"Vympel" special forces

Russia has two "sharp swords" in the fight against terrorism, one is the well-known "Alpha" special forces, and the other is the "Vympel" special detachment under the Federal Security Service.

The biggest difference between the two is that the former is mainly engaged in counter-terrorism activities at home, while the latter specializes in counter-subversion and alerting Russian targets abroad.

Because "Alpha" has been disclosed many times in recent years, and its actions have also attracted much attention, many people are familiar with it.

However, there is little knowledge of the "Vympel" special detachment, because since the day of its formation, it has been a mysterious super special force, rarely appears in public, and most of them operate outside Russia, so the "Vympel" detachment has always been covered with a veil of mystery

On August 19, 1981, the Council of Ministers of the former Soviet Union and the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the former Communist Party of the Soviet Union held a secret meeting to discuss the secret formation of a "top-secret detachment" within the KGB system for the purpose of conducting secret agent activities abroad. The decision of the top leadership of the former USSR was unanimously agreed by the delegates and entrusted the KGB "Directorate" with specific responsibility for the formation of special forces. The new special forces unit took the name "Vympel" and was commanded by the hero of the storming of the Amin Palace, Rear Admiral Ewald Kozlov. In terms of organization, the "Signal Banner" was included in the KGB "Bureau", that is, the Overseas Secret Espionage Bureau. New Town XXS

With the exception of a few, no one knew about the existence of the "Vympel" special forces.

Its name was "Independent Training Center of the KGB of the Former Soviet Union", and the unit number was 35690, which was later changed to 5555.

The selection of "signal flag" members is very strict, and they must not only be politically qualified, absolutely loyal to the motherland, and loyal to the instructions of the supreme leader in the country, but also have excellent professional, physical, and psychological qualities, and be familiar with the customs and customs of a certain country.

The members of the "Vympel" team are mainly selected from among the outstanding graduates of state security organs, airborne troops, border guards, and intermediate military academies. The age limit is between 2,227 years old, and one can generally be selected among 1,520 candidates, and when they retire at the age of 35, there are only 10 years of service before and after, and the first 5 years are mainly used for training.

Another important condition for selecting members of the "Vympel" special forces is knowledge of foreign languages. In general, candidates should know two foreign languages. Among them, one foreign language should be proficient, and the second foreign language should be able to translate written materials with the help of dictionaries.

The members of the "Vympel" special forces are all "supermen," all of whom are brave and good at fighting, and all of them are equipped with unique skills, and this is mainly the result of rigorous training. After being selected as the "Signal Flag", all team members must re-undergo basic education and training, special education training and professional skills training. Although all members of the Vympel team have received higher education, they must also spend a long time training to become "professional members of secret warfare".

The first is the latest.