Italy is not the first country to be helped by earthquakes from Russia. On April 16 of this year, a devastating earthquake occurred in Ecuador, killing more than 600 people and leaving thousands injured and homeless. On April 22, the Il-76 of the Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered 30 tons of humanitarian aid, including tents, mobile power stations and food to this country.
Even earlier, in January, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations sent more than 32 tons of humanitarian aid to earthquake-stricken Tajikistan, which also consisted of power plants, multi-person tents, and blankets.
On December 30, 2015, a Ministry of Emergency Situations plane departed for Kyrgyzstan with more than 40 tons of humanitarian aid on board. He delivered mobile power stations, multi-person tents, blankets, stoves, dishes and food to people affected by the devastating November earthquake, the department said.
Vladimir Puchkov’s subordinates also helped during the liquidation of the consequences of the earthquake in Nepal in April 2015. In addition to planes with humanitarian aid, about 90 employees of the department - rescuers from the Centrospas detachment and the Center for Special Risk Rescue Operations Leader, including mountain rescuers, canine crews, doctors and psychologists - went to this country.
- A rescuer from the Leader Center for Special Risk Rescue Operations of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations with a Labrador named Grace, trained to search for people under the rubble of buildings, during a search and rescue operation in Nepal.
- RIA News
Nepal's Katmandu Post called them a "highly qualified group of specialists." During the operation, rescuers and canine teams inspected 96 buildings and 53 thousand 956 square meters. m of rubble. Using the Struna mobile diagnostic complex, more than 26 buildings were examined to look for people trapped under the rubble. In addition, an unmanned aerial vehicle was used to survey the search areas. During the rescue operation, medical and psychological help more than 500 victims - both Russians and Nepalese.
Fires
On August 13, two Be-200 amphibious aircraft from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations arrived in Portugal, which was engulfed in fires. On August 14 they started work. By August 21, Russian aircraft crews had extinguished nine fires covering an area of 1,200 hectares, protecting five settlements and two national parks from fire.
The Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias noted in its publication that assistance was provided within the framework of the European civil protection mechanism, but in addition to the Russians, only Spanish and Italian rescuers, as well as specialists from Morocco, arrived to fight the fires. Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa thanked the air group of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for their assistance in extinguishing large forest fires in the country.
The previous point on the world map where amphibious aircraft were sent was Indonesia. From October 20 to November 21, 2015, two Be-200ChS aircraft, equipped with thermal imagers, participated in the fight against forest fires on the island of Sumatra. The operation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations helped save the homes of over one and a half thousand Indonesians. Be-200s carried out more than 500 dumps on fires, dropping a total of over 6 thousand tons of water.
Plane crashes
This was not the first appearance of the Be-200 in Indonesia. At the beginning of 2015, they were involved in the search and recovery of a crashed AirAsia plane.
- Reuters
Rescuers from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations were the only foreign specialists involved in lifting the tail section of the Airbus A320 fuselage from the bottom of the Java Sea, as a result of which 162 people died on December 28. In a water area of 2.3 thousand square meters. km, 117 fragments were discovered.
Using a small-sized remote-controlled underwater vehicle Falcon, the Ministry of Emergency Situations examined 3,100 square meters. m of seabed. In addition to the Russians, specialists from the French Bureau of Investigation and Security Analysis took part in the search. civil aviation(BEA), who arrived on a ship equipped with hydrophones - underwater acoustic devices.
Floods
On October 14, 2015, the Il-76 of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered 30 tons of humanitarian aid to the population of Myanmar affected by the flood. The humanitarian cargo includes food, blankets, tents, and inflatable boats.
Humanitarian Operations
Another important activity of Russian rescuers is providing assistance to the population of countries and territories in difficult humanitarian and political situations.
On April 12, 2015, two Russian planes evacuated about 300 people, including citizens of Russia, Egypt, Syria, the United States, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, from Yemen, which was in the grip of a confrontation between the Houthis and the Arab coalition. In April and November 2015, planes carrying humanitarian aid for the population of the country flew in the opposite direction.
On a regular basis, the Ministry of Emergency Situations provides humanitarian assistance to the population of the two hottest spots in the world - Syria and eastern Ukraine. Since mid-August 2014, Russia has delivered over 63 thousand tons of humanitarian aid to Donbass using 55 convoys.
Russian rescuers regularly deliver humanitarian aid to Syria, which includes canned meat, fish and dairy, sugar, as well as basic necessities, including blankets. Flights are departing in the opposite direction with citizens of Russia and neighboring countries who wish to leave the conflict zone.
In total, since 1993, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has carried out about 400 humanitarian operations. Since the beginning of 2015, according to the department, its employees have delivered over 90 thousand tons of humanitarian aid to 18 countries.
Aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in rescue and humanitarian operations for
S.A. Bortan, Aviation and Air Rescue Directorate
technologies of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia
IN modern world no country is immune from emergency situations both natural and man-made. The expanding scale of natural disasters, ongoing wars and armed conflicts, as well as the terrorist threat have confronted the world with the need to search for new forms of interaction.
With the creation of the UN humanitarian response system1, Russia’s cooperation with foreign countries in matters of mutual assistance to protect the population in emergency situations received government support and development. In 1991, Russia confirmed its participation in the Partial Open Agreement of the Council of Europe (POE) on the forecasting, prevention and assistance in case of natural and man-made disasters. Public policy in the field of disaster response and human protection became a priority, and the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations took responsibility for the safety of the country's population and participation in international humanitarian operations. The year 1992 marked the beginning of the international humanitarian activities of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. It carries out its activities in this area in three areas: preventing natural and man-made emergencies, reducing the risk of emergencies; reducing possible losses and damage, reducing the scale of emergencies; emergency response, provision of humanitarian (emergency international) assistance, participation in humanitarian actions.
Aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in rescue and humanitarian operations abroad is used as a means of quickly delivering and providing emergency and effective assistance to the population of countries in which the disaster response system is not sufficiently developed, or when the scale of the disaster exceeds the capabilities of these countries in eliminating their consequences on our own and means.
The aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations carries out its activities to participate in rescue and humanitarian operations abroad on the basis of international and legislative acts, instructions of the President and decisions of the Government of the Russian Federation with the coordinating role of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in accordance with the orders of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. The regulatory framework regulating the activities of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations when performing rescue and humanitarian operations abroad has been developed in accordance with Russian legislation, the requirements of documents, standards and rules of the international civil aviation organization IKAO and air legislation. In addition, it works
1 The UN General Assembly adopted resolution No. 46/182 on 19 December 1991, “Strengthening the coordination of UN humanitarian emergency assistance”, which resulted in the creation of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (UNDHA), which created an emergency response system to coordinate international efforts and actions in this direction. In 1998, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) was created on the basis of the UN DHA.
2 Humanitarian operation - a set of coordinated and interconnected in purpose, place and time, free collective or individual actions of international organizations, state and public organizations of various countries, religious and other structures, individuals and other participants in actions aimed at eliminating all or part of the consequences of an emergency , priority life support for the population affected by an emergency, or their evacuation from the danger zone, provision of medical, social and other types of assistance to the population.
The air legislation of the Russian Federation regulates relations in the field of use of airspace, relations arising in connection with activities in the field of aviation on the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as relations arising in connection with the location of aircraft of the Russian Federation outside the territory of the Russian Federation, unless otherwise provided laws of the host country or an international treaty of the Russian Federation, and relations arising in connection with
departmental regulatory framework developed in the Aviation Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Abroad, aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations solves three groups of problems: aviation-
rescue, special aviation work and air transport. These groups of tasks include: delivery of operational groups of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, rescuers, medical workers, mine clearance specialists; evacuation Russian citizens from abroad, in case of threat of hostilities and armed conflicts, victims from emergency zones, delivery of humanitarian goods; extinguishing fires, searching and rescuing victims of disaster, landing cargo, rescue teams and rescue equipment in emergency zones with a disrupted or limited aviation transport system.
The first period of the creation and development of the ministry's aviation (1992-1996), in addition to resolving purely aviation issues, was characterized by the study of the international legal framework for cooperation, the accumulation of international authority, active participation in the provision of international humanitarian assistance, the representation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in the post-Soviet space and in the international arena as new Russian system protection of the population and territories from natural and man-made emergencies.
The second period of development of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (1996-2002) was characterized as a period of organization and implementation of international activities of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (including emergency aviation) in conditions of aggravation of the general political situation in the country and the world. Relations were affected by events in Chechnya and Yugoslavia, aggravation of disagreements on a number of issues with Europe and the United States, as well as internal economic problems.
At the same time, it was a period of adaptation to the system of international humanitarian cooperation, learning from experience, developing ties with countries that have traditionally strong civil protection, warning, rescue and fire fighting services, and searching for mechanisms to mobilize assistance to countries in need through the effective use of aviation.
The result of these years in the international humanitarian activities of Russian emergency aviation was: the gaining of enormous authority and popularity of EMERCOM aviators when providing assistance abroad; entering the international aviation services market.
The third period of development of EMERCOM aviation (2002-2008) is characterized by strengthening the authority of Russian EMERCOM aviation in the international arena, development and deepening of the priorities of international cooperation with similar structures in the CIS countries and Europe. Joint projects such as Eurosquadron and Globalavi-aspas have been developed. The active humanitarian activities of Russia, carried out by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in the international arena, contributed to the flow of assistance to the Russian Federation.
It should be noted that Russia’s participation in humanitarian actions began with the creation of the State Committee for Emergency Situations of Russia. Already on March 13-14, 1992, an Il-76 aircraft provided humanitarian aid to residents of the Turkish city of Erzincan affected by the earthquake for the first time. And two months later, planes delivered 80 tons of flour to the population of Kabul, experiencing food difficulties.
The State Committee for Emergency Situations of Russia acquired its first experience in providing international humanitarian assistance in the post-Soviet space, when interethnic and socio-political conflicts began to arise in the territory of the former USSR, and the first refugees and migrants appeared. There was a need for their evacuation and resettlement. Assistance was provided in the form of food delivery and assistance to civilians.
Since 1992, the State Committee for Emergency Situations of Russia has participated in providing humanitarian assistance to the population of North and South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Ingushetia, Moldova, and Transnistria.
fulfillment of flights of aircraft of foreign states in the airspace of the Russian Federation, unless otherwise provided by an international treaty of the Russian Federation.
See: Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2000 / Under the general editorship of S.K. Shoigu. M.: Contact-Culture, 2000. P. 50.
In January 1993, by decision of the Government of the Russian Federation, the State Emergency Committee of Russia was involved in providing humanitarian assistance to the warring republics of the former Yugoslavia. In connection with the appeal of the UN Secretariat to UN member states, the Russian presence in the humanitarian operation was being increased5. Aid was delivered by road, rail, sea and by air.
