Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed was born on May 10, 1963 in the city of Valga, Estonian USSR. He studied at secondary school, then at a construction vocational school in the city of Kohtla-Jarve. At the same time, the young man was engaged in parachuting in the local DOSAAF section.

In 1981, Anatoly was drafted into the army. He served in the Airborne Forces in Lithuania (44th training division), then in Kazakhstan (57th separate air assault brigade). Military specialty - commander of an airborne combat vehicle (BMD). In 1983, Lebed entered the Lomonosov Military Aviation Technical School, which he graduated in 1986 with a degree in Mi-8 helicopter flight technician.

Immediately after graduating from college, Lieutenant Lebed submits a report on being sent to the Republic of Afghanistan. The report was satisfied and Anatoly was seconded to the 239th separate helicopter squadron of the Air Force, where the young officer was sent as a flight technician to the crew of the future Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Maidanov.

The main purpose of the Mi-8 during Afghan war- landing of mobile landing groups. And the helicopter flight technician is entrusted with many responsibilities: general monitoring of instruments, monitoring fuel consumption, temperature, speed, engine pressure sensor readings, etc. But flight engineer Lebed did not limit himself to this: during the landing of paratroopers, the lieutenant landed with them and took part in assaults, sweeps, and reconnaissance operations, surprising his colleagues with his composure, accuracy and masterly use of all types of weapons. During his service in the Republic of Afghanistan, Lebed, as part of reconnaissance groups, took direct part in more than 200 combat clashes; from his comrades, the lieutenant received a nickname that stuck for many years - “Rambo”.

After the end of the Afghan war, Lebed received the rank of captain and was sent to Western group troops in Germany. However, the service there was short-lived - the USSR soon collapsed, and Russia, under an agreement with Germany, withdrew its troops from the Western Military District. In 1993, Lebed was transferred to the 337th helicopter regiment (city of Berdsk, Siberian Military District). A new time had come - the 90s, the army was slowly but surely falling into decay. What kind of combat training can we talk about when there was no fuel for helicopters for months, and the runway was overgrown with waist-deep grass. Reluctantly, Lebed resigned from armed forces and together with his wife and son moved to the Moscow region.

New times beckoned with new opportunities - a former officer with combat experience would certainly have found a place in the numerous “brigades” or “security services” of that time. But Anatoly Vyacheslavovich categorically rejected such proposals, contenting himself with a modest position in the Afghanistan Veterans Committee.

Meanwhile, the political situation was changing radically: in the 90s, a conflict broke out in the Balkans: Serbia, friendly to Russia, suddenly found itself surrounded by hostile Muslim enclaves, incited from outside, and blood was shed. At the same time, a stream of thousands of Russian volunteers - mostly former military personnel - literally poured into Serbia. Among them was “Rimbaud” - the Swan. Anatoly Vyacheslavovich never told the details of that war; when asked “why did you go to someone else’s war?” He answered briefly and clearly: “The Serbs are not strangers to us, I fought for Russia.”

By the end of the 90s, the war in Yugoslavia gradually faded away, but it became hot in Russia itself. In 1999, militant groups from Chechnya, which is not controlled by the federal government, attempted to establish their power in Dagestan. A. V. Lebed, who was retired at that time, bought a uniform and the necessary equipment with his own money and volunteered to go to war. At first, Lebed served with the militia in a combined police detachment, and three months later he signed a contract with the army. In less than four years of service, Lebed personally destroyed more than a hundred militants and revealed the location of many warehouses and caches. It was in Chechnya that the experience gained in fighting in mountainous areas came in handy.

On June 25, 2003, near the village of Ust-Kert, while performing a combat mission, Anatoly Vyacheslavovich was blown up by an anti-personnel mine. The foot of the right leg was torn off, the left leg was severely cut by shrapnel. The treatment lasted more than two months, then another three months - prosthetics and rehabilitation. And six months later, Lebed arrived in Khankala: “the prosthesis is as if it were alive, I’m ready to continue serving,” the captain said to his slightly taken aback superiors. Despite being seriously wounded, Anatoly Vyacheslavovich returned to duty, and not just somewhere in a warehouse, but in a reconnaissance company of the Airborne Forces. On April 6, 2005, for the courage and heroism shown during the hostilities in the Caucasus, Lebed Anatoly Vyacheslavovich was awarded the title of Hero Russian Federation.

Peace gradually returned to the Caucasus, but a new challenge for Russia was not long in coming: on August 8, 2008, without declaring war, Georgia attacked South Ossetia, and the very next day, on August 9, Anatoly Lebed was in the conflict zone. Active fighting lasted only a week, but during this time the officer, at that time a lieutenant colonel, managed to prove himself. An example of brilliant military operation was the attack on the Georgian port of Poti planned and carried out by Lebed. On August 14, 2008, a small detachment of paratroopers under the command of Lebed captured the port with a lightning strike. 8 enemy ships were blown up in the roadstead, their outposts fled in panic. The paratroopers captured 15 speedboats, 4 thousand small arms and 5 armored headquarters Hummers equipped with satellite special communications equipment. The jeeps were handed over to counterintelligence officers and, as General Staff representative Anatoly Nogovitsyn said on August 28, they found “a lot of interesting things”: evidence confirming the execution by the Georgian military leadership of direct instructions from the NATO command. For the operation in Poti, Lebed was awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree; the lieutenant colonel became the first active officer, and not a staff general, to receive this award.

Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed went through four wars, participated in hundreds of battles, looked death in the face more than once, and the absurd accident that ended the hero’s life looks even more tragic. On April 27, 2012, a Kawasaki motorcycle driven by A.V. Lebed did not fit into a difficult turn at the intersection of Borodino Highway and Oleniy Proezd in Moscow. At full speed, the motorcycle crashed into the curb, Anatoly Vyacheslavovich died on the spot. He was buried in Moscow, on the Alley of Heroes of the Preobrazhenskoe Cemetery. In July 2013, a monument was erected at Lebed’s grave, financed by fellow soldiers and veterans of the Airborne Forces.

Food for thought

E Perhaps the only achievement of the notorious “perestroika-catastrophe” was glasnost. The country openly acknowledged its participation in the wars after World War 2 and its heroes. There have been quite a lot of publications devoted to this topic. We learned about the exploits of Russian soldiers in Korean War, in Sinai, in the Balkans in combat operations in Chechnya and in other hot spots of the planet.

