At the end of February of this year, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the death of 84 paratroopers of the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th Airborne Division near Ulus-Martan on February 29 - March 1, 2000, I wrote an article “From the Heights”. I read and re-read dozens of texts, with completely inconsistent ratings, forums, blogs. Messages are still appearing in them.
There have never been any clear answers to the obvious questions that arose immediately after the tragic battle. The editors of Pskov Province wrote a letter to the president in 2003, and in response they received a reply from the Security Council.
In 2010, all these memories, re-read bleeding memories (a little was included in the article), new meetings with parents and widows, the reaction of relatives and veterans of the regiment to the article, a completely meaningless meeting from the point of view of the main issues of the Airborne Forces commander Vladimir Shamanov with the relatives of the victims in the club The 76th Division led me to the idea that it was necessary to repeat the official request.
Simply because it is necessary. The country formally has a different president, a different prosecutor general.
There are things that need to be reminded until they become clear.
I prepared
Yesterday we received a response, which is difficult to comment on.
For the first time, it was officially announced that the only person found guilty of the death of 84 servicemen was the former commander of the 104th regiment, Colonel Sergei Melentyev, who was later transferred from Pskov to Ulyanovsk and died there of a heart attack on June 22, 2002. Melentyev, who categorically objected to the rush to height 776.0, asked for permission to withdraw the company immediately after the start of the battle, but in the first case he obeyed the order, and in the second he did not receive permission.
Below is our detailed press release, followed by a document scanner.
The time has not yet come to tell the official truth about the death of the 6th company in Russia. This is the main meaning of the answer we received.
This means that essentially nothing has changed.
The military prosecutor's office considers the late regiment commander guilty of the death of Pskov paratroopers
The main military prosecutor's office of Russia considers the only person guilty of the death of the Pskov paratroopers to be regiment commander Sergei Melentyev, who died in 2002
On March 2, 2010, the Chairman of the Russian United Democratic Party "YABLOKO" Sergei Mitrokhin sent to the President of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yuri Chaika about the need to resume the criminal case into the death of 84 servicemen of the 6th company 104- th regiment of the 76th Chernigov (Pskov) Airborne Division on February 29 - March 1, 2000 and conducting a full and comprehensive investigation within its framework.
The appeal stated, in particular: “The death of an entire military unit, which fought for two days, being only a few kilometers from others military units The combined group of troops in the North Caucasus continues to be non-healing wound for the relatives, friends and loved ones of the fallen soldiers and officers, for the whole country.
The relatives of the victims and the entire Russian society have not yet received answers about the causes and circumstances of the tragic battle with especially grave consequences.
This investigation is necessary for the Russian Armed Forces, for the entire Russian society, it must provide answers that still do not exist.
Such an investigation is the moral duty of the state to the memory of fallen soldiers. It must clarify the extent of responsibility of all officials of the command staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation who made decisions and were involved in decision-making in the North Caucasus that led to the tragic events of February 29 - March 1, 2000.
Without such an investigation, the memory of the fallen heroes will not be complete.”
On May 4, 2010, the central office of the YABLOKO Regional Democratic Party in Moscow received an official response, executed on the letterhead of the Main Military Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation and signed on April 16 by the assistant to the Chief Military Prosecutor of Russia S.V. Bokov.
The response states that the Main Military Prosecutor's Office received and, in accordance with the established competence, considered appeals from the chairman of the YABLOKO party, Sergei Mitrokhin, addressed to the President Russian Federation and the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, due to the investigation of the criminal case regarding the death in February 2000 in the Chechen Republic of servicemen of the 6th parachute company.
The answer on the merits of the appeal was given as follows (full quotation):
“In the period from February 29 to March 1, 2000, while carrying out the task of blocking members of illegal armed groups in the area of the village. Ulus-Kert village of the Chechen Republic as a result of a military clash at an altitude of elevation. 776.0 killed 84 and wounded 6 military personnel.
On March 2, 2000, the military prosecutor's office - military unit 20102 (Khankala settlement) opened criminal case No. 14/33/0108-00 against members of illegal armed groups on the grounds of crimes provided for in paragraphs. “b”, “g”, “h” part 2 art. 105 (murder), part 2 of Art. 208 (participation in an armed formation) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which on April 29, 2000 was sent under jurisdiction to the Main Directorate of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation for supervision over the implementation of laws in the North Caucasus (now the Directorate of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation in the Southern Federal District).
Currently, this criminal case is being investigated by the investigative department Investigative Committee at the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation for the Chechen Republic and did not make a final procedural decision on it.
On May 2, 2000, in the military prosecutor's office - military unit 20102, based on materials isolated from the specified criminal case, criminal case No. 14/33/0185-00 was opened against the regiment commander, Colonel S. Yu. Melentyev, on the grounds of a crime under Part 2 of Art. . 293 (negligence resulting in serious consequences through negligence) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
During the preliminary investigation of the case, it was established that due to improper execution of his duties, Colonel S. Yu. Melentyev committed violations of the requirements of the Combat Regulations of the Ground Forces, expressed in ineffective reconnaissance to establish the location of members of illegal armed formations in the areas of operation of subordinate units, making incorrect decisions about changing the time of occupation of height 776.0, determining the firing positions of the artillery battalion and deployment of the regiment's reserves.
The above violations led to the conduct of the battle with significantly superior enemy forces in unprepared engineering positions in conditions of all-round defense, the ineffectiveness of the use of artillery weapons from established firing positions in the absence of air support due to unfavorable weather conditions, and the impossibility of promptly releasing units by forces of the regimental reserve, which resulted in serious consequences in the form of unjustifiably high losses of personnel. The preliminary investigation authorities reasonably qualified the actions of Colonel S. Yu. Melentyev under Part 2 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, an act of amnesty was subject to application in relation to the specified serviceman - Resolution State Duma Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation dated May 26, 2000 No. 398-III GD “On declaring an amnesty in connection with the 55th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.”
Taking into account the above, on May 30, 2000, the criminal case, with the consent of S. Yu. Melentyev, was rightfully terminated on the basis of clause 4 of part 1 of Art. 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR as a result of the act of amnesty.
This procedural decision was made by the assistant military prosecutor - military unit 20102 and is not rehabilitative for persons who have committed a criminal offense.
Taking a different decision, taking into account the established factual circumstances of the case, would be contrary to the requirements of the legislation on criminal proceedings.
During the investigation, a legal assessment was also given to the actions of other military officials, incl. command of the United Group, in respect of which the initiation of a criminal case was refused on the basis of clause 2, part 1 of Art. 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR - for lack of corpus delicti.
At present, there are no grounds for reviewing the above procedural decisions.”
Thus, the Main Military Prosecutor's Office of Russia reported that:
1) the criminal case opened on the death of the paratroopers has not been completed and is being investigated by the investigative department of the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation for the Chechen Republic; there is still no procedural decision in the case;
2) at the same time, the actions of the command of the United Group of Forces in the North Caucasus were given a legal assessment by the investigation; in relation to these persons, the initiation of a criminal case was refused “for lack of corpus delicti”;
3) it was announced publicly for the first time that the only person whose guilt was established by the investigation was the former commander of the 104th regiment, Colonel Sergei Melentyev, who was found guilty and amnestied in 2000.
Let us note that Colonel S. Yu. Melentyev died of a heart attack on June 22, 2002 in Ulyanovsk, where he was transferred from Pskov.
All the officers of the 104th regiment who took part in the battle at height 776.0 were killed.
Answers to the questions of the relatives of the victims, the entire Russian society, how and under what circumstances the Russian Army suffered such significant losses, and who is responsible for these losses at the high command level, have not been given.
Judging by the letter received by the YABLOKO party, the current authorities of the Russian Federation do not intend to give these answers.
RUDP “YABLOKO” considers the received response to be formal.
The answer was not given directly by the President of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, or the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation.
Such an attitude towards the investigation of the most sensitive tragedies for Russian society makes it possible for them to repeat again.
