Enemy captivity is the inevitable fate of many soldiers and officers participating in any major battle. The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) was not only the bloodiest in the history of mankind, it also set an anti-record for the number of prisoners. More than 5 million Soviet citizens visited Nazi concentration camps, only about a third of them returned to their homeland. They all learned something from the Germans.

The scale of the tragedy

As you know, during the First World War (1914-1918), more than 3.4 million Russian soldiers and officers were captured by representatives of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Of these, about 190 thousand people died. And although, according to numerous historical testimonies, the Germans treated our compatriots much worse than the captured French or British, the conditions of keeping Russian prisoners of war in Germany in those years are incomparable with the horrors of Nazi concentration camps.

The racial theories of the German National Socialists led to mass murders, tortures and atrocities committed against defenseless people, monstrous in their cruelty. Hunger, cold, illness, unbearable living conditions, slave labor and constant abuse - all this testifies to the systematic extermination of our compatriots.

According to various experts, in total, from 1941 to 1945, the Germans captured about 5.2 - 5.7 million Soviet citizens. There is no more accurate data, since no one thoroughly took into account all the partisans, underground fighters, reservists, militias and employees of various departments who found themselves in enemy dungeons. Most of them died. It is known for sure that after the end of the war, more than 1 million 863 thousand people returned to their homeland. And about half of them were suspected by the NKVD of complicity with the Nazis.

The Soviet leadership, in general, considered every soldier and officer who surrendered as almost a deserter. And the natural desire of people to survive at any cost was perceived as a betrayal.

The Nazis made excuses

At least 3.5 million Soviet soldiers and officers died in captivity. High-ranking Nazis during the Nuremberg trials (1945-1946) tried to justify themselves by the fact that the leadership of the USSR did not sign the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War of 1929. Say, this fact allowed the Germans to violate the norms of international law in relation to Soviet citizens.

The Nazis were guided by two documents:

the directive “On the treatment of political commissars” of June 6, 1941 (the war had not yet begun), which obliged soldiers to shoot communists immediately after being captured;

the order of the command of the Wehrmacht "On the treatment of Soviet prisoners of war" dated September 8, 1941, which actually untied the hands of the Nazi executioners.

More than 22 thousand concentration camps were created on the territory of Germany and the occupied states. It is simply impossible to talk about all of them in one article, so let's take as an example the infamous "Uman Pit", located on the territory of the Cherkasy region of Ukraine. There, Soviet prisoners of war were kept in a huge open-air pit. They died en masse from hunger, cold and disease. Nobody removed the bodies. Gradually, the camp "Uman Pit" turned into a huge mass grave.

Survival

The main thing that Soviet prisoners of war learned while being with the Germans was to survive. By some miracle, about a third of the prisoners managed to overcome all the hardships and hardships. Moreover, rational fascists often fed only those inhabitants of concentration camps who were used in various industries.

So, in order to maintain the efficiency of Soviet citizens in the camp located near the village of Hammerstein (now it is the Polish town of Charne), each person received daily: 200 g of bread, vegetable stew and a coffee drink surrogate. In some other camps, the daily ration was half that.

It is worth saying that bread for prisoners was prepared from bran, cellulose and straw. And the stew and drink were small portions of a foul-smelling liquid, often causing vomiting.

If we take into account the cold, epidemics, overwork, then one has only to marvel at the rare ability to survive developed by Soviet prisoners of war.

Schools of saboteurs

Very often the Nazis put their prisoners in front of a choice: execution or cooperation? Under pain of death, some soldiers and officers chose the second option. Most of the prisoners who agreed to cooperate with the Nazis served as guards in the same concentration camps, fought with partisan formations, and participated in numerous punitive operations against the civilian population.

But the Germans often sent the most intelligent and active accomplices who gained confidence to sabotage schools of the Abwehr (Nazi intelligence). Graduates of such military educational institutions were parachuted into the Soviet rear. Their task was espionage in favor of the Germans, the spread of disinformation among the population of the USSR, as well as various sabotage: undermining railways and other infrastructure.

The main advantage of such saboteurs was their knowledge of Soviet reality, because no matter how you teach the son of a White Guard emigrant raised in Germany, he will still differ from a Soviet citizen in his manner of behavior in society. Such spies were quickly identified by the NKVD. It is quite another thing - a traitor who grew up in the USSR.

The Germans approached the training of agents carefully. Future saboteurs studied the basics of intelligence work, cartography, subversive work, they jumped with a parachute and drove various vehicles, mastered Morse code and work with a walkie-talkie. Sports training, methods of psychological influence, collection and analysis of information - all this was included in the course of a novice saboteur. The training period depended on the intended task and could last from one month to six months.

There were dozens of such centers organized by the Abwehr in Germany and in the occupied territories. For example, in the Mission intelligence school (near Kaliningrad), radio operators and intelligence officers were trained to work in the deep rear, and in Dahlwitz they taught parachuting and subversive activities, the Austrian town of Breitenfurt was a training center for technicians and flight personnel.

