Business card
Alexander Ivanovich Mozhaev, after graduating from the Sverdlovsk Military-Political Tank and Artillery School, served in the training tank division of the Ural Military District. Then - advisor to the deputy regiment commander of the Vietnamese army. After graduating from the Military-Political Academy, he served in the Pacific Fleet as the head of the political department of a marine division. The next position is deputy commander of the coastal forces of the Pacific Fleet for educational work. In January 1995, together with the 165th Marine Regiment, he was sent to Chechnya as deputy chief of the Pacific Fleet operational group. In 1996 - a business trip to Tajikistan as deputy commander of the collective peacekeeping forces for educational work. The military path was marked with the Order of Courage, the medal “For Military Merit”, and other awards. Now a reserve colonel, he works in the apparatus of the Voronezh Regional Duma. Today he shares his memories with Red Star readers.

St. Andrew's flags over Goitein Court
On January 11, 1995, our 165th regiment flew from Vladivostok to Mozdok. The equipment previously delivered by rail was already waiting for its owners. And immediately a march from Mozdok to the Andreevskaya Valley, to the outskirts of Grozny. It was then, near the village of Samashki, that the Marines received a baptism of fire.
We were preparing to storm the Council of Ministers building on Minutka Square. I walk through the trenches and see a sailor cutting a vest into shreds with a bayonet... He answers my question: “Comrade Colonel, we decided to give everyone a piece of the vest. Whoever breaks into the entrance or onto the floor first will tie or pin him to the wall. It looks like a banner..."
Soon, at the request of Colonel Mozhaev, small St. Andrew's flags were transferred from Vladivostok to Chechnya. It was they who were installed by the Marines on their own armored personnel carriers and liberated buildings. When the bandits saw the black berets and the proudly fluttering St. Andrew's banner, they knew that there was nothing to catch here.
During the storming of the Council of Ministers building on Minutka Square, the Marines, as one, threw off their peacoats and rushed into the attack at full speed. Instead of the traditional “Hurray!” monolithically sounded over the square: “Up, you, comrades, everyone in your places...” And only a few shots sounded from the windows of the building. The “spirits” jumped from the windows, unable to withstand it primarily psychologically.
It is no coincidence that the list approved by Dudayev read: “The following are subject to execution on the spot: 1. Marines. 2. Helicopter pilots. 3. Artillerymen. 4. Paratroopers."
On February 6, 1995, a reconnaissance group of six people led by senior lieutenant Sergei Firsov clarified the location of enemy firing points and personnel. At night the radio station said: “We accepted the battle... We are in the square...”
This was the area of ​​the Grozny bus station, recalls Alexander Ivanovich. We heard the voices of our guys and the sounds of gunfire on the air, but we couldn’t help them in that situation. They knew that the group was doomed. Terrible hopelessness...
For four hours, the reconnaissance group fought with superior enemy forces.
Seventy-two bullets were counted in Seryozha Firsov’s body. We lived with him in the same building. Our guys lay in a perimeter defense. They were shot point-blank when they were already dead...
One of the women, a witness to that night battle, said that the Marines were offered to surrender several times, promising to spare their lives. And every time the answer was: “The Marine Corps does not give up!”
It is embedded in the minds of every Marine: “You cannot surrender and retreat!” And where should the Marine Corps retreat? As a rule, the ocean is behind them. But even if it’s not there, it doesn’t change anything.
A special line in the combat chronicle of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet is the capture of Mount Goitein Court, a strategic height on the Shali-Gudermes highway. Whoever owns it actually owns these large population centers. Alexander Mozhaev says:
– The height of the mountain is more than seven hundred meters. Intelligence has repeatedly reported that the “spirits” have created an impregnable defense system there: concrete shelters, a communications system, and so on. But, as we say, there is no fortification that the Marines could not take... Knowing about the information leak, we crossed the Argun River not in the place that was imposed on us from above, but one and a half kilometers below. Along the cable - the river is stormy - without noise and dust. And at the place where we were ordered to cross, the “spirits” brought down a sea of ​​fire... Under the cover of darkness, two battalions of marines carried out a diversionary maneuver. Meanwhile, air assault groups from all sides rushed into the attack. The height has been taken. When we reported this to the commander’s headquarters, they didn’t believe it at first: “Have you all gotten too drunk? How did they take Goitein Court?!” About forty minutes later, five helicopters flew up. We wave our berets to them, and six St. Andrew's flags flutter. Only after this did we believe that the height was in our hands...