RODP "YABLOKO" insists on reopening the criminal case into the death of servicemen of the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th airborne division on February 29 - March 1, 2000 and conducting an exhaustive investigation, the results of which should be known to the public, regardless of established facts and circumstances.
To the 10th anniversary of the feat of the 6th company
In 2018, a new edition of the book “Step into Immortality” was published, supplemented by new facts about the battle of the 6th company, as well as essays and memoirs of the parents of the fallen soldiers.
If you have any questions about purchasing a new edition of the book, you can contact the author -
Oleg Dementiev(e-mail: [email protected]
)
Dementyev Oleg Vladimirovich born in 1948 in Novosibirsk. Since 1953 he has lived in the Pskov region. Served in the Northern Fleet. Journalist by profession. In 1999, he created the Pskov supplement of the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper. Currently lives in Pskov. Correspondent " Russian newspaper"and columnist for the newspaper Pskov News.
Klevtsov Vladimir Vasilievich born in 1954 in Velikiye Luki. Author of five books of prose. Member of the Russian Writers' Union. Winner of the Pskov Region Administration Prize for the best achievements in the field of literature. Lives in Pskov.
Book "Step into Immortality" created at the request of the commander of the 76th Guards Division of the Guard, Major General S.Yu. Semenyuty. At the fifth regional competition of printed products, the publication was recognized as “Book of the Year”. O. Dementyev and V. Klevtsov were awarded Diplomas and awarded commemorative medals in honor of the 1100th anniversary of Pskov.
The paratroopers of the 76th Guards Airborne Chernigov Red Banner Division, who blocked the path of the militants rushing through the Argun Gorge in the Chechen Republic into the valley and further into Dagestan, will forever remain in our memory. February 29, 2000, and paid for it with their lives.
Chronicle of the event.
About 3 thousand mercenaries accumulated in the gorge. They are already February 29 We were supposed to pass the gorge, but were delayed a few times. The landing force knew nothing about their presence here. The soldiers were given the order to move to the heights. The 6th parachute company was supposed to be at the exit from the gorge at an altitude of 776.0 near the village of Ulus-Kert.
The company's reconnaissance patrol was the first to encounter a group of militants numbering over 40 people. The mercenaries shouted to be let through, since “the commanders had agreed”! Senior Lieutenant Alexei Vorobyov urgently contacted the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin, by radio and reported the situation. He got in touch with the command of the landing group. An order came from there: offer the militants to surrender or destroy everyone!
The bandits listened to this conversation via radio interception, and Khattab gave his order: “Wipe the paratroopers off the face of the earth!” A battle broke out and continued the next day. The guards did not retreat an inch. They rejected the money offered by the bandits. There was no help except the breakthrough of 10 scouts of the 4th company, led by the deputy commander of the 2nd battalion, Major Alexander Dostavalov. The paratroopers fought to the death. Despite their wounds, many threw grenades into the midst of their enemies. Blood flowed in a stream along the road leading down. For each of the 90 paratroopers there were 30 militants.
March 1 at a critical moment, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin and artillery spotter Captain Viktor Romanov called fire from their native artillery: “On themselves!” The morning was clear when the last paratroopers of the company died. A helicopter was patrolling over the battlefield, and the pilots reported to the ground that the militants were collecting the corpses of the guardsmen and intend to take them somewhere. Paratroopers from other units began to break through to the battlefield. The militants retreated. It turned out that they had collected the corpses in one pile, and they sat dead Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin with a walkie-talkie and headphones on. All around there were trees cut by bullets, fragments of grenades, mines and shells, mutilated corpses of paratroopers lay, many of them were finished off by militants at point-blank range.
2nd of March the remaining militants were scattered by an air and artillery raid. About 500 went to the mountains and disappeared. Later some field commanders were killed, according to some reports, by Pskov paratroopers
The dead paratroopers are guys from 47 republics, territories and regions of Russia. 13 officers became Heroes of Russia posthumously. Among the 84 dead guardsmen were 20 conscript and contract soldiers from the Pskov region. The title of Hero of Russia was awarded to Corporal Alexander Lebedev from the Pskov region and Sergeant Dmitry Grigoriev from the Novosokolnichesky region. Eternal memory to them!
The feat of the paratroopers was noted Russian prize "Warriors of the Spirit". The streets of their hometowns are named in their honor, educational institutions memorial plaques were opened, monuments were erected in Pskov and Moscow.
PSKOV PATRONS
No matter what war, no matter what thunder
You would not be severely scorched,
Oh, Russian land! - you are behind the helmet
And behind the shield of your regiments from Pskov.
You are behind the shield of fearless paratroopers,
Their military, tough skill,
What was gained in hand-to-hand battles
At the cost of bloody and mortal teaching.
Their blood burns in all "hot spots"
But Pskov has been their home for half a century.
Division Chernigov firmly
Connected with the ancient valiant land.
Because you keep your honor sacred
And the people have not lost faith in you -
Bow to you, Russian soldiers,
Bow to the soldiers' mothers!
Stanislav Zolottsev,
Secretary of the Writers' Union of Russia
Paratroopers of the 6th company in the 104th Guards Regiment in the summer of 1999
Combat everyday life of the landing force
Opening of the monument to the 6th company "Dome"
Andrei Panov's daughter Irishka with portraits of her father and godfather
“Warriors of the Spirit” Award figurine
For purchasing inquiries please contact:
Mobile tel. +7 911 355-09-05
Oleg Dementyev
List of dead paratroopers
Evtyukhin Mark Nikolaevich - lieutenant colonel, battalion commander. Born in the city of Yoshkar-Ola, Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (now the Mari-El Republic).
Join the ranks Soviet army was called up in 1981. In 1985 he graduated from Ryazan Higher command school Airborne troops.
Since 1985, he served in the 76th Guards Airborne Chernigov Red Banner Division, stationed in the city of Pskov.
He participated in establishing constitutional order in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan, which were part of the Soviet Union.
In 1998, he was appointed commander of the 2nd parachute battalion of the 104th regiment of the division, located in the village of Cherekha near Pskov.
He died while performing a combat mission at an altitude of 776.0 in the Argun Gorge near Ulus-Kert in the Chechen Republic (he caused fire on himself when he realized that the forces of the bandits were many times greater than the forces of the defenders).
He was buried in Pskov at the Orletsovsky cemetery.
In 2000, for great work on military-patriotic education, the Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution “Secondary” comprehensive school N5" was named after the Hero of the Russian Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Nikolaevich Evtyukhin.
In 2017, a monument to the commander of the legendary 6th company of the Airborne Forces, Hero of Russia Mark Evtyukhin, was unveiled in Yoshkar-Ola.
Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin arrived in Chechnya with his guard battalion on January 31, 2000. He immediately began carrying out tasks to destroy illegal gangs.
On February 9, the battalion received its first baptism of fire. Moving forward in a column to the area settlement Dyshne-Vedeno, a unit of the battalion stumbled upon an ambush by militants. Having quickly taken stock of the current situation, the commander short time managed to organize the defense competently. The militants' plan was thwarted. During the ensuing battle, the paratroopers destroyed up to 30 bandits and two vehicles.
On February 29, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin received the task of leaving the sixth company with reinforcement units to occupy heights 776.0 and 705.6. During the advance, the reconnaissance patrol discovered a large group of terrorists. In the ensuing battle, the battalion commander decided to take an advantageous position and organize a defense in order to prevent the reinforcements arriving at the militants from the Argun Gorge from breaking through. Under heavy fire from the guard bandits, Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin organized the defense at a height of 776.0 and personally led the battle, constantly being in the most dangerous directions.
