All Topics  
OSNAZ

 
OSNAZ

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

OSNAZ
 
 
  Topics OSNAZ Topic Home

OSNAZ (Russian
Russian language

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
: [voiska] osobogo naznacheniya, ????? = [??????] ??????? ??????????, "[Army] special purpose [detachments]") were special forces
Special forces

Special Forces , also known as, Special Operation Forces is a generic term for highly-trained military teams/units that conduct specialized Military operation such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
 troops within the KGB
KGB

KGB is the Russian language abbreviation of Committee for State Security , which was the official name of the umbrella organization serving as the Soviet Union's premier security agency, secret police, and intelligence agency, from 1954 to 1991....
 (its predecessors and its successor, the Federal Security Service) and the MVD. OSNAZ was originally the OMSBON (Otdelnaya Motostrelkovaya Brigada Osobogo Naznacheniya - Independent Special-Purpose Motorized Brigade).






Discussion
Ask a question about 'OSNAZ'
Start a new discussion about 'OSNAZ'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


OSNAZ (Russian
Russian language

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
: [voiska] osobogo naznacheniya, ????? = [??????] ??????? ??????????, "[Army] special purpose [detachments]") were special forces
Special forces

Special Forces , also known as, Special Operation Forces is a generic term for highly-trained military teams/units that conduct specialized Military operation such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
 troops within the KGB
KGB

KGB is the Russian language abbreviation of Committee for State Security , which was the official name of the umbrella organization serving as the Soviet Union's premier security agency, secret police, and intelligence agency, from 1954 to 1991....
 (its predecessors and its successor, the Federal Security Service) and the MVD. OSNAZ was originally the OMSBON (Otdelnaya Motostrelkovaya Brigada Osobogo Naznacheniya - Independent Special-Purpose Motorized Brigade). The term has largely been replaced by Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz

Russian special purpose regiments or Spetsnaz, Specnaz is a general term for "special forces" in Russian language, literally "special purpose"....
.

OSNAZ has always been shrouded in a veil of mystery and remains so even to this day. There is no OSNAZ headquarters as the various groups were formed within the various directorates as needed. Basically, OSNAZ is a Spetsnaz unit that has specific jurisdiction only in Russia with sometimes the exception of foreign operations such as "Storm-333" in Afghanistan involving Alfa Group of the KGB. They belong to the agencies and not directly the Army like GRU Spetsnaz units.

During World War II
Eastern Front (World War II)

The Eastern Front of World War II was a Theatre between the German Reich and the Soviet Union which encompassed Central Europe and eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945....
 the OSNAZ of the NKVD
NKVD

The NKVD or People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the leading secret police organization of the Soviet Union that was responsible for Soviet political repressions during the Stalinism era....
 fought on the frontlines against the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the colloquial English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party , which established a Totalitarianism dictatorship that existed from 1933 to 1945....
 as VDV
VDV

The Russian airborne forces or VDV is an arm of service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, on a par with the Strategic Rocket Forces and the Russian Space Forces ....
 in the form of Airborne regiments/Brigades, with some units achieving "Guards
Russian Guards

Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Grand Duchy of Moscow harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550....
" status at the end of the conflict.

KGB/FSB OSNAZ

The known KGB
KGB

KGB is the Russian language abbreviation of Committee for State Security , which was the official name of the umbrella organization serving as the Soviet Union's premier security agency, secret police, and intelligence agency, from 1954 to 1991....
 OSNAZ units were as follows:

  • Alpha Group
    Alpha Group

    The Alpha Group is an elite dedicated counter-terrorism unit that belongs to OSNAZ of the Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti , or more specifically the "A" Directorate of the FSB Special Operations Center ....
     or Spetsgruppa A - formed in 1974 in the Seventh Chief Directorate
  • Vympel
    Vympel

    Vympel is a Russian special forces unit.The exact lineage is not known but the unit was formed in 1981 by the KGB Gen. Drozdov within the First Chief Directorate of the KGB as a dedicated OSNAZ unit specialised in deep penetration, sabotage, universal direct and Covert operation, embassy protection and espionage cell activation in case of...
     or Pennant - formed in August 1981 within the First Chief Directorate
    First Chief Directorate

    The First Chief Directorate of the KGB , was the organization responsible for foreign operations and Military espionage collection activities by the training and management of covert agents, intelligence collection management, and the collection of political, scientific and technical intelligence....
     as a "sabotage" and covert action unit behind enemy lines. Mission redefined in the late 90s.


