The commander of the "North" group, Lieutenant-General L.Ya. Rokhlin: “When it came to the presidential palace, Maskhadov contacted me and said:“ We cannot come to an agreement with the politicians, let's come to an agreement with you as a commander with a commander: we need to stop fire and take out the corpses and wounded. ”I answer him:“ Come on. "He offers:" Let's wait until the deputies come up - yours and ours, the clergy ... " on my part, what are the sections of the division. You take out all yours and mine. Me too. And then we exchange everyone for everyone. Do we go out with or without weapons? "He replies:" It doesn't suit me. "I continue:" But you understand that you are finished. As a commander, I say to the commander: I blocked Pravdy Street [probably Ordzhonikidze Avenue] with my neighbor from the west. The Caucasus Hotel is blocked. I have the Council of Ministers. The bridge is closed. There are 100 meters left. The neighbor from the south will block it, and you will not leave. You have no ammunition. "-" I have everything, "he shouts." But I can hear your negotiations ... Your affairs are bad. "He did not talk anymore."

"14:20 ... Radio interception:
Cyclone [Maskhadov] - Panther: "They are hitting us with aircraft bombs. They are piercing the building to the basement."
Panther: "We urgently need to withdraw troops beyond Sunzha. Otherwise they will bury you."
Cyclone: ​​"The second line of defense will be on Minutka. There are many wounded and killed in the palace. There is no time to deal with them. We must have time to get out. If it does not work out now, we must endure until dark and leave."

The commander of a group of marines 876 odshb, senior ensign Grigory Mikhailovich Zamyshlyak: "On January 18, our bombers" hollowed out "Dudayev's palace. They threw 4 bombs. heard. The radio operator was next to me. Most likely, the Dudayevites jammed the connection. "3

"15:30 ... Radio interception:
Cyclone [Maskhadov]: "Everybody, everybody, everybody! In the dark everybody gets over to Sunzha. We will get over where the Pioneer store is, near the new hotel."

Rokhlin brought up new forces in order to align the front line to Pobedy Avenue and, as a result, take full control of the bridge across the Sunzha. NSh 61 obrmp Lieutenant Colonel A.V. Chernov led the pdr 876 odshb to the area of ​​the Council of Ministers, and "a little later Maskhadov came out to the frequency of the" Magician "[Chernov] with a proposal to cease fire and conclude an armistice to collect the bodies of the dead, provide assistance to the wounded and evacuate them. when only a few houses remained before the exit to the palace, the tanks reached the range of a direct shot, and for the first time in many days clear weather set in, which made it possible to use ground attack aircraft. Late evening a special forces group that worked together with "The Magician" and "Monk" [the commander of the Pdr 876 oshb, senior lieutenant O.G. Dyachenko], received a new task from the command. "5 (173 ooSpN went to rest at the cannery. 6)

Seizure of the Museum of Local Lore and the "Kavkaz" Hotel

The commander of the "North" group, Lieutenant-General L.Ya. Rokhlin "set the task for the new commander of the reconnaissance battalion, Captain Roman Shadrin (now Major, Hero of Russia): to go to Pobedy Avenue and try to join up with the paratroopers attacking from the side of Rosa Luxemburg Street. Shadrin, together with a group of scouts of 60 people, went to Pobedy Avenue, but came under heavy fire. It was impossible to break through. The blocks between Pobeda Avenue and Rosa Luxemburg Street were packed with militants. "

From the description of the battle: "Having seized the building [of the local history museum] at night on January 19, a group of 27 scouts led by the battalion commander repelled 11 attacks by Sh. Basayev's militants, including hand-to-hand combat. The battalion suffered losses, but did not surrender its positions - and ensured the seizure of the neighboring hotel "Kavkaz" by the assault units, and subsequently the center of Grozny. "

From the description of the battle: “Moving from building to building, the scouts took up positions in the structure next to the Kavkaz hotel. They already had about forty wounded. Communication with them was lost. Rokhlin wondered: what happened? Where are they? But the connection did not appear, and he could not send someone else to carry out the task assigned to the scouts.<...>And soon the scouts showed up. It turned out that the batteries in the battalion commander's radio had run down. "9

After the capture of these buildings, groups of 10-12 people were formed from each unit, which led them to the captured lines:

Motorized riflemen 276 mr - to the museum of local lore,
- Marines 876 odshb - in a group of houses in front of the Kavkaz hotel,
- paratroopers - to the hotel "Kavkaz".

TO 7:30 units have already occupied all of these buildings.10

Moving to the palace

The commander of the "North" group, Lieutenant-General L.Ya. Rokhlin: "There was virtually no storming of the presidential palace. True, the command offered to strike an air strike on it. I replied that aviation had already helped ... Enough. Then they offered to smash the palace with tanks. I asked how they imagine it: tanks are firing from everyone. sides and fall into each other? I was asked: "What do you offer?"

