A remarkable incident took place in Kazan, Russia. A spetsnaz soldier caught a girl who had accidentally fallen from fifth floor of a building in the capital of Tatarstan, a republic within Russia. The child emerged unscathed, while the Special Forces soldier suffered a broken arm and has nominated for a decoration for heroism.
Alexei Vasiliev, a professional contract soldier (efreitor) serving with a special purpose unit, was walking home after the end of the work day when he noticed a group of nervous onlookers near an apartment block in Kazan, a message on the website of Russian Internal Troops published Wednesday says.
“Women walking with their children and passers-by were discussing something gustily while pointing at the dwelling,” the message reads.
The soldier then observed a young child leaning off a balcony on the fifth floor.
“Not hesitating a single moment, Alexei rushed to the house and managed to catch with his hands the girl, who had just fallen”, the Internal Troops website describes.
The 3-year-old girl, Kamila, was not seriously hurt, according to the ambulance, which arrived on the spot shortly after the incident, the statement adds.
Vasiliev’s fellow servicemen and his commander only found out about the incident a week later, when the modest soldier reported a bone fracture at his unit’s medical suite.
Alexei does not believe he’s done any sort of heroic deed, the Internal Forces’ site stated.
“Any man, and especially serviceman, would have done the same in my place. I did not feel the trauma right away, just some minor pain, so I didn’t pay attention to it,” Vasiliev noted.
For saving the girl, the Special Forces soldier has been nominated for an Internal Troops’ decoration called “For bravery for the sake of rescue”, as confirmed by the unit’s deputy commander, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Kazakov.
The Bars (‘snow leopard’) 26th special purpose unit of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Internal Troops (VV), located in Kazan, is one of several spetsnaz VV units. The soldiers are armed with lighter weapons and tasked with combating terrorism and domestic insurgents. Earlier, Bars fought against militants and provided security in Chechnya.
Russian spetsnaz VV soldiers are known by their maroon berets, which they only receive after successfully completing a grueling exam where only the very best make the cut. These elite troops have become famous in recent years thanks to dramatic photo and video coverage.
