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Alpha Group

Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group (a popular English name), or Alfa, whose official name is Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB) (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is a stand-alone sub-unit of Russia's special forces within the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). It was created by the Soviet KGB in 1974. Although little is known about the exact nature of its primary directives, it is speculated that the unit is authorised to act under the direct control and sanction of Russia's top political leadership, similar to its sister unit, the Directorate "V" (Vympel), which is officially tasked with protecting Russia's strategic installations, as well as conducting black operations inside and outside Russia. It is also available for extended police duties, for paramilitary operations, and for covert operations, both domestically and internationally.

This article is about Soviet and later Russian special operations force. For other organisations, military or otherwise, with the same name, see Alpha Group (disambiguation). For Russian investment group, see Alfa Group. For Cuban militant group, see Alpha 66. For Mexico City Police Alfa Group (Agrupamiento Alfa), see Law enforcement in Mexico City § Preventive Police.

Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center

28 July 1974 (1974-07-28)

 Soviet Union (1974–1991)
 Russia (1991–present)

FSB

Spetsnaz of the KGB (1974–1991)
Russia:
GUO (1991–1993)
MVD (1993–1995)
TsSN FSB (1995–present)

Classified (estimated 500 in 1991,[1] 250–300 in Russia in 2004[2])

Alpha Group, Alpha (Alfa)

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Col. Valery Kanakin

Gen. Vitaly Bubenin
Gen. Viktor Karpukhin
Gen. Gennady Zaitsev[3]

In the Soviet Union[edit]

Creation and organization[edit]

On 28 July 1974, Alpha Group was created on the orders of the KGB Chairman, Yuri Andropov, in the aftermath of the 1972 Munich massacre. It might have been established as a response to West Germany's creation of the Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (or the GSG 9).[4] By attaching a special-purpose unit to the office of the First Chief Directorate in Moscow (later the Seventh Directorate[5]), it was hoped that the Soviet Union's defensive capacity against terrorist attacks would increase significantly. At the time, other, more offensive special forces of the KGB included the groups Zenit and Kaskad/Omega. Another important mission for Alpha was to provide security for the Soviet leadership against enemy special forces in times of crisis or war.[6]


Later, territorial Alpha units were established across the Soviet Union:[7]

Lt. Gennady Sergeyev (posthumously)

Col. Anatoly Saveliev (posthumously)

Maj. Vladimir Ulyanov (posthumously)

Maj. Yuri Danilin (posthumously)

Col. Sergei Dyachenko

Col. Valery Kanakin

Lt. Artyom Sevshencko

Maj. Alexander Perov (posthumously)

Col. Andrei Kum.

[3]

Various variants

AK-74

AS Val

AK-12

AK-105

or AR-15 variants (Limited Use)

M4A1

HK417

(Limited Use)

AN-94

As a 'Tier 1' force, Alpha Group operators have access to a wide array of small arms.

Vympel

and Vasili Mitrokhin (1999). The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-00310-9., pages 389–391

Christopher Andrew

Barry Davies (2005). The Spycraft Manual: The Insider's Guide to Espionage Techniques. Carlton Books Ltd.  1-84442-577-0.

ISBN

(2001). Age of Delirium: The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-08705-5.

David Satter

(In Russian)

Alpha Group veterans association

(In Russian)

Alpha Group veterans association magazine

(In Russian)

Alpha Group veterans association (Ukraine)