Polite people, who are they? "Green men" as a subject of bargaining.

(lat. propaganda - subject to distribution) is the systematic dissemination of facts, arguments, rumors and other information, often deliberately false, to influence public opinion.

On February 27, 2014, people in unmarked military uniforms, armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, SVD sniper rifles, and RPG grenade launchers, seized the parliament and government of Crimea.

They entered the buildings of the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers in Simferopol, removed the guards and replaced the state flags of Ukraine on the buildings with the flags of the Russian Federation. Then they took over others administrative buildings and strategic facilities in the Crimea.

At about one in the morning, the Simferopol airport was seized by the same people, in the same uniform. The head of security reported that his employees were politely asked to leave the airport.

In the following days, Ukrainian military units in Crimea were blocked.

Armed servicemen and Russian armored vehicles near the border post in Balaklava, March 1, 2014

On March 16, 2014, a referendum was held in Crimea on the accession of the peninsula to the Russian Federation. In April of the same year, President Putin admitted that they were Russian servicemen who provided "conditions for the free expression of the will of the Crimeans" in the referendum.

Who are the "polite people" and how the events of those days developed - in this article.

"Green Men"

Some media in both Russia and Ukraine called them "little green men" - because of the color of the camouflage and the unclear origin of the armed men. And the Ukrainian TV channel "1 + 1" claimed that this term was coined by the inhabitants of Crimea.

With an appeal to the Federation Council on the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine before the normalization of the situation in the country, Vladimir Putin addressed only on March 1, and, on the same day, the Federation Council supported his appeal.

However, no one wanted to recognize the "green men" as their own ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference on March 4, 2014 said: “Look at the post-Soviet space. There are a lot of uniforms similar to the Russian ones. Go to the store and buy yourself any. These were the local self-defense forces. We did not take part in their preparation.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (April 17, 2014, answering journalists' questions): “As for the allegations about the use of Russian special forces in the events in Ukraine, I will only say one thing: it is difficult to look for a black cat in dark room especially if it's not there. It’s all the more stupid if this cat is smart, brave and polite.”

Only in April, during a direct line, the president admitted that these were Russian servicemen who provided “conditions for the free expression of the will of the Crimeans” in the referendum on the annexation of the peninsula to the Russian Federation on March 16, 2014.

“We had to take the necessary measures to prevent events from developing the way they are developing today in the southeastern part of Ukraine: so that there are no tanks, so that there are no combat units of nationalists and people with extreme views, but well armed with automatic weapons. Therefore, behind the back of the self-defense forces of the Crimea, of course, our servicemen stood up. They acted very correctly, but, as I said, decisively and professionally,” Vladimir Putin said on April 17, 2014, answering the host’s question about “polite people” as part of the Direct Line with Vladimir Putin program.

And it started...

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov: “At the time of the referendum, as Vladimir Putin said yesterday, it was really special people, polite people who ensured the security of the referendum” (April 18, 2014 on the air of the Rossiya 1 TV channel).

On April 22, 2014, the Bakhchisarai City Council decided to erect a monument to the "polite soldier" in Bakhchisarai on Chekhov Street, "with elements of recreation places for the population." In June 2016, a monument to "polite people" was erected in Simferopol.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Franz Klintsevich: “They do not threaten anyone, not a single living being, not a single country, but these “green men” will not give up their land even an span, even if (to NATO) they don’t even worry: no matter what they they did, no matter how they trained, armed themselves, they could not catch up with Russia ”(August 18, 2014 in an interview with RIA Novosti).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: “They have always been in Crimea. The objects of the base of the Russian Navy are located not only in Sevastopol, and our servicemen had the right to move between them. Everything happened in strict accordance with the existing agreement with Ukraine. Yes, at some point the number of Russian troops in Crimea increased, but, I repeat, we did not exceed the quota allowed by the Russian-Ukrainian agreement on the naval base” (September 10, 2014 in an interview with TASS, answering a question about “polite people”) .

