Location of events

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

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the start of the war in Chechnya, Sergei Kondratenko and my colleague, the editor-in-chief of Novaya v Vladivostok, Andrey Ostrovsky, have already published the fourth edition of the Book of Memory of the Primorsky Territory, which names all the Primorsky people who died in the North Caucasus over the years (and those called up from Primorye) . New names were entered into each reprint, each time hoping that these additions were the last.

I will preface the conversation, the occasion for which was this non-holiday anniversary, with a brief background. Sergei Kondratenko was born in 1950 in Khabarovsk, graduated from the Far Eastern Higher School of Education in Blagoveshchensk. From 1972 to 2001, he served in a division (now a brigade) of the Marine Corps of the Pacific Fleet, having retired from the post of deputy division commander. Later he led the regional search and rescue service, headed the organization of veterans of local wars "Contingent", now he is the chairman of the council of veterans of Vladivostok. He was awarded the Order of Courage and "For Military Merit".

The Pacific in the Caucasus: "Everything was learned on the spot"

Sergei Konstantinovich, all your life you have been studying and teaching others to fight, and with an external enemy. Remember, they told me how, as a cadet of the Far Eastern Military District in March 1969, during the battles on Damansky, you occupied positions in Blagoveshchensk on the Amur embankment ... Then it 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 marines wrote reports, asked to be sent to Afghanistan, but we were told: you have your own combat mission. But, by the way, then 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 destroyed Grozny, talked to civilians, we realized that there really was a genocide of the Russian population. Not only Russians spoke about this, but also the Chechens themselves, especially the old people, and we ourselves saw it all. True, some said that we should not have interfered - they themselves, they say, would have figured it out. I don't know... Another thing is that the decision to send troops was hasty, that's 100 percent.

As the division's deputy commander, I was appointed chief of the division's task force. This group is created for the convenience of control when the regiment operates at a distance from the division. Its commander was in charge of the regiment itself, and I was the first to “jump out” to the rear area, to Grozny, agreed with the Baltic marines to transfer the tent camp to us ... During the hostilities, I ensured the interaction of the “regiment - grouping”. Then he took over the exchange of prisoners, the collection of weapons from the population. I traveled through departments. If some kind of emergency, skirmish, death, always jumped out, sorted it out on the spot. On February 18, I received a 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 came back from vacation and found out that a directive had come: to complete the 165th regiment to wartime states and conduct 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 parts of the fleet. Of these, 50 percent were eliminated, if not more. Firstly, this is an old army tradition: they always give the very “best”. Secondly, they did not take anyone who said: "I will not go." Or if there are health problems.

At the Bamburovo and Clerk training grounds, we managed to carry out almost everything that was supposed to be done: 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 the preparation of another plan? Let's say cultural?

This just did not happen, and this is a huge omission. Everything had to be found out on the spot. I loved history, but I still did not know much when I went to the first negotiations with the Chechens. At a meeting with the inhabitants of Belgatoy, an old man comes out and hugs me. I was confused at first. And then it was like that all the time - hugging a man who could kill me in half an hour. It is so customary there - the elder hugs the elder.

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

You know, the general impression is this: we were taught one thing, but there everything was different. We did not expect much, starting with the mud and mess and ending with the use of units. Learned on the go.

- Among you were combatants?

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

In general, the marines were well prepared. Approximately a third of our dead are non-combat losses, but in the same 245th regiment (245th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Moscow Military District, replenished by the Far East. - 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 exactly how a person died. You can’t tell his parents that, for example, he took drugs ... And there all the vices of a citizen crawl out. In general, in 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 will shoot at him ...

- Did the Marines have any special tasks?

No, they were used as regular infantry. True, when we "forced" Sunzha, our PTS participated there - a floating conveyor. We joked: the marines are used for their combat mission!

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

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

On January 19, when Dudayev's palace was taken, Yeltsin announced that the military stage of restoring the operation of the Russian Constitution in Chechnya had been completed. Just in time for this date, our regiment concentrated in the rear area not far from Grozny. After reading the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda of January 21, in which this statement of the president was published, I thought: Christmas trees, what the hell were we 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 marines of the Pacific Fleet ...

