Special Task Force SOBR BULAT - Moscow's Serious Crime Fighters | Full Documentary

[Music] moscow's special operational unit sober bulat sober stands for special rapid response forces bulat means steel sober bulat is a unit of the russian national guard the guard is responsible for russia's internal security and numbers around 400 000 including well over 100 special units many of them like sober bulat are elite [Music] forces [Music] [Music] the special rapid response force is mainly deployed against organized crime and terrorism training on the outskirts of moscow [Music] the unit is simulating the storming of a tower block only constant practice can give them the confidence and calmness they need for a real emergency for security reasons the men are not allowed to show their faces the most important thing is to follow the orders of the commander then everything else just falls into place improvisation fast reactions and the willingness to take on responsibility these are the essential qualities for the elite officers of the sober bulat special forces physical fitness goes without saying some of these men are rarely satisfied either with themselves or their comrades we need to do more training more flights more raids and take up our fighting positions much more quickly it all has to be perfect just like in a real operation sober bulat is based in scholkova near moscow at the russian national guard special forces center [Music] sport is part of the job training takes place every day for one or two hours if possible the men in the moscow elite force are in their early 20s to their late forties and they can serve in the unit as long as they are mentally flexible and physically fit both are checked on a regular basis [Music] the exercise here is to storm an apartment in a block of flats [Music] police on the floor that's the way to storm a flat when there are hostages involved it's all about maximum speed the element of surprise what do you do if you have to arrest terrorists terrorists have to be provoked they have to be drawn out of their shell so they show themselves we can then use snipers or mortars depending on where the operation is you have to force terrorists out into the open because that makes it easier to deal with them the next exercise two police vehicles block the target vehicle in between them arresting criminals in traffic is a task sober bulat has to carry out frequently constantly training for emergencies so that every single move is exactly right when it counts afterwards comes the criticism [Music] everyone has to know exactly what to do synchronized actions self-important heroics are fatal and even if every move is perfectly coordinated some situations still require improvisation footage from an operation in moscow sober special forces stop a car carrying suspected criminals they immediately step on the gas bullets puncture the suv's tires but even that doesn't stop the targets a hollywood-style car chase takes off in the center of moscow the elite officers now need to show their sprinter qualities this convent is the end of the road [Music] over the last year and a half these three men have raided several money transporter vehicles getting away with a total of around 5 million euros bullet holes in the getaway car the special forces only use firearms as a last resort in this case in order to stop the fleeing suspects in the car there are pistols and wigs it looks like the men were planning to carry out another security vehicle raid previous convictions only when i was young what for cough theft what were you doing in this car nothing just sitting in it why did you put up resistance i didn't i was frightened so i ran away why have we arrested you i have no clue [Applause] tell me your name do you think i'm an actor or something take that camera away [Music] the special forces remain at the scene as a security measure they will later take the arrested men to the police station [Music] none of these suspected criminals claims to know anything about raids on security vehicles transporting money i only just arrived where do you come from from dushanbe what are you doing in moscow visiting friends looking for a job what were you doing in the car nothing i was just in the car with my friends i haven't a clue what i'm being accused of for many criminals the not having a clue phase ends abruptly when one of them starts talking friendships can often end very quickly especially when the length of a prison term can be reduced by cooperating with the police back at headquarters the sober bulat gets ready for its next mission all the men in the unit check their equipment carefully it is after all their life insurance we've got these plates in various thicknesses four millimeters twice as thick as this one here two millimeters which one are you taking today the thick ones four millimeters i always do with these plates the bulletproof vests can withstand bullets from a kalashnikov [Music] they're preparing for a raid on a gang of protection racketeers besides their service pistols the special forces mainly use two types of weapons this officer has an sr2 submachine gun do you use an ak-47 ak stands for aftomat kalashnikova the standard weapon for russian special units [Music] so anyone wanting to be accepted into the sober has to get through a series of extensive tests polygraph it's important because i don't think anyone would voluntarily tell the whole truth about their past any irregularities are picked up immediately so that way we get a good overall picture of the candidate and then there's the medical checkup if that shows up a clean bill of health the man has to go through a fitness test at the end and only if he gets through all these stages will the candidate be accepted there's no way you can put a gun in everyone's hands the men load armored shields bolt cutters and ladders into their vehicles on their missions the special units have to be prepared for almost any eventuality is moving out to try and arrest armed protection racketeers in the town of serpohof near moscow these men are said to be threatening the business community with violence if they don't pay up that's all the special unit knows at this point in time details will be provided at the scene by criminal investigators what's specific to our work is that we have to adapt to any situation as quick as lightning only officers serve in our unit and an officer has to be spontaneous and take on responsibility at any time for us this is our everyday business nothing new we've got procedures for everything lies around 100 kilometers southwest of moscow and has a population of about 120 000 the unit stops in a wooded area on