After 1945, there were essentially no reconnaissance and sabotage units left in the army, because some of them were reduced and attached to other military formations, while others were disbanded. But they very quickly realized that special forces groups are the most effective method combat the looming nuclear threat from NATO. Therefore, after a careful study and generalization of the experience accumulated during the war, in 1950 it was decided to create the first special forces units in the Soviet Union. As of the beginning of May 1951, 46 companies were created, each of which had 120 people. All of them were subordinate to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Army General Staff.
An excursion into Russian special forces
Those who think that the idea of creating special forces is a thing of the recent past are mistaken. Formations with similar goals arose in Rus' a long time ago.
Russian military leaders Pyotr Panin, Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kutuzov already in the 18th century raised the issue of creating special military units.
They arose in 1764 and were called Jaeger.
IN late XVIII century, Catherine II initiated the rotation of Zaporozhye Cossacks to the Bug and then to the Kuban, where the tactics of “jaegers” came in handy - combat operations in mountainous areas, ambushes, reconnaissance, raids.
The motto of the units was “Fox tail, wolf mouth”, and the training was reminiscent of modern combat operations, a combination of human intelligence and power reconnaissance.
In 1797, Emperor Paul I introduced a new Charter, developed in the likeness of the Prussian Army Charter.
The year 1811 was marked by the creation of OKVS - the Separate Corps of Internal Guard, which was engaged in protecting or restoring order within the state.
Alexander I took care of the creation of mobile mounted gendarme rapid reaction units in 1817.
In the War of 1812, the Russian army gained enormous experience, which was widely used later.
In 1826, the influence of the Imperial Chancellery increased.
1842 Plastun battalions were created from Cossack battalions, on whose subsequent combat activities many generations of future special forces were trained.
In 1903, the Intelligence Department of the General Staff was created. A year later - in all military districts.
In 1905, the influence of the Tsarist Okhrana grew, and formations were created on the basis of the police, the goals and objectives of which resembled the mission of today's riot police.
In 1917, the Bolsheviks created the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs - the Main Directorate of the General Staff - GUGSH.
In 1918, military intelligence was created. In the same year, CHONs were created - special-purpose units subordinate to the Cheka - to fight all kinds of rebels and Asian Basmachi.
In the 1930s, an airborne assault force and sabotage units were created in the Red Army.
Milestones of history
The tasks facing the new formation were serious: organizing and conducting reconnaissance, destroying any means of nuclear attack, identifying military formations and conducting special missions behind enemy lines, organizing and conducting sabotage actions, creating rebel (partisan) detachments behind enemy lines, fighting terrorism, searching and neutralizing saboteurs. Other tasks include interfering with communications, disrupting power supplies, eliminating transport hubs, causing chaos in the military and government administration of the country. Most of the tasks sound, at least, fantastic, but the GRU special forces could easily cope with them: they had the appropriate technical means and weapons, including portable nuclear mines.
The training of special forces fighters was highly intensive and was carried out using individual programs. For every 3-4 soldiers, 1 officer was assigned, who monitored his students day and night. And the officers themselves were trained according to such a rich program that after several years of training, each of them could independently replace an entire combined arms unit.
Needless to say, the special forces were more classified than the nuclear developments of the USSR. At least about availability nuclear missiles, bombers with nuclear warheads and nuclear submarines, everyone knew, but not every marshal and general knew about the GRU special forces.
Also, one of the tasks of the special forces was to eliminate prominent figures from enemy countries, but then this task was cancelled. (Unless they classified it even deeper).
The first manual for special forces - "Instructions for the combat use of units and subunits" special purpose"wrote Pavel Golitsin, the ex-chief of intelligence of the Belarusian partisan brigade "Chekist".
But not everything was so good. Already in 1953, the Armed Forces began to be reduced and 35 companies were cut. There are only eleven special special forces companies (orSpN) left. It took the army special forces four whole years to correct their shaky positions after such a blow, and only in 1957 were 5 separate special forces battalions created, which in 1962, along with the remnants of the old companies, were joined by 10 special forces brigades. They were designed for peacetime and wartime. According to the peacetime regulations, the brigade did not have more than 200-300 fighters; during the war, the ObrSpNb consisted of no less than 1,700 soldiers and officers. By the beginning of 1963, the USSR special forces included: 10 framed brigades, 5 separate battalions, 12 separate companies in the Leningrad, Baltic, Belarusian, Carpathian, Kiev, Odessa, Transcaucasian, Moscow, Turkestan, Far Eastern military districts.
In the same year, the GRU conducted the first major exercises, but, despite the excellent results of training fighters, already in 1964, after a new reorganization, the special forces lost 3 battalions and 6 companies, and the army special forces were left with 6 companies, 2 battalions and 10 brigades. Separately, it should be said about the units that, in addition to standard special forces training, trained under special tasks. Thus, the soldiers of the 99th company, which was stationed in the Arkhangelsk Military District, were oriented to operations in the cold Arctic conditions, and the soldiers of the 227th Special Forces, located in the North Caucasus Military District, trained for survival in mountainous terrain. Further intensification of work on the creation of special forces strike groups began only in the late 60s.
Personnel training
In 1968, on the basis of the Ryazan Airborne School, they began to train professional special-purpose reconnaissance officers. It was then that the legendary 9th company appeared. Mine latest issue The 9th company served in 1981, then it was disbanded. Also, special forces officers were trained at the Frunze Military Academy and at the intelligence department of the Kyiv Higher Educational Institution, however, in their specialization they were more likely to be military intelligence officers. In 1970, a training company was formed, then a battalion, and then a regiment stationed in the Pskov region.
When in 1985 (6 years after the start of the war!) it became clear that soldiers before Afghanistan needed special training, a training regiment was created in the Uzbek Chirchik.
Operations abroad
The special forces' first major overseas operation occurred in 1968, after which it no longer had to prove its worth. It was this year that the countries united by the Warsaw Pact sent their troops into Czechoslovakia. To begin with, our plane requested an urgent landing from the capital of the country due to engine failure. Within a few minutes, our special forces captured the airport, to which an airborne division was very soon transferred. At this time, the units that had previously arrived in Prague took control of “stations, newspapers and telegraphs,” that is, all key positions. After seizing the government building, special forces took the country's leadership to Moscow.
