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By Semenovsky we mean a regiment that was part of the Russian Imperial Army, as well as a regiment recreated in 2012 that was part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Historical reference
The history of the Semenovsky regiment goes back to the amusing troops of Tsar Peter Alekseevich, later titled Emperor Peter the Great and given the name the Great. The fact is that from a young age, Peter had a huge interest in military affairs, and amusing regiments appeared precisely to train the Tsar and his peers in military affairs, conduct maneuvers and exercises, and even conduct small “wars” using real artillery.
The regiment originates in a village near Moscow called Semyonovskoye. It was there that in 1691 a detachment of amusing “Semyonovtsy” (as they were immediately dubbed after the name of the settlement) was created. Just six years later, this training regiment was named Semenovsky, and three years later - the Life Guards Semenovsky.
The Semenovsky regiment received its baptism of fire already in 1695, when Tsar Peter launched a campaign against the Azov fortress. Russia's strategic goal was to gain access to the Sea of Azov in order to break through the wall of isolation that had surrounded the Russian kingdom since the mid-17th century. The campaign was crowned with the victory of Russian weapons, and the “Semyonovites” performed their first feats of arms. By 1700, the regiment had been completed, thanks to which it already had three infantry battalions. By the way, at that time ordinary regiments consisted of only two infantry battalions.
The next war in which the regiment took part was not far off. In 1700, Russia, Denmark and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth formed a unified coalition against Sweden, which at that time dominated the Baltic. Already at the very beginning of the war, the Semenovsky regiment took part in the campaign in Estland (the territory of modern Estonia) and in the siege of the Narva fortress. At first it seemed that the Russian army would be able to capture the fortress before the winter cold and retreat to Novgorod for winter quarters. However, the quick surrender of Denmark and the landing of the Swedish king Charles XII and his army in Livonia (the territory of modern Latvia) seriously changed the situation.
On November 19 (30), 1700, the Swedes attacked the Russian army and forced a significant part of it to capitulate. Only the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments steadfastly repelled enemy attacks and were not crushed. Thanks to the courage of the soldiers of the Russian Guard, the army avoided complete defeat, and the Swedes, admiring the courage of the Semyonovtsy and Preobrazhensky soldiers, allowed these regiments to withdraw with unfurled banners. It was in the defeat at Narva that “the lightning of future Russian victories flashed,” as Peter wrote. By the way, in memory of the Battle of Narva, until the 1740s, soldiers of the Semenovsky regiment wore red stockings. This tradition was based on the fact that soldiers repelled enemy attacks, “standing knee-deep in blood,” but did not flinch or run.
Just a year and a half later, in 1702, the regiment took part in military operations on the territory of Ingria (in the modern Leningrad region), including the assault on the Noteburg (Oreshek) fortress. As a result of the fighting, the mouth of the Neva was in the hands of the Russian army, and the opportunity arose to found a new city here, which later became the capital of the Russian Empire.
In 1707, the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments were mounted on horses, which significantly increased their mobility and power. During the campaign of 1708, Charles XII advanced deep into Russian territory. However, there were no major battles, so the Russian army maneuvered to put the enemy at a disadvantage. At the same time, the corps of the Swedish general Levengaupt advanced to Belarus as reinforcements to Charles’s troops. Near the village of Lesnoy, the Semenovsky regiment took part in the defeat of this corps in the fall of 1708, which made a significant contribution to the victory of Russian weapons at Poltava and the liberation of Russian territory from enemy troops.
And of course, the Semenovsky regiment took part in the Battle of Poltava at the end of June 1709 in Right Bank Ukraine. The battle ended with the complete defeat of the Swedish troops and the beginning of a radical turning point in the Great Northern War. After a short pursuit of the remnants of the defeated enemy, the regiment retreated to Moscow for rest and replenishment.