Having brought in additional forces and created a numerical superiority in manpower, the militants increased the intensity of fire from two directions. Under heavy fire, the battalion commander managed to withdraw the reconnaissance patrol to the company strong point. Personally supervising the retreat, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin received numerous injuries, but continued to command his subordinates. Suffering heavy losses, the bandits carried out one attack after another. Khattab himself uncontrollably threw militants into the company’s battle formations. On the night of March 1, they launched an assault on the stronghold from three sides. But, thanks to the competent management of the battle by the battalion commander, who was bleeding, and the courage of the paratroopers, the encirclement attempt was thwarted. At dawn, having gathered new forces, the militants launched another assault on the company's stronghold. Without firing, shouting “Allahu Akbar!”, Despite the huge losses, they moved like an avalanche towards the defending paratroopers. The battle escalated into hand-to-hand combat. Seeing that the forces of the militants were many times superior to the defenders, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin managed to call artillery fire on himself via radio. These were the last words of the courageous battalion commander. Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin died, having fulfilled his duty to the end. The militants paid dearly for the death of the brave commander - more than 400 militants found their grave on the battlefield. But Khattab’s gang was never able to break out of the Argun Gorge.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists in the North Caucasus region, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin Mark Nikolaevich was awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Commander of the 6th company of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment of the Guard, Major Sergei Georgievich Molodov. Born on April 15, 1965 in Kutaisi, Georgian Republic. He served in the Airborne Forces. Then he graduated from the Ryazan Higher Command Airborne School. He served as a lieutenant in the Turkestan Military District. Over the course of several years, I visited various “hot spots” with my unit. He served in Volgodonsk and Buinaksk, where he fought with bandits who captured a tank battalion. Later he arrived in Pskov, where he was appointed company commander.
A business trip to the Chechen Republic in February 2000 was not unexpected. On February 9 and 22, Major Molodov and a group of paratroopers defeated a cluster of militants.
A fierce battle broke out on February 29, when the militants tried to escape from the Argun Gorge, but their path was blocked by Pskov paratroopers.
Guard Major Molodov S.G. clearly oriented himself in the situation, but the bandits had a significant numerical superiority. Moral superiority in battle was on the side of the paratroopers. None of them backed down. The company commander skillfully controlled the battle. During the day he was seriously wounded in the neck, but continued to fight. Shells, bullets and shrapnel cut down branches of trees. The paratroopers fought hand-to-hand, cutting themselves with shovels and rifle butts. Molodov rushed to pull out the wounded soldier, but was killed by a sniper’s bullet.
The grave of Guard Major Sergei Georgievich Molodov next to the grave of his father Georgiy Feoktistovich at the Krasnopolsky cemetery of the Sosnovsky district, Chelyabinsk region.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists in the North Caucasus region, Guard Major Sergei Georgievich Molodov was awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Dostavalov Alexander Vasilievich - major, deputy battalion commander. Born in the city of Ufa. In 1981 he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet Army. He served in the 76th Guards Airborne Chernigov Red Banner Division, located in the city of Pskov.
He died while performing a combat mission at an altitude of 776.0 in the Argun Gorge near Ulus-Kert in the Chechen Republic.
On March 12, 2000, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia. Forever enlisted in the lists of the 5th parachute landing Chernigov Red Banner Division.
He was buried at the Orletsovsky cemetery in Pskov.
This was the second trip to the war in Chechnya for Guard Major Dostavalov.
The first time he took part in battles with bandits was in 1995. Dostavalov competently passed on his experience of conducting combat operations to his subordinates.
The military clash with terrorists in the war in 2000 for the guard of Major Dostavalov took place on February 10. While accompanying a column of a regimental tactical group, the deputy battalion commander identified a group of militants trying to set up an ambush. Quickly assessing the situation, the officer competently distributed the means of combat security and gave the command to destroy the militants. The plans of the “spirits” were thwarted and unhindered passage of the column was ensured. 15 corpses of militants remained on the battlefield.
On February 29, the battalion units were leaving to occupy the dominant heights in order to prevent the terrorists from breaking through from the Argun Gorge. In the absence of the guard battalion commander, Major Dostavalov remained in charge. When the sixth parachute company engaged in a heavy battle with the bandits, the deputy battalion commander immediately arrived at the fourth company's strong point, organized and led its exit to support a neighboring unit. Major Dostavalov himself personally with a platoon of guard paratroopers reached an advantageous line on the southern outskirts of the height with mark 776.0. By the end of the day, the paratroopers made two attempts to break through to the neighboring unit leading the battle. However, they were not successful. On the night of March 1, having learned on the radio from the commander of the guard battalion, Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin, that superior forces of militants were trying to encircle the sixth company, Guard Major Dostavalov decided to make a breakthrough. Another attempt to connect with the paratroopers of the sixth parachute company was a success. During the battle of the guard, Major Dostavalov was seriously wounded, but did not leave the battlefield and continued to lead his subordinates and destroy bandits.
During one of the battles, a wounded officer saw several militants trying to capture a wounded paratrooper. Overcoming the pain, Guard Major Dostavalov rushed towards the soldier with a swift rush and, having destroyed the militants, carried him under heavy fire into the company’s battle formations. He saved his subordinate, but he himself was mortally wounded.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists, Guard Major Alexander Vasilyevich Dostavalov was awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Guard Captain Roman Vladimirovich Sokolov - deputy company commander for airborne training. Born on February 16, 1972 in Ryazan. Already from childhood, I observed the life of paratrooper cadets and dreamed of entering the Higher Command School of the Airborne Forces in my hometown. This dream came true on August 1, 1989. After graduating from college, he was sent to his duty station in Pskov in the 76th Guards Red Banner Division.
In 1995, Roman Sokolov took part in the first operation to restore constitutional order in the Chechen Republic. While fighting in the Argun Gorge, he was wounded in the arm and concussed. He was awarded the Order of Courage and the Medal "For Military Merit".
A new business trip to Chechnya began with military clashes. On February 9, the Mujahideen attack was repulsed, and the attackers suffered heavy losses.
On February 29, the 6th company of paratroopers, following orders, advanced to commanding heights at the exit
from the Argun Gorge. A bloody battle broke out here. The mercenaries outnumbered the paratroopers - 2.5 thousand against 90 guards! But the spirit of patriotism increased the strength of the paratroopers hundreds of times.
Captain Sokolov led two platoons in the middle of the day and withdrew with them to a height of 776.0 under heavy fire. A defense was organized and the withdrawal of the rest of the company along with the commander was ensured. After the death of the commander of the 6th Guard Company, Major Molodov, Guard Captain Sokolov took command, although he was already wounded.
On the night of March 1, the militants tried to encircle the company and sent their main forces to do so. Guard Captain Sokolov's arm was torn off, but he did not stop fighting. A terrible pain pierced the body again - Sokolov remained
without legs! His comrades tried to help him by making tourniquets.
However, everything was in vain. A deadly mine hit him in the back and tore his body apart.
Near the deceased captain Sokolov, 15 corpses of militants were counted.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists, Guard Captain Roman Vladimirovich Sokolov was awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Guard Captain Romanov Viktor Viktorovich - commander of a self-propelled artillery battery of the 76th Red Banner Airborne Division. Born on May 15, 1972 in the village of Sosva, Serovsky district, Sverdlovsk region. Called up for service on August 1, 1989 by the Serov RVK of the Sverdlovsk region. Graduated from the Kolomna Higher Military Command Artillery School.
After graduating from college, he was sent to Pskov, where he served in an artillery regiment. He took part in battles during the Chechen campaign in 1995, for which he was awarded the Order of Courage and the Medal “For Military Valor”, 1st degree.
At the beginning of February 2000, Guard Captain V.V. Romanov. arrived in the Chechen Republic along with other paratroopers from Pskov. On February 7, reconnaissance discovered a group of militants and the guard battery of Captain V.V. Romanov opened fire. Very few bandits managed to escape. A similar battle took place on February 16.
On February 29, Guard Captain V.V. Romanov was in the mountains, where he was heading along with the 6th company of the 104th regiment as an artillery spotter. During a clash with militants, he quickly prepared and transmitted shooting data to the command post and called for artillery fire. At the same time, he fired from a machine gun. Together with Guard Lieutenant Colonel M.N. Evtyukhin, he called fire from his own batteries on himself. Guard captain V.V. Romanov died from a sniper’s bullet.