The article was written based on website materials « » And « » .

Here are a couple of characteristics from people who communicated with Anatoly:

• “Three times holder of the Order of the Red Star, twice holder of the Order of Courage, Hero of Russia, he is short and muscular. He doesn’t look at all like a kind uncle-officer - more like the devil. He has a shaved head, a dapper, trimmed beard and a black Mazda 6. There is something frightening and attractive at the same time about this one-legged man. Such people are outside the usual social relationships. It is useless to talk to them about morality and money. It is difficult to imagine them in peaceful life. And it’s hard to imagine a peaceful life without them, fighting somewhere on the outskirts of the country.”
• “His phrases are monosyllabic and fragmentary... Calm, leisurely, with humor. He could be mistaken for a top manager of a successful company if you didn’t know his background.”

Looking at photos and videos of Anatoly Lebed, you understand that this man had powerful energy. Anatoly is more reminiscent of an ancient warrior or a Zaporozhye Cossack than a modern military man, overwhelmed by everyday problems, superiors and writings.

He was called “Russian Rambo”, “man-war”. The serious technical competence of this “Rambo” remained, as it were, in the shadow of his military glory. On his own, in his garage, he assembled a combat reconnaissance vehicle - just the way he needed it. It looks like a cross between a Hummer and a buggy, lightweight, very fast and maneuverable. On top there is a machine gun on the machine and a place for the machine gunner. In a video from his personal archive, Lebed demonstrates the capabilities of the car. Quick acceleration, and now the car is racing in clouds of dust. And then dashingly, without slowing down, almost on the spot - a 180-degree turn with a skid. He was also a skilled driver.

From Chechnya Lebed brought a white dog named Pate. He called him a “combat friend.”

With your beloved dogs.

Almost nothing is known about Anatoly Lebed’s family; he himself spoke about it extremely sparingly. When asked if he had a family, he answered: “Yes. Here's the Pate. I brought it from Chechnya in 2004. He is a fighting friend. He flew on military aircraft. He was wounded. I was sick and had to be pumped out four times. Well, I also have a wife and a child.” Looks like a joke. They ask him about his family, and he about the dog. Surely Swan is not so stupid as to confuse a dog with his wife, and such an answer was given to them deliberately.

In the military profession, fame is dangerous; there is already the sad example of Colonel Budanov. Lebed's actions in Chechnya, Dagestan and Georgia could have given rise to a desire for personal revenge on the part of certain individuals. Therefore, it is quite reasonable for him to leave his family “in the shadows,” give almost no information, and disguise his attitude towards her.

The President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, during the award ceremony on October 1, 2008, said:

“Among us is also a special forces officer of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Russian Federation, Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed. During combat operations, he was at the forefront of the attack and invariably demonstrated examples of personal courage.”

On April 27, 2012, Anatoly Lebed crashed in front of the gates of Sokolniki Park in Moscow, getting into an accident. The accident occurred around 17:45 at the intersection of Bogorodskoye Highway and Oleniy Val Street. The swan lost control of the motorcycle and crashed into the curb. He died on the spot from his injuries. He was buried in the Alley of Heroes of the Preobrazhenskoe Cemetery in Moscow. In July 2013, a monument was erected at the paratrooper’s grave, made at the expense of his colleagues and veterans of the Russian airborne forces.

On August 2, 2014, the Rossiya 1 channel aired the documentary film “Anatoly Lebed. Dossier of the Russian Rambo,” the plot of which is dedicated to the Guard Lieutenant Colonel of the Airborne Forces Special Forces Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed.

Anatoly Lebed. Dossier of Russian Rambo

FROM ANATOLY LEBED'S STATEMENTS

“You just have to do your job well. To make the enemy feel bad."

“When traveling on business, you can’t think about an apartment or a family. There will be no result. But we have to think about the result.”

“Everyone has difficulties and the main battle is still ahead. Today he quit, and in five years, maybe he will still have a normal job. Let him prepare every day for this task - mentally, physically. You have to always be ready."

“We don’t live long enough to remain spectators all our lives. Especially if you are able to help. And not only on business trips, but also in peaceful life.”

Anatoly Lebed began fighting back in the 1980s in Afghanistan and continues to this day, even though he was left without a foot after an explosion. “Maresyev flew on a plane without a leg, but ours is jumping in the mountains,” soldiers of the 45th Airborne Regiment say about Lebed.

We met with Anatoly Lebed in the park near the headquarters of the 45th Separate Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Special Purpose Reconnaissance Regiment, where he serves. It was not by chance that he chose lunch time for the meeting - he devotes this hour-long break between training and jumping to walks with his dog named Pate (“Because he loves pate from dry rations”), which he brought from Chechnya. He came with her for the interview.

“Politics for a military man is superfluous”

— How did you get into the Airborne Forces?

— We started jumping back in DOSAAF. All the time I was drawn to the sky. My friend and I entered Balashovskoye, then Borisoglebsk School, but didn’t pass mathematics, I really wanted to fly. We came to the Airborne Forces, to the Gaizhunai division, there for six months, then the air assault brigade in Kazakhstan, there for another year and a half, then the Lomonosov Military Aviation Technical School. We studied for three years in Transbaikalia, and from there we went to Afghanistan. 1986, June, and our graduation was transferred there. Then they took us out to Berdsk. In '94. There is a military unit there, waist-deep grass, and there is no room for helicopters at the airfield. I wrote a report, quit, I was already a pensioner due to length of service. There is no apartment, there is nothing. But they gave me a passport.

- And what did you do?

- I went to war. Balkans, Kosovo. Belgrade was bombed when we arrived.

— Did you leave the army and voluntarily go to war?

- What for?

- What do you mean why? We need help. Especially the Orthodox ones. Especially to the state, and not to some private individuals or companies.

— Was it your decision or were you asked?

- No, ours. We do everything ourselves.

- "Who are "we?

— Our military, former and current, Russian officers. Or airborne veterans.

— Many people probably won’t understand you. There is no apartment, the family lives in a dorm, and you did not start looking for work, not some kind of business, but went to war, for which they will not give you anything.

- Yes, they won’t give you anything, make your own passport, visa, buy tickets yourself. But it’s not a pity to do such a thing.

— And then you also went to Dagestan as a volunteer?

