Russia

Russian Spetsnaz Take Out Terrorists in Dagestan

Much of what we post here is based on preparing the potential Special Operations candidates for what they will face in the various Selection or qualification courses. But sometimes it is good to change things up a bit and delve into our shared history to learn and respect where we come from. Other times, like today, it is important to learn about our potential adversaries, even in small doses. And something that occurred over the weekend definitely piqued our interest.

The Russian government released information that an FSB/Spetsnaz Special Operations unit in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan killed two people, identified as Islamic State terrorists on Saturday, October 13. Spetsnaz is basically an umbrella term from the abbreviation used. But refers to Special Purpose Forces. Little is known about them and generally, a lot of misconceptions abound about the shadowy Russian SOF unit.

The official Russian statement from their news organization TASS reported that “Today, during a search carried out as part of a counter-terrorism operation in the Khasavyurt region of the Republic of Dagestan, the security bodies were tipped off that armed gunmen had been holing up in a private house in the village of Endirey.”

Endirey is located 50 miles east of Grozny.

The Islamic State terrorists were wanted for the murder of two police officers, the murder of a villager Toturbiykal in 2017 and the imam in the village of Mutsalaul this year. They were also involved in the bombing of a mosque, desecration of graves and other “terrorism-related activities.”

“During the fight, two criminals, who refused to lay down arms and surrender, were neutralized,” the official statement said. “In the exchange of fire, two officers of the FSB special ops unit and one officer of the Russian National Guard were wounded.

This operation of security forces and law enforcement agencies was the final one to eradicate the criminal activity of Islamic State followers in the republic’s Khasavyurt region,”

Dagestan is located east of Chechnya and is composed of a Muslim-majority population that is among the poorest and most unstable parts of Russia. The Spetsnaz has been very active there in trying to eradicate the Islamic State terror which has claimed several attacks on the people in the region. The militants in the region proclaimed their allegiance to ISIS in 2015.

As with most Russian operations, they are more inclined to “eliminate” the threats as they have been quite active in taking on the ISIS targets in the area. Spetsnaz, which falls under the GRU have foiled several attacks since the early summer and has rung up a high body count including a terrorist ringleader and three other militants last month who according to an official release, “refused to surrender.”

Spetsnaz forces belong to both the FSB and GRU and have small special operations units tasked to several individual commands. But watching the Americans closely in Syria, the Russians developed its own command for their Special Ops troops called KSSO due to their acronym.

This unit which is patterned after JSOC is a strictly Special Operations command and has been very active. They used KSSO troops dressed as civilians when the Russians invaded the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine in 2014.

The Ukrainians have their own Spetsnaz group, a holdover from the days of the Soviet Union. The Spetsnaz operate under the control of the Ministry of Interior, and under the Ministry of Defence, while the Security Service of Ukraine controls it own Spetsnaz force, the Alfa group. Other former Soviet republics that have their own Spetsnaz units include Belarus, with the 5th Spetsnaz Brigade and Kazakhstan who have their own “Alfa Group.”

The Alfa Group is based on the Russian model. The Russians have 700 counter-terrorist operators spread out in five detachments based in Moscow and other large cities.

KSSO have been very active in Syria since 2015. According to Business Insider: the KSSO has been involved in missions ranging from recovering the flight recorder of Russia’s downed Su-24M navigator back in November 2015, to reconnoitering targets for cruise missile strikes, disruption behind enemy lines through ambushes, high value targeted killing and retaliation strikes against select groups of fighters. Four KSSO operators are known to have been killed, including two specializing in coordinating strikes with the air force, which gives some indication of their tasks.

One Russian commander of a 16-man Spetsnaz unit was given a Gold Star and named a “Hero of the Russian Federation” for the repulse of multiple attacks by over 300 jihadists without loss, after being surrounded by the jihadis and abandoned by their Syrian allies. That particular detail won’t sit well with the Spetsnaz or Putin.

Training for the Spetsnaz closely mimics what the western Special Operations Forces conducts for its own candidates. Their physical training consists mainly with the emphasis on strength and endurance. Their training is based heavily on patrolling, sabotage, surveillance, and reconnaissance. They place a heavy emphasis on sniping and sniper techniques.

These Special Operations Troops of the Russians, don’t have as much of the high-speed gear that their western counterparts may have, but they are tough and well trained. Although they are considered a potential adversary, the Spetsnaz and US Green Berets actually worked together several years ago during the fight against Albanian separatists. That story can be read here:

Photos: Tass/Russian Federation

Iron Man? Russian Special Ops Going For Predator Camouflage

In the never-ending search for the next best technology, both the United States and Russia are searching for armor, camouflage, and exoskeletons to carry the next generation of Special Operations Forces into battle. And as they are both working on the latest upgrades for their troops, some of the newest technology looks like it came from a Hollywood backlot for its inspiration.