After the Battle of Poltava, the regiment took part in the siege of Vyborg, and after the start of the war between Turkey and Russia in 1711, in the campaign of the Russian army to the Prut. However, due to a number of mistakes, this campaign ended unsuccessfully, and Russia had to return the Azov fortress to the Turks. After this campaign, the army, including the Semenovsky regiment, again moved towards Sweden. In subsequent years, the “Semyonovites” took part in a foreign campaign against Pomeranian fortresses under Swedish control, and then fought in Finland. And wherever the Semenovites encountered the enemy, they held high the banner of the Russian Guard. The Semenovsky regiment celebrated victory in the Northern War in Kronstadt.
Already in 1722, the second battalion of the Semenovsky regiment took part in the campaign against Persia. The soldiers took part in the capture of Derbent and the attack on Baku, which, however, was never taken.
The next glorious page in the history of the Semenovsky regiment is the era of the Napoleonic wars. In 1807, in East Prussia, near the city of Friedland, a battle took place between the Russian army, which was part of the fourth coalition at that time, and the French, who sought to inflict maximum damage on the coalition troops and strengthen their hegemony on the continent. This battle ended with the defeat of the Russian army and the signing of the Peace of Tilsit.
However, Napoleon, waging endless wars throughout the European continent, did not want a long and lasting peace with Russia. The result of his policies and aspirations was the invasion of the French “Grand Army” into the territory of the Russian Empire in the summer of 1812. The Semenovsky regiment met this war in St. Petersburg. Already in the first weeks he was included in the 1st Brigade of the Guards Division. This division was part of the 5th Infantry Corps. In September 1812, the Semenovsky regiment took part in the Battle of Borodino. At first he was in reserve and did not take part in hostilities, but in the afternoon he repelled French attacks on the center of Russian positions. The soldiers of the regiment showed courage and valor. In 1813-1814, the Semyonovites took part in the foreign campaign of the Russian army, meeting the end of the war in Paris.
Since 1814, the Semenovsky regiment served in the country. However, this service still could not be called calm.
After the Patriotic War, Minister of War Arakcheev proposed to Emperor Alexander I a fundamentally new way of organizing army support. This principle was based on the creation of special military settlements, which, in addition to the task of housing personnel, were also supposed to provide the army with everything necessary. However, despite the apparent simplicity and attractiveness of the idea, life in such settlements was limited by very harsh rules and restrictions. The phenomenon of military settlements was called “Arakcheevshchina”, after the name of their main author and organizer. Dissatisfaction with these orders grew, and the Semyonovites did not stand aside.
However, the main reason for the indignation of the officers of the Semenovsky regiment was not the notorious “Arakcheevism”, but the removal from the post of regiment commander Yakov Alekseevich Potemkin, whom they loved. The new commander of the Semenovsky regiment, Fyodor Efimovich Schwartz, was distinguished by his severity and excessive demands on personnel, which could not help but cause grumbling.
The events that later became known as the uprising of the Semenovsky regiment occurred on October 16, 1820, when one of the regimental companies refused to follow orders and stood on the parade ground, demanding a company commander. However, the leadership decided not to comply with the demands of the rebels, but to surround the company and escort it to the Peter and Paul Fortress. However, the next day, officers from other companies also stood up for their comrades, and therefore the fate of the rebel company was shared by the entire first battalion of the Semenovsky regiment. As a result, some of the personnel suffered various punishments (passing through the ranks, exile to distant garrisons), and the Semenovsky regiment itself was reorganized.
During the revolution of 1950-1907, the regiment was sent to suppress the uprising in Moscow. By the time the Semyonovites arrived at the site (mid-December 1905), only the Presnya region was in the hands of the rebels. The uprising was successfully suppressed, and the regiment commander G. A. Min was promoted to major general.
But soon the regiment was transferred to Warsaw for defensive battles and containment of German troops. In the battles on the Vistula and Narev rivers, the Semenovsky regiment participated together with the Siberian corps. Thanks to joint efforts, the enemy was stopped. Throughout 1915, fighting stubbornly and holding back the advancing enemy, the Semyonovites inflicted significant damage on the Germans and Austrians.