By the morning NSh 61 obrmp Lieutenant Colonel A.V. Chernov formed a group of volunteers of 4 people: himself, 2 machine gunners and a shooter.12 Together with them, a group of scouts of the 276th infantry regiment operated, which included the commander of the 276th infantry regiment Andrey Yurchenko, the squad leader, senior sergeant Igor Smirnov and private D. Knyazev. 13

From the description of the battle: " Around 7 am the group began to move. Some eight hundred meters were covered for almost an hour. The shelling did not stop for a minute. Moreover, the fire was fired from all directions by both ours and the militants. You could get a bullet at any moment. Where, crawling between heaps of broken bricks, where in short dashes from one wrecked car to another, now hiding behind the armor of a burnt-out infantry fighting vehicle, or clinging to the corpses of people stiffened with ash and snow, a handful of brave men made their way to the building called the "purpose of the operation." 14

From the description of the battle: "In 8 ocloc'k they entered the building. But they were not allowed to look around. A group of militants appeared out of the ground. Three. The Marines were saved only by the reaction. One was overrun on the move, two other militants disappeared. We tried to chase them, but they sank into the water.<...>But the "Magician" did not manage to report to Rokhlin. While the latter was called to the radio station, communication was interrupted, artillery shelling began ... "15 (It is possible that at that moment the deputy committee of the 276th mechanized infantry regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Vladimirovich Smolkin at the cannery informed the special forces of 173 ooSpN that the reconnaissance group with the call sign had disappeared." Orion "who left at night" to the hotel "Kavkaz" and an hour later the connection with them was lost "16.)

From the description of the battle: "In 8:40 fire training stopped and communication was immediately resumed. The "Magician" reported to the commander of the "North" grouping about the results of the sortie, that the group was inside the building. However, the group was still under cross-fire, which did not stop for a minute, and Chernov made the decision to step back until they became tasty prey for the militants. "17 At the same time, the marines left the inscription" Marine. Satellite ". (Photo of the inscription)

"The commander of [pp 276 mr] decided not to leave a favorable position until the main forces approached. They could not report the situation due to the lack of radio communications, so they sat there waiting for dawn." The airborne company changed its position, and in its place was the 3rd Airborne Assault Company, commanded by Senior Lieutenant Yevgeny Chubrikov. After catching his breath, Lieutenant Colonel Chernov decided to re-enter the building and examine it in more detail. As far as possible. And here is the group. The 3rd dshr, led by Chernov, entered the palace along the path he had already traveled twice ... Who came up with the idea to hang a vest over the entrance to the building, it is difficult to say. According to Alexander Vasilyevich, it was some kind of impulse. as if out of thin air, under inner jubilation. "We are inside! We won! "Everything happened in a matter of seconds. While the fighters were looking for the" shaft ", platoon lieutenant Igor Borisevich literally tore off his equipment and equipment ... And now the Victory Banner is ready - a piece of reinforcement and the vest of a North Sea Marine. as far as possible under fire, although not by heavy fire, but in any case, striking. And again retreat to our own ... "19

The commander of the "North" group, Lieutenant-General L.Ya. Rokhlin: "The Tunguska demolished several snipers that remained in it, and the units entered the building without a fight. There was only one problem: they lost the flag that they were supposed to hoist over the palace. We were looking for two hours ..." 20

Raising the flag

The commander of the reg 173 ooSpN captain Dmitry Kislitsin: "A part of the group had to be allocated to guard the banner. Senior lieutenant Rakhin and three fighters left with the appropriate commanders to hoist it."

"By 15 o'clock a sufficient number of officers from the command of the group have gathered in this area. They brought the Russian flag. Major General A. Otrakovsky called Chernov over to him. "Sasha, it was decided to instruct you to raise the flag over the palace. You have already entered the building twice. And indeed you were the first ..." By order of General Otrakovsky, grenade launchers were assembled from all SF divisions to the Kavkaz Hotel. There were about twenty people. Their task is to carry out a kind of preparation for the actions of the "banner group". For quite a long time, Marine grenades exploded in the building, ensuring the fulfillment of the mission entrusted to the next group of Lieutenant Colonel Chernov. "22

"At 15 o'clock On January 19, 1995, the flag was successfully fixed on the facade of the building. Naturally, the "spirits" did not like it. And the fire impact on the Marines increased to the point that they had to seek cover. "

V 15:35 the commander of the reconnaissance company Lieutenant Andrey Yurchenko and the reconnaissance group consisting of: Sergeant Igor Smirnov, Junior Sergeant D. Ivanov, privates D. Knyazev and D. Shmakov entered the building, Smirnov carried the flag of the Russian Federation. Private Knyazev recalled: "It was scary when the building itself was penetrated. After all, there are so many rooms, all kinds of nooks. You don't know where danger awaits. And the broken stone underfoot creaks treacherously. Every step echoed with such an echo. But we carried out the order .." . ". 24

Commander of the 879th oshb guards. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vasilyevich Darkovich: "The naval flag and the Russian flag were hoisted over the presidential palace on January 19 to 18:00 deputy battalion commander, Guards. Major Plyushakov. "25

From the description of further actions: "On the same day, the Marines, together with the sappers of the 276th Motorized Rifle Regiment, carried out a partial, surface sweep and demining of part of the premises of the first floors of the building, in which there were many weapons and ammunition abandoned and stored by the militants ... Only after the described events on the walls of the captured palace, inscriptions made by the soldiers of the units and subunits that stormed Grozny in those terrible days began to appear .. "26