In total, army special forces sent their troops to two dozen countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. They also had to deal with American commandos. Only many years later did the Americans find out who really defeated their elite units in 1970 in Vietnamese Son Tay, and in 1978 in Angola. Often their intelligence services had no idea about the operations being carried out by our soldiers. Here is a vivid illustration.
In 1968, 9 of our soldiers carried out a classic raid on a top-secret helicopter camp in Cambodia, located 30 kilometers from the Vietnamese border. The American military sent their reconnaissance and sabotage groups from here to Vietnam, and from here they flew out in search of their downed pilots. The camp was guarded by 2 light helicopters, 8-10 heavy transport and 4 Super Cobra helicopters. A new modification of the fire support “turntable” with on board guided missiles and the latest target guidance systems was the goal of our paratroopers. It took our special forces only 25 minutes to hijack one and destroy the three remaining helicopters under the noses of American commandos.
Afghan company
There is still very little free information about the combat operations of Soviet special forces in Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Cuba and Vietnam.
Much more data on the ten-year Afghan war. It began with a complex special operation to eliminate ruler Hafizula Amin. Until now, historians consider the capture of Amin’s fortress and its destruction to be a pure adventure, however, it was a success. In addition to the existing KGB special forces “Grom” and “Zenith”, the future “Alpha” and “Vympel”, the GRU special forces took part in the operation. About six months before the significant assault, it was created Muslim battalion, the so-called “Musbat” or 154th separate special forces detachment, which included GRU fighters from among Soviet Muslims. It was staffed by Tajiks, Uzbeks and Turkmen who served in tank and motorized rifle units. Most of them spoke Farsi. Shortly before the assault, this detachment was secretly introduced into the palace security. The assault itself lasted only 40 minutes. 7 special forces soldiers were killed in the palace. This unit, apart from a short respite after this operation, until 1984 conducted combat operations using special forces tactics, staged raids and ambushes, and carried out reconnaissance in Afghanistan.
At the end of 1983, the army began to create the “Curtain” border zone along the entire length of Jalalabad - Ghazni - Kandahar. With its help, it was planned to block two hundred caravan routes through which the rebels delivered ammunition from Pakistan. But for such a grandiose plan in Afghanistan there were not enough special forces, so in 1984 the 177th special forces detachment was transferred here, followed by the 154th special forces. In total, the personnel of the special forces of the GRU General Staff in Afghanistan was about 1,400 people. Since this also seemed not enough, the formation of additional special-purpose military units began in the USSR.
Among the memorable operations, many can be named. For example, in January 1984, reinforced by a tank platoon and two companies of the Afghan army, Company 177 was supposed to find and capture a caravan in the area of the village of Vakha, where, according to information, the weapons and ammunition of the dushmans were supposed to arrive. However, the enemy was not detected, and after lunch our detachment found itself surrounded. And after hard battle, having secured the support of aviation and artillery, the detachment left the danger zone.
In 1989, the structure of the 15th and 22nd Special Forces brigades was radically changed. Armored military equipment, grenade launchers, communications controls, including space ones, were removed from the brigades as inappropriate for their tasks - that is, the ongoing anti-sabotage fight and military reconnaissance. The 10-year confrontation between special forces and the enemy was recognized as an “atypical case of use”...
However, in 1990, when the 15th brigade arrived in Baku to fight the country’s Popular Front gangs, the equipment was returned to them. Then the special forces made 37 flights on Il-76 VTA aircraft and delivered more than 20 units of armored military equipment, vehicles, and communications equipment from Tashkent. The presence of soldiers and officers who knew more than just words about the fight against saboteurs allowed the brigade, which at that time was part of the KGB of the USSR, to complete all assigned tasks. And upon returning home, despite numerous requests from the unit’s command, all military equipment and communications equipment were simply confiscated.
Chechen company
During the first Chechen war 1994-1996. Russian special forces was present in Chechnya from the moment the troops were brought in by separate and combined detachments. At first it was used only in reconnaissance. Due to the poor training of ground units, special forces soldiers took part in assault groups, as happened in Grozny. 1995 brought very high losses in special forces units - the battles of this year were the most tragic in the entire history of special forces in Russia and the USSR.
But despite everything, the special forces began to work according to their traditional tactics, especially excelling in ambush operations. After the signing of the Khasavyurt agreement, after which North Caucasus temporarily entered a period of shaky peace, it was clear that the conflict had not yet been resolved. Therefore, with the beginning of fighting in Dagestan in confrontations with armed formations of militants, international and Chechen terrorists, the task of the special forces was to provide the troops with intelligence data regarding the defensive structures and positions of the Wahhabis. I had to fight with “old friends” from the Afghan company from among Arab, Pakistani and Turkish mercenaries and instructors. Ours could recognize many of them by their inherent characteristics of mining, evading pursuit, radio exchange, and choosing places for ambush. The GRU special forces were in first place among other units in combat training and fulfillment of assigned tasks, acting 10 times more efficiently than others.
Separate and combined detachments were from brigades of the Siberian, Moscow, Ural, Transbaikal, Far Eastern, and North Caucasian military districts.
In the spring of 1995, there were no detachments left in Chechnya; the last one, a separate special forces detachment assigned to the North Caucasus Military District, returned to Russia in the fall of 1996.
Troubled times
The years following the collapse Soviet Union, were the most difficult for the army in general and special forces in particular. In a series of reforms and reorganizations, the army special forces suffered damage that they did not suffer even during the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya. After the war in Afghanistan, some brigades returned to their previous locations, while others were disbanded. From time to time, units of the brigades were sent to places of armed clashes with various illegal groups. Thus, the 173rd detachment participated in the elimination of unrest in Baku and Ossetia, when it was necessary to intervene in the Ossetian-Ingush conflict, and fought on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Detachments of the GRU of the Moscow Military District supported the constitutional order in Tajikistan. Soldiers of the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the Transcaucasian Military District fought in Tbilisi and Azerbaijan, then, since 1991, in Nagorno-Karabakh and North Ossetia. The 4th Brigade (Estonia) was disbanded in 1992, before which the special forces brigade was withdrawn from the Soviet Group of Forces of Germany. The Pechersk special forces training regiment was also disbanded.
After the collapse of the Union, the 8th, 9th and 10th special purpose brigades became part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and here the 8th was reorganized and turned into the 1st parachute regiment, the other two were disbanded. Belarus received the 5th special forces brigade, Uzbekistan - the 15th special forces brigade, the 459th special forces company, and one training regiment.