When this battle began (the battalion fought, the sailor was wounded), I immediately "jumped" into place. Not only because of the wounded: our communication was lost, interaction was lost, 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, and ammunition. We went to the carbide plant, where the units of the second battalion were located. This is Khabarovskaya street - my "native" street. And I almost flew in there - I could have died three times on this first exit. We were given a ten-page card, but we didn’t work with such cards, and I couldn’t “get it” into it. We walked on two armored personnel carriers along Khabarovsk, jumped out to the bridge over the Sunzha, but the bridge was not visible - it was blown up, and it caved in, sank. The spirits placed blocks in front of the bridge. I look through the triplex - nothing is clear, black figures are rushing about with weapons, obviously not our sailors ... We stopped and stood there for a minute or two. If they had a grenade launcher - write wasted. I look around - on the left there is some enterprise, on the pipe - a sickle and a hammer. And they told me at the headquarters of the group: a pipe with a sickle and a hammer is “carbide”. I look - the gates are opening, a figure in camouflage is waving. We jumped in there. The second point: when we drove into the yard, I drove along the wire from MON-200 - directional mines. But it did not explode - ours set a mine for the first time, the tension was weak. And when we passed there, I already opened the hatch, leaned out. It would have been severely cut - it would not have pierced the armor, but the wheels would have been damaged and the head blown off ... And the third. We drove into the yard of the carbide plant, took the wounded away, but there was no other way out. I realized that the spirits had driven us into a mousetrap and would not let us out just like that. 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 did not have time to shoot at us from a grenade launcher. A second armored personnel carrier immediately followed us. They fired at him, but because of the high speed of the grenade passed by. At this time, Rusakov looked out from behind the gate, and a grenade hit him ... We learned about his death after arriving at the command post of the regiment. When it got dark, I again went to the positions of the second battalion. We managed to take out the body of Maxim only at night - the militants held the gates of the plant at gunpoint.

Ruined Grozny

I drank a glass that evening, I 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 he drew conclusions. And then in such cases I always analyzed and predicted.

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

Yes, from Afghanistan, but we used it. "Bandits" - no one said. And the "Czechs" - it's already gone.

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

At first it was hard - and accommodation, and food, and heating. Then people got used to it. At first, there was lice, and then baths were set up in each unit: in tents, dugouts, wagons ... Morale - at first it was very difficult, I even wonder 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 cursed terribly - they just talked obscenities during this stressful period. Then they got used to it.

At first, I had a lot of colds. The mud was terrible, it was cold, and they also sent us rubber boots ... We then threw them away. The second is skin diseases. But then they screwed up again. At first I got sick myself, I lay in bed for a day, and then, no matter how much I dangled - my legs were wet, cold, - there was nothing, not even snot.

- Did the locals 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 after 18 hours was prohibited, and here a man and a young guy were driving a tractor. The man ran away, and the guy got under a hot hand - ours slapped him. The next day - booze. I understood that the Chechens had also violated, but still it was impossible to touch them ... I went to the elder - this guy's uncle, and asked for forgiveness. He offered to gather the residents, he was ready to publicly apologize, but they told me: no, you asked for forgiveness - in an hour the whole village will know.

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

I personally once was under fire from an 82-mm mortar - a great car! Another time, I came under fire from the Grad - they poured about half a package somewhere, since there were no dead. There was an anecdote - a sailor-signaller 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, and those remained in place. Those who survived were very well prepared. They had assertiveness, impudence... 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 at first remained in Mozdok at the command post of the grouping, performed commandant functions. After that, we made it a rule: an officer comes to replace him - let him first sit, listen, grow into the situation. I know this from my own experience - I couldn’t even “get it” into the map right off the bat. 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 disturbing, you look into the gap between the hatch and the armor. When I went to the first exit - I put on a helmet, a bulletproof vest ... As a result, I could not climb an armored personnel carrier - the sailors pushed me like a medieval knight! It’s somewhere on the block you can sit in a bulletproof vest ... On January 22, I put on a bulletproof vest and a 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 dissatisfied 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. Peaceful respite was beneficial only to the militants.

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

- I had to become a diplomat... Later you supported Troshev's negotiations with Maskhadov - how did they go?

