Day of Special Forces Units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (Day of Military Special Forces)

As part of the Armed Forces and other federal authorities of the Russian Federation, there are special units that, due to the requirements imposed on employees, their composition and purpose, occupy a special position among other paramilitary formations. We are talking about special forces units, which are honored on October 24. For the first time, special forces units appeared in the Red Army during the Civil War in March 1918. The forerunner of modern special forces was a special reconnaissance unit engaged in organizing and conducting reconnaissance and sabotage activities in the territory occupied by the Entente. Special forces received further development with the creation of special-purpose units in 1919, intended to combat the counter-revolutionary movement, both in Central Asia and in the Russian Federation. These units included both Komsomol members and party members, and general leadership was carried out by the Cheka. Only in 1925 were military equipment, military personnel and command personnel transferred to the Red Army. Starting from the 1930-xx and until 1950, the numerical strength, weapons and goals of special forces units changed several times. The special forces carried out many operations, which during the Second World War ensured both the successful conduct of various operations of the Red Army and contributed to the determination of the most effective tactics of the special forces, as well as the criteria for the selection of military personnel. The date chosen and set by the President of the Russian Federation is not accidental. It was on this day, according to the directive of the USSR Minister of War A. Vasilevsky, that special forces “became” a separate branch of the military. In those days, the main task of special forces was to operate behind enemy lines, disable his communications, detect and destroy weapons of mass destruction, etc. Special forces companies were formed under each combined arms and mechanized army, as well as in a number of military districts. Since then, special forces units have carried out many operations, both in “official” (Czechoslovakia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and other countries) and “unofficial” wars (Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries). In total, special forces units operated in more than two dozen countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. The orders successfully carried out by the special forces allowed them to successfully carry out various operations and end military conflicts. Numerous military conflicts that continue to this day and the growth of global terrorism have led to the expansion of the functions of special forces units. As a result, in addition to the Armed Forces, each federal government body (Ministry of Emergency Situations, FSB, Ministry of Internal Affairs and others) created its own special-purpose paramilitary forces. Depending on the subordination, the goals, selection criteria, weapons and tactics of such units are different. However, they are all united by the initiative of the special forces, the audacity and swiftness of the operations carried out, high combat characteristics, coordination of actions between fighters and the skillful use of military equipment, the latest weapons, as well as the use of weather conditions, time of day and the protective properties of the terrain for their own purposes. Equipped with modern special and military equipment, as well as modern weapons, special forces are ready to successfully solve any task set by the command.