As of 2018 , nine officers of Alpha have been awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation : Alpha Group was severely downgraded during the dissolution and collapse of the Soviet Union . After the fall of the USSR , both Alpha and Vympel were transferred to the newly formed Main Guard Directorate ( GUO ) , which was established on the basis of the KGB 's Ninth Chief Directorate . In 1993 , they were taken from GUO control , and for a time being put under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs ( MVD ) . As part of the government shakeup following the June 1995 Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis in which the Alpha Group had a leading role , Yeltsin fired the first Director of the Federal Security Service ( FSB ) , Sergei Stepashin . Two months later , Alpha and Vityaz were both transferred from the MVD to the FSB . Simultaneously , Mikhail Barsukov became the new head of the organization , and created the FSB Anti-Terrorist Center ( ATC ) , headed by Gen. Viktor Zorin . Directorate " A " ( Alpha ) was tasked with protecting transportation and buildings while Directorate " V " ( Vega/Vympel ) was tasked with protecting strategic sites ( another Directorate , " K " , was tasked with ideological counterintelligence ) ; " A " and " V " were soon joined in a '' Tsentr Spetsnaz '' ( Special Purpose Center ) under Gen. Vladimir Pronichev
Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis
Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis
Alpha Group