Gyurza Special Forces Detachment. Callsign "Gyurza"
So much has already been written and said about the heroes of the first Chechen war that it is time to compile a large reference book with a complete list of the exploits of that war. However, in the history of hostilities, the legendary company special purpose The 166th separate motorized rifle brigade entered not by chance. The militants, who to the last resisted the onslaught of the Russian military, called this company "mad".
About delusions
The most daring military operations during the first Chechen campaign are accepted, rightly or not, to attribute to the GRU special forces. In part, the special forces of the GRU General Staff owe such glory to the film "Purgatory" about the events in Chechnya, where Russian soldiers are shown in the role of such ripped heads. By some strange coincidence, after the release of the scandalous feature film, the reconnaissance company of the 166th motorized rifle brigade began to be attributed precisely to the GRU special forces. However, the "mad" in the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate General Staff never entered and could not enter by definition. The Gyurza company often worked side by side with the GRU fighters, but was never included in this special unit.
Another subject of controversy among the townsfolk and everyone who was interested in military operations during the first Chechen war was the company commander himself - Major Alexei Efentiev with the call sign "Gyurza". In the heat of controversy and an abundance of information, he is called the “only” commander of an intelligence company, but in reality, Efentiev was the last to command the company until it was disbanded. The military, who have long retired, say that Efentiev's first acquaintance with the company was not easy. The nature of the hostilities, their severity and fierce resistance on the part of the militants, and the complex nature of the fighters also affected.
"Gyurza"
Efentiev himself, in numerous interviews that “covered” him on the wave of military glory, never spoke of himself as special person And I never considered myself a hero. However, Efentiev's colleagues, and just those who came across him, sometimes by accident, in Chechnya say that the major's uncompromising and rigidity caused discomfort only to those who did not understand why they were holding weapons in their hands. However, it was Gyurza, a graduate of the Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School, who was assigned not only a call sign recognizable by radio, but also another nickname that did not arise from scratch.
Until the moment you take command separate company intelligence of the 166th Motorized Rifle Brigade, Efentiev, immediately after graduating from the school, managed to serve in Afghanistan. From 1987 to 1988, Gyurza commanded an intelligence group. It was then, according to those who were familiar with Efentiev, that the playful nickname "Lesha - the golden hoof" was assigned to him. By some kind of almost animal instinct, Efentiev knew how to determine the direction of enemy fire by sound and “measured” the distance to the object by eye. The military says that rare commanders have such abilities - about one person in a hundred. What explains this feeling and the unique army "chuyka" common man It's hard to understand, but where "Gyurza" led his group, there were never any losses.
“You need to feel the war, to be in the center of the battle. Understand that the machine is not just a piece of iron, but your working tool, your best friend. It's like being a great race car driver and every part of the body to feel any, even the smallest change in the behavior of the car on the track," say the former scouts.
Another feature of the service under the command of "Gyurza" was the training of newly arrived contract soldiers in the company. Unfired, served only military service, recruits often did not understand where the enemy was “working” on them. Such miscalculations could cost the fighters their lives, so Gyurza and the squad leaders taught the “young” right on the spot, arranging short training sessions with live shooting. For such initiatives, Efentiev himself and his subordinates could easily go to court, but saving lives in that war was put above the established rules - delay could lead to irreparable consequences.
