1. Alpha Training Course

Alpha group emblem Active 28 July 1974 - present Country (1974–1991) Post-Soviet states with Alpha units: Allegiance Branch of the (1974–1991) Russia: (1991–1993) (1993–1995) (1995–present) Type Role, Size Classified (estimated 500 in 1991, 250–300 in Russia in 2004 ) Part of Garrison/HQ (main force), (in Russia) Nickname(s) Alpha Group, Alpha (Alfa) Engagements Russia: Commanders Current commander Col. Valery Kanakin Notable commanders Gen. Gennady Zaitsev Spetsgruppa 'A', also known as Alpha Group (a popular English name), or Alfa, whose official name is Directorate 'A' of the FSB Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB), is an elite, stand-alone sub-unit of. It is a dedicated task force of the Russian, which primarily prevents and responds to violent acts in public transportation and buildings. It was created by the Soviet in 1974. Although little is known about the exact nature of its primary directives, it is speculated that the unit is authorised to act under the direct control and sanction of Russia's top political leadership, similar to its sister unit, the Directorate 'V' , which is officially tasked with protecting Russia's strategic installations. It is also available for extended police duties, for paramilitary operations, and for, both domestically and internationally.

Russian Prime Minister shakes hands with Alpha officers during a visit to, in 2011 The Alpha Group was involved in the of 1994–1996, following the Chechens' declaration of independence from the Russian SFSR and then the Soviet Union in 1990–1991. In the fall of 1994, Alpha provided personal security details for the main commanders of the invasion of, Defense Minister and federal Interior Minister, as they travelled to the airbase in, which was the main headquarters, staging area and logistics base for Russian forces entering Chechnya. Later, many Alpha troops served in 'mobile anti-terror groups' ( mobilnye gruppy antiterrora), as well as providing security for the pro-Moscow Chechen government complex and the regional FSB headquarters in the Chechen capital. In August 1996, by Chechen separatist forces, 35 of them (including 14 members of the territorial Alpha unit from Krasnodar Krai) took part in a defence of the FSB headquarters. The separatist forces began to systematically retake individual buildings which were being defended by cut-off groups of Russian military and security forces. By the war's final ceasefire, the main FSB office was one of the few key structures still being held by federal forces in central Grozny, but at the cost of 70 of its defenders' lives in some of the fiercest fighting during the last battle. Allegations arose, following the of August 1996, that the ATC carried out clandestine operations intended to discredit the, so that it would not receive international recognition of its independence.

Alpha Training helps develop people and grow businesses through flexible training solutions in Information Technology, Management and Leadership and Personal.

Alpha Training Course

According to, the service '. Was most likely deeply involved.'

In many of the high-profile kidnappings which damaged Chechnya's reputation. Littell wrote: 'It is impossible to say whether these provocations were part of a more general FSB policy or whether the ATC and its departments were running their own show; certainly it did not reflect the official policy of the government, nor of those officials like, the Secretary of the, tasked with the Chechen dossier between 1996 and 1999.' Alpha was active during the that began in 1999, as well as the subsequent.

During the 2000, Alpha snipers attached to 's Western Group of federal forces, were deployed in an attempt to suppress 's snipers in the village. According to the unit's veterans, operations in which Alpha took part led to the arrest of Chechen commander in 2000, the killing of Chechen commander in 2001, the killing of Chechen separatist President in 2005, and the killing of foreign militant leader in in 2006. Following the transfer of responsibility for operations in Chechnya from the to the FSB in January 2001, and prior to the 'Chechenization' policy that began in 2003, Alpha members (along with the other Russian personnel and pro-Moscow Chechen militia) participated in at least 10 mixed 'combined special groups' ( svodnye spetsialnye gruppy, SSGs), considered by human rights groups and outside observers.