"Bra" instead of body armor
During the first Chechen campaign (as well as now), much was incomprehensible and logically inexplicable. Alexander Mozhaev does not hold back his emotions:
– Everything could have been completed back in April 1995, when federal troops reached the Bamut-Vedeno line. There were only a few tens of kilometers left to Dagestan. Then there was the famous betrayal in Khasavyurt... Then no one opposed us in the air - ideal conditions for aviation. Where were the widely advertised new helicopters then?! If such vehicles had passed over the greenery, it would have been much easier for our fighters. How many lives could be saved!..Look at our antediluvian body armor weighing as much as eight kilograms! One of the first of our marines to die in Chechnya, senior lieutenant Vladimir Borovikov, said before his death: “Don’t wear body armor.” The bullet hit him in the side, entering between two plates of the vest and, encountering resistance, exited into the neck area. Without the vest, the bullet would have gone right through without causing death. Therefore, instead of bulletproof vests, we wore “bras” that we learned to sew ourselves - we inserted twelve machine gun magazines into our pockets. And ammunition is always at hand, and a bullet hit is not fatal, although a bruise remains...
Alexander Ivanovich also told about this fact. The Marines were armed with 5.45 mm machine guns, and the “spirits” – 7.62. For people who understand, this says a lot. So, when the Marines seized the bandits’ arsenal - one hundred 7.62 caliber machine guns - “zero”, in grease - and asked to keep them and put their 5.45s in storage, they were refused.
“The greatest mistake,” says Colonel Mozhaev, “was the weakening of the army institution of professionals involved in educating people, maintaining their morale and fighting spirit—political officers.” Chechnya confirmed this. Personally, I was convinced: where there is a competent deputy. in educational work, acting in close contact with the commander, the unit is two heads above the rest.
Example for illustration. In one of the units, the deputy company commander was seriously wounded. Colonel Mozhaev suggested that the company commander appoint one of the platoon commanders as deputy, and assign a competent sergeant to the platoon. In response I heard: “Comrade Colonel, I will find someone to replace the platoon commander, but I need a professional to replace the political officer.
Alexander Ivanovich is convinced:
– Caring for people cannot be put on the back burner, even in a combat situation. Or more correctly, especially in a combat situation. It’s scary to remember: during the forty-two days we spent in Grozny, we didn’t even have anything to wash ourselves with. The bandits filled all the wells with corpses. The water supply was not working. And the water trucks returned empty - the “spirits” simply “pierced” them with bursts... Personally, I shaved using quince or peach juice instead of water. The inscription on the “humanitarian” noodles looked mocking: “Just pour boiling water over it.” In general, logistics support during the first Chechen campaign was at the level of the times of the civil war, or even worse. The exception is medicine. If it weren't for our doctors, there would have been much more losses.
Colonel Mozhaev was awarded the Order of Courage. There were two more presentations for awarding this order: in Chechnya and Tajikistan. But each time the personnel officers reacted in their own way: “Are there any wounds? No, I’m free...”
There was a sniper in the 165th regiment. Dudayev promised tens of thousands of dollars for his head. The Marine had seventeen (!) victorious duels with militant snipers. Destroying one enemy sniper is already a feat... Three times the command of the regiment nominated a Marine for the rank of Hero. As a result - two medals “For Courage” and a Suvorov medal... Alexander Ivanovich says:
– There are twelve Heroes of Russia in our regiment, and all of them were awarded posthumously: Sergei Firsov, Vladimir Borovikov, Pavel Gaponenko... And the commander of the sixth company, Roman Kliz, despite the presentation, never received a Star... God be with them, with the stars . Our state just needs to bow at the waist to everyone who fought for it and continues to fight...
Colonel Alexander Mozhaev went into reserve. His two adult sons are future officers. The tradition continues.

In the photo: reserve colonel Alexander MOZHAEV.

On February 7, 1995, an offensive across the river began in Grozny. Sunzhu. The 165th regiment of the 55th MP Division of the Pacific Fleet advanced in battle formation. The reconnaissance groups “Malina-1” and “Malina-2” were sent forward.

Malina-1 included:

1. Firsov Sergey Aleksandrovich, senior lieutenant, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet.

2. Vyzhimov Vadim Vyacheslavovich, sailor, driver of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet.

3. Yuri Vladimirovich Zubarev, sergeant, squad commander of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet.

4. Andrey Anatolyevich Soshelin, senior sailor, radiotelephonist-reconnaissance officer of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet.

5. Andrey Serykh..., sailor, reconnaissance officer of the reconnaissance company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet.

The group advanced in front of the 5th MP company along the street. Batumskaya in the direction of the Zapadny bus station (4 Mikhailova St.), “conducting reconnaissance of the enemy and the area in order to prevent a surprise attack by militants on the main forces.”

Deputy Commander of the Coastal Forces of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “Having reached the bus station square, senior lieutenant S.A. Firsov gave the signal to the 5th company to move and began to wait for its approach to this line, since here the direction of the offensive changed and its further advance threatened to lose not only visual contact with units advancing behind him, but also fire interaction. As soon as the guiding platoon appeared around the bend of the street, machine guns and machine guns of militants hit from the opposite side of the square from behind the commercial stalls, and from the windows of the bus station. The fire was so dense and intense that the company "she was forced to lie down, and did not have the opportunity, as they say, even to raise her head. Remaining in this position was disastrous for her. Then the scouts began to cover the company's retreat, diverting the enemy's attention and suppressing his firing points."

The area where the battle took place was a road, to the right of which there was a greenhouse complex fenced with a metal lattice fence, directly in the direction of movement there was the building of an unfinished multi-story building from which heavy fire was opened on the group, to the left of the road there was a one-story store building, in which the militants were also holed up... Thus, the group of Senior Lieutenant Sergei Firsov, having been ambushed, fought a circular battle almost in the open...

Deputy Commander of the Coastal Forces of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “The scouts brought down a barrage of fire on the militants. This enabled the company to get out of the fire and take a flanking maneuver to help the scouts, but in the other direction it was stopped by enemy fire. The scouts found themselves in a fire bag, cut off from the company and almost on The militants decided to deal with them completely, went into the open, shooting from the waist up, were obviously in a drugged state and shouted: “Allah, Akbar. There are still more of us and we will force you to retreat." For four hours, the reconnaissance group fought with superior enemy forces, and nearby active units of the regiment unsuccessfully tried to come to their aid. At the regiment's OP they heard the voices of our guys, but in that situation there was nothing they could do to help them, all the forces of the regiment were involved in the battles, and there was no time left to transfer forces from other directions. They knew that the group was doomed. Terrible hopelessness..."

Commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th infantry infantry regiment O.B. Zaretsky: “The first to die was junior sergeant Yura Zubarev. A tall, strong guy, practically a demobilizer, whom I didn’t particularly want to take on trips, he convinced me: “Comrade. l-take me! I’m tall, the spirits will think that I’m a commander, they’ll kill me first, and you’ll remain alive!” That’s how it turns out. Mrs. Vyzhimov Vadim, a young sailor, “dushara”, who came to us from the Special Forces of the fleet “Hollulai”, crawled to help Zubarev "Fragments of a mortar shell blew off half of his skull and tore off his foot. Three people fought: Senior Lieutenant Sergei Firsov, Senior Lieutenant Andrei Soshelin, Mrs. Serykh. There was no help or cover, there was no communication.