Slave work

Soviet prisoners of war were mercilessly exploited, forcing them to work 12 hours a day, and sometimes more. They were involved in hard work in the metallurgical and mining industries, in agriculture. In the mines and steel mills, prisoners of war were valued primarily as free labor.

According to historians, approximately 600-700 thousand former soldiers and officers of the Red Army were involved in various industries. And the income received by the German leadership as a result of their exploitation amounted to hundreds of millions of Reichsmarks.

Many German enterprises (breweries, car factories, agricultural complexes) paid the management of concentration camps for the "rent" of prisoners of war. They were also used by farmers, mainly during sowing and harvesting.

Some German historians, trying to somehow justify such exploitation of concentration camp prisoners, argue that in captivity they mastered new working specialties for themselves. Say, former soldiers and officers of the Red Army returned to their homeland as experienced mechanics, tractor drivers, electricians, turners or locksmiths.

But it's hard to believe. After all, highly skilled labor in German enterprises has always been the prerogative of the Germans, and the Nazis used representatives of other peoples only to perform hard and dirty work.

There is no stability in the world, there are hotbeds of tension all around. And the probability of being in a hot spot, surrounded by unfriendly people with weapons, is frighteningly different from zero.

1. The first moments are the most important

How you put yourself in these first minutes, so they will communicate with you in the future. Hold on with dignity, know your worth, show that you can fight back and stand up for yourself. Talk less, listen more. Don't say anything about yourself just yet. Don't mess around with your talk. Ask - answer, do not ask - be silent. Never hesitate to ask yourself. Any male team in a confined space is always a bit of a theater, where external paraphernalia matters. Behavior is the same attribute. They will look at you: how you carry yourself, how you speak, what words you use. Try to understand as quickly as possible what is accepted and acceptable here, and what is not. Watch what others are doing and do the same. When you understand what's what and who is who, you can already be a little liberated.

2. Weight problem

3. Connect

In a critical situation (for example, in a war zone, armed people stop you on the street), the most important thing is to understand who you got into and at what stage of cheating people are. War is always an increased level of aggression. The main thing here is not to be killed in hysterics. Carry anything, turn on the fool, your task is to catch on with tongues and not be killed in the first fifteen minutes. Then the chances go up. The main goal is to establish psychological contact. Show that you are yours, well, or at least neutral.

4. Don't play the victim

Never crawl at your feet and beg. Try to keep your dignity as much as possible. Although it is difficult. A certain amount of firmness is respected. But don't go overboard either. Don't show off. The only thing you will achieve with this is a butt in the forehead and in the trunk. Remember, you are no longer your own power. Power is different. Those with weapons. And they can - and will - rule your life.

5. If they start beating you, squat down.

Try to cover as much as possible with your hands and knees. Don't be a hero. Don't look in the eyes. And in no case do not try to return blow for blow. Killed and all. Try to appear smaller, weaker, and silly. Complete all requirements. But again, don't be embarrassed. They will rob - give everything. In general, everything. You can leave without a car, but not with shots in your legs.

6. Medical and first aid training is pointless.

You still won’t become a paramedic, and there are no tools. In an extreme situation, you need to know only one thing about first aid: if something is torn off, we inject promedol and tighten it with a tourniquet; if an artery or a large vessel is interrupted, we inject promedol and pull it with a tourniquet to the maximum. Not to pain, pain is not an indicator here. You need to pull with all your strength until you can already twist further, because it is very difficult to stop the bleeding from the femoral artery. And if something has pierced - the stomach or the sternum - we inject promedol, plug the hole, bandage it. Then we don’t touch anything else and give it to the doctors as soon as possible.

7. Alcohol and aggressive, and even more so armed people are incompatible

Do not drink. Never. If you start drinking - leave. It doesn't end well. Never.

8. Bear Grylls is a show

Has nothing to do with reality. In fact, everything is always worse, more complicated and harder. Hunger is not the worst. Much more serious cold and unsanitary conditions, entailing all sorts of frostbite, suppuration, dysentery, streptoderma and eczema. At every opportunity, you should wash your clothes, wash your feet, hands, groin, armpits, and dry your shoes. Ordinary abrasions can completely disable you.

9. Be omnivorous

But what our English spetsnaz friend is right about is that you can eat and drink whatever you want. Near Alkhan-Yurt, coming out from under the fire, we drank straight from the swamp, I still remember the crunch of live fry on my teeth. In Georgia, leaving the battle, they drank from the stream, where the corpse of a calf was lying upstream. In Grozny - from a ditch where a dead dog lay.

10. A hole in the body can be plugged with anything

For example, plastic bags wrapped with tape on top are great. The point here is to avoid pneumothorax. To prevent air from getting in. When wounded in the sternum, this is the most dangerous.

11. Start exercising

Right now. When everything starts, the load will increase several times. Body armor - sixteen kilograms, a helmet - two, a machine gun - four, a duffel bag with cartridges - another ten, grenades, grub, a flask of water, a knife. Pencil, after all. You have no idea how heavy a pencil can be. It is very difficult to move with all this in the “run-lie down” mode.