State Duma deputy from A Just Russia, leader of the Russian Party of Pensioners for Justice, Igor Zotov, on September 16, 2014, proposed establishing a holiday, the Day of Polite People, dedicated to the military who monitored security during the referendum in Crimea. And he proposed to celebrate it on October 7 (Vladimir Putin's birthday). IN explanatory note of the project, the establishment of a new holiday was explained numerous appeals grateful citizens to "polite people". The activities of the “polite people”, who, according to Mr. Zotov, became “a symbol of the Russian armed forces”, not only contributed to the holding of free elections in Crimea, but also provoked an increase in patriotism among Russian citizens.

The head of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council Viktor Ozerov: “The most important thing that he (Sergey Shoigu) did was he turned the “little green men” into “polite people”” (December 17, 2014 about the actions of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu).

Author!!!

The authorship of the term “polite people”, at the same time, is considered collective: several activists came up with the idea to call the Russian military this way, and the pro-Kremlin blogger Stanislav Apetyan, known online under the nickname “politrash”, was engaged in promoting it.

Business on "polite people"

It turned out that "polite people", as well as other symbols of patriotism, can make good money. Clothes, mugs and other souvenirs with the inscriptions "Polite people", "Crimea is ours" are now sold in many stores.

“This trademark is used to increase public interest in the topic of the Armed Forces,” says Ekaterina Korotkova, Advisor to the General Director of Voentorg OJSC. “This year, there is a high consumer demand for military goods and goods that allow you to associate yourself with the Russian Army. We decided to kill two birds with one stone: to offer young people stylish and practical clothes and to contribute to the popularization of military service. At the same time, the commercial component is secondary.” Oh, the adviser to the general director is disingenuous ...

But until now, many details of this special operation, brilliant by military standards, have remained secret. We decided to lift the veil of secrecy over some of them.

HOW MUCH MOSCOW DELIVERED TROOPS TO THE PENINSULA

In accordance with the Kharkov agreement between Russia and Ukraine of 2010, Moscow had the right to have up to 25,000 troops in Crimea. At the time of the Crimean events, there were just over 12.5 thousand of them. Therefore, Russia had full right introduce another 12.5 thousand into the Crimea without violating the Kharkov agreements. At first it was required to strengthen Black Sea Fleet, due to the fact that the nationalists threatened to attack military facilities and even houses where the families of the Black Sea Fleet officers lived. And only then did it become necessary to ensure the security of the referendum in Crimea.

The Special Operations Forces, which consist of military intelligence officers, paratroopers, special forces of other military branches, were transferred to the Crimea. These are forces that, by order, at any time can unite under a single command center into a unit of up to 30 thousand bayonets and end up anywhere in the world.

HOW THEY WERE CALLED "POLITE"

Many were surprised at the polite behavior of the Russian military in Crimea. Nowhere else in the world have the military behaved like this. What's the secret?

It turned out that when Putin set a task in the Kremlin for the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff, he demanded that the actions of Russian troops in Crimea should be extremely polite and even intelligent. These instructions were then brought to each sergeant, not to mention the generals. This was said both before boarding planes and ships, and when landing on Crimean land.

And the very expression "polite people" became popular after the Russian military took control of the Supreme Council of Crimea. On the night of February 27, electricians and plumbers on duty remained in the building of the Supreme Council. When armed men without identification marks entered the building, they announced to the entire duty shift that they could go home and consider this day a day off. One of the plumbers was caught sleeping in the basement. He was terribly frightened by unknown people, and they helped him get dressed, escorted him out, wished have a good day and waved to him. Then a Ukrainian journalist approached this plumber under dozens of foreign television cameras and said: “Ivan Ivanovich, were you beaten? Have you had your fingers stuck in the door?” He scratched his stubble for a long time, not knowing what to answer. Then this journalist asked: “What are these military people like?” He replied: "You know, they are kind of polite." This is where the expression "polite people" comes from.

WAS A WEAPON USED?