In 1916, Semyonovites took part in the summer offensive against Astro-Hungary, which later went down in history as the “Brusilovsky breakthrough”. However, the overall difficult strategic position of Russia did not allow the success to be developed, and there was no turning point in the war.
Immediately after the October Revolution, the Semenovsky regiment declared itself loyal to the new government and received a new name - from now on it became the 3rd Petrograd City Guard Regiment named after Uritsky. In connection with the threat of a breakthrough by the White armies to Petrograd, already in the spring of 1919, it was transferred to the Gatchina region. However, the regiment's personnel decided to go over to the enemy's side and took the oath to the whites. At the same time, the regiment's change of side was accompanied by the mass murder of communists and commissars.
The transition of the 3rd Petrograd City Guard Regiment to the side of the Whites became a very high-profile event, actively used by the Whites in propaganda. For Soviet power, the Semenovsky regiment (this name was returned to it shortly after the transition) became a symbol of betrayal. After the end of the Civil War, in 1925, the so-called “Lyceum Students Case” was opened in Leningrad, investigating the anti-Soviet activities of former officers of the Russian Imperial Army (about 150 people in total), among whom were Semyonovites. At the same time, former employees of the Semenovsky regiment were also blamed for the suppression of the uprising in Moscow in December 1905. As a result, some of the accused were shot, the rest were sentenced to exile or camps. This is how the story of the Life Guards Semyonovsky Regiment ended.
Semenovsky regiment today
After the collapse of the USSR, some traditions of the old tsarist army began to be revived in the Russian army. For example, priests appeared in military units again, and the days of celebrating the dates of the glorious victories of Russian weapons returned.
Changes also affected other traditions. So, in April 2013, the Semenovsky regiment was revived. The name of Semenovsky was given to the 1st separate rifle regiment (military unit 75384). The regiment's task is to protect particularly important facilities of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation: directorates, headquarters of branches and branches of the Armed Forces, etc.
The requirements for those wishing to serve in the Semyonovsky floor are high. The candidate must have exceptional health, good physical characteristics and a height of at least 170 cm. An additional criterion, which is highly desirable, is the presence of a higher education. This makes the Semenovsky regiment essentially an exceptional unit, where even ordinary soldiers have a higher education.
The requirements for those who wish to serve in the regiment under a contract are even higher. To do this, you need to pass four psychological tests, as well as seven exams on knowledge of the regulations, fire, combat and physical training. The candidate who successfully passes all these tests must undergo additional training in a special “training”, which clearly hints at the seriousness of service in the Semenovsky regiment.
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Semenovsky Rifle Regiment... A legendary military unit as part of the Russian Imperial Army, formed at the beginning of 1691 in the village of Semenovsky near Moscow. At first they called her funny. The Semenovsky regiment owes its name to Emperor Peter the Great, who created it for gaming battles. History has almost no knowledge about the original structure of this unit. It is only known that the number of “amusing” ones did not exceed fifty, and due to a lack of premises in Preobrazhenskoye, this part was transferred to the village of the same name, where it was renamed. And already since 1700, this unit was called the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment.
First battle
In November 1700, the Russian guard, which included the Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky regiments, stood firm in an unsuccessful battle with the Swedes near Narva and were able to miraculously avoid defeat. Appreciating their valor, the Swedish king agreed to keep the soldiers of both regiments with their weapons. The Russians crossed the crossing with drums beating and banners flying.
For courage and in memory of the fact that they stood knee-deep in blood, the Semenovsky regiment began to wear red stockings. Seventeen officers died in this battle, including the commander, Lieutenant Colonel Kuningham, as well as four and a half hundred lower ranks.
and Patriotic War
In 1702, the Semenovsky regiment sent a small detachment to storm Noteburg. After thirteen hours of fighting it was taken. All participants were awarded, and the detachment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Golitsin, was awarded the rank of colonel of the guard. Six years later, in September 1708, as part of the corvolant, the Semenovsky regiment successfully fought in and in June of the following year - in the Battle of Poltava.
