What nicknames were given to Russians by their opponents in wars? What expressions have become firmly established in army slang? Military drives

  • 07.03.2024

Or here’s another technician, a big guy and an athlete, who was called “Oculist” because not a single drinking party in which he took part ended without him blackening someone’s eye. Behind the eyes, we mean the object of influence, and not talking behind the back.

Served in one regiment as a senior lieutenant. He looked to be about sixty years old, although in fact he was not forty-five. And he had a nickname - “Colonel”. And that's why they called him that.
It is known that in the officer’s identity card, which was issued one and for the entire duration of service, there is a column: military rank.

It provides space for recording military ranks from lieutenant to major general. So he had all these places filled: lieutenant - senior lieutenant - lieutenant - senior lieutenant - lieutenant... and so on until the penultimate line. A careerist, however.

One navigator with the simple surname Golovnya was called the noble surname Balkonsky. One day on a day off, having taken a hefty dose, he smoked on the second floor balcony, from where he successfully collapsed and lay there without the slightest sign of consciousness until he, accompanied by the frightened regiment commander, a lieutenant colonel, was taken to the infirmary. There, having regained consciousness, he saw his native commander and, focusing on the two stars in the pursuit, he said understandingly:
-I saw this lieutenant somewhere.
Then, taking advantage of the momentary lack of attention to his person, he ran away. And they found him sitting with a glass and a cigarette on the same balcony from which he had so safely fallen half an hour ago.

Each pilot who tore more than two tires during landing was given the honorary nickname Pokryshkin until the end of his service in this regiment. Any parachutist who landed unsuccessfully was given a rank reflecting the landing location. If he lands on a summer cottage - Summer Resident, in a vegetable garden - Gardener, in the forest - Forester, in the thick of a herd - Shepherd or Cattleman.

I had a second navigator, whose name was Cossack or Headless Horseman. Before serving in naval aviation, he was a jockey in Rostov-on-Don, hence Kazachok, and The Headless Horseman well characterizes his behavior and career growth.

In one auto platoon there was a fighter known under the pseudonym Trolleybus. Somehow they lost electricity in the basement of the barracks. This soldier was sent there to find and fix the problem. The fighter, having figured out with his brain what the cost was, decided to follow the path of least resistance - he grabbed the wire on the ceiling with both hands (the ceiling in the basement is low) and began to move in small steps in the darkness, feeling for the break point.
Finally found it. It’s good that at least it didn’t kill him, but they pumped him out.

Nicknames had regiments, divisions and, in rare cases, squadrons. Thus, one regiment was called Romanian only because during a football match between the regiments of the division, someone, encouraging his own, shouted a phrase from the movie: “Forward, dead Romanians!” And it took root.
For some reason the second regiment was called Zyabrovsky, although the squadron transferred from Zyabrovka was part of the Romanian regiment.
The third, separate regiment of this garrison was called Honghuz or Chinese for two reasons. Firstly, it originated near the Chinese border. And secondly, because of the large number of personnel. The crew of one aircraft could include from 9 to 14 people. And a whole bunch of technicians served him.

And divisions were usually named after the nearest settlement. Ours was initially located in the Sov-Gavansky district, and then, as a result of territorial demarcation, it ended up in the Vanino region. This gave the fleet aviation commander the opportunity to show his wit and joke to our division commander:
-You used to be a owl, but now you’re just a stinker.
An offensive hint at the similarity of our unit to excrement, in terms of its combat qualities, from the point of view of the commander.

In the army in general and in aviation in particular, almost everyone has nicknames: people, units, units, combat vehicles and inanimate objects. The stories of their origin are interesting.

For example, one commander of the fleet aviation was called “Photographer” behind his back. He had nothing to do with the high art of photography, but when he criticized an officer’s official activities, he always ended it with the word “I’m photographing.” This did not apply to the appearance of a photograph of the person being scolded, but meant his removal from his position.

Or here’s another technician, a big guy and an athlete, who was called “Oculist” because not a single drinking party in which he took part ended without him blackening someone’s eye. Behind the eyes, we mean the object of influence, and not talking behind the back.