In May 1994, at the request of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Russia was one of the first countries to respond to the UN call to the world community for emergency assistance to Rwandan refugees6. On May 21, from the Ramenskoye airfield, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations sent 2 giant An-124 Ruslan aircraft with specialists, drivers, KamAZ vehicles and auxiliary equipment to Tanzania. On the same day, upon arrival in the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, an automobile detachment of 30 heavy-duty KamAZ and service vehicles set off 1,200 km to the area where they were to work for 4 months in contact with representatives of the UNHCR and local organizations , delivering incoming humanitarian aid to refugee camps7.
In the supply of humanitarian aid to the UN World Food Program
(UN WFP) Il-76 aircraft from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations took part. They delivered 100 thousand tons of guo
humanitarian cargo from Russia in the amount of 500 thousand dollars.
Having completed the humanitarian operation in Tanzania, Emergencies Ministry specialists transferred all the vehicles, fuel tankers and auto repair shops as a gift from Russia to the Tanganyika Christian Service for Refugees9.
At the request of the leaders of African states to train national personnel, the humanitarian mission in these countries continued. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, providing humanitarian assistance to Rwanda in post-war reconstruction national economy, implemented a project to create a national auto center for training drivers and mechanics. On several flights of Il-76 aircraft, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations supplied MAZ and KamAZ vehicles, equipment and classrooms for the driving school’s training base. And in April 1997, the driving school began to function.
The creation of an automobile center in Rwanda is one of the major humanitarian projects carried out by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations with the assistance of the UN, in which the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations took an active part. This was the first large-scale international humanitarian operation of aviation and rescuers of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations on African continent, which immediately received high praise from international observers.
Since 1995, in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 30, 1994 No. 145110, the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations began to carry out the tasks of emergency evacuation of Russian citizens, citizens of the CIS countries and a number of foreign states from zones of armed conflicts.
So, during the outbreak of an armed conflict between North Yemen and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), by decision of the Government of the Russian Federation in June 1994, Russian citizens were evacuated from the conflict zone. Citizens of the CIS member states and other foreign countries were evacuated along with Russians by planes of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. In total there were IL-76 aircraft
5 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 568. D. 51. L. 115-118.
6 In 1994, as a result of ongoing violent ethnic clashes, a civil war began in African Rwanda. Within a few months, several hundred thousand people died, the majority of the country's population turned into refugees and poured into Tanzania and other neighboring countries. According to UN experts, about 500 thousand people needed humanitarian assistance, and taking into account the flow of refugees at the checkpoints of the Rwandan-Tanzanian border, those who needed help were expected to increase to 700 thousand.
7 See: Humanitarian operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general. ed. Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK Prestige, 2002. P. 146.
8 See Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2000 / Under general. ed. S.K. Shoigu. M.: Contact-Culture, 2000. P. 48.
10 See: Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 30, 1994 No. 1451 “On a set of measures to ensure the evacuation of Russian citizens from foreign countries in the event of emergency situations” // Collection of legislation of the Russian Federation. 1995. No. 2. Art. 153.
about 1000 people were taken out11. This was the first evacuation operation when specialized forces and means of two states - Russia and France - participated on an equal basis in the rescue of their compatriots.
In the spring of 1995, due to the difficult internal political situation in Burundi, aviators of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations evacuated compatriots from this country. Despite the difficult situation in the country, the evacuation of Russian citizens from the capital, Bujumbura, took place without any obstacles. It should be noted that during the evacuation, the shortcomings and inconveniences for passengers that occurred during the evacuation from the PDRY by Il-76 transport aircraft of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were taken into account. The leadership of the ministry decided to use the lease of Tu-154 aircraft from Vnukovo Airlines for this operation12. Aviation specialists gained good experience with each evacuation operation.
The absence of passenger aircraft in the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in the first period of its development forced us to resort to leasing aircraft from airlines for the evacuation and transportation of citizens from emergency situations and military conflicts. When renting aircraft for carrying out evacuation measures, we used the services of airlines with experience in operating international flights, while the issues of ensuring evacuation and flight operations were discussed with the crews. As the Yak-42D and Il-62M passenger aircraft were acquired, the need for such services and rentals disappeared.
The development of relations between the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in the humanitarian field has led to an increase in activity in aviation support for humanitarian operations. A number of organizational problems emerged. It was necessary to urgently develop and put into effect the “Temporary Regulations on the Procedure for Using Aircraft of the Central Airmobile Rescue Squad.” The regulation established the procedure for the use of aircraft in the liquidation of emergency situations, evacuation of people and delivery of goods both on the territory of Russia and beyond its borders13.
When studying archival documents, it can be seen that with the growth and specification of the tasks of international cooperation, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations needed to rework the current “Regulations on the procedure for the formation and delivery of humanitarian aid cargo”14. This is clearly seen from the new “Regulations on the procedure for the formation and delivery of humanitarian aid cargo,” approved by Order No. 454 of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia dated August 5, 1994, which determined the organization of the formation and delivery of humanitarian aid, taking into account a number of new requirements, including customs and border control.
An important step towards providing humanitarian assistance to affected countries was the development of a flowchart for requests for assistance. It should be noted that if the aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations are ready to fly to help anywhere in the world in 3 hours, then the procedure and routes for applying for help from a country affected by an emergency can last from several hours to several days and weeks. This depends on the political line of the government, the socio-political situation in the country, the country’s membership in international organizations and blocs, and the degree of its readiness to cope with emergencies.
Based on this, the Department of International Cooperation (DIC), the Administration of the Ministry and the Aviation Command resolved the issues of obtaining diplomatic and air traffic control permissions to fly through the airspace of foreign states along the flight route, takeoff and landing at intermediate and airfields for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The successfully carried out first international humanitarian and rescue operations with the participation of aviation from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations indicate the timely development necessary documents on the use of aircraft, the formation and delivery of gu-
11 See: EMERCOM of Russia chronicle of events 1990-2005. M.: Information department Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2005. P. 29.
See Humanitarian Operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general editorship of Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 203.
13 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 568. D. 51. L. 1-5.
14 “Regulations on the procedure for the formation and delivery of humanitarian aid” was approved on August 19, 1993 (by order of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia No. 317).
humanitarian assistance, the correct approach to training flight crews for international flights. In addition, an analysis of sources and literature15 allows us to conclude that the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has adapted well to the system of international humanitarian cooperation. And in terms of interaction, efficiency, mobility, autonomy and operational efficiency, it surpassed many similar foreign services.
The active use of aviation by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in international humanitarian operations began in 1995. This conclusion was made in his report at the 7th All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference by R.Sh. Zakirov16. The works of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations on the study of international humanitarian activities reveal a lot of work carried out in this direction. Considerable efforts were aimed at developing assistance and rescue technologies in combination with domestic and foreign achievements, developing methods for conducting humanitarian operations and participating in them, ensuring autonomous
the severity of aviation operations from foreign airfields.
It is necessary to note such a humane step when the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations took the initiative by organizing a holiday on the Black Sea for children of refugees from the republics of Yugoslavia. For example, in the fall of 1995, fulfilling the order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated October 11 No. 12233-P, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia leased three Yak-42D aircraft from Orel Avia airline for
delivery of 2000 Serbian children from Yugoslavia for rehabilitation to Anapa and from Anapa to Bel-
hail Subsequently, for the mass evacuation of people from abroad, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations replenished its aircraft fleet with Yak-42D19 and Il-62M20 passenger aircraft.
A study of archival documents shows that in 1995, Russian Emergency Situations Ministry aviation participated in 12 international humanitarian operations. Aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered food, medicine, clothing, life support and basic necessities to countries near and far abroad: Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, China, North Korea, Japan, etc. According to the researchers and authors of the work “Disasters and People”, only “in the three incomplete years of the existence of the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, its aircraft carried out over 500 flights, transported more than 7 thousand tons of humanitarian aid, emergency response forces and means, evacuated from “hot spots” more than 2 thousand people. Airplanes of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations visited 23 countries of the world on a humanitarian mission.”21 It follows from this that in the first period, the development of aviation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations proceeded intensively not only along the path of creating a system and management bodies, the formation of organizational structures, the receipt and development of aviation equipment, the development of airfield
15 See: Legoshin A.D., Faleev M.I. International rescue operations. Features of implementation and technology. M.: Ajax Press, 2001. P. 23-38; Disasters and people. Book 1. Russian experience in combating emergency situations / Ed. Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: AST-LTD, 1997. P. 237-251; Humanitarian operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general editorship of Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 11-59; Beloborodov V.N., Dainov M.I. Protection of the population and territories from emergency situations. M.: Civil Protection, 2003. P. 432-465; Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2000 / Under the general editorship of S.K. Shoigu. M.: Contact-Culture, 2000. P. 45-52; Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2005 / Under the general. ed. S.K. Shoigu. Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. M.: Moscow printing house No. 2, 2005. P. 69-72.
16 Zakirov R.Sh. Aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in humanitarian operations. Lessons and conclusions // Seventh All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference “Humanitarian Operations in Emergency Situations and Armed Conflicts”. May 29-30, 2002 Reports and speeches / General. ed. Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 238.
17See: Legoshin A.D., Faleev M.I. International rescue operations. Features of implementation and technology. M.: Ajax Press, 2001.S. 11-67; Disasters and people: book 1. Russian experience in countering emergency situations / Ed. Yu.L. Vorobyova. M.: AST-LTD, 1997. P. 237-253; Humanitarian operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general editorship of Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 41-91; Shoigu S.K., Vorobyov Yu.L., Vladimirov V.A. Disasters and the state. M.: Energoatomizdat, 1997. P. 93-126.
18 See: AA EMERCOM of Russia. D. 34-03. 1995. L. 97.
19 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 618. D. 93. L. 170-172.
20 See: Ibid. D. 104. L. 156-160.
21 Disasters and people. Book 1. Russian experience in combating emergency situations / Ed. Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: AST-LTD, 1997. P. 174.
network, but also studied the foreign market for aviation services and introduced aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations into international system humanitarian response.
Joining forces different countries in the fight against natural disasters in 1996 led to the establishment of closer relations between the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the UN, European and national government organizations of Switzerland, Norway, Denmark and the UK involved in organizing humanitarian assistance.
The consequence of this interaction was an increase in the efficiency of aviation support for humanitarian operations. The quality has improved and the number of humanitarian flights abroad has increased. During these years, humanitarian aid was delivered to the population of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mali, Lebanon, Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Montenegro, Serbia, China, Georgia, Colombia, Congo, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Zaire, Moldova, Tajikistan, Japan, Cuba22.
