​Project "Guard of the Fatherland". Who's against it? Life and traditions of the Imperial Russian Guard

Today is Russian Guard Day. This holiday appeared only in 2000, but the history of the Russian guards has already exceeded the fourth hundred years. What are they?

The Russian Guard grew out of the “military amusements” of Peter I. In 1683, he organized the “amusing troops” of the foreign system. The first soldier to enlist in this new army is Sergei Bukhvostov. His distant descendant, Captain 1st Rank Nikolai Bukhvostov, died in the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, commanding the guards crew of the battleship Emperor Alexander III.

“War games of the amusing troops of Peter I near the village of Kozhukhovo”, A. Kivshenko

In 1691, two regiments were created in the “amusing troops” - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky.

The “amusement” quickly disappeared from these real military formations, the officer corps of which became a reliable support for the reformer tsar.

On September 2, 1700, both of these regiments received the honorary name “Life Guards”. This day is considered the birthday of the Russian Guard.

In the same 1700, the guards underwent a baptism of fire near Narva, against the Swedes. The battle was unsuccessful for the Russian troops, but both regiments did not flinch and stood firm against the Swedish army.

Narva became a legend of the Russian guard, born “knee-deep in blood.”

“Battle of Narva”, A. Kotzebue, 19th century

At first, the guard did not have any advantages over army units. But since 1722, in the Table of Ranks, guards officers received two ranks of seniority ahead of army officers. For example, a junior guard officer (ensign) was considered equal in seniority to an army lieutenant (third officer rank).

In Peter’s times, it was mainly noblemen who were even enrolled in the guard as privates, but later transfers from the army and direct recruitment of recruits of non-noble origin began to be allowed.

“Russian Guard in Tsarskoe Selo in 1832”, F. Kruger, 1841

Very tall people were selected for the guard.

So, under Catherine I. I. the lower height threshold was 182.5 cm. Now these figures don’t look very good, but remember that food in those years was much worse than now, and the average (!) height of an ordinary infantry recruit in the 18th century was about 160 −162 cm! It is no wonder that the guards were constantly called “giants” or “heroes”.

They were also selected “by suit”. The Preobrazhentsy and the Guards Fleet crew were the first to take the healthiest “buhai” for themselves.

Semenovtsy took blue-eyed blonds. Izmailovtsy are dark-haired.

Guards huntsmen selected people of “elegant build” for themselves. The Moscow regiment collected redheads.

“Group of officers and soldiers of the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment”, A. I. Gebens, 1853

The Guard was distinguished not only by its appearance, but also by its excellent training and courage in battle. Almost not a single major general battle of the Russian army in Europe was completed without the participation of the guards.

Such battles as Kunersdorf, Austerlitz, Borodino were included in the service record of the Russian Guard.

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Russian guard was noted not only for its exploits on the battlefield, but also became famous in palace coups.

With the direct participation of guards officers, Catherine I, Anna Ioannovna, Anna Leopoldovna, Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine I. I. came to power.

The guards also took part in the assassination of Emperor Paul I. Among the Decembrists there were many guard officers.

In this sense, the Russian Guard was a stronghold of the nobility: the overwhelming majority of the officers came from this stratum, while among army officers by the end of the 19th century no more than 40% were nobles.

The term “Young Guard” did not appear in the 20th century, but in 1813, when, as a result of the Patriotic War, the composition of the guard expanded: it additionally included two grenadier and one cuirassier regiments.

The new regiments began to be called the “Young Guard”, distinguishing it from the “Old”, which was more privileged (it had an advantage in seniority over the army by two ranks, and the young ones only by one). Subsequently, some of the “young” regiments received transfer to the “old” ones for military distinction.

Semyonovtsy on the Kulm field. Photo: Elena Klimenko, club of military-historical reconstruction “Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment”

In 1918, the Soviet government disbanded the Imperial Guard, among other “relics.” The notorious “Red Guard” did not stay long either: the nascent Red Army was distinguished by its democratic spirit, and was disgusted by the very idea of ​​“special” troops.

The Soviet Guard was born again in the autumn of the first year of the Great Patriotic War.

On September 18, 1941, four rifle divisions that demonstrated outstanding steadfastness and courage in the Battle of Smolensk received the honorary name “Guards.” The war was already ended by 17 guards armies and 215 guards divisions, as well as 18 naval ships.

Initially, the “guards” included mortar units equipped with rocket artillery - “Katyushas”.

The Russian ground forces have several guards units. The most famous are the Kantemirovskaya Tank and Tamanskaya Motorized Rifle Divisions, whose deployment near Moscow back in Soviet times gave them the unofficial nickname of “courtiers.” But the guard serves everywhere, and in the Far East too.

The Soviet Guard was born during the Great Patriotic War during the Battle of Smolensk near Yelnya on September 18, 1941. There, as a result of a counterattack by the Western and Reserve Fronts, a large enemy group was defeated for the first time, and the city was liberated. Four motorized rifle divisions - 100-, 127-, 153- and 161st (division commanders: Major General I. Russiyanov, Colonels A. Akimenko, N. Gagen, P. Moskvitin) “... for military exploits, organization, discipline, and exemplary order” were renamed Guards by order of the USSR NCO No. 308.

Their military history is significant. For example, the 100th Rifle Division is one of the oldest in the Red Army. Its fighting traditions were established on the fronts of the Civil War. In 1940, the division's soldiers crushed the Mannerheim Line on the Karelian Isthmus, and its Battle Banner was decorated with the Order of Lenin. Entering into battle on June 26, 1941, it defeated two enemy regiments in two days: a tank and an infantry. The decisive test for the title of Guards for the division was the battles on the Yelninsky ledge, which lasted about a month. The soldiers boldly went into battle with one thought - to win. They gave the enemy no rest day or night. The wounded, as a rule, did not leave the battlefield as long as they could stay on their feet. And the future guardsmen did what was required of them: in cooperation with their neighbors, they pinned down large enemy forces, cleared part of the Soviet territory from the enemy, and contributed to the liberation of Yelnya - the first Soviet city that the Nazis were forced to abandon.

The former platoon commander of the 153rd (3rd Guards) Rifle Division, retired Major General N. Kosmodemyansky, recalled: “...For us veterans, the heavy battles of 1941 are especially memorable. Near Vitebsk, where the Ural warriors received a baptism of fire, repelling the onslaught of an enemy many times superior in strength. Near Yelnya, where they learned not only to defend themselves, but also to successfully attack.

Yes, the victory at Yelnya came at a high price. In those battles, many of our comrades died the death of the brave. They did not have to wear the “Guard” sign on their chests. But they rightfully deserved the title of guardsmen.”

