| The new chief of staff of the Airborne Forces can lead the process of creating special anti-terrorist troops The new chief of staff of the Airborne Forces was the former deputy commander of the Airborne Forces, Lieutenant General Valery Evtukhovich. Journalists were the first to regret the departure of the former “ensha”, Lieutenant General Nikolai Staskov, who wrote a report on his dismissal due to illness: the general was open to the press, responded to most requests from those writing and filming. It is still unclear how the new appointee will behave with the press.
Valery Evtukhovich was born in April 1954 in the city of Vyazma, Smolensk region, graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne School and two military academies - named after Frunze and the General Staff. Served in Belarus, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Lithuania. He went through all the steps of his military career, starting with platoon commander. The last significant positions he held were commander of the parachute regiment (three years) and head of the 242nd Airborne Training Center (two years).
Since 1999, General Evtukhovich commanded the Russian group of peacekeeping forces in the zone of interethnic conflict in Kosovo, and then the airborne task force under the Russian airborne brigade in Bosnia. “If Russia leaves the Balkans now, it will never return here again,” the general said then. He successfully established relations with the Albanians, explaining to them the difference between the peacekeepers and those volunteers from Russia who were fighting on the side of the Serbs against the Kosovo Liberation Army.
In his previous position, General Evtukhovich oversaw the combat training of paratroopers, leading most of the exercises, and supervised the transition of the experimental 76th division to a contract method of recruitment. He was also responsible for training units sent to the North Caucasus. The general became deputy commander in October 1998. By army standards, he stayed too long. The position of chief of staff for Evtukhovich, if it can be considered an increase, is a very small one. In this case, one could say: exchanged the awl for soap. If not for one significant circumstance.
As you know, in the middle of this month the State Duma adopted amendments to the Law “On Defense”, creating a legal basis for the use of the army against terrorists. In this regard, within the walls of the Ministry of Defense the issue of creating a new formation - Special Forces (troops) (SVSN) is being urgently worked out. They will be created on the basis of paratroopers and army special forces units. The latter are a combination of reconnaissance and sabotage work behind enemy lines. It is assumed that the IAF will participate in peacekeeping operations and in operations to prevent terrorist attacks, having for this purpose an air, ground and sea component.
The command of the new type of troops will report directly to the leadership of the military department. The issue of the new structure is planned to be discussed at one of the upcoming Security Council meetings. According to a Vremya Novostey source at the General Staff, the formation of the SVSN will most likely be entrusted to the experienced General Yevtukhovich. For this purpose, he was appointed to a new position, “much more suitable for fulfilling the mission entrusted to him.” Nikolay POROSKOV |
|
