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Memorial of Shlisselburg fortress defenders 1941-44 erected in ruins of church.
Shlisselburg Fortess is located on Ladoga lake and is of great interest for history lovers for several reasons. First fortified in 1323 by Novgorodian prince, the Fortress became known to the Russians as Oreshek (little nut) and to the Swedes as Noteborg. Shlisselburg Fortess constantly changed hands until its definitive recapture in 1702 by Peter the Great, who renamed it Schlisselburg (it means “Key Fortress”).
Over the course of time the Fortress lost its military significance and became a prison for anyone threatening the autocracy. VIP’s during the time of Peter the Great and later were confined in Tower Cells (including freemason Novikov and Chechen rebel leader Sheikh Mansur). “Secret House” cells were constructed at the beginning of the XIX century to incarcerate those Decembrists who were not hung or exiled.
“New Prison” was constructed in 1884 for the members of the terrorist organization “People’s Will” previously held in Peter and Paul fortress. Brutality, solitary confinement, and silence were used to crush their spirits and only 2 out of 21 survived.
During WWII the Fortress served as a Soviet strong point and was pummeled by Nazi artillery, including the former prison church, whose shell forms a memorial to the Fortress defense during the Blockade (Siege), festooned with sculptures made from redundant weaponry. Russian soldiers and officers perished in that period were buried in the same grave with soldiers of Peter the Great who defended the fortress in the XVII century.
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts,
It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black...
Location: Gaza
Operator: B.1.2
On our way from Russia,few hours before we extracted,we found Chechen.A lot of interesting informations about our prey came from his mouth..Rashid and Al Zahir..Nikolajevič and Russians..they all lead to one man who connected them.We dont even know how does he look like,but what we know is that he is here in Gaza,and that he has connections with Israelis.This is getting bigger..hell,let bigger than we expected.We are going black out in this operation,if we die nobody will know...Since we will also help to them,Palestineans will be kind enough to give us some guides.Lets just hope they are proffesionals..
Electric Boogaloo
Smoothbore 12 gauge pistol, features threaded lead pipe as a barrel.
Anarchy thing for no real raisin.
The Swat Valley is known as the Switzerland of the East. I first visited it in August 1998 and have been back many times since. Swat was a tranquil area, serene but ruined by militancy in the last 3 years. It was a popular tourist destination for the summer. Its beauty attracted people from the other side of Pakistan. Swat had always been one of the most peaceful areas within the North-West of Pakistan but the Afghan war changed that.
Swat rises from over 900 metres above sea level to its highest peak of over 6000 metres. It is a green and fertile district which is heavily forested in some regions, specially Upper Swat and the side valleys. Sadly lower Swat has lost so much of it's tree cover making it look like the drier regions further to the south. Swat is green because of good rainfall and the river. Black Bear, Leopard, Wolves, Goral, Markhor, Ibex, Musk Deer, Pheasants, partridges, Redstarts, Wagtails, Flying Squirrel are some of the species found here. Sadly the 6 larger species mentionned are very rare thanks to over-hunting and habitat loss.
Lets pray for peace and normalcy to come back to Swat. So far the military operation has been very successful but the militants are never to be under-estimated!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swat,_Pakistan
Swat (Pakhto: سوات) is a valley and an administrative district in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan located 160 km/100 miles from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is Mingora.[1] It was a princely state (see Swat (princely state)) in the NWFP until it was dissolved in 1969. With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty that used to be popular with tourists as "the Switzerland of Pakistan".[2].
In December 2008 most of the area was captured by the Taliban insurgency and it is now considered dangerous for tourism. The Islamist militant leader Maulana Fazlullah and his group Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi have banned education for girls and have bombed or torched "more than 170 schools ... along with other government-owned buildings."[3] The Pakistani government in late May 2009 began a military offensive to regain control of the region.
History
See also History of Swat (princely state)
The Swat River is mentioned in the Rig Veda 8.19.37 as the Suvastu river.[4] The first historical mention of the valley goes back to a hymn of the Rigveda(Stein, 1929:viii).[5] Swat has been inhabited for over two thousand years and was known in ancient times as the Udyana. The independent monarchs of this region came under Achaemenid influence, before reverting back to local control in the 4th century BC.[citation needed] In 327 BC, Alexander the Great fought his way to Udegram and Barikot. In Greek accounts these towns have been identified as Ora and Bazira. By 305 BC, the region became a part of the Mauryan Empire.[citation needed]
Buddhist heritage of Swat
Padmasambhava (flourished eighth century AD), also called Guru Rimpoche, Tibetan Slob-dpon (teacher), or Padma ‘byung-gnas (lotus born) legendary Indian Buddhistic Mystic who introduced Tantric Buddhism to Tibet and is credited with establishing the first buddhist monastery there.