At the same time, by decision of the Supreme Command Headquarters, guards mortar units were formed. The order of the People's Commissar of Defense dated November 11, 1941 for the first time summarized the combat experience of the guardsmen: “... the tank crews of the brigade, having met Guderian’s tank group in the Mtsensk region, acted extremely skillfully, showed combat caution, hit the enemy’s tanks and manpower...” In a word, they fought in a way that no one had managed before, they burned 133 tanks, preserving their material and combat effectiveness.

The Guard of the Great Patriotic War is a galaxy of heroes whose names will never fade. These include B.C. Petrov, who commanded the 248th Guards Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment and after losing both arms. He received the second Gold Star of Hero of the Soviet Union as a guard major. All three Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union, the famous pilot A.I. Pokryshkin received it as part of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The last one was during the performance of the position of commander. Another famous World War II ace, three-time Hero of the Soviet Union I.N., fought with the enemy as deputy commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Kozhedub. In the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Guard Senior Lieutenant A.P. accomplished a feat, conducting air battles using prosthetic legs instead of legs. Maresyev, deputy squadron commander. Guard private forever entered the history of A.M. Sailors, who covered the embrasure of the enemy bunker with his chest and was forever enrolled in his native 244th Guards Rifle Regiment.

All of them resurrected and multiplied the best military traditions of the Russian Guard. The military exploits of their ancestors helped the guardsmen find high examples of perseverance and fearlessness, loyalty to their people. In total, during the Great Patriotic War, over 4.5 thousand units, ships, formations, and associations were given the guards name. They were awarded special guards banners, and naval formations were awarded the guards naval flag.

In May 1942, a badge was established for military personnel of the guards units. In the Navy, until 1943, it was a rectangular plate (gold-plated for commanding officers and silver-plated for privates) with an orange moire ribbon with black longitudinal stripes. Sailors and foremen of guard ships wore a moire ribbon on their caps. Distinctive military ranks were established for all military personnel of guards units, ships and formations. In addition, they were given an increased salary. The assignment of guards ranks and the presentation of banners was carried out in a solemn atmosphere at rallies, where the soldiers swore not to disgrace the guards unit and to observe the laws of the guard.

In the post-war years, the Soviet guard continued the glorious traditions of previous generations of guards. And although in peacetime the formations were not converted into guards, in order to preserve military traditions, the guards ranks of units, ships, formations and associations were transferred to new military formations during reorganization with direct succession in personnel. Thus, the 4th Kantemirovskaya Tank Division was created on the basis of the famous 4th Kantemirovsky Guards Corps. She retained her honorary title and was given the corps guards banner. The same thing happened with the 5th Guards Mechanized Division, whose soldiers subsequently fulfilled their military duty in Afghanistan with dignity. Similar reorganizations took place in the Air Force, Airborne Forces and Navy. Newly formed units and formations of the Strategic Missile Forces, anti-aircraft missile units and formations of the country's Air Defense Forces were awarded the ranks of artillery and mortar formations that distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War.

Guards units and formations were located primarily at the forefront in groups of troops and border districts, and divisions and ships, whose exploits received special recognition, were stationed in large cities and capitals of the union republics. A recruit soldier, coming to serve in a guards unit, with great pride accepted the “Guard” badge from the hands of the commander and vowed not to disgrace the memory of his fathers and grandfathers.

The Guard of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was the successor and continuer of the military traditions of its predecessors. Guards motorized rifle Taman, Guards tank Kantemirovskaya, Guards motorized rifle Carpathian-Berlin divisions; Guards separate motorized rifle brigade; guard formations of the Airborne Forces; Guards Motorized Rifle Piotrakuvsky Regiment, Guards Motorized Rifle Tatsinsky Regiment... These names still inspire and oblige to selflessly serve the Fatherland.

The guardsmen of the late 20th - early 21st centuries are faithful to the laws of the guard, developed and enshrined by their predecessors. Will we ever forget about the feat of our contemporaries - the 6th company of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment near Ulus-Kert, which is inscribed with a golden line in the modern history of the Russian Armed Forces, in the centuries-old chronicle of its guards? He inspires to good deeds those who today carry out difficult military service under the guards banners, helps to instill in soldiers a sense of pride in their army, their Fatherland.

Today, in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Guard is the successor and continuer of the military traditions of its predecessors. Guards units, ships and formations that became part of the RF Armed Forces retained their previous honorary names and awards. The further development of the Guard of the Russian Federation follows the path of professionalization by changing the principles of manning, improving the organizational structure, and equipping it with more modern types of weapons and military equipment. Great importance is attached to increasing combat training, instilling patriotism, and improving the furnishings and uniforms of military personnel of the guards units.

An integral feature of a guardsman is ideological conviction, patriotism, and loyalty to the military oath. At all times, he is distinguished by selfless love for his unit, the ship.

The traditions of the Guard, its unfading glory are the inheritance and heritage of every Russian soldier, all our units and ships. To serve in the Guards today means to have the highest combat qualifications, to masterfully wield equipment and weapons, to serve vigilantly, and to tirelessly strengthen the combat readiness of the army and navy.

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Symbols of courage and perseverance: history and traditions of the Russian guard. Revival of guards units during the Great Patriotic War

Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Samosvat

Throughout the entire military history of Russia, the Russian Guard has been the color and pride of the Russian Armed Forces, the personification of indestructible military power, mass heroism and military valor. Its military traditions serve soldiers as an example of loyalty to military duty and the Fatherland.

1. History and traditions of the Russian Guard

The Russian Guard (Russian Imperial Life Guard) existed from 1721 to March 1917. It was created by Peter I on the basis of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky “amusing” regiments. The Russian Guard received its baptism of fire in the Battle of Narva in 1700, where it saved the Russian army from complete destruction. For this feat, the officers of the regiments were awarded a badge with the inscription “1700 November 19.” Peter I ordered the guards to wear red stockings instead of green ones as a sign that they fought knee-deep in blood.

In the 18th-19th centuries, the Russian Guard participated in all wars of the Russian Empire. She especially distinguished herself in the battles of Austerlitz and Borodino, in the battles of Kulm and Gorny Dubnyak. At the beginning of the 20th century, individual units of the guard took part in the Chinese campaign and the Russian-Japanese war. During the First World War, the Guard troops successfully operated in the Battle of Galicia, in the Warsaw-Ivangorod and Lodz operations. In the summer of 1916, as part of the Special Army, the guard took part in the Brusilov breakthrough.

Over the more than two-century history of the Russian Guard, its organizational structure has changed several times while maintaining a steady trend towards growth in numbers, composition and combat capabilities. If in 1700 the guard had only 2 regiments with a total number of 3 thousand people, then in 1812 there were 12 regiments, an artillery brigade and several other units with a total number of 18 thousand people. In 1914, the guard already included 7 large formations (about 50 units, over 90 thousand people).