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

1 Antipov A. Lev Rokhlin. The life and death of a general. M., 1998.S. 194.
2 Antipov A. Lev Rokhlin. The life and death of a general. M., 1998.S. 194-195.
3 Remember .... A book in memory of the Astrakhan soldiers who died in Chechnya. Astrakhan, 2003.S. 158.
4 Antipov A. Lev Rokhlin. The life and death of a general. M., 1998.S. 195.
5 Levchuk V. Flag over the palace // Brother. 2002. October. (

Events were brewing. This was felt in many ways. At least because of the absence in Moscow of key security officials who have departed to the south. And by no means for relaxation. The entire Group A department was sent to Mozdok to guard the special train, which contained Defense Minister Pavel Grachev and Interior Minister Viktor Erin. Yuri Viktorovich Dyomin was appointed as the head guard of the headquarters train, and Major Vladimir Solovov was his deputy.

It was clear that the Great War was inevitable. One thing remained unclear: when? I want to emphasize that many of our employees have been sent to the North Caucasus. In the same place, in Mozdok, there was an "Alfovsky" reserve headed by Anatoly Nikolayevich Savelyev. All tasks regarding the sending of people were set by the head of the Main Directorate of the Protection of Russia, Mikhail Ivanovich Barsukov.

In early December, Savelyev unexpectedly contacted me, calling not through a special connection, but from an ordinary city number.

“A very serious situation is brewing here,” he reported, without going into details, however. “I can't tell you anything on the phone. But the situation is more than serious. Therefore, I urge you, Gennady Nikolaevich, to come here so that you can resolve the problem on the spot.

I reported the conversation to Barsukov, asking for permission to travel to Mozdok. By the way, Rear Admiral Gennady Ivanovich Zakharov, who headed the Special Purpose Center of the Presidential Security Service, was also sent there. We cooperated and took off on one special flight.

… This was not my first business trip to Mozdok. At the end of 1992, our unit in full force was for a long time in the zone of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict, together with Vympel. We carried out separate operational tasks, but did not take part directly in the conflict. Although, I will not hide, some responsible comrades insisted on this.

An attempt to storm Grozny

Upon arrival, I immediately met with Savelyev and Dmitry Mikhailovich Gerasimov - at that time the head of the FSK Special Operations Directorate (created in December 1993). After talking with them, I realized the gravity of the situation. The special forces units had already been given a preliminary order: after the announcement of the time "Ch", to break into Grozny in armored vehicles and seize Dudayev's palace.

After calculating the forces and means, we came to the disappointing conclusion that it is possible to complete the task, but at the cost of the death of personnel.

Confirmation of this was the second campaign of the opposition to Grozny, November 25. It was developed by the Ministry of Defense. Opposition forces were supported by recruited soldiers and officers of the Taman and Kantemirovsk divisions. They agreed to take part in the case for a fee. It turned out to be a matter of technology to find those willing among the officers and warrant officers, whose families after the collapse of the Soviet Union were practically without means of subsistence.

Six worn-out helicopters with crews were transferred to the units of the united opposition. The pilots were recruited from the North Caucasian Military District. By the way, when Dudayev said that Russian aviation was bombing Chechnya, he was answered: the opposition, they say, bought "turntables" and put their crews in them.

The attackers had to strike from different directions and gather into an armored fist in the center of the city near the presidential palace. Obviously, the authors of this plan believed that one form of formidable technology would force the enemy to throw out the white flag and give up power.

On November 26, mixed columns rushed to Grozny. The Dudayevites had time to thoroughly prepare. In the vicinity of the village of Petropavlovskoye, two howitzers, an anti-aircraft gun and an AGS, as well as camouflaged machine gunners opened fire on the column.

Opposition forces, marching from the direction of Tolstoy-Yurt, managed to reach the city center. Near Sheikh Mansur Square, they were encircled. Gantamirov's fighters, who entered from the direction of Chernorechye, came across Shamil Basayev's militants on the territory of the Zavodskoy district, where they suffered heavy losses in manpower.

About half of all armored vehicles involved in the operation were destroyed. According to eyewitnesses, the oppositionists accompanying the tanks, once in the city, rushed to rob kiosks, shops and apartments. However, to represent everyone as cowards and marauders is to re-sing the Udugov propaganda.

The opposition managed to seize a number of objects in Grozny. One of the Russian officers recalled: “... The tanks went forward towards the Dudayev palace. At that moment, information came in that the television center had been seized, and the only target was Dudayev's palace. Later we learned that the television center had been seized by people from Ken-Yurt, one of the most efficient units of the opposition. But then they were surrounded by Dudayev's National Guard. After confronting them, they were offered to surrender, promising to save their lives. Then about seventy oppositionists came out and their heads were cut off. I was holding lists of these people in my hands. "

I must say that the volunteer tankers completed their task: they broke through to the presidential palace and stood up. For several hours no one gave them clear commands regarding further actions: shoot, not shoot? While sitting in vehicles without infantry cover, they were "simply" burned by grenade launchers. Some were taken prisoner, only about forty people. This fact was used by Ichkerian propagandists. Foreign TV companies then gladly broadcast footage with volunteers, who told how it was.