The Russians reportedly are already fielding at least parts of their Star Wars-like third generation Ratnik-3 Combat Suit, which more resembles the armor worn by the alien in the film “Predator” than it does anything out of Star Wars.

But now the Russians have supposedly upped the ante by displaying what they claim is a new paint which can change colors quickly, almost chameleon-like (does the Predator ring a bell here?) which will better protect Russian troops.

Russian defense contractor Rostec was showing off this new camouflage on a helmet at the Army-2018 Forum in Moscow that they claim will blend in to just about any surrounding terrain easily and can even display moving images.

In a media statement for the even, Rostec said, “The specialized electrically-operated material covering the helmet prototype is able to change color depending on the camouflaged surface and environment.”

They also added, “the material can display dynamic changes of color intensity and simulate complex images, for example, the motion of leaves in the wind.”

When combined with Ratnik-3 combat suit which the Russians dub a “Star Wars-like combat suit”, the helmet, if it works as advertised would give the Russian Spetsnaz, Special Operations Troops a stealth technology that would be unsurpassed. The paint can be applied to anything, including the rest of the combat suit and even armored vehicles and according to Rostec is applied like ordinary paint and doesn’t require, “great accuracy in terms of thickness and uniformity.”

The third-generation Ratnik-3 suit according to earlier media releases by the Russians, “comprises five integrated systems that include life support, command, and communication, engaging, protection and energy saving subsystems.”

The Russian suit even appears more akin to the “Predator” wear than a Star Wars armored suit that the stormtroopers wore. The Russian system like the American “TALOS Iron Man” armor has a built-in exoskeleton which is supposed to make it much easier for the operator to move long distances and carry more weight, without sapping his strength. The Russian system has 59 different pieces of gear, including a fully encompassing helmet and visor with a heads-up display.

However, the Russians did not supply any video or offer a demonstration of how well the new system works, if at all. The Russians have deployed parts of the 1st generation Ratnik suit in the Crimea back in 2013.

The TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) nicknamed the Iron Man suit is still a pie in the sky concept that is not even close to being ready for deployment. The Pentagon back in 2013 with the backing of Admiral McRaven of the Special Operations Command, announced plans to develop a high-mobility suit of armor that could better protect special operators tasked with entering contested spaces.

After 5-years and over $80 million dollars, the suit is nowhere near ready. SOCOM announced earlier this year that the testing will continue for the bulky, battery-heavy suit for quite some time before they’re ready for testing. In contrast, Lockheed-Martin has already produced a light exoskeleton that we profiled here last year.

That piece of equipment is form-fitting, has already been tested by a United States Special Operations Tier-1 unit and the results were quite encouraging. Plus, the battery pack in the rear of the exoskeleton, on the back of the operator is easily changed.

The system isn’t nearly as bulky although it doesn’t incorporate armor, which makes the TALOS system so heavy. SOCOM may be better served using an exoskeleton like that and then develop upgraded armor and targeting systems inside of the helmet.

So, in the not-so-distant future, Special Operations Forces may be going into battle with some futuristic-looking armor and camouflage. And it could just be that it is life imitating art.

Photos: Rostec/Universal

Russian Veterans Urge Putin to Tell the Truth About Syrian Mission

In an intriguing turn of events, Russian veterans want the Russian government to acknowledge that private military contractors are fighting in the war in Syria, doing the country’s bidding to keep Russian “troop” strength low. They want to secure financial and medical benefits for the contractors as well as their families.

The statement breaks years of public silence about a secret operation involving thousands of Russian civilians fighting in Syria on the side of President Bashar al-Assad whom Moscow has been helping militarily since September 2015.
Based on accounts of people who knew killed fighters and a military medic, Reuters earlier reported that over a hundred contractors had died in combat since the start of the operation in Syria. The Kremlin denies such an operation exists.
“For three years already, we have been receiving complaints and appeals from Russian citizens who were injured in Syria and cannot undergo medical treatment in Russia,” said the statement, signed by retired Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, retired Colonel Vladimir Petrov and Yevgeni Shabayev, a Cossack leader.
“Soldiers and officers of these combat units have no social, medical or financial support from the state … We demand that the status of combat participants in private military companies be recognised,” the statement said.
The Kremlin is often criticized by the liberal opposition for its foreign military campaigns but rarely faces objections from Russia’s military elite, which is generally happy that Moscow is in a standoff with the West.
Moscow says that while some Russian civilians may fight in Syria, they went there on their own initiative and have no connection to the military, which is conducting air strikes with a limited presence on the ground.
According to Russian law, being a mercenary is a crime.