The most rapid growth in the combat strength of the guard occurred at the beginning of the 19th century. The deployment of the guard was carried out through the formation of new units or the transformation of army units into guards units for their combat distinctions. During the First World War, significant changes occurred in the organization of the Guard. Due to serious losses in personnel, representatives of the peasantry and working class began to be called upon to replenish the guard. By the beginning of the First World War, the Russian Guard had 13 infantry, 4 rifle and 14 cavalry regiments, 4 artillery brigades and other units. There were also spare guards units. In the Navy, in addition to the guards crew, the cruiser "Oleg", 2 destroyers and the imperial yacht were assigned to the guard.

After the victory of the February Revolution of 1917 and the abdication of the Tsar, the Guard did not even attempt to intervene in the course of events. The Provisional Government retained the guard, abolishing the prefix “lab” and the name “Imperial”. After the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty in 1918 and the demobilization of the old tsarist army, the guard was disbanded.

The Red Guard arose during the 1917 revolution in many large cities of Russia. It was staffed by voluntary workers on a territorial basis (factories) and was the main force of the country of the Soviets. On the basis of the Red Guard detachments, at the beginning of 1918, the first units and formations of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army were formed, many of whose fighters and commanders subsequently became prominent Soviet military leaders. After the introduction of compulsory military service on July 10, 1918, the Red Guard was gradually abolished as a form of organization of the armed forces.

During the Civil War, a significant part of the command staff of the former guard fought in the ranks of the White armies. Attempts by the leaders of the White movement to recreate the guard due to limited sources of recruitment were generally unsuccessful. Several guards units were formed only in the armed forces of the South of Russia.

As an elite part of the Russian army, the guard enjoyed great privileges. For example, according to the Table of Ranks of 1722, guard officers had seniority over army officers of two ranks. With the formation of the Young Guard in 1813, its officers received seniority of one rank. This order existed until the end of the 19th century, when Alexander III curtailed the privileges of the guard.

Since the creation of the guard, the military uniform of the guards has been a symbol of honor, dignity, discipline, and the expression “uniform honor” was identical to the concept of “honor earned on the battlefield.” Almost all guards units had their own distinctive insignia.

The guards sacredly cherished the honor of their regiment and its ancient traditions. The name of the regiment appeared on the battle banner and was a source of special pride for all personnel. The assignment of a name to a regiment in memory of military merits was considered an outstanding event. The first duty of every guardsman was to protect the military banner of the regiment. These and other glorious traditions of the Russian Guard were continued by the Soviet Guard.

2. History, traditions and distinctive symbols of the Soviet and Russian guards

The Soviet Guard was born during the hardest defensive battles of the summer and autumn of 1941 near Smolensk. Order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command No. 308 of September 18 stated: “In numerous battles for our Soviet Motherland against the Nazi hordes of Nazi Germany, the 100th, 127th, 153rd and 161st rifle divisions showed examples of courage, bravery, discipline and organization. In difficult conditions of struggle, these divisions repeatedly inflicted brutal defeats on the Nazi troops, put them to flight, and terrified them.”

With this order, the formations that distinguished themselves in battles with the enemy, commanded respectively by Major General I.N. Russiyanov, Colonels A.Z. Akimenko, N.A. Gagen, P.F. Moskvitin, were renamed the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Guards Rifle Divisions. They were presented with special guards banners with a portrait of V.I. Lenin.

This was the beginning of the Soviet Guard, which inherited the best traditions of the Russian Guard.

The former platoon commander of the 153rd (3rd Guards) Rifle Division, retired Major General N. Kosmodemyansky, recalled: “...For us veterans, the heavy battles of 1941 are especially memorable. Near Vitebsk, where the Ural warriors received a baptism of fire, repelling the onslaught of an enemy many times superior in strength. Near Yelnya, where they learned not only to defend themselves, but also to successfully attack.

Yes, the victory at Yelnya came at a high price. In those battles, many of our comrades died the death of the brave. They did not have to wear the “Guard” sign on their chests. But they rightfully deserved the title of guardsmen.”

Somewhat later, in November 1941, the first Guards tank unit was the 4th Tank Brigade under the command of Colonel M.E. Katukova. At the end of November, the first guards cavalry formations appeared - the 1st Corps under the command of Major General P.A. Belov and the 2nd Corps under the command of Major General L.M. Dovatora. In the Air Force, the 29th Fighter Aviation Regiment was the first to receive the Guards rank in December 1941, which became the 1st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. In the Navy, the cruiser "Red Caucasus" was awarded the title of Guards in April 1942.

In August 1942, the first guards association was formed - the 1st Guards Army, and in February-March 1943 - the first guards tank army.

In offensive operations 1943 - 1945. Guards associations and formations, as a rule, acted in decisive directions - where the fate of the battle and battle was decided. At the same time, in the offensive, guards tank armies were used to rapidly develop operational success in the depths of the enemy’s defense, and in defense - for decisive counterattacks. For successful actions, many guards units (ships), formations, associations were repeatedly noted in the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, were awarded state awards, and were given honorary titles for the capture of cities and crossing of rivers.

The state and military leadership of the country, taking into account the special status of the guard, created additional preferential conditions for the guard units in providing the latest, more mobile weapons, and allocated funds for higher pay compared to other units. Guards units and formations had their own organizational structure, different from others.

In total, during the Great Patriotic War, the title of guards was awarded to: 11 combined arms and 6 tank armies; horse-mechanized group; 40 rifle, 7 cavalry, 12 tank, 9 mechanized and 14 aviation corps; 117 rifle, 9 airborne, 17 cavalry, 6 artillery, 53 aviation and 6 anti-aircraft artillery divisions, 7 rocket artillery divisions (all rocket artillery units and formations received the name guards from the moment of formation, which emphasized their importance as a new powerful weapon), many dozens of brigades and regiments. The Navy had 18 surface guard ships, 16 submarines, 13 combat boat divisions, 2 air divisions, 1 marine brigade and 1 naval railway artillery brigade.

On May 21, 1943, the “Guard” badge was established for military personnel of guards units and formations. This sign was also placed on the guards banners assigned to armies and corps on the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 2, 1943. The difference was that on the banner of the Guards Army the sign was depicted in a wreath of oak branches, and on the banner of the Guards Corps - without a wreath.

Veteran of the 1st Guards Rifle Division, retired Colonel P. Rebenok, recalls the honor and respect these badges enjoyed among front-line soldiers: “One day in the summer of 1942, it became known that the division headquarters had received a batch of “Guard” badges.” . There were very few of them. The question arose: who should I give it to? Someone suggested starting with commanders. But our division commander Ivan Nikitich Russiyanov ordered that badges be awarded primarily to soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle, regardless of rank and position. And he even established a kind of “qualification” - at least three destroyed Nazis (with written confirmation from two colleagues).