So how many GRU special forces units are there today?
It is not possible to fully clarify this issue. Partly due to the secrecy of information, partly due to the constant reform of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - in other words, reductions. But if we analyze the available information, we can calculate that today there are at least 9 special forces brigades and two battalions “West” and “East”. There are a number of military formations whose fighters undergo training identical to that of the special forces. Although it is not a fact that these units are part of the GRU system - they may well end up in the department of the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces, individual reconnaissance units, the Navy, GUIN, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs or FSB structures.
Spetsnaz elite - this is what they say about the GRU, which formally does not exist. Until 2018, the main foreign intelligence agency was called the Main Directorate of the General Staff. In November 2018, V. Putin proposed returning the name Main Intelligence Directorate. The GRU differs from other law enforcement agencies in its actions without publicity, and anywhere in the world.
Scouts from the times of Tsarist Russia
Army special forces work quietly. Information leaked to the media means the operation failed. The abbreviation is currently used by journalists and official prosecutors. There are well-founded historical prerequisites for this.
It is known that back in the 17th century, Ivan the Terrible organized a guard service of the strongest Cossacks, who were excellent at handling all types of weapons. They observed the “Wild Field” and prevented the actions of the Nogais and Tatars. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich formed the Secret Order - an intelligence unit to collect military information about overseas enemies.
Special purpose units were also created in 1764 according to the projects of A. Suvorov and M. Kutuzov. Jaeger detachments underwent tactical and military training and were involved in sieges and raids on the enemy.
In 1811, a separate corps of internal guards was formed. The task of the fighters was to protect and restore internal order in imperial Russia. Alexander I contributed to the creation of a cavalry rapid response detachment, which included gendarmes. In 1842, Plastun Cossack battalions appeared, which became the predecessors of modern military intelligence.
Special forces in the 20th century
The twentieth century can be considered the beginning of the emergence of the GRU on the territory of the modern Russian Federation. After the revolution in 1917, the People's Commissariat of Military Affairs, or GUSHK, was formed. In 1918, reconnaissance units and units of the Cheka were created, and in the 1930s, saboteur detachments and airborne troops were created.
Representatives of military intelligence engaged in espionage, sabotage, disrupted communications, transport, and power lines of the enemy, and fought terrorism. The personnel were completely classified, trained according to individual programs, and supplied with the latest weapons at that time.
The units received their official name - the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army in February 1942.
In 1953, units were massively reduced, but in 1957 they formed 5 separate special forces companies and in 1962 the remnants of the old ones were added to them. Professional intelligence officers have begun specialized training in 1968. 
The first special forces training regiment appeared in 1968 near Pskov, the second in 1970 near Tashkent. Initially, the fighters were trained to confront the NATO bloc and the main enemy of the USSR - the USA. Intelligence representatives collected information in the rear, transferred it to control, engaged in sabotage, created panic, and destroyed infrastructure. The emphasis was on enemy weapons of mass destruction - missile silos, launch devices, strategic aviation sites, submarine bases.
For the 1990s. The department was called the Main Directorate, in 2010 it was renamed the Main Directorate of the General Staff, in 2018 - the GRU.
Today, the department's priority tasks are human intelligence, cyber data collection, information warfare, cooperation with political forces and leaders of other countries.
Interesting! According to unconfirmed reports, special forces took part in the DRA wars, campaigns in Georgia, Tajikistan, and Syria.
What is the difference between the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the GRU
The difference between foreign military intelligence and the GRU can only be determined by representatives of departments. As the leadership of the SVR reported, the Grushniks conduct military intelligence, and the foreign service conducts political intelligence. Common features of the organizations are absolute secrecy of actions and protection of their state secrets.
Methods of operations and how training takes place in the SVR became known from the book of defector S. Tretyakov. He notes that the SVR was trained to gradually bring a source to cooperation, use portable equipment, intercept conversations, and quickly come up with a cover story. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, Tretyakov worked in the USA, in the building of the Russian UN office in Manhattan.
Intelligence officers and cryptographers worked in the “submarine” - on the upper floors, joining daily life Americans under new identities. They were employed by US government organizations.
Important! The main goal of the SVR is political processes in the world.
Headquarters
The location of the old Steklyashka headquarters is Moscow, house number 76, going deep into the block on Khoroshevskoye Highway near Khodynskoye Pole. The new headquarters in the form of a complex of buildings with a situation center, command post, gym and swimming pool was finally completed in 2006. It is located on the street. Grizodubova.
View of the GRU headquarters on Khoroshevskoye Shosse in Moscow
Main Intelligence Directorate today
Currently, Russian GRU units are part of a special agency of the Ministry of Defense. The department is engaged in searching and providing the government with intelligence that creates conditions for successful political processes. The department provides support to the economic, military-technical sphere. 
The composition of the GRU is represented by 13 main departments, 8 auxiliary, educational institutions and research institutes. The main departments No. 1-No. 4 are engaged in interaction with countries of the world. Department No. 5 - conducting operational intelligence, No. 6 - radio engineering, No. 7 - resolving issues with NATO. The rest of the department deals with sabotage, development of military technology, control of nuclear weapons, information warfare, and strategic doctrines.
Special forces training takes place in:
- Military Academy of the Ministry of Defense (Moscow). The Conservatory produces officers at 3 faculties. The first one trains “jackets” (illegal immigrants and officers), who work under diplomatic cover and engage in recruitment. On the second - military attaches, on the third - officers-heads of operations outside of Russia;
- Cherepovets Higher Military School - specialists in cybersecurity and information warfare;
- Military Space Academy named after. Mozhaisky are hackers specializing in cyber attacks.
It is reliably known about several research institutes collaborating with the GRU:
- 6th Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense, or the Pentagon - the most informed people of the GRU are members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and are engaged in the study of military power foreign countries;
- Special Development Center - analysis of exploits for vulnerabilities. Employees with Level 3 security clearance always notify the government when traveling abroad;
- The 85th main center of the intelligence service, or Khamovniki barracks, is the place of work of hackers and cryptographers-breakers;
- The daily operations control center - officially the Novator business center is located at this site - the United States reports that hackers who took part in an attack on the Democratic Party worked here (2016);
- 18th Central Research Institute - development of radio electronics;
- Sovinformsputnik is a space reconnaissance department that took pictures of Area 51 in the United States in 2000.