During the War of 1812, the regiment was in reserve, but immediately after the French captured the Raevsky Battery, it was transferred to the center of Russian positions to repel attacks by the enemy’s heavy cavalry.
The twentieth century
At the beginning of the last century, he suppressed the December uprising in Moscow. For this, the commander of the Semenovsky regiment, Min, was promoted to general and enlisted in the retinue of Nicholas II. In the seventeenth year, this military unit declared itself a supporter of the new government and was renamed the Third Petrograd City Guard Regiment, bearing the name of Uritsky.
Semenovsky Regiment, Moscow
On April 16, 2013, President Putin signed a decree. In it, he recreated the Semenovsky regiment, giving it the name of the first separate rifle unit. As the Kremlin said in a statement, this decision was made with the aim of reviving historical traditions.
Combat missions
Today, the Semenovsky Regiment - military unit 75384 - is intended to protect the facilities of the main headquarters of all types and branches of the Armed Forces located on the territory of Moscow, as well as all main departments of the Ministry of Defense and a number of other important facilities. The pride of the commander and the entire unit is his training battalion, which is located in Ramenskoye, Moscow region. This educational unit began its history in May 1951, becoming in practice a kind of connecting link between today’s “Semyonovtsy” and their valiant predecessors.
From the security company
The current Semenovsky Regiment (military unit 75384) considers the Security Company, created under the administration of the commandant of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, to be its very first predecessors in terms of functional purpose - the protection and defense of important military state facilities. This happened on October 7, 1919, by order of the RVSR No. 2102 on the approval of the staff of the Security Company. It is this day that the 1st Semenovsky Regiment considers the birthday of its unit.
And on the sixteenth of July 1920, the first guard was posted, which, consisting of eighteen people, stood guard over the building of the RVSR. In the same year, the Security Company under the control of the RVSR was reorganized into a two-company battalion. Along with performing their main functions, the fighters of the battalion, whose successor was the Semenovsky Regiment 75384, were involved in the fight against counter-revolutionaries.
On February 5, 1921, a detachment of two hundred bayonets and eight machine guns took an active part in the destruction of the Antonov gang that had rebelled, and in July of the same year, the Red Army soldiers of the regiment guarded the Third Congress of the Comintern.
Honorary title
By order of December 24, 1925, the battalion was named “the first separate local rifle battalion.” Its personnel were used to accompany the trips of representatives of the high command to the front and to escort state criminals.
The newly created unit, the Semenovsky Regiment (Moscow, military unit 75384), included rifle battalions of the 27th Motorized Rifle Brigade. Having excellent drill training, Semenovites traditionally opened military parades on Red Square.
On the third of May this year, a most important event took place: the presentation of the Battle Banner to 75384 military unit. On this day, the Semenovsky regiment began the countdown of its modern history. The personnel were warmly congratulated by veterans and representatives of the clergy. And from that time on, the Semenovsky Regiment (Moscow) acquired its official symbol and its military relic. The Semenovites were also visited by their “brothers in arms” - representatives of the 154th Preobrazhensky Regiment, formed at the same time as the Semenovsky Regiment in the Petrine era. A surprise for many was the appearance of soldiers in the uniform of grenadiers of the Patriotic War of the twelfth year.
Taking the oath
On June twenty-eighth of this year, in military unit 75384, a solemn military oath was taken for the young recruits who arrived in the Semenovsky regiment. The soldiers showed excellent bearing at the gala event. Today's recruits will be called upon to perform the specific tasks facing the Semenovsky Regiment throughout the coming year.