It is believed that the SSGs were behind many of the numerous 'name/address cleansings' ( imeny/adressny zachistki): usually night-time raids by masked men in unmarked vehicles, targeting specific active or former rebel combatants, their supporters, their relatives, or other civilians for either or outright. In 2005, declared that the disappearances had reached the scale of a, and that 'Russia has the inglorious distinction of being a world leader in enforced disappearances.' Chechnya's UFSB also formed a local Alpha unit, believed to be similar in its role to the SSGs. Mass hostage crises.

The badge of SBU Alfa Group. Special Group 'Alpha' is a branch of the; and a successor of the 's Alpha Group. It has continued to be informally called 'Alpha'. Self-styled new units In Georgia established its own Alpha unit. It was created as one of the three special forces units belonging to the Ministry of State Security, the other two being named Delta and Omega.

In 1995, members of Alpha and the Minister of State Security, were blamed for the failed bombing attempt on the life of President. After that, Giorgadze fled to Moscow, and Georgia's Alpha was purged and reorganised. In Kyrgyzstan A special unit named 'Alfa' Special Operations Executive (ASOE) was established within the State Committee on National Security (GKNB) of Kyrgyzstan. In 2010, eight members of ASOE, including five snipers and the unit's commander, were charged with shooting and killing unarmed people during the. Criminal cases were brought to the court under the articles: 97 (murder), and 305 part 2 (exceeding the limits of authority).

References. ^ Ibp Usa, Russia Foreign Policy and Government Guide, page 113. ^, The Guardian, 4 September 2004. ^ David Cox (2001).

Greenwood Publishing Group. Retrieved 19 February 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008.

Retrieved 2008-02-01. CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown by Jonathan Littell.

Espionage History Archive. Retrieved 2015-08-24. Retrieved 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014., Washington Post, 30 March 1979. ^ David Cox, Close Protection: The Politics of Guarding Russia's Rulers, pages 60, 101, 106, 127. Hackard, Mark.

Espionage History Archive. Retrieved 2015-08-24. Hackard, Mark.

Espionage History Archive. Retrieved 2015-08-24. Archived from on 2008-02-01. Retrieved 3 March 2014.

^ Jeffery T. Richelson, A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century, page 359., BBC News, 27 December 2009. ^ Glenn Peter Hastedt; Steven W. Guerrier (31 December 2010). Retrieved 19 February 2013. (in Russian).

Retrieved 3 March 2014. (in Russian) by A. Lyakhovskiy.

Retrieved 3 March 2014. 15 January 1986. Retrieved 3 March 2014., BBC News, 19 July 2011., RIA Novosti, 18 July 2011. 19 July 2011.

Retrieved 3 March 2014. David Satter, Age of Delirium: The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union, pg. Retrieved 3 March 2014. (in Russian) (extracts from the indictment of the conspirators). (in Russian), by Artem Krechnikov, Moscow BBC correspondent 27 November 2007 at the., 15 August 2001.

18 August 1993. Retrieved 3 March 2014. English pravda.ru. 20 August 2004. Retrieved 3 March 2014.

Gary Borg, Chicago Tribune, 15 October 1995. Retrieved 2014-05-04. 18 January 2013 at the. Taylor, Politics and the Russian Army: Civil-Military Relations, 1689–2000, page 294. ^ Roy Aleksandrovich Medvedev, George Shriver, Post-Soviet Russia: A Journey Through the Yeltsin Era, page 127.

Margaret Shapiro, The Washington Post, 5 October 1993. Serge Schemann, The New York Times, 5 October 1993. Katz (1 September 2004). Twenty-First Century Books.

Retrieved 19 February 2013. John Pike. Retrieved 3 March 2014. ^ Olga Oliker, Russia's Chechen Wars 1994–2000: Lessons from Urban Combat, Issue 1289, pages 31, 77. Antero Leitzinger, Caucasus and an Anholy Alliance, page 285.

Archived from on 2008-02-01. Retrieved 3 March 2014. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2003.

Omelicheva, Counterterrorism and Human Rights, page 132. Mark Franchetti, 'Russian death squads 'pulverise' Chechens', Sunday Times, 26 April 2009. 27 September 2013 at the.

