Servicemembers of the 103rd Vitebsk Separate Guards Airborne Brigade reliably protect peaceful Belarus
In particular, according to the results of the first training semester of 2019-2020, the 103rd Air Assault Brigade was recognized as the best unit of the Special Operations Forces.
Last year, during the joint operational exercise "Shield of the Union-2019," which took place in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the brigade's servicemen earned high praise from the military leadership of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. The Vitebsk paratroopers successfully completed combat training tasks: they carried out a helicopter landing in a designated area and captured objects occupied by a simulated enemy. The soldiers of the 103rd Brigade, interacting with artillery and aviation, took control of residential areas and prepared the settlement for circular defense. A system of engineering obstacles was created, and buildings were equipped as firing positions. "Militants" attempted to recapture the lost positions from the paratroopers, but these attempts failed.
A unique achievement of the 103rd Brigade is also the success of the peacekeeping company, which is part of the unit, in the international pedestrian patrol competition Cambrian Patrol in the autumn of 2018. The paratrooper peacekeepers from Vitebsk emerged as winners in this prestigious military competition. And in 2019, at Cambrian Patrol, they won silver, leaving behind 136 competitors.
Deputy Commander of the 103rd Vitebsk Separate Guards Airborne Brigade, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Denis Kriventsov, emphasized that worthy recruits are joining the unit. Young soldiers are confidently mastering the latest weapons and equipment, and acquiring military specialties. The selection for the brigade is strict: young men with high moral and volitional qualities and excellent physical fitness indicators come to serve here.
The brigade's servicemen also pay great attention to pre-conscription youth. Annually, a one-day military sports camp for schoolchildren from all over the Vitebsk region operates on the unit's territory. The boys get acquainted with army life, weapons, and combat equipment. They hold modern weapons (unloaded, of course) and climb inside an armored personnel carrier like seasoned paratroopers. A comprehensive combat training program is provided for the young men. They are taught to disassemble and assemble a rifle, pack a parachute, and skillfully handle a gas mask. The boys engage in sports and pass physical fitness tests. Archpriest Alexander Mozolev, rector of the Church of the Prophet Elijah the God-Seer, located on the military unit's territory, holds discussions with the children on spiritual topics. The teenagers watch military feature films – the famous movies "In the Zone of Special Attention" and "The Counterstrike."
Denis Kriventsov is convinced that the military-patriotic and spiritual-moral education of future defenders of the Fatherland yields positive results: the boys return home with positive emotions, telling their friends about what they saw and learned. All this contributes to the popularization of military service.
Every six months, a Conscript Day is held in the unit. In this regard, the brigade's leadership fruitfully cooperates with the military commissariat of the city of Vitebsk, and the Vitebsk and Liozno districts. Today, the young soldiers who come to serve in the 103rd Brigade are already familiar with its way of life and glorious history.
The most important thing is that today's Vitebsk paratroopers are distinguished by genuine patriotism and loyalty to the combat traditions of their predecessors. Here, strong young men are taught to defend the Motherland. Belarus can always rely on its 103rd Guards.