Served in one regiment as a senior lieutenant. He looked to be about sixty years old, although in fact he was not forty-five. And he had a nickname - “Colonel”. And that's why they called him that.
It is known that in the officer’s identity card, which was issued one and for the entire duration of service, there is a column: military rank. It provides space for recording military ranks from lieutenant to major general. So he had all these places filled: lieutenant - senior lieutenant - lieutenant - senior lieutenant - lieutenant... and so on until the penultimate line. A careerist, however.

One navigator with the simple surname Golovnya was called the noble surname Balkonsky. One day on a day off, having taken a hefty dose, he smoked on the second floor balcony, from where he successfully collapsed and lay there without the slightest sign of consciousness until he, accompanied by the frightened regiment commander, a lieutenant colonel, was taken to the infirmary. There, having regained consciousness, he saw his native commander and, focusing on the two stars in the pursuit, he said understandingly:
-I saw this lieutenant somewhere.
Then, taking advantage of the momentary lack of attention to his person, he ran away. And they found him sitting with a glass and a cigarette on the same balcony from which he had so safely fallen half an hour ago.

Each pilot who tore more than two tires during landing was given the honorary nickname Pokryshkin until the end of his service in this regiment. Any parachutist who landed unsuccessfully was given a rank reflecting the landing location. If he lands on a summer cottage - Summer Resident, in a vegetable garden - Gardener, in the forest - Forester, in the thick of a herd - Shepherd or Cattleman.

I had a second navigator, whose name was Cossack or Headless Horseman. Before serving in naval aviation, he was a jockey in Rostov-on-Don, hence Kazachok, and The Headless Horseman well characterizes his behavior and career growth.

In one auto platoon there was a fighter known under the pseudonym Trolleybus. Somehow they lost electricity in the basement of the barracks. This soldier was sent there to find and fix the problem. The fighter, having figured out with his brain what the cost was, decided to follow the path of least resistance - he grabbed the wire on the ceiling with both hands (the ceiling in the basement is low) and began to move in small steps in the darkness, feeling for the break point.
Finally found it. It’s good that at least it didn’t kill him, but they pumped him out.

Nicknames had regiments, divisions and, in rare cases, squadrons. Thus, one regiment was called Romanian only because during a football match between the regiments of the division, someone, encouraging his own, shouted a phrase from the movie: “Forward, dead Romanians!” And it took root.
For some reason the second regiment was called Zyabrovsky, although the squadron transferred from Zyabrovka was part of the Romanian regiment.
The third, separate regiment of this garrison was called Honghuz or Chinese for two reasons. Firstly, it originated near the Chinese border. And secondly, because of the large number of personnel. The crew of one aircraft could include from 9 to 14 people. And a whole bunch of technicians served him.

And divisions were usually named after the nearest settlement. Ours was initially located in the Sov-Gavansky district, and then, as a result of territorial demarcation, it ended up in the Vanino region. This gave the fleet aviation commander the opportunity to show his wit and joke to our division commander:
-You used to be a owl, but now you’re just a stinker.
An offensive hint at the similarity of our unit to excrement, in terms of its combat qualities, from the point of view of the commander.

By the way, not only inanimate objects become prototypes for the formation of nicknames for people, but people can also become the source of the names of objects. For example, our glorious division commander hated the colors green and yellow. He especially hated dandelions. That is why every single day someone’s caring hand put a bouquet of dandelions in his mailbox, which aroused his dislike for this innocent flower even more...
It got to the point that someone placed a piece of paper and one dandelion on the steps of the division headquarters, just in time for his arrival. The piece of paper read:
Don't touch me Shushpanchik,
After all, I am the last dandelion.

The general's last name was Shushpanov, and the dandelions in this division were called nothing more than “shushpanchiki.”