Interesting! To recruit students, the Special Development Center often organizes cybersecurity competitions among school and university students.
Structure and composition of GRU special forces
There is the most information about elite special forces - one of the units of the GRU. After the 2010 reform, the department was transferred to the military districts and airborne units. Currently, the GRU special forces brigades belong to the Special Operations Forces of the Special Operations Forces with the main base in Kubinka.
To date, several special forces units are known:
- 2nd scanned brigade of the Western Military District - consists of management units, a school of junior specialists, a special radio communications detachment and separate units special response. The unit, which the military calls “Parachute”, is located in Pskov.
- 3rd Guards separate brigade- belongs to the Central Military District, but there is information that it has been disbanded.
- 10th Mountain Separate Brigade - part of the North Caucasus Military District, stationed in the village. Molpino (Krasnodar region).
- 14th Brigade (separate) - formed in January 1963, is part of the Far Eastern Military District. Structural parts are located in Khabarovsk, Ussuriysk, Matveevka, Belogorsk. The personnel participated in 2 Chechen campaigns. In 2019 it received the name “Guards”.
- 16th Special Forces Brigade - created in 1963, part of the Western Military District. She went through wars in Chechnya, peacekeeping operations, and was involved in the protection of strategic facilities in Tajikistan.
- The 22nd Guards Separate Brigade received its name after the end of World War II, but was fully formed in 1976. Be part of the Southern Military District.
- The 24th separate brigade is part of the Central Military District. The fighters are participants in the war in Afghanistan and campaigns in the North Caucasus.
- 346th Brigade (separate) - until 2012, it was stationed in the city of Prokhladny, Kabardino-Balkaria, then transferred to the Central Military District. In 2013 it received the name “Guards Motorized Rifle”. Consists of 3 military units.
- 25th separate special purpose regiment - located in Stavropol, initially provided security for the Olympics in Sochi (2014). Included in the Southern Military District, it is engaged in border protection, search and destruction of illegal armed groups.
Under the command of the GRU there are also 4 naval reconnaissance points of the Black Sea, Northern, Pacific and Baltic fleets.
What is the total number?
The total number of military formations and units varies. Sources give figures of 6-15 thousand people. The GRU is also subordinate to combined arms formations, which is 25 thousand people. About 10 thousand soldiers work in special forces brigades and maritime points.
How are GRU employees selected?
The main condition under which an ordinary soldier will become a GRU employee is military service. Students to study at the Conservatory are mainly recruited from educational institutions in Cherepovets and Ryazan, but teachers often come to all military units of the country.
Priority is given to warrant officers and officers under 28 years of age and in excellent physical health, higher education and recommendations from the leadership of the military unit. Candidates are recruited on personal basis, based on conversations at home. Only then are future intelligence officers invited to Moscow.
Selection to the GRU is competitive. Candidates take a test on knowledge of a foreign language, psychological and physical indicators.
Interesting! During interviews, they often show photographic portraits, and the person must remember each person's name. People are often asked about their preferences in alcohol and relationships with the opposite sex.
Physical check
Taking into account the fact that during raids scouts cover tens of kilometers and carry weapons and ammunition, candidates pass the standards. The required minimum includes:
- cross 3 km - 10 minutes;
- pull-ups - 25 times;
- 100 meters - 12 seconds;
- floor press - 90 times;
- press - 90 times/2 min;
- hand-to-hand combat.
After the standards, the psychological health of future fighters is checked. The psychologist tests them for stress resistance, intelligence, attentiveness, and analytical abilities. Often a person undergoes a polygraph (lie detector) test.
Important! All relatives will be checked, and the parents will give written consent to the applicant’s service.
What specialties do GRU employees have?
Special forces outfit
Most often, grushniks work as “jackets” - they recruit people and collect data under the diplomatic covers of secretaries, ambassadors, and advisers. The second popular type of activity is special forces (operations leaders, ordinary soldiers).
Intelligence officers are also organizers of sabotage, information warfare, hackers, cryptographers, cryptographers, serve in cyber troops, and engage in trolling (for example, accusations of Russian intelligence officers of interfering in the US presidential election). A relatively “peaceful” position is military attache.
What does the service do?
The management in its activities is guided by Art. 5 of the Law “On Foreign Intelligence”. The official website of the Ministry of Defense says that troops within the GRU are engaged in:
- providing the country's leadership with information that allows them to make decisions in the political, economic, scientific, defense, technical and environmental fields;
- creating conditions for a safe defense and security policy;
- promoting the development of the Russian Federation as a state.
In fact, representatives of the department are involved in:
- organizing and performing military intelligence;
- eliminating funds nuclear strikes;
- searching for military units;
- conducting operations behind enemy lines;
- organizing and carrying out sabotage;
- the formation of rebel and partisan groups on enemy territory;
- fighting terrorists, neutralizing saboteurs.
GRU officers can also interfere with radio lines, carry out cyber attacks, introduce convincing misleading information, disrupt power supplies, and eliminate important transport links. Intelligence officers also reveal threats to the national interests and military security of the Russian Federation, using open and covert methods for this.
Interesting! Foreign media accuse Russian grushniks of military and government unrest.
How dangerous is it to work in intelligence?
Some people die under mysterious circumstances:
- S. Tretyakov, who asked for political asylum from the United States, died in 2010 in a restaurant because he choked on meat;
- Deputy Chief of the GRU Yu. Ivanov died during a business trip in Syria;
- defector E. Toporov died from electric shock in the bathroom;
- A. Lomanov, head of the service, was hit by a car;
- I. Sergun, the head of the department, suddenly died of a heart attack.
The greatest danger for intelligence officers is the information they possess and the methods for obtaining it. Special forces soldiers can die from a bullet in battle or during interrogation. They occasionally become prisoners of war. The “Legend” needs to be maintained for years.
What happens to former intelligence officers
Throughout their career, GRU officers work with state secrets and acquire excellent combat skills. Various examples of the life of department representatives after retirement can be given.
Criminal activity
It is known that in the 1990s, former intelligence officers organized bombings and kidnappings. In 2005, former warrant officer Yu. Kolchin was convicted of the murder of deputy G. Starovoitova. Colonel V. Kvachkov organized the assassination attempt on A. Chubais, prepared an armed rebellion and terrorist attacks.
