After 1945, there were essentially no reconnaissance and sabotage units in the army, because some of them were reduced and attached to other military formations, and some were disbanded. But they realized very quickly that the special forces groups were the most effective method combat the looming nuclear threat from NATO. Therefore, after a thorough 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 the history of Russian special forces
Those who think that the idea of creating special forces is a matter of the recent past are mistaken. Formations with similar goals arose in Russia 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 chasseurs.
AT late XVIII century, Catherine II initiated the rotation of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks to the Bug and then to the Kuban, where the tactics of "jaegers" came in handy - fighting in mountainous areas, ambushes, reconnaissance, raids.
The motto of the units is “Fox tail, wolf mouth”, and the training was reminiscent of modern warfare, a combination of undercover and power intelligence.
In 1797, Emperor Paul I introduced a new Charter, developed in the likeness of the charter of the Prussian army.
The year 1811 was marked by the creation of OKVS - a separate corps of internal guards, which was engaged in the protection or restoration of order within the state.
Alexander I took care of the creation of mobile cavalry gendarmes of rapid reaction in 1817.
In the war of 1812, the Russian army gained tremendous experience, which was widely used later.
In 1826, the influence of the Imperial Chancellery increased.
1842 battalions of scouts are created from the Cossack battalions, on whose subsequent combat activities many generations of the 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 was growing, and formations were created on the basis of the police, the goals and objectives of which resemble the mission of today's OMON.
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, airborne troops and sabotage units were created in the Red Army.
History milestones
The tasks of 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 insurgent (partisan) detachments behind enemy lines, combating terrorism, searching for and neutralization of saboteurs. Other tasks include interfering with communications, disrupting power supply, eliminating transport hubs, inducing chaos in the military and public administration of the country. Most of tasks sounds at least fantastic, but the GRU special forces could well cope with them: they had at their disposal the appropriate technical means and weapons, including portable nuclear mines.
The training of special forces militants was characterized by high intensity and was carried out using individual programs. For every 3-4 soldiers, 1 officer was assigned, who watched his pupils 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 classified more than the nuclear developments of the USSR. At least in terms of availability nuclear missiles, bombers with nuclear warheads and nuclear submarines, everyone knew, and not every marshal and general knew about the GRU special forces.
Also, one of the tasks of the special forces was the elimination of prominent figures of the enemy countries, but then this task was canceled. (If not classified even deeper).
The first manual for special forces - "Instructions for the combat use of units and subunits special purpose"wrote Pavel Golitsin, the former head 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 reduced. There are only eleven special special forces companies (ORSpN) left. It took four whole years for army special forces to improve 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 old companies, were joined by 10 special forces brigades. They were designed for peacetime and wartime. According to the states of peacetime, the brigade did not have more than 200-300 fighters; in the military, the ObrSpNb consisted of no less than 1,700 soldiers and officers. By the beginning of 1963, the USSR special forces included: 10 cadre brigades, 5 separate battalions, 12 separate companies in the Leningrad, Baltic, Belorussian, 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 6 companies, 2 battalions and 10 brigades remained in the army special forces. Separately, it should be said about the units, which, in addition to the standard training of the special forces, trained under special tasks. So, the soldiers of the 99th company, which was stationed in the Arkhangelsk military district, were oriented to operations in the cold conditions of the Arctic, and the soldiers of the 227th special forces, located in the North Caucasian military district, trained for survival in mountainous terrain. Further intensification of work on the creation of shock groups of special forces began only at the end of the 60s.
Personnel training
In 1968, on the basis of the Ryazan Airborne School, they began to train professional special forces intelligence officers. It was then that the legendary 9th company appeared. The 9th company held its last graduation 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 VOKU, but in their specialization they were more like military intelligence officers. In 1970, they formed a training company, 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 the soldiers before Afghanistan needed special training, a training regiment was also created in Uzbek Chirchik.
Operations abroad
The first major foreign operation of special forces falls on 1968, after which he no longer had to prove his worth. It was in this year that the countries united by the Warsaw Pact sent their troops to Czechoslovakia. To begin with, our plane requested an emergency landing from the country's capital due to engine failure. Within a few minutes, our special forces captured the airport, to which they very soon transferred an airborne division. At this time, the units that had previously arrived in Prague took control of “train stations, newspapers and telegraph”, that is, all key positions. After seizing the government building, the commandos took the country's leadership to Moscow.
In total, the army special forces sent their troops to two dozen countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. They also had to face the American commandos. Only many years later did the Americans find out who really defeated their elite units in 1970 in the Vietnamese Sean Tay, in 1978 in Angola. Often their special services did not even know about the operations carried out by our fighters. Here is a vivid illustration.