The year 1996 for the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations began with humanitarian flights to Tajikistan. Il-76 transport aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters were involved in the operation. In the period from February 2 to February 16, six Il-76 aircraft delivered more than 150 tons of flour, 20.7 tons of flour to the population of a sovereign country experiencing an acute shortage of food and medicine.
meat, 14 tons of canned vegetables and 13.5 tons of medicines worth more than 4 billion rubles. .
The second phase of humanitarian aid to Tajikistan provided for the supply by rail of 400 tons of flour, rice, sugar, milk powder, various canned goods, and clothing24. Humanitarian aid was delivered by plane from Uzbekistan, Ukraine, China, Germany, the USA and other countries.
Due to the lack of a developed transport aviation system in many regions of the republic, humanitarian aid from Russia and other countries, delivered to Tajikistan by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry aircraft and by rail, was delivered to the populated areas of the republic by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry helicopters.
The amount of assistance to Tajikistan provided by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations on behalf of the Russian Government amounted to 19 billion rubles in 1996 alone. and 60 thousand US dollars.
An analysis of archival documents from the central office of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations shows that certain difficulties arose with the delivery of humanitarian aid to the affected states. For example, in accordance with the order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 19, 1996 No. 1876-r, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations provided humanitarian assistance to Iraq. The Department of International Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations with the government of Iran and the administration of the province of Kermanshah constructively resolved the issue of providing an air corridor, ensuring the takeoff and landing of Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations at the Kermanshah airfield. However, the crews encountered difficulties with the flight during customs clearance of humanitarian cargo at the Ramenskoye airfield near Moscow. The problem that arose was caused by Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee S.M. Bekov removed teletype message No. T-268 dated January 18, 1997, which stated: “Ensure customs clearance of goods delivered by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for the provision of humanitarian assistance
to the Republic of Iraq, as a priority, without collecting customs duties."
In May 1997, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was damaged by an earthquake, received humanitarian aid. Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations provided
delivery to the affected areas of the republic 40 tons of food, 20 tons of medicines, many
home tents.
22 See: Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2000 / Under the general editorship of S.K. Shoigu. M.: Contact-Culture, 2000. P. 50.
23 See: Humanitarian operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general editorship of Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 126; EMERCOM of Russia chronicle of events 1990-2005. M.: Information Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2005. P. 43.
24 See: Humanitarian operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general editorship of Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 126.
25 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 568. D. 57. L. 107.
26 See: EMERCOM of Russia chronicle of events 1990-2005. M.: Information Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2005. P. 52.
When providing air support for humanitarian operations, it was repeatedly necessary to resolve issues of operating airplanes and helicopters at foreign airfields in high mountain conditions.
In June 1997, the need arose to evacuate Russian citizens from the zone of military-political conflict in the Republics of the Congo and Zaire. A group was sent to the conflict zone to carry out negotiations and coordination work. After the negotiations, three aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations evacuated 244 citizens of Russia, CIS countries, as well as Germans, Poles, Romanians, and Belgians27.
A devastating earthquake in the northern regions of mountainous Afghanistan in February 1998 left more than 30 thousand residents homeless. The earthquake killed about 3 thousand people. 6 settlements were completely destroyed. Russia sent humanitarian aid to the affected areas. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations allocated Mi-26 and Mi-8MTV helicopters to deliver 265 tons of UN humanitarian cargo from Tajikistan to Afghanistan. Humanitarian aid was delivered to Tajikistan by Il-76 aircraft, and ministry helicopters carried it to the mountain villages of northern Afghanistan. As a result of the humanitarian operation, 24 flights were carried out by helicopters of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Joint help
to the affected residents a total of 485 tons of food, clothing, warm
tents, blankets, medicines.
The development of relations between the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in the humanitarian field, cooperation in the field of prevention and elimination of natural disasters and man-made accidents was also carried out on a bilateral basis29. The agreement on humanitarian cooperation, mutual assistance in case of natural disasters and accidents with Germany was the first concluded in the newest
Russian history.
Later, similar agreements were signed with the former Yugoslavia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Poland, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Finland, Armenia, Slovakia, Moldova, Mongolia, Ukraine, Sweden, Hungary, Norway, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Tunisia, Egypt31.
It should be noted that bilateral relations with the peoples of the former Yugoslavia occupy a special place in Russia’s humanitarian activities.
From the first day of the bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO aircraft in 1999, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations organized the evacuation of Russian citizens. The operation to evacuate fellow citizens was entrusted to aviation. The constant threat of rocket attacks and bombing made evacuation unsafe. Therefore, in order to ensure flight safety, evacuation by air was provided from the territory of Hungary. Through the interaction of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, the Russian embassies in Yugoslavia and Hungary with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of these countries, a safe corridor for the withdrawal of people to the territory of neighboring Hungary, the procedure for notification, collection, registration, execution of travel documents and delivery of evacuees to the place of departure were determined and ensured.
Over the course of several days, Il-62M and Yak-42D aircraft (crews of V.A. Kryukov and I.S. Abbesov) evacuated embassy employees from Hungarian territory to Moscow
27 Ibid. P. 51.
28 See: Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2005 / Under general. ed. S.K. Shoigu. Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. M.: Moscow printing house No. 2, 2005. P. 94.
29 See: Beloborodov V.N., Dainov M.I. Protection of the population and territories from emergency situations. M.: Civil Protection, 2003. P. 442.
30 On December 14, 1992, Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 975 was signed “On the signing of an agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on cooperation in the field of preventing accidents, natural disasters and eliminating their consequences.”
31 See: Beloborodov V.N., Dainov M.I. Protection of the population and territories from emergency situations. M.: Civil Protection, 2003. P. 442-443; Disasters and people. Book 1. Russian experience in combating emergency situations / Ed. Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: AST-LTD, 1997. P. 249.
Russian Federation, members of their families, citizens of Russia and the CIS who worked in Yugoslavia
under contracts, a total of 833 Russian and 77 CIS citizens. In compliance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 3, 1998 No. 690, the second
a group of ethnic Circassians numbering 54 people.
The study established that during the NATO aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the coalition principle of international emergency response was born and spread. An example is the precedent of creating a coalition of four states. Austria and Switzerland are neutral countries, Greece is a member of the NATO bloc and Russia united and formed an international humanitarian program.
mu "Focus".
The example is worthy of attention for the efficiency of the agreements and the time frame for organizing the delivery of goods, which were very minimal. The analysis showed that such a unification occurred thanks to mutual cooperation, studying each other’s experience, holding joint exercises, conferences, and business meetings. The Focus Emergency Response Coalition was a new step in the international practice of emergency humanitarian response.
Analyzing Russia’s participation in the Focus humanitarian program, it should be noted that providing assistance to Yugoslavia for our state was both a political and practical (humanitarian) action.
Passenger and transport aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations were used to provide humanitarian assistance and evacuation measures. The first Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered and deployed a mobile hospital to provide medical care to refugees. Subsequently, by decision of the Government of the Russian Federation,
The large hospital was donated to the Ministry of Health of Yugoslavia36.
Simultaneously with the evacuation of compatriots, Il-76 transport vehicles and convoys of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered humanitarian aid to the airfields of Belgrade, Kosovo, Skopje, and Podgorica.
Summing up the humanitarian activities during the two months of hostilities in the Balkans, it should be noted that the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations carried out 36 flights to this area, evacuating
964 people and delivering 347 tons of humanitarian supplies. The total amount of humanitarian assistance from Russia during this period amounted to 24.8 million rubles. and more than 400 thousand US dollars allocated
Ministry of Emergency Situations by order of the Government of the Russian Federation.
The analysis showed that international humanitarian programs such as “Focus” received their further development in the future. An example of such implementation was the humanitarian operation in 2001 in Mongolia, when the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Swiss
32 See: Humanitarian operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general editorship of Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 143.
33 By Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 3, 1998 No. 690 “On urgent measures of state support for the resettlement of Circassians (Circassians) from the Autonomous Region of Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) to the Republic of Adygea,” the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations was entrusted with the evacuation of families and property of Circassians. On August 1, 1998, on a special flight of the Ministry of Emergency Situations from Belgrade to Mineral water The first group of 76 Circassians (more than 20 families) was delivered.
34 See: Humanitarian operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general editorship of Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 143.
35 The international Focus program was created to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the affected population of the former Yugoslavia and refugees in Macedonia. Russia, Switzerland, Greece, and Austria joined forces to organize the delivery and distribution of emergency humanitarian aid throughout Yugoslavia and decided to create the Focus program.
36 See: EMERCOM of Russia chronicle of events 1990-2005. M.: Information Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2005. P. 68.
37 See: Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2005 / Under general. ed. S.K. Shoigu. Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. M.: Moscow printing house No. 2, 2005. P. 95.
38 See: Humanitarian operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia / Under the general editorship of Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige,
The Chinese Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Mongolia participated in providing humanitarian assistance to the provinces of Mongolia affected by icing and the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic. In this operation, EMERCOM Il-76 aircraft delivered mixed feed, fodder for livestock,
2 million 500 thousand doses of vaccine against foot and mouth disease, milk powder, food, blankets.
The military campaign of the United States and England “Rapid Freedom” in Afghanistan in October 2001 marked the beginning of the political revival of the Islamic State of Afghanistan (IGA). The international community has decided to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. Against the backdrop of these events in a difficult international situation, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations was actively involved in the humanitarian operation. The aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations provided international humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan in the course of several interconnected successive operations.
With the publication on November 26, 2001 of the Order of the President of the Russian Federation No. 652-rp “On providing humanitarian assistance to the Islamic State of Afghanistan,” the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations began preparing the second phase of the humanitarian operation.
On November 27, 2001, an Il-76 aircraft delivered a task force of 89 people to Kabul40. On its basis, the Humanitarian Center of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry was created. The tasks of the center included: timely delivery of humanitarian supplies, provision of medical assistance to the affected population, coordination of the work of operational groups of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, interaction with international humanitarian organizations.
An important task in providing assistance to Afghanistan was the demining and restoration of the Salang tunnel41. To restore it, on December 27, 2001, Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered specialists from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, equipment, fuel, residential modules and explosives to Bagram.
Analyzing the work of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations aviation in this operation, it should be noted that well-proven humanitarian air bridges “Moscow - Dushanbe”, “Moscow - Bagram” and “Dushanbe - Bagram” were organized in it.
The work of helicopter pilots of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations deserves special consideration. In November 2001, to organize aviation support for the humanitarian operation, an aviation group was created in the IGA and experienced pilot leaders - deputy chief of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Colonels A.N. - were sent to Dushanbe and Kabul. Fomin and A.V. Lebedev. They were entrusted with the management of aviation operations at airfields. In addition to Il-76 aircraft, the group included Mi-26, Mi-8 helicopters and personnel of the Siberian Regional Center. The group was headed by the chief of aviation regional center Colonel S.A. Fedorov.