MVD OSNAZ

The Ministry for Internal Affairs (MVD) has several OSNAZ units, such as SOBR
SOBR

The Special Rapid Reaction Unit or SOBR is an elite commando unit of the Russian MVD, involved in anti-criminal operations.On September 16, 2002, Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov ordered that SOBR be dissolved; however this order was never carried out....
. Other MVD units such as Vityaz
Vityaz (MVD)

Vityaz is a Russian Spetsnaz unit of the MVD.Vityaz is assigned specifically to counter-terrorism duties. Vityaz unit regularly conducts counter-terrorism patrols in Chechnya and along the Caucasus border....
 and "Rus
Rus (special forces)

Rus is a special forces unit of the Internal Troops , of the interior ministry of the Russian Federation. Its full name in Russian is OSNAZ VV MVD Rus....
" are classed as Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz

Russian special purpose regiments or Spetsnaz, Specnaz is a general term for "special forces" in Russian language, literally "special purpose"....
 units. They act under the aegis of their corresponding GUVD MVD (Main Internal Affairs Directorate of the Interior Ministry). They are not secret or classified units, even if their operations may be classified.

Caveat: OMON
OMON

OMON is a generic name for the system of special units of militsiya within the Russian and earlier the Soviet Union MVD . As of 2008, there is an OMON unit in every oblast of Russia, as well as in many major cities; for example, there is an OMON unit within the Moscow City police department, and a separate unit within Moscow Oblast poli...
 is not an OSNAZ unit. Regular police forces (militsiya
Militsiya

Militsiya or Militia was used as a short official name of the civilian police in several former communist states, despite its original military terminology connotation ....
) also have their special purpose units (OMSN
OMSN

At September 16 2002 SOBR was officially dissolved. Though the SOBR forces were practically just renamed to OMSN, the architecture of the unit remained. The soldiers tend to call the unit SOBR rather than OMSN, so do the people....
). MVD OSNAZ units and MVD Interior operative troops (such as ODON
Odon

Odon may refer to:People* Odon of Greater Poland, duke of Greater Poland* Odon de Pins, Grand Master of the Knights HospitallerPlaces...
 operatives) usually wear green or olive berets, the most skilled servicemen being awarded with a purple beret (???????? ?????, krapovy beret) after succeeding in a tough competition held every year. The latter OSNAZ members are commonly called krapoviki.

Russian Navy


OSNAZ is the name for Russian Navy
Russian Navy

The Russian Navy or VMF is the Navy of the Russian Armed Forces. The international designation of Russian naval vessels is "RFS" - "Russian Federation Ship"....
 Special Forces known as VMF or Naval combat divers/swimmers. Formed into 1,000 man brigades, one per Fleet. Each brigade consists of several small battalions. "Delfin"(Dolphin) is a naval OSNAZ unit.

See also

  • Spetsnaz
    Spetsnaz

    Russian special purpose regiments or Spetsnaz, Specnaz is a general term for "special forces" in Russian language, literally "special purpose"....
  • Special Forces
    Special forces

    Special Forces , also known as, Special Operation Forces is a generic term for highly-trained military teams/units that conduct specialized Military operation such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
  • Commando
    Commando

    In military science, the term commando denotes an individual soldier, a military unit, and a raid . Contemporarily, commando identifies ?lite light infantry and special forces units specialised in parachuting, rappelling, and amphibious warfare to conduct and effect attacks....
  • OMON
    OMON

    OMON is a generic name for the system of special units of militsiya within the Russian and earlier the Soviet Union MVD . As of 2008, there is an OMON unit in every oblast of Russia, as well as in many major cities; for example, there is an OMON unit within the Moscow City police department, and a separate unit within Moscow Oblast poli...
  • SVR Strelok