In 1968, 9 of our fighters made a classic raid on a top-secret helicopter camp in Cambodia, located 30 kilometers from the Vietnamese border. The American military threw their reconnaissance and sabotage groups from it into Vietnam, from here they flew out in search of their downed pilots. The camp was guarded by 2 light helicopters, 8-10 heavy transport helicopters and 4 Super Cobra helicopters. A new modification of the "turntable" fire support with the presence of guided missiles and latest systems aiming at the target was the goal of our paratroopers. It took our special forces only 25 minutes to steal one and destroy the three remaining helicopters under the noses of the American commandos.
Afghan company
There is still very little free information about the combat operations of the Soviet special forces in Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Cuba and Vietnam.
Much more data on the ten-year Afghan war. Its beginning was laid by the most difficult special operation to eliminate the ruler Hafizuly Amin. Until now, historians consider the capture of the fortress of Amin and its destruction a pure adventure, however, it was a success. In addition to the 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 momentous assault, a Muslim battalion was created, the so-called “Musbat” or the 154th separate special forces detachment, which included GRU fighters from among Soviet Muslims. It was staffed by Tajiks, Uzbeks and Turkmens who had served in tank and motorized rifle units. Most of them spoke Farsi. Shortly before the assault, this detachment was secretly introduced into the palace guards. 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 military operations according to the tactics of special forces, staged raids and ambushes, and carried out reconnaissance in Afghanistan.
At the end of 1983, the army began to create a border zone "Veil", along the entire length of Jalalabad - Ghazni - Kandahar. With its help, it was planned to block two hundred caravan routes, by 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 amounted to about 1,400 people. Since this also seemed not enough, the formation of additional special-purpose military formations began in the USSR.
Among the memorable operations can be called many. For example, in January 1984, company 177, reinforced by a tank platoon and two companies of the Afghan army, 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 dushmans were supposed to arrive. However, the enemy was not detected, and in the afternoon our detachment was surrounded. And after a hard battle, with 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 withdrawn from the brigades as inappropriate for their tasks - that is, anti-sabotage and military intelligence. The 10-year standoff of the special forces against the enemy was recognized as an "atypical use case" ...
However, in 1990, when the 15th brigade arrived in Baku to fight the bandit formations of the Popular Front of the country, the equipment was returned to them. Then the special forces made 37 flights by 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 were not verbally aware of the fight against saboteurs allowed the brigade, which at that time was in the department of the KGB of the USSR, to complete all the tasks. And upon returning home, despite numerous requests from the command of the unit, all military equipment and means of communication were simply confiscated.
Chechen company
In the first Chechen 1994-1996. Russian special forces have been present in Chechnya since the introduction of troops by separate and consolidated detachments. At first, it was used only in intelligence. Due to the poor preparation of the composition of the ground units, the special forces soldiers took part in assault groups, as happened in Grozny. The year 1995 brought very high losses in the special forces detachments - the battles of this year were the most tragic in the entire history of the special forces of Russia and the USSR.
But in spite of everything, the special forces began to work according to their traditional tactics, especially standing out in ambush actions. After the signing of the Khasavyurt agreement, after which the 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 the fighting in Dagestan in confrontations with the armed groups of militants, international and Chechen terrorists, the task of the special forces was to provide the troops with intelligence data on the fortifications and positions of the Wahhabis. I had to fight with "old friends" in the Afghan company from among the Arab, Pakistani and Turkish mercenaries and instructors. Ours could recognize many of them by their inherent features of mining, avoiding persecution, radio exchange, and choosing places for an ambush. The GRU special forces were in first place among other units in terms of combat training and the fulfillment of assigned tasks, acting 10 times more efficiently than the rest.
Separate and consolidated detachments were from the brigades of the Siberian, Moscow, Ural, Trans-Baikal, Far Eastern, North Caucasian military districts.
In the spring of 1995, there were no detachments left in Chechnya, the last - a separate special forces detachment assigned to the North Caucasian Military District, returned to Russia in the fall of 1996.
Troubled times
The years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union were the most difficult for the army in general and the special forces in particular. In a series of reforms and reorganizations, the army special forces suffered such damage that they did not suffer even during the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya. After the war in Afghanistan, some brigades returned to their former places of deployment, some were disbanded. From time to time, parts of the brigades were thrown into places of armed clashes with various illegal formations. 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, fought on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The GRU detachments of the Moscow Military District supported 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 that the special forces brigade was withdrawn from Soviet group troops of Germany. The Pechersk Special Forces Training Regiment was also disbanded.
After the collapse of the Union, the 8th, 9th and 10th special forces brigades became part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and here the 8th was reorganized and turned into the 1st airborne regiment, the other two were disbanded. Belarus got the 5th special forces brigade, Uzbekistan - the 15th special forces brigade, the 459th special forces company, one training regiment.
So how many units of the GRU special forces are there today?
It is not possible to find out up to the end this question. 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 are identical to the one that was in 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 the FSB structures.
In Russia there is a large-scale military reform, which affects not only all types and branches of the armed forces, but also such specific structures as military intelligence.