New positions
The people expelled from the United States with Anna Chapman in 2010 began working as managers of the Transneft and Rosneft companies. V. Frolov, who recruited agent Robert Hanssen, planned to work for Izvestia, but eventually became an expert in relations between Russia and the United States. He also writes books, has been published in Republic, and has been named a "preeminent international expert" by The New York Times.
Special forces brigades of the GRU and other departments of the department work according to the “fight club” principle. No matter how much journalists try to expose employees of the Russian intelligence service or look for data on its operations, this is problematic. Activities of the GRU - state secret, for the disclosure of which there is criminal liability.
The SBU’s capture of former or not-so-former Russian special forces soldiers near Lugansk, their interviews and various information that surfaced in the press allowed us to take a fresh look at what was happening in the Donbass and in Russian army. Medialeaks collected what is known about the Special Forces of the GRU, where Evgeny Erofeev and Alexander Alexandrov served/are serving and summarized what the prisoners said.
What is GRU special forces?
Full title: “Special forces units of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Russian Federation» . Tasks: deep reconnaissance and sabotage activities. This is what boys dream about and what Call Of Duty heroes do: special forces climb deep behind enemy lines and run through the forest, collecting information about the enemy’s weapons, destroying their fortified points and communications.
Secret troops
Since no special forces officially existed, in Afghanistan, for example, they were called separate motorized rifle battalions. The GRU is still not mentioned in the names of the formations. Let's say Alexandrov and Erofeev were/are employees 3rd Separate Guards Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov III Class Special Purpose Brigade . Now no one denies the existence of these troops, but the composition of the units is still classified. The number of troops of the GRU Special Forces is unknown; it is believed that there are currently about 10 thousand of them in the RF Armed Forces.
What is the GRU Special Operations Command famous for?
The most famous operation carried out by the Special Forces was the seizure of the palace of Hafizullah Amin in Kabul in 1979. Due to the irregular nature of combat operations in Afghanistan, GRU special forces were widely used against the Mujahideen. Scout units were assigned to all military formations, so everyone who served in Afghanistan knew about the existence of scouts. It was in the late 80s that the number of this type of troops reached its maximum. Michele Placido's hero, Major Bandura, in "Afghan Break" is more of a sadist than a paratrooper, but in 1991 it was still impossible to talk about this.
How does the GRU Special Forces differ from the Airborne Forces?
Spetsnaz soldiers are often confused with paratroopers for a completely understandable reason: for the sake of conspiracy, the combat uniform of some units of the Special Forces of the GRU of the USSR was the same as that of the Airborne Forces. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the tradition remained. For example, the same 3rd separate brigade of the Special Forces wears vests and blue berets on the parade ground. Scouts also jump with a parachute, but paratroopers have larger combat missions. Accordingly, the number of airborne forces is much higher - 45 thousand people.
What are the GRU Special Forces armed with?
In general, the weapons of special forces are the same as those of other motorized rifle units, but there are several specific technologies. The most famous: the special machine gun “Val” and the special sniper rifle “Vintorez”. This is a silent weapon with a subsonic bullet speed, which at the same time, thanks to a number of design features, has high penetrating power. It was “Val” and “Vintorez”, according to the SBU, that were captured on May 16 from fighters of “Erofeev’s detachment”. However, there is no convincing evidence that such weapons do not remain in the warehouses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Who serves in the Special Operations Directorate of the GRU?
Due to high demands and the need for long training, most of the special forces are contract soldiers. Young people who have sports training, are healthy, and have knowledge of a foreign language are accepted for service. At the same time, we see that these are completely ordinary people from the provinces, for them service is rather a good job, it can be difficult and dangerous, but in no way a battle for an abstract idea.
Life is not like in the movies
Patriotic movies and bravura stories on TV convince us that special forces soldiers are universal terminators. On a combat mission they can go without sleep for three days, they shoot without missing, they can scatter a dozen armed people alone with their bare hands and, of course, they don’t abandon their own. But if you believe the words of the captured soldiers, then quite a large group of special forces soldiers, completely unexpectedly, were ambushed and, shooting randomly, retreated in a hurry, leaving two wounded and one killed on the battlefield. Yes, they are well trained, they can run for a long time and shoot quite accurately, but these are ordinary people who are afraid of bullets and do not always know where the enemy is waiting for them.
Not a word to the enemy
Scouts operate behind enemy lines, where the risk of being captured is quite high; accordingly, soldiers and officers of the GRU special forces must undergo training on how to behave in captivity, and before being sent on a mission, undergo instruction and receive a “legend.” Since these are secret troops, a secret mission, the command, in theory, should have warned the soldiers: you will find yourself in captivity, we don’t know you, you came there yourself. It is all the more surprising that, as we see, both Alexandrov and Erofeev turned out to be absolutely unprepared either for captivity or for the country and loved ones to abandon them.
SBU torture
It is clear that both (former) special forces soldiers are sincerely shocked that Russian authorities(and even Aleksandrov’s wife) stated that they were not serving in the Russian troops and it was unknown how they ended up near Lugansk. This can be explained by torture, but people who are forced to say something against their will often do not make eye contact, pronounce words slowly and abruptly, or speak in overly correct phrases as if they had memorized the text. We don’t see this in the Novaya Gazeta recording. Moreover, their words contradict the version of the SBU, which claims that “Erofeev’s group” was engaged in sabotage, while the captives talk only about observation. People who have been forced by torture to say what is needed do not change their testimony so boldly.
Whether there is a Russian troops in Donbass? How many are there and what are they doing there?
The Kremlin consistently denies the participation of Russian Armed Forces units in the conflict in Donbass. The capture of special forces, according to Kyiv, proves the opposite. However, the SBU does not say how many Russian soldiers and units are fighting in eastern Ukraine.
If you study the blogs and interviews of DPR and LPR militia participants, the picture emerges as follows: large-scale military operation with the participation of Russian units, if there was one, it was once at the end of August - beginning of September, when the forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were suddenly thrown back from Ilovaisk, and the front line reached the border of Mariupol. According to various sources, there are military emissaries from Moscow at the headquarters of the DPR and LPR (just as specialists come from Washington to train officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine). There is a possibility that separate groups of military personnel from Russia are operating on the territory of the self-proclaimed republics, but in limited numbers. As the prisoners rightly point out, there are a lot of people here, including real retired officers who want to fight. Aleksandrov and Erofeev say that their tasks included only observation without any sabotage; this does not coincide with either the version of the General Staff of the Russian Federation or the version of the SBU.
