Alpha Group

Spetsgruppa "A" "Alpha Group"
Alpha group emblem
Active	28 July 1974 - present
Country	Soviet Union (1974–1991) Post-Soviet states with Alpha units:  Russia  Ukraine  Belarus  Kazakhstan  Georgia  Kyrgyzstan
Allegiance	Moscow Kremlin
Branch	Spetsnaz of the KGB (1974–1991) Russia: GUO (1991–1993) MVD (1993–1995) FSB (1995–present)
Type	Special forces
Role	Special operations, counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, assassination
Size	Classified (estimated 500 in 1991, 250–300 in Russia in 2004)
Part of	Federal Security Service
Garrison/HQ	Moscow (main force) Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Grozny (in Russia)
Nickname(s)	Alpha Group, Alpha (Alfa)
Engagements	Operation Storm-333 Aeroflot Flight 6833 hostage crisis January Events Soviet coup d'état attempt Russia: Russian constitutional crisis Budyonnovsk hostage crisis Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis First Chechen War Second Chechen War Moscow theatre hostage crisis Beslan school hostage crisis Insurgency in the North Caucasus
Commanders
Current commander	Col. Valery Kanakin
Notable commanders	Gen. Viktor Karpukhin Gen. Gennady Zaitsev

Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group (a popular English name), or Alfa, whose official name is Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB), is an elite, stand-alone sub-unit of Russia's special forces. It is a dedicated counter-terrorism task force of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), which primarily prevents and responds to violent acts in public transportation and buildings. It was created by the Soviet KGB in 1974. Although little is known about the exact nature of its primary directives, it is speculated that the unit is authorised to act under the direct control and sanction of Russia's top political leadership, similar to its sister unit, the Directorate "B" (Vympel), which is officially tasked with protecting Russia's strategic installations. It is also available for extended police duties, for paramilitary operations, and for covert operations, both domestically and internationally.

On 28 July 1974, Alpha Group was created on the orders of the KGB Chairman, Yuri Andropov, in the aftermath of the 1972 Munich massacre. It might have been established as a response to West Germany's creation of the Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (or the GSG 9). By attaching a special-purpose unit to the office of the First Chief Directorate in Moscow (later the Seventh Directorate), it was hoped that the Soviet Union's defensive capacity against terrorist attacks would increase significantly. At the time, other, more offensive special forces of the KGB included the groups Zenit and Kaskad/Omega. Another important mission for Alpha was to provide security for the Soviet leadership against enemy special forces in times of crisis or war.

Later, territorial Alpha units were established across the Soviet Union: in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Krasnodar Krai, Khabarovsk Krai and Sverdlovsk Oblast), the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (Minsk Oblast), the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (Almaty Oblast), and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Kiev Oblast). Two commanding officers of Group "A" were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union: Gen. Viktor Karpukhin and Gen. Gennady Zaitsev.