Some call these reforms the destruction of the army and navy of Russia, others believe that all the costs are part of the creation of new armed forces of the Russian Federation, giving them a "new look". But everyone agrees that it was impossible to leave everything as it was impossible.
A striking example this situation is the position of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Once upon a time, the country's second most powerful intelligence agency, after the KGB-FSB, is now going through hard times. A new complex of buildings on the Khodynka field, with an area of 70 thousand square meters. meters, commissioned in 2006, was empty.
During the "undercover struggle", which was accompanied by a campaign in the mass media, the GRU was defeated. One of the episodes of the struggle was the arrest of Colonel V. Kvachkov and rumors about the creation of underground combat groups.
Reference: Created on November 1, 1918, when a secret order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RVSR) approved the staff of the Field Headquarters, which consisted of six directorates, including the Registration Directorate (Registrupr). It was the first centralized and full-fledged intelligence agency of the Soviet Republic. Since the order was announced on November 5, it is this date that is celebrated as Military Intelligence Day. Since April 1921, the Register was transformed into the Intelligence Directorate of the Red Army Headquarters (Razvedupr) with the inclusion of a military intelligence department. In the relevant Regulations, it was determined that this structure is the central body of military intelligence, both in wartime and in peacetime. In the same period, there was a merger of the residencies of the Intelligence Directorate of the headquarters of the Red Army and foreign department GPU (the prototype of the future Service foreign intelligence- the main source of political information for the country's leadership). However, the effectiveness of the joint residency was low, so subsequently everything returned to its place, and the military-political leadership of the country again had two independent sources of information. In 1921-25, the Razvedupr carried out the so-called "active intelligence" - it led the actions of pro-Soviet partisan detachments in the territories of states neighboring Soviet Russia and the USSR. In 1939, the directorate was renamed the 5th Directorate of the Red Army. In June 1940, the 5th (intelligence) Directorate was again transferred to the control of the General Staff and received the name "Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army."
On October 24, 1950, the Directive of the Minister of War of the USSR No. ORG / 2/395/832 was signed with the stamp "Secret". She marked the beginning of the creation of special forces units (SpN) (deep reconnaissance or special purpose reconnaissance) for operations in the deepest rear of the enemy. In the autumn of the same year, 46 separate Special Forces companies of 120 people each were created in all military districts. Later, units of the Special Forces were created (one brigade for each military district or fleet and a brigade of central subordination). From the mid-1960s to the 1990s - the best period in the history of the GRU. The management staff is growing, logistics is a priority. Special attention began to be given to military-technical intelligence, the first orbital groups are being created, belts are being built from radar stations, huge areas of antenna fields are growing, unique control objects are being built outer space, each fleet receives the latest ships of radio and electronic intelligence. Since the 1990s, the decline of the GRU begins, associated with the general collapse Soviet system. The units and units of the Special Forces of the GRU played a positive role in Afghan war, in Tajikistan and in operations on the territory of the Chechen Republic.
Destruction of the GRU?!
Opinions
Lieutenant General Dmitry Gerasimov, former boss Directorate of the GRU, who led all the special forces brigades, said in interview New Times: “I am deeply convinced that the GRU spetsnaz was completely deliberately destroyed. Of the 14 brigades and two training regiments of the GRU, at best, no more than four brigades remained. At the same time, one must understand that this is no longer GRU special forces, but ordinary military intelligence, which is part of the Ground Forces. One of the best brigades - Berdskaya - was liquidated. With great difficulty, they managed to defend the 22nd brigade, which in peacetime received high rank"Guards". This is our most combat-ready formation, constantly fighting in the most critical areas in Afghanistan, Chechnya and other "hot spots". I can say that the so-called "osnaz" - parts of electronic intelligence - have also been eliminated. In essence, we are building an armed force that can't see or hear anything."
A high-ranking GRU officer who, along with Korabelnikov, resigned from the central apparatus of military intelligence, told The New Times on condition of anonymity that he considers the collapse of the service a purposeful action: “The first attempts to systematically weaken the GRU were made under Pavel Grachev. At the initial stage, the main blow was dealt to the "osnaz", as a result of which all the electronic intelligence centers available in the USSR were liquidated both on the territory of our country, with the exception of the Transcaucasian direction, and at Russian military bases. Further, all the main lines of work of the GRU, from strategic and undercover intelligence to auxiliary units and the Military Diplomatic Academy, which trained intelligence officers both for military attachés and for illegal GRU residencies, underwent a gradual weakening and reduction.
“The GRU empire is dying,” says the “professor”, an imposing middle-aged man in a starched shirt, who looks like a typical representative of creative bohemia. - I have such an image in my eyes: a professional athlete, whose legs and arms were amputated, his eye was knocked out and his eardrum was damaged. He is still alive, he understands everything, he sees something else, he can hardly hear, his heart is still beating, but he will not be able to be reborn. "Professor" is an analyst with extensive undercover intelligence experience. He is fluent in several European languages and Arabic, and has traveled to more than 50 countries around the world. Dismissed for uselessness. Now unemployed.