According to tradition, Padmasambhava was native to Udyana (now Swat in Pakistan).[6] Padmasambhava was the son of Indrabhuti, king of Swat in the early eighth century AD. One of the original Siddhas, Indrabhuti flourished in the early eighth century AD and was the king of Uddiyana in north western India (identified with the Kabul valley). His son Padmasambhava is revered as the second Buddha in Tibet. Indrabhuti's sister, Lakshminkaradevi, was also an accomplished siddha of the 9th century AD.[7]
Ancient Gandhara, the valley of Pekhawar, with the adjacent hilly regions of Swat and Buner, Dir and Bajaur was one of the earliest centers of Buddhist religion and culture following the reign of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, in the third century BC. The name Gandhara first occurs in the Rigveda which is usually identified with the region [8]
The secular Swat museum has acquired footprints of the Buddha, which were originally placed for devotion in the sacred Swat valley. When the Buddha ascended, relics (personal items, body parts, ashes etc.) were distributed to seven kings, who built stupas over them for veneration.
The Harmarajika stupa (Taxila) and Butkarha (Swat) stupa at Jamal Garha were among the earliest Gandhara stupas. These were erected on the orders of King Ashoka and contained the genuine relics of the historic Buddha.[citation needed]
The Gandhara school is credited with the first representations of the Buddha in human form, rather symbolically as the wheel of the law, the tree, etc.[citation needed]
As Buddhist art developed and spread outside India, Indian styles were imitated. In China the Gandhara style was imitated in bronze images, with gradual changes in the features of these images over the passage of time. Swat, the land of romance and beauty, is celebrated throughout the Buddhist world as the holy land of Buddhist learning and piety. Swat was a popular destination for Buddhist pilgrims. Buddhist tradition holds that Buddha himself came to Swat during his incarnation as Gautama Buddha and preached to the people here.
It is said[by whom?] that the Swat valley was filled with fourteen hundred imposing and beautiful stupas and monasteries, which housed as many as 6,000 gold images of the Buddhist pantheon for worship and education. Archaeologists now know of more than 400 Buddhist sites covering an area of 160 km in Swat valley alone. Among the important excavations of Buddhist sites in Swat an important one is Butkarha-I, containing original relics of the Buddha. A stone statue of Buddha, is still there in the village Ghalegay.[citation needed] There is also a big stupa in Mohallah Singardar Ghalegay.[citation needed]
Hindu Shahi Rulers and Sanskrit
Swat was ruled by the Hindu Shahi dynasty who have built an extensive array of temples and other architectural buildings now in ruins. Sanskrit was the language of the Swatis.[9]
Hindu Shahi rulers built fortresses to guard and tax the commerce through this area. Their ruins can be seen in the hills of Swat: at Malakand pass at Swat’s southern entrance.[10]
Advent of Islam by Mahmud of Ghazni
Scenery from a restaurant near Mingora, Swat ValleyAt the end of the Mauryan period (324-185 BC) Buddhism spread in the whole Swat valley, which became a very famous center of Buddhist religion .[11]
After a Buddhist phase the Hindu religion reasserted itself, so that at the time of the Muslim invasions (AD1000) the population was solidly Hindu (ibid,ix)[12]
In 1023 Mahmood of Ghazni attacked Swat and crushed the last Buddhist King, Raja Gira in battle. The invasion of Mahmood of Ghazni is of special importance because of the introduction of Islam as well as changing the Chronology.[13]
These invasions caused no break in local traditions: the place–names given in the early Greek sources may be recognized in the names of major villages of modern Swat.(ibid,47,60), Conversion to Islam was thus something imposed by a small group of warrior lords, with the bulk of the population maintaining its secular Indian traditions. The main body of the modern agricultural tenants in Swat are probably descended from this formerly Hindu population.
The first Muslim masters of Swat were non–Pakhtun Dilzak tribes from south-east Afghanistan. These were later ousted by Swati Pakhtuns, who were succeeded in the sixteenth century by Yisufzai Pakhtuns. Both groups of Pakhtuns came from the Kabul valley [14]
Later, when the King of Kabul Mirza Ulagh Beg attempted to assassinate the dominant chiefs of the Yousafzais they took refuge under the umbrella of the Swati Kings of Swat and Bajour. The whole area was dominated by the Swati/Jahangiri Sultans of Swat for centuries. According to H. G. Raverty, the Jahangiri Kings of Swat had ruled from Jalalabad to Jhelum. After more than two decades of guerrilla warfare, they were dispossessed by the Yousafzais.
Demographics
The population at the 1981 Census was 715,938, which had risen to 1,257,602 at the next Census in 1998. The main language of the area is Pakhto. The people of Swat are mainly Pakhtuns, Yousafzai's, Kohistanis and Gujars. Some have very distinctive features[neutrality disputed]. Most probably they are originated from the same tribe who are roamed around the great trans-Himalayan mountain ranges thousands of years before, and now remained in some isolated but extremely beautiful pockets of Himalayan mountain ranges.
The Dardic people of the Kalam region in northern Swat are known as Kohistanis and speak the Torwali and Kalami languages. There are also some Khowar speakers in the Kalam region. This is because before Kalam came under the rule of Swat it was a region tributary to Chitral the Kalamis paid a tribute of mountain ponies to the Mehtar of Chitral every year.