12. Fat in dogs should be cut off.

He is bitter. Pigeons must be hit in the head, otherwise the bullet will tear out all the meat, only feathers will remain. You can’t shoot down a flying duck from a machine gun, you don’t even have to try. Shoot cows by the horns. Turtles and fish can be silenced with grenades or RPGs. The rest is meat and meat.

13. Go on a diet

Personally, I prefer to eat at war once every two days. Firstly, one of the main everyday problems in the war is minimized - a long-distance trip, which always causes a lot of inconvenience. Shitting in a bulletproof vest with a machine gun on your knees and at the same time trying to control the situation is very inconvenient, believe me. Yes, and stretch marks all around. He went into the bushes, and returned without legs - very frequent cases. And secondly, it is generally better to have an empty stomach: if you are wounded in the stomach, there is less chance of peritonitis.

14. You can break anyone

To me, lying in his own bloody yushka on the floor of the toilet in Mozdok, Said, trying to shake off the ashes on my face, said: “You can break anyone, right, long?” Yes. Anyone can be broken. It's just a matter of time and desire. And torture is guaranteed to break anyone, with the exception of very very isolated cases. But, believe me, the chances that you are among them are small. Better not bring it up. Anyway, they will get what they need from you, but only by that moment you will already be without fingers and with a torn intestine.

15. Rarely do they get beaten up to really kill or disable them.

But blows to the internal organs are dangerous, even if they are not the strongest. A broken nose is better than a ruptured spleen. Try to protect the insides. Cover with your hands, knees, shrink into a ball. When it hits the liver, a neutron bomb explodes in the right side, it burns like a hellish flame - you can no longer stand or speak. In general, take care of the liver, Senya!

16. Melted snow decreases in volume ten times

A bucket of snow will make a pot of water. Well, you will quickly understand that. All distillate - snow or rain - must be salted, otherwise it is simply impossible to get drunk. Distilled water only flushes substances out of the body. The more you drink, the more thirsty. No salt - throw a pinch of ash. But still, live boiled water is better - from a river, a swamp, a puddle. Water can be disinfected with any chlorine-containing chemistry. Bleach "Sineva", "Whiteness", "Domestos". Pour a little and let stand for four hours. Just don't overdo it, otherwise you won't be able to drink.

17. Cigarettes, matches, socks, diesel fuel, vodka, sweets - this is the currency

Try to have as many of them as possible. Even if you don't smoke and walk barefoot.

18. Don't wipe your snot with a mitten

In two days you will tear off the skin under your nose, in three days you will have eczema or an ever-healing ulcer. Eczema should be smeared with any cream or extracted dog fat (point 12). Streptoderma is well treated by the sun. The newspaper under the socks really warms well. Pads absorb moisture. Do not warm the mittens in the exhaust, they will become damp. Better put it on the engine, but be careful not to get caught in the belts along with your hands. The bullet from the cartridge is easily removed with pliers or in another way by lateral breaking, the gunpowder is ignited by a spark - from a portable radio battery or even with a stone on a stone. The tracer gives a strong, albeit short, fire. Shoot at the brick wall and, while it burns, make a fire. A rag floating in a bowl with diesel fuel is good to heat the stove. It gives an even strong heat, although it smokes mercilessly.

19. Take care of your feet

Healthy feet are very important. For example, I never managed to find felt boots by size, they always rubbed. As a result, I had 13 calluses on one leg, 18 on the other, two of them under the nails, which fell off. This has turned me into a virtually unable to walk amputee. And it would seem, just a callus.

20. War, prison, any extreme situation is mostly psychology

Not the strongest survive. The fittest survive. The one who quickly understands what's what. In whom new qualities develop faster - the ability to feel the presence of a person, think quickly, increase the speed of reaction, make correct or non-standard decisions. The raid of civilization is very thin, it flies instantly. The human goes, the animal remains. But that is exactly what helps to survive. War is not terrible because it tears off arms and legs. War is terrible because it tears away the soul. As they say, the army is a wolf's path, along which one must pass with bared teeth. But stay human.

21. Unbrushed teeth are the first step to apathy.

And therefore, to death. Going into your imaginary world, you cease to adequately respond to changing circumstances. As a result, you make a fatal mistake. That is why the soldiers are forced to shave and brush their teeth every single day (up to cuffs).

22. If the situation is hopeless - fight

In my army hazing was the worst. I broke a window once. I was lucky, I fell not on the street, but on the floor. He lay in bloody snot. Drunk bastards doped with heroin stood around. "Let's put him down?" There was a shard of glass next to my face. Approximately half a meter long. In the form of a blade. I tucked it in my sleeve. Got up. Snuggled into a corner. Left behind. Later, for this outburst of resistance, I was beaten even harder, but it didn’t go to such extremes anymore.