the outskirts to get ready for the mission without attracting attention today i've chosen the sr2 submachine gun in the town you're much better off with this than with a long weapon you can react a lot quicker with this thing than with a rifle in two teams the men move off to the site of the operation in a residential area understood if the racketeers come in one car our group will go for the rear if they come in two cars each group will take one vehicle the sober bulat unit are aiming to apprehend the blackmailers just as the money is being handed over one of the gang members is believed to be armed this construction company is where the special forces lie in weight as soon as the plane close investigators give their go-ahead the sober unit will race into action the racketeers are extremely cautious possibly even suspecting they could be under surveillance team to receiving i'm receiving after three hours of waiting the racketeers are nowhere to be seen what's going on now that's it for today give me my clothes the detectives are calling the operation off somehow the racketeers seem to have gotten wind of the police operation but no one knows that for sure there could be any number of reasons why it didn't work out probably the blackmailers and the victim couldn't agree somehow i can't really say there's plenty of room for speculation the men use the spare time to relax they don't take it too seriously failed operations are part of the job they head back to the special forces center the next operation can come at any moment it depends on how many requests come in from criminal investigation departments and the federal security service fsb those who are not on operations go training sitting around is like poison for the men say the sober bulat bosses okay turn shoot crouch down shoot on one knee shoot everyone does one round all right anyone who recklessly fires bullets around during operations can expect serious consequences russian special forces units are only allowed to use firearms in extreme circumstances well if you're talking about thieves it's quite easy they don't normally put up any resistance terrorists or other serious criminals like murderers they use weapons to fight back increasingly more often the elite officers practice as many different operational scenarios as possible they themselves refer to sober bulat as the scalpel what do you mean by the name we're scalpel like the precision tool of a surgeon we strike with pinpoint accuracy it's not like an army that spreads its attack out we storm in hit the target and that's it practice and we carry out large-scale battle maneuvers but our specialty is assault every assault team has to learn to operate in perfect synchronization the men have to develop a blind understanding go forward keep the gun raised secure target red i'm shooting have you ever been wounded yes i've been shot where in my legs was it serious luckily i didn't need any complicated operations how long were you absent two and a half weeks and then straight back to work [Music] the perfectionist never misses an opportunity to say that you just can't train often and hard enough our units have to be able to operate in any situation because life throws all kinds of things at you and exceptional situations demand exceptional thinking and to deal with these situations you have to be totally fit both mentally and physically you have to control yourself at all times sober is moving out again the exact manpower strength of this special russian national guard unit is top secret though estimates put the figure at around 200 men the size of a sober bulat assault group depends on how difficult the operation is sometimes four men are sufficient sometimes it needs to be 20 or more [Music] what's in the case bold cutters and tools for opening doors there's no rush we've got plenty of time how long have you been doing this 15 no not anymore i've had too much experience ten years ago i was still getting nervous you're not given much information before you move out why don't the detectives give you a full briefing about the operation right away they say they're afraid their plans could leak out or be given away somehow so far all the men know is that they're moving in against a gang that is supposed to have committed several robberies and burglaries coordinated raids are to take place at different sites at the same time at night when the criminals are asleep the key is the element of surprise the elite officers meet up with the plainclothes detectives at this gas station near the scene to clarify the final details the detectives are not allowed to be filmed with the detectives the unit then moves on to the scene of the operation they must be certain that all the gang members are at home synchronicity is extremely important so that no one gets wind of the raid and manages to get away using a ladder a target person is on the first floor everything's okay a russian orthodox pilgrimage city in the historical golden ring 70 kilometers outside moscow one of the criminals lives on a housing estate in the outskirts of the city [Music] so i could see the target at the various sites of the operation the elite forces wait for the command from the detectives no light absolute silence nothing at all should give away the presence of a special response unit no change of plan we're still going in through the window we go up the ladder and smash the window one of us will stay outside to give us cover we'll just fall into place depending on the situation four hours pass the cold light of dawn and still no command it looks like something must have gone wrong the plane closed detectives are keeping a low profile patience is now required wait stay calm and be ready for action at a moment's notice a real test of nerves 18 hours later the two sober bulata salt units have been relieved due to the long waiting time and fresh teams are called in [Music] meanwhile all the suspects are finally at home the assault will go ahead at two locations at the same time the current plan here is to gain entry through the window [Music] but suddenly the detectives change their minds they want to attract as little attention as possible so no broken windows instead they try to play a trick on the suspects it's me your neighbor something's burning here open the door what's burning something in your flat's on fire no reaction the special forces are just about to go in through the window when the door opens police on the floor hands behind your head left clean [Music] the raid from a different camera angle the arrest itself takes no more than a few seconds the suspect's girlfriend the sober bulat raid came right out of the blue no