Airborne Forces Day: How to Spot a Fake Paratrooper
Today, Airborne Forces Day is much more peaceful than it was years ago. Most celebrations are friendly and do not disturb other people. However, incidents still happen on August 2. In many cases, the people causing problems are not real VDV veterans but fake paratroopers.
More interesting articles:
From Crimson to Blue: The History of the VDV Beret and Telnyashka
What Do Telnyashka Colors Mean?
Why Do Russian Soldiers Wear Striped Shirts?
How can you tell the difference between a real airborne veteran and someone pretending to be one?
Former VDV commander and current chairman of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, General Vladimir Shamanov, once described these people:
"So-called 'fake paratroopers' are people who never served in the Airborne Forces but like to show off by wearing a telnyashka. When you ask them questions like, 'What parachutes did you jump with?' or 'Where did you serve?', they cannot give a clear answer."
According to former VDV officer and Russian senator Frants Klintsevich, fake paratroopers have been a serious problem for the Airborne Forces. Many scandals on August 2 are connected with people who never served in the VDV but wear its uniform.
Their behavior hurts the reputation of the famous "Winged Infantry."
Klintsevich once said:
"There are fewer of them today because they get beaten. We even told Afghan War veterans to find them and beat them. It is easy to buy a blue beret and a telnyashka. It is also easy to get drunk and behave badly while trying to hide your own problems."
The birthday of the Soviet Airborne Forces is August 2, 1930. On that day, during military exercises near Voronezh, the Soviet Air Force dropped the country's first airborne unit. Twelve paratroopers jumped under the command of military pilots Leonid Minov and Yakov Moshkovsky.
Military Service Record
The easiest and most reliable way to find out if someone really served in the Airborne Forces is to ask to see their military service record.
This document lists the soldier's rank, position, and the military units where he served. By checking the unit number, it is possible to find out whether it belonged to the VDV.
Military Specialty Code
Another way to check whether someone really served in the Airborne Forces is to look at the Military Specialty Code (VUS) in the military service record.
This is a six-digit number, sometimes followed by a letter. If the code ends with the letter "D", it means the military specialty was connected to the VDV.
The first three digits show the soldier's specialty. For example:
- 100 – Rifleman
- 101 – Machine Gunner
- 103 – Grenadier
However, if the military record shows the codes 998 or 999, the person could not have served in the Airborne Forces.
- 998 means the person was fit for military service with minor restrictions but never served.
- 999 means the person was only partly fit for military service and received no military training.
Where Did You Serve?
Real paratroopers can often spot a fake with just this one question.
A fake may say something like, "I served in the Pskov Division." A real VDV soldier knows the full official name of his unit.
For example, the famous Pskov division is officially called the 76th Guards Air Assault Chernigov Red Banner Division.
A real paratrooper should also know the full name of the regiment where he served, including all official honors.
For example:
234th Guards Black Sea Air Assault Regiment, Order of Kutuzov, named after Saint Alexander Nevsky.
Real VDV veterans also remember their battalion, company, platoon, and the names of their commanders. These are things they do not forget.
Military Awards
The Russian state has never given military awards easily, even to real heroes.
Because of this, a paratrooper wearing a large number of medals and decorations should raise questions. There are soldiers with many awards, but they are rare.
Real veterans also do not usually mix combat medals with service or anniversary medals.
For many VDV veterans, a single "For Courage" Medal says much more than a chest covered with dozens of medals.
Do the Awards Match the Age?
It is also important to check whether the medals match the person's age.
Most Soviet military awards stopped being issued after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Because of this, a young veteran who served only in modern conflicts, such as Syria, could not have earned awards like the Order of the Red Star or the Order of the Red Banner.
How Many Parachute Jumps?
Many people think that every VDV soldier makes hundreds of parachute jumps, but this is not true.
During their military service, most conscript soldiers and sergeants usually complete up to ten parachute jumps.
Because of this, parachute badges showing a very large number of jumps should make you suspicious.
If someone claims to have been a VDV conscript and talks about an unbelievable amount of parachute experience, you can ask a simple question.
For example:
"What is the correct name for the ring used to open a parachute?"
A real paratrooper should know the answer immediately.
The correct name is the manual ripcord handle. Despite the common name, it is not actually a ring. It looks more like a small handle.
If the "paratrooper" cannot answer that question, you can ask another one:
"Did you ever jump with an RD-54 parachute?"
If he says yes, he is almost certainly pretending. If he hesitates, that is also a bad sign.
The reason is simple: the RD-54 is not a parachute.
It is the famous Soviet airborne backpack, introduced in 1954 and used by the VDV for more than fifty years. It became one of the most respected pieces of Soviet military equipment, and every real paratrooper knows what it is.
The biggest difference between a real VDV veteran and someone pretending to be one is not the blue beret or the telnyashka.
Real paratroopers are known for their discipline, self-control, and good behavior. Those qualities have always been just as important as the uniform itself.
More interesting articles:
From Crimson to Blue: The History of the VDV Beret and Telnyashka
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