I, at that time the assistant chief of staff of the regiment, had the opportunity to hold in my hands quite a few such confirmations, written on scraps of newspaper (it was difficult with paper), often not very well, but always objective.

In our 2nd Guards Regiment, the first to be awarded - namely, awarded the "Guard" badge - was Red Army soldier Ivan Sokolovsky. During the battle near the village of Terbuny, he doubled the standard established by the division commander. Among the officers, the first to receive this honor were Captain A. Zubkov and company political instructor Rylenko. Personally, although by that time I already bore the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, I received the Guards badge only a month later. The division commander himself presented badges to distinguished soldiers in a solemn atmosphere.”

For the personnel of the Navy, the guards breastplate was a rectangular plate covered with an orange moire ribbon with black longitudinal stripes (traditional colors of the Russian naval guard). The metal edging of the frame was golden for the officers of the ships (units) and silver for the petty officers (sergeants) and sailors. After the war, the guards badge became unified. The Naval Guards flag was established on July 19, 1942.

There is a known case in the history of the Russian Navy when one ship became a Guards ship twice. The officers and sailors of the imperial yacht "Standard", launched in 1895, were included in the guards crew. After October 1917, the Shtandart was mothballed for a long time. But in 1934, the ship, which had excellent sea characteristics, was converted into a minelayer and received a new name - “Marty”. The ship is responsible for destroying a fascist submarine and shooting down enemy planes. On April 3, 1942, “Marty” was awarded the rank of guards, and its sailors for the second time in the ship’s history received the right to wear honorary black and orange ribbons on their visors.

On February 5, 1944, in connection with the approval of new models of combat banners of the Soviet Army and Navy, the design of the guards army and naval banners was slightly changed.

The creation of the Soviet Guard became one of the important events in the field of military development. It played a huge role in strengthening the combat capability of the army and navy. Guards regiments, ships, divisions, corps and armies inflicted crushing blows on the enemy, serving as an example of selfless devotion to the Motherland, unshakable will to win, perseverance and perseverance. The Soviet Guard was sent to the most difficult sectors of the front and carried out combat missions with honor everywhere. No wonder they said during the war: “Where the guard advances, the enemy cannot resist. Where the guard is defending, the enemy cannot penetrate.”

Guards formations and units that became part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation retained their previous honorary titles and awards. The further development of the Guard of the Russian Federation follows the path of professionalization by changing the principles of manning, improving the organizational structure, and equipping guardsmen with more advanced weapons and military equipment. Great importance is attached to increasing the training of guardsmen, instilling patriotism, and improving the furnishings and uniforms of soldiers and officers of guards units.

Serving under the banners of the Russian Guard is both a high honor and a great responsibility. Therefore, a recruit soldier, coming to serve in a guards unit, with great pride accepts the “Guard” badge from the hands of the commander and vows not to disgrace the memory of his fathers and grandfathers.

The guardsmen of the late 20th century are faithful to the traditions of the guard, developed and consolidated by their predecessors. Is it possible to forget about the feat of our contemporaries - the 6th company of the 104th Guards Parachute Regiment near the Chechen settlement of Ulus-Kert? The paratroopers fought a fierce battle against vastly superior forces of mercenary fighters. The guards did not flinch or retreat. They fulfilled their military duty to the end and at the cost of their lives blocked the enemy’s path. This feat is inscribed in gold in the modern history of the Russian Armed Forces, in the centuries-old chronicle of its guards and inspires those who today carry out difficult military service.

In the battles for the freedom and independence of the Motherland, the guard forged combat traditions that have been helping commanders raise courageous and skillful fighters for decades, and the guard of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the successor and continuer of the combat traditions of their predecessors.

tradition Russian guard symbols

1 The Russian Guard is 300 years old. // Homeland. - 2000. -№11.

2 Samosvat D., Kurshev A. Russian Guard. History of the formation and traditions of the Russian Guard // Landmark. - 2009. - No. 9.

3 Kuzmichev A. Soviet Guard. - M., 1969.

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In 2016, the formation of the National Guard troops of the Russian Federation began in accordance with the April decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin “Issues of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation.”

He talks about the tasks and features of the new structure Head of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation for the Krasnoyarsk Territory Valery Kuskashev.

— Valery Mikhailovich, how are the units of the Russian Guard being formed in our region, what remains to be done to make them work more efficiently?

— The formation of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops is carried out in three stages. The first of them ended in December last year: a regulatory framework was adopted at the federal level in accordance with the presidential decree, the Ministry of Internal Affairs units included in the Russian Guard were transferred (private security, licensing and permitting work and special forces - riot police, riot police in transport, SOBR, air detachment), as well as the transfer of property and weapons. The second stage involves completing changes to regulatory documents, but within the department. In accordance with this, adjustments will be made to the scope and order of performing tasks assigned to employees. This work should be completed in August 2017.

The third and final stage will be the transfer of employees of special units (riot police force, special forces, air squad) to the status of military personnel. From January 1, 2018, employees of the Russian Guard will begin to fully perform the functions defined for it by the country’s leadership. At the same time, I would like to note that today the National Guard troops are working effectively and successfully solving the tasks assigned to them.

As for the structure of the Russian Guard, it includes a central apparatus headed by the commander-in-chief and five deputies, seven districts of national guard troops headed by commanders and territorial bodies in each subject of the Russian Federation. The Directorate of the Russian Guard for the Krasnoyarsk Territory is part of the Siberian District of the National Guard troops under the command of Lieutenant General Viktor Strigunov.

— What exactly are the tasks facing employees of the regional directorate of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation?

“All the tasks facing us are set out in the federal law “On the Troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation.” Employees of the Russian Guard are required to participate in ensuring public safety, protect important state facilities, participate in the fight against terrorism and extremism, in ensuring emergency and martial law regimes, the legal regime of counter-terrorism operations, protect especially important sensitive facilities and federal state control over compliance with legislation in the field arms trafficking, private security activities and ensuring the security of the energy complex.

The tasks themselves are defined by law, but, as I said earlier, as part of the second stage of the formation of National Guard troops, the regulatory framework is being brought into line with federal legislation. And while this process continues, the activities of the Russian Guard are carried out on the basis of the base that existed previously. To more fully implement our powers, today we are improving the mechanisms of interaction with colleagues from other law enforcement agencies - the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief, and others. The system of work in operational headquarters, interaction of the squads and units for the protection of public order and public safety included in the structure of the Russian Guard is being developed.

— As for controlling the circulation of weapons among legal entities and individuals, how is this work carried out today?

