Polite people movement. Who are "Polite People"? “We are also Russians. Thank you for being with us!"

It's time to take stock of the military operation carried out in Crimea from February 26 to March 28. To collect information about how it was, "Novaya Gazeta" turned to a number of sources.

It goes on, then stops the transfer of military equipment, captured by "polite people without identification marks" during the Crimean operation, to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Several ships are waiting for their fate in the Crimean waters, unable to reach Odessa on their own. It's time to take stock of the military operation carried out in Crimea from February 26 to March 28. To collect information about how it was, "Novaya Gazeta" turned to a number of sources. Due to the specifics of the service, employees of the Ministry of Defense, servicemen of units participating in the operation, warrant officers and sailors of the Ukrainian fleet, senior officers of the Ukrainian border service, as well as one civilian specialist who provided the work of our troops, asked not to be named.

The operation ended almost bloodlessly, as the leadership demanded. This is an infrequent case in military history. What is there, unique.

Required explanation

All over the world and at all times the military have been preparing for years to carry out the orders of politicians. And they go without a murmur to Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Punjab, Chechnya. They are not judged for war if they do not commit military crimes and understand what a criminal order is. Then politicians are judged, such is the historically formed "division of labor". And the purpose of the material is to tell about the operation in Crimea only from a military point of view. We do not touch upon the political aspect of the annexation of Crimea at all.

I must explain that all the Russian troops that were there on the day when the Federation Council gave Putin permission to use them in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, I will call "a group located in Crimea by agreement between our countries." Until the end of the operation, Ukraine did not denounce this treaty. And the Americans possessing the most modern means of intelligence did not record an excess of the maximum number of Russian troops (26,000 people), determined by the treaty on the Russian naval base in Sevastopol.

This is the formal basis for the Kremlin to reject the term "occupation troops."

With what and with whom did the Russian troops deal?

The army of Ukraine, which had completely withdrawn from the Armed Forces of the USSR, was known to the Russian General Staff as flaky. They proceeded from the fact that as of January 1, 2014, the total strength of the country's Armed Forces was 182 thousand. They had at their disposal:

• 2,311 tanks;
• 3,782 armored combat vehicles (AFV);
• 3101 missile and artillery system;
• 507 combat aircraft;
• 121 attack helicopter.

At best, half of this technique was combat-ready.

The number of units of the Ukrainian army stationed in Crimea, according to the most complimentary estimates, did not exceed 30 thousand people. According to the acting director Minister of Defense Igor Tenyukh, 18,800 military, of which the Navy - 11,900, the Air Force - 2,900, the rest of the military units - 4,000.

The Ukrainian Navy and the Ukrainian border coast guard did not have serious military capabilities. Some border ships were able to leave for Odessa from Balaklava. And the rest of the naval personnel of the Ukrainian Navy was almost publicly blocked at the beginning of the operation in three bays of Crimea: Severnaya and Streletskaya bays of Sevastopol and at the base of Lake Donuzlav.

In reality, most of these ships are either pending decommissioning, obsolete ships, or auxiliary. Only a few small anti-submarine ships (called corvettes in the Ukrainian Navy), a pair of missile boats and the Konstantin Olshansky large landing craft were of any interest to our military in assessing the forces. But they also required repair.

Photo: Evgeny Feldman - "New"

Third force

American and European commentators noted that on the eve of the appearance of "polite people" at the administrative buildings in Simferopol, no activity was noticed on the air. The aliens practically did not even use mobile phones. In some articles, the opinion was expressed that they almost switched to communication with the help of messengers. One way or another, the operation, which began on February 27, was a complete surprise for the intelligence services of different countries.

According to the provisions of the Montreux Convention on the mode of passage of warships into the Black Sea through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits, the presence of warships of non-Black Sea countries in the Black Sea cannot exceed 21 days, and the total tonnage of each such ship is 30 thousand tons.

