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In 2001, Mark Giaconia was a Green Beret patrolling the border areas between Kosovo and Serbia. His counterparts were Russian troops, many of which were airborne. Their mission was to disrupt the movements of Albanian UCPMB rebels in the area. For six months, he and his Russian allies worked side-by-side, in the forests and mountains around Kosovo.
Then one day, his coworkers put on what they called a "Spetsnaz Show" – and Giaconia realized who his tactical buddies really were.
To be clear, the "Spetsnaz" aren't any single part of the Russian military apparatus. They are any special operations unit of the Russian military, including the Russian Navy, Airborne troops, and FSB (formerly the KGB). Most often, when westerners refer to the Spetsnaz, they're referring to the special operations section of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence service.
Giaconia's experience with the Russians was his first – and it was the first time American Special Forces and Russian special operators worked together. The height of their mission in Kosovo was rolling on a rebel base that had killed one of the Russians' soldiers. The team captured a young rebel while on a patrol and extracted the location of the rebels' base of operations.
More at
https://www.military.com/off-duty/2...-describes-how-good-russian-spetsnaz-are.html
Then one day, his coworkers put on what they called a "Spetsnaz Show" – and Giaconia realized who his tactical buddies really were.
To be clear, the "Spetsnaz" aren't any single part of the Russian military apparatus. They are any special operations unit of the Russian military, including the Russian Navy, Airborne troops, and FSB (formerly the KGB). Most often, when westerners refer to the Spetsnaz, they're referring to the special operations section of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence service.
Giaconia's experience with the Russians was his first – and it was the first time American Special Forces and Russian special operators worked together. The height of their mission in Kosovo was rolling on a rebel base that had killed one of the Russians' soldiers. The team captured a young rebel while on a patrol and extracted the location of the rebels' base of operations.
More at
https://www.military.com/off-duty/2...-describes-how-good-russian-spetsnaz-are.html