Assessing the work of aviation in this humanitarian operation, it should be noted that it carried out 22 aircraft sorties and 16 helicopter sorties carrying humanitarian aid. 361.25 tons of cargo were delivered to Bagram by Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations from Moscow and 179.5 tons of cargo by helicopters from Dushanbe42. Distinguished crews of V.A. Drobinsky, V.V. Shalunova, E.P. Serykh, A.N. Fomina, A.V. Lebedeva, I.A. Chalova were awarded state awards.
The total volume of humanitarian assistance to the IGA by air, rail and road transport was: for food - 17,211 tons, including 16,126 tons through the UN WFP. In addition to food, 45 KamAZ vehicles were given to the Afghans, 2,388 tents, 14,500 beds, and more than 60,000 sets of bedding were supplied.
39 See: EMERCOM of Russia chronicle of events 1990-2005. M.: Information Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2005. P. 83.
40 See ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 795. D.19. L. 58.
41 See: Ibid. L. 54-57.
42 See: Dagirov Sh.Sh. International humanitarian operation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for post-conflict resolution in the Islamic State of Afghanistan // Seventh All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference “Humanitarian Operations in Emergency Situations and Armed Conflicts”, Moscow, May 29-30, 2002. Reports and speeches / Under the general editorship . Yu.L. Vorobyov. M.: KRUK-Prestige, 2002. P. 43.
supplies, 63,001 tons of medicines, 22 power plants of 30 kW each, 1,500 ovens and a large number of clothes and shoes43.
By decision of the President and Government of the Russian Federation and in accordance with the Order of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of March 27, 2002 No. 144, and the Directive of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of November 27, 2002 No. 357 during 2002-2003. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations continued to provide active humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan44.
In mid-April 2004, due to the deterioration of the military-political situation in Iraq, the Government of the Russian Federation decided to evacuate Russians and citizens of CIS countries who worked in this country under contracts from Baghdad. During the first stage of the evacuation operation, four special flights of Russian Emergency Situations Ministry aircraft - three Il-76 and Il-62 - transported 487 people from Baghdad to Moscow45.
At the end of May 2004, the second stage of the evacuation of Russian citizens from Iraq was carried out, during which 187 Russians were evacuated by two Il-76 aircraft46.
Summing up this humanitarian operation, one cannot fail to mention the conditions in which it was carried out. Since the American command did not guarantee the complete safety of Russian Emergency Situations Ministry aircraft in the skies of Iraq, the flight crews of heavy transport aircraft had to evacuate under conditions involving a risk to their lives.
By participating in humanitarian or rescue operations, the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations skillfully used the accumulated experience and applied new aviation rescue technologies. This was the case during the severe earthquake in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. The countries most affected by the disaster were Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand. Russia was one of the first to come to the aid of the affected countries of Southeast Asia. On December 27, 2004, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations began an operation to provide humanitarian assistance, which lasted until February 5, 2005. To assess the scale and consequences of the disaster, the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations used the proven aviation technology “Global Radius” and received high international recognition. With the arrival of the first two Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations at Colombo airport, an hour after landing, the Bo-105 helicopter brought to the Il-76 was lifted into the air. The helicopter immediately began performing aerial reconnaissance of the area affected by the tsunami. The reconnaissance results made it possible to make an initial assessment of what happened, determine the scale of destruction and necessary assistance, manage their own rescue forces with maximum efficiency and carry out international coordination.
In accordance with the instructions of the President and Government of the Russian Federation, the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations carried out 4 flights from Moscow to the republics of Sri Lanka and Thailand by the end of 2004. Three Il-76 aircraft delivered humanitarian aid to the population of Sri Lanka: 170 multi-person tents, 2,200 blankets, 7,000 sheets, 2,200 liters of
disinfectants, 2 water purification stations. On December 30, 2004, an Il-62 plane evacuated a group of Russian tourists from Thailand (Phuket Island)48.
By decision of the President of the Russian Federation on January 7, 2005, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations began to increase humanitarian assistance to countries affected by the tsunami. During the period from January 7 to February 4, 2005, the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations supplied 290 multi-person tents, 8,700 blankets, 9,000 sheets, 127 water purification stations, 25 diesel power plants,
43 See: Ibid.
44 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 828. D. 9. L. 241-243; F. 4. Op. 828. D. 36. L. 18-21.
45 See: EMERCOM of Russia chronicle of events 1990-2005. M.: Information Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2005. P. 108.
46 See: Ibid.
47 See: Vorobyov Yu.L., Akimov V.A., Sokolov Yu.I. Tsunami: warning and protection. Nizhny Novgorod: Vector TiS, 2006. P. 81, 82, 90, 91.
48 Ibid. P. 84; EMERCOM of Russia: humanitarian mission. M.: Department of Information and Public Relations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2006. P. 15.
tions, an airmobile hospital and 200.6 tons of vital supplies. The total volume of cargo amounted to almost 520 tons worth $9 million49.
By participating in international humanitarian actions, the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations continued to accumulate experience in international flights, interaction with foreign partners and international humanitarian organizations.
In April 2005, in connection with the earthquake in Indonesia, Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered rescuers, an airmobile hospital and humanitarian aid to the republic. In the same month, in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, humanitarian assistance was provided to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. Il-76 aircraft delivered multi-person tents, mobile power plants and basic necessities to Bishkek50.
During the Arab-Israeli armed conflict and the escalating situation in the Middle East in the summer of 2006, Russia and many other countries had to evacuate their compatriots who found themselves in the zone of military conflict. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Transport, the high mobility of emergency aviation, the professional work of flight crews and rescuers, the evacuation was carried out successfully and in a short time. As part of the operation, 8 sorties were planned into Syria. In the first 3 days (from July 19 to 22), 1,610 people were evacuated by special flights. In addition to two Il-62 and three Il-76 aircraft, 2 Il-86 aircraft from Aeroflot and Atlantsoyuz airlines, which were in Syria at the time of evacuation, were involved in the emergency evacuation.
When exploring the role of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in rescue humanitarian operations abroad, it is necessary to dwell on the performance of special aviation work for firefighting and airdropping of rescuers, cargo and special equipment.
An important place in the use of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations abroad in humanitarian and rescue (evacuation) operations was played by the signing on April 15, 1998 of the Agreement of the countries participating in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation “On interaction in the provision of emergency assistance and the elimination of emergencies of a natural and man-made nature.” In the summer of 1998, Il-76 aircraft in a fire-fighting version for the first time participated in extinguishing forest fires abroad. Within the framework of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Il-76 aircraft, flight crews V.A. Drobinsky, A.V. Parshina, E.P. Serykh, L.I. Popova and the technical staff of GUAP were invited to Croatia and Greece.
Despite the short stay in Greece from August 7 to 30, the crews participated in extinguishing forest fires near the cities of Ioannina, Mesolongi, Marathonos, Megalopoly, on the island. Crete. During this time, the crews carried out 25 extinguishing missions, drained 1050 tons of water, which greatly facilitated the work of local firefighters in localizing fires51. Aviation fire extinguishing technologies demonstrated by EMERCOM pilots in Croatia and Greece were highly praised by foreign experts52. It became obvious to foreign experts that the pilots of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia have no competitors in extinguishing fires and the smartest thing to do is to take advantage of the international aviation services market.
aviation services of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. Based on statements in the press by foreign experts, many countries have become interested in our Il-76 aircraft in the fire-fighting version. Specialists were especially attracted by the fact that it was not the purchase of an aircraft that was proposed, but the purchase
49 See: Vorobyov Yu.L., Akimov V.A., Sokolov Yu.I. Tsunami: warning and protection. Nizhny Novgorod: Vector TiS, 2006. P. 103.
50 See: EMERCOM of Russia chronicle of events 1990-2005. M.: Information Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2005. P. 116-117.
51 See: Talikov N., Faleev M. Il-76 “strategic” air firefighter // Bulletin of Aviation and Cosmonautics. 2000. No. 1. P. 18.
52 See: Apostolis Gerokostas, Michalis Kordis “Help to Russia” // Strategy. 1998. No. 9. P. 2.
53 See: Ibid.
fire extinguishing services, which were to be performed by the flight crew of the Ministry of Emergency Situations
on a Russian plane.
In June 1999, the Greek government asked the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations to provide an Il-76 firefighting aircraft with a flight crew and technical personnel to extinguish large forest fires for the period from June 15 to August 31.
The Greek side expressed its intention to invite Russian pilots on an Il-76 aircraft for the entire fire danger period and to refuse the services of small Italian, French and German aircraft and helicopters back in the summer of 1998, when the pilots of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations demonstrated their professionalism and high efficiency Il-76 aircraft and Mi-8, Mi-26 helicopters when extinguishing forest fires55.
It is worth noting that during the period of work in Greece, the crews saved a sanatorium area in the historical place of Marathonos, a unique forest reserve of Kalamata, from burning out, extinguished fires in mountainous areas on the islands of Crete, Rhodes, Chios, prevented the fire of a number of towns and villages in the Athens region and received high assessment of the Greek government.
It must be said that the work of the Russian Il-76 firefighting aircraft and the pilots of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations aroused increased interest not only in Greece, but also in other Mediterranean countries of Europe, for example in Turkey.
The participation of rescue forces and equipment in eliminating the consequences of the Izmit earthquake in Turkey on August 17, 1999 is the most significant rescue operation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, when rescuers, doctors and aviation took part in it.
In addition to participating in search and rescue operations, the aviation forces of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia were involved in extinguishing a fire at the Izmit petrochemical complex caused by an earthquake. 10 containers with a volume of 10 thousand cubic meters were burning. m. A strong fire could lead to explosions of tanks with liquefied hydrocarbon gases and releases of toxic substances. This, in turn, could cause ecological disaster in the area of the Bosphorus Strait and cause poisoning of residents of nearby cities and towns with combustion products.
Putting out this fire deserves special consideration. It should be noted that the fire had been going on for 3 days, it was unsuccessfully fought using the Lockheed C-130 Hercules firefighting aircraft of the Turkish Air Force, as well as airplanes and helicopters of “small” aviation, which were the most effective for extinguishing such a fire. According to the recollections of the rescue team leaders A.D. Legoshin and the aviation group R.Sh. Zakirov, who participated in extinguishing the fire at the petrochemical complex, got the impression that the Turkish Air Force aircraft were not used to suppress the fire and extinguish the fire, but simply demonstrated the army’s activity in eliminating the consequences of the disaster56.
On August 20, 1999, a Russian air group of 3 Il-76 firefighting aircraft with a leading Yak-42 control aircraft, following at 3-minute intervals, poured 120 tons of fire extinguishing liquid onto the fire from a height of 50 m in one pass, eliminating the raging fire for several days. It must be emphasized that this was the first time in world practice when heavy-duty Il-76 tanker aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations used group
fire extinguishing method.
