The Ryazan Command School has been training combat divers for the special forces of the Ministry of Defense for 10 years.
Shooting in an underwater shooting range, controlling small vessels, mining ships and practicing helicopter landings — all this is taught to cadets of the Ryazan Airborne School at the Sturm training complex. It combines a pool for tactical and special training, a coastal barocomplex and a diving tower. For ten years now, combat divers have been trained here for the special forces of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The Izvestia correspondent visited the training and found out how underwater fighters are trained there.
"Since childhood, I dreamed of becoming a special forces officer"
At the entrance to the college we meet two cadets. One of them is Nikita, he's in his third year. He started classes at the diving complex relatively recently.
"The first semester is theoretical training, and practice begins with the second semester," he told Izvestia. — We have already studied the principle of operation of breathing apparatus, wetsuits and types of occupational diseases of divers. Now we are practicing diving, assembling structures, mining the ship, swimming without breathing apparatus.
The diving complex is not idle — classes are held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nikita admits: when he entered the college, he did not know that there was a diving training course here.
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— When I found out about it, I was glad. Since childhood, I dreamed of becoming a special forces officer. My godfather had a great influence on me. At one time, he fought in Chechnya, just in a special forces group, and his stories inspired me," Nikita says.
His classmate Vladislav lived in the Nizhny Novgorod region before entering the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School named after Army General Margelov.
— When I first came to the diving complex, I was stunned by how technically everything was arranged here. And everything about it is interesting to me," he noted.
What does the diving complex of the school consist of?
The complex consists of three main components: a swimming pool for tactical and special training, a coastal barocomplex and a diving tower, Ivan Epifanov, head of the Sturm training complex, told Izvestia.
A mock-up of the ship's side is mounted underwater. On it, the cadets practice their actions to seize the ship, mine it, and free the hostages with the release of the assault group on board.
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The water bowl is divided into two main depths: six meters and almost two meters. The depth transition in the pool is smooth. This allows the cadets to smoothly go into the depths when their buoyancy control skills are still small.
— There are no analogues of such a complex yet, not only in Russia, but all over the world. There are similar pools and diving towers. For example, in Norway it is even deeper. There are similar barocomplexes. But for everything to be organized in one place, there is no such thing anywhere," said Ivan Epifanov.
How to shoot underwater
There is also an underwater shooting range in the pool. In it, the cadets practice shooting from all types of underwater weapons. It is a 12 m long and 2.2 m high structure.
— They mostly learn how to shoot with an underwater pistol and a submachine gun. In addition, new types of underwater weapons are periodically tested here. The shooting range is also unique in its own way. Usually such structures are a pipe with a diameter of about one meter. The diver dives into it, lies down and fires. Our shooting range allows you to fire not only from the stop, as everyone is used to, but also from the position of zero buoyancy. This is when a fighter is hanging in the water column and, leaning on nothing, is firing," explained Ivan Epifanov.
Shooting at depth is a difficult task. Water is an incompressible liquid and a water hammer resonates not only in the ears, but also throughout the body. Therefore, during their first classes, the cadets just get used to the shots.
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Underwater firearms are, by the way, not the main element of underwater combat, but a backup, the head of the complex noted.
— We also conduct underwater wrestling classes. Visibility is poor in most of our waters. At best, three meters, maybe five. Therefore, the main task of a combat swimmer is to silently eliminate the enemy. First of all, by making it impossible for him to breathe underwater. If you took the breathing equipment from the enemy, cut the hose, he is no longer your opponent. And probably not a tenant," he summed up.
Verification of fitness for diving service
The short—stay coastal barocomplex is another pride of the school.
— Almost all of us have experienced the feeling when our ears pop when an airplane takes off. Some people yawn or swallow saliva to make a kind of click in their ears. This equalizes the pressure in the middle ear. Not every person has this ability by nature. Therefore, here we find out whether the cadet is able to be under the influence of high pressure and purge. The second purpose is treatment. Almost all diving diseases are treated with high blood pressure," said Ivan Epifanov.
According to him, being a diver is a special condition.
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— You can force yourself to jump with a parachute. You took a step, waited for five seconds, the dome opened, and you were flying smoothly towards the ground. However, it is almost impossible to force yourself to dive underwater. You're always on edge there. There are a lot of risks: dangerous marine and river animals, any "mudflats" that can be carried by the current, a net in which you can get entangled, and much more. It's impossible to endure all this. You have to love diving, because it's always dark and cold, and you have to carry out tasks with them," the officer explained.
However, according to Epifanov, some of the cadets still felt fear of water, but the future paratroopers did not demonstrate it, they did exercises anyway, overcoming their emotions.
How paratroopers practice diving
A special simulator is located at the small craft management training center. Here you can learn how to control a boat.: how to deploy it on the move, how to enter the bay, how to approach the victim.
There are three main areas in the pool: jumping towers three, five and ten meters high, the underwater /surface part of the ship's side and the side of a real Mi-8 helicopter.
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— The helicopter is real, not a mock-up. He only sawed off the cabin, because it is not necessary. From it, landing on the water is practiced both by jumping and by descending the trigger device. The length of the pool is almost 50 m. It is equipped with a gas supply system that allows you to work with conventional scuba gear. In addition, there is an opportunity to train with heavy equipment, practice descents in closed-loop reconnaissance and sabotage equipment, the so—called bubble—free, - the diver cannot be seen from the surface, - explains Ivan Epifanov.
In 90% of cases, such units operate in conditions of almost zero visibility underwater. For such training, the pool is equipped with a system to simulate night descents. In the dark, the cadets practice walking by compass in the water and interacting with their comrades. And for the safety of the first jumps from a height, in order to avoid injury, there is an airbag supply system.
The depth of the diving tower complex is 21 m. This is a 5 m diameter shaft filled with water. At the bottom of this structure is a compartment of the submarine, through which the cadets practice emergency ascent. During training, everything happens in a real, fighting way. But first, the cadets work out all the elements on land. Only then do they get into simulated combat conditions.
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— Two types of ascent are being practiced: free ascent and musing ascent. Most people believe that only paratroopers have a parachute. However, divers also have it. The equipment, designed for ascent from depths up to 200 m, is equipped with a braking parachute. It slows down the diver's ascent at the right moment. This equipment does not guarantee a safe ascent. But it definitely guarantees that you will survive," the officer notes.
The Department of Engineering and Diving Training was established at the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School in 2015. Of the 17 teachers, 16 participated in a special military operation in Ukraine. All have been awarded state awards.
Dmitry Korneev
