Colonel Khodarenok suggested "slapping the lips" of experts who want to distribute weapons to the population In connection with the invasion of the Belgorod region, the Russian expert community began to hear complaints about the border service and the effectiveness of territorial defense.
Some even offered to distribute small arms, grenade launchers and anti-tank missile systems to the population of the border regions. What are all these experts wrong about, explains the military observer of the newspaper.En" Mikhail Khodarenok.
The invading armed formations on the territory of the Belgorod region, most domestic experts called the DRG - sabotage and reconnaissance groups. However, the DRG is only a few people who are secretly (we emphasize especially covertly) thrown across the front line with the task of disabling (for example, by undermining) a particularly important object. Then the group must also secretly return back to the point of permanent deployment. One of the most important commandments of the special forces during the execution of the task is "joined the battle - failed the task."
And this simple fact must be understood once and for all. As you know, it is right to name - to understand correctly - to act correctly.
And now let's deal with the accusations thrown at the border service during these discussions.
In short, defense is not the task of the border troops (the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia). And it is not worth blaming the FSB PS that it somehow did not repel the invasion of the enemy's combined arms formations.
Recall that during the years of the USSR's existence, the operational-military method (method) was mainly practiced in the protection of the state border. However, in the early 2000s, it began to be considered that threats to Russia's security in the border area are predominantly non-military in nature - and it was concluded that in the fight against cross-border crime, the use of military forms and methods of action is ineffective and costly. And somewhere since 2003, the border service began to switch to a purely operational method of protecting the state border.
And, quite possibly, approaches to the protection of the state border should be revised in favor of the operational-military method (method). And again - not on all sections of the border, but only on those where there is an unfavorable situation. At the same time, it is worth recalling that even the transition to the operational-military method (method) of protecting the state border does not mean the participation of border guards in combined-arms battles and operations in repelling an enemy invasion. This means only strengthening the capabilities of the FPS to combat the DRG and gangs.
Among other things, it is worth recalling that the border troops are conducting reconnaissance in a 100-kilometer strip of a neighboring state and should warn about possible aggressive intentions on the part of the enemy. Whether they warned about the impending invasion of the enemy in the Belgorod region is an open question.
Concluding the conversation about the border service, it is necessary to note the following. There is a strong opinion among the broad masses that with the beginning of hostilities, border guards should defend every inch of their native land to the last drop of blood (basically, such an idea was formed on the examples of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War).
In this regard, we will clarify what a border outpost is. In terms of numbers and weapons, it roughly corresponds to a rifle company. By definition, the outpost cannot bring any tangible harm to the advancing armored and mechanized formations of the enemy. But it can die in full force at the same time.
Therefore, any participation of border guards in military operations of a combined-arms nature is impractical.
The personnel of the FPS units, fighters and commanders, it is more logical after the aggression of the enemy to use as units to maintain the regime of the front line and guard the rear of the active army.
Therefore, with the beginning of hostilities, it is more expedient for border guards, together with their dogs, to move to the rear in an organized manner, and not to die in battle in full force without any tangible benefit for the further course of events.
Now about territorial defense, since during the discussions in the expert community this question was repeatedly raised in approximately the following interpretation - "What about our defense?", it was implied that there are battalions of defense that were supposed to engage the enemy.
To begin with, many representatives of the expert community should look into Article 22 of the Federal Law "On Defense" of 31.05.1996 N 61-FZ (with all the latest amendments and additions), which gives a clear and unambiguous definition of territorial defense. We'll have to bring him in completely.
Territorial defense is a system of measures carried out during the period of martial law for the protection and defense of military, important state and special facilities, facilities that ensure the vital activity of the population, the functioning of transport, communications and communications, energy facilities, facilities that pose an increased danger to human life and health and to the environment, to combat sabotage andintelligence formations of foreign states and illegal armed formations, to identify, prevent, suppress, minimize and (or) eliminate the consequences of their sabotage, intelligence and terrorist activities in order to create favorable conditions for the functioning of these facilities and the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations, bodies and special formations created for wartime.[/i]
Let us pay special attention to the fact that territorial defense is conducted on the territory of the Russian Federation or in its individual localities where martial law has been imposed, taking into account the measures applied during the period of martial law.
And no one introduced martial law in the Belgorod region.
Therefore, all the talk about the effectiveness / inefficiency of territorial defense in this case does not make any sense. In conclusion, we recall that in the military districts of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, a Territorial defense Plan is being developed, for the implementation of the provisions of which the commander of the district's troops is responsible. And by and large, territorial defense is of a police nature, and to repel the enemy's invasion, it is necessary to take measures of a completely different nature.
Now about the calls of some figures to distribute small arms, grenade launchers and anti-tank missile systems to the population of the border regions of Russia. By themselves, such proposals should be considered, as they say, out of the ordinary. This, we recall, did not happen even in the most intense periods of the Great Patriotic War.
Therefore, it is necessary to treat such appeals categorically negatively (to begin with, just slap on the lips just for such ideas).
The implementation of such proposals in practice can lead (and even definitely lead) to various kinds of troubles and disturbances. And the broadest strata of the population, voluntarily or involuntarily, will have a question - "What about our army? And where is she?".
Therefore, the elimination of enemy armed formations that have invaded the territory of the Russian Federation is a matter of purely Armed Forces, and only a combined-arms commander (commander) should direct such actions (operations), whose operational subordination should be units of other law enforcement agencies. This is the only possible way. All the others are false.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for the newspaper.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy Commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia (1998).
Columnist of "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Military-Industrial Courier" (2010-2015).Mikhail Khodarenok