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

Negotiations in Novye Atagi. Center - Isa Madaev, Gennady Troshev, Aslan Maskhadov.Photo from the archive of S.K. Kondratenko

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

In your notes you call the Khasavyurt peace shameful and tantamount to capitulation. And the second war - could you do without it?

I don't think so. First, 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 territories. Dagestan in 1999 was the last straw.

May 5, 1995, Knevichi, return from Chechnya. Left: Governor of Primorye Yevgeny Nazdratenko

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

The war itself does not start. And it is not the military who start it, but the politicians. But if a war starts, let the professionals, the military, deal with the war, and not in such a way that they fought, then stop - they kissed, then start again ... The most important thing is that the deaths of people could have been prevented, it was not necessary to bring 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.

February 7, 1995 in Grozny began an offensive across the river. Sunzha. The 165th regiment of the 55th division of the MP Pacific Fleet advanced in battle order. The reconnaissance groups "Malina-1" and "Malina-2" were sent forward.

As part of "Malina-1" were:

1. Firsov Sergey Alexandrovich, senior lieutenant, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company of the 165th regiment of the MP Pacific Fleet.

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

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

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

5. Serykh Andrei ..., sailor, reconnaissance company of the 165th regiment of the MP 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 Street), "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 troops of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: "Coming out to the square of the bus station, Senior Lieutenant Firsov S.A., gave a signal to the 5th company to move and began to expect its approach to this line, since the direction of the offensive changed here and its further advance threatened to lose not only visual communication with units advancing behind him, but also fire interaction.As soon as the leading platoon appeared from behind the bend of the street, from the opposite side of the square, from behind commercial stalls, and from the windows of the bus station, machine guns and machine guns of militants hit.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. To remain in this position was disastrous for her. Then the scouts began to cover the withdrawal of the company, diverting the attention of the enemy 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, right in the direction of travel there was a building of an unfinished multi-storey building from which a dense fire was opened on the group, to the left of the road there was a one-story store building, in which the militants also sat down ... Thus, the group of senior lieutenant Sergei Firsov, having fallen into an ambush, practically in an open place, waged a round-robin battle ...

Deputy commander of the coastal troops of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “The scouts unleashed a flurry of fire on the militants. This made it possible for the company to get out of the fire and take a detour maneuver to help the scouts, but it was also stopped by enemy fire in the other direction. The scouts ended up in a fire bag, cut off from the company and practically on The militants decided to deal with them completely, went into the open, shooting from the belt, obviously were 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 the active units of the regiment unsuccessfully tried to come to their aid. On the NP of the regiment, they heard the voices of our guys, but in that situation they could not do anything to help them, all the forces of the regiment were involved in the battles, and there was no time left for the transfer of forces from other directions. They knew that the group was doomed. Terrible hopelessness ... "

Reconnaissance platoon commander 165 pmp O.B. Zaretsky: “The first to die was Jr. Zubarev Yura. l-t take me! I am tall, the spirits will think that I am the commander, they will kill me first, and you will remain alive! ". Here's how it turns out. Mrs. Vyzhimov Vadim, a young sailor, "dushara", who came to us from the Special Forces of the "Khollulai" fleet, crawled to help Zubarev ". With fragments of a mortar mine, half of his skull was blown off and his foot was torn off. Three fought: Senior Lieutenant Firsov Sergey, Senior Metropolitan Soshelin Andrey, Mrs. Serykh. There was no help or cover, there was no connection.

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

The commander of the 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 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 was as if they were constantly pouring peas on the armor of the armored personnel carrier.

Having fallen behind a tree and slashed at the "shooting eye sockets of the house", several bursts covered themselves with smoke and proceeded to evacuate. I ran up to Seryoga Firsov. He was dead. He no longer had a weapon. Only later, during the identification at the evacuation center, they made sure that they had finished him off, and until the last firing squad with him, Chief Engineer Andrey Soshelin ... Chief Engineer Andrey Soshelin was lying almost next to Firsov. Having covered 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 troops of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “Seventy-two bullets were counted in the body of Serezha Firsov. The guys kept the all-round defense to the end. They were shot dead at point-blank range ... One of the women, a witness to that battle, said that the marines were offered several times to surrender, promising to save their lives. " Around lay the bodies of more than three dozen destroyed militants.