Nowhere have I seen such a desire to give out nicknames as in aviation, and the apotheosis of this phenomenon can be considered the name of the monument in front of the Officers' House in Monino.
There they sculptured a strong fellow with an artificial satellite in his hand in a rapid rush forward. The jerk turned out to be so rapid that the symbolic clothes slipped back, and this gave rise to the name of the monument - “I’ll waste everything, but I’ll launch it!”

© Alexander Shipitsyn

Why are special forces call signs needed? Who invented them? We will answer these and many other questions in the article. A call sign (CALL, call sign identification) in radio communications is an identifier that identifies a radio transmitter. As a rule, this is a set of numbers, letters, or a meaningful word sent at the beginning of a communication session and necessary to identify the radio station to the receiving entity.

The PSO is assigned to the transmitter by the communications authority of the state to which it belongs. Call signs represent radio stations, and for radio amateurs, specific participants in negotiations.

Military call signs

Have you ever seen the Official Call Sign Chart? This is a reference document containing a list of communication centers, interaction stations of ships and aircraft, units, commanders and other employees, as well as call signs assigned to them (conventional combinations, numbers, letters) in order to hide their true names from the enemy when transmitting information via technical means of communication .

Our military has long studied voice exchange over communication channels. They were able to find the words that are most convenient to use on the radio, taking into account interference and phonetics of the Russian language.

For many guys, the management did not provide call signs. Therefore, either they have to come up with them on their own, or their commanders give them middle names. Some fighters who received call signs from the table say that they would love to compose them themselves.

Radiocommunication services

What are special forces call signs? They are created via radio communication. Radio transmitters related to the radio broadcast service, in the form of PSO, use the names of the media. If necessary, they sometimes indicate radio frequency ratings.

In the amateur radio service, PSO is more informative. It is a combination of numbers and letters of the Latin alphabet, which includes from three to six characters. An amateur call sign is always exceptional. There are directories and databases containing additional information about the owner of the PSO. The operator of an amateur radio transmitter is obliged to report his PSO at the beginning of the session and, during long-term radio communications, systematically repeat it. Many people strive to increase legibility using the phonetic alphabet. What it is?

This is a standardized way of reading the letters of the alphabet. It is used in radio communications when transmitting difficult-to-hear words, call signs, abbreviations, email addresses, and the like in order to reduce the number of errors.

Service specifics

What do the call sign of a special forces soldier and the nickname of an agent have in common? Both the first and second are pseudonyms. It is interesting that it is under a fictitious name that very often the special forces hero achieves fame. These are the principles of service.

In general, very often any pseudonym or nickname depends on the person’s last name. The second name can also correspond to the actions or type of activity of the fighter. Special forces call signs in radio communications can be either nicknames or names previously invented by the command. Many people say that the choice of a middle name does not always depend on professions and surnames. A battalion may have a single call sign, and its squads and their commanders may have serial numbers. For example, the call sign “Agat” can be modified as “Agat-1” (company commander), “Agat-2” (deputy commander), “Agat-8” (battalion medical instructor). Such a system, in principle, works great in a stationary facility.

What do special forces call signs look like when there is a battle going on? Here everyone is already called either by nicknames or by first names (if there are no nicknames). Due to unfamiliarity, many people get confused about their call signs: it is unknown who is “Amethyst-1” and who is “Amethyst-2”. Many people call each other by specific nicknames. For example, “Mole”, “Crucian carp”, “Khmyr” and so on.

What other standards have the military come up with? Special forces call signs are sometimes assigned based on the personal characteristics of the soldier or his specialty, often from an abbreviation of the last name, first name and patronymic. There are different nuances...

Interception

Many fighters believe that in combat conditions call signs must be treated carefully. Maybe there should be a little personal in them. For example, by intercepting the “Czech” radio, the military even established routes using call signs. What if the enemy is also familiar with a similar system?

What kind of technique is this for identifying “travel routes” based on call signs? But they simply knew, for example, that “Temuchin” was from Churek-Martan, and “Plovets” was from Babai-Yurt. Via radio communication, the fighter intercepts a message: “First, let’s go to “Swimmer” and sit with him for a day. At night we move to Temuchin. They are met at this crossing.

