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 way 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.
At the end of the 18th century, Catherine II initiated the rotation of Zaporozhye Cossacks to the Bug and then to the Kuban, where the tactics of the “jaegers” came in handy - fighting 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.
Created in 1918 military intelligence. 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 public administration countries. Most of the tasks sound, at least, fantastic, but the GRU special forces could easily cope with them: they had at their disposal 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 classified more than nuclear development USSR. At least everyone knew about the presence of nuclear missiles, bombers with nuclear warheads and nuclear submarines, 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 special forces units” was written by 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 battalions special forces, which in 1962, together 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, were trained for 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. 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 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 countries united 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 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, the Muslim battalion, the so-called “Musbat” or 154th separate special forces detachment, was created, which included GRU soldiers 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 a difficult 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 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 under the department 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 have been present in Chechnya since the entry of troops in 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 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 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 of the 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.

The SBU's capture of former or not-so-former Russian special forces 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 name: “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 degree special forces brigades . 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 pear 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 secrecy, 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 others 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-term training, most of the special forces are contract soldiers. Young people who have sports training, healthy, with knowledge of a foreign language. At the same time, we see that these are completely ordinary people from the provinces; for them, service is more of a good job, may 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 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 were absolutely unprepared for either captivity or the fact that the country and loved ones abandoned them.

SBU torture

It is clear that both (former) special forces soldiers are sincerely shocked that the Russian authorities (and even Aleksandrov’s wife) stated that they are not serving in the Russian troops and it is 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 necessary do not change their testimony so boldly.

Is there 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 members of the DPR and LPR militia, the picture emerges as follows: a large-scale military operation with the participation of Russian units, if there was one, was once in late August - early 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.

The first special-purpose military units were created back in 1764 at the proposals of A. Suvorov, M. Kutuzov, and P. Panin. These units were called huntsmen. The soldiers were engaged in tactical exercises, carried out military operations in the mountains, carried out ambushes and raids.

How did it all begin?

In 1811 it was created Separate building internal guard, which was engaged in protecting and restoring order within the state. In 1817, thanks to the actions of Alexander I, a rapid response detachment of mounted gendarmes was opened. The year 1842 was marked by the emergence of battalions of plastuns from the Cossacks, who, through their combat operations, trained many generations of future special forces.

Special forces in the 20th century

The 20th century began with the creation of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs - GUGSH (Main Directorate of the General Staff). In 1918, intelligence and special-purpose units were formed, subordinate to the Cheka. In the 30s, airborne assault and sabotage units were created.

The new special forces were given serious tasks: reconnaissance, sabotage, the fight against terror, disruption of communications, energy supply, transport and much more. Of course, the fighters were supplied with the best uniforms and new equipment. Serious preparation was carried out, they used individual programs. The special forces were classified.

In 1953 the mouth occurred. And only 4 years later 5 separate special-purpose companies were created, to which the remnants of the old ones joined in 1962. In 1968, they began to train professional intelligence officers, and then, by the way, the famous company number 9 appeared. Gradually, the special forces turned into a powerful force defending their state.

these days

Now the GRU is a special foreign intelligence agency of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, whose goals are to provide intelligence information, the necessary conditions for the implementation of a successful policy, as well as assistance in the economic, military-technical development of the Russian Federation.

The GRU includes 13 main departments, as well as 8 auxiliary ones. The first, second, third and fourth main departments deal with issues of interaction with different countries. The Fifth Directorate is an operational reconnaissance point. The sixth department deals with the Seventh division, which resolves issues that have arisen with NATO. The remaining six departments of the GRU deal with sabotage, development of military technologies, management of the military economy, strategic doctrines, nuclear weapons and information warfare. The intelligence department also has two research institutes located in Moscow.

Special Forces Brigades

GRU special forces brigades are considered the most trained units in the Russian Armed Forces. In 1962, the first GRU special forces detachment was formed, whose tasks included the destruction of nuclear missiles and deep reconnaissance.

