Russian Uniforms in Chechnya

[ErikB]

This is great info!  Thanks, folks.  Please keep it coming.

[madman]

This is great info!  Thanks, folks.  Please keep it coming.

Yes please. I find things from these actions very confusing. Mind you I haven't gotten very deep into it yet, so many other areas to research. It makes perfect sense, being an "internal" issue many forces other than the standard front line military were involved. I think it is very cool that each brought their own equipment, such as uniforms, with them giving quite a variety of options for us gamers. I also believe, perhaps wrongly, that one of the results of these actions was the creation or build up of ISIS caused by the exodus, forced or "voluntary" of Muslim insurgents from Chechnya and other areas in that region.

[cuprum]

Feel free to ask if you need any clarification.

Another important point - in terms of combat qualities, the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were significantly higher than the linear army units (except for special forces), since army units were mainly staffed with conscripts (18-20 years old), who had a rather weak level of training at that time.
The units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (OMON) were staffed with well-trained fighters who had already served in the army, who often served in Afghanistan and other "hot spots" with considerable combat experience.

Among the Chechen rebels there were also many former officers and soldiers of the Soviet army who had combat experience in Afghanistan, as well as experience of participating in hostilities in other "hot spots". For example, the battalion Shamil Basayev was trained at the KGB bases as a special forces unit and took part in the war between the Georgians and the Abkhaz on the side of the Abkhaz rebels (against the Georgian troops).
In addition, large detachments of the Afghan Taliban and Arab Wahhabis fought on the side of the Chechens, who also had extensive combat experience.
Well, in general, almost every adult man in the USSR, fit for military service, completed military service in the Soviet Army and had a military specialty, so the rebels had a sufficient number of military specialists with the basic skills of a professional regular army soldier.

[madman]

Well, in general, almost every adult man in the USSR, fit for military service, completed military service in the Soviet Army and had a military specialty, so the rebels had a sufficient number of military specialists with the basic skills of a professional regular army soldier.

So the Soviet Union, and Russia, are approaching 100% (say 80% plus realistically) universal basic military service? I did not know that. That is similar to Israel as another example. I assumed they were voluntary, say after the break up and well below 80% in the past due to many excuses. Thank you for that tidbit!

[cuprum]

Every Soviet male citizen fit for military service for health reasons was obliged to serve in the army by conscription for two years (in the navy - three years). Only those who entered a higher educational institution of a civilian profile were exempted from such a service. But in this case, they were trained at the military department, passed several months of military field studies and, together with a diploma of graduation, received the rank of reserve officer. These were usually army technical specialists (tankers, supply, logistics, artillery, etc.). Once every five to seven years, soldiers and reserve officers were called up for military training (2-3 months), where they underwent retraining for new military equipment and "refreshed" their skills.
So yes, military training covered a large percentage of the population, like Israel. In addition, in ordinary educational schools, the subject "Initial military training" was necessarily taught, where all children were trained in Initial military formation, the use of a Kalashnikov assault rifle, the basics of field medicine, the ability to survive in war with the use of weapons of mass destruction.
Only men who had served in the army were recruited to serve in the police (and other security services).