The troops in Crimea were given the most severe instructions - not to open fire on the Ukrainian military in any case, except for one thing - when your life is in real (!) mortal danger. Fortunately, during the Crimean operation, the Russian military fired live ammunition only once. It was in Feodosiya, when an operation was carried out to neutralize a Ukrainian marine battalion. There, Ukrainian marines tried to break through to the weapons storage room and resist the Russian troops. There could be a deadly shootout. To avoid this, the Russian military was allowed to fire live ammunition at the door of the weapons storage room. So that Ukrainians can see that the intentions of those blocking their barracks are serious.

A photo: Nail VALIULIN

WHERE THE "NEW FORM" COME IN THE ARMY - FACE MASKS

"Polite people" were dressed in a new all-season set of basic uniforms, which was designed and sewn in Russia in 2013. This kit is the same for soldiers and officers. It includes 23 items: a suit, several jackets, a vest, a beret, a balaclava, three types of boots (summer, demi-season and winter), gloves ... Eyes were covered with regular ballistic goggles.

In fact, the “little green men” did not try to hide their faces; in many pictures with Crimeans, they were photographed without masks. And the faces of the military were hidden under warm balaclavas for only one reason: during the forced march, an order was given for a single winter field uniform, and the order cannot be violated.

WHY NATO SHAPED CRIMEA

We spoke with many NATO officers, they all answered amicably and in the same way: “We did not expect such decisive impudence from the Russians. We didn't expect them to fool us so cleverly. We turned all our attention to the fact that in those days the Russians landed a massive landing in the Arctic, military echelons for some reason rushed to the Urals, and Russian units began exercises in the Rostov region. And we thought that it was all done with an eye on Ukraine. Therefore, all intelligence forces were concentrated in these three areas. But we could not think that at the same time large contingents of Russian troops were being airlifted to the Black Sea. And most importantly, all our intelligence services were unable to find at least something suspicious in telephone conversations between Putin, Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov. Analysis of them telephone conversations didn't show anything suspicious. It was a great disguise! The Russians outplayed us."

And one more detail. The Russian fighters deployed to the Crimea were ordered not to talk on the phone with relatives and friends about the operation on the peninsula. But no one's cell phones were confiscated. The stake was placed on consciousness and discipline. And she worked. There were no leaks.

And communication between units was maintained not by mobile phones, which are tracked by a signal by NATO intelligence, but by regular radio stations. They are a little more mobile phone, but the conversation on them is encrypted, and the satellites do not see them.

KP journalists tracked down those who a year ago ended up on duty or voluntarily on the peninsula

“We were greeted with flowers and applause”

Evgeniy Stolyarenko, 23, from Izhevsk, did military service in March 2014:

We arrived in Crimea in March and stayed there until mid-April. First we were sent to Novorossiysk. We did not even guess that after that we would be transported to the peninsula on warships. We guarded the Bastion installations, in Simferopol we guarded the prosecutor's office. In Feodosia, together with special forces, they stormed a battalion of Ukrainian marines - by the way, without a single victim.

When we were still in our units, of course, we watched the news and saw this horror in Ukraine. And when they announced that we were being sent to the Crimea, we did not know what to expect. We were without communication for two weeks - Ukrainians were still working in Crimea at that time. mobile operators, but we could not buy SIM cards. Imagine how our parents felt!

People in the Crimea were very afraid that the nationalists from Kyiv would move towards them. Therefore, when our troops entered the cities, people greeted us with flowers and applause. Many wept for joy. It was heard: "Russia, forward!" People were really happy because they understood that they were now under the protection of Russia.

“What surprised me was the wretchedness of Ukrainian military units”

36-year-old resident of Kambarka (Udmurtia) Konstantin Fedorov:

I served as a contract Marine in Krasnodar Territory. On February 22, we were alerted and transferred to Sevastopol in a few days. And then - in Kerch and set the task - to protect the city port and the Ukrainian military unit, to prevent provocations and looting.

The first thing that surprised me was the wretchedness of Ukrainian military units, uniforms and equipment. It seems that all this remains from Soviet times.