New address
A little more than a year has passed since this legendary military unit was recreated. And just recently it finally found its permanent and, most importantly, its own premises. The barracks are now located in Moscow, in a military town. The Semenovsky regiment, whose address is Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya Street, 35, building one, today moved to the so-called “Chernyshevsky barracks”. They were overhauled and prepared for commissioning by specialists from the State Institution of Spetsstroy of Russia for the Central Federal District.
Construction work here began in January 2013. A major overhaul was carried out not only in the sleeping quarters, but also in the living quarters, as well as offices and all rooms that were intended for storing weapons or ammunition. All barracks facilities underwent a complete reconstruction of facades, interior finishing work, engineering systems were replaced, fire and security alarms were installed.
And today the location of the Semenovsky regiment is radically different from the conditions in which the first soldiers and command lived, when the guard units of the elite tsarist troops transferred from Moscow to the Northern capital were moved beyond the city limits - beyond the Fontanka River. This is where the rather characteristic name of Zagorodny Avenue came from, not far from which the military were stationed. Gradually, the Semyonovtsy began to populate the main part between what is now Moskovskaya and Zvenigorodskaya streets from the west and east, and Fontanka and Obvodny Canal from the south and north. There was also a regiment's parade ground, which in history became known as the place where the Petrashevites were executed in 1849.
Everyday life
1 Separate Rifle Regiment Semenovsky (Moscow) lives a tense and very dynamic life. Designed for the defense and security of facilities of the central bodies of the Military Forces, namely the main headquarters of the branches of the Armed Forces, which are located on the territory of the capital of Russia, as well as the control center of the Ministry of Defense and some other equally important military facilities, it adequately fulfills its purpose.
Every day, one of several battalions of military unit 75384, which consists of more than four hundred soldiers, goes on duty. They carry out their combat mission with weapons in their hands in thirty guards. According to statistics, almost every member of the Semenovsky Regiment enters service on average a hundred or more times per year.
Every day, special vehicles deliver guards and squads to the objects intended for protection. It is estimated that cars travel more than sixteen hundred kilometers on Moscow streets per day.
Daily ritual
Literally every day at exactly nine o'clock in the morning the guards are changed, regardless of the weather, holidays or weekends. For people attending a divorce for the first time, this majestic and beautiful ritual is impressive in its scale. Five companies of a rifle battalion are simultaneously lined up on a large parade ground, led by their commanders. In addition to the soldiers, nineteen buses are parked along a flat line, which are intended for transportation to guard duty stations.
After the obligatory report to the commander, a check of readiness begins, including the weapons and appearance of each soldier, as well as his knowledge of his duties, etc. After the commanders of the intervening guards are given passwords, all personnel, accompanied by a military orchestra, march through and arranged in their buses. Then the transport in a column and with a clearly observed distance passes along the parade ground to the accompaniment, and then goes on its routes.
The clarity of the commands and the absolute coherence of the actions of the personnel are simply amazing. The simultaneous marching and striding of several hundred people is so synchronized that it seems as if the warriors had served together all their lives.
They say that for many units, preparing for such a “parade” requires a lot of effort and time, but for Semyonovtsy it is a familiar daily ritual, which residents of neighboring buildings and local children who constantly gather on the other side enjoy watching from their windows fence
Service
At first glance, it may seem to an uninitiated person that service in the Semenovsky regiment of the capital is quite easy and pleasant. But for those who have already passed or are currently passing through their military path, such a statement is unlikely to seem true. Almost a third of their service is spent by personnel in various guard rooms, not to mention the enormous responsibility that lies on the shoulders of the command. More than half of the guards are headed by conscript sergeants.
The regiment attaches great importance to the training and education of personnel, creating the most comfortable conditions for them. All elements of the daily routine, from getting up until bedtime, as well as training sessions and training are carried out strictly in accordance with schedules, so that even a small disruption does not complicate the functioning of such a large and complex military unit as military unit 75384, or the Semenovsky regiment in Moscow is the successor of traditions.