combat brigade
The basis of the Gyurza combat group was not youngsters who first took a machine gun in their hands, but seasoned, life-taught, and wise in their own way, simple Russian men. The backbone of the reconnaissance was absolute different people with absolutely different destinies. Former policeman, gravedigger at the cemetery, teacher, miner. However, all of them, gathered by fate in one place and arrived to fight for their homeland, voluntarily did their work like real professionals. Mature men showed boyish agility when the combat mission required it, and enormous human experience in short moments of calm. The main comedian in the company was "Mitrokha", he is also "Dmitrich" - a sniper who was both a shooter, and a machine gunner, and a squad leader - a strong native of Ivanovo, and "Petrovich", a former police captain, was considered the most experienced and reasonable. People of different ages many things connected in the battles in the Caucasus, but the main thing was a sense of duty, necessity, importance and the need to be close to comrades-in-arms and the desire to “crush” the enemy to the last. Some fighters of the Gyurza reconnaissance company did not have time to really recover from their wounds, as they immediately fled from the hospital, taking only pants and a shirt. This is how Kostantin Mosalev is remembered, whom the director awarded with the nickname “Kostya Pitersky” in the film “Purgatory”. In fact, Mosalev's nickname in the detachment was "Skull". Because of the characteristic black bandana with white skulls that stands out from the crowd. frenzied
The militants did not like to contact the reconnaissance company. They knew they would persecute to the last. It is not known who called Efentiev’s company “mad”, but the nickname was firmly “settled” not only among Chechen fighters, but also among tankers, special forces and even staff officers. As soon as they talked about the battle of the “madmen” over the radio, it immediately became clear that a real battle was going on somewhere. The “madmen” rushed into battle without thinking. Instincts worked and the ability to beat the enemy not with numbers, but with skill. Efentiev's company could fight in seven ways against forty militants and come out victorious, and always, according to those who caught the events in Bamut and Grozny, drove the enemy to the last. , or, more correctly, a rapid breakthrough through the surrounded Coordination Center in Grozny, completely occupied by militants. Thanks to this risky and, according to many experts, impossible from the point of view of the safety of the operation group, not only high-ranking officers, but also many Russian journalists were saved. However, the Grozny feat happened two months after another significant event.
The special professionalism of "Gyurza" and the entire "mad" company is noted by the majority of the military in the actions to free Bamut. It was the reconnaissance of the 166th brigade that bypassed the militants in the mountains and went to them "in the back." Faced with the advance detachment, the patrol of scouts entered the battle, "putting down" 12 bandits. The surviving militants rushed with all their might to Bamut, from where they began to report on the “reconnaissance brigade” in their rear by radio. Largely thanks to the reconnaissance of the 166th brigade and the actions of the 136th motorized brigade, which took a heavy battle on the slope of the gorge, Bamut himself managed to recapture relatively easily. The company itself, under the command of Major Efentiev, even after disbanding on the eve of the second Chechen, thanks personnel and personal qualities each fighter, is still one of the most combat-ready army units in recent history Armed Forces of Russia.
Gyurza is a great huntress. First, she waits for her prey on the ground or on some tree. As soon as a careless animal approaches the reptile, it makes a lightning throw, grabs and does not let go of its prey.
During the first Chechen campaign, Bamut remained the main outpost of the militants for a long time. "Bamut - Russians will never take!" - this expression, like a spell, was repeated in the Grozny markets, written on the walls of houses, chanted from the crowd. Bamut is a stronghold! Bamut is a symbol! Bamut is faith! Three times Russian troops approached Bamut, and three times there was a failure. Leaving after a multi-day assault, as they say, "on the forehead", burning equipment, dozens of dead and wounded ...
At that time, General Shamanov made the opposite decision. The "Czechs" are used to the fact that Russian units in this war are advancing, as if according to a learned pattern - along roads, on equipment in open areas, exposing themselves to the fire of Chechen grenade launchers, flying into ambushes and, as a result, incurring losses. With this in mind, the "Chekhovian" defense was built facing the valley and the roads. But the military acted differently this time.
The troops deployed directly in front of the defense front, thereby distracting and misleading the militants, demonstrating "usual stupidity", but at the same time not exposing themselves to the lethal fire of the Chechens. And through the mountains, bypassing Bamut, special assault units of motorized rifle brigades advanced with reconnaissance and "special forces" companies attached to reinforce them. The Dudaevites, who had previously believed that the forests were their domain and felt completely safe there, were simply stunned by the appearance of soldiers in their seemingly safest place. They did not expect and did not believe. It couldn't be. Of course, it was a shock for the militants when, on the forest paths and roads along which the caravans with the necessary cargo were going, in the places of "layouts" and "cache", they suddenly stumbled upon the Russians, who began to mow down those who did not understand anything, relaxed, lost their vigilance "Warriors of Allah" Hundreds of them died in these forests, never understanding what had happened.