We behaved as politely as possible and did not talk to anyone! And provocations were very common. Young people organized rallies near us, dummy women shouted: “Return our sons!” Or the case in Bakhchisarai, funny, when the Ukrainian command itself closed in part and spread the information that we were not releasing them!

All this time lived under open sky. The only time we were taken to a military airfield in the village of Kacha, and there we slept on beds for 3 days. It was bliss!

Sevastopol residents were "polite"

21-year-old Ilya Egorov from Torzhok, Tver region. Marine, contractor:

At first we were on a campaign in the Mediterranean Sea, called at the ports of Syria and Cyprus, and in May we arrived in Sevastopol. There I stood in the combat guard of the ship. In the service, they went down to the shore only for exercises: physical training, mountaineering training. And I would call “polite people” first of all the residents of Sevastopol themselves, in communication they are really very polite and pleasant. Everyone sincerely rejoiced at the return to Russia, I personally did not meet Bandera. If they were there, then they all sat at home.

"I've never seen so many happy faces"

48-year-old Novosibirsk Cossack Gennady Volosnikov, volunteer:

At dinner, he told his wife that social networks urged him to go to Crimea. “You are a Cossack - what are you asking? You can do it anyway,” she replied. So, it was allowed... They went to Crimea in civilian clothes, but in hats, because without them, there’s no way.

When asked by Ukrainian border guards about the purpose of the visit, the choir answered: “To the festival of Cossack culture.” One Cossack blurted out: "To visit relatives." So his border guards corrected him: “Wrong - to the festival!”

Patrolled in Evpatoria together with the Berkut.

Residents asked where we were from. As they heard that from Siberia, for some reason, they immediately offered to smoke. Many people called to visit, grandmothers shoved hryvnias: “Boys, buy yourself something tasty!”

On the day of the referendum, Crimeans all asked each other: “Did you vote?”

In the evening, tension was felt in the main square. But when the results of the referendum were announced, the square burst into applause. I have never seen so many happy faces in my life. Two cars collided outside the square. The drivers got out, looked at the dents, spat and started shouting: “Hurrah! Russia!"

“We are Russians too. Thank you for being with us!"

Anton Konovalov from Kursk, did military service in marines in the Sevastopol:

At first, the service was carried, like everyone else. But since February it has become much more interesting. They guarded the objects of their unit: a tank track, a training ground, moorings ... They did not capture anything. Everyone in the city wore Russian symbols, balconies were decorated with Russian flags. We were constantly approached with words of gratitude: “We are also Russians. Thank you for being with us!" Once a man drove up: “Guys, you must be hungry?” He opens the trunk of the car and takes out canned meat, cookies, condensed milk. Oh, how we ate then!

Before the day of the referendum, they were warned to be vigilant, but at the same time polite. They put on bulletproof vests and wore them without taking them off for ten days.

They learned about the annexation of Crimea from officers. It was the most joyful news during the service!

MEANWHILE

Crimea will equip

When Vladimir Putin began a meeting in the Kremlin on the development of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, a rally-concert in honor of the anniversary of the reunification of the peninsula with Russia was already in full swing on Red Square in the neighborhood.

Even then, we well understood that there was a huge, large-scale work ahead, and together we would have to take on the development of Crimea, issues that had been left without due attention for decades,” the president said, setting the country no less ambitious task than the Olympics or holding the World Cup ()

In the Russian Federation, they propose to involve the military in the provision of humanitarian assistance abroad without the consent of the host, writes today "MK". According to experts, this is not an accidental leak.

The military may be involved in providing humanitarian assistance. According to Moskovsky Komsomolets, Russian government prepared a draft resolution that significantly expands the possibilities for providing humanitarian assistance abroad.

In particular, it says that Russia will be able to send detachments to other countries without the permission of the host side - on its own initiative. The decision to conduct a humanitarian operation can be taken not only by the government, but also by the president. The concept of an emergency, in which assistance is provided to a foreign state, includes not only catastrophes and disasters, but also a “difficult socio-economic situation”.

The object of assistance may be "low-income, socially vulnerable groups of the population foreign states, affected by the disaster. The military will be able to help rescuers - allocate material assets from their warehouses, transfer departmental vehicles for their delivery.

