OMSDON

For Russian special purpose forces in general see: spetsnaz

ODON shoulder patch

The Dzerzhinsky Division is a internal security division of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR and then the Russian Federation.^[1]

USSR

OMSDON traces its roots to the OSNAZ detachment of the VChK (formerly 1st Automobile Fighting Detachment of the VTsIK). It was created on 1 June 1924. It was later reorganized into the DON (Special-Purpose Division) of the OGPU and then NKVD of the USSR.

Formed as a full army division shortly before the Soviet-Finnish War and named OMSDON (Independent Special-Purpose Motorized Rifle Division F. E. Dzerzhinsky, Russian: ОМСДОН, Отдельная мотострелковая дивизия особого назначения ВВ МВД им. Ф.Е.Дзержинского), the division fought on the frontlines of World War II against Nazi Germany. The OMSDON units protected the Allied leaders during the Yalta conference.

In preparation for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, an elite group of OMSDON troops was trained with special forces tactics; the core of this group later became the Vytyaz unit.

Russian Federation

In 1994, the OMSDON was renamed Independent Division of Operational Purpose or ODON. The full name of the unit is the Independent Orders of Lenin and October Revolution Red Banner Division of Operational Purpose of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (Russian: Отдельная орденов Ленина и Октябрьской Революции Краснознаменная дивизия оперативного назначения внутренних войск МВД России).

In 2008, Vityaz and Rus batallions were merged into 604th Red Banner Special Purpose Center.

See also

• Spetsnaz
• Special Forces
• Commando
• OMON

References

1. ^ http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/russia/mvd-su0537.htm