The Russian contractors are hired by a company called Wagner and is owned by Dmitriy Valeryevich Utkin, a former Ukranian citizen who was a Colonel and brigade commander of a special forces Spetsnaz unit of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

Wagner has training facilities for their contractors on Russian military bases at Molkino near the village of Molkin. Wagner, (named after Utkin’s callsign) also has been linked to Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is also a close friend of Russian President Putin.

Putin was photographed with Utkin and several of his lieutenants which set off speculation in the past. The contractors have been active in Ukraine, Central African Republic, Sudan, Yemen, and Libya.

To read the entire article from US News and World Report, click here:

Russia Withdrawing Troops and Aircraft from Syria

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Russians have withdrawn a large number of troops and aircraft, according to state-run news agency Tass,

Putin said they withdrew more than 1,000 military personnel and more than 20 aircraft from Syria in the last few days.

“Only over the past several days, 13 planes, 14 helicopters and 1,140 personnel have been pulled out [of Syria],” the Russian leader said, state news agency Tass reported. Putin explained that Russia has been removing its forces from the Middle Eastern country since he visited in December.
Tass also reported on Thursday that the Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Essen had “accomplished” its mission in the Mediterranean and is headed back to the city of Sevastopol, on the Crimean Peninsula. Russia has a permanent task force in the Mediterranean, with a naval base located in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous.
Putin praised the Russian military’s success in Syria, saying the “army clearly demonstrated its growing potential and better coordination among military units in the struggle with terrorists.”
Earlier this month, Assad said in an interview that he believes the conflict will come to an end in “less than a year.” He added that his army will take back “every inch” of the country, claiming that he has the “support” of his people.
Assad’s army has turned its attention to the country’s southwest region, as the last remaining pockets of rebels have been defeated near Damascus and Homs. Now, the military aims to reconquer the opposition-held area near the border of Jordan and the disputed Golan Heights, which are claimed by Israel and Syria.
But the region has recently become more complicated, with neighboring Israel launching strikes on Iranian-backed militias, which support Assad, stationed in the region. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Iran and Tehran-backed militias began withdrawing from the disputed Golan Heights border with Israel last week, as part of a Russian-brokered deal with Israel.

President Trump has reportedly been seeking the help of Putin to curb the Iranian military presence in Syria. Their basing of rockets, especially along the Golan Heights on the border with Israel will only lead to further warfare in Syria and beyond.

To read the entire article from Newsweek, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Russia Calls Off Ceasefire With US in SW Syria, Israel Hits Iranian Base

With what was termed breaches of the ceasefire agreements by insurgent groups in southwest Syria, the Russian air force in Syria announced the end of the ceasefire agreement they reached with the United States and Jordan in the area.

Meanwhile, government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are staging a new offensive to retake one of the last rebel-held regions in that area of the country.

The Hmeymim base, an airfield located in the west coast province of Latakia, is one of two major Russian-leased military installations in Syria, the other being a naval base about 40 miles down the coast in Tartous. Russian warplanes—likely based in Hmeymim—reportedly struck targets Monday in the southwestern province of Daraa, where Russia and Syria had agreed last year to a ceasefire with rebel groups attempting to overthrow Assad since a 2011 uprising backed by the U.S., Turkey and Gulf Arab states.
“The end of the period of reduced escalation in southern Syria can be confirmed after it was breached by extremist groups and illegitimate armed groups operating against Syrian government forces, while the agreement remains in the Syrian province of Idlib,” the Central Channel for the Hmeymim Military Base wrote on Facebook.
The base also denied reports of civilian casualties in a later message, maintaining that “Russian bombers do not target civilian sites by any means. Our missions are limited to the destruction of the terrorist bases belonging to the Nusra Front and ISIS [Islamic State militant group] terrorists, in order to support friendly land forces advancing on the ground.”
The ceasefire collapse also occurred as airstrikes reportedly struck Damascus International Airport on Tuesday. While the attack remains unclaimed, it has been widely blamed on Israel, who rarely takes responsibility for strikes against Iranian and pro-Iran targets in neighboring Syria. The U.K.-based, pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Israeli warplanes struck “a shipment of Iranian weapons” that had arrived at the airport, while Russia’s state-run Sputnik News highlighted reports claiming an Iranian cargo plane may have been the target.
Iran-backed groups, such as the Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement, have reportedly pulled back from southwestern Syria as part of a recent agreement, but Iran has maintained that it would not leave Syria unless asked to do so by the local government. The latest airstrikes in Damascus, however, may indicate that the deal has fallen apart or did not preclude Israeli attacks elsewhere in the country. Last week, unclaimed airstrikes blamed on both the U.S. and Israel reportedly killed dozens—including Iraqi militias—in Syra’s far eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

Assad has kept close relationships with both Moscow and Tehran during the Civil War but has called for the forces of both the United States and Turkey, which they claim are in their country illegally and without permission to leave immediately.