Tourist attractions
PTDC Motel at Malam Jabba Ski Resort.There is a popular ski resort in Swat at Malam Jabba, 40 km north east of Saidu Sharif, closed in 2007 due to the decreasing ability of the Pakistani government to maintain security in the region. In June 2008, the ski resort was burned down by militants.[15]
Administration
The region has gone through considerable changes over the last few years since the dissolution of the Swat (princely state) in 1969. Members of the former Royal family have been elected to represent the area in the Provincial Assemby and National Assembly on occasion since then.
The district is represented in the provincial assembly by seven elected MPAs who represent the following constituencies:[16]
Taliban insurgency
Main article: Battle of Swat
By January 2003, there was a notable increase in violence as militant groups in the Swat valley, led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah, began attacking and killing civilians as well as police checkposts in Swat.[18] In 59 villages, the militants set up a "parallel government" with Islamic courts imposing sharia law. By 2009 the region was largely under effective militant control, despite the presence of 20,000 Pakistani troops.[19] Local opponents of the militants have been harshly critical of Pakistani civil society for its lack of concern for their plight as well as critical of the military and provincial government for their ineffective measures for controlling the tide of militancy.[20]
Late 2007
After a four-month truce ended in late September 2007, fighting resumed.[21] The paramilitary Frontier Constabulary was deployed to the area, but initially were reported to be ineffective. On November 16, 2007 Militants were reported to have captured Alpuri district headquarters in neighbouring Shangla. The local police fled without resisting the advancing militant force which, in addition to local militants, also included Uzbek, Tajik and Chechen volunteers.[22]
In late November 2007, Pakistani regular forces threw out Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi militants from its stronghold in the Kabal District of north-western Swat. About 250 militants died in two weeks of fighting according to Pakistani authorities and the militants retreated into the mountains.[1] By December 2007, the militants were on the run, with the valley "largely cleared".[23] Pakistani officials stated at that time that it would take four months to re-establish functioning institutions in the area, in the wake of Islamist ruin.[23]
Developments in 2009
A January 21, 2009 issue of the Pakistan daily newspaper The News, reports Taliban enforcement of a complete ban on female education in the Swat district. Some 400 private schools enrolling 40,000 girls have been shut down. At least 10 girls' schools that tried to open after the January 15, 2009 deadline by the Taliban were blown up by the militants in the town of Mingora, the headquarters of the Swat district.[27] "More than 170 schools have been bombed or torched, along with other government-owned buildings."[3]
In a stated attempt at bringing peace to this region, the Pakistani Government on 16 February 2009, signed a peace accord with the Taliban and agreed to the imposition of Sharia law in Swat and suspension of military offensives against the Taliban. This agreement invoked mixed reactions from the locals: some are relieved on the prospect of relative peace, while others are more skeptical about the Talibanisation of this scenic paradise and the push that this accord would give to the spread of Taliban's movement in Pakistan.[28] International concern primarily stems from the rigidity with which the Taliban is seen to be imposing Sharia. Others point to the impact such an accord will have in empowering radical Islamists and the jihadi movement in Pakistan and elsewhere.[29]
February 2009 ceasefire
Main article: Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009
The Pakistani government announced on February 16, 2009 that it would allow Sharia law in the Malakand region. In return, Fazlullah's followers agreed to observe a ceasefire negotiated by Sufi Muhammad.[30][31][32]
Reactions to Ceasefire
NATO feared that the agreement would only serve to allow militants to regroup and to create a safe haven for cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.[33]
Amnesty International expressed concern that the agreement would legitimize human rights abuses in the region.[30]
The people of Swat have welcomed this peace-agreement as welcome respite from the fighting that had brought their lives to a standstill.[who?] However, reports from the area suggest that this agreement has been accepted by them out of fear of continuous fighting that has destroyed the once scenic tourist haven.[citation needed] With the imposition of Nizam-e-Adl, some colleges and schools, including those for women, have reopened.[citation needed] However, women have to conceal themselves from head to toe as per the Islamic law or Shariah.[citation needed] Furthermore, Pakistanis are now scared that this deal may only serve to embolden militants to spread their influence into more settled parts of Pakistan.[citation needed]
Despite the reported ceasefire, the Taliban have refused to lay down their arms[34]. Various international political and security analysts are opining that this deal and refusal to lay down arms may have devastating effects on the stability of Pakistan.[35][36][37]
April-May 2009 Pakistani offensive
Through a media broadcast, the Pakistani government announced in late April that it would fight the Taliban in the Swat Valley, this war is called swat operation. This led to a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations Commissioner for Refugees announced that between 150,000 to 200,000 civilians had fled the war zone.[citation needed] The Pakistani military took back multiple Taliban strongholds, such as Rama Kandhao ridge in Matta and a Taliban headquarters in Loenamal. On the 8th of May, the Pakistani military announced that around 80 Taliban fighters had been killed and two Pakistani soldiers had been injured. Air strikes, artillery bombardment and rocket attacks by helicopter gunships are being undertaken extensively. As of 11 May, the military spokesperson of the ISPR report that as many as 200 militants had been killed in the fighting with Pakistan Army troops, also that Pakistan helibourne commandos had been inserted in the area which is the main stronghold of these militants.[38] By early June 2009, most of Swat was freed from Taliban and Mingora, the main town of Swat, was in complete government control and then pakistan government started focusing army on South Waziristan.[citation needed]
Listen this while reading: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl3EGoEuThA
Location: South Africa,further details classified
Operator: B.1.2.
