Senaviev has a boisterous sense of humor with a booming laugh. So along with our meeting, I wanted to dig deeper into field reports and observe him in training before I could reassess his background. Senaviev applied for a transfer to the Russian Navy but for classified reasons remained in the Armed Forces.Ĭalm in a crisis: Specialist Alexsandr “Tachanka” Senaviev's original file doesn’t cover much more than that. Along with heavy artillery, Senaviev's training focused on defensive and breaching tactics, and while there he apprenticed as a precision tool and die machinist in the weapons division. He was part of the wrestling league, where his formidable frame and match strategy earned him accolades. Upon the dissolution of his draft, Senaviev opted to enlist full time. At the age of eighteen, Senaviev was conscripted into military service just as the Soviet Union was ending its operations in Afghanistan.
Many of the men in the Senaviev family served in the Red Army.