23. All your previous life will cease to matter.

You will “weigh” exactly as much as you “weigh” here and now. Neither gold, nor apartments, nor positions, nor the brands of your former cars will add weight to you. If you had a Maserati in a past life, and in this one you don't know how to get grub or ammo boxes for the stove, you're shit. Urban people are generally poorly adapted to extreme situations. The best soldiers, prisoners, survivalists - as a rule, simple men from the outback with rough faces, as if hewn with an axe. Learn from them. Hold on to them. They are the most reliable. In general, a good soldier always looks more like a bum than like Rambo. It may seem strange, but it is simply amazing for how many people this becomes a discovery. And they habitually brag about past wealth and believe that this makes them more significant than the rest. Until everyone gets tired of it. Then such people get a butt on the head and go to their place - to the very bottom of the social ladder. For many, this becomes a serious psychological trauma, and it can break someone.

24. Try not to be afraid

The most stupid advice ever. It's still impossible, but you try. Don't be afraid. Fear will come, but try to break it with all your might. Do not let him take possession of you, otherwise you will cease to be a man, turn into a lowing animal. And this is the point. Bottom. Fight your fear every second, don't show it to others. Stay away from those who are already afflicted by it. Fear is contagious. The stupid saying about "a bold bullet is afraid" is partly true. Fear deprives the will to act and the ability to adequately assess the situation. As a result, you make the wrong decisions: you go the wrong way, you do the wrong thing, you don’t fall so fast, you can’t remove the safety catch with cotton fingers, and as a result, you die.

As soon as there is a suspicion that shooting should begin in your city, a prison shines for you, armed alcoholics may appear at roadblocks - quickly-quick-gait-three-crosses grab the children under the arm, get into the car-minibus-bus and run far away- far. Everything else is particular. You can live without a carpet, a TV, an apartment, and even without a house. Without a head, you can't. Although, however, some manage.

about the author

Arkady Babchenko - Russian journalist, writer, war correspondent. Winner of numerous literary and journalistic awards. He went through two Chechen wars (first as a conscript, then as a contract soldier). He reported from hot spots during the Russian-Georgian war of 2008, witnessed the Turkish uprising, wrote essays from the Donbass. He was in captivity, in torture cellars, waiting to be shot. In February 2016, he was forced to leave Russia, fearing arrest and provocations from his political opponents. Currently lives in the Czech Republic.

Benefits of early escape attempts

It is your duty to make an attempt to escape as quickly as possible after capture. There are more chances of success during this period of time, as the following factors will work for you:

At the moment of capture, you will be in a place known to you, you will be able to

orient yourself in the direction, as at any other time in places of detention you may find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings;

If you are not injured, then you are in a better physical condition than when you spend a certain time in detention facilities;

Since the actions of the pirates are initially aimed at capturing the ship, then at this point there are more opportunities for escape. danger to be

shot by a pirate, however, more at the moment of capturing the ship, since the actions of the pirates are focused on conducting fleeting battles and they can open fire at the slightest call.

The Importance of Always Ready

Always stay ready to take advantage of every escape opportunity, as each one could be your last. It is your duty to assist others in escaping, even if it means punishment for you. Successful shoots have ranged from very simple to complex. Some successful escapes were very simple. The earlier the escape is made, the easier it can be. Escape attempts early on are more likely to succeed.

PRISONERS on the ship ("in the camp")

SURVIVAL AS A PRISONER

In order to survive, nothing is more important than the will to live and resist. Regardless of location, poor living conditions, and cruelty that pirates can tolerate, if you decide to relocate them, you can do it. Your chances of surviving as a hostage will be much higher if you:

Carry out the duties of a leader;

Maintain self-discipline;

Maintain a high state of mind yourself and maintain it in others;

Actively participate in survival activities;

Recognize and control the feeling of fear;

Eat everything edible;

Maintain a sense of humor;

Familiar with survival techniques, first aid and preventive medicine;

Keep the will to survive.

survival plan

Because hostage conditions vary from situation to situation, it is not possible to give a specific plan for every situation. A plan, however, is necessary in order to take the best available. Below is one such plan.

1. Creation of an administrative organization of the hostages.

Hostage survival requires a strong organization that provides leadership, discipline, and unity of action. If such an organization cannot be created openly, one should strive to create it secretly.

Until the hostages are well organized, they cannot be expected to be disciplined, healthy, in a state of mind conducive to survival, resisting the morale of terrorists and fighting for their release.

The hostage "camp" must have an open organization known to the pirates and an underground organization unknown to them. An open organization usually provides for the presence of a senior among the hostages, as well as a representative of the hostages.

As a rule, after the capture of the ship, the captain or the officer next in rank to him continues to be the senior among the captured sailors, and therefore assumes, in accordance with his position, the direction of their actions.

The duties of the chief among the hostages are to organize the captured crew in order to maintain the mental and physical fitness of the sailors, as well as to provide the best possible living conditions for the hostages. The need for organization is extremely great - the hostage must have some kind of solid foundation in his life, giving him the opportunity to rise above the level of mere existence. He must have some duty towards someone. Therefore, the hostages need to regularly hold various discussions on the issues of coordinating their further actions, solving pressing problems, etc.

The leader among the hostages may be simultaneously elected to the position of representative of the hostages, if he is entrusted with this mission.