As a result, panic set in. Those few "spirits" who survived in ambushes, in fire bags, rushed back to Bamut, reporting on the Russian "special forces" flooding the forests, about "hordes of apostates" walking along the forest paths. The long held front collapsed. As expected, in the current situation, each of the militants thought only about himself, about his own skin. In a panic, both equipment and ammunition were thrown. "Warriors of Allah" scattered through the forests, trying to seep through barriers and ambushes. For Russian army it was a victory, competent and decisive. For the Chechens, this was the collapse of their last hope, their last outpost.
On the fourth day of the fighting, scouts of the 166th motorized rifle brigade hoisted the Banner of Victory over Bamut. To the complete disgrace of the militants, Bamut himself was taken virtually without a fight. Horror and panic shackled their desire for resistance. On May 25, 1996, it was all over. Dudayevsky Bamut fell.
One of the heroes of the famous assault was a short, well-trodden major - the head of intelligence of the 166th motorized rifle brigade Alexei Efentiev, whom many knew by his radio call sign - "Gyurza". It was Efentiev who went at the head of the assault detachment, bypassing the militants from the rear ...
Efentiev Alexey Viktorovich (Gyurza)
Alexey Viktorovich Efentiev, the son of a hereditary military man, was born in 1963. He served in active service in the ranks of military sailors. After demobilization, he entered the famous Baku Higher Military Combined Arms Command School, immediately after graduation with the rank of lieutenant, he was sent to Afghanistan. During his service in war-torn Afghanistan, Alexei Efentiev went from platoon commander to head of the reconnaissance group. After that there was Nagorno-Karabakh. From 1992 to 1994, Captain Alexei Efentiev was the head of the headquarters of a separate reconnaissance battalion in Germany.
Since 1994 Alexei Efentiev has been in Chechnya. The military unit he commanded was one of the best and most combat-ready units. Russian troops. A. Efentiev's call sign "Gyurza" was well known. "Gyurza" was a legend of the first Chechen war. On his combat account, dozens of dangerous raids on the rear of the army of Dudayev's militants, the assault on Bamut and the lifting of the blockade from the special Coordination Center surrounded in the center of Grozny, when thanks to the heroism of "Gyurza" many high ranks of the Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs were saved, as well as large group Russian correspondents. For this feat in 1996, A. Efentiev was presented with the title of "Hero of Russia".
During the service in hot spots was awarded with orders"For Military Merit", "Red Star", "Courage", medal "For Distinction in military service I degree", two medals "For Military Merit" and other awards and distinctions. A. Efentiev was the hero of numerous television programs on central television channels, and also became the prototype of "Gyurza" in Alexander Nevzorov's film "Purgatory".
Taking part in the bloody war, he did not harden, did not become embittered. Benevolent and with an open mind, he continued to be in love with his work with boyish excitement. He categorically refuses all official growth and appointments, considering the reconnaissance company his family, his home.
After the first Chechen war, "Gyurza" pulled into his company more than half of the army, with whom he fought in a separate 166th motorized rifle brigade. He pulled some out of a deep drunkenness, literally picked up some on the street, saved some from being fired. "Special Forces" led by their commander themselves erected a monument to their comrades who died in Chechnya. They ordered a granite monument with their own money, and built the foundation for it on their own.
Reconnaissance commanded by "Gyurza" Chechen fighters called "mad". So that they would not be confused with ordinary infantry, the special forces tied black bandages on their heads. They invariably went first and joined the battle, even when the numerical advantage was far from their side. In April 1996, under the Belgatoy captured by the militants, the machine gunner Romka, without stopping firing, at point-blank range, at full height, without hiding, went to the firing point, like Alexander Matrosov. The hero died, and his body was pulled out from under the fire of the Chechens by comrade Konstantin Mosalev, whom A. Nevzorov would later show in the film "Purgatory" under the pseudonym "St. Petersburg".
Here is what “Gyurza” himself said about his comrades: “I remember them all well. By first name and last name. Let them stay with me forever. To some extent, this can be considered our common mistake. But they were and still are the best. I loved them and still love them to this day. Even when they, by the will of fate, leave this life, no one takes their holy place ... "
Today Alexey Efentiev - "Gyurza" - is engaged in agriculture in his homeland and is the general director of an agricultural enterprise. Taking a completely bankrupt collective farm under his direct control, within two years, Alexei Viktorovich was able to achieve considerable success. The failed Hero of Russia is currently breeding rabbits and dreams of feeding the army with them. All that Alexey lives now is his beloved children, family and work.
