MOSCOW, 19 Aug-RIA Novosti. It would not be difficult for the special purpose unit of the Soviet foreign intelligence "Vimpel" to carry out tasks on the territory of the United States unnoticed, Valery Popov, president of the Vimpel Veterans Association, told RIA Novosti in an interview.
Thursday marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of the"Pennant". Earlier, in the documentary of the Zvezda TV channel, dedicated to the initiator of the creation of the "Vympel", the head of the illegal intelligence of the KGB of the USSR, Major General Yuri Drozdov, was quoted as saying at the time that the "vimpelovites ""passed" the territory of the United States – both entered and left, and no one was detained.
"I will say this: it was not so difficult to" pass" through the United States, " Popov said. "We have worked and created our positions in many countries of Western Europe. Let them not build illusions that they are so protected, " he added.
According to him, "Vympel" in the 1980s was seriously preparing for a possible war. "The situation in the world was very tense," the source said.
Popov stressed the important requirement for the "Pennant". "We had to complete the task and leave without leaving any traces, so that no one would understand what happened," he said.
The special purpose unit "Vympel" of the KGB of the USSR was created on August 19, 1981 by order of the chairman of the KGB Yuri Andropov. The initiator of the creation of the "Pennant" was the head of illegal intelligence of the First Main Directorate of the KGB of the USSR, Major General Yuri Drozdov.
The Vimpel was designed to conduct operations outside the country during a "special period". In peacetime, he was engaged in ensuring the security of Soviet citizens abroad.
In January 1992, after the creation of the Ministry of Security of Russia, the Vimpel group became part of it on the rights of independent management. Soon the group was transferred to the Main Directorate of Security (GUO) of the Russian Federation. After the Vympel group refused to storm the building of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation in October 1993, it was transferred from the GUO to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation by decree of President Boris Yeltsin. Of its employees, only about 50 people agreed to serve in the Ministry of Internal Affairs as part of the special purpose group "Vega".
Employees of Vega, in particular, participated in the operation in Budennovsk in June 1995, where they had to perform the task of freeing hostages in the most difficult situation. In August 1995, by presidential decree, the unit was returned to the state security bodies. In October of the same year, on the basis of the Anti-Terrorist Center of the FSB of Russia, a special unit "B" was created, which eventually became the progenitor of the current Department "B" of the FSB Special Purpose Center.
A bronze bas-relief dedicated to the "Pennant" is placed on the monument to domestic intelligence officers of all times, opened in September 2020 on the territory of the headquarters of the SVR of the Russian Federation for the 100th anniversary of the Russian foreign intelligence.