The duties of the hostage representative include, first of all, the ability to conduct a dialogue with pirates, build communication with the invaders at a level accessible to them, solve everyday problems of the hostages, and take part in the negotiation process for the release of sailors. It is desirable that this be a person who knows how to command favor and gain confidence, who is emotionally balanced, who is able not to respond to scolding, ridicule, insults, who is able to maintain composure in an environment of people who are confused, worried or frightened.

It is obvious that the pirates, in order to undermine the state of mind of the captured sailors and weaken their organization, will try to make a weak person ready to cooperate as the representative of the hostages. Moreover, pirates may not recognize the elder among the hostages. This tactic is designed to break down the prisoners' internal control so that they become more cooperative. In such situations, the senior among the prisoners continues to fulfill his duties as leader, and other prisoners must obey his orders.

The administrative organization of the hostages may be subject to a serious split at any moment. A split may result from the displacement of a large or small group of hostages, the displacement or death of a senior among the hostages, the actions of pirates who arbitrarily appoint a representative of the hostages of their choice. The senior officer of the open organization should be prepared for this development by establishing a strong chain of command and appointing alternative candidates to direct the actions of the captured crew. The latter should be prepared to take over duties without prior notice. If the pirates attempt to appoint a chief among the prisoners or a representative of the prisoners of their choice, the crew must protest against these actions. It is the duty of all prisoners to show loyalty to the deposed leaders and to demand at every opportunity their reinstatement.

2. Maintenance of normal living conditions.

The creation of normal living conditions plays an essential role in maintaining a sense of relative satisfaction among prisoners. Paying attention to the following details will help keep your spirits up.

a) Food.

Every opportunity should be taken to improve diet and food preparation.

b) Cleanliness.

Keep clean. Soap and water are the main means of preventive medicine. If there is not enough water, just wipe yourself daily with a cloth or hands. Pay attention to places on the body that are prone to rashes and fungal diseases - between the toes, in the perineum and on the scalp.

The cleanliness requirement also applies to clothing. Use soap and water if available. Hang your clothes in the sun to air out if soap and water are not available. Periodically inspect the seams in clothing and body hair to remove lice and their eggs. An infested louse can lead to death. A possible way to get a wash or even a bath would be to warn the pirates that you're covered in lice, whether it's true or not. Pirates, fearing that lice on captives could cause disease outbreaks, may go along with such demands.

c) Communication.

Prisoners should be encouraged to talk about family and other issues with other prisoners. Such conversations should be informal, and interest should be shown in problems.

d) complaints.

Some prisoners become preoccupied with feelings of dissatisfaction, either with regard to the progress of negotiations for release or the lack of help from home. Efforts should be made to neutralize these sentiments by emphasizing a correct understanding of the problems in the conditions of captivity and the possible reasons for the lack of assistance. Prisoners may smile in response to explanations and look like cynics, but what is said, as a rule, is not wasted. Cynicism is often mostly a superficial reaction, and in their hearts prisoners will feel that there is much more to what is said than they want to see. Although, in all likelihood, they will continue to show their dissatisfaction, the most acute situations will be overcome.

2. Analysis of information, telephone conversations and false rumors.

The importance of information in maintaining the state of mind of prisoners cannot be underestimated. At times, however, it can backfire; prisoners must be warned against trusting rumors or gossip about their relatives and against prejudicial interpretation of the information received. When information is received irregularly or late, this does not necessarily mean that relatives are not worried about you; a more likely reason is that the pirates are holding up the information to their advantage. Mail received from the outside, telephone conversations are a source of intelligence information for pirates. Prisoners must be instructed not to use in telephone conversations and correspondence information that pirates can use for interrogation and propaganda purposes. Prisoners should try to limit themselves to the topic "I am alive and well."

3. Showing concern for yourself and others.

Probably the most important part of any survival plan is taking care of yourself and your belongings.

Keep what you have. Monitor the wear on the remaining items and repair them with improvised means if necessary. You will not be given new shoes if you have worn yours, or a new jacket if you have lost yours.

Every possible means should be used in order to keep oneself in good shape. Save your strength, but stay active. A walk or a few gymnastic exercises keep the muscles in shape. Get plenty of sleep, as the accumulated strength can be useful to you. Strong physical health is necessary to survive in conditions where the prisoner accommodation is overcrowded, and food and conditions of detention leave much to be desired. It is also easier to maintain good health than to restore it. If you are sick, report it to the pirates. The chance of getting treatment is worth the try.

Keep being a sailor. You have not yet completed your flight and you are potentially

complete sailor. Believe in yourself, in the shipping company and in your country, which you

imagine. Maintain spiritual and physical fitness. A clean-shaven face is a good moral factor. Be patient. You may be hungry, you may be dirty, you may be mistreated, and you may live in the most inconvenient conditions, but so do other prisoners. Do not swear with others about this, save your strength for the future. Help your comrades in every way and do everything in your power for the common good. First of all, don't feel sorry for yourself. You will be surprised how difficult it is to remember the dark days when you return home. Only funny cases will be remembered to you. The reputation of your ship, your shipping company and your country is up to you.