- "Furniture assembler" - a space intelligence officer. About 40 years old. Brought up, educated, military bearing, correct literary speech and competence unusual for a worker catches the eye. Works part-time in an Italian furniture salon. Assembles imported furniture, assembles household appliances. “It is disgusting to see how our pathetic attempts to save at least something from the Soviet cosmonautics are passed off as the achievements of recent years,” he throws irritably. - Well, this is necessary: Serdyukov (Minister of Defense) advertises the Resource satellite! They are still of Soviet assembly, they are stored in warehouses. And they were made not for the military, but for oilmen. There is no resolution, it is difficult to distinguish a cruiser from an aircraft carrier, and even in armored vehicles it is completely confused.
- “We and military intelligence are two big differences, but the GRU special forces were merged into Ground troops- says a heavily built man, about fifty years old. “But it was we who were the most productive: both Khattab and Basayev are our work.” Senior officer of the GRU special forces, awarded four military orders. Extensive experience of participating in special events around the world. He carried out special tasks in Yugoslavia, fought for many years in the North Caucasus. Is no longer needed.
Data
According to experts, out of 7 thousand officers who served in Soviet time less than 2,000 left. The former head of the GRU, V. V. Korabelnikov (1997-2009), was more or less able to retain the importance of the GRU; after his resignation, military intelligence was finally “cleaned up”.
The electronic intelligence of the GRU is almost destroyed.
In the specialized research institute of the GRU, all development and research work (R&D and R&D) has been stopped. The Military Diplomatic Academy (VDA) began to cut teaching staff.
According to The New Times, the number of GRU "mining units" responsible for undercover and strategic intelligence in foreign countries has been reduced by 40%.
Mass layoffs are taking place among the most experienced officers of the GRU, dismissed on formal grounds in connection with the achievement of the length of service established by law. Unlike the Foreign Intelligence Service, which has a sufficient number of specialized educational institutions for recruiting and intelligence training of very young people, the specifics and traditions of the GRU require that only the most experienced army officers, who are at least 30-35 years old at the time they enter the GRU, be selected for military intelligence. The dismissal of such specialists is an obvious waste of the “gold reserve” of the Russian intelligence community.
Reason for reform
The GRU was accused of the unpreparedness of the RF Armed Forces for an attack by Georgia. Thus, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, said that it was a surprise for us that Georgia had Buk air defense systems supplied by Ukraine and Western airspace control systems. As a result, the Russian Air Force suffered serious losses for such a small conflict. Serdyukov directly accused the GRU of not preparing the necessary intelligence.
The GRU officers, however, say that information was provided but was not properly considered. The top leadership of the country and the Ministry of Defense received all the necessary data from the GRU. In addition, the chief of military intelligence has lost the right to a direct personal report to the president, and the information he sends passes through at least two filters - through the chief of the General Staff and the minister of defense.
Voiced reasons for the reduction of the GRU
The GRU has great potential for collecting information, compiling dossiers on businessmen, politicians, possesses information on corruption schemes, money laundering, bank accounts. With such capabilities, the GRU is not controlled by the "manual" FSB-SVR.
A “shadow special service” has already been formed in the Russian Federation, which has people in the FSB, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Defense, the presidential administration, the government, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, according to the so-called. "network principle". This structure serves the interests of a narrow group of people - the "clan" that governs the country, they do not need a competitor in the form of the GRU, capable of independent comparative analysis.
The FSB and the SVR are under the protection of the highest officials of the state, the GRU is alien to them. Therefore, military intelligence is being crushed.
The GRU has reached, or potentially can reach, the "customers" of instability, the terrorist underground of the North Caucasus, the threads from there stretch to Moscow.
Everything is fine?
“All this is absurd and conspiracy theories,” says Colonel Vitaly Shlykov, a former GRU officer and member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, to whom The New Times outlined the arguments of his former colleagues, GRU officers. The main problem, Shlykov is convinced, is the "cowardly sabotage of the reform of the armed forces carried out by Minister Serdyukov by individual" arrogant generals ". The situation that has developed in the GRU is not a deliberate collapse, in his opinion, nothing terrible is happening at all. Highly professional special forces, the expert answers General Gerasimov, in general, in his opinion, should not be subordinate to military intelligence: an independent body should be created, which should be entrusted with the command of special forces, as is customary in most of the most developed countries peace, Shlykov believes. As for the virtually destroyed global network of electronic intelligence of the GRU, then, according to the expert, today Russia, with all its desire, cannot play the geopolitical role that belonged to the USSR during the period cold war, just as there is no global confrontation between the two camps. So why spend so much money on it?