The second separate brigade was formed from September 1962 to March 1963 in Pskov. The personnel successfully participated in the exercises "Horizon-74" and "Ocean-70" and in many others. The special forces of the second brigade were the first to participate in the Dozor-86 airborne training and went through the Afghan and Chechen wars. One of the detachments took part in resolving the conflict in South Ossetia from 2008 to 2009. The permanent location is Pskov and Murmansk regions.

In 1966, the 3rd Guards Separate GRU Special Forces Brigade was created. The composition took part in battles in Tajikistan, in the Chechen wars, in Afghanistan, and in a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Since 2010, the brigade has been located in a military camp in the city of Tolyatti.

In the city of Stary Krym in 1962, the 10th GRU special forces brigade was formed. The military took part in the Chechen wars and in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict of 2008. The brigade was awarded in 2011 state award for services in the development and conduct of military operations. Place of deployment - Krasnodar region.

The 14th brigade, which was created in 1963, is located here. The personnel were repeatedly thanked for the excellent conduct of the exercises and for their participation in combat operations in Afghanistan and the Chechen wars.

The 16th GRU special forces brigade was formed in 1963. In 1972, its members participated in extinguishing fires in the Central Black Earth Zone, for which they were awarded a Certificate of Honor from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. In 1992, a detachment of the brigade was engaged in protecting government facilities on the territory of Tajikistan. The 16th Special Forces Brigade took part in the Chechen wars, peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, and performed demonstration exercises in Jordan and Slovakia. Place of deployment - the city of Tambov.

The year 1976 was marked by the emergence of the 22nd Guards Separate GRU Special Forces Brigade. Location is Rostov region. The composition took part in the Chechen and Afghan wars, in the Baku events of 1989, in the resolution of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In the Chita region in 1977, the 24th separate brigade was formed. Special forces participated in Chechen war, several units fought in Afghanistan. By orders of the heads of the Soviet Union in the 80-90s. The brigade carried out secret operations in hot spots. At the moment, the train is located in the city of Novosibirsk.

In 1984, on the basis of the 791st company, the 67th separate special forces brigade was created. Personnel participated in military operations in Chechnya, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Karabakh. Previously, the unit was located in Kemerovo, but now they are talking about its disbandment.

Russian GRU special forces. Primary selection

How to get into the GRU? Special forces are the dream of many boys. Dexterous, fearless warriors, it would seem, are capable of anything. Let's face it, joining a special forces unit is difficult, but possible.

The main condition for consideration of a candidacy is military service. Then a series of selections begins. Basically, the special forces of the GRU of the Russian Federation recruit officers and warrant officers. An officer must have a higher education. Recommendations from reputable employees are also needed. It is advisable for the candidate to be no older than 28 years old and have a height of at least 175 cm. But there are always exceptions. As for physical training, the quality of its implementation is strictly monitored, rest is kept to a minimum.

Basic requirements for the applicant’s physical fitness

The physical standards that must be passed successfully are as follows:

1. Run 3 km in 10 minutes.
2. 100 meters in 12 seconds.
3. Pull-ups on the bar - 25 times.
4. Abdominal exercises - 90 times in 2 minutes.
5. Push-ups - 90 times.
6. A set of exercises: abs, push-ups, jumping up from a crouching position, moving from a crouched position to a lying position and back. Each individual exercise is performed 15 times in 10 seconds. The complex is performed 7 times.
7. Hand-to-hand combat.

In addition to passing the standards, work with a psychologist, a full medical examination, and a lie detector test are carried out. All relatives must be checked; in addition, written consent to the candidate’s service will need to be obtained from the parents. So how to get into the GRU (special forces)? The answer is simple - you need to prepare from childhood. Sport must firmly enter the life of a future fighter.

I'm in a special forces unit. What awaits me? Psychological side

From the first day to the soldier everyone possible ways they suggest that he is the best. As the coaches say, this is the most important moment. In the barracks itself, fighters often conduct secret checks on each other, which helps to always be in combat readiness.

To strengthen the spirit and form the character of the recruit, they are taught hand-to-hand combat. From time to time he is put into battle against a stronger opponent in order to teach him how to fight even with an opponent who is obviously superior in training. Soldiers are also taught to fight using all sorts of improvised means, even a tightly rolled newspaper. Only after a warrior has mastered such materials does he train in striking techniques.

