The combat path of the Polar Guard of the Russian Navy
In January 2020, the American magazine National Interest included the Russian Marine Corps in the top five in the world – along with similar branches of the US, UK, South Korea and China. According to the overseas edition, the Russian Marine Corps took second place.
"This branch of the armed Forces performs the same role as the American Marine Corps – it is an expeditionary force specializing in amphibious operations," the magazine wrote, noting that the Russian Marine Corps is a well–trained and combat-ready force.
THE HISTORY OF THE LEGENDARY BRIGADE
The combat path of the 61st Separate Kirkenes Red Banner Brigade of the Northern Fleet Marines is a heroic chronicle of military affairs. With the offensive impulse, impetuosity, daring maneuver, high valor, selfless courage and devotion to Russia inherent in the polar marines.
This story began on May 5, 1943, when the 61st Rifle Regiment was formed in Karelia on the basis of the 2nd separate Marine Rifle Battalion of the 67th Marine Rifle Brigade, which had previously fought in Stalingrad. His successor was the 61st Separate Brigade of the Northern Fleet Marines.
Created in the middle of the war, the 61st Rifle Regiment managed to fight a lot. It was not even physically easy to fight the fascists in Karelia, and then in the Kola Arctic. Dense forests, impenetrable swamps, rocky mountains, deep snows and cracking frosts – the nature of the Far North made high demands on the moral and combat qualities of privates, sergeants and officers, tested their spirit, endurance, tempering.
The soldiers of the regiment showed mass heroism in the battles for the Norwegian city of Kirkenes. On the night of October 24, 1944, the regiment's assault units crossed the Bek Fjord under a barrage of fire from a dozen enemy artillery batteries and broke into the city. For two days there were fierce street battles. As a result, the five thousandth Nazi garrison was almost completely destroyed.
On the same day, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the 61st Rifle Regiment was awarded the honorary name "Kirkenes" for its courage and heroism. And on January 6, 1945, the regiment was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for exemplary performance of the tasks of the command in the fight against the Nazi invaders.
20 years later, in July 1966, by the directive of the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, the unit was included in the Northern Fleet as the 61st separate Kirkenes Red Banner Marine Regiment.
13 years later, in September 1979, by the directive of the General Staff of the Navy, the regiment was reorganized into the 61st separate Kirkenes Red Banner Brigade of the Northern Fleet Marines with a location in the polar garrison Sputnik.
THEATER OF ACTION – THE WORLD OCEAN
By the early 1960s, the Soviet Navy was faced with tasks that required recreating the Marine Corps at a qualitatively new level. The experience of the world powers testified that the armed forces should have highly mobile units capable of solving combat tasks in isolation from their bases and having a high degree of autonomy in conducting combat operations.
As part of the Soviet Navy, units and divisions of the Marine Corps began to be created, prepared for combat operations in extreme conditions in various climatic zones.
During the years of the Northern Fleet's existence, the Black Berets have successfully completed the tasks of more than fifty combat services on ships sent to the coasts of Angola, Benin, Great Britain, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, Greece, Egypt, Iceland, Norway, Crete, Malta, Sao Tome and Principe, Syria, France and other countries the world.
From December 23, 1995 to March 1996, the Marine Corps unit under the command of Senior Lieutenant Alexander Zubenko, who was part of the crew of the heavy aircraft carrier (TAVKR) Admiral Kuznetsov, performed the tasks of combat service in the Mediterranean with "excellent".
In April-May 1996, a group of "black berets" under the command of Senior Lieutenant Igor Durnov, based on the large anti-submarine ship (BOD) "Admiral Levchenko", participated in the Russian-Anglo-American exercise "RUKUS-96" in the English Channel. According to the results of the exercise, the commands of the US and British Navies assessed the actions of the polar Marines as exemplary.