A completely different matter, according to Shlykov, is strategic and undercover intelligence. This resource of Russia cannot be lost. But he is convinced that a situation has developed in the GRU when the value of an agent was leveled by unskilled analytics: "Agents - yes, they are valuable, but fools sat above them!" A recognized expert in the field of military construction believes that the GRU, which had a huge information and analytical service (it included 6 thematic departments and 6 departments in the structure of the 7th department, working only through NATO), for a long time abused the exclusive right to analyze and interpretation of the information obtained, preventing other analytical groups from working in this area, for example, such as the center headed by the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Academician Yevgeny Primakov. “It was high time to demonopolize the obtained information,” says Colonel Shlykov.
The GRU is the main intelligence department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It was formed on November 5, 1918 as the Registration Office of the Field Headquarters of the RVSR.
The head of the GRU reports only to the chief of the General Staff and the Minister of Defense and has no direct connection with the political leadership of the country. Unlike the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, whom the president receives weekly on Mondays, the head of military intelligence does not have "his hour" - a time strictly fixed in the daily routine for a report to the country's president. Existing system"marking" - that is, the receipt of intelligence information and analyzes by the high authorities - deprives politicians of direct access to the GRU.
Chief of the GRU, Deputy Chief of the General Staff - Korabelnikov Valentin Vladimirovich
The structure of the GRU during the Soviet era
First Directorate (undercover intelligence)
Has five controls, each responsible for its own set European countries.Each department has sections by country
Second Directorate (front-line intelligence)
Third Directorate (Asian countries)
Fourth (Africa and the Middle East)
Fifth. Directorate of operational-tactical intelligence (intelligence at military facilities)
Army intelligence units are subordinate to this directorate. Naval intelligence is subordinate to the Second Directorate of the Naval Staff, which in turn is subordinate to the Fifth Directorate of the GRU. Directorate - the coordinating center for thousands of intelligence structures in the army (from the intelligence departments of districts to special departments of units). Technical services: communication nodes and cipher service, computer center, a special archive, a logistics and financial support service, a planning and control department, and a personnel department. As part of the department, there is a direction of special intelligence, which is supervised by SPETSNAZ.
Sixth Directorate (electronic and radio intelligence). Includes the Space Intelligence Center - on Volokolamsk Highway, the so-called "K-500 facility". Sovinformsputnik is the GRU's official intermediary for the sale of space satellites. The department includes special-purpose subdivisions of OSNAZ.
Seventh Directorate (responsible for NATO) Has six territorial offices
Eighth Directorate (work on designated countries)
Ninth Directorate (military technology)
Tenth Directorate (military economy, military production and sales, economic security)
Eleventh Directorate (strategic nuclear forces)
- Twelfth Directorate
- Administrative and technical department
- Financial management
- Operational and technical management
- Decryption service
The Military Diplomatic Academy (in the slang - "conservatory"), is located near the Moscow metro station "Oktyabrskoye Pole".
The first department of the GRU (production of forged documents)
GRU Eighth Division (Security internal communications GRU)
- Archival Department of the GRU
- Two research institutes
Special Forces
These units constitute the elite of the army, significantly surpassing the airborne troops and "court units" in terms of training and armament. Special Forces brigades are a forge of intelligence personnel: a candidate for the "conservatory" student must have a rank of at least captain and serve in special forces for 5-7 years. Traditionally, the numerical ratio between the GRU and KGB (now SVR) residencies was and remains approximately 6:1 in favor of "pure intelligence".
How to get into the GRU special forces? This question does not allow many boys to sleep peacefully who dream of being on a par with men in military uniform. The guys are interested in what they should prepare themselves for, what qualities they need to develop in order to enter intelligence.
Would you like to know how to get to serve in the GRU? Then read this article to the end. But let's say right away that you should not look for easy ways and hope for concessions. Service in intelligence is a very serious matter. The main enemy on the way to your dream will be banal laziness, and hard work will be your ally.
Story
The Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) dates back to 1918. In the interests of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the GRU is engaged in all types of intelligence - electronic, space and undercover. The budget and size of the organization are classified.
The GRU special forces (how to get there - read below) was created in 1950. Several main tasks were set before the department: reconnaissance behind enemy lines, the destruction of terrorists, sabotage and counterintelligence. GRU special forces units had a huge impact on the course of the Afghan and Chechen wars. At present, the GRU is the most closed and probably the most combat-ready unit Russian army.
How to get into the GRU?
The most important thing to do is to serve in the army. Otherwise, the path to the special forces is closed. And if you want to get into the GRU, then you will have to achieve some success in the service. Sometimes, upon admission to this unit, they require a maroon beret. Familiarize yourself with the basic requirements for a candidate for service in the GRU.
Primary requirements
- Ensigns or officers are taken to special forces. The former should have at least a secondary education, while the latter should have a higher education.
- Preference is given to candidates who are (or have completed) training at the Faculty of Special Forces.
- Applicant must be at least 175cm tall. However, the lack of this parameter can be compensated by some professional qualities.
- The age of the candidate is not more than 28 years. Fighters wishing to transfer from other units are considered separately.
- A huge plus would be the recommendation of a paratrooper who served in the GRU.