Guard captain Viktor Viktorovich Romanov was buried in the village of Sosva, Sverdlovsk region.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists, Guard Captain Viktor Viktorovich Romanov was awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).
March 2, 2016 on the facade of house No. 3A on the street. Peacefully, a memorial plaque to Hero of Russia Viktor Romanov was solemnly unveiled.
Guard Senior Lieutenant Alexey Vladimirovich Vorobyov, deputy commander of the 6th company of the 104th Guards Red Banner Parachute Regiment. Born on May 14, 1975 in the village of Borovukha, Vitebsk region, Belarusian Republic. Drafted into the army on August 1, 1992 by the Kurozhevsky RVK of the Orenburg region.
To establish constitutional order in the Chechen Republic, A.V. Vorobyov arrived in the North Caucasus on September 15, 1999. Already on October 27, commanding a reconnaissance unit, he led a battle in which 17 bandits were destroyed and two were captured.
There were battles with militants on December 2, 1999 and January 4, 2000, where A.V.’s paratroopers won. Vorobyova.
In his last battle The reconnaissance patrol under the command of Guard Senior Lieutenant A.V. Vorobyov was the first to encounter bandits emerging from the Argun Gorge on February 29, 2000. The Wahhabis refused to surrender and opened fire. The fight was brutal. The number of militants was several dozen times greater. But the paratroopers fought to the end.
Vorobyov personally killed the field commander Idris and about 30 bandits. Heavily wounded in the legs, he was bleeding, but ordered R. Hristolyubov and A. Komarov to make their way to their own for help. The soldiers remained alive, but senior lieutenant A.V. Vorobiev died from loss of blood.
Guard senior lieutenant Vorobyov Alexey Vladimirovich was buried in the village of Kandaurovka, Orenburg region. One of the village streets bears his name.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists, Guard Senior Lieutenant Alexey Vladimirovich Vorobyov was awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Guard Senior Lieutenant Sherstyannikov Andrey Nikolaevich - commander of an anti-aircraft missile platoon. Born on August 1, 1975 in Ust-Kut Irkutsk region. I graduated from school here. On military service drafted on his birthday in 1993 - became a cadet at the St. Petersburg Higher Anti-Aircraft Missile Command School. After graduation, he arrived in the 76th Guards Airborne Chernigov Red Banner Division.
At the beginning of February 2000, Guard Senior Lieutenant Sherstyannikov, together with other paratroopers, began serving on the soil of the Chechen Republic.
On February 11, he was at the positions of anti-aircraft installations when an observer received a report about the movement of a group of militants on equipment in the area where the stream flows into the Abazugal River. They were hit by anti-aircraft guns and small arms. The militants suffered heavy losses and retreated, abandoning two cars and a device for firing mines.
On February 18, Guard Senior Lieutenant Sherstyannikov and his unit rescued sappers who were ambushed. The paratroopers won the battle.
The fierce battle lasted for several hours. The mercenaries, intoxicated by drugs, tried to crush the rebellious company and leave the Argun Gorge. However, the attempts were broken up by paratroopers. Guard senior lieutenant Sherstyannikov was seriously wounded, but continued to fire accurately at the enemy. On the morning of March 1, the Mujahideen rushed into one of the attacks. Guard senior lieutenant Sherstyannikov received another wound, but still threw a grenade at the bandits and died.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists, Guard Senior Lieutenant Andrei Nikolaevich Sherstyannikov was awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).
Guard senior lieutenant Panov Andrey Aleksandrovich - deputy commander of the 6th company educational work. Born on February 25, 1974 in Smolensk. Graduated from school here. Called up for military service on July 31, 1993 by the Zadneprovsky RVK of Smolensk.
He entered the St. Petersburg Higher Combined Arms Command School. After college, he arrived in the 76th Guards Red Banner Airborne Division, where he served in the 104th Guards Red Banner Airborne Regiment.
To replace his comrades in the military group in Chechnya, Guard Senior Lieutenant A.A. Panov arrived with his unit on February 4, 2000 and was here as a platoon commander. Already on February 10, a convoy with cargo, which was accompanied by paratroopers along with Panov, was ambushed by militants. The bandits lost 15 people in the short battle and disappeared.
On February 13, while moving a guard platoon checkpoint, Senior Lieutenant Panov saw a group of militants trying to break out of the Argun Gorge. Realizing that they had been discovered, the bandits opened fire. During the battle, all five terrorists were destroyed.
There were no casualties among the paratroopers.
On February 29, the platoon of Guard Senior Lieutenant Panov carried out a mission as part of the 6th company of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment. When a clash occurred with the mercenaries and a battle ensued, Guard Senior Lieutenant Panov skillfully led the platoon. His paratroopers covered the retreat of his comrades to more advantageous positions. The officer himself conducted targeted fire and destroyed dozens of enemies.
Waging an unequal battle under heavy enemy fire, Guard Senior Lieutenant Panov and his platoon moved to a height of 776.0 and carried out the wounded paratroopers.
On the morning of March 1, the guards were attacked by a selected detachment of mercenaries "Dzhimar", the number of which reached 400 people. They walked with battle cries of “Allahu Akbar!”
In a fierce battle among the guards, senior lieutenant Andrei Panov received a fatal bullet.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists, Guard Senior Lieutenant Panov Andrei Aleksandrovich was awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).
FOR COURAGE AND HEROISM, SENIOR LIEUTENANT PANOV WAS EARLY AND POSTHUMBLY AWARDED THE MILITARY RANK OF CAPTAIN
Guard Senior Lieutenant Petrov Dmitry Vladimirovich - deputy company commander for educational work, on a business trip to the Chechen Republic he was a platoon commander. Born on June 10, 1974 in Rostov-on-Don. Drafted into the army on August 1, 1999 by the Soviet RVK of Ryazan. Graduated from the Ryazan Higher Command School of the Airborne Forces. By distribution he was sent to Pskov to the 76th Guards Airborne Red Banner Chernigov Division.
He repeatedly traveled to “hot spots” where order was restored among the civilian population. He was part of the peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia. Following this - a business trip to the war in the Chechen Republic.
The first clashes with militants occurred on February 9 and 22, 2000. A platoon under the command of Guard Senior Lieutenant D.V. Petrov repelled two attacks by bandits, destroying over 10 mercenaries.
On February 29, paratroopers reached the heights blocking the exit from the Argun Gorge and blocked the path of Wahhabi gangs who were breaking into the valley and from there to Dagestan. A fierce battle broke out. The paratroopers did not retreat a single step. By the end of the day, Petrov’s platoon had redeployed to more advantageous positions at altitude 776.0. At this moment, the guard senior lieutenant carried out safe place three wounded. In fact, it was a deceptive feeling.
On the night of March 1, militants attacked the paratroopers' positions from three sides. They tried to gain control of the heights, regardless of losses. The roar of shells, mines, grenades, the whistling of bullets and shrapnel, the groans of the wounded and the cries of the dead, the roar of drug-addled militants “Allahu Akbar!” created a terrible picture. Guard Lieutenant D.V. Petrov hit like at a shooting range - right on target. But the “targets” screamed before they died.
In the morning, Guard Senior Lieutenant D.V. Petrov received an order to ensure a breakthrough for the platoon that was coming to the rescue. The task was completed, but D.V. Petrov was wounded. The brave officer did not leave the battlefield and continued to lead his subordinates. The militants went on the attack. Guard battalion commander, lieutenant colonel
M.N. Evtyukhin called fire from his own batteries on himself. The paratroopers fought hand-to-hand, throwing grenades at the brutal enemies. Already mortally wounded, Dmitry Petrov, with a weapon in his hands and the last grenade, rushed towards the spirits. He died like a hero.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with terrorists, Guard Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Vladimirovich Petrov was awarded the title Hero of Russia (posthumously).
