Borderguard officer receives title of Hero of Russia for defeating a Chechen gang

Senior Lieutenant Ruslan Kokshin has been conferred upon the title of Hero of the Russian Federation for services to the state and the people and for his heroic exploit.

As RIA Novosti was told in the press service of the North Caucasian regional department of the Russian Federal Frontier Service, Chief of Staff of the Federal Frontier Service Colonel General Nikolai Reznichenko announced this on Monday. At the present time he is making an inspection tour of the units deployed at the southern borders of the country.

This high title was conferred upon the commander of a mortar platoon of the assault landing group of the Argun frontier unit for heroism in blocking and liquidating a bandit group of the Chechen field commander Hasan at the end of July, this year.

At the decisive moment of the battle, having destroyed three firing points of the militants, the officer called by radio a friendly mortar fire upon his position. The mortar fire bound the actions of the band, and the reconnaissance fighting groups, which came to the aid of the encircled Kokoshin platoon, helped to complete the rout of the bandit group.

About twenty officers, sergeants and soldiers of the Argun frontier unit have also been awarded orders and medals. Lieutenant Colonel Eduard Ladygin and Major Sergei Popov have been awarded the Orders for Courage posthumously, reported the press service of the North Caucasian regional department of the Russian Federal Frontier Service.