The blitzkrieg did not work, but the victory instantly strengthened the position of Dudayev, who threatened to shoot the prisoners if the Russian president did not recognize them as his servicemen. Yeltsin responded with an ultimatum: disarm and surrender, otherwise a full-scale army operation would be carried out.

The enemy learned the proper lessons from the two campaigns against Grozny and prepared very seriously. I will give just one example. In the area of ​​the railway station there were ditches along the sides - the only place where it was possible to hide from the fire. The militants foresaw this: diesel fuel was poured into the ditches in advance, and when a suitable situation arose during the battle, they set it on fire.

Conversation with Grachev

I settled in the former barracks. When I went out to smoke (I had not yet quit the long-term habit of “smoking”), then there were often young guys nearby - soldiers of the autumn draft. They asked for a cigarette. The pack emptied instantly. But that was not the point.

- You are probably a tanker? - I remember, one of the soldiers asked me easily.

- Where did you get this from?

- In black uniform! This is only for tankers.

An explanation is required here. I flew to Mozdok in our black uniform, without insignia. The soldiers did not suspect that the commander of the Alpha was in front of them.

- You guessed right, I'm a tanker. Tell me how long do you serve?

- Kolka, how long have we been serving, seven or eight days? - he turned to his friend.

“Eight,” he replied.

Eight days ... my God! Together with other guys of the same kind, they were probably soon thrown into Grozny - untrained, not fired upon, without army and life experience. I still remember their smiling faces. I think they were soldiers of the 131st Maykop motorized rifle brigade, which suffered heavy losses in Grozny near the railway station. I judge this because those with whom I spoke were called up from the Krasnodar Territory.

I stayed in Mozdok for about a week. Having clarified the situation, as well as the possible consequences, I turned to Sergei Vadimovich Stepashin with a request to organize an audience with the Minister of Defense. To give credit, he gave a positive answer and quickly resolved this issue.

At the appointed time, we - Stepashin, Zakharov and I - entered the headquarters car of the special train. We had to wait about a quarter of an hour. Erin appeared first. In a tracksuit. Then, some time later, the Minister of Defense came to us - in the same form. Before us, the deputy chief of the GRU and the head of the intelligence of the Airborne Forces arrived here. Along their line, they reported to Grachev, who laid out a map on the table, the operational situation and specified the objects on which they were to work.

Of course, Pavel Sergeevich was a hostage to the general political situation. As in the fall of 1993. However, it was his tanks that hit the parliament building. And now, put in a rigid framework, as a member of Yeltsin's team, he was forced to put into practice the use of force with far-reaching consequences.

... I looked at Grachev, at his tracksuit. For some reason, I recalled the evening of October 3, on the eve of the storming of the White House, when, together with the commander of the Vympel, General Gerasimov, we arrived at the office of the Minister of Defense - relaxed gestures, a free posture.

Then, in October, Grachev did not want to be responsible for the consequences of the introduction of troops into Moscow, he insisted on the president's personal sanction regarding the use of tanks. And in the future he did everything to shift the responsibility onto his subordinates. Now, how will it be now? Moscow is not Grozny, and the presidential palace does not capitulate under the guarantees of Alpha, as it happened on October 4, 1993.

Yes, fate brought us together again. I stood and thought gloomily about the words that I now have to say to this man, who promised to capture Grozny with a regiment of paratroopers. Well, you can capture, but what to do next, how to keep - that is the question. I became more and more affirmed in the idea that people need to be saved.

When the reports ended, it was our turn. It was much easier for Zakharov to motivate his position. He began by saying that the situation in Moscow was difficult and tense. Therefore, it requires enhanced protection of the first person of the state. And here, in Mozdok, there are fifteen SBP employees, who have a place in the capital.

- No questions. Take your people, - Grachev immediately made a decision.

After Zakharov, I already formulated a similar request - to recall Savelyev's group. The answer was irritable in form and sharply negative in nature. I don’t want to quote it verbatim. I repeated the request: "Comrade Minister of Defense ..." And again a harsh, offensive reaction. And so several times, until finally I heard:

- You can take your people!

I also had to get written permission. In the evening we flew to Moscow. Gerasimov's group remained in Mozdok. Subsequently, employees of the Directorate of Special Operations with Troops entered Grozny. I know that Dmitry Mikhailovich was seriously concussed there. As for the "alphas", they were ready to fulfill the assigned task. I don't even doubt it ...

"You can punish me"

It was already evening when we arrived in Moscow. We loaded onto our bus and departed for the place of permanent deployment of the unit. For several days I could not manage to talk with Barsukov. Finally, when the telephone contact took place, he told me his "feh":

- Why did you take pictures of people?

- Mikhail Ivanovich, I asked for your permission: fly to Mozdok, sort it out on the spot and make a decision. I figured it out and accepted it ... in this form.

- You had no right to do this!

- Maybe I was wrong. But he considered it necessary to do just that. If you consider me guilty, you can punish me. But I made the decision based on the specific situation.

Well, then everything fell into place, and our relationship remained normal, without any reservations.