In the history of the Chechen wars special place occupies the battle of the 6th company of the Pskov landing at height 776 in Chechnya on February 28–29, 2000. This fight was an example of desperate courage that we should not forget.
In February 2000, militants in Chechnya found themselves on the brink of an abyss. After the capture of Grozny, the Russian army began encircling the main enemy forces in the south of the republic.
Mountainous Chechnya is divided in two by the Argun Gorge, running from north to south. It was there that the destruction of the bulk of the Mujahideen was planned. The gorge itself is small, and if it were possible to bottle up the militants in it, their destruction would be a matter of time.
Although numerous detachments settled in the mountains in the southeast of the republic, and some of the militants went underground in cities and towns, the largest group was under the threat of complete defeat.
The detachments inside the tightening loop were commanded by Gelayev and Khattab. The militant leaders had to make some decision, and urgently. At this moment they were frankly not in the best position. The battles, which lasted for many weeks, exhausted the insurgents, and the wounded accumulated in the detachments. Russian troops experienced their own difficulties.
The army was acutely lacking in equipment, primarily communications and reconnaissance equipment, the troops were poorly able to operate in the mountains, and the training of even well-trained units was carried out according to Soviet patterns - that is, it focused on large maneuverable battles of masses of equipment, and not on catching partisan detachments.
In addition, in the forests and wild mountains, many people were required to control the territory. And it was extremely difficult to provide assistance to individual platoons and companies, especially since darkness came early, which limited the actions of aviation.
Due to all these circumstances, only a very loose chain of outposts and barriers remained on the way of the militants from the trap. Moreover, from the east Russian troops approached the Argun Gorge slowly and not in all areas at the same time.
Meanwhile, the militants did not intend to stay inside the bag. IN last days February they made a breakthrough on two fronts.
The detachment under the leadership of Gelayev went northwest to Komsomolskoye, and its defeat is a separate story. Khattab chose to break through to the east, towards the village of Vedeno.
There were remote mountainous areas, traditionally loyal to the militants, only recently and not fully combed by the military. Khattab decided to leave the encirclement near the village of Ulus-Kert.
These places are covered with dense dense forest, providing shelter from observation from the air and ground. On his road stood regimental groups of two airborne divisions - the 7th from Novorossiysk and the 76th from Pskov.
The Arab commander led more than a thousand men to the breakthrough, but the military on the breakthrough line had very little idea of where the enemy was. The fact is that reconnaissance in the eastern part of the Argun Gorge was literally blinded. It was forbidden to conduct it outside the range of artillery, and “their” guns lagged behind.
The reconnaissance units located in this area belonged to other units and even departments, and even if they collected any information about the enemy, they did not reach the paratroopers.
In general, at that time, the key task was considered to be the attack on the village of Shatoi, and it was there that all the eyes of both the command of the United Group and intelligence of all types were looking.
Weak link
Among others, the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the Pskov 76th Airborne Division reached positions east of Ulus-Kert at the end of February. The specific problem of this company was that it was understaffed literally just before the deployment to Chechnya with soldiers seconded from other units.
The last soldiers were included in its composition just before loading onto the planes, and even the company commander received his appointment just a month before being sent to war. There was no need to even talk about combat coordination, but meanwhile in battle it has great value the ability of all soldiers to act as one hand.
On February 26, the paratroopers received the task of setting up posts at the heights. The battalion, which included the 6th company, moved to the designated area. The battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin was well aware of the weakness of the 6th company, so he himself was with it.
In general, another company should have been at height 776, better prepared for battle, but due to transport breakdowns it could not leave on time, so the plan was shaken up on the move and the 6th still moved to the height.
The soldiers marched on foot. At the same time, the company was overloaded - in addition to weapons and ammunition, the soldiers carried camp equipment. Because of this, the company was stretched: the soldiers were tired and climbed the paths slowly. The load for each person was more than 40 kilograms.
On February 29, 2000, a company led by Evtyukhin and regular commander Major Molodov began climbing to height 776. While the company was struggling to reach the height, a battle was already going on nearby. Khattab probed the positions of the 3rd company, but the Chechen attack was repulsed there.
The company commander, Captain Vasilyev, managed not only to reach the designated area, but also to dig in and even place mines in front. Vasiliev led his company lightly, leaving property in the rear, which gave the 3rd company required time to prepare for battle.
Khattab contacted the company commander and offered money. However, as a response, Vasiliev sent an artillery strike on the heads of the militants. After this, the enemy rolled back, carrying away the dead and wounded. It is interesting, by the way, that in this battle Khattab was very active in radio communication with Vasiliev’s company and even managed to talk with the company sniper pair.
The snipers, themselves natives of Dagestan, reported that the Russians were not surrendering, and the 3rd company indeed did not surrender and successfully blocked an attempt to break through in its sector.
However, the militants did not give up on the breakthrough; for them, access to the east was a matter of life and death. Khattab never tired of conducting reconnaissance, looking for weak spots in the formations of paratroopers. Soon the search was crowned with success.
Still from the film “Breakthrough”/ © Kinopoisk
The first shootings began in the afternoon. The advance detachment of the company collided with the vanguard of the militants. In the shootout, the company commander, Major Molodov, was almost immediately mortally wounded. From that moment on, the company was personally commanded by the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin.
So far there has been no talk of an attack by large forces: the number of militants was estimated at several dozen people. However, the situation was already extremely difficult.
It was impossible to quickly dig in in the frozen ground, and the soldiers were extremely exhausted after a 14-kilometer march through the mountains. Due to the disgusting weather, visibility was very poor and aircraft could not provide support.
At about 16-17 hours, at dusk, the company came under attack from large forces of militants. One of the platoons, which was still climbing to the heights, found itself in the worst position. He was defeated almost immediately, caught in a surprise attack.
The main forces of the company fought back and caused an artillery strike from the airborne regiment to attack the Khattabites. However, darkness was approaching, and a strike group of Chechens with a strength of at least 500–600 bayonets. After dark the company was finally attacked with all its forces.
The Last Frontier
The militants attacked the positions of the 6th company from several sides. The high-rise was bombarded with mines from mortars. About a third of the company's soldiers were already out of action, meaning that only two platoons actually resisted. It was extremely difficult to adjust the fire of the regiment’s already weak artillery due to the darkness.
The only reserve - a company trying to establish contact with the 6th - was stopped at the turn of the Abazulgol river. The problem was aggravated by extremely weak night fighting skills and practically complete absence the equipment necessary for this - special sights and night vision devices.
Now that we have data on the number of militants, it can be argued that the failure to break through to the positions of the 6th only reduced the number of corpses: if the paratroopers had shown persistence, another company would have simply died nearby. Be that as it may, they decided to postpone the breakthrough until the morning.
Moreover, the command already understood that a serious battle was taking place at the heights, but still believed that the situation was generally under control. Meanwhile, the wounded were accumulating in the 6th company.
Subsequently, some of the killed company soldiers were found in bullet-ridden sleeping bags, and this gave rise to rumors about the capture of the sleeping company. In reality, most likely, these were the wounded, bundled up from the cold and killed in the last hours of the battle.
In the middle of the night, a platoon from the neighboring 4th made its way to the 6th company. There was no more help. There were no more than fifty living soldiers left at the height. For the final attack, the militants formed a strike force of about 70 volunteers.
The offensive was again supported by mortars, and if there was any return artillery fire, it was weak. At about six o'clock in the morning, Evtyukhin called self-propelled gun fire on himself. The final fight was hand-to-hand.
The militants carried out the final attack competently, even skillfully, covering each other and controlling the battlefield. Among them there were many militants of Arab origin, and Khattab himself was a very experienced terrorist who always took care of the good training of his people. Therefore, very few of the soldiers of the 6th company survived.
Two soldiers rolled off the cliff and managed to get out of the battle zone. Their escape was covered by the last officer, the already seriously wounded Captain Romanov. Another fighter was stunned by a rifle butt in hand-to-hand combat and was mistaken for dead. In total, six soldiers climbed out from the height in ones and twos. 84 soldiers and officers were killed. No one surrendered.