Five main qualities of a special forces officer. Caution
Intelligence has the right to select soldiers from any army unit. The very first question that candidates are asked is: “Why are you joining the special forces?” Applicants who do not know how to get into the GRU most often answer: “To become a Hero of Russia!” These are not selected. Of course, they will become heroes, but posthumously. At the same time, they will take the lives of their colleagues. Recklessness is certainly needed, but only if the enemy pressed you against the wall. Then you can take the machine gun and shout "Hurrah!" run to the enemy. Victory, from the point of view of the GRU commando, is if you followed the order and returned alive.
When a soldier enters the special forces, from the first days they put in his head the installation: “You are the coolest!” This is an important feature of psychological preparation. And you need to believe in it! If you can’t believe it, you can forget about what the GRU special forces are, how to get to serve in this department, etc. You will simply be transferred to ordinary infantry.
The paratrooper runs and shoots around the clock. At the same time, he is periodically beaten on the sly. But do not confuse this with hazing. Commanders specifically make enemy territory out of the barracks. They can come up and give a crack, throw a noose around the neck or mine the bed. All this is done with one goal: to force the commando to remain in a state of constant combat readiness. After six months of service, the soldier’s eyes “grow” at the back of his head, and he sleeps so sensitively that he wakes up at one glance in his direction.
Endurance
Advice on how to get into the GRU special forces, successfully pass the selection and interview, etc., will be useless if the fighter is not distinguished by endurance. After all, the paratrooper is helped to survive by his legs. Why? Because if the reconnaissance group is spotted, then it will be caught up and destroyed in about 6 hours. When the commando is exhausted and can no longer run, he stays in place to cover his comrades.
Endurance will be needed in the learning process. Indeed, in the first month, a fighter is allowed to sleep only 4 hours a day. The other 20 he works hard. Waking up at 6 am, then water procedures, stretching and jogging with a satchel on your back. During the run, the commander can give additional tasks: shooting, transition to the goose step, crawling, etc. After the run - hand-to-hand combat, physical training and combat tactics. And so every day.
In the GRU special forces, the stability of the psyche and the endurance of a fighter are tested "at the races." It looks like this. A group of soldiers are sent to the forest for a week without provisions. The commanders periodically chase this group, not letting anyone sleep. This continues until vomiting, loss of consciousness and other unhappy things. All those who did not pass the test are sent to combat troops. A lot of people are weeded out. Races are held every 6 months and are a kind of exam "for lice".
Determination
He trains very well during hand-to-hand combat. They put protection on the soldier and put a stronger opponent against him. This is how the determination to go to the end is formed and the fighting character is tempered. And this is not a banal beating. The paratrooper is given the opportunity to defend himself. Anyone who does not do this and surrenders is sent to serve in other troops.
Decisiveness is also trained through a series of "insolence exercises." For example, a large rat is launched into the washbasin and a naked soldier is closed with it. The fighter must strangle her. Experienced commandos know: when a rat has nowhere to go, it attacks, and this is a real "tin". In the end, if the paratrooper can kill a rat with bare hands, then no person will be afraid of him.
Aggression
Aggression is one of the main qualities of a commando. A soldier should be afraid of a sergeant (who, by the way, knows exactly how to get into the GRU) much stronger than the enemy, and run towards the enemy with a clear desire to completely destroy him. Hand-to-hand training fights are not complete without blood. Sergeants deliberately inflict injuries on soldiers. This is done so that they get used to the sight of blood and get angry. The commander's mate is added as a sound accompaniment. Under conditions of such severe pressure, the feelings of a fighter are aggravated to such an extent that all the knowledge he received during the training period will remain with him until the end of his life.
Cleanliness
People who know how to get into the GRU intelligence will confirm the paranoia of the spetsnaz regarding personal hygiene. Since the fighters are very often outside the deployment point, they must be able to keep themselves clean under any conditions. Each commando who arrived at the location must immediately change clothes and wash his uniform.
Principles of training
Most of the time the paratrooper is far from the places of permanent deployment. Therefore, his physical training is to learn how to skillfully use any means at hand during training. The most important thing is the preservation of strength qualities and the development of endurance. The latter is very useful when hiking in the mountains or cycling.
Trainings are held on a daily basis. And not for the standard six or eight weeks. You need to work for at least a year. There is no special diet. You just need to eat as much as possible.
The Four Pillars of Fighter Training. Crawls and runs
Every day you have to run 10 kilometers. Sometimes on Sundays they organize " sports holiday» - run for 40 kilometers. A fighter must run ten kilometers in less than 60 minutes. At the same time, he is fully equipped (additional 50 kilograms!). Running alternates with crawling. Such exercises perfectly work out the ligaments and small groups muscles. There are three types of crawling: on the back, in a plastunsky way, and moving through a minefield (a fighter crawls and feels for bumps; if something is suspicious, then he shifts to the side).