The group commander made the right decision and... fatal for everyone. The unshakable principle, known from books and textbooks, “The scouts all leave,” the OFFICER’S HONOR, the presence of two 200s in the group, DID NOT ALLOW him to leave. He sent Mrs. Serykh for help - thereby saving at least one life. Andrei Soshelin, practically demobilized (out of the entire company, we brought only 4 to the division’s PPD, the rest were fired from Mozdok), did not abandon the “jackal” Firsov, thereby putting an end to his life and writing his name in golden letters in eternity.”

Commander of RV 165 PMP O.B. Zaretsky: “Our guys lying on the ground no longer showed signs of life. I don’t remember how they shot at us, all my thoughts were focused on the bodies of our guys. Later, restoring the chronology of the events of this episode, it turned out that the militants returned fire on our group, it looked as if peas were being continuously poured onto the armored personnel carrier's armor.

Having fallen behind a tree and slashed at the “shooting eye sockets of the house,” several bursts covered themselves with smoke and began to evacuate. He ran up to Seryoga Firsov. He was dead. He no longer had any weapons with him. Only later, at the evacuation point, during identification, they were convinced that they had finished him off, and until the last one, Art.Ms. Andrei Soshelin, who was shooting back with him... Art.Ms. Andrei Soshelin was lying almost next to Firsov. Covering his head with his hands, he was apparently still alive when the Chechens finished off the wounded Firsov, and then himself."

Deputy Commander of the Coastal Forces of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “Seventy-two bullets were counted in Seryozha Firsov’s body. The guys held a perimeter defense until the end. They were shot point-blank when they were already dead... One of the women, a witness to that battle, said that the Marines were offered to surrender several times, promising to save their lives. " The bodies of more than three dozen killed militants lay around.

Marines died near this curb. Four glasses of vodka and bread, scraps of ammunition, torn bulletproof vests and flowers.

For the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty, sergeant Yuri Vladimirovich Zubarev, sailors Vadim Vyacheslavovich Vyzhimov and Andrei Anatolyevich Soshelin were awarded the Order of Courage, and their commander, senior lieutenant Sergei Aleksandrovich Firsov, was awarded the title of Hero by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 434 of May 3, 1995 Russian Federation. Posthumously...

The Kremlin, of course, has already forgotten about these guys, just as it forgot about everyone else before. In all wars, our great-grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers, brothers and sons remained unnecessary to power. And even by perverting and distorting your concept of goodness and justice, to some extent you can understand it.

But I cannot call such feats unnecessary, empty and unnecessary. Even if they are tragic, incomprehensible and terrible, it was precisely through such small soldiers’ victories that the unshakable RUSSIAN SPIRIT was forged, grain by grain, grain by grain. That SPIRIT that made us call fire on ourselves, rush through the Cossack lava, fight to the last bullet and instill panic in all our enemies.

Looking at the unblinking eyes of the boys who looked with sacred awe at the photograph of Vadim Vyzhimov, looking at the faces shining with excitement when Vyacheslav Anatolyevich spoke about the last hours of the life of the Malina reconnaissance group, I realized that this SPIRIT is alive and no reforms, no introduced other people's values ​​will not break him. Russia to live!!!

Rusakov Maxim Gennadievich, born in 1969, Yalutorovsk, Tyumen Region, senior lieutenant, platoon commander of an engineer company of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet.Commander of the airborne engineering platoon of the 55th Marine Division. Died on January 22, 1995 in the center of Grozny near the bridge over the river. Sunzha as a result of a direct hit from a grenade launcher. He was buried in his homeland in Yalutorovsk.
Maxim was the first Marine to die from the Pacific Fleet.

From the editorial of the Vladivostok newspaper:

“A Pacific warrior died in Chechnya”
“Tragic news from Chechnya: senior lieutenant Maxim Rusakov, commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps platoon, died from a severe shrapnel wound received during another mortar attack. Three other Pacific warriors were injured and hospitalized. Unfortunately, the names of the wounded are not reported; it is only known that they are sergeants by rank.
The Pacific Fleet press center, which conveyed this sad news, also reported that by January 23, the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps unit, together with formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, began active actions to clear Grozny of “individual groups of bandit formations.” Previously reported. That one of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps battalions is taking part in the battles for the most “hot spot” - the Grozny railway station.
Official recognition of the participation of the Pacific contingent in active hostilities means the possibility of new casualties. But the names of the next brave who died while defending the “territorial integrity of Russia” in Primorye will be learned with a long delay: the bodies will be delivered from Grozny for identification to Mozdok, and then to Rostov, where the command of the North Caucasus Military District is located. And only from there an officially confirmed funeral notice will be sent to the homeland of the victims.
No details have been provided about the circumstances of the death of Senior Lieutenant Maxim Rusakov.”

Reserve Colonel Sergei Kondratenko recalls what the Pacific Fleet marines encountered in Chechnya in 1995:

