Most of the glory of the Russian counter-terrorism forces is concentrated on the Alpha team; many only know about Alpha and Signal Flag.
Actually, most terrorist incidents are handled by a unit called SOBR.
SOBR members are elites selected from senior police officers, prioritized from those who served in the VDV (Paratroopers) and Special Forces; they provided security for the Moscow Olympics in 1980, participated in the Chechnya war in 1994, and secretly supported during the famous Moscow theater incident.
In 2015, SOBR won the championship in the 'Jordan Warrior Competition', defeating 37 special forces teams from 18 countries, including the United States Seal and Xia Kingdom Falcon; their combat strength is indeed formidable.
If the Alpha team is the dazzling jewel in the crown, then SOBR is the solid base.
And SOBR is best at rapid small-scale urban tactical operations.
