Day of Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops (Day of Russian Chemical Defense Troops)

The radiation, chemical and biological defense troops (RCBZ) represent a special type of military units designed to ensure the protection of weapons, personnel, civilians and the environment from the damaging factors of the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons Chemical brigades appeared in Russia during the First World War, when the German side first used chemical weapons The main task of chemists at that time was to warn of possible gas attacks from the enemy and train soldiers in the use of personal protective equipment In the Red Army, by order of November 13, 1918, the first units of chemical defense troops were formed Officially, this day is considered the professional holiday of employees of this branch of the military During the Great Patriotic War, chemical forces were widely used and developed The main functions of chemical units were to protect personnel from possible chemical attacks, smoke camouflage of objects and the use of flamethrower weapons It was the presence of these troops in the Soviet Union and their readiness to carry out measures to protect against toxic substances that restrained the German command from starting a chemical war The fighting in Afghanistan became a real baptism of fire for the RCBZ units, whose task was to use offensive weapons in the form of rocket-propelled infantry flamethrowers and heavy flamethrower multiple launch rocket systems The experience of military operations on the territory of this mountainous republic made significant adjustments to the tactics of conducting military operations by this branch of the military It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of the personnel of the RCBZ troops in eliminating the consequences of the terrible accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant More than 40 percent of the entire group employed in the disaster zone were chemical troops The main tasks facing them were: treating the area with decontaminating substances; provision of monitoring and radiation reconnaissance instruments, assessment of the radiation situation This branch of special troops of the Russian Armed Forces today faces a wide range of tasks and functions The first of them is to ensure the protection of Russian army personnel and the population from the damaging factors of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and reduce the impact of these factors on the environment The other is chemical, biological and radiation reconnaissance of territories, taking measures to eliminate the consequences of accidents These units are designed to carry out degassing, disinfection and decontamination of the territory and material resources in case of infection There are units that carry out the task of safe storage and destruction of chemical weapons stored in special chemical arsenals of our country The RKhBZ troops also include units and brigades whose task is to use camouflage protective smoke and offensive weapons in the form of rocket-propelled infantry flamethrowers and heavy flamethrower multiple launch rocket systems