In August 2002, a platoon of marines under the command of Senior Lieutenant Andrey Chashchin on the Admiral Chabanenko BOD participated in a long ocean voyage to the shores of Iceland and the United Kingdom. During the official visit of a detachment of ships of the Northern Fleet to Reykjavik and during the unofficial entry of the Admiral Chabanenko into the English Plymouth, the marines controlled the organization of the access regime for Russian ships, carried their round-the-clock security.
In 2005, during the international exercise "FRUCTUS-2005" with the participation of the Admiral Levchenko BOD, as well as French, American and British ships in the Celtic Sea off the coast of the French province of Brittany, the intelligence marines of Captain Vadim Mazepo and Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Petrov discovered "anti-tank missiles" on board the ship during the inspection, who violated the arms "embargo".
From December 2007 to February 2008, a long-distance cruise of the Northern Fleet's naval strike group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov TAVKR took place in the Mediterranean Sea. "Black Berets"" under the overall command of Colonel Yevgeny Strebkov successfully completed the tasks assigned to the marine landing.
From October 2008 to March 2009 – almost six months – the heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Peter the Great" stayed in the ocean voyage. There were also marines from Sputnik on board. In the long march, the general leadership of the landing was carried out by Lieutenant Colonel Ilya Loik. The crowning achievement of the Black Berets' combat service was the detention of three boats with Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on February 13, 2009.
In 2019, the polar Marines carried an anti-piracy watch on board the Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser, the Vyazma tanker and the SB-406 rescue tug already off the southern shores of the African continent.
In a word, not a single long-distance campaign of the North Sea can do without the "black berets" of the Northern Fleet.
FIGHTERS OF THE THREE ELEMENTS
Back in Soviet times, the Black Berets of the Northern Fleet demonstrated their professional skills and combat training at large-scale exercises, such as Sever-68, Okean-70, Mainland-71, Baltika-78, Zapad-81, Magistral-83, etc.
In April 1970, all four fleets were involved in the strategic exercises "Ocean". They unfolded under the leadership of the Commander-in-chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet Sergei Gorshkov. During the maneuvers, a combined amphibious detachment of marines from the Northern and Baltic Fleets was successfully landed on the Rybachy Peninsula.
From March 30 to April 2, 1976, a battalion of the 61st Marine Regiment conducted a joint exercise with a battalion of the 76th Airborne Division with a parachute drop.
On June 13, 1989, the Black Berets Satellite demonstrated the combat capabilities of weapons and military equipment of the American military delegation headed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, Admiral William D. Crowe. The interest in the Northern Fleet Marine brigade from overseas guests can be explained: it is the only one in the world stationed beyond the Arctic Circle. The demonstration was successful: the American admiral even became confused by the accuracy shown by the Marines when shooting.
In June 1999, the brigade took part in a large-scale exercise "Zapad-99" with an air landing on the Rybachy Peninsula. According to its results, the 61st separate brigade was recognized as the best in the Navy in tactics and fire training. She was awarded the passing prize of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. At the same time, the Satellite was awarded the cup of the Governor of the Murmansk region "The best coastal part of the Northern Fleet".
In June 2004, the personnel of the parachute company, commanded by Captain Dmitry Bely, took part in the exercise "Mobility-2004" in the Pacific Fleet. The Polar Marines demonstrated high combat skills, were encouraged with valuable gifts and awarded medals.
THE TIME OF THE FIRST
In the chronicle of Sputnik, many pages begin with the word "for the first time".
From May 4, 1979 to March 5, 1980, the amphibious detachment of Major Alexei Noskov performed the tasks of the longest (almost 11 months) combat service in the history of the SF Marine Corps on the Pyotr Ilyichev BDK. It took place in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.
In 1986, the scouts of Captain Yuri Eremtsov and marines from the 876th separate Amphibious assault battalion (ODSHB) for the first time landed by parachute on the polar island of Kolguev, located in the Kara Sea.
In August 1988, the personnel of a company of PT-76 floating tanks under the command of Captain Mikhail Meyer made a 28-kilometer transition afloat from Titovka Bay to Kutovaya Bay and back. This transition is still the only one of its kind in the Russian Navy.