A new project about humanitarian aid in an interview with Business FM commented Kirill Koktysh, Associate Professor, Department of Political Theory, MGIMO MFA of Russia.

How would you comment on this possibility?

Kirill Koktysh: Bye we are talking after all, about the negotiations between the US, the EU and Russia over Ukraine. In this regard, this kind of leak, this kind of message about such a possibility is a genre of bargaining, which, on the one hand, is demonstrated in a completely understandable course to the Ukrainian authorities, on the other hand, it stimulates the US and the EU to search for a settlement formula that would fully take into account measure and issues of the South-East of Ukraine, and interest in Russia.

If we consider this project in line with the Ukrainian conflict. Suppose Moscow decides to unilaterally help the East of Ukraine, how?

Kirill Koktysh: We need to see what forms this bill can take when it passes the State Duma. But theoretically, the same “little green men” may appear who will provide humanitarian and, possibly, not only humanitarian assistance in the same southeast of Ukraine. Today, this is a threat, voiced, an opportunity that should strain Russia’s counterparties, and which should consider the possibility, including such a scenario, given that next week four-party talks between Lavrov, Kerry, the EU and the current Kiev government should take place. Just in time for this meeting, this is a guess.

Noteworthy is the dialogue between Secretary of State Kerry and the Russian Foreign Ministry about whether or not employees of an American security firm are present in southeastern Ukraine. It talks about the southeast, but does not talk about other regions. It is not clear whether there are American military there or not.

Kirill Koktysh: The information that went about the silent special forces who do not speak either Ukrainian or Russian is worthy of attention in any case. And the line between the south-east of Ukraine and the rest of Ukraine, in fact, is absent. Kerry's statement is diplomatically evasive and suggests that there is something out there after all. In any case, any mercenary army - 300-400 people - is always a very poor tool for real restoring order. If it starts to be really widely used, then it immediately becomes known. A mercenary army is good either against an unarmed population, or in a situation of blind defense, when it cannot surrender an object without endangering its own life. In the event of a destabilization of the situation, when it comes not only to intimidation, but also to the use of these forces, if there is one in Ukraine, then this will instantly become known and will be a significant minus for the United States.

Our Foreign Ministry makes statements that Lavrov and Kerry have called for a renunciation of any use of force in the southeast of Ukraine, and the State Department is silent, as if it does not concern him.

Kirill Koktysh: The State Department gets into enough difficult situation. His yesterday's slogans are now fully used by another part of the country. This leads to a sharp devaluation of democracy, freedom, pro-Western, pro-Europeanism. Today, the same position of the States, which does not dare to confirm the same principles in relation to the population of the south-east of Ukraine, which has the same right to express their opinion up to the uprising. And the absence of these actions is eloquent enough, it devalues these values anyway. The US is pushing itself. Further development situation, if the conflict escalates and it turns out that we are still talking about a fairly powerful popular demand, then in this case the States find themselves in a very difficult situation, when, on the one hand, there will be a geopolitical loss, on the other hand, the depreciation of those values that States are presented as basic and fundamental. Here both options are bad enough for them.

A year ago, a referendum was held on the Crimean peninsula, as a result of which this territory became part of Russia. Since the end of February in major cities armed men without insignia on their uniforms began to appear and took control of the main buildings and strategic facilities. Later it turned out that these were Russian servicemen who provided "conditions for the free expression of the will of the Crimeans." It is about these military personnel, called "polite people" or "little green men", that we will talk about further.

On February 27, 2014, the parliament and the government of Crimea were under the control of armed people. They entered the buildings of the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers in Simferopol, took out the guards and replaced the flags of Ukraine with the flags of the Russian Federation. On the same day, the Supreme Council of Crimea dismissed the Council of Ministers and called a referendum on the status of Crimea.

“At about one in the morning, Simferopol airport was seized by the same people. With weapons, strong, in the same clothes. The head of security said that his people were politely asked to leave, ”said a witness to those events.