Sebastian Smith, Allah's Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya, New Edition, pages 202, 213. ^ Robert W. Schaefer, The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad, pages 132, 136–138. ^ Adam Dolnik, Keith M. Fitzgerald, Negotiating Hostage Crises With the New Terrorists, pages 46–47.

Andrew Felkay, Yeltsin's Russia and the West, page 123. (in Russian). John Giduck, Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy With Lessons For America's Schools, page 112. Michael Specter, The New York Times, 22 January 1996., Moscow News 2004 N.41 – a discussion of the long-term effects of the anesthetic on the surviving hostages. 29 February 2008 at the., The Guardian, 27 October 2002., RIA Novosti, 20 December 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2014. ^ (ECHR document about the siege).

Uwe Klussmann, Spiegel Online, 27 August 2005. Yaroslav Lukov, BBC News, 2 September 2005. Yuri Zakharovitch, TIME, 31 August 2006. ^ David Satter, Forbes.com, 10.01.09. Nick Paton Walsh, The Guardian, 6 September 2004., RIA Novosti, 20 October.

Madina Sageyeva, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, 18 August 2005. (in Russian) 27 September 2013 at the. Omelicheva, Counterterrorism Policies in Central Asia, page 119., BBC Monitoring International Reports, 22 February 2006. Aaron Belkin, United We Stand?: Divide-and-Conquer Politics And the Logic of International Hostility, pages 106–107. 27 September 2013 at the., Memorial, 16 November 2010.

Sources. and (1999). The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB. New York: Basic Books., pages 389–391. Barry Davies, (2005). The Spycraft Manual: The Insider's Guide to Espionage Techniques. Carlton Books Ltd.

Age of Delirium: The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press.

External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to. (in Russian). (in Russian).

(in Russian).

Alpha Group (Alfa), also known as Spetsgruppa “A”, is a special unit within the Center for Special Operations of the Russian FSB. Alpha’s are the most famous special force in Russia, founded in 1974.

They are the guards of the Russian state and its security, the most powerful unit in the country and among the main forces that have ensured the Olympics in Sochi. The main task of the Russian unit Alpha is the fight against terrorism and terrorist groups, their arrest and liquidation, as well as solving the most complex hostage situation in the hijacked planes, buses, trains, and the protection of important people, objects and events. Organization Administration”A”- has five departments, and the administration” B ” has four departments. The department is a permanent unit consisting of an assault group of 30 people. All duties in the operative-fighting departments are officer’s.

Commander of Alpha group is a officer of the rank of general, and the selection of personnel for the unit Alpha is performed by the most stringent criteria for anti-terrorist unit. Training and selection The candidates for special unit Alpha are aged between 22 and 27 years, while the older and more experienced, veterans of many actions, remain in management positions, working as instructors in the logistics services. Every registered candidates, officers from the police, special units of the army, who have already undergone certain training facilities, including specialist courses, but on the selective course they are all equal, and all of them automatically start from scratch. The candidate must have a university education, must be physically prepared, mentally and physically healthy and that possess high moral and volitional qualities. Time for studying candidate takes more than a year in all segments of the training, and the decision on admission shall be made collectively. To become a top professional and member of the Alpha unit, the candidate has to spend three years in training.

During basic training, they pass a very strenuous phase of infantry training, parachuting, diving, sniper operations, practical shooting, they learn foreign languages and martial arts, studying the phenomenon of terrorism in Russia and the world, following other people’s experiences in the field of anti-terrorism. Operatives are organized into groups of 12 specials, which are divided into teams of four members, and the basic operation motto of their mission is: “Where Alpha appears, compromise stops.” Their mission As a central anti-terrorist unit of the Russian state, which enjoys a special prestige and status, Alpha group provides security for leaders of Russia and foreign statesmen (VIP) while residing in the territory of Russia. Special unit Alpha passed through many great battles during the war in Chechnya, and was responsible for activities in all major hostage situations, which have shaken not only the Russian public, but also the world: Budenovsk, Kizljar-Pervomajsk, Dubrovka, Beslan.