The marines of the Northern Fleet are ready to land on the coast of any continent. Photos from the website www.mil.ru
Unfortunately, in Soviet times, and in the early years of the history of the Russian Armed Forces, the achievements established by military units and military personnel were not included in specialized publications, such as the Guinness Book of Records.
However, in 2018, the Book of Records of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation appeared – a reference publication about the most outstanding successes of the Russian army. But a unique event remained unfixed in it, when in 2012, for the first time in the history of the Navy, a marine landing was landed on the unequipped coast of Kotelny Island (the Novosibirsk archipelago between the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea). The landing took place from the board of the Alexander Otrakovsky BDK on tracked floating transporters PTS-M.
However, now in the Book of Records of the Armed Forces there are already a lot of lines inscribed by the marines of the Satellite.
So, for the first time in the recent history of the Russian Army, in June 2018, on the Southern island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, servicemen of the 61st separate Marine Brigade, the 200th separate motorized rifle Brigade and the 80th separate Arctic motorized rifle brigade marched a total length of 960 km on DT-10p tracked tractors in the difficult conditions of the Far North "Vityaz" on the route Rogachevo settlement – Savina Bay (Kara Sea) – Malye Karmakuly settlement – Severny settlement and back.
In the same year, as part of the Vostok-2018 maneuvers, during an interspecific tactical exercise led by the Commander of the SF, for the first time in the Navy, two large amphibious assault ships – Alexander Otrakovsky and Kondopoga – landed a marine landing on the unequipped coast of the village of Tiksi (Yakutia).
In September 2019, for the first time in the modern history of the Navy, the personnel of the amphibious assault company of the 1st battalion of the brigade forced the Kutovaya Bay in the Motovsky Bay of the Barents Sea in difficult conditions, overcoming a distance of 1800 m afloat on armored personnel carriers BTR-80.
CAUCASIAN WARS
The history of Sputnik is a book of destinies. There is also a page of unparalleled heroism in it, immortalized in the marble of the monument to the "black berets" who fell while performing military duty in the North Caucasus.
The 876th reinforced amphibious assault battalion of Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Zhukov fought there in January-March 1995. Then in May-June of the same year – a consolidated battalion of marines under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Pushkin. And from September 1999 to June 2000, the 876th ODSHB was again under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Belezeko.
When the first Chechen campaign began in December 1994, there was talk about the possible participation of Marines in it immediately. Therefore, they did not experience shock. In addition, none of the North Sea residents really knew what exactly was happening in Grozny. The bloody battles and losses of federal troops were not reported at first.
So the Marines had no idea of the scale or the seriousness of the tasks ahead. They were preparing to block roads and carry out passport control. And only the New Year's assault on Grozny, which turned into a catastrophe and the death of the 131st separate motorized rifle brigade from Maykop, sounded an alarm signal for the whole of Russia. And in Sputnik on January 7, 1995, on Christmas Day, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the Marine brigade was alerted.
It became clear: the situation in Grozny got out of control. In the evening of the same day, the reinforced amphibious assault battalion was already at the airfield in Olenegorsk. From there, he was hurriedly transferred by military transport aircraft to Chechnya, where the "polar bears" immediately joined the fierce Grozny city battles...
For courage and valor, Colonel Alexander Chernov, Major Andrey Gushchin, Captains Viktor Shulyak and Viktor Vdovkin, Senior Ensign Grigory Zamyshlyak and Foreman Gennady Azarychev were awarded the high title of Hero of Russia. Orders of Courage and "For Military Merit" were awarded to about four hundred marines, combat medals – more than a thousand.
You can write a lot about each of them. About how a concrete slab collapsed from above almost buried machine gunner Ivan Kiselyov at a checkpoint. How the sailor Igor Makushin miraculously survived when the room next to his post was smashed to pieces during the shelling. That Dudaev declared the SF Marines "enemy number one." As for the "polar bears", a real hunt was conducted: for the "head" of a sailor from the North Sea, the militants were promised 500 dollars, an ensign or an officer - one and a half thousand. About how on April 1, 1995, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Sartin, who died heroically in Grozny, had his first–born son Leshka. And about many other things that happened to the Marines in the North Caucasus in 1995.