— On January 19, when Dudayev’s palace was taken, Yeltsin announced that the military stage of restoring the validity of the Russian Constitution in Chechnya had been completed. Just in time for this date, our regiment concentrated in the rear area near Grozny. Having read the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper of January 21, in which this presidential statement was published, I thought: why the hell were we being dragged from the Far East?.. And on the night of January 21-22, the second battalion of the 165th regiment was brought into battle, and already
On January 22, senior lieutenant Maxim Rusakov died.
— The first loss of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps...
— When this slaughter began (the battalion was fighting, a sailor was wounded), I immediately “jumped out” to the place. Not only because of the wounded: ours lost contact, there was no interaction, panic began - all this is called the first battle... I took with me an engineer, a medic, a signalman, spare batteries for the radio station, ammunition. We went to the carbide plant, where units of the second battalion were located. This is Khabarovskaya Street - my “native” street. And I almost flew into it - on that first trip I could have died three times. We were given a ten-fold card, but we didn’t work with such cards, and I couldn’t “get into it” with it. We walked along Khabarovskaya in two armored personnel carriers, jumped out to the bridge over the Sunzha, but the bridge was not visible - it was blown up, and it bent and sank. The spirits placed blocks in front of the bridge. I look through the triplex - nothing is clear, black figures are rushing around with weapons, clearly not our sailors... We stopped and stood there for a minute or two. If they had a grenade launcher, it would be a disaster. I look around - there is some kind of enterprise on the left, on the pipe there is a hammer and sickle. And at the group headquarters they told me: a pipe with a hammer and sickle is “carbide.” I look - the gate is opening, a figure in camouflage is waving. We dropped in there. The second point: when we drove into the yard, I drove along the wire from the MON-200 - a directed action mine. But it didn’t explode - ours were setting the mine for the first time, the tension was weak. And when we passed there, I already opened the hatch and leaned out. If it had been severely slashed, it would not have penetrated the armor, but the wheels would have been damaged and the head would have been blown off... And the third thing. We drove into the courtyard of a carbide plant, picked up a wounded man, but there was no other way out. I realized that the spirits had driven us into a mousetrap and would not just let us out. Then I drove the armored personnel carriers to the far corner of the yard in order to disperse them as much as possible, turned the KPVT barrels to the left and ordered them to shoot from the left loopholes. I jumped out; they didn’t have time to shoot at us from a grenade launcher. A second armored personnel carrier came out immediately behind us. They fired at him, but due to the high speed the grenade missed. At this time, Rusakov looked out from behind the gate, and a grenade hit him... We learned about his death after arriving at the regiment command post. When it got dark, I again went to the positions of the second battalion. We managed to remove Maxim’s body only at night - the militants were holding the factory gates at gunpoint.
On March 6, 1995, in the house of fleet officers, he, together with the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Khmelnov, organized a reception and a festive evening for our wives.

After lunch, going out into the courtyard of the headquarters, we saw a group of sailors who had gathered near the newspaper “Vladivostok” hanging on the wall, which was brought by the journalist “V” who had flown in with the governor. It was a newspaper with an article about the death of our comrade, senior lieutenant Maxim Rusakov, on January 22. On the first page of this newspaper, a photograph of the deceased Maxim in a mourning frame was printed on the entire sheet. The entire regiment knew that the first of our casualties in Chechnya was Senior Lieutenant Rusakov, but few knew his face. Only direct subordinates, some officers and a small part of the second battalion, to which Maxim’s engineer platoon was assigned.
The sailors looked at the photograph of Maxim Rusakov, involuntarily frozen in a minute of silence for their comrade who died half a month ago. We were very grateful to the editors of the Vladivostok newspaper for the articles about our regiment, about our fallen comrade. At that time in Chechnya, we acutely felt the lack of information; we received only central newspapers: “Red Star”, “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” and “Rossiyskie Vesti”. Moreover, they came to us irregularly and in limited quantities. And that’s why we read our “Vladivostok” with pleasure with Primorye news. These newspapers were read not only at the regimental command post, although only a little, but some of them went directly to the units in combat positions. About half a month later, while at the location of one of the companies, I saw one officer’s copy of the newspaper “Vladivostok” worn to holes. It was clear that this issue of the newspaper had passed through dozens of hands. From hand to hand, this “information jewel” with coastal news wandered between units and positions. Awarded the Order of Courage posthumously.

Like blood on their bulletproof vests...
Cry raspberry, cry, who else will remember,
(From a poem by Lieutenant Vladimir Petrov.)

February 7 The 2nd battalion of the 165th infantry regiment began moving towards the Zapadny bus station. According to the commander of RV 165 PMP Oleg Borisovich Zaretsky, “two reconnaissance groups were assigned from the reconnaissance company. One of the groups was headed by Lieutenant Alexey U., a couple of days before these events I came down with a fever and... I wake up from the noise, open eyes and I see that the l/s is getting ready somewhere. When I asked what happened and why without me, they reassured me, saying that it was nothing to worry about, the exit time had already been postponed, so... in general - get well... Thus, my The group was led by Sergei Firsov, who joined the company and was sent out on the 3rd day."1

The group included:
commander of the rv, senior lieutenant Sergei Aleksandrovich Firsov2 (call sign "Malina-1" or "Malina-2")
squad leader Sergeant Yuri Vladimirovich Zubarev3
reconnaissance sailor Vadim Vyacheslavovich Vyzhimov4
reconnaissance junior sergeant Andrei Anatolyevich Soshelin5
reconnaissance sailor Andrei Serykh

The group advanced in front of the 5th RMP along Batumskaya Street in the direction of the Zapadny bus station (Mikhailova Street 4), “conducting reconnaissance of the enemy and the area in order to prevent a surprise attack by militants on the main forces”6.

Sailor Andrei Serykh: “We crossed the bridge over the river, met our guys from the air assault battalion, they said that everything was calm here. We went further, reached the factory, left the platoon there and then went on as a reconnaissance group. When we went up to the bus station, on the left We were fired upon. We fired a green rocket and they stopped shooting at us."7

Ambush at the bus station

Deputy Commander of the Coastal Forces of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “Having reached the bus station square, senior lieutenant S.A. Firsov gave the signal to the 5th company to move and began to wait for its approach to this line, since here the direction of the offensive changed and its further advance threatened to lose not only visual contact with units advancing behind him, but also fire interaction. As soon as the guiding platoon appeared around the bend of the street, machine guns and machine guns of militants hit from the opposite side of the square from behind the commercial stalls, and from the windows of the bus station. The fire was so dense and intense that the company was forced to lie down, and did not have the opportunity, as they say, even to raise her head. Remaining in this position was disastrous for her. Then the scouts began to cover the company's retreat, diverting the enemy's attention and suppressing his firing points."8

Sailor Andrei Serykh: “After passing the bus station, we went to the right. When we reached the high curb (where the boys died), they opened fire on us from a five-story building. Ahead at the curb were Firsov, Zubarev and the young Vyzhimnov, Soshelin and I covered them a little from behind. The sniper wounded Zuba to death right away. We also opened fire on the enemy. Then the young man was wounded, and Firsov ordered to retreat. I retreated first, but Soshelin was delayed for some reason..."9