The lives of our comrades were saved for the next most complex operations in which they had a chance to participate. After all, there was Budennovsk ahead! The rescued hostages and the killed terrorists are the guarantee of the correctness of the difficult decision made in Mozdok at that time. But the mental pain for the dead does not leave me. For those boys in greatcoats with whom I spoke in Mozdok, for everyone who atoned for with their lives the criminal shortsightedness of politicians and high officials who carried out the First Chechen campaign in the format of the New Year's storming of Grozny.

In my story, I mentioned two of our comrades. Hero of Russia Colonel Savelyev - he will survive the described events for three years. Will pass Budyonnovsk, and will suddenly die in Moscow on December 20, 1997, from an acute heart attack, saving the life of a Swedish diplomat captured by a terrorist.

Major Solovov will die earlier - in Budennovsk, where for forty minutes, seriously wounded in the arm, he will fight, covering the retreat of his comrades who have fallen into a fire bag.

Eternal memory to them! To everyone who died for the Motherland ...

An iconic place. During the storming of Grozny, fierce battles broke out here. The palace passed from hand to hand several times. It was badly damaged, and in 1996 it was decided to demolish the remains of the building. Now on the square there is a monument to police officers who died in the fight against terrorists.

On the other side of the avenue is the "Heart of Chechnya" mosque, which we

Around the memorial there is a square with marble slabs with statements by Kadyrov, Putin and Medvedev

In the center of the memorial there is a black stone weighing 70 tons, on which Kadyrov's words are carved: "Let justice prevail." Around it are several stone slabs with the names of the dead Interior Ministry officers.

Old headstones and gravestones. They were found after the war in different regions of the republic and brought to one place.

This place impressed me. I came to the memorial several times.

Grozny City. There is no observation deck, but there is a restaurant in one of the buildings under the dome. I went there to drink coffee and enjoy the views. Drop by tomorrow, I'll show you the photos. The banner with hearts is a protest against the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. There are many similar posters hung around the city. Many even print flyers and put them under the rear window of a car.

Now let's move to the very beginning of the avenue. Such a monument has been erected on the People's Friendship Square. The grand opening took place in 1973. Chechen Aslanbek Sheripov, Ingush Gapur Akhriev and Russian Nikolai Gikalo symbolized the brotherhood of Chechnya, Igushetia and Russia.

While preparing the post, I read the following details: there was a market on the square during the war ... I don't know what to call ... slaves or something. They sold prisoners: soldiers, their mothers who came for their sons, Russians who lived in Chechnya. The most expensive were the hostages, businessmen and journalists. In this photo, behind the monument, you can see the Mayakovsky square. In the opposite direction there is one more - the square of journalists.

Monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech. Initially, there was a monument to the fighters for Soviet power, erected in 1973. Since 2007, the memorial has received a new meaning. The caption reads: "To Journalists Who Died for Freedom of Speech." Next in the Chechen language is "Shain metta dakha ash ditina dosh ..." Translation: "Your words remained in your place."

The square of journalists leads to the very House of Press, which became famous on December 4, 2014. The only thing, I don’t understand, do they really change the numbers on the flowerbed calendar every day?

Renovated House of Seal, which was attacked by armed militants. If you remember, they held the defense there for several hours. During the assault, heavy weapons were used, the terrorists were destroyed, the building was badly damaged by fire. The House of Press was rebuilt at an accelerated pace in three weeks! Kadyrov ordered to be repaired by the New Year. Here's how you want to do it. We made it in time.

Another newly built facility in Grozny is the Colosseum sports arena. The complex is designed for 5000 places. It was opened literally last year. Spectacular professional fights take place there, and the Colosseum can also be used as a platform for variety and circus performances. There is also a Soviet-built stadium nearby.

After the higher headquarters managed to establish command and control of the troops on January 3, the tactics of the battle were changed (abandoning the assault and switching to the classic scheme of street battles - "Stalingrad" tactics): creating strong points in multi-storey buildings; conducting an offensive using small mobile assault groups; the massive use of snipers and, most importantly, the effective use of artillery, the fire of which is directly corrected by units conducting street battles. When Chechen militants tried to encircle and seize strong points of federal troops, artillery batteries deployed in the suburbs began to methodically destroy the discovered Chechen bandit groups.

Realizing the danger of losing key facilities in the city, Dudayev threw his best forces there - the "Abkhaz" and "Muslim" battalions, as well as a special-purpose brigade. Around the presidential palace there were solid knots of resistance, hidden in capital buildings. Positions were set up along avenues and streets for direct fire from tanks and artillery.

Mercenary snipers were widely used. A network of underground city communications, well prepared for defense, allowed the militants to freely maneuver and penetrate into the rear of federal troops. However, despite resistance, in the first half of January, federal troops managed to advance deep into Grozny.

Surrounding the presidential palace

After the seizure of the main post office, the last line of defense of the militants remained the center of the city and the presidential palace located there and the adjacent buildings of the regional committee and the Kavkaz hotel. On the night of January 17-18, the 68th separate reconnaissance battalion under the command of Captain Shadrin (future Hero of Russia, Major General and Chief of Staff of the Russian Peacekeeping Forces in South Ossetia) made its way to the rear of the militants defending the regional committee building and the hotel. There, the battalion was surrounded for two days until the main forces arrived, diverting the forces of the militants. On January 18, together with the approaching federal troops, the 68th reconnaissance battalion took part in the assault on the regional committee, and a little later on the presidential palace of Dudayev.