54 See: Russian Il-76 on the aviation services market // Aviaglobus. 1998. No. 9. P. 23; Kobzev V.A. Sky firefighters // Aviation Aviation magazine. 2002. No. 12. P. 45; Talikov N., Shubnyakov E., Slutsky G. Il-76 and other fire-fighting “bombers” // Wings of the Motherland. 1999. No. 4. P. 21.
55 See: Gulko S. Ministry of Emergency Situations in the fight against the elements // Helicopter. 2000. No. 3. P. 7.
56 See: Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2000 / Under the general editorship of S.K. Shoigu. M.: Contact-Culture, 2000. P. 66; Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2005 / Under the general. ed. S.K. Shoigu. M.: Moscow printing house No. 2, 2005. P. 95; Legoshin A.D., Faleev M.I. International rescue operations. Features of implementation and technology. M.: Ajax Press, 2001. P. 180.
57 See: Talikov N. Three quarters of a century of “Ilyushin’s” sky... M.: Vestnik LLC Air Fleet, 2008. P. 313.
When providing humanitarian assistance to earthquake victims, Il-76 aircraft from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations operated flights to Istanbul with an intensity of 5-6 flights per day58, delivering vital supplies.
Aviation firefighting operations using helicopters from the Ministry of Emergency Situations were first carried out in the third quarter of 1998. As part of the operation to extinguish forest fires on the island. Crete in the Republic of Greece used a helicopter of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Ka-32 with an APU-5. The work of the crew and the effectiveness of using the helicopter with the APU-5 were highly appreciated by the Greek fire service specialists. This was the basis for concluding a contract for the operation of helicopters of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in Greece in accordance with the agreements within the framework of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. An agreement was concluded with the Greek side on the use of Ka-32, Mi-8 and Mi-26 helicopters from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations during fire danger periods.
Noting the effective work of the helicopters of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, it should be noted that since 1999, the helicopter pilots of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations have annually contractual basis work in Greece to extinguish forest fires.
Developing cooperation with Russia, based on the terms of the intergovernmental Russian-French “Agreement on cooperation in the field of civil protection, prevention and response to emergency situations” of October 18, 1999, the Government of the French Republic at the end of July 2003 turned to to the Russian Government asking for help in putting out forest fires.
In accordance with the order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated July 31, 2003 No. BA-P2-9143 and orders of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations dated July 31, 2003 No. 456, 457 and No. 175-km59, an air group of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations of 19 flight and engineering and technical staff and Mi-26 172 osae60 helicopters. The air group worked for a month in the south-eastern most fire-prone areas of France.
This was the first joint Russian-French operation to provide real assistance on the territory of one of the countries that signed this agreement61.
Analyzing the results of the work of aviators of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and speeches in the French press, it should be noted that, despite some difficulties, the air group of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations completed all the tasks assigned to it by the French side. The French were satisfied with the work of the pilots of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, and about the capabilities of the Mi-26 helicopters
They spoke only in superlatives.
Having assessed the effective work of the Mi-26 helicopters of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the French side made a request to the Government of the Russian Federation to extend the stay of the specialist
sheets of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in France to extinguish fires63.
During the period from August 4 to September 11, 2003, the aviation group carried out 59 flights to extinguish fires with a total flight time of 86 hours 37 minutes. 4,215 tons of water (281 discharges) were discharged onto the fires. The aviation group participated in extinguishing 13 large forest fires in various areas of France64.
With the appearance of the Be-200ChS on the international scene, aviation experts highly praised the machine, emphasizing that the Be-200ChS has no competitors in its segment. Russian manufacturers received a good opportunity to promote the Be-200ES on the world market.
58 See: Zakirov R.Sh. Aviation Ministry of Emergency Situations: vectors of international cooperation // Aerospace Review.
2003. No. 2. P.8.
59 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 840. D. 21. L. 167-168; Ibid. D. 21. L. 169-171.
60 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 840. D. 2. L. 110-112.
61 See: Fomin A. French tours. Ministry of Emergency Situations through the eyes of employees. Vol. 2. M.: TETRUS, 2007. P. 17.
62 See ibid. pp. 19-20.
63 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 840. D. 2. L. 159-161.
64 See: Report on the fulfillment of the state task by the aviation group of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia to extinguish forest fires in France. M.: Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2003. L. 4.
aviation market 65. At the end of August 2003, during the visit of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin to Italy, pilots of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations fully revealed the capabilities of the Be-200ES aircraft at the Italian Navy base of Maddalena on the island of Sardinia66.
At a joint press conference V.V. Putin emphasized that “it is much cheaper to use this unique aircraft than to then calculate losses from fires about the creation of groups of such aircraft in EU structures, or about purchasing them from Russia for
terms of leasing or use by agreement with the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations."
Thus was born the Russian initiative to create the Eurosquadron. And a little earlier in July, during negotiations with the Minister of Emergency Situations of Russia S.K. Shoigu with Secretary General of the Council of the EU Javier Salana on the issue of cooperation between Russia and the European Union in the fight against disasters from the mouth of S.K. Shoigu voiced the idea of creating a European Center for Disaster Management as part of the program for creating the International Emergency Situations Agency68. Thus, trends have emerged in the performance of new tasks by aircraft of the Be-200ES type in the interests of the European Union.
As part of the same program, in July 2004, at the Moscow Vnukovo airport, the Be-200ES of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations was demonstrated to German Chancellor G. Schröder69. During the visit, the issue of preparing a Memorandum between the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the German Ministry of Internal Affairs on high-tech cooperation, which would allow using the capabilities of the two countries in eliminating major emergencies, was considered. According to the initiative of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, it was envisaged to create a joint aviation group “Globalaviaspas”70.
It should be noted that in 2006, during the international aerospace exhibition ILA-2006 in Berlin, it was decided that the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations should include the Be-200ChS multi-purpose amphibious aircraft, the Il-76 transport aircraft and the Bo-105 light helicopter in the group. On the German side there is a “flying hospital” based on the A-310 aircraft. The creation of such a group, according to the German magazine “ILA Show NEWS,” makes it possible to reduce the time of search, rescue, evacuation and emergency treatment.
medical assistance, which would increase the chances of salvation.
The demonstration of the capabilities of the Be-200ES aircraft in fighting fires in Europe showed the interest of many countries in it. And in the summer of 2006, pilots of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations on Be-200ES aircraft together with TANTK named after. G.M. Beriev participated in the fight against severe forest fires in Portugal.
The effective fight of Be-200ES aircraft against forest fires in Europe has aroused great interest in them in the countries of Southeast Asia. From November 1 to December 12, 2006, on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, the aviation group of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, headed by the chief of aviation, Lieutenant General R.Sh. Zakirov in the composition of 2 Be-
65 See: Zablotsky A.N., Salnikov A.I. TANTK aircraft named after. G.M. Beriev. M.: LLC Publishing House “Restart”, 2005. P. 380-381.
66 See: Emergency Service of Russia 1990-2005 / Under general. ed. S.K. Shoigu. Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. M.: Moscow printing house No. 2, 2005. P. 99.
67 See: Kobzev V. Earth and air, water and fire - the elements of TANTK im. G.M. Berieva // Aerospace Courier. 2004. No. 4. P. 26.
68 See: Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia 1990-2005. The international cooperation. M.: Press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2005. P. 21; Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia 1990-2007. The international cooperation. M.: Information Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2007. P. 15; Promising international projects. EMERCOM of Russia: humanitarian mission. M.: Information Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2006. P. 23; Aviation Ministry of Emergency Situations: vectors of international cooperation // Aerospace Review. 2003. No. 2. P. 8-9.
69 See: Kobzev V. Earth and air, water and fire - the elements of TANTK im. G.M. Berieva // Aerospace Courier.
2004. No. 4. P. 25.
70 “Globalaviaspas” is a joint aviation group created on the initiative of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations within the framework of cooperation with the European Union in the field of disaster management. It is a mobile international aviation group that can quickly respond to emerging crisis situations of a natural and man-made nature in Europe and beyond, and also take direct part in eliminating the consequences of emergencies.
71 See: Russia and Germany set up an air group for handling disasters in Europe // “ILA Show NEWS”. 2006. No. 2. S. 6.
200ES fought forest fires in Indonesia on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Smoke from the fires assumed the scale of a national disaster and affected the environmental situation of neighboring countries. Shipping, air traffic and the stability of relations between countries were disrupted. In such a difficult situation, the crews of R.Sh. Zakirova, V.A. Kruse, E.P. The Grays carried out 95 flights, the total flight time was
301 hours 45 minutes, 646 drains were made, 5672 tons of water were dumped on the fires.
In 2004-2008 Be-200ES aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations participated in extinguishing forest fires in Italy, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Indonesia and all
cases confirmed high efficiency in fighting fires.
In the period from July 21 to July 25, 2007, an Il-76 aircraft with a VAP-2 operated in Bulgaria, eliminating the main fires, and then flew to Serbia, where within three days it successfully extinguished forest fires in the area of the Serbian-Bulgarian border75.
2007, aviation assets of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were used to extinguish fires: 2 helicopters
Mi-26, 2 Mi-8 helicopters and a Be-200ChS amphibious aircraft. Working with them were 2 Greek Mi-26 helicopters with crews from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. After several days of hard work, the Russians managed to bring the fire situation under control. The work of the crews lasted until October. The intensity of work of the EMERCOM crews can be judged by the results. During the work to extinguish fires, 487 flights were made, the flight time was 1375 hours 48 minutes, 4336 drains were made, in which 48308 tons of water were dropped on the fires77.
In Montenegro, from July 29 to August 6, 2007, the Ministry of Emergency Situations Il-76 aircraft with VAP-2 extinguished the largest fires in mountainous areas. However, due to the continued fire hazard, at an additional request from the Montenegrin side, on August 17
One hundred years ago, a Ka-32 helicopter from the Ministry of Emergency Situations was sent to the country to extinguish fires.
Analysis of foreign sources79 leads to the following conclusions. Firstly, the lessons of the catastrophic wildfires in central, western and southern Europe in 2004-2008 and their consequences pointed out to the leaders of European countries the need to improve and integrate forces and means capable of quickly responding to emerging emergencies and carrying out preventive measures to prevent their occurrence, development and elimination of consequences. Secondly, in connection with the prevailing opinion, the creation in Europe of airmobile forces for rapid response to emergency situations has become very relevant. Thirdly, taking into account the lessons and conclusions from the fire situation in Europe and measures to combat this disaster, Russia's efforts to integrate pan-European capabilities in the fight against disasters were intensified, including at the first stage the formation of the Eurosquadron.
