Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian paratroopers on their professional holiday. As the head of state emphasized, the airborne troops show courage, courage, fortitude and unbending character in the NVO zone.

"Today, these military, patriotic traditions are worthily continued by paratroopers participating in a special military operation. They solve the tasks with honor, show courage and courage, fortitude and unbending character, shoulder to shoulder with their comrades defend Russia. I am convinced that you will never fail, you will continue to firmly guard the national interests of the state, "the president's congratulatory message published on the Kremlin website says.

The combat work of the "winged infantry" was also highly appreciated by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. In his congratulatory message, the head of the military department noted that in the NVO zone, the "blue berets" show unparalleled heroism, courage and mutual assistance.

"Today, as before, the servicemen of the airborne troops are real professionals who skillfully master the latest weapons systems, capable of acting clearly and coherently, solving the most complex tasks in any situation," Shoigu said.

According to the head of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, at all times the soldiers of the "winged infantry" were a model of true patriotism, loyalty to the military oath and duty. The Minister of Defense expressed confidence that the paratroopers will continue to defend Russia's national interests with honor.

At the forefront

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in the NVO zone, airborne units perform assault missions, participate in defensive actions, and suppress the work of enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups (DRGs).

Often, paratroopers engage in battle with superior enemy forces. One of these episodes is described in an article in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper dated August 2, dedicated to the combat path of the Chief of Staff of the Ivanovo Guards Airborne Division, Colonel Alexander Shipov.

In the first combat exit, the officer led a tactical group that ensured the movement of a reserve command post. When 400 m remained to the desired point, the gunner-operator with the call sign Kamen discovered the enemy's DRG. After assessing the situation, Shipov decided to launch a preemptive strike on the enemy - 13 paratroopers entered the battle with about four dozen Ukrainian militants.

The battle lasted for several hours. Thanks to the skillful and courageous actions of the Blue Berets, the enemy unit retreated, suffering significant losses. Ivanovo paratroopers destroyed 20 nationalists, four combat vehicles, suppressed three enemy artillery firing points. For their courage, the participants of the battle were awarded state awards.

Also, Shipov and his comrades once had to endure two weeks of fierce fighting, when the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began with the first rays of the sun and ended deep after midnight. In this case, according to the chief of staff, the professional work of the artillerymen made a great contribution to deterring the onslaught of the enemy.

"The artillerymen of the division under the command of Guard Lieutenant Colonel Arseny Isaev showed themselves very competently. The scouts timely identified advancing enemy columns and groups and corrected artillery fire, and the artillerymen, in turn, accurately inflicted fire damage, due to which we achieved tangible results: the enemy did not approach the front line, and often, having met a fierce rebuff, dismounted and left the battlefield, "Shipov told Krasnaya Zvezda.

According to the colonel, in addition to artillery, in the NVO zone, the actions of the paratroopers are supported by the strikes of army aviation, tanks and UAVs. Thanks to such coherence in one of the directions, the Blue Berets captured 17 enemy strongholds.

  • Artillerymen of the Ivanovo Airborne Forces destroy the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Artyomovsk direction

The new issue of Krasnaya Zvezda also published an interview with Major General, commander of the 7th Novorossiysk Guards Airborne Assault Division Alexander Kornev. Since the beginning of the special operation, the servicemen of this compound have destroyed several hundred enemy tanks and armored vehicles, over 1 thousand units of enemy vehicles.

According to Kornev, the capabilities of the compound have increased significantly with the advent of a larger number of artillery pieces, electronic warfare (electronic warfare) and a variety of UAVs.

Saturation with drones, including shock types, allowed unit commanders to independently solve the tasks of hitting targets, the major general emphasized. In particular, Kornev announced the successful use of FPV drones and Lancet loitering ammunition.

"From June 20 to the present day, our operators of these weapons (Lancets. - RT) destroyed 16 M-777 howitzers, NASAMS air defense systems and radars of this complex, as well as Iris air defense systems. Moreover, the defeat was carried out at ranges beyond the capabilities of our artillery, "said the commander of the 7th division.