- Yes. In 1999, the Arabs went to Dagestan, and we decided to go with a friend, Igor Nesterenko. He is from Saratov. He and I were in the Balkans together. We looked and thought, it would take a long time to draw up a contract, but there, in the mountains, the fuss began already in August, we barely had time. There was a lot of work.

— So you come there as an ordinary person, a volunteer, and what do you do? You might not be allowed into the combat zone, right?

— When people are bombed, people are shot, the government has no time for bureaucracy. The visa has been issued - and then it’s up to you. If you want, go shopping, but if you want, fight.

- This is in the Balkans. What about in Dagestan?

- And in Dagestan it’s even simpler - the border is open, you come as a tourist - you can sunbathe in the Caspian Sea, or you can go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Need it? Needed. And to the mountains.

— So the first thing you did was go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs?

- Not necessarily in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There are other structures there too. We won't elaborate.

— Did you train anyone or did you fight yourself?

“There was no time to teach there; we had to work there.”

— Were you armed?

- They gave out something. Then they either took the trophy or bought something. Ammunition and equipment were tight there. And if you want to win, you need to prepare well.

— You said that you went to Kosovo to help the Orthodox, but why did you go to Dagestan?

- But this is our state. Russia. Moreover, who is the enemy? The same ones who were in the Balkans. It was often heard on the radio that comrades were from our regions, from Central Asia, from Turkey. The contingent is the same.

— After Dagestan, you officially returned to the army - did you want to continue fighting?

— The group had to move from Dagestan to Chechnya, it was necessary to sign a contract so that everything was legal. We signed a contract in the fall of 1999, with the 45th Airborne Regiment. And Igor Nesterenko and I went to Chechnya. He died on December 1, 1999 near Argun. Night ambush, counter. At 2 o'clock in the morning the battle began. He was wounded and died at half past three.

- Is this your only friend who was lost?

- Not really. There was a lot. I remember everyone. In Georgia, our comrades also died.

“After your friend died, you were also ambushed and your foot was blown off.” Why did you return to the army?

- And I didn’t leave. I spent a month and a half in the hospital while the prosthesis was adjusted, and then I had to get ready for a business trip.

— That is, how, from a hospital bed, wearing a prosthesis?

- Well, yes. On June 25, 2003, I blew myself up, ended up in the hospital, and in September I went on a business trip.

- Were they blown up in Chechnya and went to Chechnya?

- Well, yes. It was blown up near Argun, this is our working-class area, you never get bored there. And now, I think there is a lot of work there. But if they say peace, it means peace.

- Do you believe that there is peace there?

- But we don’t need to be trusted. We need to prepare for the worst. Politics for a military man is superfluous.

— But many of your colleagues are dissatisfied with the current policy towards Chechnya.

- What do they say on TV? Is everything okay there? It means everything is OK. We will analyze it when they say it’s time to go on a business trip.

- Do you think they will say?

- Let's see.

"Business is not our word"

- Do you have a family?

- Eat. Here's the Pate. I brought it from Chechnya in 2004. He is a fighting friend. He flew on military aircraft. He was wounded. I was sick and had to be pumped out four times. Well, I also have a wife and a child.

— Did they give you an apartment?

- Dali last year. Right here, behind the headquarters. A house was built on the territory of the unit. Some of the apartments were given to the military of the Moscow garrison, the rest were sold. Business.

— You don’t seem to like business?

— “Business” is not our word.

- Which one is yours?

- Just work.

— So, you got an apartment at the age of 46?

- Yes. Well, that's not bad either. Although on business trips you can’t think about an apartment or family. There will be no result. But you have to think about the result.

- You are just an altruist. Do you disapprove of people leaving the army because they have no housing or money?

“Maybe they’ll find themselves later.” It’s just that difficulties happen to everyone and the main battle is still ahead. Today he quit, and in five years, maybe he will still have a normal job. Let him prepare every day for this task - mentally, physically. You must always be prepared.

— You met with Vladimir Putin when he awarded you the Hero star, and then, last year, with Dmitry Medvedev, when he awarded you for Georgia. What were they talking about?

- Congratulations.

— Didn’t you talk about problems?

— Putin asked: “Where do you live?” I said: "In the dorm." He: “I see.”

— Did they give you an apartment after that?

- After that, four years later.

— Explain how the task of a paratrooper differs from that of another military man? You don't jump behind enemy lines from an airplane, do you?

- We can jump. Land where necessary.

— What was your task in South Ossetia?

- Prepare advanced detachments, find and neutralize their advanced groups, and most importantly, collect intelligence information so that the bulk of our troops conduct a successful offensive and destroy the enemy.

- So you are in the first echelon?

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a senior patrol officer. The Airborne Forces themselves are considered to be the vanguard of the army. And our regiment, military reconnaissance, is considered the vanguard of the entire Airborne Forces.

— Have you had the same call sign all these years?

— In the Balkans there was “Rus77”, then only “Rus” remained, 77 took a long time to pronounce.

- Why "Rus"? Do you consider yourself a Russian patriot?

- Is this bad? Need to work. We don't live long enough to remain spectators all our lives. Especially if you are able to help. And not only on business trips, but also in peaceful life.

“Today many people are afraid to send their children to the army. The army has become a symbol of evil. How do you look at this?

- How can I look here? The guy studies at school, then at the institute, then mows, runs around like a hare, looking for certificates. And so on until the age of 27. One of my friends went to a concert like in Nord-Ost. Someone's going to school. Somewhere they seized a school, somewhere a concert. And so one comrade was killed, another died. Someone survived. And who saved? Military. If we all close down and don’t let our sons into the army, what will happen?

“But there is hazing in the army, they kill boys for no reason.”

“Our boys are killed in hallways, in restaurants, in clubs and in school toilets. We have an army - who is it? This is the people. What a society, such an army. Moreover, the influence of the West - permissiveness, democracy and others buzzwords. Only they have their own characteristics, and we have ours. We have a multinational country, their methods do not suit us. And in general, weakness provokes violence. Why are women, pensioners, and children often attacked? Because they are weak. There will be nothing in response. You need to be able to stand up for yourself both at the state level and at the level of each person. We need to prepare for the worst so that this doesn't happen. And walk around wearing rose-colored glasses, la-la-poplar, and then you get hit at a green light, and the one who hit you disappeared and nothing will happen to him. This is what awaits everyone who is hiding. And if someone is being beaten on the street, it doesn’t matter who - a girl, a boy, a homeless person - and you walked by and didn’t intervene - that’s it, damn it, the same thing will happen to you. If you can’t hit him, at least just call the police. Already good.

