Spetsnaz

The VSS Vintorez: Whisper Of Spetsnaz

As the Sochi Olympics in Russia approaches, there is sure to be one firearm finding employment behind the scenes against known and perceived threats wanting to interrupt Vladimir Putin’s showcase to the world. It’s an unusual looking selective-fire weapon called the VSS (Vintovka Snayperskay Spetsialnaya), or Special Sniper Rifle.

In use since 1987, the Vintovka Snayperskay Spetsialnaya finds its home in Special Forces, conducting clandestine missions when targets need to be taken out from close range up to distances of 400 meters. Nicknamed the ‘Vintorez,’ or thread cutter, it’s an extremely effective design, and uses two important elements that enable it to live up to its role as a silent killer.

Chief among these is the way the VSS is designed. Featuring a short 7.9 inch barrel, with holes strategically located to bleed off gas into a suppressor, it helps keep the discharge virtually silent, save for the movement of the action when subsonic rounds, the preferred projectile, are used. A piston action derived from a little-known rifle, called the AS, ensures a reliable operation and limits fouling, a common byproduct in suppressed weapons.

Another is the round itself. The 9x39mm cartridge appeared at nearly the same time as the VSS, which uses a 7.62x39mm AK-47 case with a widened neck to accommodate the larger and much heavier projectile. Despite using the same diameter bullet as many Western pistols, it should not be compared as it is essentially a slow moving subsonic rifle round that is much heavier and lethal at greater distances.

Currently, the VSS uses the most widely available variant of the round, designated the SP–5, a 250-grain bullet traveling at 1,000 fps and equipped with a hardened penetrator, which is capable of penetrating 6mm of steel plate at 100 meters, and a standard Russian army helmet out to 500 meters. These stubby rounds ride in 10- or 20-round box magazines that provides operators fast follow-up shots with a type of round absent of sonic boom and muzzle flash. This makes the operator difficult to locate and even more so as range increases.

Of course, when engaging at hundreds of meters a decent scope is necessary, and for this the PSO family of glass is used. Made famous on the Dragunov SVD sniper rifle, varying magnifications up to 9x power are available Most often though, a 4x power variant is sufficient enough and attaches to a rail that connects to the left side of the receiver. Also if needed, a night vision scope may be mounted in tandem, and both can be detached and backup iron sights used in case of emergency.

The gun also takes another inspiration from the SVD, by using a shorter skeletonized wooden stock that limits its length to just 32 inches and helps keep the weight at just 5.7 pounds.

It is known that Russia first combat-tested the VSS during the final days of its Afghan involvement in the 1980s, and since then it has served with distinction through Chechnya wars beginning in the mid-90s, and more recently in the South Ossetia conflict in 2008, as well as the last few weeks against Muslim extremists in Dagestan.

No one will ever know just how many enemies of the motherland have fallen to the Vintovka Snayperskay Spetsialnaya, but it’s safe to say it will continue its work far into the future providing, Russia’s answer to all those who threaten her. Roundly appreciated by Spetsnaz and MVD internal troops, it’s a classic example of the perfect weapon for ‘Black Operations,’ and shows just how willing Russia is to bloody its hands whenever the need arises, and speak only in a whisper.

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