Once every six months, soldiers are checked for readiness for further service. Soldiers are left for a week without food. The warriors are in constant movement, they are not allowed to sleep all the time. Thus, many fighters are eliminated.

Physical side of the service

A warrior trains every day, without weekends or holidays. Every day you need to run 10 km in less than an hour, and with additional weight on your shoulders (about 50 kg).

Upon arrival it takes 40 minutes. This includes finger push-ups, fist push-ups, and jumping jacks from a seated position. Basically, each exercise is repeated 20-30 times. At the end of each cycle, the fighter pumps the abs a maximum of times. Hand-to-hand combat training takes place every day. Strikes are practiced, agility and endurance are developed. Training GRU special forces is serious, hard work.

Special forces outfit

The GRU special forces uniform has different types, to match the tasks being carried out. At the moment, important parts of a fighter’s “wardrobe” include belts, as well as belt-shoulder systems. Functional vests include several types of equipment pouches. The belt can be adjusted in volume; a synthetic insert is used to increase its strength. The shoulder-belt system includes straps and straps that are designed to distribute the load between the hip joint and shoulders. Of course, this entire unloading system comes in addition to everyday uniform and body armor.

How to get into the GRU (special forces)?

Only guys with excellent health and excellent physical fitness get into special forces. A good help for a conscript will be the presence of the “Fit for the Airborne Forces” mark. Some experienced fighters answer the question: “How to get into the GRU (special forces)?” They answer that you need to go to the nearest Intelligence Department and declare yourself.

For officers, general military training is conducted at the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School, and special training takes place at the Military Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The Academy includes adjunct courses and Higher Academic Courses. Higher education is a mandatory requirement for inclusion in the ranks of officers.

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 of a man who fled to England in 1978 former captain GRU V. Rezun (V. Suvorova) - “Soviet Military Intelligence”, 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 The first 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 abroad.

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 united 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 Soviet fleets operated in almost all points of the World Ocean, and each ship had to constantly have full information relative to a 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 intelligence 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 residencies in the capitals of 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.

Management information support carried out work to evaluate 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, for its production and maintenance The operational and technical department of the GRU was responsible.

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. Under his command were six information departments, Institute of Information, Fleet Information Service and 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 around the world, regardless of whether that 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 war economy worldwide, including on arms trade, military production and technological advances different countries, on 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: 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 entrance exams, they underwent a comprehensive test for reliability 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 courses for advanced training of command personnel (VRK UKS);

Faculties in military universities and departments of intelligence disciplines in various military educational institutions(Department of Naval Intelligence at the Naval Academy, intelligence faculties of the Academy of the General Staff, Frunze Military Academy, special faculty of the Military Academy of Communications, Military Institute foreign languages, Cherepovets Higher Military School of Communications, special department of the Higher Naval School of Radio Electronics, special purpose department of the Ryazan Higher Airborne School, intelligence department of the Kyiv Higher Military Command School, special department of the 2nd Kharkov Higher Military Aviation Technical School, special intelligence department ( since 1994), Faculty of Military Intelligence of the 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.

The 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 work off their betrayal of the Motherland with outbursts of dirty, usually false insinuations, thank God, are not allowed to know.

This text is an introductory fragment.

5. 1. Prices, their role and structure B transition period from capitalism to socialism, spontaneous phenomena prevailed in the formation of prices. The transition to the NEP, the replacement of surplus appropriation with a tax in kind, created surplus food for peasants, which they could sell on the market.

The structure of organized crime groups may consist of one or several brigades. Usually the conventional name is associated with the number of people. Up to 25-30 is a brigade, and above that is a structure. The management of the organized crime group is carried out by a leader or a group of leaders (up to 3 people). The leader of the organized crime group is

The structure of organized crime groups may consist of one or several brigades. Usually the conventional name is associated with the number of people. Up to 25–30 is a brigade, and above that is a structure. The management of the organized crime group is carried out by a leader or a group of leaders (up to 3 people). The leader of the organized crime group is headed by -

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The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces is the main intelligence agency of Russia. GU is a new name introduced in 2010 during the military reform. Transcript of the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The outdated designation GRU is common among people.

