Until now, one moment remains in my memory... I was flying by helicopter from Khankala to Mozdok. The helicopter rose and tilted toward approach. And I see a bare field from above - and he stands in the middle of it. One. I can swear on anyone - an inner voice told me then: land the helicopter, take your son. You see him in last time. I rushed to the window and looked again. And I decided that such things should not be done. And he flew away... Oleg died on March 29.
It is very difficult to catch General Shpak on the spot. Our meeting was postponed three times. “Urgent business,” the assistants explained. “Hurry up, you have one hour for everything, including travel. Then I’ll be leaving for a long time on a business trip,” Shpak himself warned.
The hour turned into a three-hour conversation. And the business trip, as it turned out, was planned only for the next day. It’s just that the general knows journalists well and is trying to somehow discipline them. For a person who gets up at six in the morning every day and commands such a difficult branch of the military, this is normal. But in other respects, Georgy Shpak is least of all like a strict general. He seems to talk with much more pleasure about literature, theater and cars than about military affairs. True, he doesn’t avoid unpleasant questions either. Shpak had long been accustomed to them.
- Georgy Ivanovich, they say that you have developed a very difficult relationship with the General Staff. More precisely, with Anatoly Kvashnin. What didn't you share?
I think it's wrong to talk about difficult relationships between me and Kvashnin. Yes, some disagreements exist, but they are purely military. And that's okay. But we have no personal differences - Kvashnin and I have known each other for a very long time, we studied together and played volleyball. It seems to me that the journalists have tried harder here - they are looking for the “fried” in our relations. I think it's in vain...
- What then is the reason for the regular appearance of rumors about the resignation of General Shpak?
I do not even know. After all, there are no special complaints about my service. There were shortcomings, that's true. There were even emergency incidents in units for which one could be removed from duty. But in the seven years that I have been commanding the Airborne Forces, this question has never been raised. Another thing is that this year I turn 60 years old. My service expires on September 8th. But I don’t know what the top leaders of the country and the Armed Forces will do with me. But at least I won’t write a report about the extension. That's for sure!
- When preparing for demobilization, do you think about a successor?
Naturally! We have many worthy candidates in the Airborne Forces - almost all of my deputies. But who will become commander is up to the president to decide. I can say only one thing for sure: it will be a paratrooper. Sailors cannot be commanded by an infantryman, and pilots cannot be commanded by a sailor!
- Well, what about an alternate airfield? Many generals are now going into politics. Have you ever had such thoughts?
Yes, there are already many such offers! But I won’t talk about them in more detail - the time has not come. But I don’t see anything wrong with the military going into politics. Look at Kaliningradskaya, Moscowskaya, Ulyanovsk region. These people demonstrated excellent organizational skills. Dozens of excellent officers and admirals are in the State Duma today. And none of them disgraced either the honor of the uniform or the honor of a Duma deputy. This is a natural phenomenon, and this is world experience! Since World War II, retired officers, generals and admirals have been given prestigious positions in politics. De Gaulle, Eisenhower, Rabin... Military people are disciplined, obedient, sufficiently intelligent and educated and know how to manage large masses of people. Today this experience is in demand.
Teacher in uniform
- As far as I know, you have a doctorate?
Yes. Both candidate and doctoral. While still a chief of staff, I became interested in pedagogy. At first it was just studying some books, and then I decided that I needed to seriously study this science. My friends helped me. One of them, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences Igor Biochinsky, captivated me and to some extent forced me to write a Ph.D. thesis. The topic is the training of military cadets. I defended my defense in April 1994 in Kazan at a civilian university, so that they would not say that General Shpak was using his power. Then I started collecting material for my doctorate. He defended it in 2000 at Yaroslavl State University.
- Why would a paratrooper general need a Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences?
I was pursuing practical goals. My methodological developments are used in our Ryazan institute. I give lectures both in Moscow and Ryazan. Well, I wanted to prove to myself that I can!
- What happened to the experiment of switching to a contract basis? Did it fail?
Why so? The experiment is underway. The first stage ended in December last year. The second stage is from January 1 to May 30. And during this period we must recruit 2800 people. We collect people from military registration and enlistment offices throughout Russia. 100 people arrive, 50 stay. They leave on their own, and we weed them out. For health, for mental health. There are also drug addicts and drunks. We must report to the President on the completion of the experiment by January 1, 2004. Contract soldiers will be paid 5,500 rubles. Believe me, for many, especially if the guys are from a village or small town where there is no work, this money is wealth!
- You have the opportunity to compare our paratroopers and foreign ones. Who is cooler - the Americans or your subordinates?
I watched the actions closely special units both in Bosnia and Kosovo. And I believe that our soldiers are more resilient, more adapted to life in difficult field conditions. They are more responsible and less afraid of death.
- Why?
I don’t know, apparently because of the harsh living conditions. Well, for sure - our Russian maybe. The only thing we are inferior to the Americans in is equipment. And how many competitions we held with American soldiers! And they won all of them without any preliminary preparation. We only lost to them in basketball. But that's because they have a lot of dark-skinned people. And they play very well. And our soldiers are much cleaner. Russian paratroopers sleep on sheets even in field conditions, and Americans climb into a sleeping bag without undressing.
- Can our paratrooper survive on a desert island?
Certainly! And in “The Last Hero” he would definitely win. Of course, if this is not a first-year soldier, but an already trained soldier, familiar with both field conditions and the survival system.
- Would you survive on the island yourself?
But what about?! (Laughs.) I'm very persistent.
- And would you eat worms? Slippery ones, moving...
Certainly. (The general didn’t even wince). We conduct classes for special forces, when we send guys with a minimum amount of water and food supplies for a period that obviously exceeds these supplies. And the soldier must get everything else in the field, in the forest, in the stream, in the river, in the ground.
Under the dome
- They say you still jump with a parachute. How many jumps do you have?
- (Doesn’t think for a second). 565. Of these, two are abroad - in America and Germany.
- Do you pack the parachute yourself?
No, of course not! But I can do it.
