He could have had a great career as a sports coach, but he saw it as his duty to defend the rule of law in the country. Fulfilling a combat mission, the guy died.
The Chechen war will remain a tragic page in the history of our Motherland. The biography of our hero is closely related to her. He could not realize his dreams and become a mentor for young athletes, he gave his life for the peaceful future of his country.
early years
Ilfat was born in early February 1970 in the city of Izhevsk. His name, translated from the Tatar language, means “friend of the Motherland”. The child's father bore the Latvian name Indulis, which may seem unusual only today, when the USSR had already disintegrated into separate countries, many of which were infected with Russophobia. Obviously, there was a tradition in the family to choose names based on their meaning, and not on nationality.
The boy went to secondary school No. 55. The teachers remembered him as a diligent student, who, however, was no different from his peers. The boy preferred physical education to sciences and creativity. If in the lower grades it was a typical childhood desire to spend more time outdoors with friends, then by adolescence, a passion for sports took shape in a hobby for martial arts. Zakirov studied at the city children's and youth sports school of sambo.
A great future
The high school student was in good standing with the coaches. They noted that the young man possesses not only a high level of skill, but also knows how to explain the basics of sports literacy to beginners. Ilfat Zakirov was predicted a career as a coach. In 1988, he was drafted into the army, and the mentors were worried that their talented student would prefer military service to work with young people. After demobilization in 1990, the guy returned to Izhevsk.
The young candidate for master of sports began teaching at the Children's and Youth Sports School No. 4. During the year he became famous, but serious changes in the political structure of the state forced the coach to leave his post. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the intensification of crime. Funding for institutions that dealt with work with children and young people was practically stopped. The criminals were glad to see in their ranks strong guys without education and hopes of finding a well-paid job. Ilfat Zakirov began to resist them, becoming an instructor of the private security of the local enterprise "Izhstal".
Guarding law and order
The choice between a sports school and military service was made in 1991. Ilfat Zakirov became an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. A guy with good physical data and hand-to-hand fighting skills ended up in special forces. Here he received the specialty of a sniper. The leadership qualities for which his coaches in his hometown valued him, manifested themselves in the army. Our hero received a responsible post of squad leader. The unit in which the fighter served belonged to the Penitentiary Administration for the Udmurt Republic.
In 1995, special forces from Udmurtia were sent to the North Caucasus. Among those who went to the aid of their comrades was Ilfat. During a business trip, the guy got acquainted with the situation in the region. She was restless. Islamic radicals recruited local residents into gangs. Local criminals were well armed and justified their actions with ideology. Zakirov showed himself to be a responsible commander, therefore he was promoted and received a platoon under the command.
Business trips to the Caucasus
Returning home for our hero was only a respite before returning to a hot spot. The young man did not dare to find a wife and have children. His job was too dangerous. The spetsnaz soldier carefully concealed his personal life. He knew that criminals stop at nothing in their war.
At the end of the summer of 1999, Ilfat Zakirov was sent command to Dagestan. A group of terrorists broke through there from the territory of Chechnya. The task of the special forces fighters was to find and eliminate the gang that carried out raids on the peaceful settlements of the republic. There was no talk of any struggle for independence - it was a military raid with the aim of destabilizing the situation. This time Zakirov had more powers - he was in charge of the assault squad of the special-purpose detachment "Krechet", which was subordinate to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
Fatal assault
After successfully completing tasks in Dagestan, Senior Lieutenant Zakirov returned to his permanent duty station. In early 2000, he was again needed in the ranks of the Russian troops fighting against militants in Chechnya. This time, Krechet's unit was sent to the village of Komsomolskoye, where Ruslan Gelayev's gang settled down. One and a half thousand militants managed to thoroughly fortify themselves in the settlement, turning it into a fortress.
Participants in the assault on Komsomolskoye recall that the order to attack was given without prior artillery preparation. The garrison met them with heavy fire, battles were fought for every house and every street. The detachment led by Ilfat Zakirov was at a disadvantage. The soldiers had to be withdrawn so that they regroup and strike again. The seriously wounded commander with one of the privates Valery Bakharev undertook to cover the retreating special forces with fire. The brave fighters died, but they saved their comrades.
Ilfat Zakirov's contribution to the country's security was appreciated by awarding him the title of Hero of Russia posthumously. A street, a kindergarten and a sports tournament in Izhevsk are named after the warrior.
