Scandal with maroon berets raises doubts on expediency of holding tests in Northern Caucasus

The information that after the scandal with pretenders from Chechnya, no further tests for the right to wear maroon berets will be held in Northern Caucasus looks like a fake, Sergey Goncharov, a special troop veteran, is sure. The retired Colonel Gennady Gudkov, a former FSB employee, believes that this option is being studied.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that earlier this October, a conflict broke out among "Rosgvardiya" (Russian National Guard) servicemen during a speed march as part of the tests for obtaining maroon berets held in the Stavropol Territory. The "Vityaz" special fighters claimed that law enforcers from Chechnya had received their maroon berets undeservedly.

Information has appeared in a number of groups in various social networks, with reference to the Council of Maroon Beret Veterans, that the qualification tests for the right to wear maroon berets will no longer be held in Northern Caucasus. However, there is no official confirmation thereof.

The decision may not have been made yet, but such an option is being studied, a reserve colonel of the Russia FSB, Gennady Gudkov, who is also a former State Duma MP, believes.

"There's no smoke without fire. I don't know whether this decision has been made or not, but there were definitely discussions on this topic," Mr Gudkov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In his opinion, both militaries and the society as a whole are puzzled by the situation. "Ordinary people, as well as military servicemen, dislike the way law enforcers and militaries from Chechnya behave. They seem to be trying to somehow separate themselves from Russia and its regions. All this sparks a negative reaction in the society. Therefore, measures should be taken to ensure that tests are held honestly and fairly," Gennady Gudkov has noted.

On the contrary, Sergey Goncharov, the president of the International Association of Veterans of the "Alpha" Anti-Terror Units, believes that such a decision is unlikely to be made.

"Personally, I see no reason to divide the territory of Russia into regions where it is possible and where it is impossible to hold tests for the right to wear maroon berets. It looks more like fake information," Mr Goncharov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 27, 2021 at 10:53 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.