Tri-Service
Russian Counter-Terror Exercise Goes Off With A Bang
Footage has emerged of a no-holds-barred Russian counter-terrorism exercise.
The video, which appears to have been filmed several years ago, shows troops from OMON, a special police brance of the Russian Interior Ministry, conducting counter-terrorism training.
But the similarities to equivalent Western exercises end there.
First, we see a bus carrying "terrorists" cut off by a BTR-80 armored personnel carrier (you can read more about that vehicle and its successor here).
The BTR-80 plays a support role, forcing the bus to slow down while firing its 14.5-millimetre heavy machine gun in order to intimidate the 'terrorists' - presumably using blank ammunition.
A Russian BTR-80
Then, a special police agent wearing a heavy Explosive Ordnance Disposal bomb suit runs up to the side of the bus and hits it with an explosive charge.
The device wrecks the bus, blowing out all the glass and doors, with the resulting explosion causing the agent to disappear in a cloud of debris.
The men onboard playing the role of terrorists, meanwhile, appear stunned but are otherwise unharmed by the explosion.
It's thought OMON might use such a technique to either damage the bus axle, forcing it to stop, or to prevent an even more dangerous explosive device inside from going off.
Created as the special forces of the Soviet civilian police in 1988, OMON has played major roles in several armed conflicts during and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