The militants remained on top for some time - picking up trophies and their wounded. Only the next day it became clear that the company was no more.
The militants moved east, leaving the Russians to count their losses and mourn the dead. However, the matter was not limited to stating the catastrophe. Contrary to the almost generally accepted point of view, the losses of the Khattabites reached 500–600 people killed.
Unfortunately, this is a greatly inflated figure, if only because with such losses, Khattab’s detachment should have lost another 1–1.5 thousand people wounded and ceased to exist.
Such a mass of dead would undoubtedly have been quickly discovered: there would have been no one to carry out the bodies. In fact, according to the testimony of prisoners, 25–50 militants were killed on the spot by paratroopers and artillery fire at the height.
Taking into account all the circumstances, this is just a very serious damage, which speaks of the high qualities of the Pskov residents. In addition, the reconnaissance group following in the footsteps of the Khattabites discovered several dozen more wounded and dying.
At the beginning of March 2000, in one of the clashes during the second Chechen campaign, most of the personnel of the 6th company of the 2nd battalion of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 76th Guards Airborne Division (Pskov) were killed.
How did the 6th company of Pskov paratroopers die?
Magazine: (6), summer 2018
Category: Chechnya
Text: Russian Seven
The death of the paratroopers, who entered into battle with a detachment of Chechen militants significantly superior in number, even after 16 years, raises a lot of questions. The main ones are: how could something like this happen and, just as important, why did it go unpunished for the command? Three main versions of what happened at height 776 (area of the Chechen city of Argun, at the Ulus-Kert - Selmentauzen border): a fatal coincidence of circumstances that did not allow the paratroopers to come to the aid, the criminal inability of the command to organize a combat operation and, finally, the bribery of representatives of federal troops with a chain by militants obtaining the necessary information about the time and route of the 6th company's advance.
Initially unequal forces
At the end of February 2000, federal troops defeated Chechen militants in the battle for the village of Shatoy, but two large bandit groups led by Ruslan Gelayev and Khattab emerged from encirclement and united. A company of Pskov paratroopers had to fight this formation, which broke through into the Ulus-Kert area. According to the Russian side, the bandit detachment numbered up to 2,500 militants. In addition to Khattab, they were led by such famous field commanders as Shamil Basayev, Idris and Abuap-Vapid.
The day before the end of the fighting in Shatoi (February 28), the commander of the 104th regiment, Colonel S. Melentyev, the commander of the 6th company of paratroopers, Major S. G. Molodov, was ordered to occupy the dominant heights of Isty-Kord. After securing at height 776, which was 4.5 kilometers from Mount Isty-Kord, towards end point 12 scouts set off on the route.
On February 29, the reconnaissance patrol entered into battle with a bandit group of about 20 militants and retreated to height 776. From this clash began a battle that cost the lives of more than 80 servicemen of two companies (in addition to the 6th company, 15 soldiers of the 4th company also fought at the height) . The battle at height 776 began just 4 hours after the federals captured Shatoy.
It was obvious that the forces were unequal: at first only two platoons of the 6th company fought with the advancing militants, the third, stretched out while climbing to a height of 3 kilometers, was fired upon and destroyed on its slope. At the end of February 29, the company lost more than a third of its personnel killed.
One of the six surviving soldiers of the 6th company, Andrei Porshnev, recalled that the militants came at the paratroopers like a wall: as soon as they put down one “wave” of the attackers, half an hour later another was coming, shouting “Allahu Akbar”... Artillery worked against the bandits, but for the Russian fighters It was not clear why there was no help, because the 4th company was located nearby.
The opponents met in hand-to-hand combat. The retreating militants then used the radio to offer the paratroopers money for free passage.
To come to the rescue is not ordered
Early in the morning of March 1, they broke through to their surrounded comrades, led by Major A.V. The 15 paratroopers from the 4th company, which occupied defensive lines at a nearby height, were delivered to Stavalov. No one gave them the order to go to the rescue. The paratroopers of the 1st company of the 1st battalion unsuccessfully tried to break through to height 776: while crossing the Abazulgol River, they ran into an ambush and were forced to gain a foothold on the bank. When they finally reached the positions of the 6th company on March 3, it was already too late.
When it became clear that the heights could not be maintained, and there was nowhere to wait for help, captain V.V. Romanov, who took command of the 6th company after the death of senior officers, called fire on himself. At 5 a.m. on March 1, militants occupied the heights. Despite the massive artillery fire that covered height 776, the remnants of Khattab’s bandit group, having lost, according to some sources, about 500 people, were still able to leave the Argun Gorge.
In the battle for Hill 776, 84 soldiers of the 6th and 4th companies were killed, including 13 officers. Only six soldiers managed to survive.
Were the paratroopers betrayed?
There are still debates about why the Pskov paratroopers were not given effective support or were not given the order to withdraw the company. De jure, no one from the command of the federal forces was punished for what happened. At first, Colonel Yu.S. was made extreme. Melentyev, who gave the order to advance the 6th company to the heights of Ista-Kord. A criminal case was opened against him for improper performance of duties. But then the case was closed due to an amnesty.
Although Melentyev’s comrades claim that the colonel, immediately after the start of the battle, several times asked the command for permission to withdraw the company, but to no avail. Colonel Melentyev, who died in 2002 from a heart attack, is also credited with such an assessment of what happened at height 776 in late February - early March. He allegedly shared with a friend shortly before his death: “Don’t believe anything they say about the Chechen war in the official media... They traded 17 million for 84 lives.”
General Gennady Troshev in his book “My War. The Chechen diary of a trench general” says that assistance was still provided to the paratroopers - there was serious fire support: regimental 120-mm guns at a height of 776 almost continuously fired about 1,200 shells from the afternoon of February 29 until the morning of March 1. According to Troshev, it was the artillery that inflicted the most serious damage on the militants.
Another version says that the command of the eastern group of troops, led by Gennady Troshev, did not take into account the specifics of the mountainous and wooded terrain, in which the unit does not have the opportunity to form a continuous front or even control the flanks. Plus, no one expected a breakout of gangs in one place large group. Front-line and army aviation could have helped the paratroopers, but that was not there either.
Igor Sergeev, the then Minister of Defense, explained the impossibility of transferring additional forces to the combat area due to the dense fire of militants.
Officials initially did not want to talk openly about the details of the death of the Pskov paratroopers. Journalists were the first to talk about what happened at height 776, and only after that did the military break the days-long silence.
Article “Top Secret” dated 05/01/2010
The official investigation into the tragedy has long been completed, its materials are classified. No one is punished. But the relatives of the victims are sure: the 6th company of the 104th Airborne Regiment was betrayed by the command of the federal group.
By the beginning of 2000, the main forces of Chechen militants were blocked in the Argun Gorge in the south of the republic. On February 23, the head of the united group of troops in the North Caucasus, Lieutenant General Gennady Troshev, announced that the militants were finished - supposedly only small gangs remained, only dreaming of surrendering. On February 29, the commander hoisted the Russian tricolor over Shatoy and repeated: Chechen gangs do not exist. Central television channels showed Defense Minister Igor Sergeev reporting to the acting President Vladimir Putin about the “successful completion of the third stage of the counter-terrorism operation in the Caucasus.”
At this very time, non-existent gangs with a total number of about three thousand people attacked the positions of the 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment, which occupied height 776.0 near the village of Ulus-Kert, Shatoi region. The battle lasted about a day. By the morning of March 1, the militants destroyed the paratroopers and marched to the village of Vedeno, where they dispersed: some surrendered, others went to continue the partisan war.
ORDERED TO BE SILENT
On March 2, the Khankala prosecutor's office opened a criminal case into the massacre of military personnel. One of the Baltic TV channels showed footage filmed by professional cameramen from the militants: a battle and a pile of bloody corpses of Russian paratroopers. Information about the tragedy reached the Pskov region, where the 104th Parachute Regiment was stationed and where 30 of the 84 dead were from. Their relatives demanded to know the truth.
