If you were hoping to join up with Russia’s
special forces, then you might have one hell of a challenge getting through their brutal
training regime. Seriously. You better be ready for literal blood, guts,
and the threat of actual death lingering around every corner. The physical and mental requirements to join
up with the Spetsnaz are said to be extremely high, so only the best of the best make it
into the Russian military’s special forces units, and the rest are left bloodied and
broken. In fact, it’s widely believed that this
training is some of the toughest, if not the toughest, in the entire world. Still think you’ve got what it takes? Let’s find out. We’re taking a look at why you wouldn’t
survive Russian special forces training. The training one has to go through in order
to become a part of the Spetsnaz – the common expression for all Russian special forces
groups – can only be completed after a hopeful recruit has already undergone the basic level
of military training required of a standard soldier. It also involves inflicting a lot of pain. And we mean a lot – think the worst pain
you’ve ever felt, and add a sergeant named Dmitri kicking you in the groin with a steel-toed
combat boot. If you were hoping to join a Spetsnaz unit,
you’d better not be the sort of person who cries when you stub your toe or get a papercut. For one, the Spetsnaz training regimen includes
completing an assault course. Sounds easy, right? Anyone can get through an assault course. A little mud never hurt anyone, right? Well, you might think twice about taking your
turn when the instructors start shooting at you with live ammo. And if you thought that was as bad as it gets,
maybe you’ll fare better in the martial arts classes that are also required to make
the cut. After all, that’s all done on comfy foam
mats to break your fall, so you wouldn’t possibly get hurt doing those! Think again, comrade. These aren’t the kind of martial arts classes
you can take at your local gym: Spetsnaz classes use real knives too! No foam mat is going to stop you getting a
nasty stab wound – and if you don’t make the cut, it’s probably because you literally
got cut. It should come as no surprise that these approaches
to training have resulted in a number of recruits trying to join Spetsnaz units instead receiving
some real serious injuries during training. So, if you have any aversions to accidentally
being shot or stabbed, it might just be best for you to sit this one out and contemplate
if this is really the thing for you. Maybe a job at a local artisanal coffee shop
would be more your speed. No members of the Russian military will try
to shoot or stab you there – unless you really, really mess up their order. Stories about Russia’s special forces training
are nothing if not intense. According to Victor Suvorov, a former Soviet
officer, young recruits are often “driven out into the mud barefoot, and made to sleep
in the lavatories. They would be beaten with belts, slippers
and spoons — anything suitable for causing pain.” Various other rumours and reports also state
that trainees will sometimes have to navigate their way through basements that have been
covered in blood or wrestle vicious animals as part of their training, which paints a
pretty unappealing picture, sounding more like something from a horror movie than regimented
military conditioning. We’re not sure how many vicious animals
or blood-filled basements your average Russian Special Forces soldier will encounter on the
job – and we’ll go into more detail about these particular techniques soon – but processes
like this are all about desensitising the potential applicant to violence, fear, and
disgust, typically to make them a better killer. Oh, and speaking of killing: Another skill
supposedly taught to recruits hoping to join Spetsnaz units is the ability to kill their
enemies with a shovel. Not quite the kind that you would use in your
backyard, every Russian soldier is issued a small implement called a ‘saperka’,
which is designed to be used for digging trenches. Unless you’re training to join the Spetsnaz
of course, where you’d be encouraged to use this small shovel as a close-range combat
weapon, or even to throw it with enough force and precision to kill an enemy combatant. See? It’s not just for pulling weeds. There are also a number of reports and photos
of Spetsnaz trainees having to fight dogs, including rumours that recruits will sometimes
be locked in a windowless room alone with an angered, or sometimes rabid, dog. They’re only given a saperka to defend themselves
and given one simple instruction: kill or be killed. This horrific treatment of recruits and animals
doesn’t end there. As part of their training, Spetsnaz are taught
the bloody and pragmatic art of “sambo”, which is a form of street fighting that encourages
recruits to use any object at their disposal during a close-quarters fight, including broken
bottles and even street signs. It’s encouraged that trainees use this fighting
style when locked up with these dogs, but it isn’t just the dog that these soldiers
have to worry about. According to Victor Suvorov, who we mentioned
before, recruits aren’t just locked in a shed somewhere, they are taken to the cellar
of a ruined and abandoned house, the walls and floors of which have been slathered in
raw meat and blood to further drive the attack dog into a frenzy. The dog is then let loose to chase the recruit
from this real-world Evil Dead basement, and if they aren’t offered a saperka to help
them fight, they have to use anything within reach to go hand-to-jaws with the vicious,
bloodthirsty animal. We’d be willing to wager that there’s
no dog-sitter anywhere in the world that’s tough enough to deal with something like that. The primary goal of Spetsnaz training is to
push each recruit to their maximum threshold, both physically and mentally, and then drive
them even further. Trainees are taught to develop their skills
in infiltration, in order to prepare them to undertake some of the more secretive operations
that the Spetsnaz undertakes. That’s right, it’s not all bloody basements
and saperka-tossing. Recruits are given classes in foreign languages
and learn about the cultures of other nations, alongside techniques that enable them to kill
a target in complete silence. Parachuting including HALO – which stands