— It is possible that as a result of a detailed study of the regulatory framework regarding state control over compliance with legislation in the field of arms trafficking and private security activities, changes will be made to the legislation. One of the goals of creating national guard troops is to strengthen gun control. The need for this is ripe: in response to the tense situation, citizens are purchasing personal weapons for self-defense, and numerous private security structures are also equipped with them. At the same time, it is necessary to understand that we are not faced with the task of infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens to own and use weapons. Strengthening control over the conditions of its storage, issuance and use - this is our goal. In this work, we cannot do without interaction with local commissioners, one of whose duties is to check the storage conditions and the actual availability of weapons among the population. In this direction, we plan to interact with the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Krasnoyarsk Territory in the closest possible way.

— How is the fight against corruption organized within the department, are there plans to strengthen this component?

— As life shows, law enforcement agencies are far from the most corrupt structure in modern society. Nevertheless, we are obliged to take all necessary preventive measures to remove this phenomenon from our ranks. In this regard, the conditions for selecting new employees have been significantly tightened: their biography is carefully studied in order to exclude the presence of not only criminal, but even administrative offenses. The polygraph is actively used, psychologists are involved, since it is important to assess not only a person’s behavior in the past, but also his moral potential, intentions and plans for the future, and in general his readiness to work in the National Guard. This leads to high requirements for the employee: in addition to excellent physical fitness, he must be educated, morally strong, with a developed sense of professional honor and dignity.

It is planned to create a unit for our own security, since, as stated in the regulations on the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, we ourselves must ensure our own security of the structure, organize and implement measures to prevent and suppress crimes, administrative offenses and other illegal actions of military personnel and employees of the National Guard troops guard.

In modern Russian society, there is a misconception that in our field employees are protected by connections, a kind of mutual guarantee. However, in reality they are much more under control. The system closely monitors its employees, and rightly so: if you join law enforcement agencies, you must be prepared not only to protect public order, but also to maintain it yourself.

Military personnel and employeesThe National Guard always defends the interests of the state, performing military and official duties, often at the risk of their lives. I would like to express words of special gratitude to veterans, thanks to whom the continuity of generations is maintained and the professional traditions of our units are enhanced. I wish you health, unbending will, a reliable family support and high achievements in difficult times.work for the good of the Fatherland!

Andrey Marynyak

With aiguillette - to fall or to win
Life and traditions of the Imperial Russian Guard
(Motherland magazine)

The Imperial Russian Guard by the end of the 19th century was the largest of the world's "guards": three infantry and two cavalry divisions, the Rifle and Separate Cavalry Brigades and corresponding artillery units made up about 4 percent of the Imperial Army.
Its Officer Corps was staffed according to certain rules; representatives of many noble families served in one or another regiment from generation to generation. “The officers looked at the regiment as their second family when they were married, and when they were single, as their only one. Among the officers there were those who numbered 10, 15 and 20 representatives of their kind in the previous composition"1.

Royalists and stove-makers

The main condition for leaving a military school for a guards regiment, in addition to a vacancy and a “guards point,” was the general agreement of the regiment officers to accept a new comrade into their midst. A senior cadet reported his intention to a junior officer or adjutant of the regiment, who, in turn, submitted his candidacy to the consideration of a society of officers, usually headed by a senior colonel. If the cadet who received the consent of the officers did not reach the guards point, he, as a rule, took an army vacancy and ended up in a guards regiment for a year as a secondee2. Since the issue of admission to the regiment was decided by closed ballot, a cadet who was not accepted into one regiment could try his luck in another. The reasons for refusal were very diverse: from origin and debt to performing on stage, even in an amateur theater. Let us also note that there were regiments, which traditionally, in the overwhelming majority, included cadets from one school. Thus, those who graduated from the Corps of Pages staffed the Cavalry Guards, the Preobrazhensky Life Guards and the Life Guards of the 4th Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Family; the cadets of the Pavlovsk Military School made up the majority of the officers of the Pavlovsk Life Guards Regiment.
Another unspoken limitation for Guard officers was the financial side. According to the testimony of a number of contemporaries, service in the cuirassier regiments of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division required from a young officer at least 3,000 rubles a year in addition to his salary, and in the Hussar Life Guards twice as much. Therefore, cadets on their first visit to the regiment, or young officers immediately upon enlistment, were asked in advance to weigh their financial capabilities against the life worthy of a guards officer.
“In all matters, official and private,” recalled the indigenous officer of the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment, General Staff, Major General B.V. Gerua, “the dignity of the regiment came first for everyone. They didn’t wash dirty linen in public, the commander - whatever he was - was supported as a representative of the regiment, the established regimental customs were sacredly respected and they “went out of their way” if it was necessary to show that the life rangers in a particular region were at the proper level.” 3.
The one-on-one conversation between the senior colonel of Her Majesty’s Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment E. N. von Schweder and the officers who had just joined the regiment is indicative: “Gentlemen,” he said quietly. - The Cuirassier Regiment did you a great honor by accepting you as officers into its midst. Yesterday you put on the officer's shoulder straps of the Cuirassier Regiment. I, your senior colonel, demand from you that, wherever you are, you do not forget for a minute that you have the officer’s insignia of our regiment on your shoulders. These shoulder straps oblige you... Yes, these shoulder straps oblige everyone who has the honor to wear them to worthy actions, decency and decency. Remember that in the eyes of society and the world, any unseemly act or even gesture of yours will be attributed not so much to your personality as to the entire regiment, because a regiment that accepts an officer into its midst thereby guarantees his decency and good manners. An officer who does not know how to protect his dignity and the dignity of the regiment, an officer who does not know how to behave, the regiment will not tolerate in its midst.”4
The senior staff officer or regiment commander, if he was a native officer of the unit, congratulating young second lieutenants or cornets on such an important event as the beginning of officer service, at the same time warned: “There are people who look at the regiment as a passage yard. He served for three years, found a nice place and left. We don't need those. Only those who have decided to serve in the Regiment all their lives, up to the rank of colonel, and if war happens, then die in its ranks, should come out to us. Not touring people. We need those for whom there can be not only service, but also life outside the regiment. Do you understand me?<...>It was difficult not to understand when the example of regimental patriotism spoke to us. 26 years in regimental uniform, from the lower rank to colonel”5.
The impoverishment of the layer that filled the Guard's officer corps began to have a strong impact by the beginning of the twentieth century. An indicator of this was the high “staff turnover” in many regiments. Officers went to the Academy (usually the General Staff) for civil service, retired, or were transferred to the army. To prevent this process, scholarships were established for some of the best students of military educational institutions (from 600 to 750 rubles per year), and in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment, for example, at the expense of the lands of the former imperial gardens6, it became possible not only to remove from officers the burden of “public” expenses, but also begin to pay subsidies to those most in need from the funds received from the sale of these lands. At the same time, a movement began in the regiments to make the lives of guards officers cheaper. Thus, in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment they were divided into “stove-makers” and “royalists” (who sat at the stove and at the piano, respectively, during general meetings). If the former advocated a modest lifestyle, the latter insisted on the need to maintain “guards chic.” “It is absolutely impossible to indicate on what grounds this division occurred. The “royalists,” along with wealthy people, included many relatively poor people and people of the most humble origins, while the “oven workers” included several homeowners and officers who entered the largest St. Petersburg drawing rooms. It happened that of two brothers, one was a “royalist” and the other a “stove maker”7. The main “debate” was conducted regarding expenses that did not directly affect the life of the regiment. So, for example, the regiment received a request to donate money for a monument to Alexander II, which the village assembly decided to erect in the village of Uspensky, Yaroslavl province. Naturally, it was decided not to make donations on behalf of the regiment, but to grant such a right to those wishing to engage in philanthropy.
Maintaining a life “worthy” of a guardsman placed a great burden on the officer’s pocket. According to tradition, officers were supposed to visit only first-class restaurants, ride only in 1st class carriages, and in the city - in “decent” cabs. Large amounts of money were required for tailoring uniforms (and in the cavalry, in addition, the cost of one’s own horse and its maintenance), constant contributions to the officers’ meeting, numerous dinners, regimental holidays, receptions, gifts to officers leaving the regiment, theaters (where one was supposed to occupy seats no further than a certain a row of stalls or a separate box)…
With the expansion of the “sphere of entertainment” in Russia, and especially in the capital, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the need arose to officially regulate public places where an officer was allowed to be, and where his presence was categorically prohibited.