“Swimmer” was the first guy in the village, and “Temuchin” was known as a music lover and played 80s disco. That's why he got his pseudonym.

Online, translators worked in real time only when interacting with artillery and aviation. The Special Forces received transcripts of interceptions that were two days old, but that was enough for the analysts. The operation took place in the form of an ambush.

There are no such analysts in the armies of the potential enemy (which is about 98 countries). They think that the call sign “Kuzya” came from the surname Kuznetsov. The meanings of the words “seeds 7.62”, “castle”, “hillock”, “cucumbers” are indicated in foreign dictionaries of Russian army jargon. In general, many soldiers are thinking about how to secure their airwaves.

It is known that Richard Sorge from 1929 to 1944) had the call sign “Ramsay”, Lev Borisovich (German communist, GRU employee, Comintern agent, executed) had the call sign “Alex”, Richard Vennikas (GRU resident in Finland, Estonian) had the call sign “Alex”. "Bergman."

Of course, when there are powerful shellings, many people forget about nicknames and shout in plain text. It must be added that these middle names are different. One and the same fighter may have a nickname, for example, “Ochkarik,” but the call sign is completely different.

Description

Many are interested in knowing what elite troops are, how the soldiers who serve in them select call signs, where they use them, selection rules, specifics... Many say that the letter “P” should be present in the PSO, since it is clearly audible when interference Call signs of officials consist of three-digit numbers. They are all described in the reference document (TPDL).

The second names of commanders, their deputies and heads of units, headquarters and units are created from a noun and a number (1-3 digits). They are indicated in the division's radio data. For example, “Verba-163”, “Yel-4”.

The control station call sign is a noun. For example, “Focus”, “Ash”. Two sets of call signs are always created - the main one and the backup one. The entire procedure for their appointment, as well as governing documents, are described in the “Manual on the formation of communications in the Army.”

Battalion units do not have their own means of communication, and squads are not even assigned call signs. Therefore, they are appointed only by platoon commanders.

Specialists, as a rule, use primitive schemes. For example, the main one has the call sign “Wing”, and the main group has the call sign “Falcon”. One or two syllable words are used, since long nicknames are difficult to pronounce in battle.

Some elite troops use American standard call signs. In this case, the first letter of the surname in the phonetic Latin alphabet is used: B - bravo, C - Charlie, and so on. The number is then added when the first letters of the surname match. For example, “Foxtrot-1”, “Sierra-2”.

In the Russian troops, the call signs of unit group commanders are very often selected based on a person’s personal qualities - “Leshy-1”, “Bychok-1”, “Condor-1”. If there are few groups, proper names are used. Very often they use the unit's call sign with any additional digit other than one.

Many fighters say that call signs should not be created by changing the surname and should be easily retained in memory, and they should not reflect the external personal characteristics of a person. They argue that most often the second name is the nickname (nickname) of a fighter in everyday life.

Numerical and numerical call signs are commonly found in exercises where there are many superiors and observers present. It is known that there was an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who fought in Chechnya with the call sign “200” (two hundredth).

Many fighters say that their PSOs were invented by the command and changed every three months, and they created nicknames on their own in accordance with personal qualities or surnames.

The fighters also testify that call signs and nicknames are different things. After all, the TPDL (table of call signs for officials), which the communications provided them with, was completely digital.

In general, call signs and nicknames are operational pseudonyms. They are formed in completely different ways. But behind every such sign there is a real person, whose fate may be of interest not only to historians or specialists, but also to anyone who cares.

"Gyurza"

It is known that the call sign “Gyurza” at one time was Alexey Viktorovich Efentyev. Who is he? This is a Russian and Soviet officer who performed combat missions in Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Kosovo and Chechnya. He successfully carried out his work and for his personal courage this reserve lieutenant colonel was nominated for the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, but he was never awarded.

His call sign “Gyurza” during the First Chechen War was known to every resident of the republic. Efentyev carried out dozens of raids on the rear of Dudayev’s troops, stormed Bamut and unblocked the Coordination Center surrounded in Grozny. During the last operation, Russian journalists and many senior officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the army were rescued.