Later, military units of the Ukrainian army in Crimea were blocked.

The media used the term "little green men", allegedly coined by the inhabitants of the Crimea.

On March 1, Vladimir Putin addressed the Federation Council on the use of the Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine until the situation in the country normalizes. The Federation Council supported his appeal.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu: “As for the allegations about the use of Russian special forces in the events in Ukraine, I will only say one thing: it is difficult to look for a black cat in a dark room, especially if it is not there. It’s all the more stupid if this cat is smart, brave and polite” (April 17, 2014, answering journalists’ questions).

In April, Putin acknowledged that they were Russian servicemen who provided “conditions for the free expression of the will of the Crimeans” in the referendum on the annexation of the peninsula to Russia on March 16, 2014.

“We had to take the necessary measures to prevent events from developing the way they are developing today in the southeastern part of Ukraine: so that there are no tanks, so that there are no combat units of nationalists and people with extreme views, but well armed with automatic weapons. Therefore, behind the back of the self-defense forces of Crimea, of course, our servicemen stood up. They acted very correctly, but, as I said, decisively and professionally,” Vladimir Putin said on April 17, 2014, answering the host’s question about polite people as part of the Direct Line with Vladimir Putin program.

On September 16, 2014, Igor Zotov, a member of the State Duma from A Just Russia, leader of the Russian Party of Pensioners for Justice, proposed to establish a holiday dedicated to the military who monitored security during the referendum in Crimea. He suggested celebrating the Day of "polite people" on October 7, the birthday of Vladimir Putin.

In the explanatory note of the project, the establishment of a new holiday was explained by the numerous appeals of grateful citizens to "polite people".

The activities of the “polite people”, who, according to Mr. Zotov, became “a symbol of the Russian armed forces”, not only contributed to the holding of free elections in Crimea, but also provoked an increase in patriotism among Russian citizens.

On April 22, 2014, the Bakhchisarai City Council decided to erect a monument to the "polite soldier" in Bakhchisarai on Chekhov Street - "with elements of recreation places for the population." Whether the monument will be erected is still unknown.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: “They have always been in Crimea. The objects of the base of the Russian Navy are located not only in Sevastopol, and our servicemen had the right to move between them. Everything happened in strict accordance with the existing agreement with Ukraine. Yes, at some point the number of Russian troops in Crimea increased, but, I repeat, we did not exceed the quota,
permitted by the Russian-Ukrainian agreement on the base of the Navy "(September 10, 2014 in an interview with TASS, answering a question about polite people)

On February 27, 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree establishing a new memorial day- Special Operations Forces Day.

At the same time, the authorship of the term “polite people” is collective: the idea to call the Russian military this way came to the mind of several activists at once, and blogger Stanislav Apetyan, known online under the nickname “political trash”, was involved in promoting it.

In the spring of 2014, the trademark of the same name "polite people" was developed and registered by JSC "Voentorg" - a subsidiary of the Ministry of Defense. Now "Voentorg" is successfully distributing T-shirts with "polite people" around the country. “This trademark is used to increase public interest in the subject of the Armed Forces,” says Ekaterina Korotkova, adviser to the general director of JSC Voentorg. “This year there is a high consumer demand for military goods and goods,
allowing to associate themselves with the Russian Army. We decided to kill two birds with one stone: to offer young people stylish and practical clothes and to contribute to the popularization of military service. At the same time, the commercial component is secondary.”