On the night of January 19, a group of 27 scouts led by battalion commander Shadrin, having seized the building of the local history museum, repulsed 11 attacks by militants, including hand-to-hand combat. The battalion, despite the losses incurred, did not surrender its positions and ensured the capture of the neighboring hotel "Kavkaz" by the assault units.

From the description of the battle:

“Moving from building to building, scouts of 68 orbs took up positions in the building next to the Kavkaz hotel. They already had about forty wounded. Communication with them was lost. Rokhlin wondered: what happened? Where are they? He made a noise, swore at everyone who came to hand. But the connection did not appear. He could not send someone else to carry out the task assigned to the scouts.<…>And soon the scouts showed up. It turned out that the batteries in the commander's radio had run down. "

He pulled up new forces in order to align the front line to Pobedy Avenue and, as a result, to take full control of the bridge across the Sunzha. Chief of Staff of the 61st Marine Brigade Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Chernov led the paratrooper company of the 876th separate air assault battalion to the area of ​​the Council of Ministers, and "a little later on the frequency of the" Magician "(A. V. Chernov) came out with a proposal to cease fire and conclude a truce to collect the bodies of the dead, provide assistance to the wounded and evacuate them.

It would be foolish to take such a step when only a few houses remained before the exit to the palace, the tanks reached the range of a direct shot, and for the first time in many days clear weather was established, which made it possible to use ground attack aircraft. Naturally, no one was going to give rest to the militants ... Late in the evening, the special forces group, which worked together with the "Volshebnik" and "Monakh" [commander of the 876 odshb division, senior lieutenant O. G. Dyachenko], received a new task from the command "(173 ooSpN left to rest at the cannery).

Lieutenant General Lev Rokhlin recalls:

“When it came to the presidential palace, Maskhadov got in touch with me and said:“ We cannot come to an agreement with politicians, let's come to an agreement with you as commander with commander: we must stop fire and take out the corpses and the wounded. ” I answer him: "Come on." He offers:

“Let's wait until the deputies come - yours and ours, the clergy ...” - “You yourself said that you can't come to an agreement with politicians, - I answer, - let's talk about something else: how many cars come out from your side and from my side, what divisions. You take out all yours and mine. Me too. And then we exchange everyone for everyone. Do we go out with or without weapons? " He replies, "It doesn't suit me." I continue: “But you understand that you are finished. As a commander, I say to the commander: I blocked Pravdy Street [probably Ordzhonikidze Avenue] with my neighbor from the west. Hotel "Caucasus" is blocked. I have the Council of Ministers. The bridge is closed. There are 100 meters left. The neighbor from the south will block it, and you will not leave. You have no ammunition. " “I have everything,” he shouts. "But I can hear your negotiations ... Your affairs are bad." He didn't talk anymore. "

After the seizure of these buildings, groups of 10-12 people were formed from each subdivision, which took them to the captured lines: motorized riflemen of the 276th mechanized infantry regiment - to the museum of local lore, the marines of 876 odshb - to the group of houses in front of the Kavkaz hotel, the paratroopers - to the Kavkaz hotel ".

On the morning of January 13, units of the 98th Airborne Division began an assault on the building of the former Council of Ministers of the ChI ASSR. The battles for the building continued for several days and were extremely intense.

General Lev Rokhlin recalls:

“On the eve of the assault, the militants hung out the corpses of our soldiers (probably executed prisoners?) In the windows of the Council of Ministers. It was difficult to look at. But by that time, it was not the first time we had encountered the brutality of the militants ...

The fight was very hard. Then the 33rd Regiment and the Northern Fleet Marines went to the rescue. The seizure of the Council of Ministers practically predetermined the fate of the presidential palace. The thick walls of the Council of Ministers hung over the bridge over which aid went to the palace. Therefore, at dawn, Dudayev's artillery, mortars and tanks unleashed all their might on the Council of Ministers.

The last groups of militants were driven out of the Council of Ministers building only by the morning of January 19. With the loss of the Council of Ministers, the fate of Dudayev's Presidential Palace was practically a foregone conclusion.

Taking the presidential palace

Even on the eve of the storming of the presidential palace, Rokhlin, answering the question of Izvestia correspondent Boris Vinogradov about whether the capture of the palace would have any military and political significance, answered that “this event should be regarded as an unconditional victory at one of the stages of the Chechen war, but by no means its end. It is unlikely that the Dudayevites will lay down their arms ... "

On the morning of January 19, the soldiers of the 68th separate reconnaissance battalion (the best vanguard unit of Lieutenant General L. Rokhlin), in cooperation with the 276th infantry regiment of the 34th mechanized infantry division of the Ural Military District, captured the presidential palace, destroying the two remaining snipers. This became possible after the successful use of concrete-piercing high-explosive bombs, which penetrated all floors of the palace and the basement as well. Dudayev, who was wounded in the arm, later called it the use of low-yield nuclear weapons by Russia.

