Sputnik reported that exactly half a century ago, in the summer of 1974, a special unit was established within the Soviet State Security Committee - Group A (Alpha).
The group's soldiers are assigned tasks of extraordinary importance, many of which seem impossible.
50 years of maturity
For a long time, the Soviet Union did not have a specialized anti-terrorism unit. At that time, terrorism was still very rare in the Soviet Union. But as time has shown, the terrorist threat must be addressed by “narrow industry experts” and this is a matter of national security.
The order to establish an anti -terrorism unit was personally given by the Chairman of the KGB (State Security Committee) at that time, Yury Andropov.
The special unit was then commanded by border guard officer Vitaly Bubenin, a man with real combat experience.
The best KGB agents were selected for Group A - athletic masters, excellent fighters and politically steadfast.
The requirements of this group are ideal physical health, command ability, excellent use of weapons and close combat techniques, moral qualities, strong psychology, willingness to sacrifice one's life to complete the mission, Knowing foreign languages is an advantage. Until 1985, Group A was under the command of the Chairman of the KGB.
Complete the mission in 43 minutes
One of Group A's first operations took place in Kabul (Afghanistan) in December 1979. Alpha fighters, "Islamic battalion" soldiers (consisting of soldiers from Central Asian republics) and paratroopers conducted a unique operation "Storm 333" to capture and eliminate Afghan dictator Hafizullah Amin from power.
Extremely difficult task. Amin's residence was located on a high hill with steep slopes covered with bushes. The approaches were mined, there was only one road leading to the building, and Amin's guards had multiple lines of defense.
However, the mission was completed in 43 minutes, although Alpha Group also suffered losses.
After Operation "Storm 333", Group A began to be taken seriously. Various types of silent weapons, compact submachine guns, sharp special weapons and protective equipment were developed for KGB special forces.
A period of drastic change
After that, Alpha Group carried out dozens of missions in its direct area of responsibility - hostage rescue.
In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union began to fracture, unrest began and hot spots flared up on Soviet territory. It was there that the Alpha operatives were sent.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the nearly 15 years that followed of crises and instability caused many difficulties for the new Russia, creating more work for special forces.
In 1992, Alpha team freed 347 passengers on a hijacked plane at Moscow's Vnukovo airport.
Alpha Group also participated in rescuing schoolchildren during the Rostov-on-Don hostage situation in December 1993 and rescuing Korean tourists in Moscow who were captured by a lone terrorist in 1999.
At the same time, special forces also carry out the task of supporting Russia's counterintelligence activities against Western intelligence agencies.
“In particular, we arrested enemy spies. For example, traitor Gennady Smetanin - military intelligence officer who collaborated with the CIA since 1983. We caught in such a way that he did not have time to understand anything and could not use the poison pill hidden in glasses frame" - Vice President of the International Association of Veterans of the Alpha anti-terrorism unit, Colonel Vladimir Zaitsev, recounted.
Alpha continues to ensure the security of Russia today. Special forces members participate in special military operations in Ukraine . They act as snipers, operate drones and raid behind enemy lines.