72 See: ACA EMERCOM of Russia. F. 4. Op. 900. D. 26. L. 169-170.
74 See: Korolev A. Be-200ES: the star journey of the “winged rescuer” // Bulletin of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. 2008. No. 2. P. 2427.
75 See: AA EMERCOM of Russia. D. 21-2. L. 87-89.
76 See: AA EMERCOM of Russia. D. 21-2. L. 93-97.
78 See: AA EMERCOM of Russia. D. 21-2. L. 99-103.
79 See: Russian Hydroplanes on International Aviation Market // “Rotorblatt”. 2004. No. 5.September-Oktober. S. 16-
17; LA-8 Amphibian is On the Market // “Rotorblatt”. 2005. No. 4. July-August. S. 23; Russia's cooperation with Western Europe in aerospace reached a new high // “ILA Show NEWS”. 2006. No. 3. 18 May. S. 1; Franco-Russian Relations Are on the Rise // Aerospace Journal. 2005. No. 2 March-April, pp. 28-29; Renaissance of hydro-aviation // Air fleet.
2000. No. 5. P. 38-44; Europe is interested in cooperation with Russia on advanced piloted transportation systems; Rus-
sia and Germany set up an air group for handling disasters in Europe // “ILA Show NEWS”. 2002. No. 2. P. 4-5; Santos Carlos Dantas Em termos estrategicos o Mercado da Russia e"o Mercado mais importante neste momento // Dialogo. 2009. No. 1. P. 61-62.
As part of the development of international humanitarian cooperation with the countries of the European Union, on September 17-19, 2007, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations held the first stage of negotiations with a representative of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) on the issue of the “Eurosquadron”80.
The year 2008 was marked by the fact that the issue of creating a “European
squadrons". Order of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia dated July 22, 2008 No. 407 established the maintenance of technical readiness for the Eurosquadron of two Be-200ChS aircraft, one Il-76 aircraft and two Mi-26 helicopters, including special drainage equipment, for the rapid deployment of the Russian part of the Eurosquadron along requests from the CES or other European partners82. It also provides for the possibility of basing one Il-76 aircraft and two Mi-26 and Ka-32 helicopters at the advanced airfields of southern Europe to respond during fire periods, which can quickly be included in the Eurosquadron. Light helicopters Bo-105 and BK-117 are intended to be used for reconnaissance and assessment missions in case of disasters.
The experience of participation of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in international humanitarian operations and its involvement in the fight against disasters (especially in 2007), when airplanes and helicopters, operating as part of international air groups, made a significant contribution to extinguishing large fires in Europe, allows us to carry out joint efforts in the near future work with the European Union on the concept of creating a European Disaster Management Center (ECDC).
By 2012, the planned arrival of its own aircraft into the Eurosquadron will increase its response capabilities and allow the European Union to more reliably implement the experience gained to date in the use of an international air group.
Thus, in 1992-1996. Cooperation with foreign countries in various areas related to the provision of humanitarian assistance and rescue operations began with the creation of an international legal framework, the entry of Russian Emergency Situations Ministry aviation into the international arena, and active participation in the work of international organizations. The result of this period was the real integration of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and its aviation into the global processes of humanitarian response.
In the second period of its development (1996-2002), aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations played a key role in providing “international assistance” and was a means of rapid response, capable of coming to the aid of all those in need anywhere in the world.
In the third period of development of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (2002-2008), the further expansion of international cooperation in the humanitarian field led to the involvement of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in extinguishing forest fires abroad. Effective the international cooperation in the fight against disasters made it possible to create, on the initiative of Russia, the Eurosquadron and the Globalaviaspas air group on the way to the European Center for Combating Disasters or EuroMChS.
The annual forest fires in European countries clearly confirm that national firefighting capabilities can be significantly strengthened by the presence of Russian Be-200ES aircraft in the emergency services of other countries. Participating in Lately Cases of disasters on the seas and water areas associated with huge spills of oil products, fires and the destruction of ships, ships, claiming thousands of human lives, urgently require close attention of the country's leadership to the revival and development of hydroaviation.
80 See: Correspondence between the Minister of Emergency Situations of Russia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on the creation of the “Eurosquadron” dated September 25, 2007 No. 43-2869-10. L. 2.
81 On June 25, 2008, an Administrative Agreement was signed between the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief and the General Directorate for environment Commission of the European Communities on cooperation, mutual assistance and air support in emergency response.
82 While it is known that Italy is allocating 4 Canadair amphibious aircraft to the Eurosquadron, Germany plans to allocate only helicopters, and other EU countries have not yet decided on the issue of allocating aviation assets.
Over the 20 years of the existence of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, emergency assistance to other states was provided more than 350 times in the form of various operations and projects. Multilateral assistance has been provided to a number of countries more than once.
Over the past years, Russian rescuers and firefighters have provided assistance abroad, saving people from earthquakes in Turkey, Pakistan, Colombia and India, Taiwan and Haiti, during the tsunami in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, while extinguishing fires in Greece, Turkey, France, Bulgaria , Serbia, Portugal, in conflict and post-conflict situations in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The main areas of international activity of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations include:
Creation of a legal framework: more than 40 intergovernmental agreements with foreign countries are in force. Partnerships have been established with the European Union, UN organizations, BSEC of the Council of Europe, ICDO, NATO, UAE, which are recorded in more than 15 international legal documents;
Interaction with the UN in the field of emergency humanitarian response: since 1993, cooperation has begun with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which has a practical focus and was implemented during the crises in the former Yugoslavia in 1993-1996. and in 1999-2000, as well as in Central Africa - in 1994-1995. From 1998 to 2000, a UN Development Program project was implemented to establish a driving school in Rwanda. In 2002, under the auspices of the UN, humanitarian assistance was provided to Afghanistan, and practical cooperation with the UN WFP began, which is enshrined in the relevant international legal documents;
Developing ties with countries that have traditionally strong civil protection, warning, rescue and fire fighting services. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations worked out joint actions with Switzerland, Greece, and Austria to rescue people and deliver humanitarian aid to the Balkans in 1999-2000. (Operation Focus), together with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, conducted operations in Afghanistan in 2001-2002;
Conducting international exercises and training to eliminate various disasters for the purpose of mutually beneficial exchange of experience with foreign partners and coordination of operational and large-scale actions of rescue and fire fighting units from different countries.
Fires and large-scale floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes in the world. These types of emergencies have become more and more frequent lately. Russia has always helped European countries cope with disasters in cases where their national forces were unable to localize the emergency.
A situation where national forces are unable to localize an emergency situation and damage is inevitable leads to a call to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Similar examples are numerous. We have provided assistance to European countries and continue to provide it. Now we are helping Serbia to return its economic territories to circulation. Our sapper squad is working there to clean up the areas.
Deputy Minister, Director of International Activities of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia Yuri Brazhnikov spoke about how rescuers interact (“ Russian newspaper" - Special issue "European Union", No. 5499 (123), 06/09/2011).
“The aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has repeatedly extinguished fires in European countries.
Aviation is an international service. It operates abroad in accordance with the laws and conventions of ICAO - the International Civil Aviation Organization. And our troops carry out assignments from the United Nations. If we work with the High Commission for Refugees, our convoy teams include coordinators who have excellent knowledge English language. Therefore, our units can be controlled without any problems. And all aviation in the world operates only in English.
In the fight against wildfires in 2010, Russia was helped by groups of emergency services from different countries.
We gratefully accepted the assistance of aviation from a number of countries, which was included in our combat plans to fight the fire and was controlled from a single headquarters created on the basis of the National Central Control Center, located on Vatutina Street, 1 in Moscow. In addition, headquarters were deployed in the regions. Just as our head of aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations controls the actions of his charges, so he controlled the aircraft that came to our disposal.
The head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Sergei Shoigu, has repeatedly come up with the initiative to create an international group in Europe for emergency response to emergency situations.
This idea is consistently moving towards practical implementation. We are creating centers in the regions and abroad. The first such center will be created on the basis of agreements between Russia and Serbia in the city of Nis. Three years ago, this airfield was cleared of mines by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. It is planned to base our humanitarian forces there and work together with the Serbs in the Balkan region, which is in great need of assistance in case of fires and other emergencies. We believe that this concept will be adopted in the European Union, at least such negotiations are underway. Together we will create a concept for the development of such multinational forces. And they will be developed with appropriate basing, where it is required first. In the future, we will definitely create a comprehensive system for responding to emergencies, disasters and crises.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations receives high-tech samples of equipment for extinguishing fires and on a planned basis, in accordance with Russian legislation, this equipment is acquired, put into service, and personnel trained. And, of course, modernization of control systems. We are creating new technology together with Europe. Thus, together with the Austrian company Rosenbaum, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations produces high-tech fire trucks based on the chassis of Kamaz vehicles. Both Russian and foreign units are equipped with these machines. There is enormous interest in them in European countries. And we, for our part, very carefully study and evaluate the equipment of European companies. Either we offer them to create joint ventures, or we purchase certain samples for export. We adopt the high-tech experience of our partners. However, foreign rescuers show the same interest in our equipment.”
The experience of conducting joint exercises with foreign partners in the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has been accumulated in last years significant. Despite the fact that the domestic rescue service is still quite young, its specialists have something to show and how to surprise their foreign colleagues.
Today in Russia we celebrate Rescuer Day. The Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR "On the formation of the Russian Rescue Corps as a State Committee of the RSFSR" was adopted on December 27, 1990. In 1995, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, December 27 was declared Russian Rescuer Day. According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, 565 people died in emergency situations in the country in 2013 - this is 40 percent less than last year. Man-made disasters decreased by 23 percent over the year (322 cases), and the number of fires decreased by 5 percent. The death toll has decreased by almost 10 percent water bodies. Over the course of the year, over 263 thousand people were saved.
In total, over the past 20 years, rescue teams of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations have taken part in more than 400 humanitarian rescue operations in dozens of countries around the world. Today "RG" recalls the unique missions of Russian rescuers in the country and abroad.
1991 Break of a 700-ton pipe in Ufa
In September 1991, the threat of a serious disaster loomed over the Ufa Oil Refinery - a piece of a factory pipe weighing more than 700 tons broke and hung at a 150-meter height.
Rescue climbers climbed the tilted pipe and planted 350 kg of explosives. The work lasted for several days. Using a directed explosion (for the first time in the world), a piece of pipe was placed in a precisely defined place. This operation was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
1992 Plague in Tuva
In January-February 1992, 15 specialists from the Russian Rescue Corps carried out a complex operation to localize the outbreak of yak plague in Tuva.