Circuit training
It has long been proven that the training of the GRU special forces in a circular type increases the strength of a fighter to maximum level. This principle was taken from Soviet school sambo and boxing. Circuit training promotes explosive strength and endurance. She also "dries" and brings up anger (hatred) towards the authorities. The number of repetitions of any exercise will depend on the mood of the sergeant.
In general, the standard circular training of the GRU special forces lasts 40 minutes. After the mentioned 10-kilometer run, a five-minute rest follows, and then 5-6 circles of exercises are performed. And they need to be performed one after another without interruption. And only after passing the full circle you can rest for 5 minutes.
The circle itself looks like this:
- Jump - jumping out of a sitting position with a clap (10 times).
- Push-ups on the fingers (20 times).
- Jump (10 times).
- Push-ups on fists (30 times).
- Jump (10 times).
- Push-ups on the fingers (5 times).
After completing the circle to failure, the press swings, and only then a break is made. Optionally, throwing stones is included in the training.
Constant load
Candidates who know how to get into the GRU special forces understand the importance of the daily workload in the army. That is, each fighter must perform a certain number (constantly increasing) of sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups on fists, etc. If you can’t do it in one workout, then you need to dial the required amount per day. This is the expression of constant combat readiness. In addition, exercises with a belt (isometry) are performed throughout the day according to the A. Zass system.
hand-to-hand combat
- Arms. Side and direct blows are the same as in boxing. But the second is very difficult to train. Only special forces with a long experience of training have a strong direct blow. Since sometimes the preparation of a fighter goes at an accelerated pace, there are no restrictions in shock equipment. You can hit from any angle and position. Moreover, it is desirable to strike the first blow to the enemy in the throat. In close combat, you must fight with your elbows. The knockout force of the blow is trained with the help of exercises with a sledgehammer (on a dug-in or recumbent tire, a fighter strikes with an iron sledgehammer in three directions: to the right, to the left and from above).
- Legs. There is no special technique. It all comes down to a hard punch to the groin. Remember, this is not a sports ground.
- Head. We turn on the head in close combat. With the frontal part we beat exclusively in the nose. If the enemy grabbed you from behind, then we hit him in the nose with the back of the head.
- stall. Just for this, fighters train strength and grip. After the enemy is knocked to the ground due to the strength of your hands, he must be finished off with a blow to the back of the head or stepped on the throat.
Conclusion
Now you know how to get into the GRU. From the reading above, it becomes clear that it is difficult not only from a moral, but also from a physical point of view. You need to be in excellent health and in excellent physical shape. In addition, it is necessary to have a stable psyche. The main thing is to decide on the main life goal. If this is a special forces service, then take action to achieve it.
Don't forget the importance of sports. They should be engaged from the school bench. Higher education is better to receive in specialized institutions where there is a faculty of special forces. This will significantly increase your chances of selection.
We hope that the article turned out to be useful, and you will no longer wonder: “How to get into special forces at all?” The GRU special forces belong to the category of elite troops, and to get there, you will have to put in a lot of effort. So go ahead. All in your hands!
The special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces can be safely called the most popular military units in Russia. Dozens of films have been made about the GRU special forces, entire libraries of books and dozens of articles on the Internet have been written. The special forces of the GRU of Russia are really the elite of the armed forces, although, often, what is shown in the movies has little to do with reality.
Only the best get into the special forces, in order to be enrolled in this unit, candidates must go through a tough selection. The usual training of the GRU special forces can shock the average man in the street - special attention is paid to the training of special forces.
Information:Real operations in which army special forces took part are usually not reported on TV and not written in newspapers. The hype in the media usually means the failure of a particular mission, and they are quite rare in the GRU special forces.
Unlike special units other law enforcement agencies, the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate do not have their own name, and, in general, these guys really don’t like to “shine”. During operations, they can wear the uniform of any army in the world, and Earth, depicted on the emblem of military intelligence, means that the GRU special forces can operate anywhere in the world.
The GRU special forces are the "eyes and ears" of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces behind enemy lines, and often an effective tool for conducting various "delicate" operations. However, before continuing the story about the special forces and its 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 deal with 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 engaged in the collection and processing of intelligence information. This structure provided the work of undercover intelligence of the Red Army and was engaged in counterintelligence activities.
The order to create the Field Headquarters (and with it the Registration Office) 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 revolution of 1917 in Russia there were no structures that would collect information in the interests of the military department. The same can be said about special military units who performed special, specific tasks.
In the 16th century, the Russian Tsar Ivan IV established a guard service, which recruited Cossacks who were distinguished by good physical health, excellent skills in handling firearms and edged weapons. Their task was to monitor the territories of the "Wild Field", from which the raids of the Tatars and Nogais constantly came to the Moscow kingdom.
Later, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Secret Order was organized, which collected military information about potential opponents or simply neighboring states.