- When you are given an order, are you always ready to carry out it, without thinking why such an order?

“We are thinking about how to carry out the order better.”

"The outcome of the war, as before, is decided in close combat"

— Tell us about the war with Georgia.

— On that side the equipment was good. Everything we have is standard, everything is as usual, but they were stuffed with the most modern technology, weapons, equipment, communications, surface-to-air missiles. They had a lot of things. In terms of radio electronics, they have the most modern. In general, they were very well prepared. They were unlucky with instructors. Or they saved on instructors, or something else. If their instructors were interested, we would have more difficulties and problems.

- What do you have in mind?

— Each country has its own advisers or instructors. For us, these are our officers. They are foreigners. It is no secret that Ukrainians are strong in radio electronics; they are also good specialists in missiles, for example. In terms of tactics and sabotage, these are the Turks. And I can say for sure that the Turks worked as instructors for the Georgians. Because when working in Chechnya, you often come across mercenaries with Turkish passports and Georgian visas. It is possible that there were some of our own there, from our areas. But, in general, we don’t care what banner they are under and what nationality they are. If they go against the state with weapons in their hands, then they must be destroyed.

“But they didn’t go against our state, did they?” South Ossetia was not even recognized by Russia at that time...

— There was no status, but we believed that these were ours...

— Why “ours”?

- Neighbours. Our neighbors. Borderland. Moreover, they asked us for help. Why not help a state that decides to become independent, but someone is stopping it? If we stand and watch our neighbor being slaughtered, then tomorrow we will have it all. Just imagine, suspicious residents settled on your site and you were silent, and when these people began to arm themselves, you were silent, and when they began to appear on the site with knives, you were silent, and then, when they began to kill people in the next apartment, neighbors yours, would you also remain silent? No, you couldn't help but intervene. Because tomorrow they will come to your apartment with knives. It’s the same with South Ossetia, only on a larger scale.

— Did you get to Georgia through Abkhazia or South Ossetia?

— After Saakashvili attacked Tskhinvali, we went from Abkhazia to Zugdidi and Senaki.

— So you haven’t been to Tskhinvali itself and don’t know what happened there? They say that the advantage there was gained thanks to Yamadayev’s fighters. What do you think decided the outcome of the war?

— I don’t know about Yamadayev’s fighters, I only saw them from the Abkhaz side. They probably helped in some ways. Here and in tsarist army there were divisions from the Caucasus that solved any problem quickly and uncompromisingly.

And so, if we judge the reasons for their defeat, then the Georgians are well prepared, but preparation for war cannot always help in a real battle; one must also be able to take advantage of this preparation. I think their problem is that their modern rulers have never had a fighting spirit and they simply do not know what war is like with another people. Especially with Russia. They thought everything would be easy. It costs nothing to put our peacekeepers down. What we swallow. It didn't work out.

— You say that the Georgian army was well armed. Everyone knows that the Russians are not very armed. Has the Russian army learned any lessons after this war? In terms of rearmament, for example? The Russian army doesn’t even have drones. And small arms are outdated.

— I’ve been serving for so long, I’ve seen drones twice. Once during the second campaign in Chechnya, once in Georgia. Well, what is he like? It started up, made the horn, crashed into a pole at the airport, and that was it. So don't delude yourself.

Our military reconnaissance can work in mountainous and wooded areas, in desert areas, and in the most difficult street and urban battles. We performed well both in the Balkans and in Chechnya. But the outcome of a modern war, as before, is decided in close combat. Bombing is one thing. Shelling is another. But the result is still achieved in ground battles. And our weapons remain virtually unchanged. Yes, the Georgians had M4 and M16 assault rifles. And we have AKM and AKMS, Kalashnikov assault rifles. I have been fighting with them since the 80s, but these are the most successful types of weapons for close combat.

— You noted the good training of the Georgian military. Do you think they were preparing for this war?

— Of course, what questions can there be if they burned half of Tskhinvali in one night?

- But they say that Russian “grads” also fired at Tskhinvali.

“Now they can say anything.” But who killed the peacekeepers and civilians on the first night? In Tskhinvali. And there were no losses on the Georgian side.

— There were also deaths in Gori. In border villages, houses were destroyed and shells fell on their territory.

- Well, of course, if their artillery hits our troops, and our troops are already on their territory, it is clear that the houses will be destroyed. Our troops had orders to go to Georgia - Georgia began aggression against Ossetia. Someone directed her from the outside, I think.

— And do you think it was right that the troops went deep into Georgia, and did not stand, for example, on the border of South Ossetia and Georgia?

“It was the right decision then.” As our Prime Minister, who was formerly President, says, preventive measures are very important to take the task to its logical conclusion. If you exchange blows at the border all the time, it will turn out to be costly. And we will lose a lot of people.

- But if you follow this idea, then the logical conclusion should have been different - to reach Tbilisi. That is, in the end there was no logical conclusion.

- The main thing for us is the order. They said to carry out an operation in this area, we are carrying it out. They told me to step back, and they did.

— You said that neighbors need to be helped and that you helped South Ossetia. But Georgia is also a neighbor. And it turns out that the relationship with this neighbor is ruined forever.

— Yes, especially among Ossetians and Abkhazians they are spoiled. Well, what was to be done? All became independent, presidents. They decide to send their army against civilians. If they hadn't done this, things would have been different. If you talk for a long time, you can always agree on something. And so, in a few days, to put the whole country under the gun - well, excuse me, who is to blame. When our tanks arrived near Tbilisi, I think the civilian population there drew conclusions about the adequacy of this government. And all for the sake of overseas friends. But I think it’s better to be friends with your neighbors on the site than to fight with them and expect every day that they will come to you with weapons.

— The Ossetians, the neighboring people, asked you for help, and you helped. And if the Chechens at one time asked for help from Georgia or Turkey and they helped them, would that also be correct?

— You need to know the history from at least 90. Look at Chechnya. What kind of ruler was there, this is how the story turned out... There were a lot of Arabs there, who helped them with weapons and money to conduct hostilities? Someone also helps during terrorist attacks. I don’t think that a girl from the village who worked as a teacher thought and thought and suddenly went and blew up the subway along with civilians, passengers on the train. This means someone is guiding them. Here were Dudayev and Maskhadov. What did they do? They were practically separated. Well, we could live for ourselves and not bother anyone. But they began to put pressure on their neighbors, Dagestan. And nearby are Ingushetia and Stavropol, where the raids took place. And this is already a threat to the integrity of the state.

