He could have made a great career as a sports coach, but considered it his duty to protect the rule of law in the country. Performing a combat mission, the guy died.
The Chechen war will remain a tragic page in the history of our country. The biography of our hero is closely connected with 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 is 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 has already broken up into separate countries, many of which are infected with Russophobia. Obviously, the family had a tradition of choosing names based on their meaning, rather than nationality.
The city of Izhevsk, in which Ilfat Zakirov was born and raised
The boy studied at secondary school No. 55. Teachers remembered him as a diligent student, who, however, was no different from his peers. He preferred physical education to science and creativity. If in the lower grades this was a typical childhood desire to spend more time outdoors in the company of friends, then by the teenage years the passion for sports took shape in a passion for martial arts. Zakirov studied at the city children's and youth sports school of sambo.
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 predicted the career of a coach. In 1988, he was drafted into the army, and mentors worried that their talented student would prefer military service to working with youth. After demobilization in 1990, the guy returned to Izhevsk.
All-Russian Judo Tournament named after Ilfat Zakirov
A young candidate for master of sports began teaching at the Children's Sports School No. 4. He became famous during the year, but serious changes in the political structure of the state forced the coach to resign. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to increased crime. Funding for institutions that worked with children and youth was virtually discontinued. The criminals were glad to see strong guys in their ranks without education and hopes of finding a well-paid job. Ilfat Zakirov began to confront them, becoming an instructor in the private security of the local enterprise Izhstal.
Law Enforcement
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 characteristics and hand-to-hand fighting skills fell into special forces. Then he got the specialty of a sniper. Leadership, for which he was appreciated by coaches in his hometown, also appeared in the army. Our hero received a responsible post of the squad leader. The unit in which the soldier served belonged to the Administration for the Execution of Sentences in the Udmurt Republic.
In 1995, special forces from Udmurtia were sent to the North Caucasus. Among those who went to help their comrades was Ilfat. During the trip, the guy got acquainted with the situation in the region. She was restless. Islamic radicals recruited locals into gangs. Local crime was well armed and justified its actions with ideology. Zakirov proved himself to be a responsible commander, therefore he was promoted and received a platoon under command.
Business trips to the Caucasus
Returning home for our hero was only a respite before returning to the hot spot. The young man did not dare to find a wife and have children. His work was too dangerous. The commandos carefully concealed his personal life. He knew that criminals did not stop at nothing, waging their war.
Ilfat Zakirov
At the end of the summer of 1999, Ilfat Zakirov was sent command to Dagestan. A group of terrorists broke through from Chechnya. The task of special forces soldiers was to find and eliminate a gang that raided the peaceful villages of the republic. There was no talk of any struggle for independence - it was a military raid with the goal of destabilizing the situation. This time Zakirov had more authority - he led the assault department of the special forces unit "Krechet", which was subordinate to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