There were "little men" this winter at the Simferopol airport, at its key points. In camouflage type"Spektr-SK" without insignia, in ballistic helmets, with unloading, in berets, half masks. It was noteworthy that the machine guns - the latest, sniper ones - were kept in combat, on their chests.
Having blocked the runway, the control tower, entrances and exits, without uttering a word, without a shot, they took possession of the airport. The same groups for several days blocked the most important objects of the Crimea and the military units of Ukraine stationed there. They and the agents of the Kremlin introduced in advance ensured the capture of the Crimea.
And all this politely, without a shot. Or maybe these Russian-speaking “aliens” don’t even know how to shoot? No matter how! After all, Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, during his recent direct line, admitted for the first time that the Russian military was still present in Crimea, which he had previously denied, calling the “little green men” local self-defense, which could buy their equipment anywhere.
“Behind the backs of the self-defense forces of the Crimea, of course, our servicemen stood up. They acted very correctly, but, as I said, decisively and professionally. It was simply impossible to hold a referendum openly, honestly, with dignity and to help people express their opinion in a different way, ”Russia 24 TV channel quoted Putin as saying.
But who are these soldiers? “Today there is no doubt that they are employees of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff, as its director Valentyn Badrak told the Ukrainian Center for Army Research, Conversion and Disarmament. Their equipment, tactics, behavior, psychological preparation and readiness for the direct use of weapons - all this indicates that Russian special forces are operating, ”he said in an interview with the BBC Ukrainian Service.
He wasn't wrong. Today it is known for certain that the Crimean "little green men" are soldiers of the 22nd Guards Brigade special purpose GRU, the only military unit that received the name of the Guards after the Great Patriotic War. And by the way, the GRU special forces were not in the Great Patriotic War. It was formed only in 1957, apparently due to the fact that Stalin and his associates rejected the very idea of \u200b\u200bcreating an elite special forces force in which selected professionals would perform tasks beyond the capacity of regular units. Apparently, they simply did not trust such troops, believing that they would be able to organize a conspiracy against the tyrant.
Soviet special forces
And full-fledged special forces brigades appeared only at the beginning of 1963. There were 10 of them. The central brigade was stationed near Moscow in the village. Chuchkovo, another one - in Furstenberg (GDR), the rest - in six border districts.
From the very first day of the existence of the Soviet special forces, information about it was considered top secret. The requirements for its personnel were significantly higher than those imposed on other types of troops. Not to mention the state of health, the special forces soldiers had to have high moral and psychological stamina and an acceptable origin. And if we take into account that by the end of the formation, the ground special forces - and there was also the sea - only in brigades numbered about 16 thousand soldiers and officers, it is clear how difficult it was to staff them. In addition, the percentage of officers and re-enlisted here was three times higher than in the rest of the troops.
The training of special forces from the very beginning was fundamentally different from the standard. They had to be fluent in standard and foreign weapons, as well as combat weapons specially designed for them: shock grenades, assault knives, pocket grenade launchers and explosive charges. And also skillfully drive cars of domestic and foreign brands, armored vehicles and boats, jump with a parachute into the most difficult conditions- at night, on the water and on the forest, to master several systems of hand-to-hand combat on the principle of "one unarmed against three armed." If we add here grueling survival training in various climatic zones, behavior in captivity and other complex aspects of training, the result was fighters who were ready to fight in any conditions, perform tasks of incredible complexity, even at the cost of self-sacrifice.
The readiness of the Soviet special forces was tested not only during the exercises. The main test of his units took place in real battles outside the USSR. Special forces operated in separate groups and entire units in 29 countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America mainly in civil wars. Civil wars in Angola, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and other African countries, in Arab States lasted for decades. And everywhere there were soldiers of the GRU special forces.
An important region of large-scale military expansion Soviet Union was Southeast Asia, where the largest conflict of the second half of the twentieth century was the Vietnam War. Here - for the second time after Korea - the Soviet military directly fought against the Americans. A Soviet anti-aircraft missile corps was deployed in North Vietnam. In addition to anti-aircraft gunners, subdivisions of reconnaissance saboteurs from the GRU General Staff system were involved. They made many raids on the rear of the American troops, attacked the headquarters of units and formations, thus destroying the military infrastructure. Other countries of Indochina - Laos and Cambodia - were also involved in this war. According to recently declassified data, 4-5 separate groups of Soviet special forces operated in each of these countries.