In February 2014, even during the Olympic Games in Sochi, there were two American ships in the Black Sea at once - the headquarters Mount Whitney and the frigate Taylor. The first of them withstood the terms of the Montreux convention of 21 days, and the second overdue them under the pretext of eliminating the breakdown of the propeller in the Turkish port of Samsun when leaving the Black Sea. It is believed that it was the frigate "Taylor" that was equipped with the necessary radar systems and means for conducting reconnaissance. However, "Taylor" did not find anything suspicious.

The day before

Evaluating the potential enemy on the peninsula during the preparation and conduct of the referendum in Crimea, the specialists of the Ministry of Defense also foresaw the possible appearance of paramilitary organizations.

There was operational information about the deployment of the "Right Sector" group in Crimea and specific plans for organizing sabotage at the facilities of the Black Sea Fleet. Actions were expected to transfer the coverage of the operation in the world media to a higher emotional level - the seizure of hostages by combat groups and the capture of Russian servicemen.

The likelihood of the use of weapons by the Crimean Tatars was also taken into account when holding events.

Due to the involvement of the Muslim community of Russia in the person of the chairman of the SAM of Tatarstan, mufti Kamil Samigullin, as well as the president of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, the developing conflict with the Crimean Tatars was significantly smoothed out.

The tension in the situation on the peninsula was generated by extravagant statements by some Russian politicians. For example, against the background of Kadyrov's statements, which are difficult to interpret otherwise than readiness to participate in the armed struggle in Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on March 5 that the 1st Vostok Motorized Rifle Battalion (Chechnya) was stationed in Dzhankoy. But at the last moment, the wise people in the Kremlin refused to "help" - they say, Ukrainian soldiers would start shooting at Chechens sooner than at "Russian brothers".

The task ahead required, first of all, guaranteed controllability and endurance of the personnel, and this is not the strongest feature of the subordinates of the President of Chechnya. The people in charge of the operation took this into account.

Photo: Evgeny Feldman - "New"

What dangers did the special services see

The operation was accompanied by an information war on both sides.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that Russia has transferred 6,000 troops to Crimea. However, information on the number of aircraft arrived (5-7 aircraft) leads to different conclusions. One Il-76 can accommodate 126 paratroopers, the two-deck version of the aircraft - 225 people. Also, these planes carry military equipment.

Thus, no more than 1,575 people could have arrived on the Il-76 (we will assume that equipment and ammunition were not brought at all). 10 helicopters, marked by border guards, could carry about 200 people. Total by air - maximum 1,700 people. The ships of the Black Sea Fleet, under full control, simply could not transport 4,300 more servicemen unnoticed.

The operation headquarters also took into account:

• a large number of Crimean Tatars took their women, old people and children to the territory of Ukraine, all the escorts - young men - returned back;
• before the events in Kiev, agents in the military environment in Ukraine recorded cases of violence against the wives of "siloviks" (border guards, customs, military, Ministry of Internal Affairs), sometimes perceived as a support of the Yanukovych regime, on the part of the radical part of the population - it was clear that there were hotheads, ready to go very far if they get to the Crimea;
• intelligence sources recorded the export of cultural property to mainland Ukraine;
• active attempts were noted by the ultra-right to create their own groups in eastern Ukraine "to maintain law and order."

Each such information separately did not deserve much attention, but in the aggregate the picture came out grim. In any planning, it is better to proceed from a pessimistic scenario.

Looking ahead, I can state: despite the threatening preparations of the sides and high military activity, during the "Crimean crisis" 4 people died. The first two victims were participants in a pro-Russian rally on February 26 in Simferopol: an elderly man (from a heart attack) and a woman crushed by the crowd. Two more victims were recorded on March 18 during the assault on the photogrammetric center of the Main Directorate of Operational Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Simferopol - a Ukrainian serviceman, a warrant officer by the name of Kakurin and a 34-year-old resident of the Kotelnikovsky district of the Volgograd region of Russia Ruslan Kazakov, who arrived in Crimea in as a volunteer. The circumstances of their death are still not clear. Losses among the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were not officially recorded.

Photo: Evgeny Feldman - "New"

Operation

On February 27, at 4:20 am local time, about 120 submachine gunners in full combat gear, but without insignia, occupied the buildings of the parliament and the government of Crimea. Russian flags were raised over the buildings, and barricades appeared at the entrance. On the night of February 27-28, the airport of Sevastopol "Belbek" was blocked by armed people. About a dozen military trucks arrived there.

Unidentified people in military uniform also seized the Simferopol airport. At both airports, officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine adjoined them, no clashes occurred between them and no weapons were used. On the night of March 1, armed people, by order from Kiev, tried to seize the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Crimea, but they were prevented by "self-defense units" with the participation of Russian special forces. This was the first and last attempt by Ukraine to disrupt the operation that had begun. On the same day, armed people took control of the center of Simferopol. At the first meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Crimea in the new composition, Prime Minister Aksenov admitted that important objects are guarded by joint patrols with the participation of the Russian military.

On March 2, the Border Guard Service of Ukraine announced that it had recorded ten Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters of the Russian Armed Forces crossing the Russian-Ukrainian border (according to a knowledgeable source, the Ukrainian side was officially notified of only three helicopters). On the same evening, about five Il-76 military transport aircraft arrived in Ukraine, according to the same border guards. The planes landed at the Gvardeyskoye airfield (13 km north of Simferopol). According to Novaya Gazeta, special forces and separate airborne units from Pskov, Tula, Ulyanovsk were involved in the operation.

"Polite people" in uniforms without insignia blocked administrative buildings and infrastructure in Simferopol. In addition to the building of the government and the Supreme Council of Crimea, such facilities include airports, a radio station, and facilities of Ukrtelecom (the largest telecom operator in Ukraine). By the evening of March 2, the headquarters of the Azov-Black Sea regional administration and the Simferopol border detachment of the Ukrainian Border Service were bloodlessly captured. Control was established over one of the Ukrainian Air Defense (AD) divisions in the area of ​​Cape Fiolent.

On March 3, the Crimean government announced it was going over to the side of the regional authorities of the 204th Fighter Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force. In most cases, when Ukrainian servicemen refused to voluntarily surrender their units, the arriving servicemen unblocked them after a while.

All plans were based on the need for a bloodless capture.

The dignity of the Ukrainian military

After the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Navy Denis Berezovsky, who was just appointed by A. Turchinov, called on his subordinates to lay down their arms and came under the command of the Prime Minister of Crimea Sergei Aksenov, a considerable part of the commanders and personnel of the units refused to obey him. Incidents between the military within the Ukrainian units, related to the “surrender / not surrender” split, occurred in the military unit A-0669 in Kerch, the Sevastopol Tactical Aviation Brigade named after V.I. Pokryshkin, Academy of Naval Forces named after V.I. Nakhimov, part of the Ukrainian coastal defense in Perevalnoye, military unit 7542 in Sevastopol (39th detachment of the Ukrainian Navy), 191st training center of the Ukrainian Navy in Sevastopol. Our interlocutors did not confirm the propaganda version that those who were called up from the right bank of Ukraine refused to surrender in the first place.

The only attempt to start a partisan war in Crimea can be called an attempt by Ukrainian border guards to damage the gas pipeline in the Strelkovy area on March 16. However, the reliability of this fact, known only in the presentation of the Crimean Prime Minister Aksenov, has not been established. No witnesses have been found yet.

On March 19, the headquarters of the Ukrainian Navy was taken by storm in Sevastopol, and Commander Sergei Gaiduk, who was there, was detained. After the intervention of Sergei Shoigu, who turned to the leadership of the Crimea, the detainee was released.

On the same day, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine finally allowed the Ukrainian military in Crimea to use weapons.

This was clearly a belated decision: the operation was ending, under the control of Kiev from the initially vast economy there were only a few objects that had no connection with each other.

The likelihood of the use of weapons by units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Crimea, according to our sources, was, however, the behavior and tactics of the Russian military made it possible to avoid direct clashes.

The actions of the Russian military were either sudden - which made it impossible for their Ukrainian counterparts to carry out retaliatory actions, or control over the objects was established during negotiations.

The most important factor in this dramatic confrontation was the understanding on both sides of the conflict that the use of weapons could lead to catastrophic consequences. Therefore, the main task at the first stage in all cases was the capture or reliable blocking of weapon rooms and warehouses.

The special forces were also entrusted with the protection of such strange objects for the uninitiated as kindergartens. Including in Alushta. This meant that they were expecting a hostage-taking. An interesting detail: the child protection special forces were ordered to fasten empty magazines in order to exclude the possibility of an involuntary shot.

Photo: Evgeny Feldman - "New"

Marines against the Airborne Forces

The most revealing episode in this bloodless epic was the events of the night seizure by Russian paratroopers of the base of the 1st Feodosiya Naval Infantry Battalion of the Ukrainian Navy under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Delyatitsky. The behavior of this officer, who never received a single intelligible order from the political leadership in Kiev, until the last urging his soldiers to remain faithful to the oath, I consider a model. Our interlocutors at the Russian Ministry of Defense also spoke of him with special respect.

Part of Delyatitsky was the last, over which the flag of Ukraine continued to fly even after the referendum, which drew a line under the Ukrainian past of the peninsula. Earlier, more than half of the Marines decided to go to serve in the Russian army, and the most persistent remained under the command of Delyatitsky. Even the participants in the assault have different opinions on the number of marines who were at the base on the night of March 24, when Russian special forces, mingling with a crowd of local residents, burst into the courtyard of the base - from 80 to 120 people.

Quickly breaking open the gate, they threw flash-noise grenades at the barracks. However, the Marines were in no hurry to go out into the courtyard with their hands up. And then a situational decision was made: the commanders, in order to avoid bloodshed, proposed hand-to-hand combat. The fighters in the room came together wall to wall.

About 40 people left the Russian special forces.

The very name "marines" does not give an advantage, but it was an elite unit. I can imagine the ridicule: is the scuffle all that the vaunted military reform has given? For me, the commander deserves the highest praise for solving the case in such an epic manner as in a fist fight on Shrovetide. Some journalists reported from the scene that "Russian Mi-24 helicopters fired unguided rockets at the Marine barracks." And there even the bayonet-knives were removed from sin.

Dmitry Delyatitsky and his deputy Major Rostislav Lomtev, who stood in hand-to-hand combat in the first row, were sent to the guardhouse with broken ribs. Three days later, Delyatitsky left Crimea. Other results of hand-to-hand combat are as follows: in the morning the officers, on parole, which they kept, were sent home to collect things. Soldiers who decided to continue serving Ukraine were waiting for them at the barracks.

Every three of their four comrades decided to stay in Crimea, including the reliable Rostislav Lomtev, who was standing next to Delyatitsky in that wall. Was such an outcome possible if at least one shot had thundered? I strongly advise diehard blood lovers to familiarize themselves with the story of a Ukrainian participant .

For the Russian military, it was more important to lower the flag over the barracks, which was often achieved simply by negotiations, and not the ostentatious triumph of Russian weapons. This was especially evident in the history of the Ukrainian fleet.

But the descent of the flag is a heavy symbol. If you treat him like a military man. He fights for the flag when the merchant is in a hurry to trade in it. The authorities in Kiev delayed until the last, hoping to return the ships in a political bargaining after the crisis. In my opinion, they could solemnly sink half of the fleet, without prejudice to combat capability, to the national anthem of Ukraine - it was risky to launch most of the ships into the sea. But the world would see the symbol of a new Ukraine and the beginning of a glorious military tradition.

They didn't take the chance. By the end of March 20, after Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the recognition by Russia of the military ranks of Ukrainian servicemen, the commanders and chiefs of 72 military units, institutions and ships of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine deployed on the Crimean Peninsula decided to transfer to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. After that, the storming of the air base in Belbek on March 22 was shown live. The "polite people" turned into the Russian military. The public was not surprised ...

March 28, acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov signed a decree on the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Crimea. 4,300 of the 18,800 Ukrainian military personnel expressed a desire to leave Crimea and continue serving in mainland Ukraine. And Defense Minister Shoigu said that "the organized withdrawal of units of the Ukrainian army that have expressed a desire to continue serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been completed."

The command and control style of troops largely depends on the personal experience of the commanders. Having behind him the experience of an airborne regiment commander and remembering the Afghan past, Pavel Grachev, not realizing that he had a completely different army at hand, intended to take Grozny in a day with the forces of one regiment. The nightmare to which his arrogance led, I will remember all my life. The operation in Crimea is the first and, God forbid, the last combat use of troops under the leadership of the new command. And the cautious style of the operation was more like the operation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, at the helm of which Shoigu was for such a long time. Everyone is free to assess the political significance of this story by virtue of their convictions. But I consider it good luck for everyone that decisive orders in Crimea were given by people who value someone else's life no less than military glory.

Photo: Evgeny Feldman - "New"

MOSCOW, May 16 - RIA Novosti. Friday, May 16, marks two months from the day of the referendum in Crimea, in ensuring the security of which "polite people" - military men without identification marks - took an active part.

During the "direct line" on April 17, Vladimir Putin confirmed that they were representatives of the Russian army. Since that time, the expression "polite people" has firmly entered the political and everyday vocabulary of the whole country and, according to experts interviewed by RIA Novosti, is gradually becoming a new symbol of the Russian Armed Forces.

"Polite people" with a gun

The beginning of this, as they say on the Internet, the meme was laid in late February - early March, when, against the background of the bloody events in Kiev, armed people in camouflage without identification marks began to appear throughout Crimea.

They began, as the local press wrote, to "politely block" local military and transport facilities in anticipation of the March 16 referendum, in which more than 96% of voters voted in favor of the peninsula joining Russia.

Answering questions from Russians in April, Putin explained that Russian servicemen stood behind the Crimean self-defense forces because "it was simply impossible to hold the referendum openly, honestly, with dignity and help people express their opinion." He also said that he would reward the servicemen who took part in ensuring security during the referendum, but would do so non-publicly.

Later, the Russian leader sarcastically that the United States had "revealed" the secret of the personalities of "polite people": judging by the sanctions list, these are businessmen Gennady Timchenko, Yuri Kovalchuk, Boris and Arkady Rotenberg.

"I think they are just" polite people "in camouflage, with machine guns. And their surnames are kind of weird - Kovalchuk, Rotenberg, Timchenko. Typical Muscovites. I think we need to stay away from them," he replied with a smile Putin when asked whether the sanctions against these entrepreneurs are related to their possible involvement in the events in Crimea.

"The military made sense"

The expression "polite people" largely characterizes the new quality of the Russian Armed Forces, which "everyone saw in Crimea" - it is fundamentally new equipment, new weapons, new means of communication, as well as the speed and decisiveness of actions, the editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine believes. Igor Korotchenko.

In his opinion, to a certain extent this is also the result of Shoigu's activities as Minister of Defense.

The armed forces of Russia, after the collapse of the USSR, found themselves in a state of deep crisis, in recent years have received injections of many billions of rubles, gradually replacing obsolete, both morally and physically, weapons with the most modern.

"Shoigu set the army and navy in motion - the military people made sense. The positive is evident here! The attitude of society towards the army has changed, so it embraced its new face with full enthusiasm. The army today in Russia is becoming a prestigious social institution, the authority of the RF Armed Forces is being revived," said the expert to RIA Novosti.

According to him, the new attitude towards the army and its new image are not imposed from above, it is the result of understanding and conscious pride in their country, because "no image can replace real combat training."

"Here, all the components were taken into account, as a result of which this new brand" polite people "was born, which characterize the intellectual component and military power of Russia. People wear T-shirts with" polite people "- this is patriotism not imposed from the outside," Korotchenko said. ...

According to him, the new image of the Russian army became widespread also because high assessments were voiced not only within Russia, but also from the lips of Western experts.

“This is also an indicator - no one expected that the Russian army could demonstrate this new look with such efficiency and clarity.

A brand in the service of the military

The Russian Defense Ministry did not stand aside from the general interest in the new meme and tried to put "polite people" at the service of the image of the Russian army. Thus, the head of the culture department of the military department, Anton Gubankov, wrote the words for the anthem "polite people", which was performed during the tour by the Ensemble. Alexandrov in the Crimea and was received with a bang.

In addition, by Victory Day, the Ministry of Defense decided to start selling branded products with the Polite People logo. Special pavilions, where those who wish can buy T-shirts and other products, will be open on holidays in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg and other major cities of Russia.

True, it is unclear whether the Ministry of Defense is going to continue this practice further: questions may arise with the right to the brand. As Izvestia wrote, about a month ago, St. Petersburg businessman Roman Yeremyan registered the Polite People brand and is making plans to export clothes.

Russians missed "normal, polite guys"

Longing for "politeness", the Defense Ministry also explained the popularity of a video that appeared on the Internet the other day about the benefits of military service.

The video titled "This is ... the first day of your NEW life" was posted on YouTube by user mrdmitry187 on May 4th. Since that time, it has amassed nearly 1.5 million views; over 5,500 comments have already been left under the video on this video hosting alone.

“We are pleasantly surprised by such support of the video by a young audience. Today we can state that“ politeness ”takes not only cities, but also wins hearts.<…>Our society really missed normal, polite guys, "a representative of the Ministry of Defense told RIA Novosti.

He confirmed that the military department was involved in the work on the video. “Of course, we know the authors of this original material. These are young, creative and patriotic guys who have done everything, from the development of the script to its implementation,” - said the agency's interlocutor.

The video is a minute long. "This is the first day of your new life. What was yesterday does not matter. Who you were before, no one cares anymore. Now what matters is who you will be today. Here the pain hardens, the scars are everyday, you are trying to prove something, you are trying to see in every shadow of your enemy, because without an enemy there is no fight, and without a fight there is no victory. surpass, become better than him, and come back - a winner. Because tomorrow is the first day of your new life ", - says the voice of the announcer off-screen.

The video ends with a picture of the coat of arms of the Ministry of Defense and the inscription "Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

Industrial embroidery is always on the wave of fresh ideas! Want to chevron "Polite people" or things with such symbols? We embroider it!

Photo of "Polite people" stripes

Chevron "Polite People"

Chevron "Polite People"

Chevron "Polite People"

Only a person who has no Internet has not heard about "Polite People". But few people know where this extremely popular concept came from. Let's tell!

In the not-too-distant times, when Crimea still belonged to Ukraine, but was already actively striving to return to Russia, it was restless in Simferopol. In particular, unknown persons in uniform without identification chevrons seized two airports.

Of course, the Internet community, which is vigilantly following the situation in Crimea with alarm, responded with a huge number of posts on this topic. One of the most popular LJ bloggers - Boris Rozhin- wrote a post "Polite people seized 2 airfields in the Crimea." Why are polite people? And here the head of the airport security has already aptly put it, who told about the seizure as follows: we were politely asked to leave. Boris found it amusing that the unknown men with weapons, who had captured the airport, politely asked the guards to leave. So the word came into use.

The post was read and received with a bang. The apt expression went to the people. Suddenly, the president of the country himself, Vladimir Putin, quoted him. From that moment on, "polite people" became known even to those who did not have the Internet.

History of the "Polite People" meme

Why did the online community pick up the expression so happily? Everything is simple: the events in Ukraine caused a surge of national pride in Russia. A Russian person sits on the stove and spits at the ceiling, but if someone from the outside affords something too much, we immediately remember that, hey, actually, we are a great people here!

Europe and especially America opposed Russia in the situation with Ukraine - and a surge of patriotism arose in the country. Especially the national pride increased after the return of the Crimea to us.

This is how the famous cat meme... His idea is that even in war conditions, Russian troops preserve humanity and nobility of soul. What else is Russia so famous for if not for its mysterious soul? In what other country in the world could the soldier with a kitten meme become popular?

We really have something to be proud of, so the "Polite People" meme has become a favorite in Runet and has gone beyond it.

Since the famous "polite people" who seized the airport did not have chevrons - and the special forces should not have them on a combat operation - then, of course, there was a man who thought of a special chevron.

The phenomenon immediately gained widespread popularity. Perhaps it runs the risk of challenging the St. George ribbon! Millions of people want to express their national pride by purchasing such a chevron. And we gladly go to meet them!

We will make a chevron according to your sketch. It can repeat a well-known meme, or it can be made by you. Your "Polite People" chevron will be whatever you want it to be.

Why waste time on trifles? Why limit yourself to chevrons?

We are already embroidering other things with the symbol "Polite people". Baseball caps and T-shirts are just the beginning. We embroider on any garment that can be sewn or fastened on an embroidery machine, on any material that can be pierced by an embroidery needle. We will embroider even on sneakers with embroidery, even on a backpack with embroidery, even on a hat with earflaps!

Brand "Polite people"

The idea found support at the top. We have already mentioned that the meme received the President's "blessing". And the chevron was approved by the Russian Army!

Clothes with a man in uniform and a kitten promise to break all fashion records this summer! Hurry up to support your country! Together we will be able to prove that Russia always remains a great country - after all, the greatness of the soul manifests itself precisely in difficult moments!

Buy chevron "Polite people"

Order your embroidery directly on our website, do not forget to indicate that you want a chevron "Polite people" or things with such symbols. We will contact you shortly to clarify all the details.

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The phrase "Polite people" arose during the process of the annexation of Crimea to Russia.

On the night of 26 to 27 February 2014, a few hours after the general brawl between Crimean Tatars, supporters of Ukraine and Euromaidan and Russians, patriots of Russia, in which there were dead and wounded, well-armed and equipped people in masks seized the buildings of the Supreme Council and the government of Crimea, and a few days later they were taken under guard the most important strategic objects of the capital of the Republic and the entire peninsula.

The unknown people did not have any insignia or nationality, but in private conversations they admitted that they were Russian servicemen. , designating the fighters as Crimean militias. A declaration by the Russian Federation about the actions of its armed forces on the land of a neighboring, sovereign state would mean recognition of aggression against it, and any territorial gains - an annexation, which could not be justified by any means.

Russia has identified "polite people" as local militias

But why are people "polite"?

• First, they did not interfere in local social and political life, did not exert any pressure on the expression of the will of the Crimeans.
• Secondly, they behaved with restraint and correctness, behaved kindly with others, allowed themselves and themselves to be photographed, even got acquainted with girls (or allowed girls to get to know themselves).
• Third, and most importantly, their mere presence cooled the ardor of some hotheads who were ready to unleash a civil war on interethnic grounds in Crimea.

How "polite people" took the commandant's office, or "polite people" through the eyes of eyewitnesses

They appeared at the commandant's office of the Simferopol garrison on Saturday, March 15, on the eve of the all-Crimean referendum. Whether it was timed to coincide with the upcoming event or some pre-developed plan was carried out, it is not known.

Simferopol is a small city. The streets of its old part are one-story and rather narrow, so the "Polite People" in camouflage, helmets, bulletproof vests, with closed faces, machine guns at the ready, their armored personnel carrier, a machine gun with it looked impressive and frightening.
The Ukrainian military locked themselves in the commandant's office. There was a certain demonstration of disobedience, and the desire to somehow divide the spheres of influence: we, they say, have our own wedding, you, there, your own. The terms of the unspoken agreement were strictly observed, and therefore it was especially amusing to observe how periodically the doors of the commandant's office opened, a Ukrainian soldier with a kettle came out into the street and passed it on to his "unknown" colleague: March in Crimea is a windy and capricious month, and life on armor or in she is not very comfortable.

This went on for about a week. But one day, a small meeting of the Ukrainian military and some civilians gathered at the porch of the commandant's office. "Polite people" () did not interfere with what was happening, on the contrary, they modestly took their armored personnel carrier 15 meters to the side. This was the last day of their watch. In the morning they disappeared, and the Russian flag flew over the commandant's office.

Who are they - polite people, where did this expression come from, why do the roots come from the Crimea? In this article, we will fully answer questions about this.

Recently, in the world of the Internet, you can often hear the phrase "Polite people"... The expression has become so common that it has become an internet meme.

This meme received the greatest popularity after the case when the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin used it in one of his interviews.

Who are "polite people"?

The term "polite people" was born as a result of the events that took place on the Crimean peninsula at the end of February 2014. Then the Crimea theoretically belonged to Ukraine, but in fact was already considered Russian territory.

Then unknown persons in military uniform seized two airports in Simferopol and Sevastopol. The people wore unmarked camouflage uniforms. They did not give any comments and did not speak to journalists, but behaved "politely", spoke delicately.

Polite people are soldiers with a submachine gun in their hands in uniforms without symbols and other insignia, who seized important objects in the Crimea. later it was found out and officially confirmed that they were Russian servicemen.

History of the "polite people" meme

The first time "polite people" used popular blogger Boris Rozhin in one of his posts describing the troubled situation in Crimea. He called " polite people captured two airfields in the Crimea". Boris heard an interview with the chief of security of one of the seized objects, where he, describing what happened, said: "We were politely asked to leave." The blogger found it amusing that the armed men who had committed the seizure asked the guards to politely leave the premises. Therefore, he decided to use the phrase in the title of his blog. Since then, it has come into general use.

As the author himself says, he came up with only a funny phrase and focused attention on it. There is no more of his merit in such a wide distribution of this expression. He does not claim ownership of it and believes that "polite people", like many other memes, are the common property of the Internet community. It was people who spread the meme and made it so popular.

Symbols and identification marks

As mentioned earlier, the soldiers of the Russian army who seized airfields did not have any identification marks on their camouflage. Therefore, initially there was no symbolism characterizing them.

Subsequently, this was quickly corrected, having come up with a pictorial picture for the catch phrase.

As a result, the symbol of "polite people" became the image of a soldier with a machine gun in his hands and a hidden face under a mask, glasses and a helmet. With such an image, various demotivators and photo toads began to appear on the Internet.

Why did "polite people" become popular?

"Polite people" quickly became popular with bloggers and social media users. The term "polite people" is actively used by the media. The Russian army has created an account in Twitter with the same name. What caused such a strong popularity of the meme?

One of the reasons is the surge of national pride in the country, especially after the annexation of Crimea to the territory of Russia. The Russians developed pride in their country and a spirit of patriotism. Therefore, this phrase is so fond of Russian Internet users.

Another reason is that "polite people" became the first meme of federal significance. It is used by everyone: ordinary users, journalists and politicians, including the president of the country. As practice shows, a unique phrase seen in the words of famous personalities is gaining incredible popularity. An example is the "internet" meme that appeared after being spoken by George W. Bush when answering questions from the audience.

Products with the symbols of polite people

People actively use the meme in their communication. Although many of them, most likely, do not even know the expression "polite people".

The popularity of the meme has reached a large scale. Various souvenirs with the image of the symbol of "polite people" appeared.

In online stores, if you wish, you can buy T-shirts, baseball caps, hats, mugs and other goods with a picture of a soldier with a closed face and a machine gun in his hands.

Video about the operations of the special services in Crimea