Commander of RV 165 PMP O.B. Zaretsky: “The first to die was junior sergeant Yura Zubarev. A tall, strong guy, practically a demobilizer, whom I didn’t particularly want to take on trips, he convinced me: “Comrade. l-take me! I’m tall, the spirits will think that I’m a commander, they’ll kill me first, and you’ll remain alive!” That’s how it turns out. Mrs. Vyzhimov Vadim, a young sailor, “dushara”, who came to us from the Special Forces of the fleet “Hollulai”, crawled to help Zubarev "Fragments of a mortar shell blew off half of his skull and tore off his foot. Three people fought: Senior Lieutenant Sergei Firsov, Senior Lieutenant Andrei Soshelin, Mrs. Serykh. There was no help or cover, there was no communication.
The group commander made the right decision and... fatal for everyone. The unshakable principle, known from books and textbooks, “The scouts all leave,” the OFFICER’S HONOR, the presence of two 200s in the group, DID NOT ALLOW him to leave. He sent Mrs. Serykh for help - thereby saving at least one life. Andrei Soshelin, practically demobilized (out of the entire company, we brought only 4 to the division’s PPD, the rest were fired from Mozdok), did not abandon the “jackal” Firsov, thereby putting an end to his life and writing his name in golden letters in eternity.”10

Deputy Commander of the Coastal Forces of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “The scouts brought down a barrage of fire on the militants. This enabled the company to get out of the fire and take a flanking maneuver to help the scouts, but in the other direction it was stopped by enemy fire. The scouts found themselves in a fire bag, cut off from the company and almost on The militants decided to deal with them completely, went into the open, shooting from the waist up, were obviously in a drugged state and shouted: “Allah, Akbar. There are still more of us and we will force you to retreat." For four hours, the reconnaissance group fought with superior enemy forces, and nearby active units of the regiment unsuccessfully tried to come to their aid. At the regiment's OP they heard [?] the voices of our guys, but in that situation There was nothing they could do to help them, all the forces of the regiment were involved in the battles, and there was no time left to transfer forces from other directions. They knew that the group was doomed. Terrible hopelessness..."11

Help for Firsov's group

Commander of RV 165 PMP O.B. Zaretsky: “After some time, the deputy division commander, Colonel Kondratenko S., came to the company location and ordered an escort to be prepared for him to leave. Due to the fact that there was no one else in the company, and a bad feeling was tearing at his soul, the elders went himself. Already sitting on the armored personnel carrier, I asked P. Kondratenko about the groups. He confirmed our most terrible premonitions, which were driven out in every possible way - we had losses. How many, who, how - there were no answers.
We arrived at the 2nd BMP, whose headquarters occupied a complex of buildings of the timber industry enterprise, located on the other side of the Sunzha, in the private sector. We dismounted. Already knowing that the groups acted in the interests of this battalion, he began to ask what and how with the group. Imagine the surprise, mixed with indignation, when I heard the words of battalion commander G. addressed to the sailor: “Well, will I eat chicken today?” P. Kondratenko must have heard the same thing - he began to “scold” the battalion commander for inaction. The excuse I heard was discouraging: “These are Malina’s people, so let Malina pull them out!” Malina - the call sign of the reconnaissance company, the call signs of the groups were: Malina-1 and Malina-2.
Immediately, through the efforts of P. Kondratenko, they began to prepare for the evacuation of the group. They had no idea what was wrong with the group, what the severity of its losses was - there was no contact with the group, and yet it was some 300-400 meters from the battalion’s command post. When the colonel asked where the tanks sent to strengthen the battalion were, the battalion commander replied that he had sent them to another company.<...>Together with Colonel Kondratenko, he went to the company, to reinforce which tanks were sent. We've arrived. We found the tankers. The situation was explained and the deputy division commander ordered 1 tank to be moved to battalion headquarters. The company tank crew resisted. Having started the war at its very beginning, participating in the New Year's assault on Grozny, which had already lost half of its original personnel and had changed its vehicle more than once, one could understand him. The form of the order was replaced by a simple, human request, to which, having set the condition that his vehicles be covered by infantry, the tankman agreed.
Having returned with reinforcement - 1 tank, with joy and a vague presentiment I saw Lieutenant Usachev. Having gathered volunteers and quickly figuring out the order of our actions, we began to advance. Halfway along the way we stopped and carried out reconnaissance. Having finally figured out what and how, we came to the conclusion that another tank was needed, and I went to get it. The tank commander no longer hesitated, and soon a group of volunteers was reinforced by a Shilka self-propelled gun, two tanks and an armored personnel carrier with a landing force of volunteers (almost only officers and sailors were not taken on purpose - they did not want to take risks, only the driver of the armored personnel carrier, Mrs. Zinkov Alexey, and the gunner of the KPVT Ms. Walking) moved to rescue the ambushed group.
The only available information about the situation and situation were the meager stories of the battalion officers and the incessant shooting from the supposed battlefield....
About 100 meters from the bend in the road we met sailor Serykh, one of the fighters in the group that had gone out with Sergei Firsov. According to him, there were losses in the group, including, to put it in stingy official words, irrevocable losses, but 2nd: Art. Lt. Firsov and Art. Mrs. Soshelin Andrey were still alive. The radio station was disabled in the first minutes of the battle and Firsov sent him for help, but the snipers holed up in the buildings “chased” him for about an hour, so the information received was somewhat outdated, but still encouraging... In addition, received from him the information slightly adjusted our actions."12