- Are there any signs?
But of course! The paratroopers are all superstitious! We, like pilots, never say “last time” - only “last time”. I also don’t say the number 13. I always say “middle.”
- When you fly with a parachute, what do you think about?
Nothing! I'm just flying and enjoying life. Well, I’m getting ready for landing. Sometimes landing is more difficult than separating from the aircraft. Especially if the breeze is blowing. And the first time I jumped was on January 17, 1963, I was 20 years old.
- Did they help you? Or how?
Or how. Himself, of course! Although we have a HF device. For those who don't want to jump. KV is a knee ejector. Kidding.
- Was it scary?
No. When you have already been trained by educators, airborne officers, you cannot help but take this jump. It will be a terrible shame. Almost everyone jumps on their own. Maybe not entirely consciously, but independently.
- Do you have a talisman?
I always took with me the “Victory” watch, given by my father. Simple, but reliable. And today I somehow manage without talismans.
Son
- Your son Oleg died in Chechnya. If you could take everything back, would you not let him go there?
A very difficult question. Very. Oleg saw himself only as a military man. As a paratrooper. And when he graduated from school, he knew for sure that he would go to the Ryazan school. I didn't stop him. After graduation, Oleg was assigned to Ulyanovsk and was a platoon commander. And then he asked to go to Yugoslavia, near Vukovar. It was the summer of 1994. Many people tried to dissuade me: don’t send me, they’re shooting there. A year later he returned. He received treatment in the hospital (his stomach hurt very badly and his knee was badly damaged after a car accident), and by this time it was his battalion’s turn to leave for Chechnya.
- Did he warn you?
Oleg called and said: “Dad, don’t try to do anything to prevent me from going. Otherwise there will be a scandal.” And at the end of February 1995 he flew to Mozdok. Of course, you could have left him...
And on March 15, I checked the PriVO troops. He was also in his positions; they were stationed near Argun. Oleg very quickly fit into the combat situation. And on March 17 I flew away. And to this day one moment remains in my memory... I was flying by helicopter from Khankala to Mozdok. The helicopter rose and tilted toward approach. And I see a bare field from above - and he stands in the middle of it. One. I can swear on anyone - an inner voice told me then: land the helicopter, take your son. This is the last time you see him. I rushed to the window and looked again. And I decided that such things should not be done. And he flew away... Oleg died on March 29.
- Do you remember him often?
Very. It's almost eight years since he died. I talk to Oleg in my head very often. As a man, it’s hard for me to feel like there’s no one behind me. Only girls. There is a grandson, also Oleg.
- Don’t you transfer your feelings for Oleg to your grandson?
I love him so much. And by the way, they are very similar. I taught my daughter and son to swim. Lena swam immediately, and two hours later she was already swimming. And for two weeks I tried to persuade Oleg to get into the water. He was afraid. Exactly the same picture with grandchildren. Anya immediately swam, but Oleg did not.
- Are you the right grandfather? Do you take care of your grandchildren?
If we go out of town, then Anya and Oleg are always with me
In the morning they run barefoot through the dew. Trained my legs every evening cold water wash. I try to harden them. Although Lena, my daughter, grumbles at me. I myself have been winter swimming for 14 years now. In the summer - in the stream. In winter - in the Moscow River. It is quite clean in winter.
- Why do you need this? Or are you just constantly proving something to yourself?
Yes, so as not to spend half your life in the hospital. I'm not saying I'll live 300 years. I will live as long as I am given. But a person must spend his life at the table, on skis, in an ice hole, in the fresh air! And always be cheerful, cheerful, strong and not hunchbacked! At 50 years old people already look old. And all because they are lazy.
Hot spot
- You went through Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Chechnya. Where was it more difficult and scarier?
It was simpler in Yugoslavia. Although it was very dangerous there, especially at the very beginning - near Vukovar, in Sarajevo. We drove around and snipers shot at us. It was impossible to even understand where it came from. How can we compare the Afghan events and the Chechen ones... These are two absolutely different countries. Different conditions. And it’s very difficult to say where it’s harder and where it’s easier. For example, in December 1994, when the first operation was being prepared, we spent 10 days at the airfield in Mozdok. And essentially people who had not been fired upon were put into battle. This played a fatal role, especially during the New Year's assault.
- Could this mistake have been avoided?
Yes. Everything had to be worked out theoretically, how the intelligence data should be studied, the plan for capturing the city worked out and the operation carried out as planned, as was the case in Afghanistan. Then they thought: we could frighten the enemy with a huge amount of equipment, two groups, dividing Grozny into two parts. Nothing succeeded. They were prepared for this operation and calculated our steps.
- When did it become clear that you had lost?
As soon as the operation began.
- And you say you were prepared for Afghanistan?
In Afghanistan, I commanded the 350th Parachute Regiment, with which I was the first to enter Kabul. On December 27, 1979, we began the operation. And three months before the invasion, in September, a small group of officers and airborne generals was sent to Kabul to conduct reconnaissance operations. We spent several days studying routes, streets, memorizing everything by heart. And not only during the day, but also at night - there weren’t even street lights there. Therefore, it was necessary to learn to navigate in complete darkness.
- Have you been to Amin’s palace?
Was. Early in the morning I entered the palace and some officer showed me where Amin was killed: he jumped behind the bar counter, and a grenade was thrown there. The officer showed the room where he was lying, the women's rooms. In one of them there was a mirror, all splattered with blood, and in the middle there was a bullet hole. Skins, clothes, and jewelry were strewn everywhere. This officer tells me: “Take what you want as a souvenir.” And I took a piece of crystal pendant from the chandelier in Amin’s office. I keep it at home. I didn’t take anything else - we were well prepared and well-educated then.
- Do you think there will be a war with Iraq?
Will. According to my calculations, fighting will last 4-5 months. Then the American presence will likely remain for a year. Then peacekeeping forces from states such as Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania will enter.
218 days on a business trip
- Is there any time left for rest?