Special Forces divisions

What are special purpose units (SPU)? These are battalions of aviation, ground forces and navy, trained according to a specific program, as well as police, internal troops, and gendarmerie, necessary to perform special tasks using special means and tactics. It is known that call signs for special forces girls are selected in the same way as for boys - there are no differences.

"Cobra"

Lieutenant Colonel Erkebek Abdulaev (special purpose reconnaissance officer of the Vympel group of the KGB of the USSR) had the call sign “Cobra”. He published his own autobiography. In the special forces of the KGB of the USSR, soldiers like him were called “stuntmen.”

His biography is similar to the life of most Vympel officers, among whom were Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijanis and Georgians, Koreans and Karelians. They all defended the interests of their Motherland - they performed one task. Each of them was faithful to his duty to the end, although they all had doubts, worries, and grievances.

"Yakut"

Volodya-Yakut is a Russian fictional sniper, the hero of the urban myth of the same name about the First Chechen War, who became popular due to his high performance. It is believed that this sniper's name was Maksimovich, although in the legend his name is Volodya. It is known that he was a commercial hunter from Yakutia and had the call sign “Yakut”.

US Special Forces

The American logical system of army control is fundamentally different from the Russian one. Not only are the digital call signs inconsistent (the commander is only conventionally referred to as 01 by the soldiers among themselves), but the verbal ones also do not follow the corresponding law of thinking (in the battalion, not all are “birds” and “trees”). And this is fair - without knowing the TPDL (table of call signs of officials), you will never understand in an open interception network who “Dunduk-29” or “Woodpecker-36” is. This is how US special forces work.

In the Special Forces, when conducting a secret operation, it is customary to choose your own call sign (children's nickname, something fashionable, or whatever comes to mind). If a fighter appears on open air while performing a special task, he needs to change the PSO. It is reasonable.

US special forces can cause trouble for a Russian soldier. Radio intelligence and electronic warfare of America are able to crack codes. And even if they don’t know the code, they can monitor the intensity of radio exchange between units or disorient the enemy, jam stations, cause interference, and so on. They can also take bearings from signal sources, which is also bad.

In addition, the Americans have a separate National Security Agency (NSA), which deals with radio and electronic intelligence. This is the most secret institution in the United States.