Group evacuation

Commander of RV 165 PMP O.B. Zaretsky: “We started. The first to jump out into direct shot range was the Shilka and fired a bullet-proof weapon at one of the buildings, followed by a tank firing at a high-rise building, an armored personnel carrier, and our squad was closed by a second tank firing at a store building. Terrain , on which the battle took place, was a road, to the right of which there was a greenhouse complex fenced with a metal lattice fence, right in the direction of movement there was the building of an unfinished multi-story building from which heavy fire was opened on the group, to the left of the road there was a one-story store building, in which the militants also settled in... Thus, the group of senior lieutenant Sergei Firsov, having been ambushed, fought a circular battle almost in the open.
I (and the volunteer officers) rode in the troop compartment of an armored personnel carrier and held the ramp on a taut cable, observing the terrain through the open half. One person lying down comes into view, we move on..., the second one, we move on... Then everything happened very quickly. The column stopped, the Walking sailor sitting behind the KPVT began to shoot, releasing the cable, we jumped out and scattered on the ground.
Our guys lying on the ground showed no signs of life. I don’t remember how they shot at us, all my thoughts were focused on the bodies of our guys. Later, restoring the chronology of the events of this episode, it turned out that the return fire from the militants at our group was as if they were continuously throwing peas onto the armored personnel carrier’s armor.
Having fallen behind a tree and slashed at the “shooting eye sockets of the house,” several bursts covered themselves with smoke and began to evacuate. He ran up to Seryoga Firsov. He was dead. He no longer had any weapons with him. Later, at the evacuation point, during identification, they were convinced that they had finished him off, and until the last, stationed ms Andrei Soshelin, who was shooting back with him...<...>Senior Mrs. Andrei Soshelin was lying almost next to Firsov. Covering his head with his hands, he was apparently still alive when the Chechens finished off the wounded Firsov, and then himself."13

Deputy Commander of the Coastal Forces of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “Seventy-two bullets were counted in Seryozha Firsov’s body. The guys held a perimeter defense until the end. They were shot point-blank when they were already dead... One of the women, a witness to that battle, said that the Marines were offered to surrender several times, promising to save their lives. "14

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

1 Memoirs of Oleg Zaretsky, commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th MP regiment of the KTOF about the war. (http://kz44.narod.ru/165.htm)
2 Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory. Vladivostok, 2009. P. 18.
3 Book of Memory: Memorial Edition. FSUE IPK "Ulyanovsk Printing House", 2005. T. 13. P. 107.
4 Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory. Vladivostok, 2009. P. 19.
5 Karpenko V.F. Book of Memory. About the Nizhny Novgorod soldiers who died in the Chechen Republic. N. Novgorod, 2009. pp. 230-231.
6 Bubnov A.V. (From an unpublished book about cadets) // Blog of N. Firsova. (http://blogs.mail.ru/mail/reklama_fs/673DEA3B82CE43FE.html)
7 Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory. Vladivostok, 2009. P. 20.
8 Bubnov A.V. (From an unpublished book about cadets) // Blog of N. Firsova. (http://blogs.mail.ru/mail/reklama_fs/673DEA3B82CE43FE.html)
9 Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory. Vladivostok, 2009. P. 20.
10 Memoirs of Oleg Zaretsky, commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th MP regiment of the KTOF about the war. (http://kz44.narod.ru/165.htm)
11 Bubnov A.V. (From an unpublished book about cadets) // Blog of N. Firsova. (http://blogs.mail.ru/mail/reklama_fs/673DEA3B82CE43FE.html)
12 Memoirs of Oleg Zaretsky, commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th MP regiment of the KTOF about the war. (http://kz44.narod.ru/165.htm)
13 Memoirs of Oleg Zaretsky, commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th MP regiment of the KTOF about the war. (http://kz44.narod.ru/165.htm)
14 Bubnov A.V. (From an unpublished book about cadets) // Blog of N. Firsova. (

Place of events

Reserve Colonel Sergei Kondratenko recalls what the Pacific Fleet Marines faced in Chechnya in 1995.

I think I will not be mistaken if I classify Colonel Kondratenko (we have known him for many years) as the type of Russian officer-intellectual who is known to us from Lermontov and Tolstoy, Arsenyev and Gumilyov. From January to May 1995, Kondratenko with the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet was in Chechnya and kept a diary there, recording day by day and sometimes minute by minute what was happening around him. I hope that someday these notes will be published, although Sergei Konstantinovich himself believes that the time has not yet come to speak out loud about everything.

On the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the war in Chechnya, Sergei Kondratenko and my colleague, editor-in-chief of “New in Vladivostok” Andrei Ostrovsky, published the fourth edition of the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory, which names all the Primorye residents who died in the North Caucasus over these years (and those called up from Primorye) . New names were added to each reissue, each time hoping that these additions were the last.

I will preface the conversation, the occasion of which was this non-celebratory anniversary, with a brief background. Sergei Kondratenko was born in 1950 in Khabarovsk, graduated from the Secondary Educational Institution in Blagoveshchensk. From 1972 to 2001, he served in a division (now a brigade) of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps, retiring from the post of deputy division commander. Later he headed the regional search and rescue service, headed the organization of local war veterans “Contingent”, now he is the chairman of the Vladivostok Veterans Council. Awarded the Order of Courage and the Order of Military Merit.

Pacific Islanders in the Caucasus: “Everything was learned on the spot”

Sergei Konstantinovich, all your life you have studied and taught others to fight, and with an external enemy. Remember, they told me how, as a DVOKU cadet in March 1969, during the battles on Damansky, you took up positions on the Amur embankment in Blagoveshchensk... Then everything worked out. And the Marines were not sent to Afghanistan. You had to fight only a quarter of a century later - already a mature man, a colonel. Moreover, the war broke out on the territory of our own country...

Yes, many of us in the Marine Corps wrote reports and asked to be sent to Afghanistan, but we were told: you have your own combat mission. But, by the way, at that time our landing groups were constantly on ships in the Persian Gulf...

June 1995. Sergei Kondratenko after returning from Chechnya

When we arrived in Chechnya, saw the destruction of Grozny, talked with civilians, we realized that there really was genocide of the Russian population. Not only the Russians spoke about this, but also the Chechens themselves, especially the elderly, and we saw it all ourselves. True, some said that we shouldn’t have interfered; they would have sorted it out themselves. I don’t know... Another thing is that the decision to send troops was hasty, this is 100 percent.