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

For courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty, Sergeant Yuri Vladimirovich Zubarev, sailors Vadim Vyacheslavovich Vyzhimov and Andrey 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, as it forgot about everyone before. In all wars, our great-grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers, brothers and sons remained unnecessary for power. And even, having perverted and distorted one's concept of goodness and justice, one can understand it to some extent.

But I cannot call such feats superfluous, empty and unnecessary. Let them be tragic, incomprehensible and terrible, but it was precisely with such small soldier victories bit by bit, grain by grain, that the unshakable RUSSIAN SPIRIT was forged. That SPIRIT that forced to cause fire on itself, rush in the Cossack lava, fight to the last bullet and inspire panic in all our enemies.

Looking at the unblinking eyes of the boys, who looked with sacred awe at the photo of Vadim Vyzhimov, looking at the faces shining with excitement, when Vyacheslav Anatolyevich talked 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!!!

Like blood on their body armor...
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 the rv 165 pmp Oleg Borisovich Zaretsky, “two reconnaissance groups were assigned from the reconnaissance company. One of the groups was headed by lieutenant Alexei U., a couple of days before these events I fell ill with a temperature and ... I wake up from the noise, open eyes and I see that l / s is preparing somewhere. When I asked what happened and why without me, they reassured me, saying that it’s okay, the exit time was already postponed, so ... in general - get well ... Thus, my the group was headed by Sergei Firsov, who came to the company and was sent out on the 3rd day. "1

The group included:
Air Force Commander Senior Lieutenant Sergei Alexandrovich Firsov2 (callsign "Malina-1" or "Malina-2")
squad leader sergeant Yuri Vladimirovich Zubarev3
scout sailor Vadim Vyacheslavovich Vyzhimov4
scout junior sergeant Andrey Anatolyevich Soshelin5
scout sailor Andrey Serykh

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

Sailor Andrey 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 went further with the reconnaissance group. we were fired upon. We launched a green rocket, they finished shooting at us. "7

Ambush at the bus station

Deputy commander of the coastal troops of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: "Coming out to the square of the bus station, Senior Lieutenant Firsov S.A., gave a signal to the 5th company to move and began to expect its approach to this line, since the direction of the offensive changed here and its further advance threatened to lose not only visual communication with units advancing behind him, but also fire interaction.As soon as the leading platoon appeared from behind the bend of the street, from the opposite side of the square, from behind commercial stalls, and from the windows of the bus station, machine guns and machine guns of militants hit.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. To remain in this position was disastrous for her. Then the scouts began to cover the withdrawal of the company, diverting the attention of the enemy and suppressing his firing points. "8

Sailor Andrey 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 of the curb were Firsov, Zubarev and the young Vyzhimnov, Soshelin and I covered them a little from behind. A sniper wounded Tooth to death immediately. We also opened fire on the enemy. Then a young man was wounded, and Firsov ordered to withdraw. I retreated first, but Soshelin was delayed for some reason ... "9

The commander of the rv 165 pmp O.B. Zaretsky: “The first to die was Jr. Zubarev Yura. l-t take me! I am tall, the spirits will think that I am the commander, they will kill me first, and you will remain alive! ". Here's how it turns out. Mrs. Vyzhimov Vadim, a young sailor, "dushara", who came to us from the Special Forces of the "Khollulai" fleet, crawled to help Zubarev ". With fragments of a mortar mine, half of his skull was blown off and his foot was torn off. Three fought: Senior Lieutenant Firsov Sergey, Senior Metropolitan Soshelin Andrey, Mrs. Serykh. There was no help or cover, there was no connection.
The group commander made the right decision and ... fatal for everyone. The unshakable principle, known from books and textbooks, "The scouts all leave", the HONOR of an OFFICER, the presence of two 200s in the group, did NOT ALLOW him to leave. He sent Mrs. Gray for help - thereby saving the life of at least one. Andrey Soshelin, practically demobilized (out of the entire company we brought only 4 divisions to the traffic police, the rest were fired from Mozdok), did not leave 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 troops of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “The scouts unleashed a flurry of fire on the militants. This made it possible for the company to get out of the fire and take a detour maneuver to help the scouts, but it was also stopped by enemy fire in the other direction. The scouts ended up in a fire bag, cut off from the company and practically on The militants decided to deal with them completely, went into the open, shooting from the belt, obviously were 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 the active units of the regiment unsuccessfully tried to come to their aid. On the regiment's NP they heard [?] the voices of our guys, but in that situation they could not help them in any way, all the forces of the regiment were involved in the battles, and there was no time left for the transfer of forces from other directions. They knew that the group was doomed. Terrible hopelessness ... "11