We can safely call them the most popular military units in Russia. Dozens of films have been made about him, hundreds of books and articles have been written on the Internet. The special forces of the Russian GRU are the real elite of the armed forces - although, as a rule, film scripts have little relation to reality.
Only the best get into the special forces, and in order to be enrolled in this unit, candidates must undergo a brutal selection process. The usual training of GRU special forces can shock the average person - special attention is paid to the physical and psychological preparation of special forces.
Real operations in which army special forces took part are usually not reported on television or written in newspapers. Media hype usually means mission failure, and failures for GRU special forces are relatively rare.
Unlike special units of other law enforcement agencies, the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate do not have their own name, and in general prefer to act without publicity. During operations, they can wear the uniform of any army in the world, and the globe depicted on the emblem of military intelligence means that GRU special forces can operate anywhere in the world.
GRU special forces are the “eyes and ears” of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, and often effective tool for various “delicate” operations. However, before continuing the story about special forces and their everyday life, it should be said what the Main Intelligence Directorate is and about the history of the special units that are part of it.
GRU
The need to create a special body that would engage in intelligence in the interests of the military became obvious almost immediately after the formation of the Red Army. In November 1918, the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Council of the Republic was created, which included the Registration Department, which was responsible for collecting and processing intelligence information. This structure ensured the work of human intelligence of the Red Army and was engaged in counterintelligence activities.
The order to create the Field Headquarters (and with it the Registration Directorate) was dated November 5, 1918, so this date is considered the birthday of Soviet and Russian military intelligence.
However, one should not think that before the 1917 revolution in Russia there were no structures that collected information in the interests of the military department. The same can be said about special military units that performed special, specific tasks.
Back in the 16th century, Russian Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible established a guard service, which recruited Cossacks who were distinguished by good physical health and excellent skills in handling firearms and bladed weapons. Their task was to monitor the territory of the “Wild Field”, from which Tatars and Nogais constantly attacked the Muscovite kingdom.
Later, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a Secret Order was organized, which collected military information about potential opponents.
During the reign of Alexander I (in 1817), a detachment of mounted gendarmes was formed, which today would be called a rapid reaction unit. Their main task was to maintain order within the state. In the middle of the 19th century, reconnaissance and sabotage battalions consisting of Cossack plastuns were formed in the Russian army.
Were in Russian Empire and units reminiscent of modern army special forces. In 1764, on the initiative of Suvorov, Kutuzov and Panin, detachments of rangers were created that could conduct operations separately from the main forces of the army: raids, ambushes, and fight the enemy in hard-to-reach areas (mountains, forests).
In 1810, on the initiative of Barclay de Tolly, a Special Expedition (or Secret Affairs Expedition) was created.
In 1921, on the basis of the Registration Directorate, the Intelligence Directorate of the Red Army Headquarters was formed. The order establishing the new body stated that the Intelligence Department was engaged in military intelligence both in peacetime and in war time. In the 1920s, the department conducted human intelligence, created in the territories neighboring countries pro-Soviet partisan detachments carried out active subversive activities.
Having survived several reorganizations, in 1934 the Intelligence Directorate of the Red Army became directly subordinate to the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. Soviet saboteurs and military advisers acted successfully in the Spanish War. At the end of the 30s, a rollercoaster of political repression thoroughly swept through Soviet military intelligence, many officers were arrested and shot.
On February 16, 1942, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Red Army was formed, and it was under this name that the organization existed for more than sixty years. After the war, the GRU General Staff was abolished for several years, but in 1949 it was restored again.
On October 24, 1950, a secret directive was issued on the creation of special units (SPT) that would conduct reconnaissance and sabotage behind enemy lines. Almost immediately, similar units were formed in all military districts of the USSR (a total of 46 companies of 120 people each). Later, special forces brigades were formed on their basis. The first of them was created in 1962. In 1968, the first special forces training regiment appeared (near Pskov), and in 1970 the second was formed near Tashkent.
Initially, special forces units were trained for war with the NATO bloc. After the start (or before) of hostilities, intelligence officers had to operate deep behind enemy lines, collect information and transmit it to the Main Intelligence Directorate, act against enemy headquarters and other control points, commit sabotage and terrorist attacks, sow panic among the population, and destroy infrastructure facilities . Particular attention was paid to weapons of mass destruction of the enemy: missile silos and launchers, strategic aviation airfields, and submarine bases.
Special units of the GRU actively participated in the Afghan War, special forces units played important role in the suppression of separatism in the North Caucasus. GRU special forces were also involved in civil war in Tajikistan and in the war against Georgia in 2008. There is information that some parts of the Special Forces are currently located in Syria.
Currently, the Main Intelligence Directorate is not only sabotage and reconnaissance groups. The GRU is actively engaged in human intelligence, information collection in cyberspace, and uses electronic and space reconnaissance. Russian military intelligence officers successfully use information warfare methods and work with foreign political forces and individual politicians.
In 2010, the Main Intelligence Directorate was renamed the Main Directorate of the General Staff, but the old name is still better known and popular.
Structure and composition of the GRU Spetsnaz
- The 2nd separate special forces brigade is part of the Western Military District.
- The 3rd Guards Separate Brigade of the GRU (Central Military District) was created in 1966 in Tolyatti. However, there is information about its disbandment.
- 10th mountain separate brigade of the GRU of the North Caucasus Military District. It was formed in 2003 in the village of Molpino, Krasnodar Territory.
- 14th separate GRU brigade. Part of the Far Eastern District, it was formed in 1966. The soldiers of this unit took an active part in the fighting in Afghanistan. The 14th Brigade went through both Chechen campaigns.
- The 16th Special Forces Brigade is part of the Western Military District. Formed in 1963. She participated in both Chechen campaigns, in peacekeeping operations, and guarded particularly important facilities on the territory of Tajikistan in the early 90s.
- 22nd Guards Separate Special Purpose Brigade. It is part of the Southern Military District. It was formed in 1976 in Kazakhstan. Took an active part in Afghan war. It is the first military unit to receive the rank of guards after the end of World War II.