On March 4, 2000, the head of the OGV press center in the North Caucasus, Gennady Alekhin, said that the information about the large losses suffered by the paratroopers was not true. Moreover, no military operations took place during this period at all. The next day, the commander of the 104th regiment, Sergei Melentyev, came out to journalists. Five days had passed since the battle, and most families already knew about the death of their loved ones through colleagues in the Caucasus. Melentyev clarified a little: “The battalion carried out a blocking mission. Intelligence discovered a caravan. The battalion commander moved to the battlefield and controlled the unit. The soldiers fulfilled their duty with honor. I'm proud of my people."
In the photo: Drill review of the 104th Parachute Regiment
Photo from the “Top Secret” archive
On March 6, one of the Pskov newspapers reported on the death of the paratroopers. After this, the commander of the 76th Guards Chernigov Air Assault Division, Major General Stanislav Semenyuta, prohibited the author of the article, Oleg Konstantinov, from entering the unit’s territory. The first official to admit the death of 84 paratroopers was the governor of the Pskov region, Yevgeny Mikhailov - on March 7, he referred to a telephone conversation with the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General Georgy Shpak. The military themselves remained silent for three more days.
Relatives of the victims besieged the division checkpoint, demanding that the bodies be returned to them. However, the plane with the “cargo 200” was not landed in Pskov, but at a military airfield in Ostrov and the coffins were kept there for several days. On March 9, one of the newspapers, citing a source at the Airborne Forces headquarters, wrote that Georgy Shpak had had a list of the dead on his desk for a week. The commander was reported in detail about the circumstances of the death of the 6th company. And only on March 10, the silence was finally broken by Troshev: his subordinates allegedly did not know either the number of dead or what unit they belonged to!
The paratroopers were buried on March 14. Vladimir Putin was expected to attend the funeral ceremony in Pskov, but he did not come. The presidential elections were just around the corner, and zinc coffins were not the best “PR” for a candidate. It is more surprising, however, that neither the head of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin, nor Gennady Troshev, nor Vladimir Shamanov came. At this time, they were on an important visit to Dagestan, where they received the titles of honorary citizens of the Dagestan capital and silver Kubachi sabers from the hands of the mayor of Makhachkala, Said Amirov.
On March 12, 2000, Presidential Decree No. 484 appeared on awarding 22 dead paratroopers the title of Hero of Russia, the rest of the dead were awarded the Order of Courage. President-elect Vladimir Putin nevertheless came to the 76th division on August 2, Airborne Forces Day. He admitted the guilt of the command “for gross miscalculations that have to be paid for with the lives of Russian soldiers.” But not a single name was named. Three years later, the case of the death of 84 paratroopers was closed by Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky. The investigation materials have not yet been made public. For ten years, relatives and colleagues of the victims have been collecting the picture of the tragedy bit by bit.
HEIGHT 776.0
The 104th Parachute Regiment was transferred to Chechnya ten days before the tragic battle. The unit was consolidated - it was staffed on the spot with fighters from the 76th division and airborne brigades. The 6th company included soldiers from 32 regions of Russia, and special forces major Sergei Molodov was appointed commander. He didn’t even have time to meet the soldiers before the company was already sent on a combat mission.
On February 28, the 6th company and the 3rd platoon of the 4th company began a 14-kilometer forced march towards Ulus-Kert - without preliminary reconnaissance of the area, without training young soldiers in combat operations in the mountains. A day was allotted for the advance, which is very little, given the constant descents and ascents and the altitude of the terrain - 2400 meters above sea level. The command decided not to use helicopters, allegedly due to the lack of natural landing sites. They even refused to throw tents and stoves at the deployment point, without which the soldiers would have frozen to death. The paratroopers were forced to carry all their belongings on themselves, and because of this they did not take heavy weapons.
The goal of the forced march was to occupy height 776.0 and prevent the militants from breaking through in this direction. The task was obviously impossible. Military intelligence could not help but know that about three thousand militants were preparing to break through the Argun Gorge. Such a crowd could not move unnoticed for 30 kilometers: at the end of February there is almost no greenery in the mountains. They had only one way - through the gorge along one of two dozen paths, many of which went straight to the height of 776.0.
The command gave us arguments: they say, you can’t put a company of paratroopers on each path,” said one of the servicemen of the 76th division. “But it was possible to establish interaction between units, create a reserve, and target the routes along which the militants were waiting. Instead, for some reason, the positions of the paratroopers were well targeted by the militants. When the battle began, soldiers from neighboring heights rushed to help, asked for orders from the command, but the answer was a categorical “no.” There were rumors that the Chechens bought passage through the gorge for half a million dollars. It was beneficial for many officials on the Russian side to break out of encirclement - they wanted to continue making money from the war.
The first clash between scouts of the 6th company and militants occurred on February 29 at 12.30. The separatists were surprised to meet paratroopers on the way. During a short firefight, they shouted that they should be let through, because the commanders had already agreed on everything. It is no longer possible to verify whether this agreement actually existed. But for some reason all the police checkpoints on the road to Vedeno were removed. According to radio intercepts, the head of the militants, Emir Khattab, received commands, requests, and tips via satellite communications. And his interlocutors were in Moscow.
Company commander Sergei Molodov was one of the first to die from a sniper bullet. When battalion commander Mark Evtyukhin took command, the paratroopers were already in a difficult position. They did not have time to dig in, and this sharply reduced their defense capability. The beginning of the battle found one of the three platoons rising to a height, and most The militants shot the guardsmen like targets at a shooting range.
Evtyukhin was in constant contact with the command, asking for reinforcements, because he knew: his paratroopers were standing 2-3 kilometers from height 776.0. But in response to reports that he was repelling an attack by several hundred militants, he was calmly answered: “Destroy everyone!”
The paratroopers say that the deputy regiment commander forbade entering into negotiations with Evtyukhin, because he was allegedly panicking. In fact, he himself was panicking: it was rumored that after a business trip to Chechnya, Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin was supposed to take his position. The deputy regiment commander told the battalion commander that he had no free people and called for radio silence so as not to interfere with the work of front-line aviation and howitzers. However, fire support for the 6th company was provided only by regimental artillery, the guns of which operated at maximum range. Artillery fire needs constant adjustment, and Evtyukhin did not have a special radio attachment for this purpose. He called fire via regular communication, and many shells fell in the paratroopers’ defense zone: 80 percent of the dead soldiers were later found to have shrapnel wounds from foreign mines and from “their” shells.
The paratroopers did not receive any reinforcements, although the surrounding area was filled with troops: the federal group within a radius of one hundred kilometers from the village of Shatoi numbered over one hundred thousand troops. The commander of the Airborne Forces in the Caucasus, Major General Alexander Lentsov, had at his disposal both long-range artillery and high-precision Uragan installations. Height 776.0 was within their reach, but not a single salvo was fired at the militants. Surviving paratroopers say that a Black Shark helicopter flew to the battle site, fired one salvo and flew away. The command subsequently argued that helicopters could not be used in such weather conditions: it was dark and foggy. But didn’t the creators of “Black Shark” buzz the ears of the whole country that this helicopter was all-weather? A day after the death of the 6th company, the fog did not prevent the helicopter pilots from seeing with the naked eye and reporting how the militants were collecting the bodies of dead paratroopers at altitude.
At three o'clock in the morning on March 1, when the battle was already going on for about 15 hours, fifteen guardsmen from the 3rd platoon of the 4th company, led by Major Alexander Dostovalov, arbitrarily broke through to the encircled people. It took Dostovalov and his soldiers forty minutes to reunite with the battalion commander. Another 120 paratroopers under the command of the chief of reconnaissance of the 104th regiment, Sergei Baran, also voluntarily withdrew from their positions and crossed the Abazulgol River, moving to help Evtyukhin. They had already begun to rise to the height when they were stopped by an order from the command: stop advancing, return to their positions! The commander of the Northern Fleet marine group, Major General Alexander Otrakovsky, repeatedly asked for permission to come to the aid of the paratroopers, but never received it. On March 6, because of these experiences, Otrakovsky’s heart stopped.