To read the entire article from Newsweek, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Russian Northern Fleet Sails 36 Ships in No-Notice Exercise

Russia’s Northern Fleet has released a statement that they’ve departed the port in their largest exercise in the past 10 years. The purpose of this large unplanned, no-notice exercise was to counter a large enemy attack.

A total of 36 warships and support vessels are currently on their way out to the Barents Sea. Also, about 20 aircraft are in the air. Along the coast of the Kola Peninsula, more than 150 different rocket- and artillery weapon systems and special equipment are deployed.

Larger areas in the Barents Sea are now closed off for civilian shipping and overflights by civilian passenger aircraft. The drill will last until the end of next week.
The press-service of the Northern Fleet explains the exercise to be a full-range defensive-aimed drill to combat a massive enemy attack. The fleet will carry out shootings with different naval weapons, including launching of cruise-missiles, mines and torpedoes and other missiles.
Among the warships are the missile cruiser «Marshal Ustinov,» anti-submarine ship «Severomorsk», the destroyer «Admiral Ushakov», the large landing ships «Kondapoga», «Georgy Pobedonosets» and «Aleksandr Obrakovsky».
Without specifying classes or names, the Northern Fleet says both nuclear-powered and diesel submarines participate.
Press-spokesman at Norway’s military Joint Head Quarters, Major Brynjar Stordal, says to the Barents Observer that Norway was not informed about the naval drill.
Russian forces in the north has over time had a relatively high level of activities in different fields, something they have all rights to do within own territory and in international waters and airspace

The Norwegians have an understanding with the Russians that any large exercises outside of each nation’s territorial waters is normally shared as to keep the other side abreast and understanding of the current situation.

Russia’s Northern Fleet, headquartered in Severomorsk north of Murmansk, is the largest of Russia’s four fleets.

To read the entire article from the Barents Observer, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Top US, Russian Military Leaders Meet in Finland

The top U.S. military leaders of the United States and Russia are meeting in Finland to exchange views on U.S.-Russia military relations, Syria, and the current international security situation.

Finnish news agency FNB said Friday’s meeting of Gen. Joseph Dunford, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Russia’s chief of the military’s General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, took place in a Finnish state-owned manor used for meetings, negotiations and receptions north of the capital, Helsinki.
No news conference or statement was planned.
FNB said Finland hosted a similar a meeting in 2008.
In April, NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, met with Gerasimov in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the first such encounter since relations between Moscow and the alliance sank to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis.

Despite the bluster that we see in the press coming from each country, to include the militaries, the generals are the ones who know the cost of war and a failure in diplomacy could be devastating for both parties. They’ll try to sift thru the tough talk and work out the details of ensuring that a war between the two superpowers doesn’t happen.

To read the entire article from ABC News, click here:

Photo courtesy AP of Russian military leaders arriving at the conference.

Poland Wants a Permanent US Base to Counter Russian Aggression

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wants a permanent U.S. presence in his country to balance against Russian aggression and has already had talks with American officials about establishing a base there.

The Poles are even willing to pay up to $2 billion dollars to help build the base and needed infrastructure for a permanent U.S. base there.

Blaszczak said he had the talks recently in Washington that were prompted by security concerns following Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its support for pro-Russia separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine.
“The result of our efforts is that the U.S. Senate has contacted the Pentagon about an assessment of…[the] permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland,” Blaszczak said on state Radio 1. “Such presence is of great importance because it deters the adversary.”
Poland currently hosts a contingent of U.S. troops on a rotational, temporary, but open-ended mission.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that an increase in NATO’s military presence near Russia’s borders “certainly does not contribute to security and stability on the continent in any way.”
“These expansionist steps, certainly, result in counteractions of the Russian side to balance the parity which is violated every time this way,” Peskov told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency on May 28.

Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the Russian Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said that “Poland becomes the object of a retaliatory strike by placing the base.” Dzhabarov, added that this “makes Poland one of the main targets in case of a possible conflict.”

