The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR (), from 2002 to 2011 known as OMSN (''Otryad Militsii Spetsial'nogo Naznacheniya'', Special Police Unit), is a

spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...

unit of the

National Guard of Russia The Federal Service of Troops of National Guard of the Russian Federation (), officially known as the (),#Official website, Official website is a federal executive body which is responsible for law enforcement, internal security, counter-terro ...

(Rosgvardiya). DayTechnologies2017p1-35

With their military equipment, uniforms and training, the

OMON OMON is a system of military special police units within the Armed Forces of Russia. It previously operated within the structures of the Soviet and Russian Ministries of Internal Affairs (MVD). Originating as the special forces unit of the So ...

and SOBR constitute a rapid reaction and rapid insertion paramilitary police force available to the regular police - normally deployable at the discretion of a police local command. They serve a similar function to a

police tactical unit A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained and equipped to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. The tasks of a ...

(PTU). Groups named "SOBR" also operate in other

post-Soviet countries The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

- such as

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

and

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

History

SOBR was formed on 10 February 1992, and was subordinated to the "Directorate for combating the Organized Crime" under the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n Interior Ministry (

MVD The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; , ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia. The MVD is responsible for law enforcement in Russia through its agencies the Police of Russia, Migration ...

). SOBR units were composed of senior-ranking police officers, better trained than the members of

(which is a cross between riot police and gendarmerie (paramilitary police)), and tasked with PTU operations under the jurisdiction of MVD. The primary function of SOBR is to combat against

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

, with additional roles including anti-irregular military, counterterrorism, executive protection, high-risk law enforcement and tactical operation situations, hostage rescue, providing security important government buildings and infrastructure in time of crisis, special operations in dangerous areas, and supporting crowd control operations. They also fought during the Chechen Wars and

War in Dagestan The 1999 war in Dagestan, also known as the Dagestan incursions (), was an armed conflict that began when the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Chechen-based Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade (IIPB), an Islamism, Islamist group led by Shamil ...

. Russia's first regional SOBR units were formed on 10 February 1992, under the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

(MVD) within the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, on the model of the previously established Moscow unit. SOBR units were staffed by senior-ranking police officers and typically received better training than the members of

, the paramilitary police (special police) units of the MVD; their personnel was drawn from the OMON units. They carried out police tactical unit operations under the jurisdiction of the MVD, including the apprehension of dangerous criminals and high-profile raids, while also participating in anti-irregular forces, conventional warfare, counterterrorism, and high-risk law enforcement and tactical operation situations such the Chechen Wars. On 16 September 2002, SOBR was dissolved and its units were reclassified as OMSN (Russian:отряды милиции специального назначения (ОМСН)/otryady militsii spetsial'nogo naznacheniya (OMSN), English:Special Purpose Police Units (OMSN)), becoming subordinated to the regional criminal police offices, and since the establishment of the

Investigative Committee of Russia The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF; ) has since January 2011 been the main federal investigating authority in Russia. Its name (''Sledstvennyi komitet'') is usually abbreviated to ''SKR'' (). The agency replaced the Ru ...

, has co-operated with federal investigative authorities. Due to the similarity in function as OMSN, and the popularity of the SOBR name, OMSN was commonly referred to as "SOBR" and the terms were often used interchangeably despite SOBR being officially non-existent. In 2007, in Russia there were 87 OMSN units, counting over 5,000 officers stationed in major Russian cities, the most famous unit of the formation is OMSN "Rys" (''lynx'', Cyrillic ОМСН "Рысь"), established in 1992, which since its inception participated in almost all known special operations in Russia. In 2011 OMSN units were renamed OSN (Russian:ОСН (отряды специального назначения)/otryady spetsial'nogo naznacheniya, English:Special Purpose Unit), but in 2012 the SOBR name returned into existence during reforms of the MVD, as all special forces units under the ministry's command were renamed from OMSN to SOBR. SOBR "''Terek"'' placed 1st in the 2015 Annual Warrior Competition held annually in Jordan. Other teams participating were a U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Battalion and China's Assault Hawk Commando Unit of the

People's Armed Police ) , abbreviation = PAP ("People's Armed Police") CAPF ("Chinese Armed Police Force"), formerly abbreviated''Wujing'' ( zh , s = 武警 , p = Wǔjǐng , l = Armed Police , labels = no ), or WJ as on vehicle license plates , patch ...

(PAP), which placed second overall. Overall 37 teams from 18 different nations participated in the event. On 5 April 2016, following the establishment of the National Guard of Russia, the Internal Troops of Russia were disestablished and the command of their units, including SOBR, was transferred from the MVD to the National Guard. According to a statement by General Zolotov, troops from OMON and SOBR received the status of military personnel in 2018.^p. 20 SOBR units participated in the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

where they were intended to disperse riots after

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and other major Ukrainian cities were captured. The failure to capture Kyiv resulted in some SOBR missions becoming redundant, and some of its personnel being killed in action or captured by the

Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

. At the

Battle of Irpin As part of the Russian offensive on Kyiv during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a battle took place for control of the city of Irpin. The combatants were elements of the Russian Armed Forces and Ukrainian Ground Forces. By 28 March 2022 Ukrai ...

, due to overly optimistic operational plans and the lack of communications with other units, an unarmored and under-equipped SOBR unit from the

Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast (, ), also known as Kuzbass (, ), after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Kemerovo is the administrative center and largest city of the oblast. Kemerovo Oblast is one of Rus ...

ended up separated from the main

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

forces and accidentally spearheading the assault on the city, getting ambushed at a bridge over the

Irpin river The Irpin () or Irpen () is a river in Ukraine, a right tributary of the Dnieper River. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . Irpin city is one of the urban settlements beside the river.criminal gangs in urban environments, high-risk law enforcement and tactical operation situations, urban public security actions,and in circumstances where the rules of engagement are strict. SOBR units are also deployed in custom police operations, in order to provide a heavy cordon. Large scale counterterrorism operations usually involve OMON, Spetsnaz FSB, and Spetsnaz GRU units due to the large personnel demands.

Notable SOBR teams

Every SOBR unit has an individual character. According to National Interest, the level of equipment of a SOBR team depends on the level of wealth of the relevant region. *

Bryansk Oblast Bryansk Oblast (), also known as Bryanshchina (, ), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 1,169,161. Geography Bryansk Oblast lies in weste ...

: SOBR "''Partizan''" *

Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast () is the westernmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of the Russian Federation. It is a Enclave and exclave, semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea within the Baltic region of Prussia (region), Prussia, surrounded by Pola ...

: SOBR “''Viking''” *

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located in the oblast. The historic m ...

: SOBR “''Rubin''” ("

Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...

" or " sardius") *

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

: SOBR “''Bulat''” ("Damascus steel" or "sword made of Damascus steel") *

Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Oblast (), informally also called Smolenshchina (), is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Smolensk. As of the 2021 Russ ...

: SOBR ''"Sigma"'' *

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

: SOBR “''Granit''” (Granite) *

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

: SOBR “''Akhmat''” (previously known as “''Terek''” from 2009 to 2021) *

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

: SOBR "''Khalzan''" ("Golden eagle")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sobr Specialist law enforcement agencies of Russia Units and formations of the National Guard of Russia Police tactical units Special forces of Russia

History

Notable SOBR teams

See also

References