I usually don't get much rest. In 2001, I had 218 days of business trips. I usually take a vacation twice a year. In March, for two weeks, the whole family goes to Samara, to visit our son’s grave. And we go there in September - September 4th is his birthday. Well, the remaining days, as a rule, I rest in a rest home or sanatorium. I only vacationed abroad once, in Cyprus.
- Liked?
Very. True, all the vacationers ran to watch me swim in the sea.
- Do people recognize you even on vacation?
No. It was just in March.
- Then you can understand them... Do you like cars?
And how! I had a Volga, I sold it and bought a Mitsubishi Galant. Seven years old, but in excellent condition. But, unfortunately, despite the enormous driving experience, I somehow did not fit into the turn and dented it very badly right side. I had to repair it and sell it - the repair was very expensive. So now I don't have a car. But I love driving. On vacation - only by car! In 1964, I was a member of the school's pentathlon team. One of the types is figure driving. From then on I fell in love with driving. I like Mitsubishi because it is a very fast and intelligent car. But Mercedes is still in first place. I once had a Mercedes, although it was an old one. But the impression of him remains to this day. This is a car for Russian roads, but highest quality execution. He would still be running, but by a stupid accident he was burned. One friend in the cabin was smoking carelessly.
- Do you smoke yourself?
I quit smoking 21 years ago. In general, I smoked from the first grade. The elders forced us boys to collect cigarette butts from the cinema and “shoot” cigarettes from passers-by. I became a professional smoker somewhere in the second grade. I grew up with nicotine. And my father whipped me mercilessly with a belt. In general, it was worth it. But I simply adored him!
- Does General Shpak have any household duties?
If my wife asks, I never refuse. I can take out the trash and vacuum it. True, without much pleasure. But in winter, in the cold, with fresh snow, cleaning the carpet is easy!
My first specialty is an assistant driver.
- If you hadn’t joined the Airborne Forces, what would you have become?
Actually, I graduated from the railway school. In my first specialty, I am an assistant driver of a diesel locomotive. There's even an ID somewhere. And if I had not joined the army, I would have entered the Gomel Railway Institute. By the way, my brother finished it. He now works as a representative of the Belarusian railway in Warsaw.
- What is the commander of the Airborne Forces reading? Probably only military literature?
What do you! I really love to read. And by the way, have you seen anything like this? (Takes a thick notebook out of the desk drawer.) I write down all the books I have read. See: "The Hunt for Hitler's Favorites", Troshev "My War", Vasiliev "Russia. The Passing Century". (Turns through pages). "Cop in law." Well, this is a detective story. By the way, I really like detective stories. I love Marina. But in first place I still have Akunin. Here. I keep records.
- You probably go to the theater too?
I love the theater! And drama, and comedy, and ballet, and musicals. I don’t miss a single sensational performance. I went to Notre Dame. Fabulous!
- Who did they hit - Petkun or Yaremenko?
Of course, to Petkun! I liked him very much. And my wife and I were on the Chicago. It’s a pity that I can’t get around to watching “Nord-Ost”. And you should also go see The Witches of Eastwick. You must know what it is if everyone is talking about it! As soon as I return from a business trip, I will definitely go.
Blitz
- What type of women do you like?
Blonde and not skinny. Such women are created for love.
- Are you amorous?
No. But addicting.
- Favorite dish?
Fried potatoes with scrambled eggs.
- Favourite drink?
Champagne brut. Although I can drink a glass of vodka while hunting.
- Jeep or sports car?
Sports, of course!
- Desk book?
- "War and Peace".
- Favorite character?
Pierre Bezukhov. This is a very strong personality.
- Favorite movie?
A lot of them. "Kalina Krasnaya", "Quiet Don", "Officers".
- How is your last name translated?
Starling.
- What do they call you at home?
-What can’t you refuse?
From morning exercises.
-Are you gambling?
Rather yes than no.
- Football or hockey?
- Do you know how to wear suits?
Yes. I am equally comfortable in uniform and in civilian clothes.
Biography
Georgy Ivanovich Shpak was born on September 8, 1943 in the city of Ospovichi, Mogilev region. In 1960, after finishing the ninth grade, he entered the Minsk Railway School No. 3. In 1962, the Oktyabrsky RVK of Minsk was sent to study at the Ryazan Higher Airborne School, which he graduated from in 1966.
July 1966-September 1970 - commander of a platoon of cadets at the Ryazan Higher Airborne School.
August 1973 - battalion commander - August 1975 - battalion commander.
From December 1996 to the present - Commander of the Airborne Forces.
Awarded the Order of the Red Banner, "For Service to the Motherland and the USSR Armed Forces" III degree, "For Military Merit", and the Medal "For Military Merit".
Married in August 1968. Wife - Alevtina Grigorievna Shpak. Daughter Elena is a soldier, captain. Son Oleg died on March 29, 1995 in Chechnya.
Press press
General Shpak does not lose the form of one of the best paratrooper commanders - he holds the “corner” on the horizontal bar longer than many subordinates. But one thing is bad - while wandering from one hot spot to another on official business, the military leader does not hesitate to make statements that infuriate the silent generals from the General Staff. For example, that the losses of paratroopers in the Chechen war (from October 1999 to December of this year) amounted to only 330 soldiers and officers. While the total loss of federal forces over the same period reached almost 5 thousand people. But the Airborne Forces carry the main combat load in counter-terrorism operations, and only negative conclusions can be drawn about the training of other troops. The general is too straightforward and frank in his statements on other military-political issues that concern the public. Naturally, they don’t talk about all this out loud in the high offices of the Ministry of Defense. They keep it in their minds. The official reason for Shpak’s “highest displeasure” is an unsuccessful experiment in the Pskov division, which should be transferred to the contract principle of manning.
Kvashnin’s dislike for the Airborne Forces was not born today or even yesterday. With the tenacity of a maniac, he is trying to “lower” the winged guard to the rank of ordinary infantry. Even after the legendary forced march of paratroopers from Bosnia to Kosovo, which glorified General Kvashnin, he did not change his attitude towards the Airborne Forces. Many experts attribute this primarily to his difficult relationship with the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Georgy Shpak, in whom the Chief of the General Staff sees a serious competitor.