The commander of the group of marines Art. Ensign Grigory Mikhailovich Zamyshlyak:

“On January 18, our bombers" hollowed out "Dudayev's palace. They threw 4 bombs. One went to ours. 8 people were killed. Everything collapsed at once. Although they say there was a command to go for cover. We haven't heard. The radio operator was next to me. Most likely, the Dudayevites jammed communications. "

Radio interception data:

14:20 Cyclone [Maskhadov] - Panther: “They are hitting us with aircraft bombs. They are stitching the building down to the basement. "

Panther: “We urgently need to withdraw troops beyond Sunzha. Otherwise they will bury you. "

Cyclone: ​​[Maskhadov]: “The second line of defense will be at Minutka. There are many wounded and killed in the palace. There is no time to deal with them. We must get out in time. If it doesn't work out now, you have to endure until dark and leave. "

15:30 Cyclone [Maskhadov]: “Everyone, everyone, everyone! In the dark, all cross over to Sunzha. We will move to where the Pioneer store is, near the new hotel. "

Rokhlin tried to block the possibility of retreat for the militants. He assigned the task to the new commander of the reconnaissance battalion, Captain Roman Shadrin: to go to Pobedy Avenue and try to connect with the paratroopers attacking from the side of Rosa Luxemburg Street. Shadrin, together with a group of scouts of 60 people, went to Pobedy Avenue, but came under heavy fire. It was impossible to break through. The blocks between Victory Avenue and Rosa Luxemburg Street were firmly held by the militants.

Paratroopers from Ivan Babichev's group got bogged down in battle closer to the presidential palace. The quarters, located a little to the side, continued to be a corridor for the retreat of those who defended the presidential palace. Moving from building to building, Shadrin's scouts took up positions in the building next to the Kavkaz hotel. By this time, they already had about forty wounded. Communication with them was lost. Intense battles were raging everywhere. The paratroopers couldn't do anything either. The militants firmly held the corridor between Victory Avenue and st. Rosa Luxemburg. As a result, Dudayev's detachments did not succeed in blocking the withdrawal from the presidential palace.

Lieutenant General L. Ya. Rokhlin:

“There was virtually no storming of the presidential palace. True, the command offered to inflict an air strike on him. I replied that aviation had already helped ... Enough. Then they offered to smash the palace with tanks. I asked them how they represent it: tanks hit from all sides and hit each other? They asked me: "What do you offer?" I answer: "Give it to me, I will take it in my own way."

Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Chernov formed a group of volunteers of 4 people: himself, 2 machine gunners and a shooter. Together with them, a group of scouts of the 276th mechanized infantry division operated, which included the commander of the reconnaissance company Andrei Yurchenko, the commander of the squad, senior sergeant Igor Smirnov, and private D. Knyazev.

At about 7 am on January 19, the group began to advance to the presidential palace. The distance of eight hundred meters was covered for almost an hour due to the incessant cross-fire. At 8 am, the group entered the building of the presidential palace. At 8:40 am, after being discovered after a clash with a group of militants inside the building, Chernov's group left the presidential palace. At the same time, the marines left the inscription on the walls of the palace “Marines. Satellite".

The commander of the reconnaissance company of the 276th mechanized infantry division decided not to leave an advantageous position until the arrival of the main forces. They could not report the situation due to the lack of radio communications. Having returned to their original positions, a group of 61st Marine Brigade of Lieutenant Colonel Chernov, reinforced by a detachment of the 3rd Airborne Assault Company, enters the building of the presidential palace for a more detailed examination. By this time, most of the militants who defended the presidential palace at night, using the darkness, left the building.

Lieutenant-General L. Ya. Rokhlin recalls:

"" Tunguska "demolished several snipers remaining in it, and the units entered the building without a fight. There was only one problem: they lost the flag that should have been hoisted over the palace. We searched for two hours ... "

At about 3 pm, a sufficient number of officers from the command of the group gathered in the area of ​​the presidential palace. They brought the Russian flag. The right to hoist the Russian flag over the presidential palace of Dudayev was entrusted to the Chief of Staff of the 61st Separate Marine Brigade A.V. Chernov.

“The building of the palace, every window, every floor was methodically processed using all means of fire destruction. By order of Major General Otrakovsky, grenade launchers were assembled from all units of the Northern Fleet to the Kavkaz Hotel. There were about twenty people. Their task is to carry out a kind of preparation for the actions of the "banner group". For quite a long time, Marine grenades exploded in the building, ensuring the fulfillment of the mission entrusted to the next group of Lieutenant Colonel Chernov.

At 15:35, the banner group consisting of the commander of the reconnaissance company, Lieutenant Andrey Yurchenko, Art. Sergeant Igor Smirnov, Jr. Sergeant D. Ivanov, privates D. Knyazev and D. Shmakov, entered the building of the presidential palace to hoist the Russian flag over it.

From BA Shalyapin's book "Traditions are true!"

At about 12.00, the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Yu.V. Pshenov, arrived at the 3rd floor of the Council of Ministers and set a task for Lieutenant B.A. Shalyapin to hoist the State Flag of the Russian Federation over the main building of the Council of Ministers.

