THE TEAM OF THE ROGUARD SPECIAL RAPID RESPONSE UNITS (SOBR) CAME IN AMONG THE TOP THREE BEST SPECIAL FORCES UNITS IN THE WORLD

From February 20 to February 24 in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) the Special Forces Units International Competition "UAE SWAT Challenge 2023" was held. This is an unofficial world championship among the Special Forces units of the law enforcement agencies. This year 57 teams from 28 countries took part in it. The Russian Federation was represented by 3 teams: the Special Rapid Response Units (SOBR) and the "Vityaz" Special Purpose Center teams of the National Guard and the "Akhmat" team from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic.

At the final stage, Special Forces officers passed an obstacle course, which consists of 19 obstacles. The officers had three attempts to pass each of them: even if one person could not pass any obstacle, the team did not receive a single point for the stage. Only half of the teams managed to finish this exercise. The Rosguardsmen were fifth and sixth, showing the time of about five minutes. The "Akhmat" team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was the second.

The Assistant Director of the Rosguard, Lieutenant General Yuri Kotov, noted that Russia was represented at the competitions exclusively by the combat officers who daily risk their lives while performing service and combat tasks.

For five days, in a fiercely competitive challenge, the Special Forces officers carried out various tactical tasks, during which they pass the obstacles, including a cable stretched between two armored vehicles, hit targets from various weapons: sniper rifles, pistols and submachine guns. The hostages were also released, as well as the wounded officers were evacuated.

When passing the tests, the judges evaluated not only the speed of completing tasks, but also well-coordinated teamwork. Much attention was paid to the observance of safety measures when handling weapons.

In the overall standings, the "Akhmat" team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic rose to the highest step of the podium, the Special Rapid Response Units (SOBR) team of the Russian National Guard became the bronze medalist of the competition, losing only 13 points to the Dubai police, the "Vityaz" Special Purpose Center team took 17th place and became one of the world’s top 20 Special Forces units.