Help Firsov's group

The commander of the rv 165 pmp O.B. Zaretsky: “After some time, the deputy commander of the division, Colonel Kondratenko S., came to the location of the company and ordered to prepare an escort for him to leave. Sitting on the armor of an armored personnel carrier, he asked Colonel Kondratenko about the groups. He confirmed our most terrible, expelled forebodings in every possible way - we had losses. How many, who, how - there were no answers.
We arrived at the 2nd BMP, whose headquarters occupied the complex of buildings of the timber industry, located on the other side of the Sunzha, in the private sector. Dismounted. Already knowing that the groups acted in the interests of this battalion, he began to ask what and how with the group. What was the surprise, mixed with indignation, when I heard the words of the battalion commander p / p-ka G. addressed to the sailor: "Well, will I eat chicken today?" Colonel Kondratenko must have heard the same thing - he began to "scold" the battalion commander for inactivity. The excuse he heard discouraged: "These are the people of Malina, 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 colonel Kondratenko, they began to prepare for the evacuation of the group. What happened to the group, what was the severity of its losses - they had no idea - there was no connection with the group, and yet it was some 300-400 meters from the battalion's KNP. When asked by the colonel where the tanks sent to reinforce the battalion, the battalion commander replied that he had sent them to another company.<...>Together with colonel, Kondratenko went to the company, to which tanks were sent to reinforce. We arrived. Found tankers. They explained the situation and the deputy commander of the division ordered to advance 1 tank to the battalion headquarters. The company commander of the tankers rested. Having started the war in its very infancy, participating in the New Year's assault on Grozny, which had already lost half of its original composition and changed cars more than once, he could be understood. The form of the order was replaced by a simple, human request, to which, having set the condition for covering his vehicles with infantry, the tanker agreed.
Returning with a reinforcement - 1 tank, with joy and a vague foreboding, I saw Lieutenant Usachev. Having gathered volunteers and hastily figuring out the order of our actions, we began to advance. On 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 for it. The commander of the tankers no longer hesitated, and soon a group of volunteers reinforced by the Shilka ZSU, two tanks and an armored personnel carrier with a landing of volunteers (practically some officers, sailors were not taken intentionally - they did not want to risk it, only the driver of the armored personnel carrier, Mrs. Zinkov Alexey, and they planted the gunner of the KPVT Mrs. Walkers) moved out to rescue the ambushed group.
The only available information about the situation and the situation was the scarce stories of the battalion officers and the incessant shooting from the alleged battlefield ....
At 100 meters from the turn of the road we met a sailor Serykh, one of the fighters of the group that had left with Sergei Firsov. According to him, there were losses in the group, including, in stingy official words, irretrievable losses, but the 2nd: senior lieutenant Firsov and art. Mrs. Andrey Soshelin were still alive. The r / station was disabled in the first minutes of the battle and Firsov sent him for help, but the snipers who sat in the buildings "chased" him for about an hour, so the information received was somewhat outdated, but still encouraging ... In addition, received from him information somewhat corrected our actions."12

Group evacuation

The commander of the rv 165 pmp O.B. Zaretsky: “We started. The Shilka “jumped out” first at a direct shot distance and fired a cannon at one of the buildings, followed by a tank firing at a high-rise building, an armored personnel carrier and our detachment was closed by a second tank that fired at the store building. , 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 travel there was a building of an unfinished multi-storey building from which heavy fire was opened on the group, to the left of the road there was a one-story store building, in where the militants also sat down ... Thus, the group of senior lieutenant Sergei Firsov, having fallen into an ambush, practically in an open area, waged a round-robin battle.
I (and volunteer officers) rode in the troop compartment of an armored personnel carrier and kept the ramp on a tight cable, observing the terrain through the open half. One lying down falls into the field of view, we go further ..., the second, we go further ... Then everything happened very quickly. The column stopped, the Sailor Walking, 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 do not remember how they shot at us, all 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 of the militants on our group was such that they were constantly pouring peas on the armor of the armored personnel carrier.
Having fallen behind a tree and slashed at the "shooting eye sockets of the house", several bursts covered themselves with smoke and proceeded to evacuate. I ran up to Seryoga Firsov. He was dead. He no longer had a weapon. Only later, during the identification at the evacuation center, they were convinced that they finished him off, and until the last firing squad with him, the senior officer Andrey Soshelin ...<...>Senior trooper Andrey 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 troops of the Pacific Fleet for educational work, Colonel A.I. Mozhaev: “Seventy-two bullets were counted in the body of Serezha Firsov. The guys kept the all-round defense to the end. They were shot dead at point-blank range ... One of the women, a witness to that battle, said that the marines were offered several times to surrender, promising to save their lives. "14