- 24th separate GRU brigade. It is part of the Central Military District. The brigade took part in the Afghan War and in combat operations in the North Caucasus.
- 346th separate special forces brigade. Southern Military District, Prokhladny city, Kabardino-Balkaria.
- The 25th separate special forces regiment is part of the Southern Military District.
Also subordinate to the GRU there are four maritime reconnaissance points: in the Pacific, Black, Baltic and Northern fleets.
The total number of GRU special forces units is not known exactly. Are called different numbers: from six to fifteen thousand people.
Training and arming of GRU special forces
Who can join the GRU special forces? What are the requirements for candidates?
It is quite difficult to get into special forces units, but not impossible.
First of all, the candidate must be in absolute physical health. It is not necessary to have impressive dimensions; endurance is much more important in special forces. During a raid, scouts can cover many tens of kilometers in a day, and they do it by no means lightly. You have to carry many kilograms of weapons, ammunition and ammunition.
The applicant will have to pass the required minimum: run three kilometers in 10 minutes, do 25 pull-ups, run a hundred meters in 12 seconds, 90 push-ups, do 90 abdominal exercises in 2 minutes. One of the physical standards is hand-to-hand combat.
Naturally, all candidates undergo the most thorough and scrupulous medical examination.
In addition to physical training, the psychological health of the applicant is no less important: a special forces soldier must be absolutely “stress-resistant” and not lose his head even in the most difficult situations. Therefore, candidates must undergo an interview with a psychologist, followed by a lie detector test. Moreover, the relevant authorities carefully check all the relatives of the future intelligence officer, and parents are required to provide written consent for their son to serve in special forces.
If a person does end up in special forces, he will have to endure many months of hard training. Fighters are trained in hand-to-hand combat, which significantly enhances the spirit and strengthens character. A special forces soldier must be able to fight not only with his bare hands, but also use different various items, sometimes not at all intended for combat use. A rookie is often placed against stronger opponents (and sometimes even several), in which case it is important for him not even to defeat him, but to hold out as long as possible.
From the very beginning of training, future special forces soldiers are instilled with the idea that they are the best.
Future special forces soldiers learn to endure the most severe tests to the limit of physical capabilities: long-term deprivation of sleep, food, extreme physical activity, and psychological pressure. Naturally, in special forces future fighters are trained to master all types of small arms.
Despite the “international” specificity of the tasks performed by the GRU special forces, its fighters most often use standard weapons of the Russian army.
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GRU structure
The Main Intelligence Directorate under Ivashutin became a unique organization not only in our country, but also in the world. In the 70s, this powerful department included units that seemingly covered all foreign objects of Soviet military intelligence.
In the 70s of the last century, the GRU consisted of 16 departments. Of these, most were “numbered” - from 1 to 12, but some, such as the personnel department, did not have numbers. They explained that these data on the structure of the Main Intelligence Directorate were taken from the book “Soviet Military Intelligence” by former GRU captain V. Rezun (V. Suvorov), who fled to England in 1978, published in London in 1984.
The departments directly involved in the collection and processing of intelligence information were divided into directions, and the auxiliary departments into departments. Directions and departments, in turn, consisted of sections. The GRU also had directions and departments that were not part of the directorates...
Depending on their function, GRU units were divided into mining, processing and auxiliary. Extractive bodies were those directly involved in the collection of intelligence information.
The 1st GRU Directorate carried out intelligence reconnaissance in the territories Western Europe. It included five areas, each of which was engaged in human intelligence on the territory of several countries;
The 2nd Directorate was engaged in human intelligence in North and South America;
The 3rd Directorate conducted human intelligence in Asian countries;
4th Directorate - in Africa and the Middle East.
In addition to these four directorates, there were also four separate directions that were not part of the directorates and were also subordinate to the first deputy chief of the GRU.
The first direction of the GRU conducted human intelligence in Moscow. The officers who served in this direction were engaged in recruiting agents among foreign military attaches, members of military, scientific and other delegations, businessmen and other foreigners visiting Moscow. Another important task of the 1st direction was the introduction of GRU officers into Soviet official institutions, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Academy of Sciences, the Aeroflot agency, etc. Positions in these institutions were subsequently used as legal cover during intelligence work behind the scenes. border.
The 3rd direction of the GRU conducted human intelligence within national liberation movements and terrorist organizations.
The 4th direction of the GRU was engaged in intelligence reconnaissance from the territory of Cuba, primarily against the United States; in this case it interacted with Cuban intelligence. In many ways it duplicated the activities of the 2nd GRU Directorate.
The 5th Directorate of the GRU, or the Directorate of Operational-Tactical Intelligence, was also “extractive” and reported to the first deputy chief of the GRU. However, the specificity of its activities was that it did not engage in independent human intelligence, but supervised the work of the intelligence departments of the headquarters of military districts and fleets. The intelligence departments of military districts and naval intelligence were directly subordinate to the 5th Directorate. The latter, in turn, was subordinate to four naval intelligence departments.
It should be noted that if the intelligence departments of the headquarters of the military districts were directly subordinate to the Directorate of Operational-Tactical Intelligence, then the intelligence departments of the headquarters of the fleets - Northern, Pacific, Black Sea and Baltic - were combined into a single structure known as fleet intelligence. This was due to the fact that if each military district had a strictly defined area of responsibility, then the ships of the Soviet fleets operated in almost all points of the World Ocean, and each ship had to constantly have complete information regarding the potential enemy. Therefore, the chief of naval intelligence was the deputy chief of the GRU and led the four intelligence directorates of the naval headquarters, as well as the naval space reconnaissance directorate and information service. But in his daily activities he obeyed the orders of the 5th Directorate of the GRU.
In addition, the GRU had two more departments involved in collecting information - the 6th Directorate and the Space Intelligence Directorate. However, since although they obtained and partially processed information, they did not conduct human intelligence, they were not subordinate to the first deputy chief of the GRU.
The 6th GRU Directorate carried out electronic intelligence. Its officers were part of the residencies in the capitals foreign countries and were engaged in intercepting and decrypting transmissions on government and military information networks. In addition, electronic intelligence regiments stationed on Soviet territory, as well as electronic intelligence services of military districts and fleets, were subordinate to this department.
