Vladimir Kolotov is a unique person in his own way. A simple hunter, without any coercion, only at the call of his heart and a sense of justice, he went to the war zone in Chechnya, wanting to become a sniper. For a long time, his feat remained unknown, but this man from Yakutia has many killed militants and saved the lives of Russian soldiers.
Making a fateful decision
Vladimir Maksimovich Kolotov, whose biography is still shrouded in secrets, being an eighteen-year-old boy, hunted with his father in the Yakut village of Iengra. According to the calendar, it was 1995 - the height of the first Chechen war. Out of necessity, the boy ended up in a local canteen, where he planned to take s alt and cartridges. By chance, at that moment there was a news release on TV, which showed the killed Russian soldiers at the hands of Chechen fighters. The footage he saw had a stunning effect on Volodya.
Once again in the camp, he could not move away from what he saw in the issue for a long time, because the corpses of dead servicemen flashed before his eyes. The young hunter could no longer lead a normal life, remaining indifferent tonumerous deaths of Russian soldiers. He made a fateful decision, which was to contribute to the terrible war. Kolotov Vladimir collected all his few savings and went to the forefront in Chechnya. As a patron, he took with him a small icon of St. Nicholas.
Hard road
The eighteen-year-old boy did not manage to reach his final destination without incident. Police officers constantly tried to seize his grandfather's rifle, imposed fines, threatened to take all his savings and send him back to the taiga. For several days, the young hunter was even locked up in a bullpen. However, Kolotov Vladimir showed perseverance and nevertheless managed to break through to the positions of the Russian military within one month. General Rokhlin, to whom he sought to get during the journey, handed over a certificate from the military commissar. It was the rather shabby certificate that repeatedly saved Volodya from various troubles.
Enlistment in the army
After finding out all the circumstances why the young hunter from the Yakut village ended up here, the general was sincerely struck by his heroism. At that time, people who absolutely selflessly could sacrifice their lives were a rarity.
The recruit was identified as a sniper and given time to rest. During the day, Kolotov Vladimir slept off in the cab of a military truck, under the constant sounds of explosions. And then he took the cartridges for his rifle and left for the position. He was offered a new SVD rifle, but the young Evenk hunter decided not to.change grandfather's weapon.
The main enemy for Chechen fighters
Since Vladimir Kolotov left for the sniper position, no news has been received by the Russian army. Thanks to the efforts of scouts, he regularly replenished food and ammunition, but no one came across the eye. They even managed to forget about the strange guy from the Yakut village.
The news about Volodya came not from himself, but from the enemy. Some time later, thanks to intercepted communications, the Russian headquarters became aware of the commotion among the militants. For the Chechens who are in the vicinity of Minutka Square, a quiet life is over. Now the night time has turned into a pitch hell. It was after this that the Russian military remembered the Evenk hunter. The reason for the panic of the Chechens was precisely Vladimir Kolotov. The sniper was distinguished by his special handwriting - he shot in the eye. Reports of militants' deaths came in on a regular basis, with an average of 15-30 people dying at the hands of a young hunter from a Yakut village each night.
In an effort to eliminate a dangerous sniper, the leadership of the Chechen fighters promised their fighters a lot of money and high awards. So, at Maskhadov's headquarters, Volodya's head was given 30,000 dollars. Shamil Basayev, in turn, promised to give a gold star to anyone who was lucky enough to kill a well-aimed shooter. This was due to the fact that the size of the battalion of one of the leaders of the Chechen militants, Vladimir Maksimovich Kolotov, was significantly battered. A sniper every night de alt a hugedamage to manpower. A whole detachment was sent to neutralize the Evenk hunter, but his efforts were in vain.
Confrontation with Abubakar
Realizing that they could not cope with a well-aimed Russian sniper on their own, the Chechens decided to resort to the help of the Arab Abubakar, who lived in the mountains and had previously trained shooters for militants. It took him ten days to track down Vladimir Kolotov. And the young Evenk hunter was betrayed by his own clothes. An ordinary padded jacket and cotton pants are clearly visible at night, if you use special equipment. Here, with the help of night vision devices, Abubakar found Volodya by luminous clothes and lightly wounded him in the arm, slightly below the shoulder.
As a result of hitting the first sniper bullet, Vladimir Maksimovich Kolotov fell from the position he occupied, but managed to escape from the second shot. After falling from the roof, the young Evenk hunter was glad that his rifle had not broken. After being wounded, the sniper realized that a real hunt had begun for him.
Rematch with Arab sniper
He agreed to answer the challenge and left the militants alone for a certain period of time. Kolotov Vladimir acted as if on a hunt in his village, namely: he hid and waited for the enemy to give himself away. The Arab militant gave away his weakness. Abubakar's favorite pastime was smoking marijuana. However, killing the Arab proved to be a difficult task. Volodya's opponent had a huge combatexperience and for three days did not protrude from his position. Hoping that Vladimir Maksimovich Kolotov had gone home, the sniper of the militants decided to leave the shelter, for which he paid with a bullet in the eye. Subsequently, when trying to pick up the corpse of an Arab, three Chechen fighters lost their lives. In total, 16 opponents were killed near the dead Abubakar.
End of participation in the war
After the end of hostilities, General Rokhlin thanked Volodya for his help. According to some reports, 362 fighters were killed by the Evenk hunter's carbine. However, the number of enemy losses could be significantly higher, because no one was engaged in accurate accounting, and the sniper himself did not boast of his combat achievements. Since the Evenk hunter fought on a voluntary basis, he did not have any obligations to the Russian army. Therefore, after the service, Vladimir Kolotov ended up in the infirmary. The sniper returned to his native village after restoring he alth.
Meeting with Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin
When Dmitry Medvedev was the President of the Russian Federation, the whole country again learned about the well-aimed sniper from the Yakut village. Vladimir Maksimovich Kolotov received an invitation to visit the Kremlin to meet with the Supreme Commander.
Vladimir Kolotov did not come empty-handed from a distant Russian corner. Although his biography was shrouded in mystery, it was known that he was a real Evenk who honors traditionsof his people. As a gift from the northern inhabitants, he presented Dmitry Medvedev with a reindeer, symbolizing prosperity and prosperity. According to Evenk customs, the animal was waiting for the Russian president in his native village of Volodya until he arrived for him. However, the supreme commander did not take his deer, deciding that the animal would be more comfortable in its familiar environment. In addition to the deer, Vladimir Kolotov's family presented the president with a paizu - a plaque with a special inscription.
For heroism and merits during the First Chechen War, Vladimir Kolotov, whose photo was subsequently seen by the whole country, was awarded the Order of Courage. So 10 years later, the award found its hero. The family of an outstanding sniper was awarded the Order of Parental Glory by the Russian President.