"1. All Messrs. officers stationed in St. Petersburg are unconditionally prohibited from visiting:
1) Private clubs and meetings where gambling takes place.
Note. Gg. officers do not have the right to become members of private clubs and societies without the permission of their direct superiors. As guests Messrs. officers are allowed to unconditionally attend the following clubs: 1) Imperial Yacht Club; 2) Imperial River Yacht Club; 3) English Club; 4) New Club; 5) Assembly of the Nobility; 6) Noble Assembly; 7) Merchant Assembly; 8) Railway Club; 9) Theater Club; 10) Agricultural Club.
2) “Variety” - Fontanka, 81 (winter cafe-chantan).
3) “Cafe de Paris” - a coffee shop near Passage on Nevsky Prospekt.
4) “Eden” - summer pleasure garden, Glazovaya St., No. 23.
5) “Yar” - restaurant on Bolshoy Prospect, Petersburgskaya side.
6) Small cinemas.
7) Restaurants and hotels of the lower categories.
8) All in general taverns, tea houses, cookeries, coffee shops, beer houses, porter shops, as well as third class buffets at railway stations. From order No. 13 (1911) for the troops of the Guard and the St. Petersburg Military District8.”

Membership in some clubs (for example, the Imperial Yacht Club) was considered a matter of regimental prestige. The number of restaurants "acceptable" for officers to visit (according to tradition, not wallet) was quite limited. The standard group consisted of “Cuba”, “Donon”, “Bear” and “Contan”, where, “having taken a table for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it was obligatory to demand a bottle or “wine”, that is, a bottle of champagne (this is the minimum), which cost 12 rubles (in the regiment meeting - 6 rubles - A.M.)9.” And this is with a junior officer’s salary of about 100 rubles including apartment allowance.
Rotation in high society, rapid promotion, and guards privileges did not at all relieve officers of the responsibility for accurately performing their service and maintaining the proper professional level. The guards were required to excel in military training compared to other parts of the Imperial Army.
As a result of constant control by the superiors and the awareness of the regiments themselves of the need to be “first,” the guards infantry always scored “beyond excellent” in shooting, and, being under the watchful eye of the artillery inspector general, did not lag behind. book Sergei Mikhailovich Guards artillery, both light and horse. Since the days of his inspector general, the commander-in-chief vigilantly monitored the preparation of the guards cavalry - he led. book Nikolai Nikolaevich. Equestrian sport generally became widespread in the Imperial Russian Army at the beginning of the 20th century. Guards officers won many prizes at international competitions.

Samovarniks

There was also a selection for the lower ranks of the Guard, but naturally according to rules different from those for officers. In addition to the well-known physical characteristics (health, height), favorite “types” have long been formed in the regiments: for example, the Pavlovsk Life Guards Regiment took snub-nosed ones, redheads with beards went to the Moscow Life Guards... However, given that recruits were selected almost twice ten regiments, at the “breakdown” in the Mikhailovsky Manege, there were often disputes between regimental commanders asking the commander-in-chief or corps commander to assign this or that “recruit” to their regiment.
Unlike officers, for lower ranks service in the Guard was more profitable than army service in material terms: an ordinary guardsman received a salary double that of his fellow army soldier, fed very well (in addition to a more than satisfying general ration, it was not uncommon for additions to the soldier’s cauldron at the expense of company and especially squadron commanders), wore a beautiful uniform. “It would be appropriate to say that for all parades and reviews, as well as exercises and maneuvers in the Highest Presence, all guards private soldiers received 1 ruble, corporals 1 ruble 50 kopecks, junior non-commissioned officers 3 rubles, senior non-commissioned officers - officers 5 rubles, sergeants on active service 10 rubles, and long-term officers 25 rubles from His Majesty.” The musicians of all guards regiments could generally be considered quite wealthy people, since they could play at charity bazaars and theaters. Moreover, the performance cost from 300 to 500 rubles, and invitations to officer parties also brought in a considerable profit. In the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, for example, for each such call to a “trumpet choir” the officer paid 25 rubles, while the performance of favorite melodies was paid separately. At the same time, the adjutant of the regiment, in charge of the trumpet team, paid the headquarters trumpeter a salary of 60 rubles a month from his personal funds (that is, the salary of an army second lieutenant (cornet), however, without additives). The conscripts and “specialists” received unofficial salaries from their officers: the senior regimental clerk - from the regimental adjutant, the administrative clerk - from the regimental treasurer, the regimental gunsmith - from the weapons manager...
When going on vacation, the guards were not averse to flaunting the advantages of their position in front of their fellow villagers. A complete sensation was created by the arrivals home of the guards cuirassiers, who received the mocking nickname “samovarniks” (due to the external “resemblance” of the shiny cuirass with a samovar) or “funeral cavalry” (for their frequent participation, especially of the 1st brigade of the division - Cavalry Guards and Horse Guards - in the funerals of retired generals). One of the officers recalled: “They (cuirassiers - A.M.) were released (on leave - A.M.) in helmets with grenade, in tunics, greatcoats, and broadswords. Most secretly took the eagle for a fee to the squadron captain and bought monograms for shoulder straps, which they wore at home. In frank conversations, they choked up and told how they were saluted and even stood in front not only by the lower ranks, but almost by army infantry officers, in county towns, seeing them riding in the best cab in the city, wearing a helmet with an eagle and a tunic. , with monograms and a broadsword, mistaking them for Grand Dukes!!! In church they stood in front so that all the people could see them. They loved to show off...”10
A special layer was made up of long-term service sergeants and sergeants, especially old men who had served in the regiments for several decades. “In each guards regiment, in addition to inanimate relics - banners, standards and St. George's trumpets, which reminded officers and soldiers of the glorious military past of their regiments, there were also living relics - super-enlisted ensigns who served in the regiment for thirty or more years, who were witnesses to various historical events and zealously guarded the old regimental customs"11. These old men, many of whom had already fought with their regiments during the campaign for the Balkans, kept to themselves as a separate caste, sometimes not letting even the younger “super-term” soldiers in, believing that after the Turkish war “the soldiers were not taught anything worthwhile.” Making up a real “regimental aristocracy,” they could well afford to be offended by senior officers if they forgot to personally pay their respects at their name days and other family celebrations.
Being respected people, the old people had a number of honorable duties that were exclusively their prerogative. In the Life Guards Cavalry Grenadier Regiment, for example, there were six such veterans who had more than 25 years of long-term service behind them and were awarded the Cross of St. George, numerous medals and foreign orders. The regiment officer recalled: “The regiment commander and all the officers called them by name and patronymic, and even the Emperor, greeting Maslennikov and Geichenko at parades, called them Kirill Yakovlevich and Stepan Ivanovich. Each of these elders had traditional duties that they performed on ceremonial occasions. On regimental holidays, Sinegubkin and Maslennikov presented the Tsar with the first “test portion” and the second with a silver glass of vodka, and Geichenko managed the regimental songbooks when they sang in front of the Tsar or other distinguished guests.
The old men treated the young officers with condescending disdain, and although they showed them the respect required by the regulations, they did not take them into account at all. And Maslennikov even considered his squadron commander, who served for 15 years in the captain’s regiment, to be a boy, for the captain, whose father also commanded the 6th squadron at one time, was born when Kirill Yakovlevich was already wearing two chevrons (silver corners on the left sleeve) for emergency service. service"12.
During their service in the Guard, conscripts could accumulate quite a large sum, which was quite enough to “bring their children into the public eye.” So, the already mentioned “treasury captain” Ivan Alekseevich Sinegubkin’s eldest son and son-in-law were officers of one of the infantry regiments, and the youngest son was a communications engineer. Often, “extra-term” people purchased real estate with the money they earned (for example, dachas in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, the rental of which for the summer provided a good income).