Being the deputy division commander, I was appointed head of the division's operational group. This group is created for ease of control when the regiment operates at a distance from the division. The regiment itself was handled by its commander, and I was the first to “jump out” to the rear area, to Grozny, and agreed with the Baltic Marines to transfer the tent camp to us... During the fighting, I ensured the interaction between the “regiment and the group.” Then he took upon himself the exchange of prisoners and the collection of weapons from the population. I traveled to different departments. If there was some kind of emergency, skirmish, death, he always jumped out and sorted it out on the spot. On February 18, I received barotrauma - four of our comrades died in battle that day... In general, I did not sit idle.

- When did you find out that you were going to fly to the Caucasus?

The fighting in Chechnya began on December 11, 1994, and on December 22 I returned from leave and learned that a directive had arrived: to complete the 165th regiment to wartime levels and carry out combat coordination - we have such an expression, the computer emphasizes this word. It was clear that they were preparing for Chechnya, but then I thought: just in case, the reserve is not the first echelon... They began to give us people from ships and fleet units. Of these, 50 percent were eliminated, if not more. Firstly, this is an old army tradition: they always give up the “best”. Secondly, they didn’t take anyone who said: “I won’t go.” Or if you have health problems.

We managed to carry out almost everything that was required at the Bamburovo and Clerk training grounds: shooting, driving... On January 10, when it became clear that the New Year's assault on Grozny had failed, we were given the command to go to Chechnya.

- Shooting, driving - it’s clear, but was there another plan in preparation? Let's say, cultural?

This is precisely what did not happen, and this is a huge omission. Everything had to be learned on the spot. I loved history, but I still didn’t know much when I went to the first negotiations with the Chechens. At a meeting with the residents of Belgatoy, an old man comes out and hugs me. At first I was confused. And then it happened all the time - I was hugging a man who could kill me in half an hour. It’s customary there - the elder hugs the elder.

- What were the “black berets” not prepared for?

You know, the general impression is this: we were taught one thing, but there everything was different. We didn’t expect much, from the dirt and chaos to the use of units. We learned on the go.

- Were there combatants among you?

The commander of the 165th regiment, Colonel Alexander Fedorov, commanded a motorized rifle battalion in Afghanistan and used this combat experience. In general, our percentage of losses was the lowest. Partly because we were staffed mainly by our own people. I knew all the officers of the regiment from company commanders and above, many platoon commanders. Few of the officers were from the outside. We were given people from ships and parts of the fleet, but the Marines were still the basis.

In general, the Marine Corps was well prepared. About a third of our deaths were non-combat losses, but in the same 245th regiment (245th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Moscow Military District, replenished by Far Easterners. - Ed.) non-combat losses amounted to more than half. “Friendly fire” has been and will be in all wars, but much depends on the organization. In the same Book of Memory we did not always write how exactly a person died. You can’t tell his parents that, for example, he took drugs... And then all the vices of the citizen come out. In general, during war the threshold of legality is lowered. A man walks with a machine gun, his finger is on the trigger, if he doesn’t shoot first, they’ll shoot at him...

- Were the Marines assigned any special tasks?

No, they were used like regular infantry. True, when we “crossed” Sunzha, our PTS - a floating transporter - was involved there. We joked: the Marine Corps is used for its combat purpose!

First battle: “I could have died three times that day”

- Could you imagine then how long all this would drag on, what it would result in?

On January 19, when Dudayev’s palace was taken, Yeltsin declared that the military stage of restoring the Russian Constitution in Chechnya had been completed. Just in time for this date, our regiment concentrated in the rear area near Grozny. Having read the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper of January 21, in which this presidential statement was published, I thought: why the hell were we being dragged from the Far East?.. And on the night of January 21-22, the second battalion of the 165th regiment was brought into battle, and already
On January 22, senior lieutenant Maxim Rusakov died.

- The first loss of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps...

When this slaughter began (the battalion was fighting, a sailor was wounded), I immediately “jumped out” to the place. Not only because of the wounded: ours lost contact, there was no interaction, panic began - all this is called the first battle... I took with me an engineer, a medic, a signalman, spare batteries for the radio station, ammunition. We went to the carbide plant, where units of the second battalion were located. This is Khabarovskaya Street - my “native” street. And I almost flew into it - on that first trip I could have died three times. We were given a ten-fold card, but we didn’t work with such cards, and I couldn’t “get into it” with it. We walked along Khabarovskaya in two armored personnel carriers, jumped out to the bridge over the Sunzha, but the bridge was not visible - it was blown up, and it bent and sank. The spirits placed blocks in front of the bridge. I look through the triplex - nothing is clear, black figures are rushing around with weapons, clearly not our sailors... We stopped and stood there for a minute or two. If they had a grenade launcher, it would be lost. I look around - there is some kind of enterprise on the left, on the pipe there is a hammer and sickle. And at the group headquarters they told me: a pipe with a hammer and sickle is “carbide.” I look - the gate is opening, a figure in camouflage is waving. We dropped in there. Second point: when we drove into the yard, I drove along the wire from the MON-200 - a directed action mine. But it didn’t explode - ours were setting the mine for the first time, the tension was weak. And when we passed there, I already opened the hatch and leaned out. If it had been severely slashed, it would not have penetrated the armor, but the wheels would have been damaged and the head would have been blown off... And the third thing. We drove into the courtyard of a carbide plant, picked up a wounded man, but there was no other way out. I realized that the spirits had driven us into a mousetrap and would not just let us out. Then I drove the armored personnel carriers to the far corner of the yard in order to disperse them as much as possible, turned the KPVT barrels to the left and ordered them to shoot from the left loopholes. I jumped out; they didn’t have time to shoot at us from a grenade launcher. A second armored personnel carrier came out immediately behind us. They fired at him, but due to the high speed the grenade missed. At this time, Rusakov looked out from behind the gate, and a grenade hit him... We learned about his death after arriving at the regiment command post. When it got dark, I again went to the positions of the second battalion. We managed to remove Maxim’s body only at night - the militants were holding the factory gates at gunpoint.

