Editing Alpha Group (section)

===Creation and organization===
On 28 July 1974, Alpha Group was created on the orders of the [[KGB]] Chairman, [[Yuri Andropov]], in the aftermath of the [[Munich massacre|1972 Munich massacre]]. It might have been established as a response to [[West Germany]]'s creation of the ''Grenzschutzgruppe 9'' (or the [[GSG 9]]).<ref name="Cox2001">{{cite book|author=David Cox|title=Close Protection: The Politics of Guarding Russia's Rulers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rsB-5-e0RwgC&pg=PA59|year=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-96688-1|page=59}}</ref> By attaching a special-purpose unit to the office of the [[First Chief Directorate]] in [[Moscow]] (later the Seventh Directorate<ref name=early/>), 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title = KGB Spetsnaz & World War III|url = http://espionagehistoryarchive.com/2015/04/17/kgb-spetsnaz-world-war-iii/|website = Espionage History Archive|access-date = 2015-08-24|first = Mark|last = Hackard|date = 17 April 2015|author-link=Mark Hackard}}</ref>

Later, territorial Alpha units were established across the Soviet Union:<ref name=ua>{{cite web|url=http://alfa.org.ua/?r=history |title=Международная Ассоциация Ветеранов Подразделений Антитеррора "Альфа" |publisher=Alfa.org.ua |access-date=3 March 2014}}</ref> 
* 7th Group formed in the [[Russian SSR]], [[Khabarovsk Krai]] 
* 10th Group formed the [[Ukrainian SSR]], [[Kiev Oblast]] – Later forming the basis of Ukraine's [[Alpha Group (Ukraine)|Alpha Group]]
* 11th Group formed in the [[Belarusian SSR]], [[Minsk Region|Minsk Oblast]] – Later forming the basis of Belarus' [[Alpha Group (Belarus)|Alpha Group]]
* 12th Group formed in the [[Kazakh SSR]], [[Almaty Province|Almaty Oblast]] – Later forming the basis of Kazakh [[National Security Committee (Kazakhstan)|NSC ''Arystan'' unit]]
* 13th Group formed in the [[Russian SSR]], [[Krasnodar Krai]]
* 14th Group formed in the [[Russian SSR]], [[Sverdlovsk Oblast]]