5th Spetsnaz Brigade
The 5th Spetsnaz Brigade is a special forces brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus, formerly part of the Soviet Spetsnaz GRU.
| 5th Spetsnaz Brigade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1963 – present |
| Country |   |
| Branch | Soviet Army (1963–1991) Special Forces of Belarus (1992–present) |
| Type | Special forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Marjina Horka |
| Motto(s) | Anywhere, anytime, any problem |
| Engagements | Soviet–Afghan War, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Libyan Civil War (2011) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Alexey Popov |
History
It was formed at Marjina Horka, Minsk Region, 1 January 1963 as the 5th Special Forces Brigade GRU. It initially had two battalions. On 3 April 1978 renamed 5th Independent Special Forces Brigade GRU. The 5th Spetsnaz Brigade would be involved in the Soviet-Afghan War, Spetsnaz Forces in Afghanistan were issued AK-74s, RPKs, RPDs, AKS-74u's, Dragunovs, and were issued KS-23 riot shotguns. [1] The 5th Spetsnaz Brigade took the oath of allegiance to Belarus on 31 December 1992, now part of the Special Forces of Belarus (ru:Силы специальных операций ВС РБ) along with two brigades formerly part of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division.
References
- Michael Holm. 5th independent Special Forces Brigade, accessed 2014.