Destroyed Grozny

That evening I drank a glass and remembered that my patron was Sergius of Radonezh. I decided that I had chosen my limit: it flew by three times, which means it won’t kill me anymore. But I made conclusions. And then in such cases I always analyzed and predicted.

- By the way, “perfume” is an Afghan word?

Yes, from Afghanistan, but we used it. “Bandits” - no one said. And the “Czechs” - that’s what happened later.

- How was life organized? What was the mood like? Were you sick?

At first it was difficult - accommodation, food, and heating. Then people adapted. At first there was lice, and then baths were established in each unit: in tents, dugouts, trailers... The moral state - at first it was very difficult, I’m even surprised how the sailors withstood it. After all, I was already 44 years old, I had service experience, physical training, but it was also difficult. And for the sailors... During the battle, everyone swore terribly - they simply spoke obscenities during this stressful period. Then they got used to it.

At first, we suffered a lot from colds. The mud was terrible, it was cold, and they also sent us rubber boots... We later threw them away. The second is skin diseases. But then they got used to it again. At first I got sick myself, I lay down for a day, and then, no matter how much I tossed around - my feet were wet, I was cold - there was nothing, not even snot.

- Did local residents complain about your fighters?

It was like that, I had to sort it all out. There was a case - after the death of Senior Lieutenant Skomorokhov, the guys took five drops in the evening, and the Chechens violated the curfew: movement was prohibited after 18 o'clock, and here a man and a young guy were driving a tractor. The man ran away, and the guy fell under the hot hand - our people pushed him. The next day - chaos. I understood that the Chechens had also violated, but still I couldn’t touch them... I went to the elder - this guy’s uncle - and asked for forgiveness. I offered to gather the residents and was ready to publicly apologize, but they told me: no need, you asked for forgiveness - in an hour the whole village will know.

- What were the militants armed with besides small arms? How was their tactical literacy?

I personally was once under fire from an 82mm mortar - a great machine! Another time I came under fire from a Grad - about half a packet was dropped, fortunately there were no casualties. There was an anecdote - a communications sailor was hiding from the Grad in a tent... Then they forced everyone to dig in.

The militants knew the area well. And then, ours changed, but those remained in place. Those who survived were very well prepared. They had assertiveness, audacity... We couldn’t change people like that - they come unfired, not knowing the situation... There was a sad experience with the introduction of the 9th company into battle, which initially remained in Mozdok at the group’s command post, performing commandant functions. After that, we made it a rule: when a replacement officer comes, let him first sit, listen, and grow into the situation. I know this from myself - I couldn’t even get the hang of the map right away. Or the same triplex - you can’t see anything through it. Then it’s always - the hatch is open, you look. If the situation is very alarming, you look into the gap between the hatch and the armor. When I went on my first trip, I put on a helmet and body armor... As a result, I couldn’t climb onto the armored personnel carrier - the sailors pushed me like a medieval knight! Somewhere on the block you can sit in a bulletproof vest... On January 22, I put on a bulletproof vest and helmet for the first and last time and I don’t regret it. All comes with experience.

War and Peace: “Maskhadov even invited me to visit”

- The military were unhappy with the February truce...

We considered such a decision inappropriate. The initiative was on the side of our troops, and by this time Grozny was completely controlled by us. The peaceful respite was beneficial only to the militants.

During that period, I met a lot with local residents and militants. He was engaged in collecting weapons in the villages of Belgatoy and Germenchuk, and carried out an exchange of prisoners.

- I had to become a diplomat... Later you facilitated negotiations between Troshev and Maskhadov - how did they go?

Negotiations between Maskhadov and the commander of our troops in Chechnya, Major General Troshev, took place on April 28 in Novye Atagi, in the house of a local resident. At first, field commander Isa Madayev and I discussed the details. Already on the day of negotiations, security was provided. On the other side were Aslan Maskhadov and his assistant Isa Madayev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Dudayev government Lom-Ali (I didn’t remember his last name), Shamil Basayev’s older brother Shirvani Basayev. Our side was represented by General Troshev, a lieutenant colonel of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, an FSB captain and myself.

Negotiations in New Atagi. In the center - Isa Madayev, Gennady Troshev, Aslan Maskhadov.Photo from the archive of S. K. Kondratenko

Troshev came in a camouflage cap, and Maskhadov in an astrakhan hat. Troshev asks: “Aslan, why haven’t you switched to a summer uniform yet?” He answers: “And I am like Makhmud Esambaev.” There was no firmness in Maskhadov's behavior, he looked unsure of himself - they were then pressed... Troshev clearly dominated - he joked, behaved assertively. Maskhadov understood that he was in a losing position, but his own people would not have understood him if he had accepted our conditions. Therefore, the main goals of the negotiations were not achieved (they wanted us to withdraw troops, we wanted them to disarm). But they agreed on the release of the bodies of the dead and the exchange of prisoners. Maskhadov even invited me to visit. I told General Babichev, the commander of the West group, about this, and he said: “What, don’t even think about it.” Although I am sure that if I had gone there with Isa Madayev, everything would have been fine.

In your notes you call the Peace of Khasavyurt shameful and tantamount to capitulation. And what about the second war - could we have done without it?

I don't think so. Firstly, we left our prisoners and dead there. Secondly, Chechnya has turned into a real hotbed of banditry. All these former "brigadier generals" carried out raids on the surrounding areas. Dagestan in 1999 was the last straw.

May 5, 1995, Knevichi, return from Chechnya. Left - Governor of Primorye Evgeny Nazdratenko

As for the first war, I think it could have been completely avoided. In the same Ingushetia, it was also on the brink, but Ruslan Aushev (President of Ingushetia in 1993–2002 - Ed.) was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and so on. It was possible to come to an agreement with Dudayev.

War does not start by itself. And it’s not the military that starts it, but the politicians. But if a war starts, let professionals, military men deal with the war, and not so that they fought, then stop - they kissed, then start again... The most important thing is that the death of people could have been prevented, there was no need to lead to such a conflict. The war in Chechnya is the result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. And what is happening now in Ukraine has the same roots.