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1 Memoirs of Oleg Zaretsky, the commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th MP KTOF regiment, about the war. (http://kz44.narod.ru/165.htm)
2 Book of memory of Primorsky Krai. Vladivostok, 2009, p. 18.
3 Memory Book: Memorial Edition. Federal State Unitary Enterprise IPK "Ulyanovsk Printing House", 2005. T. 13. P. 107.
4 Book of memory of Primorsky Krai. Vladivostok, 2009, p. 19.
5 Karpenko V.F. Book of Memory. About Nizhny Novgorod soldiers who died in the Chechen Republic. N. Novgorod, 2009. S. 230-231.
6 Bubnov A.V. (From an unpublished book about the Cadets) // N. Firsova's blog. (http://blogs.mail.ru/mail/reklama_fs/673DEA3B82CE43FE.html)
7 Book of memory of Primorsky Krai. Vladivostok, 2009, p. 20.
8 Bubnov A.V. (From an unpublished book about the Cadets) // N. Firsova's blog. (http://blogs.mail.ru/mail/reklama_fs/673DEA3B82CE43FE.html)
9 Book of memory of Primorsky Krai. Vladivostok, 2009, p. 20.
10 Memoirs of Oleg Zaretsky, the commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th MP KTOF regiment, about the war. (http://kz44.narod.ru/165.htm)
11 Bubnov A.V. (From an unpublished book about the Cadets) // N. Firsova's blog. (http://blogs.mail.ru/mail/reklama_fs/673DEA3B82CE43FE.html)
12 Memoirs of Oleg Zaretsky, the commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th MP KTOF regiment, about the war. (http://kz44.narod.ru/165.htm)
13 Memoirs of Oleg Zaretsky, commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 165th MP KTOF regiment, about the war. (http://kz44.narod.ru/165.htm)
14 Bubnov A.V. (From an unpublished book about the Cadets) // N. Firsova's blog. (

- 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 not far from Grozny. After reading the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda of January 21, in which this statement of the president was published, I thought: Christmas trees, what the hell were we 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 marines of the Pacific Fleet ...
- When this battle began (the battalion fought, the sailor was wounded), I immediately "jumped" into place. Not only because of the wounded: our communication was lost, the interaction was lost, 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, and ammunition. We went to the carbide plant, where the units of the second battalion were located. This is Khabarovskaya street - my "native" street. And I almost flew in there - I could have died three times on this first exit. We were given a ten-page card, but we didn’t work with such cards, and I couldn’t “get it” into it. We walked on two armored personnel carriers along Khabarovsk, jumped out to the bridge over the Sunzha, but the bridge was not visible - it was blown up, and it caved in, sank. The spirits placed blocks in front of the bridge. I look through the triplex - nothing is clear, black figures are rushing about with weapons, obviously not our sailors ... We stopped and stood there for a minute or two. If they had a grenade launcher - write wasted. I look around - on the left is some kind of enterprise, on the pipe - a sickle and a hammer. And they told me at the headquarters of the group: a pipe with a sickle and a hammer is “carbide”. I look - the gates are opening, a figure in camouflage is waving. We jumped in there. The second moment: when we drove into the yard, I drove along the wire from MON-200 - directional mines. But it did not explode - ours set a mine for the first time, the tension was weak. And when we passed there, I already opened the hatch, leaned out. It would have been severely cut - the armor would not have been pierced, but the wheels would have been damaged and the head blown off ... And the third. We drove into the yard of the carbide plant, took the wounded away, but there was no other way out. I realized that the spirits had driven us into a mousetrap and would not let us out just like that. 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 did not have time to shoot at us from a grenade launcher. A second armored personnel carrier immediately followed us. They fired at him, but because of the high speed of the grenade passed by. At this time, Rusakov looked out from behind the gate, and a grenade hit him ... We learned about his death after arriving at the command post of the regiment. When it got dark, I again went to the positions of the second battalion. We managed to take out the body of Maxim only at night - the militants held the gates of the plant at gunpoint.
On March 6, 1995, in the house of naval officers, he, together with the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Khmelnov, arranged a reception and a festive evening for our wives.

