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
Soviet Union (1974–1991)
Russia (1991–present)
Federal Security Service Moscow (main force)
Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Grozny (in Russia)
Alpha Group, Alpha (Alfa)
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Operation Storm-333
Aeroflot Flight 6833 hostage crisis
January Events
Soviet coup d'état attempt
Russia:
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Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
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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]
As a 'Tier 1' force, Alpha Group operators have access to a wide array of small arms.