At an altitude of 2200-3000 meters, in severe frosts, a mobile camp was deployed. The detachment's specialists, together with rescuers from Krasnoyarsk, searched for dead animals, then took them by helicopter to specially dug burial grounds. Thus, the threat of the spread of plague was prevented, since during the period of snow melting the causative agent of this disease could be carried by meltwater into populated areas.
1993 Humanitarian action in Tkvarcheli (Abkhazia)
In January 1993 - the height of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict - 12 rescuers were sent to the besieged city of Tkvarcheli to provide assistance local residents. Rescuers on two Mi-6 and three Mi-8 helicopters brought food and medicine. Return flights to Adler transported pregnant women, seriously ill people, the elderly and children. A radio bridge was established between Tkvarcheli, Sukhumi, Adler and Moscow. The work of the rescue group lasted about 2 weeks, during which time the fighting around the city did not stop. At the beginning of summer, another group of 11 Centrospas employees arrived in Tkvarcheli. For two weeks, this group ensured the passage of automobile convoys with humanitarian cargo.
In total, during this humanitarian action, 2,499 people were evacuated and more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid were delivered.
1994 A-310 plane crash Kemerovo region
At the end of March 1994, an A-310 passenger plane crashed near the village of Maizas, Kemerovo region. The airliner crashed in a hard-to-reach area (forest and swamp), where the snow cover was 1.5 meters thick and the average daily temperature reached 20 degrees Celsius. Aviation kerosene spilled from the tanks and was absorbed into the snow, forming a crust into which fragments of the aircraft were frozen. From above, everything was littered with fallen trees.
Tsentrospas rescuers, together with the Barnaul search and rescue service, searched for the “black boxes” for four days and recovered the bodies of all 75 victims.
1995 Earthquake in Neftegorsk
On the night of May 28, 1995, an earthquake measuring about seven on the Richter scale occurred in the northern part of Sakhalin Island. In the village of Neftegorsk, 17 five-story buildings were destroyed to the ground. A group of rescuers led by Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived at the scene of the disaster.
Rescue units worked in difficult conditions for 17-18 hours a day, day and night. Three rescuers - Vladimir Legoshin, Arsen Faradzhev and Alexander Krivolutsky - took with them specially trained dogs: Loya, Frid and Lesya. Thanks to four-legged rescuers, many victims were found under the rubble. The last living person was found and pulled out from under the ruins on the seventh day after the tragedy. It is to Vladimir Legoshin's Loy that he owes his life. Of the three thousand residents of the village, only about 500 people survived.
Sergei Shoigu himself later recalled that the earthquake on Sakhalin was etched in his memory for a long time. Shoigu told how, a few days after the earthquake, rescuers found a man under the rubble. All this time his legs were pinned under a concrete slab. The man was conscious and hoped that he would be released soon. However, it became clear to the doctors that as soon as the slab was lifted, the toxin-poisoned blood from the extremities would enter the kidneys and the person would die. “When they told him about this, he asked for vodka and a cigarette. He drank, smoked and said, “Pick it up!” Shoigu recalled. The man died in the arms of rescuers. That incident, according to the minister, became one of the impetuses for the creation of a unique mobile installation for blood purification, which is now used in the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
1995 Humanitarian operation in Chechnya
From January 14 to March 10, 1995, 35 Tsentrospas employees worked in Grozny and surrounding areas. They inspected shelters, preserved buildings and basements, searched for missing people, provided medical assistance to the injured, and evacuated the wounded and sick. During this time, more than 800 sick and wounded were found.
Rescuers also tried to preserve artistic values. On March 4 and 5 alone, more than 400 paintings were recovered from the ruins of the Museum of Fine Arts, including works by Bryullov, Zakharov, Korovin and Brodsky. In total, 600 works of art and documents were saved, including the entire museum file.
1996 Tu-154 plane crash on the Spitsbergen archipelago (Norway)
A Tu-154 passenger plane carrying Russian miners working in Spitsbergen crashed during landing. A group of the most trained rescuers was sent to the scene of the disaster. It included 11 specialists from the Centrospas detachment. A fragment of the plane was located on the top of the flat mountain Opera, and parts were scattered along its slopes. It was necessary to find all the dead and, depending on the location, either lift them to the plateau or lower them to the foot of the mountain using climbing equipment.
The work was complicated by difficulties in establishing contacts with representatives of local authorities and the Norwegian police. Thus, two rescuers were initially detained by the police at the scene of the plane crash and taken to the police station, but then they were released, and the governor of the island even apologized. The work lasted 6 days. Flight recorders and 140 bodies were discovered.
1997 Mi-8 helicopter crash in Sochi
In early November, the Mi-8 rescue helicopter of the Sochi search and rescue service carried out a search and rescue operation for fishermen swept out to sea by a storm. There were 5 crew members and 4 rescuers on board the Mi-8. Having lifted another group of people in distress from the water, the helicopter turned around and headed towards the shore. After a sudden failure of the engines, it tilted, fell into the water and sank instantly. Only four managed to escape.
Special search vessels of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations were urgently deployed to the scene of the disaster. But neither sonar screens nor echo sounders could detect the sunken car. Only on the third day the helicopter was discovered. Two rescuers - Nikolai Nikitenko and Andrey Rozhkov - descended to the sunken car to a depth of 40 meters. They managed to get the body of one of the rescuers and hook the cable to an element of the helicopter. Using this cable, a diver with heavy equipment was able to get to work. He had to more carefully inspect the body of the helicopter and install cables from the floating crane, which lifted the fallen helicopter to the surface. As a result of this operation, Andrei Rozhkov was awarded the title “Deepest Sea Rescuer of the Year.”
1998 Flood in Lensk (Yakutia)
In May 1998, in the Yakut city of Lensk, it happened severe flood. The visiting team, which included 25 rescuers, dog handlers, engineers and communications operators, worked in difficult weather conditions. During the day the temperature did not rise above one or two degrees Celsius, and at night it dropped to -10, -12 degrees. It was constantly snowing. Moreover, the water rushing from the banks in a powerful stream from the upper reaches of the Lena did not freeze in the lower sections of the river bed. Rescuers reached hard-to-reach places by boat. About 200 people were saved by specialists from Zhukovsky near Moscow alone. People were taken from the roofs of flooded houses, trees, and any heights. The victims were provided with humanitarian assistance. A kitchen was delivered by helicopter and hot meals were provided for almost 700 people.
1999 Explosions of residential buildings in Moscow
On the night of September 8-9, a residential building was blown up on Guryanova Street in the capital's Pechatniki microdistrict. 89 rescuers immediately arrived on the scene. The search for the injured and dead was hampered by the fire caused by the explosion and heavy smoke. Tsentrospas employees recovered 30 bodies of the dead.
On September 13, another terrorist attack was committed - an 8-story residential building on Kashirskoye Highway was blown up. At 5:27 a.m. the first group of rescuers and dog handlers left for the scene, and by 7:30 a.m. they were joined by engineers and signalmen. On the afternoon of September 14, all the rubble was cleared. About 120 bodies of the dead were recovered. Only one person was saved.
year 2000. Fire at the Ostankino TV tower
On August 27, at 15:08, the operator on duty in Moscow received a message about a fire at the Ostankino TV tower. The first fire was at an altitude of 470 meters. All emergency services in the capital arrived at the scene of the fire. Fire crews began working at 420 meters to cut off the fire approaching the elevators. Only with the help of elevators was it possible to organize the evacuation of people, since the narrow emergency stairs of the tower are not suitable either for descending people or for passing firefighters and rescuers with equipment.
At 18:15 it was decided to de-energize the tower and cut the cable. When it became obvious that fire extinguishers could not cope with the flames, rescuers decided to build an additional barrier to the fire from a special fireproof fabric. Colonel Vladimir Ovsyukov, elevator operator Svetlana Loseva and technician Alexander Shipilin volunteered to deliver her upstairs. They entered the elevator when the fire was already at 305 meters. It was at this point that the situation got out of control. The flames escaped and engulfed the elevator engine room. Rescuers and firefighters were ordered to urgently go down. The firefighting continued throughout the night. Only in the morning it became possible to start looking for an elevator with people. It was found at a minus level, below the level of the first floor, covered with a layer of burnt cable. The rescuers have started new stage work to remove the bodies of the victims from the crashed elevator.
2002 Elimination of glacier collapse in the Karmadon Gorge
On the evening of September 20, 15 km south of the village of Karmadon (North Ossetia), a glacier descended. The resulting mudflow claimed the lives of many people, including the death of the film crew of actor and director Sergei Bodrov.
On September 21, a combined detachment of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations flew to North Ossetia. During search and rescue operations, 12 bodies were found. 103 people were evacuated, another was found alive two days later. Sergei Bodrov and his film crew were never found.
2004 Collapse of the Transvaal Park dome in Moscow
On February 14 at 19:15, the dome of the Transvaal Park sports and entertainment complex collapsed in the Yasenevo district of Moscow. All the capital's emergency services, as well as Minister Sergei Shoigu, arrived at the scene of the tragedy. The rubble was cleared for two days. During this time, 7 people were rescued and assistance was provided to 3 victims. Late in the evening of February 15, rescuers began dismantling the concrete slabs at the bottom of the pool. The work continued until February 18, although it was no longer of a rescue, but of a search nature.
2004 Terrorist attack in the Moscow metro
“Black Friday” became February 6th. At about 8:30 a.m., during rush hour, when people were on their way to work, an electric train car was blown up in the section between the Paveletskaya and Avtozavodskaya stations. The windshield in the driver's cabin was broken, small fragments from the powerful explosion scattered in the first and third cars. The second carriage, in which the explosion occurred, turned into a pile of twisted metal. Rescuers recovered 12 bodies. To restore traffic on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line, together with metro teams, the train was dismantled and the tracks were cleared.
year 2009. Accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station
On August 17, at 4:15 a.m. Moscow time, the hydroelectric power plant’s turbine room was destroyed and flooded at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station. One of the hydraulic units was destroyed. The station's work was completely stopped.
At 2 p.m., an Il-76 transport plane of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations took off from the Ramenskoye airfield near Moscow to the emergency zone, on board which were 20 rescuers from the Tsentrospas detachment, as well as special equipment and an operational group of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Following them, 6 divers from the detachment were sent to eliminate the consequences of the accident. On August 18, another 26 specialists and 10 Centrospas divers were sent to the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP to eliminate the consequences of the accident.
Rescuers worked not only to clear the rubble after the collapse and search for people, but also carried out restoration work on the hydroelectric power station units that were least damaged. Almost all rescue skills were used. They had to use chemical protection, carry out diving work, and use climbing equipment. 68 dead were found.
2011. Wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria"
A task force from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations was urgently sent to the area of the incident on the Volga in Tatarstan. Among them are divers, signalmen, and engineers. 10 divers also flew out from the Tuapse branch of the detachment. At the emergency site, they examined the water area, carried out search operations, and descended to the site of the sinking of the vessel.