Button-savior

The Guard regiments sacredly respected their traditions and remembered their history.
Various moments in the life of the regiment were reflected not only on St. George's banners and standards, in the windows of regimental museums and in the atmosphere of the officers' meeting, but also in the elements of the uniform of the guards units and the features of the formation. “Little things” that were obscure to an outsider were significant and dear to fellow soldiers.
For a long time, the regiments of the “Petrovskaya Brigade” - the Preobrazhensky Life Guards and the Semenovsky Life Guards were the only ones whose officers wore badges that indicated the dates of the founding of the regiments, the 150th anniversary of the Guard and the 200th anniversary of the founding of the regiments. On the “captain’s” insignia, the date of the battle near Narva was also added, and in the 1st company of the Life Guards Regiment, the date of the enthronement of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was also added, in memory of the decisive role played in this by the grenadier company of the regiment, the future Life Company. These signs were a source of pride and served to “advertise” the regiments. So the Semyonov officers, convincing the cadet Pavlon of the advantage of joining their regiment, said: “We are the Peter’s Brigade... And you will wear the breastplate... In the entire Russian army there are only two regiments that have it... Preobrazhentsy and we..."13.
In the Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment, the uniform was traditionally sewn in the form of a woman's braided braid. According to legend, when at the founding of the regiment in 1730, Empress Anna Ioanovna was asked what kind of sewing to give to the new guards regiment, the empress, who was doing her morning toilet, pointed to her braid, and the question was resolved. The charm of the beautiful legend was so great that for a long time no one paid attention to the fact that there was simply nowhere to put the sewing on the uniform of that time, which actually appeared only in 1800 and was probably adopted from the Prussian Guards Grenadier Battalion.
At the beginning of the century, the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment regained first the embroidery and then the aiguillettes on the right shoulder, granted to the regiment in 1775 to distinguish it from other grenadier regiments for the valor shown by the regiment during the Russian-Turkish War. The regimental march contained the following lines:
Otherwise it is impossible to be a grenadier,
Aiguillette calls us to fall or to win.
With the words of this march, in 1915, Colonel Moravsky, whom everyone in the regiment, both officers and soldiers, called “Uncle Sasha,” led his 2nd battalion into the attack. The Life Grenadier's opponent in this battle was the best regiment of the German Guard - the Life Guard Grenadier Regiment of Emperor Alexander I. The battalion, picking up the march, went towards the German machine guns, the position was taken, the mortally wounded “Uncle Sasha” died on the crest of the German trench.
The regiments of the Life Guards Pavlovsky and the Life Guards of the 4th Infantry of the Imperial Family stood out sharply from the rest of the Guards infantry. The first to retain their grenadier caps for distinction in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau, when 500 men were out of action. While shakos were being introduced in the rest of the army, on November 13, 1808, by the Highest Order of Emperor Alexander I, the names of the owners were cut out on the “grenadiers”. Thus, the Life Guards Pavlovsky Regiment, until the revolution of 1917, remained the only regiment that had a headdress of the early 19th century, and the regiment kept 532 “registered” grenadiers, about which A. S. Pushkin said: “The radiance of these copper hats, shot through and through in battle..." In memory of the regiment's exploits in the Napoleonic Wars, the Pavlovtsians marched in parades holding rifles “on the arm,” as if going on the attack, while all other regiments, according to the regulations, carried guns “on the shoulder.”
The Life Guards 4th Rifle Regiment of the Imperial Family, formed in 1854 from appanage peasants, received the rights of the Young Guard in 1856. Initially, he received a uniform different from other parts, which should resemble the Russian national costume: a caftan, fastened obliquely, and a hat (something between a Polish confederate hat and a coachman’s hat) with a militia cross. The regiment retained this uniform, with minor changes, until 1917 (naturally, only as a dress uniform), and on the semi-caftan of the 1906 model there was no collar, but a crimson (the color of the rifle units of the Imperial Army) blouse appeared.
The Guards cavalry did not lag behind its infantry. The receipt of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment of the star of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called on elements of uniforms and equipment, which later became the emblem of the entire Russian Guard, was firmly associated in the regiment with the tragic events of March 11, 1801: the Horse Guards guard, at the insistence of Palen, was removed by Emperor Paul, who paid for it with their lives. The Horse Guards were the only regiment whose officers did not participate in the conspiracy, and, at the insistence of Empress Maria Feodorovna, received stars with the order’s motto: “For Faith and Loyalty.”
The officers of His Majesty's Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment retained a button on the collar of their tunics, which was abolished in other cuirassier regiments. She is “on the L.Gv. Podolsk Cuirassier Regiment... saved the life of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich - Viceroy in the Kingdom of Poland and Chief of the regiment: the bullet of a Pole who shot at the Grand Duke changed direction, hitting a button on the collar of his tunic"14. Subsequently, His Majesty's Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment accepted the Podolsk cuirassiers into its ranks, and with them yellow applied cloth and a button on the tunic collar.
The officers of His Majesty's Life Guards Hussar Regiment wore tashkas with an unfinished pattern. According to legend, Empress Catherine II embroidered the tashka and died before finishing the work. Since then, in memory of the Empress, under whom the regiment was formed, the officers of the regiment wore an “unfinished” tashka.
Like all other regiments of the Imperial Russian Army, units of the Guard also had their own holidays: regimental, company, squadron and battery. In St. Petersburg and its environs, regimental holidays were always celebrated with great pomp, which is quite natural: they were always attended by members of the Imperial Family, many of whom were Chiefs, served or were on the lists of guards units, the emperor himself always tried to be present at the regimental holidays of his Guard. After 1905, the sovereign’s visits to officers’ meetings “simply” became more frequent, without any special official occasions and even without security. Knowing perfectly well the customs and traditions of his Guard, Nicholas II often sat with the officers until the morning, discussing various episodes of military service over a glass of wine.
To maintain contact between the regiment and its officers, even those who had left the regiment, “comradely dinners” were regularly held. Usually they were held once a month, but in richer regiments - weekly (in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment they even had the special name “Thursday” dinners). Officers could be absent from these regimental meetings only due to illness and with the permission of the senior colonel, who in each regiment was the legislator and guardian of internal regimental life and whose authority stood almost above the regiment commander. Senior colonels were a necessary layer between the officers of the regiment and its commander, who was often appointed from the officers of another regiment, sometimes a “competing” one. For example, during the centuries-old rivalry between the Cavalry Guards and the Horse Guards, it happened that the Cavalry Guards regiment was commanded by a Horse Guardsman and vice versa. The senior colonel was responsible for regulating the internal life of the regiment and resolving all kinds of conflicts. The introduction of young people into regimental life was the responsibility of the senior second lieutenant (cornet), who was supposed to observe the behavior of newly promoted officers both in the regiment and outside it, to warn and guide them on the right path. At general dinners and breakfasts, he always sat on the left, “youth” flank of the table and vigilantly watched to ensure that his “subordinates” observed proper decency and did not cross the boundaries of what was permitted.
When joining a guards regiment, an officer usually ordered his own silver device, the same model for the regiment, “i.e. knives, forks, spoons engraved with his name, patronymic and surname and year of manufacture, for which he paid 100 rubles. Such devices were owned by the Sovereign-Chiefs of the regiment and the Grand Dukes, who were included in the lists of the regiment, and were included in the lists of the regiment upon leaving the post of regiment commander. Each device was in a separate case. The highest persons were always given their cutlery, and for everyone else the silver was mixed on purpose, also serving the silver of old, former officers, to remind them of them. If an officer left without a gift and without a membership badge15, then his silver was returned to him, and he never again dared to cross the threshold of the meeting. If an officer, leaving the regiment, allowed his debts, discrediting the honor of the regiment's uniform, to be paid by the officers together, then the silver was returned to him. Silver was served only on special occasions, but not on a daily basis.”16