Mission: Terrorist cell of Army of Mohammad,Black Sabre has base located in South Africa which was compromised by UN watchers.Black Sabres member,code name "Chechen" is known for his activities in Chechnya and Crimea,against Russians.Storm the compound and find all intel about Chechen and Black Sabre you can.
12.5.2014,Monday,1230
B.1.2. : All teams stand by,B2 goes in,over.
B.2.1. : Contact on 3 o'clock,permission to engage?
Motherboard : You have permission to engage,over.
B.3.1. : Multiple contacts coming from the left,B1 get ready,over.
B.2.1 : Breaching!
Explosions and sounds of gunfire
B.2.1. : Enemy is down,searching for intel,over.
B.3.1. : B1 is under heavy fire,what is happening?
B.1.2. : Shit,large group of enemy personnel is flanking us,officer down,I request medevac,over.
Motherboard: Helicopter's on the way,B1 get tk the hotevac site,B2 and B3 proceed with operation,extract from AO as planned,over.
ok, since the last photo had such a wonky filter and it looked like it was done by a toddler. I remade the pic, and added a few extra details.
BTW these are russians, just so ya know
Definition
In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen. In the United Kingdom, the word is still often used in this sense, but it later underwent pejoration. In current usage, it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. The word gang often carries a negative connotation; however, within a gang which defines itself in opposition to mainstream norms, members may adopt the phrase as a statement of identity or defiance.
The word "gang" derives from the past participle of Old English gan, meaning "to go". It is cognate with Old Norse gangster,[3] meaning "journey."[4]
History
Apache gangsters fight police. Paris, 1904
In discussing banditry in Chinese history, Barrington Moore, Jr. suggests that gangsterism as a "form of self-help which victimizes others" may appear in societies which lack strong "forces of law and order"; he characterizes European feudalism as "mainly gangsterism that had become society itself and acquired respectability".[5]
A wide variety of gangs, such as the Order of Assassins, the Damned Crew, Adam the Leper's gang, Penny Mobs, Indian Thugs, Chinese Triads, Snakehead, Japanese Yakuza, Irish mob, Pancho Villa's Villistas, Dead Rabbits, American Old West outlaw gangs, Bowery Boys, Chasers, the Italian mafia, Jewish mafia, and Russian Mafia crime families have existed for centuries. According to some estimates the Thuggee gangs in India murdered 1 million people between 1740 and 1840.[6]
The 17th century saw London "terrorized by a series of organized gangs",[7] some of them known as the Mims, Hectors, Bugles, and Dead Boys. These gangs often came into conflict with each other. The members dressed "with colored ribbons to distinguish the different factions."[8]
Chicago had over 1,000 gangs in the 1920s.[9] These early gangs had reputations for many criminal activities, but in most countries could not profit from drug trafficking prior to drugs being made illegal by laws such as the 1912 International Opium Convention and the 1919 Volstead Act.[citation needed] Gang involvement in drug trafficking increased during the 1970s and 1980s, but some gangs continue to have minimal involvement in the trade.[10]
In the United States, the history of gangs began on the East Coast in 1783 following the American Revolution.[11] The emergence of the gangs was largely attributed to the vast rural population immigration to the urban areas. The first street-gang in the United States, the 40 Thieves, began around the late 1820s in New York City. The gangs in Washington D.C. had control of what is now Federal Triangle, in a region then known as Murder Bay.[12]
Current numbers
Further information: Gang population
In 2007, there were approximately 785,000 active street gang members in the United States, according to the National Youth Gang Center.[13] In 2011, the National Gang Intelligence Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation asserted that "There are approximately 1.4 million active street, prison, and outlaw gang members comprising more than 33,500 gangs in the United States."[1] Approximately 230,000 gang members were in U.S. prisons or jails in 2011.[1]
According to the Chicago Crime Commission publication, "The Gang Book 2012", Chicago has more gang members than any other city in the United States: 150,000 members.[14] Traditionally Los Angeles County has been considered the Gang Capital of America, with an estimated 120,000 (41,000 in the City) gang members.[15]
Chicago has a higher rate of gang membership per capita than Los Angeles.[16] The state of Illinois has a higher rate of gang membership (8-11 gang members per 1,000 population) than California (5-7 gang members per 1,000 population).[16]
There were at least 30,000 gangs and 800,000 gang members active across the USA in 2007.[17][18] About 900,000 gang members lived "within local communities across the country," and about 147,000 were in U.S. prisons or jails in 2009.[19] By 1999, Hispanics accounted for 47% of all gang members, Blacks 31%, Whites 13%, and Asians 6%.[20]
Freshly tattooed teardrops signify his stints in prison for a young member of the 18th Street gang in Los Angeles.