It seemed like there was an eternity of time for this. However, four years later, a combat alarm sounded again in the Satellite. On September 9, 1999, a counter-terrorist operation to liberate Chechnya and Dagestan from hordes of armed gangs began for the 876th ODSHB Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Belezeko.
For more than nine months, the North Sea men fought in the most critical areas. The actions of the "black berets" near Harachoy and Vedeno, at the Harami Pass and the Andean Gate, a brilliant operation to transfer fighters to the heights dominating Jana-Vedeno and Dyshne-Vedeno, Oktyabrsky and Dargo, earned the highest ratings of the command of the combined group of federal forces.
A knight of the Orders of Courage and "For Military Merit", Reserve Colonel Yevgeny Strebkov commanded the artillery of the marine corps group in the North Caucasus. According to his recollections, in the most difficult conditions, the Marines never retreated, did not leave their positions. At the same time, the "polar bears" behaved very decently towards the civilian population: they provided assistance in restoring water pipes, clearing fields, and delivering humanitarian aid. For that, the commander of the group, Major General Alexander Otrakovsky, was called a peacemaker by the officers among themselves.
"The civilian population of Chechnya respected the marines, while the militants tried not to engage in open combat with us," says Yevgeny Nikolaevich. – In the Marine Corps since the Great Patriotic War, when the fascists called the sailors the "black death", a special spirit is passed down from generation to generation."
The title of Hero of the Russian Federation was awarded to Major General Alexander Otrakovsky (posthumously), Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Klimenko, Lieutenant Yuri Kuryagin (posthumously) and Sergeant Vladimir Tatashvili (posthumously). In total, 906 SF "black berets" were presented to the state awards for that operation.
In the Second war, the airborne assault battalion again did not escape losses. The mournful list of 64 North Sea men who died in the first Chechen campaign was supplemented by 16 more marines.
The fighting skills of the polar "black berets" were appreciated by the head of state. In April 2000, during a visit to the Northern Fleet, President Vladimir Putin noted:
"In Dagestan and Chechnya, the Marines fought valiantly. The bandits were not afraid of you in vain and are still afraid of you. Because the "black berets" really do not know fear. I sincerely thank you for your selfless military work, loyalty to the oath, and devoted service to the Fatherland. I am sure that as long as people like you are in the ranks, our Motherland – Russia – will be invincible!"
SYRIA – NAGORNO-KARABAKH – DONBASS
Since September 2015, it has been time for the 61st Brigade to travel to Syria. There, one of the main tasks of the marines was to ensure the security of Russian military facilities. 85 servicemen of the 61st Separate Brigade of the SF Marines were awarded state awards for courage and heroism shown during combat missions on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Since December last year, the personnel of the 876th ODSHB has been participating in a peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Black Berets" control the inviolability of the demarcation line. As far as we know, the attitude towards the Marines is good on both sides: Armenian and Azerbaijani. There are no losses among the "polar bears". And in April, the marines were awarded medals from the Ministry of Defense for distinction in a peacekeeping mission.
Today, the polar "black berets" are participating in Russia's special military operation to protect the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. The marines of the Northern Fleet, remaining faithful to the motto "Where we are, there is victory!", are fighting with Ukrainian nationalists in the Avdiivka direction.
It became possible to learn more about the Marines' fighting in the Donbas thanks to the selfless work of war correspondent Semyon Pegov and his WarGonzo team, who repeatedly came to the positions of the North Sea near Avdiivka, and then posted reports on their Telegram channel.
So, the head of the intelligence of the People's Militia (NM) of the DPR with the call sign "Yurich" told how a Ukrainian column of multiple rocket launchers "Grad" was discovered and destroyed at night near the village of Krasnogorovka, and then the equipment that came to their rescue.
