Vitaly Bubenin

Zhenbao Island

In March 1969, hosilities between China and Soviet Union erupted at the vicinity of Damansky Island on the Ussuri (Wusuli) River, near Manchuria. As the head of the 1st Border Outpost of the 57th Imansky border detachment of the Pacific Border District, Bubenin came to the aid of the soldiers at a neighboring outpost and went into battle against People's Liberation Army troops despite being wounded and shell-shocked.[4]

On March 1, during the shelling of the positions of border guards by machine guns, grenade launchers and mortars by PLA troops, Bubenin was shell-shocked by a close rupture of a mortar mine, but managed to get to an armored personnel carrier and used it to counterattack Chinese forces from the north. During the counterattack, he fired at the enemy from a heavy machine gun and decided to withdraw from the battle after all the cartridges were used up. During the retreat, the armored personnel carrier was damaged by enemy fire and Bubenin was wounded in the legs by a mine fragment. Despite being injured for a second time, he did not leave the battlefield. During the next counterattack using another armored personnel carrier, he was wounded for the third time.[4]

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 21 March 1969, for the courage shown, the skillful conduct of the operation to protect the state border, Bubenin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.[4]

After treatment in the hospital, he entered the Lenin Military-Political Academy, where he graduated in 1973. After graduation, he served in Vyborg and then in the Arctic as deputy head of the political department of the 100th Nikel Border Detachment of North Western Border District.[3]

On 5 September 1974, by personal order of KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov, Bubenin was appointed commander of Alpha Group. On 29 April 1977, at his own request, he returned to the border troops, and was appointed head of the political department of 60th Vilna-Kuril Border Detachment.[5][6]

Bubenin was appointed deputy head of the political department of the Kamchatka Border District on 1979. From 1981 to 1983, he served as deputy chief of the operational-troop department of the troops of the Central Asian Border District and took part in the Soviet-Afghan War.[3]

From 1983 to 1985, he studied at the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU. On 1985, he was appointed as head of the second department in the Political Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Border Troops of the KGB. From 1987 to 1989, Bubenin served as deputy head of the district, head of the political department and member of the Military Council of the Baltic Border District.[3]

From 1989 to 1993, he served as deputy commander of the North Eastern and Far Eastern Border Districts.[3]

In 1993, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, he was appointed to the Khabarovsk Border Institute of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, a position he served from 1993 to 1995.[7]

In 1995, he retired at the rank of major general.