In the army in general and in aviation in particular, almost everyone has nicknames: people, units, units, combat vehicles and inanimate objects. The stories of their origin are interesting.
For example, one commander of the fleet aviation was called “Photographer” behind his back. He had nothing to do with the high art of photography, but when he criticized an officer’s official activities, he always ended it with the word “I’m photographing.” This did not apply to the appearance of a photograph of the person being scolded, but meant his removal from his position.
Or here’s another technician, a big guy and an athlete, who was called “Oculist” because not a single drinking party in which he took part ended without him blackening someone’s eye. Behind the eyes, we mean the object of influence, and not talking behind the back.
Served in one regiment as a senior lieutenant. He looked to be about sixty years old, although in fact he was not forty-five. And he had a nickname - “Colonel”. And that's why they called him that.
It is known that in the officer’s identity card, which was issued one and for the entire duration of service, there is a column: military rank. It provides space for recording military ranks from lieutenant to major general. So he had all these places filled: lieutenant - senior lieutenant - lieutenant - senior lieutenant... and so on until the penultimate line. A careerist, however.
One navigator with the simple surname Golovnya was called the noble surname Balkonsky. One day on a day off, having taken a hefty dose, he smoked on the second floor balcony, from where he successfully collapsed and lay there without the slightest sign of consciousness until he, accompanied by the frightened regiment commander, a lieutenant colonel, was taken to the infirmary. There, having regained consciousness, he saw his native commander and, focusing on the two stars in the pursuit, he said understandingly:
I saw this lieutenant somewhere.
Then, taking advantage of the momentary lack of attention to his person, he ran away. And they found him sitting with a glass and a cigarette on the same balcony from which he had so safely fallen half an hour ago.
Each pilot who tore more than two tires during landing was given the honorary nickname Pokryshkin until the end of his service in this regiment. Any parachutist who landed unsuccessfully was given a rank reflecting the landing location. If he lands on a summer cottage - Summer Resident, in a vegetable garden - Gardener, in the forest - Forester, in the thick of a herd - Shepherd or Cattleman.
I had a second navigator, whose name was Cossack or Headless Horseman. Before serving in naval aviation, he was a jockey in Rostov-on-Don, hence Kazachok, and The Headless Horseman well characterizes his behavior and career growth.
In one auto platoon there was a fighter known under the pseudonym Trolleybus. Somehow they lost electricity in the basement of the barracks. This soldier was sent there to find and fix the problem. The fighter, having figured out with his brain what the cost was, decided to follow the path of least resistance - he grabbed the wire on the ceiling with both hands (the ceiling in the basement is low) and began to move in small steps in the darkness, feeling for the break point.
Finally found it. It’s good that at least it didn’t kill him, but they pumped him out.
Nicknames had regiments, divisions and, in rare cases, squadrons. Thus, one regiment was called Romanian only because during a football match between the regiments of the division, someone, encouraging his own, shouted a phrase from the movie: “Forward, dead Romanians!” And it took root. For some reason the second regiment was called Zyabrovsky, although the squadron transferred from Zyabrovka was part of the Romanian regiment. The third, separate regiment of this garrison was called Honghuz or Chinese for two reasons. Firstly, it originated near the Chinese border. And secondly, because of the large number of personnel. The crew of one aircraft could include from 9 to 14 people. And a whole bunch of technicians served him.
And divisions were usually named after the nearest settlement. Ours was initially located in the Sov-Gavansky district, and then, as a result of territorial demarcation, it ended up in the Vanino region. This gave the fleet aviation commander the opportunity to show his wit and joke to our division commander:
You used to be a stinker, but now you're just a stinker.
An offensive hint at the similarity of our unit to excrement, in terms of its combat qualities, from the point of view of the commander.
By the way, not only inanimate objects become prototypes for the formation of nicknames for people, but people can also become the source of the names of objects. For example, our glorious division commander hated the colors green and yellow. He especially hated dandelions. That is why every single day someone’s caring hand put a bouquet of dandelions in his mailbox, which aroused his dislike for this innocent flower even more... It got to the point that someone placed a piece of paper and one dandelion on the steps of the division headquarters, just in time for his arrival. The piece of paper read:
Don't touch me Shushpanchik,
After all, I am the last dandelion.
The general's last name was Shushpanov, and the dandelions in this division were called nothing more than “shushpanchiki.” Moreover, this name has grown into an epic called “Shushpaniads” and those who wish can easily find this epic in the vast expanses of the Internet.
Nowhere have I seen such a desire to give out nicknames as in aviation, and the apotheosis of this phenomenon can be considered the name of the monument in front of the Officers' House in Monino. There they sculptured a strong fellow with an artificial satellite in his hand in a rapid rush forward. The jerk turned out to be so rapid that the symbolic clothes slipped back, and this gave rise to the name of the monument - “I’ll let everything down, but I’ll let it go!”

In the army community, as in any social structure, there is a certain hierarchy of non-statutory order. It implies a clear distinction between military personnel undergoing military service into groups according to their length of service. Due to the fact that the service life was reduced to 1 year, non-statutory ranks were modified, but not abolished. The only difference is that now the entire cycle of passage from “spirit” to “grandfather” takes place in an express version. Let's take a closer look at how this happens.

Smell

After a soldier has been selected at a distribution point, he is sent either to a training unit or to a military unit, but to a separate company for quarantine, where he undergoes training.

Arriving at the place, yesterday's conscript becomes a “smell.” This title will be assigned to him until he takes the oath.

Quarantine ends no later than two months of military service. What does this title mean? The explanation is very simple, yesterday’s conscripts are not soldiers yet, they are just the smells of soldiers. At this time, the “smells” and “demobilization” are similar. These military ranks have one foot in civilian life. While in the unit, many people mistakenly think that they automatically become “spirits,” but this is not so; they still need to achieve this title.