Russian special forces
At present, the GRU spetsnaz consists of seven separate brigades and several naval reconnaissance posts. According to various sources, the number of units and formations of the GRU special forces is 13-15 thousand people. The brigades are deployed: one each in the Central and Eastern military districts, three in the Western and two in the Southern military districts.
In addition to the Kalashnikov sniper rifles, the personnel of these brigades are armed with silent assault rifles, pistols and carbines designed for a 9-mm cartridge (it pierces almost any bulletproof vest), Bumblebee volumetric explosion installations, directional mines and radio mines, automatic grenade launchers "Flame" and "Hook". Almost none of this equipment is exported.
It should be noted that the organization of GRU special forces brigades is not similar to the general army. Primary groups are of two types. Most groups have a sharp geographical specialization: from the jungle and deserts to the Himalayas. But in addition, the state has elite special all-weather units - their fighters are trained for action anywhere in the world.
Finally, who serves in these units? There are almost no conscripts. There is no end to those who wish. Now the average size salaries of army contractors - 23-35 thousand rubles a month (about $ 1,000). The Department of Defense claims that individual pros have one hundred thousand ($3,000). This applies primarily to special forces soldiers.
Crimea, Donbass, Transnistria ... Further - everywhere
While not denying the participation of Russian servicemen in the Crimean events, President Putin nevertheless diligently hushed up the presence of Russian special forces soldiers in the crisis areas of Ukraine. Because if they are there, then the invasion is already happening. After all, special forces - "little green men" - are Russian military personnel and, as a rule, serve as a catalyst for the process of destabilization in the southeastern region of Ukraine. There are irrefutable facts that fighters from both brigades of the Special Forces of the Southern Military District are operating there.
One of the first to confirm this was the Russian military observer Pavel Feldgenhauer on the air of the Dozhd TV company. “What is happening now in Slavyansk is absolutely clear and understandable that the combat core of the militants is Russian special forces,” the journalist emphasized. - Here were used, and very effectively, portable complexes "Hook", a week ago they used grenade launchers "Bumblebee" in Kramatorsk. But this is a weapon of the Russian special forces, and only its fighters can use it.”
A similar statement was made by US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel: “We see how pro-Russian forces operate. They not only occupy buildings and incite the population in the eastern regions of Ukraine. By the way these forces are trained, what kind of weapons they have, we understand that these are just Russian army saboteurs, just like in the Crimea, ”Radio Liberty quotes him as saying.
He is echoed by British Foreign Secretary William Hague. “European experts have identified people who, hiding behind local population, seize administrative buildings and police stations in eastern Ukraine. Analysts believe that these are saboteurs from Russian military groups deployed near the border, ”he said in an interview with The Daily Mail.
Russia's actions in Ukraine are regarded by the West as a military invasion, although there are no field troops there. They are carried out by special forces units. This status was given by analysts to the so-called green men, writes the American website The Daily Beast, citing high-ranking US officials. According to The Daily Beast, U.S. intelligence prepared a summary of reports on Ukraine that said troops stationed on the Russian-Ukrainian border were unlikely to cross it yet. The annexation of Crimea to Russia was carried out by special forces, which then went to sow discord in the east and south of Ukraine, the document stated.
Their tasks may include provoking street fights and clashes, as well as bribing the population in order to persuade them to participate in pro-Russian rallies and, in general, inciting separatist sentiments. According to The Daily Beast, “eyewitnesses on the ground report that this is exactly what is happening now. According to military intelligence United States, provocations in Ukraine are carried out by special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). Apparently, because White House and added the 57-year-old head of the GRU, Lieutenant General Igor Sergun, to the list Russian officials subjected to US sanctions.
The tragic events of May 2 in Odessa, on the Kulikovo field, could be predicted with confidence, because a whole unit of "little green men" was detected by Moldovan agents in Transnistria back in April. Meanwhile, this unrecognized republic has been living in tight isolation for almost half a year. How did the Russian special forces appear there? And his fighters in civilian clothes with Russian passports came to Tiraspol, where full set their equipment and weapons. What for?
And then… As Evgeny Perebiynis, Director of the Information Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said back in April at a briefing: “According to the information we have, groups of provocateurs are being prepared in Transnistria to destabilize the situation in Odessa and the region…” As we see, his prediction came true.

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