 km of roads, 108 buildings and three social facilities from explosive objects, and 968 explosive objects were found. Not only sappers, but also Uran-6 engineering robots were deployed to Karabakh for mine clearance.
Since the 1990s, Russian peacekeepers have been involved in resolving all conflicts in the post-Soviet space that arose after the collapse of the USSR. Our contingent is still in Transnistria.
In Tajikistan, the Russian military was not only involved in ending the civil war and eliminating its consequences, but also helped guard the country's long border with troubled Afghanistan.
Russian troops form the basis of the joint peacekeeping contingent of the collective security Treaty Organization formed in 2007. It is designed to perform tasks on the territory of the countries included in this structure. But when receiving a mandate from the UN security Council, it can be involved in operations outside of them.