one here had the slightest idea the parallel raid also went according to plan other hand are there any weapons here drugs explosives are any other illegal objects the detectives go looking for evidence stolen goods stand up what's your name kuznetsov dimitri anatolovic date of birth 23rd june 94. address address 88 moscow street who else lives here my girlfriend previous convictions yes paragraph 188 section 2. put him down the special forces don't exactly take an easy does it approach paragraph 188 section 2 defines the punishment for smuggling almost a trivial offense compared to his crimes of the recent past the man and his accomplices very probably including his girlfriend are supposed to have committed numerous robberies and warehouse burglaries the suspect will now be taken to the police station for questioning followed by remand court case and then probably a five to ten year term in a prison camp while the on-duty assault units of sober bulat are out hunting criminals their comrades are training night-time gun battles the motto of these elite fighters is always stay on the move those who don't will start to get rusty go whatever works on the shooting range in daylight has to work outside in darkness as well complete synchronization two men have to move as a single unit it all looks so easy but it isn't uh the men really have to grow together he has to be able to fall back and support himself on his comrade's knee operating in sync the two men now have to find their targets in complete darkness equipped only with night vision devices the special units constantly emphasize how important it is to be at the cutting edge of technology their adversaries the gangsters and terrorists are also constantly upgrading as well thermal imaging cameras are currently very much the trend especially for snipers and machine guns we are constantly testing new equipment and getting better we can't afford to miss out on future developments in our job high tech is a great help the next mission for the special unit murder out of pure greed a gang of three wanted to extort money from a heroin dealer he refused to pay so the extortionists beat him to death but [Music] we're just clarifying the address as we [Music] that all has to happen simultaneously that's the head of the gang this woman here is the one who originally had the idea to blackmail the dealer the sober unit doesn't have any photos of the third suspect from murmansk she was the driver and was also involved in the murder that's all we know up to now the murder victim a 21 year old man from moscow he's said to have been a heroin dealer if we get the address before the operation starts we'll drive by and check the building out as they got cameras which floor do we use to gain entry are there bars in the windows what's the general location like this is the gang leader's house surrounded by a high fence our group will climb over the fence at this corner [Music] a dacha site near yubatsi just outside the russian capital the sober bulat has to overcome this perimeter fence four meters high [Music] [Music] beyond the fence is the gang leader's house it's 1 30 in the morning the special forces want to attack simultaneously in three different locations ubertzi moscow city center and mumansk [Music] the men won't strictly follow the devised plan at all costs should the situation suddenly change they will immediately adapt their approach accordingly the final coordination with the detectives and they're ready to go [Music] group one goes in at the left-hand corner group two through a hole by the garage group three waits until their comrades open the gate to make sure the element of surprise is on their side the men move as silently as possible with no light stop police on the floor get your hands behind your back year of birth 1990. what are you doing here i'm just visiting my friend do you have anything to do with the owner what what have you got to do with him he's an acquaintance what do you mean an acquaintance igor is just someone i know surname who's crazy the owners krsnakov who's tell me the owner's surname again i made a mistake just now the house owner is the boss of the gang of alleged murderers he was in a different room the special forces surprised him while he was asleep the man in the swimming pool probably is just an innocent acquaintance he comes from the ukraine and just needed somewhere to sleep la sadief allowed him to stay at his house overnight the second and third raids are taking place at the same time in the north russian city of mormonsk and here in the center of moscow police on the floor everyone on the floor stay down hands behind your head [Music] in this apartment succeeds in apprehending the second suspect it's the young woman who is just being handcuffed she's said to be the one who had the idea to blackmail the heroin dealer the 22 year old is also believed to have been directly involved in the murder [Music] detectives begin the search for evidence the dark-haired woman is obviously just an acquaintance and has nothing at all to do with the murder in the meantime along with the woman here and the gang leader the third suspect has also been arrested in mormonsk back at the dacha site just outside moscow the alleged head of the gang denies having any involvement at all in the crime yeah that's me and who are you homicide that should be fairly clear no so you have no idea why we're here and what this is all about no that's sad the special forces search the rest of the house he couldn't put up any resistance he didn't expect us at all so let's carry on by illegal items the commander means weapons and drugs the alleged boss of this murderous gang and his two accomplices will now have to get used to the idea of spending a long time in a prison camp his innocent overnight guest can expect to be released again soon the elite police officers of the russian national guard dive from one cesspit of crime into the next whether murderers bank robbers dealers thieves and sometimes even terrorists the greatest dangers any society has to offer is everyday business for the special forces of sober bulat

Channel: WELT Documentary

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Keywords: full documentary, full documentaries, hd documentary, hd documentaries, free documentary, welt documentary, welt documentaries, full length documentaries, documentary film, top documentaries, reports, factual film, sobr, sobr bulat, special forces, special unit, moscow, russia, Crime Fighters, special task force, russian special forces 2020, sobr russia

Id: u6cydAWJTw8

Length: 48min 41sec (2921 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 24 2021