Spirit

After taking the oath, when the private already has the right to bear arms and is assigned other statutory duties, he is awarded the rank of “spirit”. He will serve in this honorary title for up to 100 days of service. During this period, he learns all the delights of army service. Outfits every other day, cleaning and PCB, this is what the service of a private in this rank consists of.

Cleaning is a separate army ritual. The spirits learn the art of putting things in order in the barracks with special care, but they also acquire such a necessary skill for life as keeping the room in which you live clean.

Military personnel in this rank have absolutely no rights, and the requirements for them are increased. Especially when it comes to personal hygiene. If the unit is in a location and not at a field exit, then the soldier must be shaved, his shoes must be shiny, and his head must be neatly trimmed. This is very strictly enforced, and those who do not comply with these requirements are treated with special disdain.

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At this time, special attention is paid to memorizing the charter. A soldier must know this set of rules by heart. Therefore, learning the rules for “spirits” is a common activity. At this time, it is better for young soldiers to stick together, then it will be easier to survive it.

Elephant

After completing 100 days of service, a new period begins in the life of a soldier. From the category of incorporeal “spirits”, he moves to the title of “elephant”. The rank of elephant in the army gives the right to burden a soldier with all sorts of assignments.

Household work in the army is the basis of service. Most of the time he spends his time doing some very important work:

  • clears snow on the territory of the unit;
  • sweeps the area in the warm season;
  • pits are dripping.

Elephants are hardy animals, so the title “elephant” implies that you will have to carry a lot. There is a certain ritual in which the demobilizer hits the future elephant on the soft spot with a soldier’s belt 3 times, symbolizing 3 months of service.

This title is held by a soldier for 100 to 160 days. Depending on the time of conscription, a moment comes when all the old-timers retire. At this time, a private from the “elephants” is transferred to another rank. For him, the period of “grandfather” begins. This title can be obtained after just six months of service.

Grandfather

“Grandfathers” in the army are soldiers who came from a previous conscription. They become the oldest and remain in this rank until the order is issued to transfer to the reserve for the entire conscription. Transfer to this rank is made at the request of the serviceman. Usually this comes down to hitting the same soft spots with a stool.

At this time, the former “elephant” shows everything that he has accumulated during his service. If a lot of negativity has accumulated, then the young soldiers get everything that the newly-made “grandfather” is capable of, but if he managed to maintain his decency and adequate condition, then the service goes smoothly.

Some soldiers by this period of service have military ranks and responsibility for personnel. Monitoring the progress of the order is his sacred duty; he has nothing left to do but watch the work of the young soldiers and count the days until the order.

The order usually arrives 100 days before the end of the service period and occurs twice a year. Although hazing is no longer as obvious as it was in other years, it still persists in terms of service life.

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demobilization

This non-statutory rank is the highest in the army at the moment. This period begins from the moment of the order of the Ministry of Defense for the entire conscription. Continues until the military ID is handed over to the old-timer by the battalion commander.

Some military units have a tradition of having a personal “spirit” before the end of their service. Smoking demobilizers invented a kind of calendar. Every day the “spirit” brings him a cigarette, on which it is written how long he still has to serve.

The transfer to this rank is peculiar; it differs from previous periods in its loyalty. Instead of a belt and a stool, the former “grandfather” receives blows with a thread, through a layer of mattresses. He, of course, pretends that he is in immense pain, but such a custom does not exist in all parts.

The main task of military personnel in this rank is to serve with dignity until the end of their service. He may be asked to do a “demobilization chord,” something useful for the company or the entire unit in which he served for a whole year. Another important thing for him is preparing the mold. You can, of course, go home in civilian clothes, but it’s better to come in a nice uniform, with all the insignia. Therefore, they spend the remaining time dealing with this issue. The main task of a serviceman who has one foot in civilian life is to serve this time with dignity and calmly leave for demobilization.