The Orientir editorial office will receive a variety of emails. And yet the letter from the special forces of the internal troops stands out for its unusual nature. In it, officers of the Skif squad challenge paratroopers from Ryazan. We publish the letter almost entirely.

Dear editors,

This letter is not from one person, it is from officers of the Skif special forces unit. We are happy to read your magazine. A photo essay was published in the ninth issue of Orientir."..And there are no impossible tasks", which tells about the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School named after Army General V. F. Margelov. Now it is an Institute of the Airborne Forces. The text cites the statement of the commander of the cadet battalion, Colonel Alexander Anufriev, about the exam for the right to wear a crane beret: "Any third-year student of mine, I have no doubt, will overcome this exam without any problems, having trained once or twice."

Each type of army has its own rituals, symbols, which were treated with respect by everyone. Such for us is the maroon beret. We respect the symbols and traditions of the Airborne Forces, but the publication touches on the honor of the special forces of the Airborne Forces.

There is another saying in the story about the paratroopers: "Everything is learned by comparison." Well, we fully agree with him and suggest that we back up our words with deeds. We invite Colonel A. Anufriev and the cadets to take part in the examination for the right to wear a crane beret, and we also invite the correspondent of the Orientir magazine together with them. Those who pass the exam will be awarded berets.

Sincerely, Commander of the Skif AXIS, Lieutenant Colonel A. Kulikov.

What can I say? I would like to think that the soldiers of the special forces of the internal troops do not hold a grudge against either the paratroopers or the editorial staff, because everyone has the right to look for comparisons themselves. No one intended to offend anyone's professional honor. But, as the commander of the "Skif" correctly noted, words must be confirmed by deeds. And now, as we believe, when the gauntlet is thrown, the paratroopers have no choice but to adequately accept the challenge of the Scythians.

In turn, the Orientir editorial board is ready to act as an information intermediary for a possible meeting-competition of colleagues from different departments. We hope that neither the command of the airborne forces, nor the leadership of the Ryazan Institute of the Airborne Forces will remain on the sidelines.

It is clear how difficult it is to implement in practice what Lieutenant Colonel A. Kulikov and his subordinates suggest. But this is not the case when you can hide behind financial problems, turnover, etc. We are talking about professional pride, honor and dignity. You need to be able to stand up for these sacred concepts for paratroopers and special forces.

In general, we hope that the competition of real professionals will not end with word disputes on the magazine pages.

Service Department

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