A December 13, 2009 The New York Times article about growing gang violence on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation estimated that there were 39 gangs with 5,000 members on that reservation alone.[21]
There are between 25,000 and 50,000 gang members in Central America's El Salvador.[22]
More than 1,800 gangs were known to be operating in the UK in 2011.[23]
The FBI estimates that the four Italian organized crime groups active in the United States have 25,000 members in total.[24]
The Russian, Chechen, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, and other former Soviet organized crime groups or "Bratvas" have many members and associates affiliated with their various sorts of organized crime, but no statistics are available.
The Yakuza are among one of the largest crime organizations in the world. As of 2005, there are some 102,400 known members in Japan.[25]
Hong Kong's Triads include up to 160,000 members in the 21st century.[26] It was estimated that in the 1950s, there were 300,000 Triad members in Hong Kong.[27]
Notable examples
A Mara Salvatrucha gang member with a tattoo showing his gang membership.
Perhaps the best known criminal gangs are the Italian Cosa Nostra, commonly known as the Mafia.[28] The Napolitan Camorra, the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta and the Apulian Sacra Corona Unita are similar Italian organized gangs.
Other criminal gangs include the Russian Mafia, Mexican[29] and Colombian Drug Cartels, the Aryan Brotherhood, the Mexican Mafia, the Texas Syndicate, the Black Guerrilla Family, the Nuestra Familia, the Mara Salvatrucha, the Primeiro Comando da Capital, the Irish Mob, the Puerto Rican mafia Nuestra familia de Martínez sangre,the Chinese Triads, the Japanese Yakuza, the Jamaican-British Yardies, the Haitian gang Zoe Pound, and other crime syndicates.[30]
On a lower level in the criminal gang hierarchy are street gangs in the United States, such as the Bloods, Crips,Asian Boyz, or Latin Kings.Biker gangs (such as the Hells Angels and the Mongols Motorcycle Club) and white power skinhead gangs are also notable.
Types and structure
Latin King gang member showing his gang tattoo, a lion with a crown, and signifying the 5 point star with his hands
Many types of gangs make up the general structure of an organized group.[31]
There are street gangs, which are people with similar backgrounds and motivations.[32] The term "street gang" is commonly used interchangeably with "youth gang", referring to neighborhood or street-based youth groups that meet "gang" criteria. Miller (1992) defines a street gang as "a self-formed association of peers, united by mutual interests, with identifiable leadership and internal organization, who act collectively or as individuals to achieve specific purposes, including the conduct of illegal activity and control of a particular territory, facility, or enterprise."[33]
Understanding the structure of gangs is a critical skill to defining the types of strategies that are most effective with dealing with them, from the at-risk youth to the gang leaders.[34] Not all individuals who display the outward signs of gang membership are actually involved in criminal activities. An individual's age, physical structure, ability to fight, willingness to use violence, and arrest record are often principal factors in determining where an individual stands in the gang hierarchy; now money derived from criminal activity and ability to provide for the gang also impacts the individual's status within the gang. The structure of gangs varies depending primarily on size which can range in size from five or ten to several thousand. Many of the larger gangs break up into smaller groups, cliques or sub-sets. The cliques typically bring more territory to a gang as they expand and recruit new members. Most gangs operate informally with leadership falling to whoever takes control; others have distinct leadership and are highly structured, much like a business or corporation.
Matthew O'Deane, Ph.D.,[34] has identified five primary steps of gang involvement applicable to the majority of gangs in the world; at risk, associates, members, hardcore members and leaders.
"At risk" or "peripheral"
This group of kids is not considered gang members by law enforcement, but they know gang members and may associate with them on a casual or limited basis, mostly watching and imitating the older gang members. They are getting close to an age where they might decide to join the gang. They may like and admire the gang members in the neighborhood and the gang lifestyle, but do not participate in the gang's criminal activity. This group is generally between 7 and 9 years old.
"Associates" or "affiliates"
These kids associate with gang members on a regular basis and tend to consider gang life normal and acceptable. They find certain things in common with gang members and are seriously thinking about joining the gang. Some associates consider themselves members, even if they have not yet been formally initiated. This person is commonly called a "Wanna Be", "Pee Wee", or "Baby Gangster"; many may claim to back up the gang if confronted by law enforcement. They may act, walk, talk, and dress like gang members and will tend to socialize with them. These associates are sometimes used by older gang members to do specific tasks, such as serving as lookouts, runners, or for writing graffiti. This group typically lacks direction and may drift in and out of the gang depending on the current activities of the gang. This person is generally between the ages of 9 and 13, but can range from 7 to 18 years old in some cases. It is often difficult to distinguish an associate from a member by looking at them. The difference is in their commitment to the gang.
Young gang recruits
"Gang member"
This person associates almost exclusively with other gang members, to the exclusion of family and former friends. They have shifted their loyalty from their family to their gang. This person participates in gang crimes and most of the gang's activities. They make up the bulk of a gang's membership and are held responsible for protection of the gang's turf and fellow gang members. This person is generally between the ages of 14 and 20 years old, but, in some extreme cases, can range from 11 to 40 years old. The gang member has a much more significant attachment to the gang mentality, or code, when compared to an associate.
"Hard core gang member"
This gang member has become totally committed to the gang and gang lifestyle, commonly referred to as an "OG" or Original Gangster or "Veterano". This usage has changed from its original meaning, which indicated a founding member of a gang or one who was active in the 1960s or 1970s.
