Russian Spetsnaz - Special Forces

Spetsnaz GRU - Soviet-Afghan War Operations, 1979-1989

"They hunted in the mountains like wolves. The Mujahideen called them 'the black tulips of death.'"

STORY: Soviet Spetsnaz units operated in Afghanistan with a brutality and efficiency that terrified even hardened Mujahideen fighters. Deployed in small teams, they would track guerrilla fighters through mountain passes for days without rest. One legendary operation involved a Spetsnaz team tracking a Mujahideen commander for three weeks through the Hindu Kush. They survived on minimal supplies, moving only at night. When they finally caught up with their target's convoy, they eliminated 47 fighters in a five-minute ambush and disappeared before reinforcements arrived. Spetsnaz were trained in Sambo fighting, high-altitude warfare, and psychological operations. They could survive for weeks behind enemy lines, living off the land. Their reputation grew so fearsome that some Mujahideen fighters would retreat at the mere rumour of Spetsnaz in the area.