Thanks to strong internal foundations, historical traditions and strict selection of officer personnel, the Guard regiments were the real elite of the Imperial Russian Army and proved this during the First World War. With the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Russian Imperial Guard became a thing of the past, the officers and soldiers of which fought for Russia for several more years under the national white-blue-red flag of the White Movement and, without laying down their arms, left Crimea in November 1920 under the command of a native life officer Guards Cavalry Regiment of Baron P. N. Wrangel. Already in exile, in different countries, officers of the guards units created regimental associations and societies and did everything to preserve for posterity the memory of the glorious deeds of the Russian guard, who faithfully served the Tsar and the Fatherland.

Notes
1. History of the Life Guards Horse Regiment. T. 3. Paris. 1964. P. 78.
2. The exception in this regard was the Guards artillery. If cadets leaving for infantry and cavalry units immediately put on a regiment uniform immediately upon entering the regiment, then “all pages and cadets leaving for the Guards Artillery unit were enrolled in the Field Artillery, i.e., they put on a field artillery uniform and only a year later after being awarded their combat superiors were transferred to units of the Guards Artillery, when they put on the uniform of the Guards Artillery" (Life Guards 2nd Artillery Brigade. Compiled by Gen. A.F. von Ackermann. Belgrade. B. g. P. 53.).
3. Gerua B.V. Memories of my life. T. 1. Paris. 1969. P. 61.
4. Trubetskoy V., book. Notes of a Cuirassier//Our Heritage. 1991. No. IV. P. 105.
5. Makarov Yu. My service in the Old Guard. 1905-1917. Peacetime and war. pp. 41-42. This is how the young second lieutenants Makarov and Essen were greeted in 1905 by the commander of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, Colonel G. A. Min, who as an 18-year-old youth fled to the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and received the rank of ensign already in the regiment during the war.
6. Nicholas II at the end of 1905 transferred to the ownership of the regiment a huge plot of land of the former imperial vegetable gardens near the regiment barracks on Kirochnaya Street, in the center of St. Petersburg. By gradually selling land for development, the regiment accumulated a large capital for itself (according to the Minister of War, General A.F. Roediger: “probably several million rubles”).
7. Makarov Yu. Decree. op. P. 209.
8. Quote. by: Scout. 1911 No. 1067.
9. Cuirassiers of His Majesty. 1902-1914. The last years of peacetime. B. m. B. g. P. 35.
10. Decree. op. pp. 72-73.
11. Voronovich N. The All-Seeing Eye. From the life of the Russian army. NY. 1951. P. 20.
12. Ibid.
13. Pavlons - a well-established name in the military environment for the cadets of the Pavlovsk Military School, which, by the way, did not apply to the ranks of the Life Guards of the Pavlovsk Regiment; Makarov Yu. Decree. op. P. 35.
14. Cuirassiers... P. 40.
15. An officer who left the regiment by decision of the society of officers, i.e., who allowed himself to commit any unseemly act that could cast a shadow on the honor of the regiment, was deprived of a regimental badge indicating the preservation of his membership in the regimental officers' meeting and was not awarded a farewell gift from colleagues.
16. Cuirassiers... P. 34.
Categories: former Russia
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