Over the years, the sons of nine generals and fifty-five colonels have died in Chechnya. This is rarely remembered.
During the war in Chechnya in 1994-1996, the following sons died:
Lieutenant General ANOSHIN Gennady Yakovlevich;
Major General Gennady Afanasyevich NALETOV;
Lieutenant General Vyacheslav Fedorovich SUSLOV;
Lieutenant General Konstantin Borisovich PULIKOVSKY;
Major General FILIPENKA Anatoly Mikhailovich;
Major General of Aviation CHIGASHOV Anatoly;
Colonel General ShPAK Georgy Ivanovich.
Lieutenant General Yuri Shchepin.
In 1999, the son of Lieutenant General Viktor Aleksandrovich SOLOMATIN died in Chechnya.
Here they are, the “general’s sons.” I was unable to find biographies of all of them or their photos.
Senior Lieutenant Anoshin Alexander Gennadievich, commander of a tank platoon of the 81st motorized rifle regiment. Died in Chechnya on January 1, 1995. Platoon of senior lieutenant Anoshin in that New Year's Eve fought for the railway station in Grozny. His body was found only on February 4. He was buried at Rubezhnoye Cemetery in Samara.
Captain Pulikovsky Alexey Konstantinovich, deputy commander of a tank battalion. He died on December 14, 1995 in an operation to liberate a regiment reconnaissance group that was ambushed near Shatoy. Buried in Krasnodar. Awarded the Order Courage (posthumously).
Lieutenant Filipenok Evgeny Anatolyevich, helicopter pilot. Died in Chechnya on January 25, 1995. His helicopter was shot down during a combat mission. Filipenko was buried in the Northern Cemetery of St. Petersburg. The Order of Courage is kept by his widow Natasha.
Lieutenant Chigashov Sergey Anatolyevich, platoon commander. Died in Chechnya on January 1, 1995. During the battle I replaced 2 tanks. The first, damaged car, was shot from a cannon so that it would not fall to the enemy. When the driver died, he sat in his place, was later hit again and was shot by snipers while leaving the burning car along with the gunner. Buried in Ulyanovsk
Guard Lieutenant Shpak Oleg Georgievich, commander of a parachute platoon. He died in Chechnya on March 29, 1995 at the age of 22, when he was blown up by a BMD during a combat mission.
Captain Shchepin Yuri Yurievich, company commander of a tank battalion of the 131st separate motorized rifle brigade. Died on January 1, 1995 at the Grozny railway station, during the evacuation of the wounded from the station square.
Hero of Russia Lieutenant Solomatin Alexander Viktorovich, platoon commander of the 245th regiment. Died in Chechnya on December 1, 1999. Moving along the route, the group came across a gang advancing towards them, which intended to arrange a meat grinder for the regiment in the form of an ambush. Eight versus five hundred is not the most favorable ratio, but the scouts boldly entered the battle. With this ratio, it is impossible to prevent encirclement by remaining in place, so the group commander gave the command to retreat. He covered the retreat himself.
ETERNAL MEMORY TO THEM!
Georgy Shpak initially refused the offer to become commander of the Airborne Forces. I could not forgive my relatives for the grievances they felt for their son Oleg, who died in Chechnya due to the negligence of his commanders. It was the hardest year of his life. Not a day without memories of my son, of their last meeting in Chechnya.
Deputy Minister of Defense Dmitry Sukhorukov, who commanded the winged infantry for seven years after Margelov, persuaded him to join the Airborne Forces.
“There will be another war,” he said then, “the troops need your experience, think about the people...
THIS IS A COMPANY!
After college, Shpak commanded a platoon of cadets for four years and a company for another three. Desperate to ask to join the troops, he decided to go to the headquarters of the Airborne Forces, and as a result became a battalion commander of a training division. And having made the battalion the best, he earned the right to the academy just in time - a year later it would have been too late. He made it. And then he showed himself so well during his studies that he was immediately promoted to regiment commander. This was the decision of the then commander of the Airborne Forces Vasily Margelov, who often promoted bright officers through the career ladder.
Their first meeting occurred when Uncle Vasya was checking the officers of the school for fire training, and Shpak, who was engaged in shooting, was specially placed next to the commander. When he fired three shots in seconds without lowering the pistol, Margelov called the lieutenant a dude, but when he saw the three tens knocked out, he immediately rewarded him with his watch. And two years later, as a company commander, Shpak again impressed the commander. He was doing exercises with a company of cadets, and suddenly - with a naked torso and a cigarette in his teeth - his dacha was nearby - the commander came up. Next is the head of the school’s rear services.
“Come on, Andryusha,” Margelov tells him, “pull yourself up on the bar.”
He couldn't. Then, turning to Shpak, Uncle Vasya, not knowing that he was doing gymnastics, provocatively suggested twirling the “sun” on the crossbar. And Captain Shpak, confidently stepping towards the crossbar, drew out the lace that amazed the commander.
- This is the company commander! – Margelov did not hide his emotions. - This is what I understand...
ONE PARACHUTE REGIMENT
Pavel Grachev was reproached for a long time with his dashing promise to subdue Grozny with one airborne regiment. Meanwhile, Kabul was taken in December 1979 in exactly this way. One parachute regiment. Regiment of Georgy Shpak.
First, regimental commanders and the command of the Vitebsk airborne division were called to Moscow. We studied the maps and flew to Afghanistan under the guise of tourists. We drove around Kabul for several days, studying the area of upcoming operations. And in November 1979 they were put on alert. It was about ten o'clock in the evening. As soon as he returned from service and only had time to take off his boots, Shpak again hurried to the regiment. And he flew away for a year and a half, without even having time to say goodbye to his family.