After dinner, going out into the courtyard of the headquarters, we saw a group of sailors who had gathered near the newspaper “Vladivostok” hung 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 on January 22 of our comrade, senior lieutenant Maxim Rusakov. On the first page of this newspaper, a full-page photograph of the deceased Maxim was printed in a mourning frame. The entire regiment knew that our first dead in Chechnya was Senior Lieutenant Rusakov, but few knew his face. Unless directly subordinates, part of the officers and a small part of the second battalion, which was attached to Maxim's sapper platoon.
The sailors looked at the photo of Maxim Rusakov, involuntarily frozen in a moment of silence for a 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 the central newspapers: Krasnaya Zvezda, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and Rossiyskiye Vesti. In addition, they came to us irregularly and in limited numbers. And so we read with pleasure our "Vladivostok" with coastal news. These newspapers were read not only at the command post of the regiment, although not much, but some of them got directly to the units in combat positions. Approximately half a month later, while in the location of one of the companies, I saw one officer's copy of the Vladivostok newspaper worn to holes. It was evident that this issue of the newspaper had passed through dozens of hands. From hand to hand, this “information treasure” with coastal news roamed through units and positions. Posthumously awarded the Order of Virtue.

business card
Alexander Ivanovich Mozhaev, after graduating from the Sverdlovsk Military-Political Tank Artillery School, served in the training tank division of the Ural Military District. Then - adviser to the deputy commander of the regiment 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 the Deputy Commander of the Coastal Troops of the Pacific Fleet for educational work. In January 1995, together with the 165th Marine Regiment, he was sent to Chechnya as deputy head of the operational group of the Pacific Fleet. In 1996 - a business trip to Tajikistan as a deputy commander of the collective peacekeeping forces for educational work. The combat path was marked with the Order of Courage, the medal "For Military Merit", and other awards. Now a colonel in the reserve, he works in the apparatus of the Voronezh Regional Duma. Today he shares his memories with the readers of the Red Star.

St. Andrew's flags over Goyten Kort
On January 11, 1995, our 165th regiment flew from Vladivostok to Mozdok. The equipment delivered earlier 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 their baptism of fire.
They were preparing to storm the building of the Council of Ministers, which is on Minutka Square. I pass through the trenches and see - a sailor with a bayonet-knife cuts a vest into shreds ... He answers my question: “Comrade Colonel, we decided to give everyone a piece of a vest. Whoever breaks into the entrance or floor first will tie or pin him to the wall. Looks like a banner...
Soon, at the request of Colonel Mozhaev, small Andreev flags were handed over from Vladivostok to Chechnya. It was they who were hoisted by the marines on their own armored personnel carriers and liberated buildings. When the bandits saw the black berets and the proudly waving St. Andrew's banner, they knew that there was nothing to catch here.
During the assault on the building of the Council of Ministers on Minutka Square, the marines, as one, threw off their jackets and rushed to the attack at full height. Instead of the traditional "Hurrah!" a monolith sounded over the square: “Upstairs you, comrades, all in your places ...” And only a few shots sounded from the windows of the building. "Spirits" jumped from the windows, unable to bear it first of all purely psychologically.
It is no coincidence that the list approved by Dudayev read: “The following are subject to execution on the spot: 1. Marines. 2. Helicopters. 3. Artillerymen. 4. Paratroopers.
On February 6, 1995, a reconnaissance group of six people led by senior lieutenant Sergei Firsov clarified the location of firing points and enemy personnel. At night, the radio station transmitted: “We accepted the battle ... We are in the square ...”
It was the area of ​​the Grozny bus station, Alexander Ivanovich recalls. On the air, we heard the voices of our guys and the sounds of a gunfight, but in that situation we could not help them in any way. They knew the group was doomed. Terrible helplessness...
For four hours, the reconnaissance group fought with superior enemy forces.
Seventy-two bullets were counted in Serezha Firsov's body. We lived with him in the same building. Our guys lay, having taken all-round defense. They were shot at point-blank range already dead ...
One of the women who witnessed that night battle said that the Marines were offered several times to surrender, promising to save their lives. And each time the answer was: "The Marine Corps does not give up!"
It is embedded in the minds of every marine: “You can’t surrender and retreat!” Yes, and where to retreat to the marines - behind, as a rule, the ocean. But even if it doesn't, it doesn't change anything.
A special line in the combat annals of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet is the capture of Mount Goyten-Kort, a strategic height on the Shali-Gudermes highway. Whoever owns it actually owns these large settlements. 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 such fortification that the marines could not take ... Knowing about the leakage of information, we crossed the Argun River not in the place that was imposed on us from above, but one and a half kilometers below. On 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 night, two battalions of marines made a distracting maneuver. Meanwhile, air assault groups from all sides rushed to the attack. Height has been taken. When we reported this to the commander’s headquarters, they didn’t believe it at first: “Are you all drunk? How did they take Goyten Court?!” Forty minutes later, five "turntables" flew up. We wave our berets at them, and six St. Andrew's flags flutter. Only after that did they believe that the height was in our hands...