“My business trips are not over yet”
“You are one of those who are called dogs of war.” Which war was the most difficult for you?

— Each one is difficult in its own way. But the meaning is the same everywhere - to complete the task, cause damage to the enemy, and not bring joy to the enemy.

— If you remember all your wars, was there anything you regret?

“You regret that your comrades died.” But you still know - we are not the first, we are not the last. You just have to do your job well. To make the enemy feel bad.

—Are you a believer?

- My faith is in action.

- So you don’t go to church?

- No. Well, that is, I sometimes go to look - it’s beautiful.

— You are 47. How long do you intend to remain in the service?

- Until they kick you out. This is the time. I think my business trips are not over yet.

L ebed Anatoly Vyacheslavovich - officer of the 45th Separate Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Reconnaissance Regiment of the Airborne Forces, guard captain.

Born on May 10, 1963 in the city of Valga, Estonian SSR. Russian. Graduated high school, vocational construction school in the city of Kohtla-Jarve, DOSAAF parachute school. In the Armed Forces of the USSR since 1981.

He served in the Airborne Forces: in the 44th Airborne Training Division in the village of Gaizhunai (Lithuanian SSR) and in the 57th separate air assault brigade in the village of Aktogay (Taldy-Kurgan region of the Kazakh SSR). Graduated from the Lomonosov Military Aviation Technical School in 1986. In 1986-1987, he fought in Afghanistan as part of a helicopter regiment, and flew combat missions as a helicopter flight technician in the crew of Hero of the Soviet Union N. Maidanov. Then he served in the Group Soviet troops in Germany. In 1994, together with his helicopter regiment, he was transferred from Germany to the city of Berdsk Novosibirsk region. Since 1994 - in reserve.

Immediately after the attack by Chechen militants and foreign mercenaries on Dagestan in August 1999, Anatoly Lebed own initiative I bought all the necessary equipment and flew to Makhachkala as a volunteer. He took part in hostilities as part of a detachment of the Dagestan militia, then in a combined police detachment.

In October 1999, he entered into a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and returned to Chechnya again to participate in the counter-terrorism operation. He served in the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces.

From 1999 to 2007, he made over 10 business trips to the Chechen Republic, participated in special operations in the areas of the cities of Gudermes and Argun, as well as in the suburbs of Grozny and the Vedeno region.

In the summer of 2003, during one of the operations in the mountains near the village of Ulus-Kert, he was blown up by a mine. As a result of this injury, his foot was amputated. He received the second group of disability, but refused to leave the Armed Forces, first mastered the prosthesis, then parachute jumping(has over 840 jumps) and hand-to-hand combat on a prosthesis.

Already in December 2003 - January 2004, he participated in a winter operation in the mountains of Dagestan to destroy the gang of field commander Gelayev.

In a battle on January 9, 2005, a group of guard senior lieutenant Lebed was ambushed. Two fighters were injured. When the militants tried to capture them, Anatoly Lebed entered into an unequal battle and personally destroyed three militants. By his actions, he saved the lives of his subordinates.

In the battle on January 24, 2005, he shielded a wounded private from a grenade launcher shot with his own body. Having received a blind shrapnel wound in the lower back, he continued to command the lead patrol. Personally destroyed the grenade launcher and machine gun crew of the militants. As a result of that battle, the militants' base was captured and Shamil Basayev's contact was destroyed.

U Order of the President of the Russian Federation dated April 6, 2005 for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the North Caucasus region of the Guard Captain Lebed Anatoly Vyacheslavovich awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation with the presentation of a special distinction - the Gold Star medal (No. 847).

In August 2008, as an officer of the 45th Separate Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Reconnaissance Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel A.V. Lebed took part in hostilities against the Georgian armed forces, who committed genocide of civilians in South Ossetia. For military distinction in this operation, he was one of the first in Russia to be awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree (badge of the order No. 3).

Continues to serve in Russian Army. Military rank- Lieutenant Colonel.

Anatoly dreamed of heaven. And he began his journey with parachuting. He made 300 jumps even before joining the army. The guy was assigned to the Airborne Forces. Starting his service in Estonia, he continued...

Anatoly dreamed of heaven. And he began his journey with parachuting. He made 300 jumps even before joining the army. The guy was assigned to the Airborne Forces. Starting his service in Estonia, he continued in Kazakhstan. A serious landing school came in handy in life.

IN school years Anatoly was fond of parachuting

First from left is A. Lebed, second from left is N. Maidanov.

The guy was from a family of a front-line soldier. He liked it in the army. But the sky beckoned and he entered the military aviation technical school, where they trained helicopter pilots for Afghanistan. “Beyond the River” was in dire need of such specialists.

Lebed chose a non-shooting specialty. But war changes the rules of the game. And during combat operations, various troops often depend on each other. The young officer wanted to get into the sky and he did. He was a persistent man.

The flight mechanic will tell you about the condition of the helicopter by the sound of the engine. Each rotorcraft has its own character. The flight mechanic is obliged to respect her no worse than the mood of his beloved wife or, even more so, his mother-in-law.

Swan in Afghanistan.

An experienced flight technician sees all sensor changes. He doesn’t wait for questions, but tells the commander the status of fuel consumption, temperature conditions and other flight parameters. “Bortach” loves his car like his own child and listens to it carefully.

1987 Already Afghanistan. He recalled that these years were the best in his service. Lebed made seven hundred flights in Afghanistan. They were shot down several times, sometimes they returned home at an altitude of 20 meters, they were shot at point-blank range by spooks, the blades and the car were shot through. But we got there.

The young officer was lucky. He ended up in the crew of Nikolai Maidanov. Maidanov became famous when he ended up in Afghanistan. His name was “Kolya the lucky one.” He is the only Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Russia in military aviation. Died in Chechnya. How many worthy guys died there.

But “beyond the river”, luck smiled on him. He went out to the caravan with amazing precision, regularly, as if on schedule. Lebed knew that luck is a prepared situation, carefully calculated by the pilot and crew.

Airborne special forces in Poti.

Maidanov made one and a half thousand flights in Afghanistan. Our hero took part in most of them. The landing in the movies does not happen the same way as in life. There, trained paratroopers pour into the open hatch, and in life the flight mechanic is the first to jump.

