English Russia has posted a collection of portraits of Russia special forces veterans.
[ Many thanks to Dave for emailing me the link. ]
Some really awesome photgraphy showing the terrible price of war. I’d like to talk to some of these people and learn a little of what they’ve seen.
We need to remember that many of them went to fight in causes we were told were “evil”… but they obviously didn’t see it that way at the time because of what they were told.
0 
0DaveB, there may be golden rules of shooting but then again these men ARE special forces. I expect they’re competent enough with firearms not to shoot their own faces off by accident.
Besides, it makes for an awesome picture doesn’t it?
0 02 vtb
Please be precise in what you are telling. Read carefully “Soviet forces and losses” section in mentioned article first: “More than 50 wounded in total.” You said “30 attackers”… Bad math…
Anyway, this operation was exemplary.
0 0former vets dont like to talk abou that stuff. It gives them bad memories
0 0Volodymyr,
I appreciate that. The vets I know don’t like to talk about the things they’ve seen and done either. It’s interesting to hear what they say when they do talk tho, because it’s so far outside most people’s experiences.
0 0Also, English Russia decided Viktor Kim, an ethnic Korean who was a commander of the “Vympel” Soviet anti-terrorist unit, is not cool enough to be included. He’s a chink, right?
Some tolerance, Western friends.
0 0BTW, the pictured guy’s callsign is Mozart.
0 0It’s strange for a blogger not to attribute photos when they are clearly a serious photographer’s series. It is a commission by Dima Belyakov.
And you really should see these on original site, with captions. I think some of these vets are casino owners, others hippies, others still generals (their uniforms/clothes give a lot of hints, rank/issue time etc). When you read their short specops history you can try to guess what happened after that.
0 0Nevermind where his head is. What kind of firearm owner poses with their in front of the muzzle, period?
0 0These amateurs wiped out Afghanian leader Amin palace back in 80′s…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Storm-333
30 attackers versus 200 defenders.
0 0not to cast aspersions, but what’s up with the english patch on the fifth guy from the bottom and the english tattoo on the seventh or eighth guy from the bottom?
0 0SeanN, I dunno, but you wlll find plently of Americans with Asian language tattoos. Maybe they like the athletics of latin script.
0 0Are they supposed to look that scary?
0 0As a special forces guy I would think he wouldn’t put the muzzle of his rifle next to his head.
0 0I knoticed that some had Torkarev TT-33 pistols are they useing them? Saw lots of coll AK-74s and AK-103s pics though.
0 0Puke – maybe he really is “special” 
Kidding aside… interesting and somewhat sad pictures
0 0amateurs
0 0Check out the other photos taken by the same photographer Dima Beliakov at his dimapics.com, especially the photos of Russian special forces in Dagestan.
0 0
Also, English Russia decided Viktor Kim, an ethnic Korean who was a commander of the “Vympel” Soviet anti-terrorist unit, is not cool enough to be included. He’s a chink, right?
Some tolerance, Western friends.
BTW, the pictured guy’s callsign is Mozart.
It’s strange for a blogger not to attribute photos when they are clearly a serious photographer’s series. It is a commission by Dima Belyakov.
And you really should see these on original site, with captions. I think some of these vets are casino owners, others hippies, others still generals (their uniforms/clothes give a lot of hints, rank/issue time etc). When you read their short specops history you can try to guess what happened after that.
Volodymyr,
I appreciate that. The vets I know don’t like to talk about the things they’ve seen and done either. It’s interesting to hear what they say when they do talk tho, because it’s so far outside most people’s experiences.
former vets dont like to talk abou that stuff. It gives them bad memories
Some really awesome photgraphy showing the terrible price of war. I’d like to talk to some of these people and learn a little of what they’ve seen.
We need to remember that many of them went to fight in causes we were told were “evil”… but they obviously didn’t see it that way at the time because of what they were told.
DaveB, there may be golden rules of shooting but then again these men ARE special forces. I expect they’re competent enough with firearms not to shoot their own faces off by accident.
Besides, it makes for an awesome picture doesn’t it?
2 vtb
Please be precise in what you are telling. Read carefully “Soviet forces and losses” section in mentioned article first: “More than 50 wounded in total.” You said “30 attackers”… Bad math…
Anyway, this operation was exemplary.
Nevermind where his head is. What kind of firearm owner poses with their in front of the muzzle, period?
These amateurs wiped out Afghanian leader Amin palace back in 80′s…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Storm-333
30 attackers versus 200 defenders.
amateurs
Puke – maybe he really is “special”
Kidding aside… interesting and somewhat sad pictures
I knoticed that some had Torkarev TT-33 pistols are they useing them? Saw lots of coll AK-74s and AK-103s pics though.
not to cast aspersions, but what’s up with the english patch on the fifth guy from the bottom and the english tattoo on the seventh or eighth guy from the bottom?
SeanN, I dunno, but you wlll find plently of Americans with Asian language tattoos. Maybe they like the athletics of latin script.
Are they supposed to look that scary?
As a special forces guy I would think he wouldn’t put the muzzle of his rifle next to his head.
Check out the other photos taken by the same photographer Dima Beliakov at his dimapics.com, especially the photos of Russian special forces in Dagestan.