"Bra" instead of body armor
In the first Chechen campaign (however, as now), much was incomprehensible, 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. Only a few tens of kilometers remained 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 passed over the "green" line, it would be 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 our first marines who died 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, meeting resistance, exited in the neck area. If it were not for the vest, the bullet would have passed right through, without a fatal outcome. Therefore, instead of bulletproof vests, we wore "bras", which we ourselves learned to sew - twelve automatic magazines were inserted 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 submachine guns, and the "spirits" - 7.62. For people who understand, this says a lot. So, when the marines seized the arsenal of bandits - one hundred 7.62 caliber - "zero", in lubrication - and asked to keep them, and hand over their 5.45 to the warehouse, they were refused.
- The greatest mistake, - says Colonel Mozhaev, - was the weakening of the army institute of professionals involved in educating people, maintaining their morale, fighting spirit - political officers. Chechnya confirmed this. Personally, I was convinced: where there is a competent deputy. on educational work, acting in close contact with the commander, the unit is two heads higher than the rest.
Example for illustration. In one of the units, the deputy company commander was seriously wounded. Colonel Mozhaev proposed to the company commander to appoint one of the platoon commanders as deputy, and to put a competent sergeant in 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. And it’s more correct to say - especially in a combat situation. It is terrible to remember: during the forty-two days spent in Grozny, we even had nothing to wash ourselves with. The bandits filled all the wells with corpses. The plumbing didn't work. And the water carts returned empty - the "spirits" simply "stitched" them with bursts ... Personally, I shaved using quince or peach juice instead of water. The inscription on the "humanitarian" noodles looked mockingly: "Just pour boiling water over it." And in general, logistics support in the first Chechen campaign was at the level of the times of the civil war, and even worse. The exception is medicine. If not for our doctors, the losses would have been much greater.
Colonel Mozhaev was awarded the Order of Courage. There were two more submissions for this order: in Chechnya and Tajikistan. But each time the personnel officers reacted in their own way: “Are there any injuries? No - free ... "
There was a sniper in the 165th regiment. Dudayev promised tens of thousands of dollars for his head. On account of the Marine was seventeen (!) victorious duels with militant snipers. Destroying one enemy sniper is already a feat... Three times the command of the regiment presented the marine to the rank of Hero. As a result - two medals "For Courage" and the medal of Suvorov ... Alexander Ivanovich says:
- There are twelve Heroes of Russia in our regiment, and all of them were awarded posthumously: Sergey Firsov, Vladimir Borovikov, Pavel Gaponenko ... And the commander of the sixth company, Roman Kliz, despite the performance, did not receive the Stars ... God bless 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 retired. His two adult sons are future officers. The tradition continues.

In the photo: reserve colonel Alexander MOZHAEV.