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Efentiev Alexey Viktorovich (Gyurza)
Alexey Viktorovich Efentiev was born in 1963 in the family of a hereditary military man.
Passed valid military service in the fleet. Upon returning, he entered the Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School, after which he voluntarily asked to serve in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, Alexey served as commander of an intelligence group until 1988. Then there were Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.
From 1992 to 1994, Captain Alexei Efentiev was the chief of staff of a separate reconnaissance battalion in Germany.
Since 1994, Efentiev has been in Chechnya. The unit he commanded was one of the best and most combat-ready units of our troops. Efentiev's call sign "Gyurza" was known throughout the republic. "Gyurza" was a legend of the 1st Chechen war. On his account, dozens of raids on the rear of the Dudayevites, the assault on Bamut and the deblockade of the Coordination Center surrounded in the center of Grozny, when many senior officials of the Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as a large group of Russian journalists, were saved. For this feat in 1996, Alexei Efentiev was presented with the title of “Hero of Russia”.
He was awarded the Orders of the Red Star, Courage, For Military Merit, two medals for Military Merit, a medal for Distinction in Military Service, 1st Class, and other awards. Efentiev was the hero of many television programs on central TV channels, and also became the prototype of Gyurza in Alexander Nevzorov's film Purgatory.
From 1999 to 2000, Lieutenant Colonel Efentiev was the commander of the KFOR group of the Russian military contingent in Kosovo. The Serbian population of Kosovo, subjected to genocide, gratefully remembers Aleksey Efentiev, who showed courage in protecting civilians.
Today Alexey Efentiev is engaged in agriculture and is the general director of Donskoye LLC. Taking the bankrupt collective farm under his leadership, in two years Alexei Viktorovich managed to achieve noticeable success. Married, raising three sons.
"Gyurza"
When unfired contractors come to war, they don't even know which side the bullet is coming from. So that the soldiers do not shy away from the shots, the commander equips the Kalashnikov with live ammunition and pours bursts over the heads of his subordinates. If the staff find out about such an original technique, the officer will be put on trial. But in Chechnya, other rules are professed. To win, you have to be desperate and merciless here.
The Chechen militants called this reconnaissance mad To avoid confusion with the infantry, the special forces wore black armbands. It was a defiance, a contempt for the death that was after them. They always went first and took the fight, even when the numerical superiority was not on their side. They could fight seven against forty and emerge victorious from the battle. In April 1996, near Belgatoy, the machine gunner Romka, shooting at point-blank range, went to the firing point at full height, like Alexander Matrosov. He, already killed, was pulled out of the battle by Kostya Mosalev, who later in the film "Purgatory" under the nickname St. Petersburg will be brought out by Nevzorov.
Twenty days later, as soon as the wound heals, Kostya will run away from the hospital in order to be in time for Bamut's second attack. Former policeman, school teacher, grave digger, miner. Who was not in this frenzied reconnaissance. They, people of different professions and ages, were brought together by the war, like a kind of gambling without end and beginning. It's strange - they were homesick, but as soon as their wounds healed, they were drawn here again - to roam the mountains, to share with a friend a can of canned food, the last cartridge and their own lives.
Gyurza: “I remember them all. By first name and last name. Let them stay with me. To some extent, this is our common sin. But they were the best. I loved them and still love them. Even when they leave this life, no one takes their place. Someone came also stands nearby, like them, but no matter how their place is not taken. Someone came, just standing next to you, like them, but, as it were, you don’t take their place ... "
Aleksey Efentiev was the last commander of the frenzied company. This is it, the same legendary "Gyurza".
Not at all similar to the cinematic image of the "special forces" in Kevlar armor, which was fashioned by the author of the scandalous "Purgatory". These shots are seven years old. The troops of the group had just taken Bamut, the skirmish had not yet died out, and the scouts stopped, not feeling much joy from the victory, because they had lost Pashka, the second number of the machine gun crew.
I've been here recently, but I go with the boys, na. Over the past 7 days, the people have been shocked ... It's a pity they lost the lad ...
Then, in 1995, Aleksey had just received an army intelligence company, which became the meaning of his life, his destiny. Soon, the call sign "Gyurza" was known to everyone in Chechnya - both ours and the militants, who appointed a lot of money for his head. Even in Afghanistan, he was nicknamed "Lesha - the golden hoof" because where he led his group, there were never any losses on our part. His supernatural sense of danger was already legendary in Chechnya - in his seventh war. In a second, he could determine the place where a mine or shell would fly. He could take a bottle of champagne to the mountains to give to a soldier on his birthday.
There was a real man in my company - Petrovich, for me he was both a father and a faithful comrade ...
Here he is - Petrovich in the footage taken seven years ago in the vicinity of Bamut.
I am from Smolensk.
Do you think we're fighting right here?
I think we are fighting right.
What they did before this war, they will never be forgiven. Therefore, this scum should have been burned out with a red-hot iron for a long time.
And there, in Moscow, the democrats stubbornly shout that the Chechens are fighting for their land, that they are good ..?
And these democrats need to be brought here someday to see what these militants are doing here. Our compatriot from Smolensk was mutilated beyond recognition, tortured, the skin was removed in patches from the back. How can you forgive them for this? There is no forgiveness for them.
Such - wise men made up the backbone of his company. And in each he valued character most of all. The real Russian character, about which I once read in the story of Alexei Tolstoy, as a child.
There was such a moment that we captured a Chechen, a militant, well, at first we wanted ... Well, as in wartime ... And a few days passed, Andrei himself, who was the most difficult in relation to them, said: “Come on, commander, let him go, What is he to us sweetheart? Let him live - they let him go. Andriukha was killed by a sniper in Grozny - hit in the head. And there was a teacher, he taught literature with the Russian language at a school in the Bryansk region. It's a little hard for me to remember all this ... But it's just that their character, burned by the winds of war, emerges like a real Russian character.
At that moment, when we released this militant - he was a young 18-year-old guy, at first he thought that maybe my son would be pitied on such fiery roads. To some extent it seemed to me that I was also the father of this Chechen. I was sincerely pleased, putting my hand on my heart. I let him go and my fighters wished him not to fight in the future. He is in debt to us. I was simply shocked, frankly glad that here he is - a real Russian character.
Aleksey showed his real character in August 1996, when Grozny was in the hands of militants who had trapped administrative buildings and a hotel with journalists. Then "Gyurze" managed to unblock the passage to the Coordination Center without loss and withdraw people from there in a day of continuous fighting. And then, when the exhausted scouts were ordered to pull the infantry out of the ambush, the company suffered its heaviest losses. Every second was wounded, every third died ...
It's hard... I even cried... I'll say that the BMP, which I had, received 8 holes from a grenade launcher. I have lost my best people. It happened…
Alexei was introduced to the title of Hero, but the authorities wanted to forget about the shame of those days as quickly as possible, and this idea was lost in the Kremlin offices. Today it is bitter to remember that time. Because those who were spared by the war were not needed by the country. The special-purpose company, which he made the best special forces unit of the armed forces, was disbanded on the eve of the second Chechen campaign.
The failed Hero of Russia now breeds rabbits and dreams of feeding the army with them. All Alexey lives now is children, family and favorite work. "Gyurza" took off his shoulder straps, but retained the belief that his sons would soon take his place in the ranks. Who take turns trying on their father's uniform, ringing with military awards.
"Who do you want to become? Like a dad - a scout. Sanka - the man is growing ... "
The real horror for the Chechen fighters during the well-known armed conflicts was the news of the approach of the legendary reconnaissance company 166th separate motorized rifle brigade, which the militants themselves called the "Mad Company". Having learned about the approach of the "Mad Company", the Chechens often left their positions, despite the numerical superiority and well-fortified firing points. This post will help us get to know the Mad Company better.
Alexey Viktorovich Efentiev, the son of a hereditary military man, was born in 1963. He served in active service in the ranks of military sailors. After demobilization, he entered the famous Baku Higher Military Combined Arms Command School, immediately after graduating with the rank of lieutenant, he was sent to Afghanistan. During his service in war-torn Afghanistan, Alexei Efentiev went from platoon commander to head of the reconnaissance group. After that there was Nagorno-Karabakh. From 1992 to 1994, Captain Alexei Efentiev was the head of the headquarters of a separate reconnaissance battalion in Germany.
Since 1994 Alexei Efentiev has been in Chechnya. The military unit he commanded was one of the best and most combat-ready units of the Russian troops. A. Efentiev's call sign "Gyurza" was well known. "Gyurza" was a legend of the first Chechen war. On his combat account, dozens of dangerous raids on the rear of the army of Dudaev's militants, the assault on Bamut and the lifting of the blockade from the special Coordination Center surrounded in the center of Grozny, when thanks to the heroism of "Gyurza" many high ranks of the Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as a large group of Russian correspondents were saved . For this feat in 1996, A. Efentiev was presented with the title of "Hero of Russia".
During his service in hot spots, he was awarded the Orders of Military Merit, the Red Star, Courage, the medal "For Distinction in Military Service, 1st Class", two medals "For Military Merit" and other awards and distinctions. A. Efentiev was the hero of numerous television programs on central television channels, and also became the prototype of "Gyurza" in the film "Purgatory" by Alexander Nevzorov.
After the first Chechen war, "Gyurza" pulled into his company more than half of the army, with whom he fought in a separate 166th motorized rifle brigade. He pulled some out of a deep drunkenness, literally picked up some on the street, saved some from being fired. "Special Forces" led by their commander themselves erected a monument to their comrades who died in Chechnya. They ordered a granite monument with their own money, and built the foundation for it on their own.
The reconnaissance unit commanded by Gyurza was nicknamed "mad" by Chechen fighters. So that they would not be confused with ordinary infantry, the special forces tied black bandages taken from the killed "Czechs" on their heads, it was a kind of dedication: each newcomer had to remove the black bandage from the "Czech" he had killed and cut off his ears (according to Karan, u is considered that Allah draws into paradise by the ears and cutting off the ears of the dead, the special forces thereby deprived the Muslim militant of the opportunity to go to paradise. This had a huge psychological impact on the enemy). They invariably went first and joined the battle, even when the numerical advantage was far from their side. In April 1996, under the Belgatoy captured by the militants, the machine gunner Romka, without stopping firing, at point-blank range, at full height, without hiding, went to the firing point, like Alexander Matrosov. The hero died, and his body was pulled out from under the fire of the Chechens by comrade Konstantin Mosalev, whom A. Nevzorov would later show in the film "Purgatory" under the pseudonym "Petersky".
Bamut was taken by a reconnaissance company of the 166th brigade, which bypassed Bamut in the mountains from the rear. On the way to Bamut, the advanced patrol of scouts collided with a detachment of militants, who also went to Bamut. During the battle, 12 militants were killed (the bodies were left abandoned). Private Pavel Naryshkin died and Lance Sergeant Pribylovsky was wounded. Naryshkin died saving the wounded Pribylovsky. The retreating Chechens left by a circuitous route to Bamut, and there began a panic about the "Russian special forces brigade in the rear" (radio interception). After that, the militants decided to break into the mountains along the right slope of the gorge, where they hit the advancing battalion of the 136th Motorized Rifle Brigade. In the oncoming battle, about 20 militants were killed, the loss of 136 brigade - 5 people were killed and 15 people were wounded. The remnants of the militants were partially dispersed, partially broke through and went into the mountains. About 30 more were filled during the day when pursued by aircraft and artillery. It was the detachment of scouts of the 166th brigade that entered Bamut first. It was these contractors who were filmed in Nevzorov's report.
Alexey Viktorovich Efentiev, the son of a hereditary military man, was born in 1963. He served in active service in the ranks of military sailors. After demobilization, he entered the famous Baku Higher Military Combined Arms Command School, immediately after graduating with the rank of lieutenant, he was sent to Afghanistan. During his service in war-torn Afghanistan, Alexei Efentiev went from platoon commander to head of the reconnaissance group. After that there was Nagorno-Karabakh. From 1992 to 1994, Captain Alexei Efentiev was the head of the headquarters of a separate reconnaissance battalion in Germany.
Alexey Efentiev on the right
Since 1994 Alexei Efentiev has been in Chechnya. The military unit he commanded was one of the best and most combat-ready units of the Russian troops. A. Efentiev's call sign "Gyurza" was well known. "Gyurza" was a legend of the first Chechen war. On his combat account, dozens of dangerous raids on the rear of the army of Dudaev's militants, the assault on Bamut and the lifting of the blockade from the special Coordination Center surrounded in the center of Grozny, when thanks to the heroism of "Gyurza" many high ranks of the Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as a large group of Russian correspondents were saved . For this feat in 1996, A. Efentiev was presented with the title of "Hero of Russia".
During his service in hot spots, he was awarded the Orders of Military Merit, the Red Star, Courage, the medal "For Distinction in Military Service, 1st Class", two medals "For Military Merit" and other awards and distinctions. A. Efentiev was the hero of numerous television programs on central television channels, and also became the prototype of "Gyurza" in the film "Purgatory" by Alexander Nevzorov.
Taking part in the bloody war, he did not harden, did not become embittered. Benevolent and with an open mind, he continued to be in love with his work with boyish excitement. He categorically refuses all official growth and appointments, considering the reconnaissance company his family, his home.
After the first Chechen war, "Gyurza" pulled into his company more than half of the army, with whom he fought in a separate 166th motorized rifle brigade. He pulled some out of a deep drunkenness, literally picked up some on the street, saved some from being fired. "Special Forces" led by their commander themselves erected a monument to their comrades who died in Chechnya. They ordered a granite monument with their own money, and built the foundation for it on their own.
Gyurza: “I remember them all. By first name and last name. Let them stay with me. To some extent, this is our common sin. But they were the best. I loved them and still love them. Even when they leave this life, no one takes their place. Someone came also stands nearby, like them, but no matter how their place is not taken. Someone came, just standing next to you, like them, but, as it were, you don’t take their place ... "
Aleksey was the last commander of the frenzied company. Not at all similar to the cinematic image of the "special forces" in Kevlar armor, which was fashioned by the author of the scandalous film "Purgatory". Then, in 1995, Aleksey had just received an army intelligence company, which became the meaning of his life, his destiny. Soon, the call sign "Gyurza" was known to everyone in Chechnya - both ours and the militants, who appointed a lot of money for his head. Even in Afghanistan, he was nicknamed "Lesha - the golden hoof" because where he led his group, there were never any losses on our part. His supernatural sense of danger was already legendary in Chechnya - in his seventh war. In a second, he could determine the place where a mine or shell would fly. He could take a bottle of champagne to the mountains to give to a soldier on his birthday.
“There was such a moment that we took a Chechen prisoner, a militant, well, at first we wanted ... Well, as in wartime ... And a few days passed, Andrei himself, who was the most difficult in relation to them, said: “Come on, commander, let him go that he is a sweetheart to us?" Let him live - they let him go. Andriukha was killed by a sniper in Grozny - hit in the head. And there was a teacher, he taught literature with the Russian language at a school in the Bryansk region. It’s a little hard for me to remember all this ... But it’s just that their character, burned by the winds of war, emerges like a real Russian character.
"At the moment when we released this militant - he was a young 18-year-old guy, at first he thought that maybe my son would be pitied on such fiery roads. To some extent it seemed to me that I was also the father of this Chechen. I was sincerely satisfied, with my hand on my heart. I let him go and my fighters wished him not to fight in the future. He owes us a free debt. I was simply shocked, frankly glad that here he is - a real Russian character. "
Aleksey showed his real character in August 1996, when Grozny was in the hands of militants who had trapped administrative buildings and a hotel with journalists. Then "Gyurze" managed to unblock the passage to the Coordination Center without loss and withdraw people from there in a day of continuous fighting. And then, when the exhausted scouts were ordered to pull the infantry out of the ambush, the company suffered its heaviest losses. Every second was wounded, every third died ...
Now Alexey Efentiev breeds rabbits and dreams of feeding the army with them. All Alexey lives now is children, family and favorite work. "Gyurza" took off his shoulder straps, but retained the belief that his sons would soon take his place in the ranks. Who take turns trying on their father's uniform, ringing with military awards.
"Who do you want to become? Like a dad - a scout. Sanka - the man is growing ... "