The Soviet-Israeli War, 1967–1973. The USSR’s Military Intervention in the Egyptian-Israeli Conflict

THE SOVIET–ISRAELI WAR, 1967–1973

Later, when Soviet-piloted MiG-25s were stationed in Eg ypt, a Spetznaz (special
ops) detachment escorted the yet-experimental planes to ensure security, and such
special forces also saw action during the Yom Kippur War. But the only testimony so
far to the presence of a sizable Soviet ground force “in late 1969 or early 1970” comes
from a naval adviser, Vladimir Kryshtob, who had just been posted to Alexandria:

An armored division came into Alexandria. It was unloaded in the space of one night ...

That night they woke up the entire Alexandria beach promenade ... They were driving

around without insignia, all fair-haired and smiling. They got into the tanks and drove 80

km south into the desert. By dawn they had spread barbed wire fences around them, dug

trenches, set up headquarters, a signals network and all the infrastructure for defense. This

was a real, complete Soviet armored division, but somehow it was outside any plan. No

supplies were allotted for it. ... Collections began to be taken up among us ... soap and ciga-

rettes for the tank crewmen. ... They were [living ] under terrible conditions in the desert

... Apparently this was to economize with foreign currency. ... A month later, supplies for

the new division were taken care of. They got fresh underwear and other necessities.^27

We have only one other, second-hand, testimony about an integral Soviet
armored force in Eg ypt at this stage, and no indication what became of it after-
ward.^28 Kryshtob’s account still requires verification, but it appears to reflect genu-
ine apprehension that Israel’s success against the SAM array might presage larger-
scale incursions and expose the main Soviet naval base, as well as the Gianaclis air
base, to direct threat.
Even though the regular units were formally subordinated to a separate headquar-
ters in Moscow rather than the advisers’ “Ofis,” Katyshkin now had to lead them
both. “He studied previous interventions of Soviet forces from Spain onwards, of
which he knew some of the veterans, and also in Korea and Vietnam.”^29
On the eve of the new year 1970, the SAM array was quickly taking shape: the
division’s designated commander Smirnov was in a group of about ten generals led by
Air Defense chief Batitsky for a reconnoiter of Eg ypt.^30 In one of the first veteran
accounts to be published outside the USSR, divizyon commander K. Popov stated
that he reached Eg ypt as early as December 1969—apparently with this advance tour
of the command group, to return with his outfit afterward.^31 According to Smirnov,
at this stage “our only form of communication with Eg yptian soldiers was sign lan-
guage; there were no interpreters available.” He related that Nasser was on hand both
to welcome them and—flanked by Sadat—to receive, “on January 2 or 3,” their
deployment plans. “This young general,” Batitsky introduced Smirnov, “will solve the
problems of repulsing the Israeli Air Force.”^32
In Alexandria, Kryshtob watched Batitsky’s party drive along the beach promenade
to pinpoint locations for SAM emplacements. Soon after, “amid the civilian yacht
anchorages, kiosks and sunshades there appeared missile launchers with purely Soviet
crews. Their commander visited us very often, but his personnel were camped next to