To read the entire article from Radio Free Europe, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Putin, Russia Appears Pleased Where the Syrian Conflict Is

The Syrian Civil War is moving towards a stalemate with the government of President Assad regaining control of 60 percent of his territory. The U.S.-led coalition will continue to hold ground in the east and the Turks have made it clear they will not return Syrian territory around Idlib.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin is fine with all of that. He’s already managing similar conflicts like this in Georgia and Ukraine.

Other significant players in Syria, including Israel, the United States, Turkey, and the remaining Sunni Arab rebels, may likewise discover they’d be satisfied with this new reality. The clearest losers, by contrast, would be the Assad regime and Iran.
What are the indications Syria is moving in the direction of frozen conflict? Consider the recent visit by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Russia to meet with Putin. At the press conference following the meeting, Putin told reporters that, “Following the Syrian Army’s notable successes in fighting terrorism, and with the activation of the political process, the foreign forces based in Syria will start to withdraw from the country.” This seemed to hint that the Russian president wasn’t interested in assisting the Assad regime’s reconquest of the entirety of Syria. And absent the Russian air support that the Syrian military has relied on in major combat operations (including the siege of Aleppo and the destruction of rebel-controlled Eastern Ghouta), such reconquest would be impossible.
Some have speculated that Putin was referring only to the withdrawal of foreign forces opposed to the regime. In the past, Moscow has sought to differentiate between its own presence in Syria (at the invitation of the “legitimate” Syrian authorities) and the uninvited presence of other foreign elements. On this occasion, however, Russia’s Syria envoy, Alexander Lavrentiev, clarified that the president was referring to “all foreign military forces stationed in Syria, including American, Turkish, Hezbollah, and Iranian [forces].”
The Russian statement was followed by an angry response from Tehran. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told reporters in Tehran that, “No one can force Iran to do anything. … As long as terrorism exists and the Syrian government wants, Iran will have presence [in Syria].” The dueling statements are just one indication among many of differences between Moscow and some of its allies about the future of Syria.
Iran has been pushing for the regime to attempt an assault on remaining rebel enclaves in southwest Syria. The arrival of Iran-supported units to the border, however, brings with it the possibility of a large-scale Israeli response. Russia has no interest in such an outcome, which could plunge Syria into a new war and threaten the gains the Assad regime has already made.

Putin it seems is content with the consolidation of his main ally in the Assad regime and continuing to work with both Turkey and Israel as well as the continuing undermining of the West’s influence in the area.

To read the entire article from Foreign Policy, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

European Spy Chiefs Warn of Russian Hybrid Threats

The Russian meddling in the United States, as well as other elections, is now going to be the norm, in addition to cyber warfare, disinformation campaigns and more traditional espionage the European heads of intelligence warned on Monday.

The Sergei Skripal assassination attempt in the UK is a prime example. After the attack, it was quickly followed by Russian denials and then nearly 30 alternate theories being spread by Russian propaganda using social media among other means.

“Our respect for Russia’s people … cannot and must not stop us from calling out and pushing back on the Kremlin’s flagrant breaches of international rules,” the head of Britain’s MI5 spy agency, Andrew Parker, told an intelligence gathering in Berlin.
“Whatever nonsense they conjure up, the case is clear,” said Parker.
He later told reporters that since allied governments were first briefed on Russia’s involvement in the attack by the British government, “the case, if anything, has got stronger since then.”
Germany’s domestic intelligence chief, Hans-Georg Maassen, said his agency, known as BfV, blames Russian authorities for orchestrating a persistent cyberattack aimed at stealing sensitive data so it can be used in future intelligence campaigns, such as what happened with the Democratic National Committee emails leaked during the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.
Sir Julian King, the EU’s security commissioner, warned that social media had “turbocharged” state actors’ ability to spread disinformation, citing the recent revelations about Cambridge Analytica’s gathering of personal data from Facebook users to help manipulate elections.
King warned of future threats posed by sophisticated fake videos that are undiscernible from real footage, calling it an example of a “deadly weapon of mass disinformation” that societies need to find ways of becoming resilient to.
He also said the European Commission is working with social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to better inform users about why they are seeing certain posts and who is paying for them, to help protect against disinformation campaigns by groups or governments outside the country.

The European spy agencies have vowed to work together and cooperate against this new and insidious form of warfare. One worrisome subject for all the agencies is the possible funding of extremist groups aiming to divide European societies, and they are preaching for greater awareness of hybrid attacks to counter any threats.

To read the entire article from Associated Press, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia