Not Secret: This Russian Special Forces Group Is Tough as Nails

Charlie Gao

Security,

Who are they? 

Compared to a unit like OSN Vityaz, which are independent spetsnaz formations in the internal troops, SOBR is more focused on public security and small urban operations. OSN Vityaz is more focused on paramilitary assault operations, such as liquidation of terrorist cells in rural situations and forest raids with less regard to collateral damage. OSNs are even smaller than SOBR due to their niche nature. However, large scale counterterror operations usually involve SOBR, OSN, OMON and FSB units due to the large personnel demands, so there is significant overlap in tasks. SOBR has also been seeing tackling illegal banks and money-laundering operations in recent years. They also continue to serve in an anti-organized-crime capacity, although the need for this capability has decreased since the 1990s.

If asked to name a counterterrorism unit in Russia, most people would probably think of the FSB’s elite “Alpha” unit. Alpha participated in the 1993 constitutional crisis, the Nord-Ost theatre siege and the Beslan hostage crisis, and are called out on the biggest and most sensitive incidents. However, they don’t deal with the majority of terrorism incidents in Russia. Rather, this responsibility falls to the SOBR (Spetsial’nyy Otryad Bystrogo Reagirovaniya, or Special Squad, Rapid Reaction) teams. These regional teams handle most armed incidents in Russia, from Chechen terrorists holed up in houses to domestic-violence standoffs. The level of equipment and level of training of these units varies greatly depending on the threat of the region. But what’s the history of these units? How often are they called out, and how do they compare to Russia’s other OMON and FSB units?

(This first appeared last year.)