Arriving in Kabul, we camped near the airfield. And three days later we received the command to storm. And the landing behies rushed towards the Afghan army brigade and the local General Staff. The surprise left the enemy no chance. The Afghans were driven into barracks and were not allowed into the parks with equipment. Soon the resistance, and they fired at the column and even knocked out one BMD, was suppressed. The capture of the General Staff was also successful. Having blocked the building, we took up defensive positions. Fire from small arms was responded to by fire from combat vehicles.
After the operation, they promised to send the division home, but they were detained in Afghanistan for ten long years.
IN THE AFGHAN MOUNTAINS
Situations not provided for in the combat regulations began from the very first exit into the mountains. Most of the way to the province of Chakvardak, where Shpak’s regiment was sent to establish new order, passed along mountain roads. Ambushes and two-meter snow only at first seemed to be the main obstacle. When we came across the first gulley - a ten-meter hole on a narrow mountain road, on the right - a sheer cliff, on the left - a hundred-meter cliff, it was time to despair. The militants deliberately released water onto the roads, washing away such gaps.
It took three days to fill the hole with stones. But will the masonry hold up? combat vehicles? Here's a test you won't forget. The BMD went well, but the tank... Having crossed himself, the tank captain leads the T-62 onto the rocks. It drives about five meters, and the masonry begins to slowly crumble into the abyss. The tank goes deeper and deeper, now only the trunk sticks out above the road. That's it... But the experienced tanker, without accelerating, slowly scraping his tracks over the crumbling stones, still crawls out.
Then they spent another three days restoring the masonry, cutting down the forest, and laying down the logs. And they passed!
Everything had to be figured out during the course of hostilities. The main thing that Shpak demanded from his officers was not to pay for the Afghan roller coaster with soldiers’ lives. After each combat operation, the experience was carefully summarized. To combat, for example, ambushes on mountain roads, Shpak came up with the idea of dismounting one company and sending it on foot on horseback to cover the armored group going below. Driving on mountain roads is a matter of track after track, and only after engineering reconnaissance. If the fire is from a rock, the column closes - the car fits tightly to the car, and in the gap between the rock and the column you can walk, like in a trench. Barrels towards the enemy and fire at the greenery. We learned to climb mountains using ropes with knots. They immediately realized that you couldn’t fight much in the mountains wearing boots. Without waiting for the problem to be solved at the top, Shpak solved it himself. They slaughtered pigs in the regimental subsidiary farm that remained in Belarus and bought sneakers and woolen socks with the money raised. In order for the units to be more manageable and not to lose anyone wounded in the heat of battle, platoons began to be divided into combat twos and threes. One was wounded - the second one carries him out. In short, many of the tactical ideas of the commander of the famous 350th regiment, Colonel Shpak, were then used for a long time not only in Afghanistan, but also in Chechnya.
For Afghanistan, Shpak was nominated for the Hero Star, but at that time “Heroes” were given only posthumously. Therefore, the Order of the Red Banner became a memory of the Afghan roads and fallen friends. The most expensive reward.
WITH DEATH IN DISPUTE
The gap made by the dushmans under the asphalt while the column was stopping turned out to be exactly under his car. And when, upon resuming movement, Shpak’s commander’s “magpie” dived into a deep hole, he only miraculously did not fall out of it, managing to hold on to the handle of the open hatch.
The car flopped upside down into the liquid mud. Everyone groaned.
- Be silent! - Shpak stopped the panic. “Whoever raises a voice, I’ll shoot without warning.”
Silence. It's dark, you can't see anything. You just feel the dirt slowly creeping inside.
“Stop the engine,” he commands the mechanic.
He doesn’t find the button for a long time, but eventually turns off the engine.
“Try to open the hatch,” Shpak says to the signalmen.
The hatch can be opened slightly, but it is impossible to crawl through it.
People gathered around the overturned car argue loudly, unable to find a solution.
“Lower the GAZ-66 with a winch, hook it to the track and turn the car over,” Shpak commands.
It doesn’t work - the cable breaks.
“Then dig a trench and scoop out the dirt with buckets,” Shpak finds another solution.
Happened! Five hours later, it was already possible to pull the stunned soldiers out into one of the hatches. According to unwritten command laws, Shpak was the last to leave the emergency vehicle.
And when he returned from the war, he learned that they had rushed to bury him...
When, having barely arrived from Afghanistan, he went to Kaunas to see his old friend, the chief of logistics of the 7th division, he led him to a banquet hall with a table set for fifty people.
- Will friends come? – Shpak asked.
“No,” the friend answered, seating him at one end of the table and sitting down at the other. “It’ll just be the two of us.”
It turns out that when news of his death came from Afghanistan, he, having invited fifty colleagues, held a wake for him at this very table.
FROM KAUNAS TO TURKESTAN
Serving as deputy commander of the 7th Airborne Division stationed in Kaunas was remembered for the large-scale exercises “Zapad-81” and work with the commander of the formation, Vladislav Achalov.
Then there were three years of command of the 76th (Pskov) division. Having established a system of social competition, in which those who achieved objectively the best indicators grew faster than others, Shpak appointed to positions those who wanted and knew how to work, regardless of age, rank and career history. Fortunately, the commander of the Airborne Forces, Dmitry Sukhorukov, who knew him from Afghanistan, supported the young division commander in all his endeavors. As a result, the division soon became the best.
After the Academy of the General Staff, Shpak became deputy commander of the 14th Army, and then commander of the 6th Combined Arms Army with headquarters in Petrozavodsk. The scale of the inherited economy was impressive: 1,500 km along the front, 500 in depth. Managing such a colossus, I had to spend a week a month in each division. He was hardly seen at home during that period, but the new service taught him to think like a statesman. And new appointments were not long in coming: first he was appointed chief of staff of the Turkestan Military District, and then transferred to a similar position in the PriVO.
EXPERIENCE PAID IN BLOOD
Flying around the district's troops, Shpak met commanders, heads of regions and republics, and studied the situation on the ground. There was a massive redeployment of units from near and far abroad to the district. Due to the problems of their placement and arrangement, combat training somehow quietly faded into the background. And although its organization was not part of the direct responsibilities of the NS district, at the end of 1994 it forced him to forget about all other matters.
The first Chechnya fell out of the blue. At the beginning of December, the 81st motorized rifle regiment of the PriVO arrived in Mozdok. Understanding well that the personnel were not ready for war, Shpak, the commander of the district troops and a group of officers flew to Mozdok. For more than ten days, Shpak personally taught the soldiers how to shoot from an armored personnel carrier, equip belts, go on the attack and hold the defense. There was no time to figure out whose fault it was that the soldiers were not taught even basic things.
Under New Year a group of PriVO officers were asked to go home. Having learned how the 81st Regiment and the 131st Brigade, having entered the city in marching columns, fell into a stone bag and suffered catastrophic losses, Shpak could not find a place for himself. Then he did not yet know what loss lay ahead of him. On March 29, 1995, his son Oleg died. Lieutenant paratrooper. Commander of a parachute platoon.
He and his wife did not have children for a long time. Then Oleg was born, two years later - daughter Elena.
Military guests, military conversations - Oleg knew from childhood who he would be. Only as a paratrooper. While studying at the General Staff Academy - the son was then a student in the ninth and tenth grades - they ran three kilometers together every morning, practiced on the uneven bars and horizontal bar. And when Oleg entered the Ryazan Airborne School, he did not have the problems with physical training that most cadets experience. But there were other problems.
“It’s hard for me, dad,” Oleg once admitted, “they don’t like me because I’m a general’s son.”
“Well done, son, for what you said,” answered the father.
Arriving at Oleg’s company, Shpak asked to seat the personnel so that he could speak to the cadets. Introduced himself: Army Commander, Lieutenant General Shpak Georgy Ivanovich. And he told how he himself studied at this school, how hard the physical activity was, how difficult the friendship was, but if as freshmen they sometimes even fought, then by the fourth year they became like brothers. Then he told how he himself commanded a platoon and company at the school, how they took Kabul, how they were the first to fight in the mountains. And about how difficult it was for the family that changed garrison after garrison.
“And now, comrade cadets,” said the 47-year-old lieutenant general, taking off his jacket and approaching the crossbar, “I will show you three exercises.” Whoever manages to repeat it will go on vacation for ten days today, I will resolve the issue with the head of the school - the word of the general.
The company exploded with delight.
When Shpak showed on the horizontal bar and uneven bars exercises at the level of a candidate for master of sports in gymnastics, and then walked about ten meters on his hands around the barracks, the company fell silent. One daredevil tried to imitate something on the uneven bars, but fell to the laughter of his comrades.
- This, friends, is what normal men should do. Now imagine what kind of platoon and company commander I was,” Shpak summed up, shook the company commander’s hand and left.
Oleg no longer had problems with his comrades. And a real gymnastic mania began at the school - cadets of all courses began to practice the exercises shown by the army commander.
Shpak very closely followed his son’s development as an officer, constantly inquired about his service with the regiment commander, and gave Oleg advice.
In January 1995, when Oleg was in the hospital with a sore knee and ulcer, his battalion began to prepare for Chechnya. Leaving a receipt for voluntary refusal of treatment, Oleg left the hospital to go with everyone.
“I had no doubt that you would do so,” said Georgy Shpak, saying goodbye to his son.
For an hour, he advised Oleg on how to be in war: do not be shy about wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet, go along unfamiliar roads only after mine reconnaissance, caterpillar to caterpillar, and in order to immediately grow into the situation - ask your son-in-law about everything - also Oleg, whose battalion in Chechnya I changed my son’s battalion.
On March 15, Georgy Shpak flew in to check on the district units fighting in Chechnya. When he stopped by to see his son, whose company stronghold was located south of Komsomolskoye, Oleg, as his father had ordered, met him in a bulletproof vest and helmet. First of all, Shpak meticulously examined his son’s stronghold. The width, depth, location of fire weapons, the dugout with logs in three rolls - everything was military competent, which made Oleg very happy. Then he asked his son to leave for three days, and during his entire business trip they traveled around Chechnya together.
And two weeks later Oleg died.
Having arrived in Chechnya and having understood the circumstances of his son’s death, Shpak expressed many strong words to the officers, because of whose unprofessionalism his son died. But Oleg could not be returned...
He himself was brought back to life by Sukhorukov’s words about a new war and possible losses. As a result, in December 1996, Lieutenant General Georgy Shpak accepted the post of commander of the Airborne Forces.
AND AGAIN WAR
Many people probably remember the raid of paratroopers from Bosnia to Pristina in June 1999, which discouraged NATO members. However, what remained behind the scenes was the fact that this sensational forced march became possible thanks to the political foresight of the Airborne Forces commander, Colonel-General Georgy Shpak, who began preparations for the operation a week before the political decision. About the same thing happened two months later. Having learned about the invasion of militants in Dagestan, Shpak immediately, by his decision, led the battalion of paratroopers temporarily located near the Caspian Sea “to battle.” And when, despite the abundance of motorized rifle units in the region, this particular battalion of Novorossiysk paratroopers was sent to meet the militants, they, having marched to Botlikh, were several hours ahead of Basayev and Khattab, preventing the militants from transferring the war to Dagestan.
Having become commander, Shpak intensified combat training and, even before the appearance of permanent readiness units, created in each parachute regiment the so-called first-line battalions - units that were ready for combat use at any time. Well, when the war began, high-quality training of regimental tactical groups leaving for Chechnya was immediately identified as a priority task for the Airborne Forces.
He himself visited the combat zone 16 times.
In September 1999, on the way to Khasavyurt, where the Airborne Forces group was then stationed, the commander was informed of a radio interception: the militants were preparing an attack on him. But he refused to be persuaded to go to Khasavyurt at least every other day. Postponing the commander's visit due to the threat of attack, he said, would inevitably undermine the fighting spirit of the troops. But he came to raise it!
And when, at the height of the battles near Botlikh, the generals from the command of the North Caucasus Military District strongly pressed the commander of the 7th Airborne Division, General Yuri Krivosheev, forcing him to quickly take the hills occupied by the militants, Shpak, on the contrary, assured him that he would not give offense, strictly demanded to take care of people and do not rush to carry out bad orders.
“Demand air and artillery support,” he directed Krivosheev from his office, while the operators of the Airborne Forces command attacked last changes combat situation on the map.
Shpak often helped his officers in the development of combat operations. As, for example, when blocking Gudermes, when they were with the commander air assault regiment Colonel Yuri Em came up with the idea of luring the militants out by simulating an attack on the outskirts of the city and inflicting a massive artillery strike on them.
Shpak’s great merit, according to the officers, is that after the Dagestan events he was able to convince the Minister of Defense that the use of his troops by a single group led by its landing commander would not only reduce losses, but also make combat use airborne units especially effective.
The death of the 6th company of Pskov paratroopers lay a heavy scar on the commander’s heart. Shpak was not afraid and did not avoid meeting the relatives of the victims. On the contrary, I tried my best to support them. He, the general who lost his son, probably understood their grief more than anyone else. Paratroopers don’t die, he told them, they fly away and don’t return. How once his Oleg did not return...
LANDING TROOPERS ARE REDUCED ONLY IN BATTLE
In mid-November 1999, the reconnaissance group of the 31st separate airborne brigade. And a day later, the TV channels broadcast a story transmitted by the militants to one of the foreign news agencies. Two fighters told how the separatists shot their reconnaissance group. This was the only time during the entire war that paratroopers were captured. They told it under torture - Shpak immediately understood, considering the rescue of the guys a matter of honor.
Without disclosing the details of the operation, we will only say that within two months both released paratroopers were in his office. So he once again showed the ill-wishers of the troops the exclusivity of the Airborne Forces: they do not abandon their own troops.
Having left the army upon reaching age limit, Georgy Shpak became a deputy of the State Duma, and then the governor of the landing region itself - the Ryazan region. At the same time, his landing mentality manifested itself not only in the geography of the governorship, but also, above all, in his work. Sparing neither himself nor his subordinates, he confidently began to raise the region. At the same time, remaining simple and accessible: while his predecessor was vacating official housing, for four months he lived not in an apartment according to his rank, but in a modest mother-in-law’s apartment in the military town of Diaghilevo. And every morning, the pilots and their families watched in amazement as, upon leaving the old DOS, the 60-year-old governor, in excellent physical shape, went for a traditional morning jog. Paratrooper... Well, what else can you add.
During the four years of Shpak's governorship, many houses, schools, hospitals, and sports grounds were built in the Ryazan region. But the best thing about his work is probably the numbers. When he took over the region in 2004, its consolidated budget was 8 billion rubles, and when he left, this figure reached 28 billion. This is the economic breakthrough the region made under the leadership of “Governor General” Georgy Shpak.
And yet, according to the Airborne Forces officers, Georgy Shpak left the main mark on the army while commanding his native troops. The fact is that, starting from the mid-1990s, every now and then there arose in the General Staff various projects reduction of the Airborne Forces - from the transfer of a number of airborne divisions to the military districts to the liquidation of the Airborne Forces as independent kind troops. Well, the General Staff did not want to admit that the paratroopers, once created as an auxiliary branch of troops, de facto became the main striking force of the Soviet, and then Russian army. It got to the point that representatives from the districts were already coming to the landing units to receive assets, but in the end, all decisions “reducing” the landing force were canceled at the last moment anyway. Therefore, when asked about the main service to history of Georgy Shpak, who commanded the Airborne Forces for seven years and led the Ryazan region for four years, paratrooper officers, without hesitation, answer with one succinct phrase: he preserved the Airborne Forces.
Commanding Airborne Hero Russian Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov:
“I consider Georgy Ivanovich Shpak my teacher. To this day I am grateful to him for the fact that back in 1984, as the commander of the 76th division, he believed in me, nominating me as commander of the 1st battalion of the 104th parachute regiment. I am also grateful for the constant monitoring of my professional growth, and for the fact that, when I was already a regiment commander, he entrusted me with his son who graduated from our school - this is with us, in Airborne troops, is worth a lot. Unfortunately, the war that began after I left for a new duty station tragically cut short the life of Oleg Shpak.
“With all my heart I congratulate Georgy Ivanovich on his 70th birthday, I wish him good health and all the best.”
Chairman of the Union of Russian Paratroopers Hero Soviet Union Valery Vostrotin:
“While still at school, I paid attention to the commander of the neighboring company, Captain Georgy Ivanovich Shpak. In addition to the fact that he was a good company commander, there was something of the hussars in him, which distinguished him from the other officers of the school.
When I started serving as an officer, I heard a lot good reviews about Georgy Ivanovich, but met him in Afghanistan, almost immediately after the completion of the assault on Amin’s palace. The battle had just ended, and an armored personnel carrier drove up to us, from which Colonel Shpak emerged. Energetic, fit and confident in himself and his subordinates, the commander of the 350th regiment, who knew how to rally people around him, evoked respect and a sense of reliability.
Georgy Ivanovich remained like this throughout his entire service. Especially in the 90s, when, at the cost of incredible efforts, he managed to preserve the Airborne Forces as a separate branch of the military. And even now he doesn’t lose touch with the Airborne Forces, helping veterans.”
Commander of the 36th Combined Arms Army, Hero of Russia, Major General Mikhail Teplinsky:
“Georgy Shpak left a milestone in history by preserving the Airborne Forces in an era of wholesale army reduction. I would also note the fact that, as commander of the Airborne Forces, he prioritized the promotion of officers with combat experience to higher positions. And the fact that, being the chief of staff of the PriVO, Shpak did not consider it worthy to hide his only son from the war, deserves unconditional respect.”
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20 years ago 19 year old warrior Evgenia Rodionova The militants beheaded him for refusing to take off his Orthodox cross. This happened on May 23, 1996 in Chechnya in the village of Bamut.