Hot afternoon. Behind the bus full of journalists and bloggers, a thick dusty plume stretches. Suddenly, automatic bursts and screams: people in masks block the road.

Without any courtesies, men with AKs burst into the salon. Just a few moments - and frightened passengers with bags on their heads and hands tied face down in the aisle. The terrorists begin to interrogate their victims, shots are fired, and “Allah Akbar!” is heard from the radios of the attackers. For greater persuasiveness - a heavy army boot on the back: every groove on the sole is felt by the skin.

Thus, the next, already the eighth "Military Discourse" - a seminar on extreme journalism, organized by the Ministry of Defense - began promisingly. Having dipped the guests of the Bereg training ground into the waters of the Ili River and only after that removed the bags from them, the “terrorists” (in fact, of course, experienced instructors and special forces soldiers) began to teach the press workers the tricks of survival.

The worst

The organizers set themselves a difficult but extremely important task: to teach journalists not to panic in stressful situations and get out of them at least alive. Thirst, hunger, fear of captivity, darkness and unfamiliar terrain, aggressive natural environment are the eternal companions of those who go to hot spots with a camera and a voice recorder.

Before the start of the trip, the instructors share their preparation experience. So, with you you need to have a pair of removable shoes, a set of warm clothes and, of course, a first aid kit.

From the wisdom: not a single strap on the backpack should stick out and “curly”, heavy things should be laid on the bottom so that they do not put pressure on the back, and even banal plastic bottles should be wrapped in a black sock: plastic glare in the moonlight and at night crossing threatens to make the unlucky owner a victim of not too good-natured terrorists-murderers. Compliance with the elementary requirements of personal hygiene is not discussed at all, even if "everything is sterile on a hike."

After a brief briefing, journalists and bloggers are thrown into the landing zone in the bare steppe by two helicopters. At the same time, the pilots make several turns over the terrain so that the “clients” completely lose their orientation in space. After that - a 15-kilometer march along the hills, steep ascents and no less steep descents. It is on them, by the way, that you pay tribute to the advice about straps - any dangling piece of matter clings to thorny bushes.

By the way, only one and a half liters of water is issued per person for the entire daily transition. In the heat, in the hot steppe. Perhaps this is the main test -

overcome thirst, drink in small sips and at the same time continue to walk with a huge backpack

You can go without food - you can't go without water.

However, the problem with the lack of water is still solvable: moisture from the river (in this case, the Ili) can be filtered using improvised means. To do this, the bottom is cut off from an ordinary plastic bottle, a handkerchief or bandage is placed under the perforated cork, and sand, burnt charcoal (or activated carbon), small stones and moss (or cotton wool or sponge) are successively laid inside in layers. The water is filtered and seeps through the lid. It smells, of course, of smoke, but it is quite possible to drink it - especially if you are not too lazy and boil it over a fire. There is an easier way - water-disinfecting tablets, which are sold in every pharmacy.

After such water, nothing will definitely happen to you: tested on yourself

In the meantime, it's getting dark, and you still have to go and go to the place of spending the night. The last section of the path passes already in darkness and disturbing silence: people are exhausted and frightened. A cunningly disguised ambush adds sparkle, but this time the "terrorists" are limited to a few bursts of machine guns, hinting at their invisible constant presence. That is why during the transition, instructors strictly forbid talking loudly, crackling branches and turning on lights.

After six grueling hours, the command is finally given to set up camp. As food, by the way, army dry rations - canned food, biscuits and jam. Everything is quite edible and even tasty, but for some reason I don’t feel like eating at all - apparently, this is how a stressful unusual situation affects the body.

Behind the gates of the fortress

After spending the night on the banks of the Ili and collecting tents, sleeping bags and other property, the final spurt begins - about another five kilometers of the way, first up the narrow gorge, and then down. On the descent, a medieval eastern fortress-decoration, built for the filming of the film "Nomads", appears like a mirage.

It seems that it is already a stone's throw away, but machine-gun bursts rumble again. Again an ambush. People in masks appear on the slopes of the gorge and send journalists with lightning speed to the already familiar position - face to the ground. Not a single chance to escape, unlike the Discourses. Later, one of the organizers will smile at this remark and say: “We are also learning.”

Then the captives are loaded into the army "KamAZ", on the way the familiar "special effects" in the form of ear-tearing shots in a confined space, screams and cracks.

When armed people bring you to the fortress, there is an unambiguous feeling of the Middle East with its terror, endless wars and other "color". It seems that a little more - and something will go wrong, they will shoot for real.

But here, after the final “stress resistance test”, you can finally exhale - to the applause of the instructors, the prisoners are returned to freedom, and the special forces soldiers who were evil terrorists five minutes ago smile and take pictures with pleasure. True, without removing the masks.

The bottom line is two staged, but bruising and abrasions realistic captures, a serious forced march with a minimum supply of water and many new survival skills. To the credit of colleagues, none of them panicked or threw tantrums. But after the march, many looked emaciated and completely lost.

