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| 5th Spetsnaz Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1963 – present |
| Country |  Soviet Union (1963–1991) Belarus (1992–present) |
| Branch | Soviet Army (1963–1991) Special Forces of Belarus (1992–present) |
| Type | Special forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Marjina Horka |
| Mottos | Anywhere, anytime, any problem |
| Engagements | Soviet–Afghan War,Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,Libyan Civil War (2011) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Dmitry Kuchuk |
The5th Spetsnaz Brigade (Russian:5-я отдельная бригада специального назначения,romanized: pyataya otdel'naya brigada spetsial'nogo naznacheniya;Belarusian:5-я асобная брыгада спэцыяльнага прызначэньня) is aspecial forces brigade of theArmed Forces of Belarus, formerly part of the SovietSpetsnaz GRU.
It was formed atMarjina Horka,Minsk Region, 1 January 1963 as the 5th Special Forces Brigade GRU. It initially had two battalions. On 3 April 1978 renamed 5th Independent Special Forces Brigade GRU.The 5th Spetsnaz Brigade would be involved in the Soviet-Afghan War, Spetsnaz Forces in Afghanistan were issuedAK-74s,RPKs,RPDs,AKS-74u's,Dragunovs, and were issuedKS-23 riot shotguns.[1]
In the last years of the Soviet Union, the brigade had an all-professional company formation manned entirely by officers andpraporshchiks.[2] The 5th Spetsnaz Brigade took the oath of allegiance to Belarus on 31 December 1992, now part of theSpecial Forces of Belarus along with two brigades formerly part of the103rd Guards Airborne Division.
On 12 September 2002, PresidentAlexander Lukashenko presented the commander of the brigade with a new independence-eraBattle Banner instead of the Soviet one. The brigade is considered to be one of the best formations in the Armed Forces. In 2008, commandos from the VenezuelanNational Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services visited Belarus, where they received training from the BFSO Dynamo and the brigade.[citation needed] It participated in theZapad 2009 exercise joint exercise with theRussian Armed Forces. According to some reports, in 2011, servicemen of the 334th Separate Unit of the brigade took part in theLibyan Civil War.[3][4] In 2010 and 2015, the brigade represented Belarus at theMoscow Victory Day Parade onRed Square, marching in the historical part of the parade.[5][6]
In August 2020, 5th Spetsnaz Brigade participated in the suppression of theprotests in Belarus.[7][8] On August 11,Hienadz Shutau was shot inBrest by captain Roman Gavrilov of 5th Spetsnaz Brigade.[9][10]
The following is a list of commanders of the brigade:[11]
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