Since the beginning of the SVO, five servicemen of the Novorossiysk Airborne Forces have been awarded the title of Hero of Russia. One of them is the commander of the anti-aircraft platoon of the guard, Lieutenant Anatoly Ishchenko. His paratroopers with the help of Verba MANPADS eliminated 12 aircraft, four helicopters and a large number of UAVs.

"In battle formations"

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the "blue berets" during the NWO widely use standard armored vehicles, strike at enemy positions from portable anti-tank systems (ATGMs) and automatic grenade launchers.

In early April, for the first time in the history of the Airborne Forces, the paratroopers received heavy flamethrower systems TOS-1A "Solntsepyok". The handover ceremony took place in the Saratov region.

"You are given a formidable weapon that has no equal in the arsenals of the collective West and which causes panic in our enemies. I am sure that its skillful use will bring our victory closer, "said Colonel Alexei Goncharov, head of the RKhBZ service of the Airborne Forces of the Guards, at the ceremony.

  • Airborne Forces destroy the enemy in the Kherson and Zaporozhye directions

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, firing from the system is carried out using the latest software systems of topographic and geodetic referencing. As noted in the military department, "Solntsepyok" showed an "unprecedented result" in the destruction of fortified strongholds and positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the NWO zone.

"TOS-1A operates in the battle formations of the supported troops from open and closed positions. There are 24 thermobaric projectiles in the package. They are able to cover an area of up to 40 thousand square meters. m, while destroying lightly armored vehicles and fortifications ... The defeat of the enemy is achieved by complex exposure to fragments, high temperatures and high pressure, "the materials of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation say.

In a commentary to RT, Colonel-General of the reserve, former commander of the Airborne Forces, Georgy Shpak, said that the experience of the NWO dictates the need to increase the striking power of the "winged infantry". According to the former military leader, it makes sense to continue strengthening the airborne units with heavy combined-arms equipment.

"Now, as a rule, airborne troops are used to cover the flanks of the advancing groups so that they are not cut off by the enemy. Performing this task, paratroopers often have to wage fierce battles, and therefore they need more heavy combined arms equipment capable of supporting them with fire, "Shpak said.

As Valery Yuryev, Colonel of the Reserve, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Union of Russian Paratroopers, noted in an interview with RT of the Guards, in the NVO zone, "winged infantry" is not used "for its intended purpose", that is, as an airborne assault force to capture bridgeheads and various enemy targets. Therefore, taking into account the specifics of the combat situation, as the officer believes, there is a gradual increase in the strike potential of the Airborne Forces.

"In the NVO zone, paratroopers do not operate in the rear. The only exception was the landing at the airfield in Hostomel on February 24, 2022. Now, in fact, the paratroopers are fulfilling their extreme task - they are fighting as part of ground groups of troops, acting as well-trained infantry. In this regard, artillery, aviation, and engineering troops are often transferred to the Airborne Forces. Also, as far as I can tell, tanks, self-propelled artillery, air defense systems come to the landing units, "Yuryev explained.

  • Paratroopers in the NVO zone
  • RIA Novosti
  • © Evgeny Biyatov

At the same time, as RT's interlocutors emphasized, the Airborne Forces have not lost their importance as a highly mobile branch of the armed forces, capable of establishing control over enemy targets in the rear.

"The airborne operation is based on the effect of surprise, it is capable of stunning the enemy. At the same time, it is necessary to understand that the airborne operation is a whole range of measures, which at least requires thorough reconnaissance and destruction of air defense, "Yuryev said.

At the same time, according to the reserve colonel, the airborne troops can still successfully land from helicopters with fire support from attack rotorcraft.

A similar point of view on the tasks of the "winged infantry" is shared by Georgy Shpak. According to the former commander of the Airborne Forces, Russia will need air landing during major offensive operations.

"Airborne assault is used only at the forefront of the main attack of a powerful group of troops in order to tie down enemy forces and enable the advancing troops to move forward. Now the situation is different. There is no such task, but this does not mean that it will not appear. At present, the paratroopers courageously hold the defense in the most dangerous areas and storm, where required, enemy positions. In the NVO zone, the soldiers of the Airborne Forces demonstrate their characteristic high level of morale and combat readiness," Shpak summed up.