Why all this to the Ministry of Defense? The answer is obvious: for the safety of the media workers themselves. In an extreme situation, they will have to rely only on themselves and their comrades, however, the invaluable experience of the army special forces soldiers will undoubtedly increase the chances of survival for everyone who has gone through the "Military Discourse".

One of the great and sad realities of war is captivity. And I do not agree with Y. Mukhin, who is deeply respected by me, who speaks exclusively contemptuously about prisoners in his books - prisoners were, are and will always be. And captivity is not a sign of cowardice. Both Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill were captured, both of whom surrendered. They weren't cowards...

True - there was a slightly different enemy than we have now. And in those days, surrender was a military tradition. Now to surrender yourself, counting on the nobility of the enemy, is not only cowardice, but also stupidity. And yet it is easy to say to yourself: "I will never surrender to the enemy!" But a mine explodes nearby, you fall stunned - and, opening your eyes, you see foreign soldiers around.

The last cartridge misfires - as in Musa Jalil's TT. Or simply - suddenly, until you howl, you feel terribly sorry for yourself, and the hand with the weapon pointed at your temple falls powerlessly ... and then both rise already, because you really want to live, especially if you are young and there are still years of life ahead ...

Let's start with the enemy prisoners. And we will immediately define - such a prisoner is a valuable source of information. It is from this point of view that it must be considered. You can’t experience any human feelings for the prisoner - after interrogation, you still need to liquidate him, so there’s nothing to worry about in vain. Remember the principles that should be followed when communicating with prisoners - in order to preserve your own nervous health:

1. In war, no one ever kills people - in war they destroy enemies.

2. Nobody called the enemy to us.

The most suitable places for capturing an enemy soldier are toilets, no matter how strange it sounds. In them, a person relaxes and is not able to resist, it is almost impossible for him to use weapons, he feels himself defenseless and helpless.

When moving an enemy column on the march, you can capture the one who comes last. This is the easiest and justified morally - the last one who trudges as a rule is a weakling both physically and morally, it is easier to "break" such a person. And finally, sometimes special ambushes are arranged. But such ambushes are made only on important birds and with full confidence in success.

How to interrogate a captured person?

The less time passed between capture and interrogation, the better. Your prey should have time to “move away” from moral experiences. Interrogation at the scene of capture is generally ideal, but this is not always possible;

The interrogator must yell loudly and generally portray an inadequate person, capable of cutting off the captive's head on the spot. Someone else can play a more calm one - "to keep his comrade from immediate reprisal", even sympathize with the prisoner. Such tactics lead to the fact that the prisoner often "splits" even before the use of physical methods of influence, frightened by the insane behavior of the people who captured him. Superbly similar tactics are described in the final chapter of Bogomolov's novel In August 1944.

External frightening details are important. You can defiantly brandish a knife in front of a prisoner’s nose, deliberately rudely search the corpses of his comrades, cut off an ear from one of the dead, casually demonstrate a bunch of scalps (not necessarily real ones) - in short, create a complete impression in the captured that he is in the hands of abnormal fanatic killers ;

The prisoner must experience a constant fear of death - in no case should he be allowed to calm down and start thinking logically and coherently;

If the time for forced interrogation is missed, explain in detail to the prisoner what threatens him in case of silence and leave him alone for several hours, until the morning, and it is best to start the interrogation at 4-5 in the morning, when the person’s resistance is as weak as possible;

You can mix dried cornflower into food for a prisoner - this drug causes the strongest unaccountable fear;

Sometimes - especially with "southern" people - ridicule and reception "weakly" help - they say, what to talk to you, you're a nonentity, you served in the convoy as a senior assistant to a junior shit cleaner, what can you know there ?!.

If the prisoner persists, the turn of physical methods of influence comes:

The first thing to remember is never get angry at the person you are torturing. Anger leads to murder. In addition - firmly realize that you are doing this not for pleasure, but out of necessity - otherwise you will very quickly slide into a sadist who is only looking for an opportunity to torment a living being, there are many such cases;

Do not entrust torture to those who have personal accounts with the enemy;

You can beat continuously for no more than an hour - then the person stops feeling the blows;

The most painful places on the human body are the armpits, perineum, ears, oral cavity;

Most people are very afraid of losing their sight;

Everyone is afraid of fire;

Men are afraid of losing their genitals;

Men are generally less hardy than women.

Captivity changes a person very much.

Being free, no one can say for sure how captivity will transform him.

I know of a case when, in the fall of 1999, an initiative group of one organization managed to free Russian children from a certain "boarding school" (brothel) on the territory of a "neighboring state." About 90 boys and girls aged 7-13 were kept there, taken from their parents under various pretexts.

It was amazing that it was only 7 kilometers to the border, and even the doors were not locked in the building! no one even

did not try to run - moreover, the children were afraid to go out, even when they were told that they were free! Later it turned out that shortly before that, in front of the rest, the guards beat to death a 12-year-old girl who was trying to escape - she was dying in the corridor for almost two days, the rest were led past her several times a day. After that, the children were securely bound by fear.