A few months after the execution, Zhenya’s mother, Lyubov Vasilievna, met face to face with her son’s killer, field commander R. Khaikhoroev. “You raised a greyhound son! — the militant told her in the presence of an OSCE representative. — He tried to escape twice. We suggested that he take off the cross, accept our faith and fight against the feds. He refused. We kill these people. If you come again, you’ll be finished, don’t tempt fate!”
What did the militants expect?
Zhenya’s mother tested her fate during all 9 months, during which she traveled to more than 70 villages and mountain villages in search of her son: “Since then, I know Chechnya better than our village of Kurilovo near Moscow,” says AiF. Lyubov Vasilievna Rodionova.
Yevgeny Rodionov was captured in February 1996 when their checkpoint was attacked by militants. The bandits traveled in an ambulance. In addition to Zhenya, three more fellow soldiers were captured - ml. sergeant Andrey Trusov, privates Alexander Zheleznov And Igor Yakovlev. Traces of the unequal struggle (there were many times more militants) will remain in the snow even after a week, and Lyubov Vasilyevna will see them with her own eyes. And in the seventh month of searching he will hear: “Your son is dead. Look for him in Bamut...” Lyubov Vasilievna finds out that both Zhenya and three of his fellow soldiers refused to send a ransom request to their relatives - they understood that their parents did not have that kind of money. They were held captive for three months and tortured, but the militants were unable to break any of the boys.
Lyubov Rodionova dug up the remains of her son with my own hands, and before that she went 17 times to negotiate with Zhenya’s killer so that he would indicate the exact location. Khaikhoroev constantly put forward new demands. The decisive factor was the money that Lyubov Vasilievna paid to the militants by mortgaging the apartment. “I swore silence to the bandits. Keep silent about the fact that a ransom was paid, that the bodies of the executed guys lay unburied for two weeks. Maskhadov issued an order not to hand over the mutilated bodies of our soldiers until it was impossible to identify traces of the militants’ atrocities. They wanted to look before the OSCE and in the eyes of the world media not as executioners, but as warriors. They waited for time to hide the traces of the crime and they would be able to say that Zhenya and three of his fellow soldiers, Andrei, Alexander and Igor, died during the bombing of the federals. I couldn't keep quiet about it...
There was a cross on Zhenya’s chest, which they didn’t dare take off from him even when he was dead. Zhenya has worn this cross since he was 11 years old. “Then my son returned from vacation from his grandmother with a cross on his chest. He said that he went to church, confessed, took communion. I convinced him to take off the cross, saying that they would laugh at him. We baptized him a little over a year ago, but I didn’t take him to church because I wasn’t a churchgoer. But Zhenya behaved very firmly then. He wore a cross on a string, not taking it off even during sambo training.
When I brought Zhenya to our village, it was evening. All those who knew him gathered. And at night I was left alone with him. And I couldn’t stop talking. “I’ve been looking for him for so long,” continues Lyubov Vasilievna. - I remembered a lot. We moved to a separate two-room apartment in 1994. Before that, we lived in a hostel, I worked three jobs, and left at 6 in the morning. Zhenya himself got up for school, returning home, preparing lunch. He matured early. He had an amazing ability to see beauty in ordinary things - he could walk past an autumn puddle, saying: “What do you see there? Dirt? And try to see the sky there.” From the army he sent me a poetic congratulation on my birthday:
I wish you a lot of happiness
May you live many years
May you always be young
And always be with me
How to touch hearts?
On the day of the funeral, I myself transferred my son from “zinc” to a wooden coffin. And five days later they buried Zhenya’s dad - Alexandra. He died on Zhenya’s grave - he put ten chocolates on it, hugged the earth and never got up again. We broke up with Sasha when Zhenya was 7 years old. She and her son loved each other and communicated. Now they are lying next to each other.
100 meters from the son’s grave is an ancient temple in honor of the Ascension of Christ; on the day of Zhenya’s death, May 23, 1996, the Church celebrated this very holiday - the Ascension. And it's also my son's birthday. On the day of his execution he turned 19 years old.
Near Bamut, at the place where we found the bodies of the children, Muslims helped us install an Orthodox cross with the words: “We want God to forgive us this innocent blood, to remove the curse from our village.” Everyone there knew the story of the captured guys.”
After the death of her son, Lyubov Vasilyevna visited Chechnya more than 60 times, and each time with a charitable cargo. “I brought first aid in November 1999. It was then that Mother’s Day was celebrated. I remember how cold the wind was when we handed mittens, socks, and blankets to the soldiers. Then I received a letter from these guys: “We will always remember that your gifts helped us survive this winter.” Is it possible to stop after this?Lyubov Vasilyevna admits that she never ceases to be amazed at how many people’s hearts were touched by the fate of her son: “He accomplished so little during his lifetime. And so much after death. Thousands of people come to his son’s grave. Museums of Zhenya Rodionov are being created, books about him are being published in Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. Abroad they call him Evgeniy Russky. I was shocked by the incident when a veteran of the Great Patriotic War came to Zhenya’s grave. Patriotic War and left his military awards as a sign of respect. Zhenya himself was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.”
We are talking with Lyubov Vasilievna at the cemetery. The inscription on the cross overshadowing the grave of her son reads: “Here lies the Russian soldier Yevgeny Rodionov, who defended the Fatherland and did not renounce Christ, executed near Bamut on May 23, 1996.” From the place where Zhenya rested, a breathtaking view of forests and fields opens up. “I love coming here—there’s a lot of sky here. But what will happen to the grave when I'm gone? An unkempt grave is considered ownerless, and others are buried there. We need a law that will make soldiers' graves inviolable throughout the country. Our sons preserved their integrity at the cost of their lives Russian Federation“Can’t the state find the strength and means to take care of the 2 by 2 meter plots of land where the heroes are buried?”
The worship cross on the M4 highway is one of the popular signs of veneration of the warrior Eugene. Many honk as they drive by, as if saluting. And the soldier’s mother, looking back at the past 20 years, says: “All these years I’ve been trying to live in such a way that when we meet Zhenya in eternity, he won’t be ashamed of me.”