He must see where the “pinwheel” lands - what if it lands on its belly, or the ground floats? Anatoly was always the first to jump. And he often left with the landing force to work on the ground. In Afghanistan his name was Rimbaud. He took part in the destruction of a large caravan with 203 pack places and weapons.

There were 4 helicopters in the sky, then 8. The battle went on for ten hours. And Lebed received the first military Order of the Red Star. Later there were more awards, more fights. Returning to his homeland, he was sent to Germany, where our troops were stationed.

Swan shows off his car.

With my beloved dog.

The troops stationed on German soil were considered the elite. Everyone was rushing there. But the demand was also great. Daily combat training, training, dropping paratroopers, your own jumps. There were often training exercises with the Germans. But all good things come to an end quickly.

In 1994 the troops were withdrawn from Germany. The regiment was stationed in Berdsk, where the grass is waist-deep and there is no room for helicopters. And Anatoly realized that the service, the one to which he had given all of himself, was over. No fuel, no flights, no salaries, no housing.

In a country where “democracy” was gaining strength, there is no longer an army. He was entitled to a military pension. And he left the army. Little is known about our hero’s life in civilian life. He liked to just work - to fight or prepare for war.

Lebed leaves for Yugoslavia. They made the decision themselves. Who are they? Russian officers. Brothers in arms. It is not vertical, but friendly ties that create the microclimate of military brotherhood.

He is respected by everyone who has made his mark in the Balkans. For what? Nobody reveals the details. They know how to keep their secrets. But a reservation in an interview for Ogonyok can clarify a lot: Military reconnaissance is capable of working in mountainous forest areas, in the desert, in the Balkans and in Chechnya.

Who was our hero in the war? The business trip in the Balkan War ended - he flew to mountainous Dagestan. Why did he do this? And again he is busy with his work. After a five-year break, he is taken into the airborne special forces. You have to understand that the doors are never closed for him.

He stayed in the Chechen Republic until 2005. Dozens of special operations in the warring republic. In battle, he stepped on a mine. Half the shoe was torn off along with the foot. But I've seen worse from others. Consider yourself lucky. The helicopter was unable to pick him up from the battlefield.

The friends carried their comrade on a cape for several hours to the ambulance turntable. An operation was performed at the Khankala hospital. The foot was amputated. Already in the Moscow hospital, the leg was cut, sewn, and altered. They taught me how to walk on a prosthesis.

The forty-year-old officer continued his journey in the mountains of Chechnya. He ran with everyone else and descended by parachute. No one noticed that the fighter was one-legged.

He took part in the liquidation of Ruslan Gelayev’s gang. The scouts searched for the gang for two weeks. They found the detachment and destroyed it. Two weeks later, Anatoly was wounded in the lower back, but his spine was not hit. He didn't leave the fight. The Lord protected him during the war.

He often said that he rarely gave orders. He is more interested in participating with the group in battles. In 2005, Lebed became a Hero of Russia. And again he left for the war zone. A peace enforcement operation was underway in Tskhinvali. In the face of loss of communication, thanks to American jammers, Airborne reconnaissance officers were forced to make the right decision.

They disarmed the Georgian unit, captured the airfield, port, and ships at the pier. The infrastructure of the Georgian military was almost completely destroyed. He believed that any enemy underestimates a Russian soldier when he has a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a convenient close-combat weapon, in his hands.

Anatoly looked a little like the devil. He is short, his figure is all muscle, a characteristic kink in the eyebrows, a shaved skull and a goatee. A black Mazda 6 completes the look. There was something attractive about this one-legged man. He could not be a peaceful man. Russian Rimbaud, man-war.

Anatoly Lebed died in Moscow, near Sokolniki Park, after losing control of his bike. How strange...

Today, when many people join the armed forces for a salary, and it is no longer fashionable to serve the Motherland for an idea, those who act differently attract attention. Moreover, those who managed to remain an officer and a person in difficult years the collapse of the country, despite everything, fulfilling his duty, not on paper or in words, but according to his conscience. One of the real heroes of our time was Anatoly Lebed - lieutenant colonel of the 45th Airborne Reconnaissance Regiment, hero of Russia, Knight of St. George, legend of the airborne forces and special forces.

A lot has been written about Anatoly Lebed, filmed documentary, there are memories of colleagues, stories of those who had to meet him during the war. A medal for Airborne Veterans was established in his honor, sports competitions are held in his memory, and many in the army remember him. But most often the hero is presented as a sort of “poster guy”, standing somewhere against the backdrop of a mountain pass - bulging muscles, a bold look, a weapon in his hands. However, Anatoly, among other things, was a thinking person with great kind hearted capable of responsiveness, self-sacrifice and love. A warrior who not only goes forward when ordered, but above all, serves for his conscience. Colonel Lebed, the owner of a unique military biography, did not seek to “promote himself” or appear better than he is. Therefore, our story about him is not only about “Russian Rambo”, as the media tried to present him, but above all – as about a real hero, a warrior from God.

“There are many order bearers - there are few people. And Tolya was not only a Warrior with a capital W, but also looked at the things that were happening in the world and in the country correctly. I always gladly agreed to take part in patriotic events with children; we recently held several such meetings; I deeply shared the idea that the real and most important war now not with a machine gun in hand, but for the hearts and souls of children. Therefore, it was very rare to see him at any pompous or secular paramilitary parties. IN free time, if it appeared, he tried to be where he was more useful and needed, tried to pass on his experience to the young, he categorically rejected the role of a “wedding general”. Among his military qualities, I would like to note that he was always ready to listen to the experience of others, adopt, and comprehend. Going through the war with a show-off attitude is not about him.

Tolya was a good comrade in the war and a loyal friend in civil life, not an insensitive superman, as some try to portray him, but wonderful person with a subtle mental organization, but at the same time - a real man, a soldier, a son of his Motherland"().

Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed was born on May 10, 1963 in the city of Valga in Estonia. His father, Vyacheslav Andreevich, went through the Great Patriotic War, served in the Marine Corps, and was on the verge of life and death more than once. Combat biography father, his stories about the war, medals and exploits, undoubtedly left an imprint on the life choice of his son. While still a very young man, while studying at a vocational school, Anatoly became interested in parachuting and made about 300 parachute jumps (!) in a club affiliated with DOSAAF. He entered the flight school, but having failed the exam in mathematics, he was not accepted. However, the dream of heaven still came true. In the fall of 1981, Anatoly Lebed was called up for military service, ended up in the 44th training division of the Airborne Forces, after which he went to serve in Central Asia to the 57th separate airborne battalion. At the end of his military service, Sergeant Lebed entered the Lomonosov Military Aviation Technical School, which he successfully graduated in 1986. By assignment he ended up in the 307th helicopter regiment of the Trans-Baikal Military District - ZabVO, which was jokingly deciphered - “forget to come back.” But he was soon sent to the Turkestan Military District, where he spent six months preparing to carry out tasks in Afghanistan. From April 25, 1987, he fought in Afghanistan as part of the 239th separate helicopter squadron of the Air Force of the 40th Combined Arms Army. I spent a total of a year and a half “beyond the river” - in Afghanistan.

It would seem like an ordinary biography of an officer of that time. But it's not that simple. Already in Afghanistan, Anatoly Lebed became a legend who won the glory of a decisive and experienced officer in battles. Thus, being a flight engineer by military specialty, contrary to instructions, he personally took part in the combat operations of special forces, which helicopter pilots delivered to the battlefield. And Anatoly had to fly with another legend of military aviation - Nikolai Maidanov, a “pilot from God” as he was called, a hero of Russia who died in Chechnya. It was in Afghanistan that Lebed gained valuable experience in combat operations in the mountains, in difficult terrain with a serious enemy. There, his signature fighting style was developed - with passion, pressure, and at the same time with calculation and great intuition, which never let him down.

After serving in Afghanistan, Lebed returned to Transbaikalia, and was soon transferred to the Western Group of Forces - to Germany (Magdeburg). There he served until the withdrawal of troops and in October 1993, together with his native 337th separate helicopter regiment, he was transferred to the Siberian Military District - to the city of Berdsk, not far from Novosibirsk. On this military service Senior Lieutenant Lebed, holder of three military orders of the Red Star, broke off. Serving in the army, where there was no kerosene for flying, salaries were paid once every six months, and the airfield was overgrown with waist-deep grass, did not work out. And like many military men, in 1994 Anatoly Vyacheslavovich had to go into civilian life. At this time, he already had a wife and a small son, a tiny “veteran’s” pension for those times, no apartment and no prospects in life. And as we remember, times were dashing...

At that time, a combat officer, an “Afghan”, with experience in special operations, most often attracted criminal structures. “Showdowns” and “shooters” using firearms and explosives have become commonplace. Moreover, when hundreds of thousands of Armed Forces veterans found themselves on the streets. However, Anatoly Lebed did not make a deal with his conscience and did not become a bandit. Moreover, I tried to honestly survive in this difficult era. He was engaged in ferrying cars from Germany, worked as a security guard at the “Afghan” market in Moscow, in short, he did what he could. But he did not forget about his main male profession. And a few years later - in 1998, he volunteered to fight in Kosovo - Yugoslavia. Here's how he talked about it himself in an interview:

– Did you leave the army and voluntarily go to war?
- Yes.
- What for?
- What do you mean why? We need help. Especially the Orthodox ones. Especially to the state, and not to some private individuals or companies.
– Was it your decision or were you asked?
- No, ours. We do everything ourselves.
- "Who are "we?
– Our military, former and current, Russian officers. Or airborne veterans.

(Anatoly Lebed, interview, Ogonyok magazine No. 29 (5138) dated July 26, 2010)

This is how Anatoly Lebed ended up in the war in Yugoslavia. There, as part of a company of Russian volunteers, he took part in hostilities, about which not much is known. However, it was precisely at this time that such an important character trait of the officer as responsiveness to the grief of others appeared. After all, he went to war for his own money, without any guarantees from the state, in fact, at his own peril and risk. And he helped many during that war. Undoubtedly, his enemies also paid attention to him, recognizing Anatoly (as he did them) on the radio by his voice. And soon, he also independently went to war in Dagestan - after an attack by militants in August 1999. With his own money he purchased all the necessary equipment and ammunition, and volunteered to join the local militia. After a number of successful battles, Anatoly Lebed, together with his friend Igor Nesterenko, again entered the military service, having signed a contract with the 45th Airborne Regiment. Lebed’s friend, Igor, died in December 1999 near Argun. Anatoly's fate turned out differently.

This is how one of his comrades talks about it: “It was then that I met Senior Lieutenant Lebed. He amazed me with his fanaticism and unconventional approach to business. He looked for the enemy where they usually don’t look, and climbed where they usually don’t climb for security reasons. And he always found and carried out the task in such a way that the commanders had nothing to criticize the “freethinker” for. I asked him why he went to war again, why he was freezing in the mountains and risking his life, because he paid “his debt to the Motherland” back in Afghanistan. “If a bandit picks up a weapon and kills, steals someone else’s property, he must be destroyed immediately. Yes, here, in the mountains, otherwise he will feel impunity and go out to rob in the center of Moscow. The militant must know: he did something evil, he won’t be able to hide, we will find him, and he will have to respond like an adult. You see, the more we crush at the top, the fewer of them will go down to the cities,” answered Lebed” (Ryan Farukshin - http://artofwar.ru/f/farukshin_r_n/lebed.shtml).

The saying goes: “God helps the brave,” and the exploits of Anatoly Lebed are a clear example of this. He not only discovered and destroyed militants, but also showed determination and courage where it was most needed. After all, despite his years (at forty years old, not everyone will be able to run through the mountains with a machine gun) and combat experience, Anatoly Lebed always held the same position - senior of the head marching patrol, that is, the first to go as part of a reconnaissance group. Accordingly, such a person has the greatest chance of dying - after all, he is not only the first to detect the enemy, but most often the first to receive a bullet. But being a warrior from God, Anatoly won every time, despite the fact that at times he himself was on the verge of death.

“At noon on June 25, 2003, a reinforced reconnaissance group, which included Lebed, discovered a well-fortified militant base, which was located in a mountainous and forested area above the notorious village of Ulus-Kert, on the descent into the Argun Gorge. The militants were killed and the base was blown up. Towards evening, while combing the territory adjacent to the base, Lebed was blown up by an anti-personnel mine: he received a mine-explosive wound with a traumatic separation of his right foot, an extensive soft tissue defect, 1st degree shock and acute blood loss of up to one liter" (http:// www.bratishka.ru/archiv/2012/08/2012_8_2.php). It would seem that after such a serious injury one could forget about further combat service. But that was not the case - Anatoly Vyacheslavovich, with a prosthetic instead of a foot, walked through the mountains, fought and continued to make parachute jumps (!) as before.