Adults are even more afraid of children. They have a lot of life experience of encounters with danger and less propensity to take risks. Statistics show that 50% of prisoners seek only to save their lives, and 25% generally go to cooperate with the enemy! And only a quarter in captivity retains the will to resist.

During the years of the Third Reich, in the Sonthofen school, 15-16-year-old volunteer teenagers, from whom they trained

saboteurs were subjected to the most sophisticated bullying, hardening in case of captivity. I must say, this gave its results - few of them later, during the war, fell into the hands of the enemy alive, and neither our counterintelligence nor Western intelligence services managed to recruit anyone: they preferred death.

But the modern Western soldier is cowardly and unstable. It is not difficult to process him, because in his mind the postulates of fidelity, courage, honor are destroyed by the influence of "American civilization" - everything that helps to endure the hardships of captivity. Of course, a Russian person, and even a volunteer, brought up in a special way, will give a larger positive percentage. But this does not mean that he is spared from the torment associated with captivity. So how to behave in captivity?

1. Most of all, the prisoner is oppressed by thoughts about his future. They can really drive you crazy. The realization of the fact that you are completely dependent on someone else's will that is hostile to you breaks more than physical torment. So - in any case, do not let yourself fall! No matter how hard, scary, painful - do not give in to despondency. Force yourself to fill every minute of captivity with something to do. Leave no time for worries. Through force, through "I can't" force yourself to think, read poetry, keep yourself clean, follow the rules of behavior at meals (even if your breakfast is a piece of beetroot, and instead of a table - the floor). Don't let yourself succumb, stop thinking about the future and believing in it!

EXAMPLES:

Terrorist-revolutionary Kotovsky two hours before the announcement

The wives of British and Dutch officers, captured by the Japanese in 1941, organized a choir in the Sumatra camp, which operated until the end of captivity, despite the prohibitions.

The Apostle Peter wrote his best works in a Roman prison.

Field Marshal Paulus in our captivity shaved twice a day.

All these people survived. And this is only a tiny part of the known examples, the first thing that came to my mind "on the subject." In fact, at all times, thousands of people behaved in this way - and not only survived in captivity, but also retained the honor of a warrior, the dignity of a person and loyalty to the Motherland. Try your best to keep faith in the Fatherland, in your comrades, in the victory of the cause for which you volunteered to fight!

2. The enemy will try to persuade you to cooperate and find out military secrets from you.

Try to create the impression that you are a "pawn" and do not know anything important.

Do not provoke the enemy to harsh measures with ridicule and ostentatious bravado - this is good only in movies and books.

Behave calmly and politely, directly answer only questions about age and rank. For the rest - “I don’t know”, “didn’t have access”, “during my rank, they didn’t tell me this.”

Do not lie, trying to slip misinformation on the enemy! An experienced officer, even from false information, is capable of drawing dangerous conclusions. Do not slander living comrades, trying to shift responsibility to them! This tactic is very common among poorly motivated teenagers - hooligans and petty criminals - during police interrogations. But it is vicious - your comrades can also be in the hands of the enemy, and you will be caught in contradictions. You can try to blame everything on those who are known for sure: they are dead. "He was the commander... he knew everything... he ordered... he had a connection..." and so on. Never believe the statements that, they say, "all yours have already split, you alone are stubborn ..." - answer only for yourself!

3. Remember: enemies surround you!!!

Military investigators, like the police, use the most vile but very effective game of "good and bad." Suppose you are taken for three or four days at night for interrogations, they do not feed you, the investigator shouts, beats, threatens with a gun ...

And then suddenly everything changes. A new officer is interrogating you. Sympathizes. Offers food. He speaks quietly and peacefully, regrets that you "find yourself in the ranks of bandits." Orders to provide medical assistance. Exhausted during interrogations, you willy-nilly reach out to this MAN, who was found among the enemies. You will be tempted to just chat with him... to answer innocuous questions... to sign the papers being held out... to say a few words to the camera...

And you are caught! This is also an enemy, cunning and dangerous! The goals of the people around you in a strange form are the same - just the methods are different. No collaboration! No relaxation, no matter how exhausted your body and brain beg you! Either you are a fighter - or you are a traitor, and it does not matter how you were persuaded to become one, beatings or affection!

Any word spoken by the enemy is a FALSE! Any extra word you say to the enemy is treason to comrades and the Motherland!

4. It is possible that in the end the enemy will torture you - if you cannot convince him that you do not know anything. We must disappoint you: almost none of our contemporaries can withstand truly skillful processing. In its course, a person turns into a creature that lives by one instinct: to avoid pain and torment. For the sake of this, he is ready for anything, and here it is already useless to even accuse him of betrayal - one can only regret ... Moreover, torture is not only physical, but also moral. In the cell, the light will no longer be turned off - or vice versa, they will be placed in a completely dark room. Or they will give a constant monotonous sound to the camera. Finally, they can use pliers, a soldering iron, a whip, a rack and other cute things in the old fashioned way.