Communication with Mark Evtyukhin stopped on March 1 at 6:10 am. According to the official version, the battalion commander’s last words were addressed to the artillerymen: “I call fire on myself!” But his colleagues say that in his last hour he remembered the command: “You betrayed us, bitches!”
The feds appeared at the height only a day after this. Until the morning of March 2, no one fired at height 776.0, where the militants were in charge. They finished off the wounded paratroopers, dumping their bodies in a heap. They put headphones on the corpse of Mark Evtyukhin, installed a walkie-talkie in front of him and hoisted him to the very top of the mound: they say, call - don’t call, no one will come to you. The militants took with them the bodies of almost all of their dead. They were in no hurry, as if there was no army of a hundred thousand around, as if someone guaranteed that not a single shell would fall on their heads.
After March 10, the military, who hid the death of the 6th company, fell into patriotic pathos. It was reported that at the cost of their lives, the heroes destroyed about a thousand militants. Although no one to this day knows how many separatists were killed in that battle.
Having broken through to Vedeno, the Chechens threw off ballast: several dozen wounded surrendered to the internal troops (they categorically refused to surrender to the paratroopers). Most of them soon found themselves free: local police officers gave in to persistent requests from local residents to return their breadwinners to their families. At least one and a half thousand militants went into the mountains to the east through the places where the federals were deployed.
How they managed this, no one has figured out. After all, according to General Troshev, all that remained from the bandit formations were scraps, and the dead paratroopers came in very handy for the authors of the version: they say, these heroes destroyed all the bandits. It was agreed that the 6th Company, at the cost of its life, saved Russian statehood, thwarting the plans of the bandits to create an Islamic state on the territory of Chechnya and Dagestan.
In the photo: For a whole day after the death of the 6th company, federal troops did not appear at altitude 776.0. Until the morning of March 2, no one fired at the height where the militants were in charge. They were in no hurry: they finished off the surviving paratroopers, dumping their bodies in a heap
Photo from the “Top Secret” archive
A FIND FOR PR
President Putin compared the feat of the 6th company with the feat of the Panfilov heroes and spoke in favor of creating a monument to the paratroopers. The military took notice, and on August 3, 2002, the grand opening of a 20-meter structure in the shape of an open parachute took place near the checkpoint of the 104th regiment in Cherekhe. 84 autographs of fallen soldiers were engraved under the dome.
Almost all the children’s relatives and the Pskov authorities objected to this version of the monument,” says Tatyana Koroteeva, mother of private Alexander Koroteev. “But the military did what they needed to do.” At first it was somehow strange for us to lay flowers on the parachute, but then we got used to it.
Vasily Dostovalov, the father of Hero of Russia Major Alexander Dostovalov, was not invited to the opening of the monument. At first, he traveled from Simferopol to Pskov several times a year to visit his son’s grave, but by August 2002, money became tight. The funds for the journey were raised by the Crimean paratroopers, who found the old man - of course, Dostovalov’s own father lives with them in Ukraine!
But Vasily Vasilyevich was not allowed to speak at the opening of the “parachute”. Dostovalov got excited: they say, my son made it to the surrounded hill, but I won’t be able to get onto the podium? But the officers stood in his way: what if the old man blurted out something wrong? No one spoke from parents or widows. But those who were solemnly invited to the podium did not even bother to inquire about the history of the battle near Ulus-Kert. None of the speakers mentioned any of the dead by name. And the vice-speaker of the Federation Council proposed to honor the memory of “those who died in a short-lived battle.” The same thing happened again in March 2010, on the tenth anniversary of the feat of the 6th company. The Presidential Envoy arrived in Northwestern district Ilya Klebanov took a piece of paper out of his pocket and read it. After him, his colleagues spoke. The current regiment commander was shaking, he could only say: “Eternal memory to the guys!”
Some old people did not have the opportunity to come to the opening of the monument or to the 10th anniversary of the feat of the 6th company. Their children's poor colleagues collected money for them.
Nadezhda Grigoryevna Nishchenko, the mother of private Alexei Nishchenko, asked the administration of the village of Bezhanitsy, where she lives, to help her get to Pskov for the next anniversary of the children’s memory, says Misha Zagoraev’s mother, Alexandra Alexandrovna. - The administration refused her, but she came by car. The mother traveled on stage.
The dead children of Zagoraeva and Koroteeva were from the 4th company - one of those who, without orders, broke through to the rescue of their surrounded comrades together with Major Dostovalov. All 15 fighters died, only three were given the Hero of Russia. Before the opening of the monument, relatives of the victims were gathered in the officers’ house and told: “We will have a separate conversation with the parents of the Heroes, but the rest, please go for a walk.” The conversation was about benefits and payments. It cannot be said that the authorities turned their backs on the relatives of the paratrooper heroes. Many families received apartments. But so far not a single family has received compensation for the deceased, which in 2000 amounted to 100 thousand rubles. Some of the heroes’ close friends are trying to sue this money through the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights.
The families of the victims created the organization “Red Carnations” to preserve the memory of the children and try to find out the truth about their deaths.
Guys from the regiment came to me and said that you couldn’t tell them everything,” says Alexandra Zagoraeva. “They showed on the map where they were sitting with weapons in their hands, ready to rush to the rescue of the company. But there was no order. The person who opened a criminal case into the death of the company was fired. He told me that he knew how the guys died and would tell us when he retired. Many people told us that the trail with our boys was sold. We will probably never know who sold it. Three years later, we wanted to get acquainted with the investigation materials, but we were not allowed to read them.
The commander of the 104th regiment, Sergei Melentyev, was responsible for the death of the heroes, who during the battle six times asked the commander of the Eastern group, General Makarov, to allow the company to retreat. Melentyev was transferred to Ulyanovsk with a demotion. Before leaving Pskov, he went to every house where the families of dead soldiers lived and asked for forgiveness. Two years later, Melentyev died - the 46-year-old colonel’s heart could not stand it.
The fates of the six surviving paratroopers were not easy. Many in the regiment considered them traitors. There were rumors that two of them even had greased guns, with full magazines: supposedly they had sat out somewhere while the battle was going on. Most of the officers of the unit were against being nominated for awards. But five of them received the Order of Courage, and Private Alexander Suponinsky received the star of the Hero of Russia. He comes to almost every event in the division.
They helped me with an apartment in Tatarstan, and I started looking for a job,” says Alexander. - But the Hero of Russia, who is entitled to benefits, vouchers, and sanatorium stays, was not wanted anywhere. Hid the star and immediately got a job.
For ten years, the Motherland has not forgotten its heroes, having discovered in them a rare potential for PR today. In 2004, the premiere of the musical “Warriors of the Spirit” took place in Luzhniki, designed, according to the creators, to perpetuate the memory of the 6th company. The premiere was preceded by the appearance on stage of all six surviving paratroopers. The plot is supposedly about them: an 18-year-old guy, for whom all roads in life are open, is tempted by the Provider, the devil from the Internet, with the help of a virtual monster, a Superhero. Demons try to seduce the conscript with the delights of consumer existence, but in the struggle for his soul they are opposed by the Combat, whose prototype was Mark Evtyukhin. And the young man moves into eternity, towards military brotherhood and heroic death. Despite the participation of several well-known film actors, the musical was not particularly successful.
The patriotic films “Breakthrough” and “Russian Sacrifice”, as well as the TV series “I Have the Honor” and “Stormy Gates” were also made about the feat of the 6th company. At the end of one of these films, helicopters fly in to help the paratroopers who have crushed hundreds of militants and save everyone. The credits cynically state that the film is based on real events.
Petersburg-Pskov
Denis TERENTYEV
share:
Loading...