“Already from December 2003 to January 2004, Lebed participated in a winter operation in the mountains of the Republic of Dagestan to destroy the gang of field commander Ruslan Gelayev. Since 2004, he has held the position of reconnaissance group commander, and since 2005, he has been deputy detachment commander in the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment. In a battle on January 9, 2005 on the territory of the Chechen Republic, a group of guards of senior lieutenant Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed was ambushed. Two fighters were injured. When the militants tried to capture them, Lebed entered into an unequal battle and personally destroyed three militants. By his actions, he saved the lives of his subordinates.

15 days later, in battle, on January 24, 2005, he covered a wounded private from a shot from a grenade launcher with his own body. Having received a blind shrapnel wound in the lower back, he continued to command the lead patrol, personally destroying the grenade launcher and machine gun crew of the militants. As a result of that battle, the militants’ base was captured and Basayev’s liaison was killed.” (http://ruspekh.ru/events/item/lebed-anatolij-vyacheslavovich). More than 80 bandits were destroyed in this battle! It was for this truly heroic battle that Lebed received the title of Hero of Russia and captain's shoulder straps. After all, if it were not for the officer’s initiative and his quick decision-making on the spot (according to the Charter, he was only supposed to detect the enemy), then the result of the collision could have been different. In fact, Anatoly Lebed’s reconnaissance patrol came point-blank to the enemy’s location and destroyed the militants’ base on their own, despite their significant numerical superiority. It would seem - where are there more feats? But Lebed’s achievements did not end there.

In August 2008, after Saakashvili’s adventure, which launched the Georgian army’s offensive on Tskhinvali, Anatoly Lebed’s reconnaissance group, together with paratroopers from Novorossiysk and Stavropol, advanced to carry out combat missions on the Georgian-Abkhaz border. One of the tasks was to advance scouts to the city of Poti, the base of the Georgian Navy, near which the Lebed group clashed with local special forces. Forces of equal size (platoon size) met head-on in one place. Georgian special forces were preparing to meet our scouts and took up defensive positions. Lebed instantly made the only right decision - he jumped off the armored vehicle and shouted, “Commander, come to me, let’s talk.” As a result of the “negotiations”, thanks to charisma, determination and willingness to die but not surrender, Lebed captured 22 special forces soldiers without a fight! But it could have been different - and a lot of blood would have been shed...

In the port of Poti, Lebed’s group again accomplished the impossible - “8 ships were blown up by us in the roadstead, their guards fled in a punk. 15 high-speed landing boats, 5 armored Hummers, intended for trips to the front of President Saakashvili, and therefore equipped with appropriate controls, navigation and closed-circuit communications, 4 thousand small arms, a huge amount of ammunition and medicine, became trophies.” (http://artofwar.ru/f/farukshin_r_n/lebed.shtml). For these exploits in the “August” war, Anatoly Lebed was honored to become a Knight of the Order of St. George, IV degree, second after the commander of the North Caucasus Military District, General S.A. Makarov, who decided to start the operation. People at the top started talking about the talented officer.

By the way, about career. Anatoly Lebed - an officer, a hero, a unique person in his own way, received a service apartment only at the age of 46 (!), having spent many years with his family in hostels. He refused the general position of head of the Russian military base in South Ossetia offered to him, remaining in his position in the 45th Airborne Regiment. Moreover, he was a hero not only in war, but also in peaceful life, he was not afraid to speak the truth “ strong of the world this” – to the Minister of Defense, the Prime Minister, and the President. At the same time, he did not at all strive to get involved in politics, taking advantage of his extensive military acquaintances. On the contrary, he served God and his Motherland with all his might in his place. The officer also had a hobby - photography. Hundreds of photographs of Lebed from combat missions are known, reflecting his entire long combat path.

Anatoly was also distinguished by such a quality as mercy towards the enemy - he taught to treat captured militants the way we ourselves would like to treat ourselves. And this is the purely evangelical attitude of a Russian officer even towards his enemy. Having seen everyone on combat missions, Lebed did not become embittered, and as people who knew him closely say, under the body armor and the mask of a stern warrior hid a vulnerable loving the world heart. Anatoly was not a “fan of war” at all, he simply could not ignore how others were beaten - both in war and in peaceful life.

Here is how he himself spoke about it: “You need to be able to stand up for yourself both at the state level and at the level of each person. We need to prepare for the worst so that this doesn't happen. And walk around wearing rose-colored glasses, la-la-poplar, and then you get hit at a green light, and the one who hit you disappeared and nothing will happen to him. This is what awaits everyone who is hiding. And if someone is being beaten on the street, it doesn’t matter who - a girl, a boy, a homeless person - and you walked past and didn’t intervene - that’s it, damn it, the same thing will happen to you. If you can’t hit him, at least just call the police. Already good". (https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1443609).

“Looking at photos and videos of Anatoly Lebed, you understand that this man had powerful energy. Anatoly is more reminiscent of an ancient warrior or a Zaporozhye Cossack than a modern military man, overwhelmed by everyday problems, superiors and writings. It seems that all the hardships and deprivations of service did not leave their mark on him. As if he wasn’t the one who lost many friends in the war, he wasn’t the one who had his foot blown off, it wasn’t he who spent most of his life wandering around dorms, not even having his own home. Only in the eyes there is a slight sadness and fatigue. By the way, he was left-handed. This is noticeable in all the photos where Anatoly poses with a weapon. Left-handers are often non-standard people, but also more vulnerable...” (http://www.modernarmy.ru/article/160).

Of course, Lebed had not only friends and colleagues, but also enemies. There are many oddities in the death of the hero of Russia. Anatoly died on April 27, 2012 in Moscow near Sokolniki Park. A combat officer with excellent command of various equipment, official version lost control of the motorcycle and crashed (they say that one of the valves of his heart failed). However, a number of colleagues and friends of the deceased also put forward a version of Anatoly’s murder. Moreover, such operations are not difficult for specialists, and the officer had plenty of enemies... Obviously, he would not have passed by the current civil war in Ukraine, he would not have kept silent about the treacherous policy of the leadership... Lieutenant Colonel Lebed was and remained a real Russian officer.

Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed was buried at the Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery (Alley of Heroes).