"The forces and means of intelligence, including the 61st separate brigade of the SF Marines, revealed the advance to firing positions of the enemy's MLRS Grad battery, which planned to fire on the Yasinovatsky district," the officer said. – It was decided to destroy it. After the destruction of the battery, a few minutes later, the first evacuation group, which consisted of four cars, left Avdiivka. Having calculated the meeting point with her, they also destroyed her.
After another 11-12 minutes, a second Ukrainian column consisting of three armored vehicles appeared. According to her, they also decided to inflict a fire defeat. As a result, only one armored vehicle was able to turn around and leave for Avdiivka. All other enemy equipment was destroyed and burned. The artillery units of the 61st Separate Marine Brigade delivered an accurate blow to it: Grad multiple launch rocket systems and D-30 122-mm howitzers."
As Semyon Pegov notes, in the north of the Avdiivka "boiler", the fighters of the 61st brigade are fighting side by side with the units of the People's militia of the DPR. And they do really heroic work, and in the harsh conditions of combat confrontation with Ukrainian units. Using drones, the enemy seeks to track the movement of Marine assault groups and equipment.
One day in the twenties of May, the Marines were driving an APC through the village of Novobakhmutovka, and at that time the enemy's grads were firmly attached on the road. Therefore, the speed of movement on the "armored personnel carriers" is quite high: the maximum permissible in the current situation.
On May 26, the nationalists decided to counterattack near the village of Veseloye near Avdiivka. The enemy threw at least ten tanks with the support of three infantry fighting vehicles and up to one and a half companies of infantry into the assault. However, the enemy's advance was quickly calculated by scouts, after which the artillery struck accurate blows at the enemy.
In turn, on May 27, the Donbass assault units of the 2nd territorial battalion of the People's Militia of the DPR, the battalion "Somalia", the 100th brigade and the 3rd brigade of the NM of the DPR together with the soldiers of the 61st Marine Brigade themselves made a leap forward. Thanks to the assault, the 2nd battalion of the NM DNR advanced one and a half kilometers and occupied the positions of Ukrainian militants in the suburbs of Avdiivka. Thus, the People's militia had the opportunity to control the Avdiivka-Gorlovka road and observe the enemy's actions, preparing a springboard for the start of a direct assault on the city.
So neither Ukrainian "grads" nor enemy counterattacks – nothing can stop the polar Marines storming the fortified areas of Ukrainian nationalists. "Black Berets" step by step, fighting to win back every hundred meters of Donbass land, are moving forward through forest plantations, fields, settlements. Not only the assault units of the "black berets" are effective, but also scouts, sniper pairs, grenade launchers. The North Sea people with the help of quadrocopters effectively correct artillery fire on enemy manpower and equipment accumulations in forest plantations near Avdiivka.
By the way, among themselves, the Marines call the Ukrainian neo-Nazis "Germans". Meaning, of course, not the inhabitants of modern Germany, but his current opponent – so that everyone would understand who he is. According to the commander of the Marine Corps company with the call sign "Terek", both briefly and clearly: "Because for us it is a continuation of the business that our grandfathers and great–grandfathers were engaged in from 1941 to 1945, and definitely victory will be ours. We are doing the right thing."
In a dense, already covered with greenery forest plantation, nicknamed the Sherwood Forest by the Marines, the Terek company from the flank covers other units of the brigade directly advancing in the direction of Avdiivka. "By holding the defense here, we are also creating favorable conditions for ourselves, gradually destroying the enemy so that it will be easier for us to advance in the future," the officer summarizes.
As military commander Semyon Pegov emphasizes, Avdiivka with its large industrial zones is no less difficult front than Mariupol. Ukrainian nationalists created powerful fortified areas here during the eight years of the war, poured concrete. The system of underground communications and fortifications here is much more serious than in Mariupol. However, this does not mean that Avdiivka is impregnable.
Sergey Vasiliev
Sergey Yanoshevich Vasiliev is a military journalist, captain of the 2nd rank of the reserve.