We were called urgently,” rescuer Vladimir Komarov later recalled. - We collected our equipment and set sail on a boat from Kazan. That evening there was a big wave on the Volga. Due to the waves and squally winds, nothing was visible at arm's length. We were used to the fact that after just a couple of meters of diving, darkness sets in, so we had to dive to a depth of about 20 meters with a small flashlight. At approximately 11 p.m., the body of the first woman was recovered. My partner, rescue diver Marat Mukhametshin, got it. We worked without a break all night and the next day. Then guys from all over Russia began to arrive, a dive schedule and a clear search plan appeared.
On the first day it was still stormy. The difference between day and night under water is practically not felt. They worked hard. The passages of "Bulgaria" turned out to be narrow and heavily littered with furniture, bedding, and other things. You had to move inside almost by touch, moving your hands. First they looked for the living. We really hoped that someone managed to survive. We repeatedly dived with a hammer and tapped the ship’s hull, but, alas...
year 2012. Flood in Krymsk
From July 7 to July 19, 2012, a rescue operation was carried out in the city of Krymsk Krasnodar region. On July 16, the airmobile hospital of the Centrospas detachment flew to Krymsk. During the operation of the hospital, from July 16 to July 30, assistance was provided to 593 sick and injured people.
year 2013. Flood on Far East
The biggest emergency of 2013 was the flood in the Far East, the number of victims of which exceeded 182 thousand people. Total number the number of people involved in eliminating the consequences of this flood exceeded 300 thousand. More than 32 thousand people were evacuated from dangerous zones, including over 10 thousand children.
During its existence, the Yakut Republican Search and Rescue Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, and subsequently the State Institution "Fire and Rescue Service of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)" took part in eliminating the consequences of natural and man-made emergencies such as:
- 1994: Evacuation of the population from a suburb of Yakutsk flooded by the spring flood, work on demercurization of school No. 30 and GPTU-14, search for children in the forest and search for a child who fell through the ice in Lake Saisar, search and rescue of people lost in the tundra in conditions blizzards.
- 1995: Search for people in the tundra, liquidation of the consequences of a flood in the suburbs of Yakutsk, extinguishing forest fires in the vicinity of the villages of Tabaga, Vladimirovka, search for drowned people.
- 1996: January - fire in the Tuymaada airport building;
on the night of March 14 to 16, a tragedy broke out in the village of Ozhulun, Churapchinsky ulus, when a fire in the dormitory of a rural vocational school killed 17 people;
April - work on demercurization of a residential building owned by AK "Yakutskenergo".
1997: Work to eliminate the consequences of defrosting objects in populated areas Republics: on January 1, a boiler house exploded in the village of Batagay-Alyta, and in early February a water intake station in the village of Borogontsy exploded;
May - flood in the village. Edeans of the Namsky ulus;
December - liquidation of the consequences of a fire in a nursing home in the village of Oy, Khangalassky ulus, 9 people died in the fire.
1998: January - the central boiler house in Vilyuysk stopped, 107 housing and social facilities were defrosted;
May - liquidation of the consequences of flooding in Lensk.
1999: January - the heating system was installed in the village of Topolinoye, Tomponsky ulus;
Following this, a similar incident occurred in the village of Green Cape in the Nizhne-Kolyma ulus and in the Churapchinsky ulus;
February - the equipment of the quarterly boiler house in the village of Segen-Kyuel, Kobyai ulus, failed;
gas pipeline accident in Khangalassky ulus.
- 2000: November - fire in a residential building on the street. Kurnatovsky in Yakutsk, rescuers recovered 10 bodies of dead people.
- 2001: January - helicopter crash;
May - flooding of the city of Lensk, the village of Khandyga and the village. Caskill;
April - search for a person in an avalanche in a spur of the Momsky ridge.
- 2002: December - due to uneven gas pressure, an almost simultaneous fire occurred in 11 private facilities that were powered by gas heating.
- 2003: explosion of a gas cylinder on the ship "Yaroslavets".
- 2004: explosion of an oil tanker near the village of Yuryung-Khaya.
- 2005: March - in the area of the N. Bestyakh ice crossing, UAZ 2206 and Toyota vehicles went under the ice, vehicles were pulled to the surface;
April - in the area of Nizhny Bestyakh, an ice crossing, a Kamaz vehicle with a trailer went under the ice, the vehicle was pulled out using metal cables;
May - in Amginsky ulus on the river. Amga, a tractor with people sank, search for the vehicle and recovery of the bodies of two dead;
December - Yakutsk, st. Zavodskaya, 2/1 - fire in a residential building, 31 people were injured, 7 people died;
in the Ust-Yansky ulus, an MI-8 helicopter with passengers crashed, searching for a helicopter in a difficult area, evacuating the victims.
2006: January - a fire occurred in the central city sewer of Yakutsk, rescuers took part in localizing and eliminating the fire, evacuating victims, organizing insurance for the descent of firefighters, supplying fire hoses, and providing lighting;
March - an MI-8 helicopter crashed near the village of Chokurdakh, search, evacuation of 7 victims in the city of Yakutsk and transportation of 5 dead in the village of Chokurdakh;
May - in the village of Peleduy, Lensky district, an accident occurred on the Talakan-Vitim oil pipeline, followed by a spill of about 10 tons of petroleum products, installation of booms, processing of petroleum products with sorbent and their collection;
June - flood in the village of Vitim, Lensky district, evacuation of the population, material assets, round-the-clock monitoring of water levels, delivery of humanitarian aid, etc.; flood in Olekminsk - evacuation of the population and material assets;
November - Oymyakon region - search for an avalanche victim.
2007: May - work to eliminate the emergency situation and evacuate people in the disaster zone during flooding during the spring flood on the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Work was carried out to restore damaged dams, organize bridge crossings, evacuate and rescue the population, set up control posts, resolve evacuation issues, save material assets, deliver humanitarian supplies, eliminate ice jams, etc.;
from June-September - due to the lack of roads and muddy roads, the village of Segyan-Kyuel, Kobyai ulus, was cut off from the regional center, rescuers of the State Institution "PSS RS (Y)" carried out work to ensure the livelihoods of the population of the village of Segyan-Kyuel, round-the-clock transportation of people was organized on all-terrain vehicles on ultra-low pressure pneumatics along the route Segyan-Kuel - Batamai village and back, providing food, mail, etc. 170 people were transported.
State Public Institution of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) “Rescue Service of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)” has been operating on the territory of Yakutia since 1993. On January 1, 1993, the Yakut Republican Search and Rescue Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia was formed in the republic. Today it is a fairly large rescue structure capable of providing the region with protection in the field of emergencies and fires.
The Rescue Service of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) employs 190 people - real professionals in their field.
The State Public Institution “Rescue Service of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)” includes 4 departments:
- · Management of organization of interaction of activities of the Yakut territorial subsystem of the unified state system on prevention and response to emergency situations in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
- · Department of monitoring, forecasting, preparation and training
- · Management of operational and economic support
- · Department of search and rescue operations and emergency response in water areas
In turn, the Search and Rescue Directorate includes 4 detachments, a canine team and 2 regional detachments: Aldansky and Neryungri.
AIRMOBILE SQUAD
The airmobile detachment was created in 2003 on the basis of the State Institution "Rescue Service of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)"
The airmobile rescue squad is constantly on duty, promptly responding to any signals about the need to provide assistance to people in trouble. In their daily work, emergency rescue units ensure round-the-clock constant readiness of rescuers, vehicles, equipment and equipment for quick and effective actions aimed at saving human lives, material resources and preserving the production potential of our republic.
The airmobile detachment consists of 34 people, including:
international class lifeguard - 2
lifeguard 1st class - 2nd
2nd class lifeguard - 6
lifeguard 3rd class - 8
lifeguard - 16
DIVING TEAM
In August 2004, a diving team of 5 people was created on the basis of the State Institution "Rescue Service of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)".
The diving team consists of 11 diving specialists of various qualifications, two of whom are 1st class divers of 1-2 groups of specialization, two of 2nd classes of 1-2 groups of specialization, the remaining 3 classes of 3 groups of qualifications.
AUTOMOBILE SQUAD
The automobile detachment of the State Public Institution “Rescue Service of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)” currently has only 98 units of equipment in service. Of them:
- 16 passenger car units
- 19 truck units
- 4 units trailer
- 3 motorcycles
- 6 units of special all-terrain vehicles
- 8 armored vehicles
- 9 units of ice cutting equipment based on MTZ - 82 and DT - 75
- 33 units of swimming equipment.
The state-owned ASA “Gazelle” GAZ-27057 is on constant duty in the city of Yakutsk and the surrounding area. No. 46-53 then, equipped with ASI “Lukas”, a retractable ladder, climbing equipment, and a “Partner” circular chainsaw. Also in service there is a special vehicle with diving equipment based on the ZIL-131, where a 12 kW power station and an air compressor are installed.
To carry out emergency rescue operations, to deliver humanitarian aid and escort convoys, GAZ-66 and ASA Kamaz-4310 (KUNG), Ural-42112 (VAKHTA) vehicles, equipped with a radio station and a light and sound device, are used.
To carry out preventive measures, tractor drilling equipment BGM-1 based on MTZ-82 and MZTs-75 based on DT-75 is used.
Experimental special all-terrain equipment, such as the Radian ASV, is used to work in especially hard-to-reach places where other equipment is not able to work (swamps, mari, off-season, ice hummocks). For example, the Radian ASV together with the Buran snowmobiles were used to blacken the river during preventive measures to safely pass flood waters, and the all-terrain vehicle was also used in the summer to ensure the safety of the survey team in the Amginsky, Ust-Maisky, Kobyaisky and Vilyuisky districts.
In the summer, joint patrols and duty are organized with GIMS in places of mass recreation of people on the Lena River and lakes.
The personnel of the automobile detachment consists of 20 people:
Head of the automobile squad
Garage manager
17 drivers
BLASTING TEAM
The blasting squad was created in January 2007 to carry out tasks to prevent and eliminate emergencies of a natural and man-made nature
The subject of the blasting squad's activities are:
Elimination of ice jams
The use of explosive materials when freeing watercraft from being crushed by ice
The use of explosive materials for the safe passage of flood waters
The use of explosive materials when extinguishing forest fires.
Currently, the detachment employs 5 people.
KINOLOGICAL CALCULATOR
The canine team was created as part of the State Institution “Rescue Service of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)” on January 1, 2007. The crew includes 2 rescue dog handlers. At the start of work in 2007, there were two service dogs. The main task of the calculation is the use of service dogs during RPS various types. The equipment of the crew is an enclosure and a kennel for dogs, a Sobol car. Currently, the canine group has two German Shepherd puppies.