for High Altitude Low Opening – also forms part of the training regimen, as well as outdoor
exercises that allow recruits to learn the necessary skills to survive for long periods
of time in harsh environments. Think the sort of thing Bear Grylls is known
for, and then turn it up to eleven. Additionally, naval Spetsnaz hopefuls are
taught an even wider array of specialised skills. Much like the British Special Boat Service
and the US Navy SEALs, any recruit hoping to join the Naval Spetsnaz units are required
to be proficient in scuba diving, and are also shown how to use underwater explosives
and weapons, methods of storming a beach when attacking from the shore, how to get inside
a submarine, and how to perform in close-range combat while swimming. This is all done to prepare future Spetsnaz
soldiers for elite missions. According to The Russian Ministry of Defence,
Spetsnaz units are deployed when an operation calls for “methods and ways of fighting
not characteristic of conventional forces”. This can include reconnaissance and sabotage
missions, counter-terrorism operations and a wide array of other missions, many of which
are kept highly secretive by the Russian military. Training involves recruits having to learn
such a wide range of different skills in combat and infiltration as a way to prepare them
for any mission that being a member of a Spetsnaz unit can offer them. Of course, training isn’t all about causing
recruits pain through fighting dogs and live-fire assault courses, sometimes the more dangerous
and particularly cruel parts of the Spetsnaz training regimen come in the form of physically
exhausting, non-combat-based tasks and the sheer callousness of the instructors. In 2006, one of the most infamous incidents
of a Spetsnaz commanding officer’s cruelty resulted in injuries so severe that they changed
the life of one recruit forever. Private Andrei Sychyov – who was only nineteen
at the time – was awoken at 3 AM by Junior Sergeant Aleksandr Sivyakov, who was believed
to be drunk and determined to teach the private “a lesson.” This lesson began by the sergeant ordering
the nineteen-year-old to perform a number of push-ups. When Andrei couldn’t complete the task,
he was made to squat on the balls of his feet. If his ankles touched the ground at any point,
Sergeant Sivyakov beat the young recruit and stomped on his ankles. He didn’t complain, out of fear for the
sergeant, even when this process continued for three whole hours. After this time, the private was released
but found that he couldn’t stand, and within a few days Andrei couldn’t even get out
of bed. Things only got worse for Andrei Sychyov from
there. Rushed to hospital as a result of severe and
painful swellings in his legs – which were now black and blue – the young private still
told no-one of what had been done to him, even when he was told by doctors that both
legs were gangrenous due to him being denied medical attention for three days. They had no idea what had caused the young
man’s injuries. It wasn’t due to a horrific accident or
even a combat drill gone awry, the severity of Andrei’s injuries came as a result of
the torture that Sergeant Sivyakov had inflicted on him. Unfortunately, surgeons were then forced to
amputate both of Andrei’s legs as well as his genitals, almost everything below the
waist was infected. The brutal mistreatment of Private Andrei
Sychyov, given the severity of what had to be done to save him from gangrene infection,
was met with public scandal, and highlighted the abusive discipline utilised within Spetsnaz
training. The Russian military offered Andrei’s family
a three-bedroom apartment and five-hundred thousand rubles – which is just over twenty-thousand
US dollars – as an apology for what was done to the young private. Andrei’s mother believed that these were
given to them to buy their silence, but she wanted action taken against the sergeant who
tortured her son so horrendously. The family brought the incident to the attention
of the news and pressed for a military trial against Sergeant Sivyakov. However, Sivyakov was only charged with ‘exceeding
his authority’ and, while he was still sentenced to four years imprisonment, the trial highlighted
a clear presence of what is known as ‘dedovshchina’ deeply ingrained in Russia’s military and
the training of its younger recruits. You’re probably asking what dedovshchina
means? Often referred to as the rule of the grandfathers,
dedovshchina is a disciplinary system employed within the Russain military, including the
Spetsnaz. It effectively grants older conscripts or
those of higher rank total authority over younger, newer recruits. This is, understandably, why Andrei Sychyov
was afraid to complain about being made to squat, as Sergeant Sivyakov was entirely in
charge and abused the power he was given over the young private. The case of Andrei Sychyov wasn’t an isolated
incident, either. According to the Russian military’s own
numbers – which are suspected to be lower than the actual figures – sixteen soldiers
were killed by dedovshchina-related incidents the year before what was done to Andrei, and
a further two-hundred and seventy-six committed suicide in 2005. Some reports have suggested some deaths that
were labelled as suicides or accidents may even have been additional dedovshchina cases
that were covered up to avoid attention. What this tells us is that, as tough and physically
demanding as training to join the Spetsnaz can be, it is made all the worse when said
training is conducted under a system that allows senior conscripts to abuse, torture
and – in the case of Andrei Sychyov – even mutilate the young trainees. The hardest part of the training regimen,
arguably, might not be the training itself, but the people running it. Fighting rabid dogs in bloody basements, committing
murder with shovels, performing rigorous tests of physical endurance, intellect, and willpower,
and being bullied by your superiors. And considering the fact that this utterly
horrific gauntlet of a training regimen has lead to accidental deaths and suicides, when
we say that you won’t survive the Russian Special Forces training, we really do mean
that. Maybe that job at the artisanal coffee shop
isn’t looking so bad after all… Check out “Why You Won't Survive NAVY Seal
Training” and “American vs Russian Special Forces - Which Are Better?
