9th Company

9th Company (9 ROTA) is a 2005 Russian language film that follows a group of Soviet recruits from Basic Training to combat in the mountains of Afghanistan, during the Afghan-Soviet War (1979-1989). The story deals with idealistic young Soviet paratroopers, assigned to the 9th Company, who are fighting a desperate battle against the Mujaheddin fighters in the final days of the doomed conflict. It is (loosely) based on the Battle for Hill 3234. 
__TOC__
=Rifles=
==AK-74==
The AK-74, fitted with an NSPU night-vision scope, is used by Soviet infantryman Lyosha. It also appears amongst several Mujahideen, including local commander Akhmet (Marat Gudiev). 
==AKS-74==
Soviet paratroopers use the AKS-74, differentiated from the AK-74 by its folding stock (or lack of buttstock), in both training and combat in Afghanistan. The Mujahideen fighters also use them. Their heavier-than-expected use amongst the 9th Company in both training and combat is undoubtedly due to their light weight and the folding buttstock, ideal for paratroopers. Note that many of these look like full-length AK-74 because of the rubber bands (standard-issue tourniquets from personal first-aid kits) wrapped around their folding stocks – reportedly to keep a tourniquet handy, but more often just to improve cheek-weld on a skeleton stock, as tourniquets rapidly dry out and degrade exposed to the harsh elements.
thumb|none|600px|Stas aims his AKS-74 at nearby sudden movement.
thumb|none|600px|A Soviet Paratrooper armed with an AKS-74 fires at the Mujahideen from a bunker.
==Dragunov SVD==
An SVD Dragunov is issued to Giaconda Petrovsky (Konstantin Kryukov), who is an excellent marksman. 
=Machine Guns=
==PKM Machine Gun==
Several 9th Company Paratroopers use the PKM Machine Gun: Chugainov (Ivan Kokorin) is given Samylin's old gun, which suffered a bend in the barrel due to a hand grenade explosion. He can be seen in one scene trying to sight it to fire at a rock 3m away. One of the paratroopers grabs the barrel of his PKM to bash a Mujahideen and sustains 3rd degree burns in the process.
thumb|none|600px|Chugainov carries his PKM, holding it by the bipod, as he and the 9th Company search an Afghan village.
==PKT Machine Gun==
The PKT Machine Gun is seen mounted on Soviet T-64 tanks.
==RPK-74 Light Machine Gun==
Soviet Paratroopers and their Afghan allies can be occasionally seen using the RPK-74 Light Machine Gun.
==KPVT Heavy Machine Gun==
The KPVT Heavy Machine Gun is mounted on BTR-60 APCs and BRDM-2 scout vehicles used by the Soviet Army in the film.
==NSV Heavy Machine Gun==
The NSV Heavy Machine Gun is used as a mounted heavy machine gun by Soviet Paratroopers on Hill 3234. Additional NSVTs are seen mounted at the commanders' hatches of T-64 tanks (despite the T-64 being incorrect for the Soviet war in Afghanistan; these tanks are possibly standing in for the similar T-72).
==Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2==
The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2 is mounted on the Soviet Mi-24P Hind-F gunships which come to the rescue of 9th Company during the final assault.
thumb||none|600px|Mi-24P Hind-F gunships rattle away with GSh-30-2K 30mm automatic cannon.
==Shipunov 2A42==
The Shipunov 2A42 is mounted on the BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicles used by the Soviets on convoy duty.
==ZU-23-2==
The ZU-23-2 Anti-Aircraft Gun is seen at Bagram Airbase and mounted at the Anava Outpost.
thumb|none|left|400px|ZU-23-2 - 23mm
=Launchers=
==AGS-17 Plamya==
An AGS-17 Plamya can be seen as part of Hill 3234's defense.
==GP-25 Grenade Launcher==
The GP-25 grenade launcher is used by Warrant Officer «Khokhol» Pogrebnyak (Fyodor Bondarchuk) and Afanasiy (Dmitriy Mukhamadeev), mounted on their AKS-74 rifles. This Grenade Launcher was first introduced in the 1980s and was referred to as the BG15. A later updated version would be the GP-30.
thumb|none|600px|Pogrebnyak with his AK-74 and GP-25.
==RPG-7==
The RPG-7, mounted with a PGO-7 scope, is used by the Mujahideen alongside RPG-18s to attack the 9th Company. They are also carried by Soviet Paratroopers, but without a scope. A glaring error is that in several shots it is apparent that there is no loaded rocket when the RPG is fired.
==RPG-18==
The disposable, single-shot RPG-18 launcher is used by Mujahideen to attack the Soviets. Soviet Paratroopers also carry and operate them.
thumb|none|600px|A Mujahideen fighter fires his RPG-18 at the Soviets.
=Grenades & Mines=
==F-1 Hand Grenade==
The main grenade carried by the Soviet paratroopers is the World War II-era F-1 Hand Grenade, even though the RGD-5 was standard issue from the 1960s onward. This is probably due to its iconic status in Russia, where RGD and similar modern grenades are largely unknown to civilians (the oft-cited Russian army myth defines the F-1 kill radius as 200 meters - while 200 m is actually its potential danger radius in range conditions).
==RGD-5 Hand Grenade==
Giaconda Petrovsky (Konstantin Kryukov) throws an RGD-5 Hand Grenade into a Mujahideen tunnel complex in the aftermath of the Convoy Ambush.
== UPG-8 Dummy Antitank Grenade==
An UPG-8 dummy antitank grenade is used by Vorobey (Aleksey Chadov) in an exercise during training ("UPG" means "Uchebnaya Protivotankovaya Granata" - training anti-tank grenade. It is a training version of RKG-3 anti-tank grenade).
==PFM-1 Lepestok==
A PFM-1 Lepestok antipersonel landmine is seen in the one scene.
thumb|none|600px|Perfect view of the landmine.
=Trivia=
thumb|none|600px|Russian language poster for 9th Company aka 9 POTA (2005) (Russia). Note: Though IMDB lists the Russian name as "9 POTA" the cyrillic in the poster reads 9 "Roh-ta" with the "r" rolled on the tip of the tongue like in Spanish. Thus the 'phonetic' English wording used for the International Title is actually incorrect.‎
Category:Movie
Category:Action Movie
Category:War
Category:Drama
Category:Russian Produced/Filmed
Category:Ukrainian Produced
Category:Finnish Produced/Filmed