They usually reject any value system other than that of his/her gang and their life revolves around the gang. This member typically has been arrested and been through the justice system. This person will commit any crime or act of violence to further the goals and objectives of the gang.
"Gang leader"
Black Mafia Family leaders in 2004
These members are the upper echelons of the gang's command. This gang member is probably the oldest in the posse and likely has the smallest criminal record and they often have the power to direct the gang's activity, whether they are involved or not. In many jurisdictions, this person is likely a prison gang member calling the shots from within the prison system or is on parole. Often, they distance themselves from the street gang activities and make attempts to appear legitimate, possibly operating a business that they run as fronts for the gang's drug dealing or other illegal operations.[35]
Prison gangs are groups in a prison or correctional institution[36] for mutual protection and advancement. Prison gangs often have several "affiliates" or "chapters" in different state prison systems that branch out due to the movement or transfer of their members. The 2005 study neither War nor Peace: International Comparisons of Children and Youth in Organized Armed Violence studied ten cities worldwide and found that in eight of them, "street gangs had strong links to prison gangs".[37] According to criminal justice professor John Hagedorn, many of the biggest gangs from Chicago originated from prisons. From the St. Charles Illinois Youth Center originated the Conservative Vice Lords and Blackstone Rangers. Although the majority of gang leaders from Chicago are now incarcerated, most of those leaders continue to manage their gangs from within prison.[37]
Criminal gangs may function both inside and outside of prison, such as the Nuestra Familia, Mexican Mafia, Folk Nation, and the Brazilian[29] PCC. During the 1970s, prison gangs in Cape Town, South Africa began recruiting street gang members from outside and helped increase associations between prison and street gangs.[38] In the USA, prison gang Aryan Brotherhood is in organized crime outside prison.
Grozny. Grozny-City Towers. Mosque "The Heart of Chechnya"
Грозный. Грозный-сити. Мечеть «Сердце Чечни»
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
As Scimitar forces from across the middle eastern region and from abroad lay claim to Jalalabad being within their caliphate, U.S. forces are realizing just how difficult the war ahead may prove to be. Hardened Scimitar fighters from Iraq and Syria alongside locals and a Chechen recruit rush two U.S. troops.
Grozny. Grozny-City Towers. Mosque "The Heart of Chechnya"
Грозный. Грозный-сити. Мечеть «Сердце Чечни»
Located in Ekaterinburg is the Yekaterinburg War Memorial, better known as the Black Tulip War Memorial.
In the center of the memorial sits a soldier. He has his rifle in one hand, and his other arm rests over a raised knee. The soldier has his head bowed and he is staring intently at the ground. Etched upon his face is the emotion of complete powerlessness, horror, defeat and devastation.
This strong soldier tears at your heart and evokes emotions of terror and tragedy, for lives that were taken, maimed and lost in both Afghanistan and Chechnya. The soldier was erected in 1996 after the Afghanistan and First Chechen War, and the 10 curved black pillars that flank him, are arranged in date order, and bare the names of the 240 soldiers lost in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
The Yekaterinburg War Memorial, or Black Tulip War Memorial, stands as reminder to all those that visit Ekaterinburg, of the unnecessary loss of life and environmental damage that is suffered at the hands of war.
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
Though I didn't climb high enough to see the Nangma Pokhari glacial lake hidden behind the moraine wall, we did get good views of the Punchang (aka Phukan) glacier and peaks: The spiky 6060m at very left, then the steep rockface of 6209m (Nangamari II) and at the far end of the valley 6244m. In the middle is Syao Kang (5929m). At the very right, not visible, lies the Chechen Pokhari under the Chhochenphu Himal. The Nangamari lake burst in the summer of 1980; raising the river level by up to 20 meters; killing 8 people, destroying 10 houses and many bridges. It is probably this burst that people in Yangma mentioned when they said a flooding destroyed most arable land below Yangma, and led to people leaving the village.
The T-72A upgrade came in 1979 and gave the T-72 added laser rangefinder and electronic fire control, turret front and top being heavily reinforced with composite armour (nicknamed Dolly Parton by US intelligence), provisions for mounting reactive armor, smoke grenade launchers, flipper armour mount on front mudguards, internal changes.
The Russian T-72 has to be one of, if not the main battle tank that has seen the most combat since WWII since entering service in the 1970's. It has seen action across the world. It has been used by numerous countries and their conflicts through out the world, including: the Iran & Iraq war 1980 to 1988 by both sides, by Syria in the 1982 Lebanon war, Russia in the Soviet war in Afghanistan 1979 to 1989, the Nagorno-Karabakh War 1988 to 1994, by Russia in the first Chechen war 1994 to 1996 and the second war 1999 to 2002, several wars in the former Yugoslavia, on all sides from 1991 to 2001 and by Iraq in the Gulf war 1990 to 1991 and in the invasion of Iraq 2003.
The T-72 was originally intended to be issued to the bulk of the Russian Armies tank units and its WARSAW allies, as a cheaper alternative to the T-64. Leonid Karchev was the original designer of the tank and final design was completed by Valeri Venidikov. Production began in 1972 and its estimated that over 50 000 T-72's and the variants have been built in Russia and under licence in other countries.
