Editing Alpha Group (section)

{{Short description|Unit of the Soviet/Russian Federal Security Service}}
{{About|Soviet and later Russian special operations force|other organisations, military or otherwise, with the same name||Russian investment group|Alfa Group|Cuban militant group|Alpha 66|Mexico City Police Alfa Group (Agrupamiento Alfa)|Law enforcement in Mexico City#Preventive Police}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox military unit
| native_name = Spetsgruppa "A"
| unit_name = Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center
| image = Emblem of the Directorate A.svg
| image_size = 150px
| caption = Alpha Group emblem
| start_date = {{Start date and age|1974|07|28|df=yes}}
| country = {{USSR}} (1974–1991)<br />{{flag|Russia}} (1991–present)
| allegiance = 
| branch = [[File:Emblema KGB.svg|15px]] [[Spetsnaz]] of the [[KGB]] (1974–1991) <br /> '''Russia:''' <br /> [[File:Great_emblem_of_the_Federal_Guard_Service.svg|20px]] [[Federal Protective Service (Russia)|GUO]] (1991–1993) <br /> [[File:Emblem_of_the_Ministry_of_Internal_Affairs.svg|20px]] [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Russia)|MVD]] (1993–1995) <br /> [[File:Emblem_of_Federal_security_service.svg|15px]] [[:ru:Центр специального назначения ФСБ|TsSN]] [[Federal Security Service (Russia)|FSB]] (1995–present)
| type  = [[Special forces|Spetsnaz]]
| role = 
| size = Classified (estimated 500 in 1991,<ref name=guide/> 250–300 in Russia in 2004<ref name=disaster/>)
| command_structure = [[File:Flag of Federal security service.svg|23px]] [[Federal Security Service]] [[Moscow]] (main force) <br /> [[Khabarovsk]], [[Krasnodar]], [[Yekaterinburg]], [[Grozny]] (in Russia)
| garrison_label = 
| nickname = Alpha Group, Alpha (Alfa)
|motto = Победить и вернуться
| patron = 
| colors = 
| colors_label = 
| march = 
| equipment = 
| equipment_label = 
| battles = [[Operation Storm-333]]<br />[[Aeroflot Flight 6833|Aeroflot Flight 6833 hostage crisis]]<br />[[January Events (Lithuania)|January Events]]<br />[[1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt|Soviet coup d'état attempt]]<br/>'''Russia:'''<br />[[1993 Russian constitutional crisis|Russian constitutional crisis]]<br />[[Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis|Budyonnovsk hostage crisis]]<br />[[Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis]]<br />[[First Chechen War]]<br />[[Second Chechen War]]<br />[[Moscow theatre hostage crisis]]<br />[[Beslan school hostage crisis]]<br />[[Insurgency in the North Caucasus]]<br/>[[Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War]]<br />[[Russian invasion of Ukraine]]
| anniversaries = 
| battle_honours = <!-- Commanders -->
| commander1 = Col. Valery Kanakin  {{citation needed|date=February 2021}}
| commander1_label              = 
| notable_commanders = Gen. [[Vitaly Bubenin]]<br />Gen. [[Viktor Fyodorovich Karpukhin|Viktor Karpukhin]] <br />Gen. Gennady Zaitsev<ref name=history/>
}}

'''Spetsgruppa "A"''', also known as '''Alpha Group''', officially '''Directorate "A" of FSB Special Purpose Center''' (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is a sub-unit of [[Spetsnaz|Russian special forces]] within the Russian [[:ru:Центр специального назначения ФСБ|Special Forces Center]] of the [[Federal Security Service]] (FSB). 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 "V" ([[Vympel]]), which is officially tasked with protecting Russia's strategic installations, as well as conducting [[black operations]] inside and outside Russia. It is also available for extended police duties, for paramilitary operations, and for [[covert operation]]s, both domestically and internationally.