ДІЇ ДЕСАНТНО-ШТУРМОВОГО КОМПОНЕНТУ СПЕЦІАЛЬНИХ ПІДРОЗДІЛІВ ПРИКОРДОННИХ ВІЙСЬК СРСР (ЗА ДОСВІДОМ ВІЙНИ В АФГАНІСТАНІ 1979–1989 РР.)

Abstract

Participation in combat actions of the Border Troops of the USSR State Secu- rity Committee (SSC) has been silenced for a long time, as the border guards did not officially fight in Afghanistan. Servicemans of the Border Troops who died in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan were officially considered dead while guarding and protecting the state border. At the same time many border guards have gone through the crucible of the Afghan War. It is only recently the memoirs of direct participants of those events have begun to appear, in some measure ar- chival data have been opened and scientific papers on this topic have been pub- lished by specialists. The article emphasizes the extraordinary and very important role played by the Border Troops in the war in Afghanistan. Using the analysis of sources and literature examines the experience of the USSR in the formation, de- velopment and direct combat activities of special units of the Border Troops of the USSR SSC. The creation, structure, armaments and activities of an unprecedented phenomenon for the Border Troops, in particular the air assault component of the special units of the Border Troops of the USSR SSC are considered. The role and place of the air assault groups in the general structure and activities of the special units of the USSR border guards are highlighted. The separation of the air as- sault component into ground and air components is substantiated, and a system of interaction between these components is outlined. It is revealed the evolutionary process of creation and further development of the air component - the aviation of the Border Troops. The structure of the aviation of the Border Troops, its armament and combat activity during the air assault operations in cooperation with the air assault units are analyzed.