The T-72 has some advantages in its design, but these generally have a knock on negative effect on its fighting capability’s. The T-72, as with most Russian tanks, has the benefit of a low silhouette, as the designers did away with the fourth crew member - the loader, and replaced him with a mechanical autoloader. This means the T-72 has a smaller surface area making it a harder target to hit, but this means that most of the ammunition has to be stored in the crew compartment, so if the hull is struck, then the ammunition can 'cook off' and kill the crew. During the Gulf War, allied tank crews called the Iraqi T-72's "Jack in the boxes" because when the ammunition did cook off it blew the turret clear off the hull and up into the air.
The vehicle has the standard protection systems such as internal NBC protective lining and is able to generate a smoke screen from the vehicle exhaust, as well as grenade launchers. It has a 7.62mm co-axial mounted MG and a 12.7mm air defence MG mounted on the commander's cupola. Its fire control & direction systems are also some what limited. Due to expense reasons, most T-72's are not fitted with Forward Looking Infrared Red thermal imaging sights, used to detect heat sources such as a tanks engine, but they are equipped with a basic Infra Red illuminator.
However the tanks silhouette and size do have the benefit of speed. The T-72 houses a multi-fuelled four-stroke liquid-cooled V-84-1 diesel engine, generating 840 hp and weighting only 41 ton's, it is a highly manoeuvrable M.B.T. It was observed doing 110km/h along a road in former East-Germany, but on average it's top speed is 75km/h and due to using torsion bar suspension, compared to Western tanks which use hydrodynamic suspension, the T-72 is not a comfortable ride for its crew. The T-72 is equipped with a snorkel system so that it is able to cross-rivers, but the hull is not watertight! so the crew are equipped with breathing apparatus, giving the T-72 a fording depth of 5m.
Russia is now equipping their army with the T-90, which is based on the T-72BM (designation for T-72 with Kontakt-5 reactive armour) and have over 2100 in active service and 7000 in reserve. The T-72 is still in use with over 30 countries and is still in production with some countries for export, which has caused problems with spare parts, as a lot of parts of T-72's produced in different countries are not interchangeable. There is also numerous up-grade/modernization packages for the T-72 offered by many countries.
Despite the T-72's ability to take out a M1-Abrams at up to 1000m, it has never had any real success against Western tanks on the occasions it has gone up against them, such as the Gulf War, the invasion of Iraq and in the 1982 Lebanon War. This is because they are out of date T-72's and export versions are always inferior to domestic Russian T-72's. I have seen many people on-line brag about the M1 Abrams and that it is the best MBT in the world because they destroyed so many Iraqi T-72's in both Iraq wars, without any losses at the hands of the T-72's. The reality is Iraq had arms embargo’s against it since the Iran & Iraq war in the 1980's, so was only able to buy up spare parts for the T-72M (an inferior export version) and use these to build their version of the T-72 called the 'Lion of Babylon' based on the T-72M at a steel plant in Taji with some parts provided by a Polish contractor, so was nearly 15 years out of date.
MEM4040 Departing Rwy 12 after a short fuel-stop on delivery to the Peruvian Navy. Ex-Air Manas of Kyrgyzstan (EX-32100)
Named after a Russian General who refused to advance further during the Chechen invasion due to the civilian losses it would incur.
Meridian
Antonov An-32B
UR-CLZ "Commander Babichev"
Prestwick Airport, Scotland
13th December 2013
Potsdam, DAS MINSK Art House: This newspaper photo from the Chechen war from 1994 to 1995 pasted on the inside of the screen "Garden in the Evening / Garden at Noon" from 1994 has a disturbingly present-day effect.
Das Kunsthaus DAS MINSK ist ein im September 2022 eröffnetes Museum für zeitgenössische Kunst. In ihm sollen jeweils Werke von Künstlern aus der früheren DDR im Dialog mit aktuellen Kunstwerken gezeigt werden. Die Eröffnungsschau ist dem bedeutenden Maler und Bildhauer Wolfgang Mattheuer (1927-1904) gewidmet. Mattheuer malte u. a. oft seinen Garten im heimatlichen Vogtland. Und so wurden als moderner Kontrapunkt eine Fotoserie und eine Videoinstallation des kanadischen Fotografen Stan Douglas über Schrebergärten in Potsdam in den 1990-er Jahren ausgewählt.
DAS MINSK Art House is a museum for contemporary art that opened in September 2022. The opening exhibition is dedicated to the important painter and sculptor Wolfgang Mattheuer (1927-1904). Among other things, Mattheuer often painted his garden in his native region of Vogtland. And so, as a modern counterpoint, were chosen a photo series and a video installation by the Canadian photographer Stan Douglas about allotment gardens in Potsdam in the 1990s.
The abandoned village of Chontio, right the Georgian / Chechen border. A few very friendly shepherds make their home here, producing sheeps cheese and wool.
