Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Plans to transfer the Russian Interior Ministry's GROM special forces unit to an expanded Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) are causing discontent. A commentary sheds an interesting light on the Rosgvardiya's organisational problems. ⬇️

2/ A guest post on the Russian "Two Majors" Telegram channel describes the experiences of a former member of SOBR, the police special forces, which were transferred to the Rosgvardiya on its creation in 2016. He says it didn't go well.

3/ "When the Rosgvardiya came, we were immediately promised a mountain of gold, namely military mortgages, social packages, apartments and various benefits.

4/ "A year later, after I had served in the organisation, I realised that it was necessary to escape in a hurry, because apart from inspecting generals who check the dust, cleanliness and wear of the wheels on the equipment, I didn't get anything good out of it.

5/ "Briefly about the downsides:

- Constant checks and controls with attempts to bend the Special Forces to their liking (in the end they did).

- The unit's moronic tightening up. (And this contrast is one of the heavy ones).

6/ "- As soon as the transition took place, they made us remove all body kits with weapons and change equipment, everything had to be standardised.

- The constant meaningless serving somewhere in a field for no reason at all.

7/ "- Training has dropped significantly compared to that of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

- No one has received a mortgage from the military, because the Guard still carries special ranks. It has nothing to do with the military.

8/ "- In the Guard, you are a slave, you may not have your own opinion and God forbid you should try to tell your superior, let alone an inspector. That's it.

- The main backbone of the SOBR and riot police with combat experience have gone to GROM, and some to civilian life.

9/ "- New Year and Police Day bonuses were given regularly in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the Guard, very rarely, and the amounts compared to the Interior Ministry are much smaller.

10/ "- If you exceed the speed limit with your personal car, you're called on the carpet with your commanding officer, and then you have to march to the parade ground.

11/ "- Checks of personal vehicles are constant. (My colleagues joked that they would soon check you in bed with your wife to see how you were doing your marital duty).

12/ "This is what I have personally experienced and know. And I also know how riot police and SOBR are fleeing the Guard in our region. The riot police are hard-pressed, the SOBR is less so.

13/ "The guys from the aforementioned units told me how they went to the Special Military Operation, how they were treated there and what tasks they were given. I'll keep quiet...

14/ "As for GROM, the contrast is stark. In 2017, I left [the Guard] and returned [to GROM], as the main backbone [of Rosgvardiya] was from SOBR and OMON and some guys from the Federal Drug Control Service Special Forces.

15/ "Training is much better than it was in the Guard when I served there. The crew is friendlier, the commander is a friend to the whole squad. And most importantly, there is no army idiocy like carrying wheels and rolling boxes.

16/ "As a general once said when he came for an inspection: "Crossing cops with the military was a mistake because you can make a cop out of a military man, but never a military man out of a cop."

17/ "If this [merger between GROM and Rosgvardiya] were to happen, I would either resign or stay at the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a field officer to make it two years to retirement.

18/ "But I won't go [to the Rosgvardiya] again.

The Guard is neither the military nor the police, but something in between." /end

Source:
t.me/dva_majors/202…