Policing Putin's Russia

June 1, 2007 12:53 PM

"OMON knows no mercy and forgives none. This is the way it is, was, and always will be." The Russian OMON (Otryad Militsii Osobovo Naznacheniya), or Special Purpose Police Squad, is one of the most elite police units in the world. Formed in the mid-1980s to combat urban riots, the 20,000-strong OMON now tackles terrorists, protesters, and soccer fans. What drives former soldiers to join the beefy brigade? "Risk," says Major Viktor Kommissarov, "Working in the OMON always involves the risk of death." _{(in Russian)}
posted by nasreddin (22 comments total)

Alles klar, der Kommissarov?
posted by psmealey at 1:14 PM on June 1, 2007

Pfft, they're not so tough; I've seen way flamier bricks than that.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 1:21 PM on June 1, 2007

I'd like to see these guys battle the Blackwater guys.
posted by Mr_Zero at 1:27 PM on June 1, 2007

What does "one of the most elite units in the world" mean, anyway? Are there so many of them that some are "teh elite" and some are not so much?

You didn't include the more interesting part of the interview, nasreddin.
"Does such service has an effect on one's personality?"
"Yes, very much so. Continuously risking his life, a man receives many psychological traumas. We employ specialists that help us deal with the stress."

Sure hope the specialists know what they are doing..
posted by c13 at 1:35 PM on June 1, 2007

LOLOMON
posted by davejay at 2:33 PM on June 1, 2007

You know that martial arts demo was kinda fun but it wasn't as cool as Systema.
posted by wuwei at 2:39 PM on June 1, 2007

OMON's role in the Novye Aldi massacre.
posted by uncle harold at 2:48 PM on June 1, 2007

Russian Special Forces: when you absolutely, positively want to kill every last motherfucker in the room - including the hostages.
posted by Artw at 3:28 PM on June 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

The caption on the YouTube video:

OMON's first ever meet-the-press event, organized to change the special force's image from brutal and incompetent to professional and deadly. Filmed on May 10th, 2007 at OMON's restricted training compound on the outskirts of Moscow.

posted by blasdelf at 4:04 PM on June 1, 2007

In a world marked by the ever-growing threat of bricks that have been set on fire, how can we not have an agency like OMON in the United States?
posted by OverlappingElvis at 4:11 PM on June 1, 2007

"teh elite" sometimes means -- black clothes, masks and compact submachine guns or assault rifles with folding stocks.
posted by wuwei at 4:23 PM on June 1, 2007

Am I the only one who lightly snickered at noticing that the Cyrillic lettering for OMON on their uniforms looks like "HOMO" backwards?

Man. I'm like, twelve.

At most.
posted by stenseng at 4:31 PM on June 1, 2007

Also? I wouldn't go to Russia any time soon.
posted by felix at 4:51 PM on June 1, 2007

Am I the only one who lightly snickered at noticing that the Cyrillic lettering for OMON on their uniforms looks like "HOMO" backwards?

If you're twelve, I'm eight. I laughed my head off.
posted by fusinski at 4:53 PM on June 1, 2007

fusinski writes "Cyrillic lettering for OMON on their uniforms looks like 'HOMO' backwards?"

Sssshh don't tell ! They are afraid of homosexuality..or any sexuality at all ! Woman ? All bitches ! ! By the POWER OF GHEYSKULL (and levers) I break bricks, look at me mom are you proud of me ?!

Anyway it's clearly a display of teh gheyness , big guys stroking weapons and their cocks cause they couldn't get pussy without paying. Sadly, they also are likely to become violent when in group.
posted by elpapacito at 6:27 PM on June 1, 2007

I have to admit I am partial to russian camo. does that make me a OMOH?
posted by phaedon at 6:31 PM on June 1, 2007

I'm having difficulty parsing this: "OMON knows no mercy and forgives none."

They forgive no mercy? Is that similar to showing forgiveness? That's almost as bad as showing mercy! Idiots. Yet another promising candidate fails at the finer points of evil.
posted by Kikkoman at 9:28 PM on June 1, 2007

Other videos of the same event. (from a dutch newspaper weblog)
posted by jouke at 10:14 PM on June 1, 2007

wuwei : "teh elite" sometimes means -- black clothes, masks and compact submachine guns or assault rifles with folding stocks.

Woah. I guess I'm elite.

Excellent.
posted by quin at 10:40 PM on June 1, 2007

Um, Kikkoman? That's an ambiguity in the translation. In Russian it makes perfect sense. (you are the idiot)
posted by nasreddin at 12:46 PM on June 2, 2007

Swap their AK-74s and PP-19s for M4s and MP5s and they could pass for an American SWAT team.
posted by ryanrs at 6:31 PM on June 2, 2007

Russian Assault Rifle Tip of the Day:
AK-47s are chambered for 7.62x39. The AK-74 is a more modern version that shoots smaller 5.45x39 cartridges. The Russian military switched to the lighter round for pretty much the same reasons Americans switched from 7.62x51 to 5.56x45: easier to control, ammo weighs less, greater volume of fire.
posted by ryanrs at 6:40 PM on June 2, 2007