Information:During the reign of Alexander I (in 1817), a detachment of mounted gendarmes was formed, which today would be called a rapid reaction unit. However, their main task was to maintain order within the state. AT mid-nineteenth centuries, battalions consisting of Cossack scouts were formed in the Russian army.
There were also units in the Russian Empire that resembled 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: conduct raids, set up ambushes, fight the enemy in difficult terrain (mountains, forests).
In 1810, on the initiative of Barclay de Tolly, a Special Expedition (or Expedition of Secret Affairs) was created.
In 1921, the Intelligence Directorate of the Headquarters of the Red Army was formed on the basis of the Registration Directorate. The order on the creation of a new body indicated that the Intelligence Agency was engaged in military intelligence both in peacetime and in wartime. In the 1920s, the department carried out undercover intelligence, created pro-Soviet partisan detachments in the territories of neighboring countries, and 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 successfully operated in the Spanish war. At the end of the 1930s, the roller of political repressions thoroughly walked through the 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, under this name the organization will exist for more than sixty years. After the war, the GRU General Staff was abolished for several years, but in 1949 it was again restored.
On October 24, 1950, a secret directive was issued on the creation of special units (SpN) that would be engaged in reconnaissance and sabotage behind enemy lines. Almost immediately, similar units were created in all military districts of the USSR (a total of 46 companies of 120 people in each of them). Later, special forces brigades were formed on their basis. The first one was created in 1962. In 1968, the first special forces training regiment appeared (near Pskov), in 1970 the second was formed near Tashkent.
Initially, special forces were prepared for the war with the NATO bloc. After the start (or before it) of hostilities, the scouts had to operate deep behind enemy lines, collect information and transfer it to the Main Intelligence Directorate, act against enemy headquarters and other control points, commit sabotage and terrorist attacks, sow panic among the population, destroy infrastructure . Particular attention was paid to weapons of mass destruction of the enemy: missile silos and launchers, strategic aviation airfields, 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. Also, the GRU special forces were involved in the course of civil war in Tajikistan, in the war against Georgia in 2008. There is information that some parts of the Special Forces are currently located on the territory of Syria.
At present, the Main Intelligence Directorate is not only sabotage and reconnaissance groups. The GRU is actively engaged in undercover intelligence, gathering information in cyberspace, and using electronic and space intelligence. Russian military intelligence officers successfully use information warfare methods, 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 more famous and popular.
The structure and composition of the GRU Spetsnaz
According to available information, the GRU special forces currently include the following units:
- The 2nd Separate Special Purpose Brigade is part of the Western Military District.
- The 3rd Guards Separate GRU Brigade (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 Caucasian Military District. It was formed in 2003 in the village of Molpino, Krasnodar Territory.
- 14th separate brigade of the GRU. It is part of the Far Eastern District, 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.
- 16th Special Purpose Brigade, part of the Western Military District. Formed in 1963. Participated in both Chechen campaigns, in peacekeeping operations, guarded especially important objects on the territory of Tajikistan in the early 90s.
- 22nd Guards Separate Special Purpose Brigade. Part of the Southern Military District. It was formed in 1976 in Kazakhstan. She took an active part in the Afghan war. It is the first military unit to receive the rank of Guards after the end of World War II.
- 24th separate brigade of the GRU. Part of the Central Military District. The brigade participated in the Afghan war, in the fighting in the North Caucasus.
- 346th Separate Special Purpose Brigade. Southern military district, city of Prokhladny. Kabardino-Balkaria.
- 25th Separate Special Purpose Regiment, part of the Southern Military District.
Also subordinate to the GRU are four reconnaissance maritime points: in the Pacific, Black, Baltic and Northern Fleets.
The total number of GRU special forces units is not exactly known. Different figures are called: from six to fifteen thousand people.
Training and arming of special forces
- Who can get into the GRU special forces? What are the requirements for candidates?
It is rather difficult to get into the special forces, but not impossible.
First of all, the candidate must be in absolute physical health. It is not necessary to differ in impressive dimensions, in special forces endurance is much more important. Scouts during a raid 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 on your own.
The applicant needs to pass the required minimum: run three kilometers in 10 minutes, pull up 25 times, run a hundred meters in 12 seconds, push up 90 times from the floor, 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 fitness, the psychological health of the applicant is no less important: a commando must be absolutely “stress-resistant” and not lose his head even in the most difficult environment. Therefore, candidates must pass 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 give written consent to the service of their son in the ranks of special forces.
If a person still got into the special forces, then he will have many months of hard training. Fighters are trained hand-to-hand combat which greatly enhances the spirit and strengthens the character. A commando 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 recruit is often placed against stronger opponents (and sometimes even several), in which case it is important for him not 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 toughest tests that put a person on the brink of his physical abilities: long deprivation of sleep, food, transcendental physical exercise, psychological pressure. Naturally, in the special forces, future fighters are trained to master all types of small arms.
Despite some specifics of the tasks performed by the GRU special forces, its fighters most often use standard weapons of the Russian army.