When Kontakt-5 ERA was first seen on the T-80 in the 1980’s, it posed a serious concern for NATO and has been improved over the years to a 3rd generation which is used on the T-90. However the US developed the M829A2 & M829A3 APFSDS rounds which can defeat this type of ERA as can the Challenger 2‘s CHARM-3 and the rounds developed for the Leopard 2 A6. Thou Russia has reported to developed newer and more effective ERA, non has entered serial production and has only ever been seen on tank prototypes. The T-90 uses a composite type mix of aluminum and plastics, over its frontal arc, however the heavy use by Russia of such ERA would indicate that the T-90’s “composite” armor is not effective nor comparable to Western tanks like the Challenger 2‘s composite armor.
On the 20th of October 1999 Russia held trials at the TsNIIO 643a Testing Grounds to test the armor of the T-90 & T-80U. The outcome of the tests showed that the RPG-29 which can penetrate 750mm RHA could not only penetrate the frontal composite armor but also the Kontakt-5 ERA. However the RPG-7 with an advanced PG-7VR tandem warhead which can penetrate 650mm RHA could not penetrate the frontal armor. An unspecified APFSDS round could not penetrate both the Kontakt-5 & composite, but could penetrate it when not equipped with Kontakt-5.
The vehicle uses an autoloader which is fed by a carousel which can store a total of 22 rounds, such as APFSDS, HEAT-FS and HE-FRAG. The commander can operate the NSV 12.7mm MG mounted on the turret roof from under armor and the vehicle uses a coaxial 7.62mm MG. The vehicle uses the Ainet fuse setting system, which works with the laser range finder so HE-FRAG rounds can be detonated at a specific distance.
The Fire Control System originally used TO1-KO1 BURAN PNK-4S/SR AGAT day and night sighting system but now use the PNK-4S/SR AGAT system. The gunner uses the 1G46 day sighting system and the driver users a TVN-5 day and night sight.
Every MBT has a unique attribute or capability and the T-90’s is its Shtora-1 countermeasure suite. Though some other tanks use some similar functions, the T-90 is the first and only one to standardize such a capable system. If you can imagine Anti-Tank troops or vehicles trying to attack a T-90, they point their launcher at the tank and lock on its laser designator. The four sensors mounted on the T-90 detects the laser and alerts the crew, the turret is immediately traversed so the more heavily armored front is facing the threat. The two infrared jammers (each a box mounted on either side of the main gun) activate jamming the guidance system and preventing a lock on. The crew can then engage the target to neutralize it with the main gun. If the jammers aren’t effective, it can launch aerosol grenades which deflect lasers and optics of the launcher. The vehicle also a complete NBC system in the fighting compartment.
In 1995 the Russian Defense Ministry decided that it could no longer fund the production of the T-72 at Uralvagonzavod and the T-80 at Kirov. The T-80 had not performed well in the First Chechen War and was too expensive to run as was manufacturing two tanks, the T-72 & T-80. The ministry only wanted to operate one single principal tank and the T-90 was chosen to for fill that role while the development of a new principal tank continued.
Muslims are fighting for the defense of innocent people and children
What fault of this child until killed at the hands of the Russians
This was the Arab man named Khattab, one of the greatest fighters in Chechnya and the commander of the army .. Killing the armies of Russia and destroy them
They could not kill him
They then put the poison in a message of treachery and betrayal and he died .. Because it is an attempt to defend the innocent and to deter and expulsion of the Russians
How was brave and strong armies fighting the Russians and the destruction of
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrEIhZLlnIo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBddZo_WLyw&feature=channel_page
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6CEV3YVyc
He died in
2002/3/20
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
Variations on a theme «...with a film across Russia»
Variations on a theme «My Yekaterinburg»
Camera: Canon EOS 5
Lens: Canon EF 28-105 1:3.5-4.5 USM
+ Vivitar color correction 85B filter
Film: Kodak Vision3 200t (ECNII) expired
Scanner: Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED
Photo taken: 17/02/2017
The black tulip is a memorial to the Ural soldiers of the internationalists who died in Afghanistan and the soldiers who died in Chechnya. It is located on the square of the Soviet Army in the square of Lunacharskogo streets - Pervomaiskaya - Mamina-Sibiryaka - Shartashskaya.
The idea of creation: Sverdlovsk regional branch of the Russian Union of Afghan Veterans (RSO RSVA)
Sculptor: Konstantin Grunberg
The author of the second part of the monument: Andrei Serov.
The artistic idea of the monument is the stylized space of a cargo military transport aircraft carrying the bodies of dead soldiers and officers to their homeland. These planes were called "black tulips" by the "Afghans" themselves.
In the center of the composition is the figure of a seated soldier with an automatic rifle around which the metal pylons imitating the skeleton of the aircraft fuselage are named with the names of the Uralians who died during the fighting in Afghanistan.
The monument is made of metal with a special coating. The weight of the central figure of the monument is 4.5 tons, the height is 4.7 meters. The height of the pylons is 10 meters. On ten pylons of the monument are 240 surnames of Sverdlov residents who died in Afghanistan.
Later, after the end of the active stage of the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya, in 2002 this ensemble was supplemented with granite steles with the names of servicemen who died in the Chechen Republic and Dagestan.