In addition to the 6th Directorate, the activities of several other GRU divisions and services were related to radio intelligence. Thus, the GRU command post, which carried out round-the-clock monitoring for signs of an impending attack on the USSR, also used information that was received by the 6th Directorate.
The information support departments carried out the work of assessing intelligence reports coming from the 6th Directorate. The decryption service was engaged in cryptanalysis of intercepted encrypted messages. It was directly subordinate to the head of the GRU and was located on Komsomolsky Prospekt in Moscow. The main task of the decryption service was to read encrypted messages from tactical military communications networks.
A special GRU computer center processed incoming information, which was obtained by means of radio intelligence.
The Central Research Institute in Moscow developed specialized equipment for conducting radio reconnaissance, and the GRU operational and technical department was responsible for its production and maintenance.
As for the GRU Space Intelligence Directorate, it collected intelligence data using satellites.
The processing organs of the GRU, which were sometimes called the information service, were engaged in the processing and analysis of incoming materials. The position of head of the information service corresponded to the rank of colonel general, and he himself was deputy head of the GRU. Subordinate to him were six information departments, the Institute of Information, the fleet information service and the information services of the intelligence departments of the headquarters of military districts. The areas of work of each of these divisions were as follows.
The 7th Directorate consisted of six departments and studied information on NATO. Each department and section was responsible for investigating individual trends or aspects of NATO activities.
The 8th Directorate studied data on individual countries throughout the world, regardless of whether the country belonged to NATO or not. At the same time, special attention was paid to the issues of the political structure of a given state, its armed forces and economy.
The 9th Directorate researched military technologies and was directly connected with the Soviet military-industrial complex.
The 10th Directorate analyzed information on the military economy around the world, including the arms trade, military production and technological achievements of different countries, and the production and reserves of strategic resources.
The 11th Directorate studied the strategic concepts and strategic nuclear forces of all those countries that possessed them or could create them in the future. This department carefully monitored any signs of increased activity in the actions of strategic nuclear forces in any region of the globe.
There is no exact information about what the 12th Directorate was doing.
The GRU Institute of Information functioned independently of the directorates and reported directly to the head of the information service. Unlike the departments listed above, which studied secret documents obtained through intelligence, electronic and space intelligence, the institute studied open sources of information: the press, radio, television.
GRU units that were not directly involved in the extraction or processing of intelligence materials were considered auxiliary. These divisions included the political department, personnel department, operational and technical department, administrative department, communications department, financial department, first department, eighth department, archive department. As for the last department - the archives, millions of registration cards of illegal immigrants, GRU officers, secret residents, information about successful and unsuccessful recruitment of foreigners, dossiers of government and military figures from different countries, etc. were stored and stored in its premises.
In addition, the GRU had several research institutes and educational institutions.
However, the foundation of the GRU was made up of intelligence departments and intelligence departments in armies and military districts, as well as special forces units subordinate to them.
Their structure during the period described was as follows.
At the headquarters of military districts and groups Soviet troops Abroad, the 2nd Directorate was in charge, consisting of five departments:
The 1st Department supervised the work of the intelligence departments of the armies and other units subordinate to the district;
2nd - was engaged in reconnaissance in the area of responsibility of the district;
3rd - supervised the activities of reconnaissance and sabotage units of the district;
4th - was engaged in processing intelligence information;
5th - conducted radio reconnaissance.
In addition, the intelligence department of the district headquarters included several more auxiliary units.
The organization of intelligence at the army level was the same as in the district, only instead of the intelligence department at the army headquarters there was a 2nd (intelligence) department, which, in turn, consisted of five groups...
The main forge of Soviet military intelligence personnel was the Military Diplomatic Academy (in the jargon of military intelligence officers - “conservatory”), which was located in Moscow on the street People's Militia. The position of the head of the academy corresponded to military rank“Colonel General”, by his status he was deputy head of the GRU.
Candidates for admission to the academy were selected mainly among military officers, and before receiving admission to the entrance exams, they underwent a comprehensive test for trustworthiness and moral qualities over the course of two to three years.
The Military Diplomatic Academy consisted of three numbered faculties:
1st - special intelligence faculty - trained intelligence officers to work in legal residencies;
2nd - military-diplomatic - employees of military attaches;
3rd - operational-tactical intelligence officers assigned to the headquarters of military districts.
The Military Diplomatic Academy was not the only educational institution, where personnel for military intelligence were trained. In addition to it, the GRU had a number of educational institutions:
Advanced training courses for officers (CUOS);
Higher reconnaissance and command advanced courses command staff(VRK UKS);
Faculties in military universities and departments of intelligence disciplines in various military educational institutions (Department of Navy Intelligence at the Naval Academy, intelligence departments of the Academy of the General Staff, Frunze Military Academy, special faculty Military Academy of Communications, Military Institute foreign languages, Cherepovets higher military school communications, special faculty of Higher naval school radio electronics, special purpose faculty of the Ryazan Higher Airborne School, intelligence faculty of the Kyiv Higher Military command school, special faculty of the 2nd Kharkov Higher Military Aviation Technical School, special intelligence faculty (since 1994), faculty military intelligence Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School).
It was interesting to find information about the headquarters of military intelligence from the Registration Department (directorate), the Intelligence Directorate and the General Intelligence Directorate. At different times they were located at the following addresses:
Prechistenka Street, houses 35, 37 and 39;
Bolshaya Lubyanka Street, building 12;
Bolshoi Znamensky Lane (Gritsevets Street), building 19;
Staraya Basmannaya Street (Karl Marx Street), building 17;
Arbat (General Staff building) and Gogolevsky Boulevard, building 6;
Khoroshevskoe highway, house 76.
Structure taken from open sources, is given in the book in order to show the scale of such a colossus as the GRU, which was successfully controlled for a quarter of a century by P. I. Ivashutin. To the authors, who knew the GRU firsthand, the data collected by the traitor and his patrons from the SIS about the structure of the GRU almost forty years ago cannot be considered reliable. Rezun is an unreliable source for obvious reasons. He was often carried away by sharp turns of information verbiage, and yet foreign journalists, when they talk about the structure of the central apparatus of Soviet military intelligence, use precisely this data.
Let them believe, but our modern military intelligence officers have to work in a completely different structure, which the Rezuns and Gordievskys, who are working off for betraying the Motherland with outbursts of dirty, usually false insinuations, thank God, are not allowed to know.
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