The intelligence of the RF Armed Forces rests on the shoulders of this body. The department coordinates subordinate intelligence departments, following the Constitution of the Russian Federation and acting in the interests of the state. Intelligence officers intercept information through personal involvement (conspiracy) or the use of electronics and radios.

History of the organization

In the RF Armed Forces, military intelligence existed back in the USSR (more precisely, its prototype). On the basis of the GRU of the USSR in 1992, after signing all the documents on the collapse of the military coalition, the main body and its officers passed to Russia. Based on the old management, an updated one was created. The abbreviation GRU (stands for Main Intelligence Directorate) of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces was brought to the official level in 2010 after the reform of the military administration. The change in the name of the body did not affect its tasks.

During its existence, the department participated in many missions. In 2015, employees collected information and conducted a report on the plans of Islamic groups in Central Asia. The intelligence officers' accomplishments include the destruction of a Chechen militant leader, information analysis and action to annex the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, planning attacks in Syria in 2015, and assistance in establishing international contacts.

At the moment, the situation of the intelligence department can be called positive, since all the intelligence officers have been bought out or exchanged and are in Russia, or on a mission abroad, but at large.

GRU tasks

The set of tasks of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces was determined back in 1992 and has remained unchanged since then. Main goals of the organization:

• information support that benefits the political, military, technical or scientific development of the country;
• providing the central bodies of the Russian Federation (the President, the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff) with the information necessary for making decisions in the field foreign policy, economics and military relations;
• creating conditions favorable for the implementation of the foreign policy goals of the Russian state.

Official information about the structure of intelligence units is not disclosed. According to unconfirmed data, the organization has 21 divisions, of which 13 are main and 8 are auxiliary. Approximate composition:

1. EU countries (First Directorate).
2. America, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand (Second Division).
3. Asia (Third).
4. Africa (Fourth).
5. Operational intelligence (Fifth Department).
6. OsNaz (radio engineering, Sixth Department).
7. NATO.
8. Special Forces (sabotage department).
9. Military technologies.
10. War economy.
11. Strategic management.
12. Information warfare department.
13. Space reconnaissance.

Auxiliary departments:

• personnel;
• operational and technical;
• archives;
• information service;
• external relations;
• administrative department

Among the lower-level departments there is OBPSN - a special-purpose security department.

All departments are managed by the organizational and mobilization center located at the headquarters of the organization. The headquarters address is Grizodubovaya Street in Moscow, where the official office of the head of the department and his council is located. The former headquarters building is located at Khoroshevskoye Shosse, building 76. You can get from one building to another by walking just 100 meters.

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Number of intelligence structures

Official data on the number of intelligence officers has not been disclosed. According to analysts, the number of military personnel in this industry ranges from 6 thousand to 15 thousand people.

The forces of the intelligence department include combined arms military units (military units) - 25,000 people. All of them serve under contract. The department is subordinate to artillery units, special equipment, and a fleet of motor vehicles.

GRU equipment

Much attention is paid to the appearance of scouts. The official uniform is gray (for officers) or dark blue (for subordinates) greatcoats with red and gold design elements. The chief dresses in a black uniform with blue accents.

The modern emblems were developed in 1997. There are small, medium, large emblems that are attached to the chest or sleeve. The big one is only for officers.

Weapon equipment for soldiers is carried out according to army standards. Special units should be equipped with an improved set of weapons - machine gun, knife, pistol, etc. Since the time of the USSR, GRU weapons have been considered the best.

Personnel training

Officers for the GRU are trained mainly at the Academy of the Ministry of Defense. Leading military personnel are also trained at the Ryazan Airborne School in the field of special reconnaissance. A candidate who wants to enter one of the schools and subsequently become an intelligence officer must have a good knowledge of foreign languages, high level physical fitness, excellent health.

Exists additional education at the Academy of the Ministry of Defense - Higher Academic Courses. The structure of the GRU includes two of its own research institutes located in the capital.