Remembers acting the commander of the 2nd company, Lieutenant B.A. Chaliapin:

“A group of soldiers ascended to the roof of the Council of Ministers under my leadership. Together with us was one of the representatives of the new Chechen government who came. The medical instructor of the combined battalion of the 217th RAP of the 98th Airborne Division, Vasily Palagin, sat down on the wall of the building and began to move along it to the upper point of the facade.

Having reached the top, he received the Russian tricolor from my hands and installed it over the building of the Council of Ministers ... ..

On the same day, plaques were removed from the facade of the building as a trophy "

Private Knyazev (from the banner group):

“It was scary when the building itself was penetrated. After all, there are so many rooms, all kinds of nooks and crannies. Where danger awaits - you do not know. And the broken stone underfoot creaks treacherously. Every step echoed like that. But we carried out the order ... ".

After the fall of the presidential palace of Dudayev, the State Defense Committee of Chechnya decided to transfer its headquarters to a reserve point, and Lieutenant General A. Kvashnin reported to Defense Minister P. Grachev about hoisting the Russian flag over the presidential palace in Grozny.

Presidential Palace after taking

On the same day, January 19, 1995, the marines, together with the sappers of the 276th motorized rifle regiment, carried out a partial, surface sweep and demining of part of the premises of the first floors of the building, in which there were many weapons and ammunition abandoned and stored by the militants.

Since September 1995, the site has been used for protests on several occasions. On February 4, 1996, a rally of supporters of independence began on the square near the skeleton of the presidential palace, demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops. This time the confrontation dragged on for a week. On February 7-8, the rally was blocked by the Zavgaevskaya police, trucks and armored personnel carriers, clashes occurred.

On February 9, at about 12:00, three shots from a grenade launcher were fired at the protesters. Three people were killed and seven were injured. On February 10, the protesters dispersed. On February 15, by order of the President of the Chechen Republic D. Zavgaev, the skeleton of the Presidential Palace - a symbol of resistance for anti-Russian Chechens - was destroyed by explosions

I read this "forum". A long time ago, the truth.

135. V.N. Mironov ( [email protected] ) 2009/07/02 18:19
Rokhlin? At that time, he sent 74 OMSBr to die, and his bearers. That's why.
Good luck!
Glory

134. Firsov ( [email protected] ) 2009/06/30 18:41
Savin is not to blame! And do not forget that in front of the 131st brigade, or rather 1 and 2 msb, the tasks of blocking the palace from the south and seizing the railway were set (which they did, except for 2 ms - it was defeated while driving along Rabochaya street) At the station another 1 MSB 81 MSR was only closer to Mayakovsky. So he drove past the palace without a fight. and the second MSB of the Samarans even went to Lenin Square and the square in front of the palace, but the numerical superiority was on the side of the Chich. Grachev said that the tanks in the city were suicide, but 131 and 81 went into the city with bare armor - the officers, in my opinion, drove off after the landing. Who should you set up security and blocks? where are centuries, where is the grouping "West", where is "East"? Remember the map of Grozny! On the way, 131 MSBR from their place of entrance to the city to the railway is a huge distance! And at the station itself there were 12 killed and many wounded. The heaviest losses were suffered by 2msb and 3msb in the city (Rabochaya, Ordzhonikidze, Komsomolskaya), and 1msb departed from the station at 17-18 pm on January 1 in different groups. During the departure Savin died (he was wounded in the afternoon of the 31st at the station) I liked the book! Why don't you like Rokhlin so much?

Rokhlin explained everything quite intelligibly. Rokhlin was 101% right. He had a certain contingent who performed his specific task. He controlled the troops correctly and competently. He led his troops to the desired line in accordance with all the rules, competently, placing troops in the right places. He, according to him, had about 400 personnel left at the forefront. He could not instantly transfer them to the aid of the 74th brigade. Drive there equipment without cover? Well, she would have gotten into the same trap that all the other clever guys got into. In addition, if he did it, he would have failed the task assigned to him. And the general, unlike this seater, must understand that he and his troops are part of the general plan. At the level of military tactics, it is forbidden to think in terms of emotions. You are part of the general staff plan. You are a bolt, a fragment of a mechanism. You have a task. Shit, but do it! All this in books and movies looks beautiful - the salvation of Private Rhine ... Military tactics and military management - if it is said that the horse must move to D8, then it must move to D8. And if an elephant dies nearby, then no matter how well he personally treats him, the knight must fulfill its task.

And if each piece begins to walk as it pleases, without any plan, then such a war will turn into a massacre doomed to defeat. It was bungling, disorganization, lack of ability to set tasks and control troops that led that war to its sad celebrity.

Rokhlin was one of the few literate people in that war. And he clearly said: "In the current conditions, I could not help anything." And he's right. And he would have failed the task and would have given up his people.

By the way, from the forum it follows not only that Mironov Rokhlin did not like the seater (oh, what a bastard, only his own bearers, but there are no strangers). From the forum it follows that the author was not under the command of Rokhlin. And since the operation to storm the Dudayev Palace was carried out by troops under the command of Rokhlin, the author, by definition, could not participate in the assault. Consequently, he was not and could not be any eyewitness. And his "pig squeals" are nothing more than a figment of the artistic imagination. It's funny even to discuss.