Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR Armed Forces)- a military organization of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was intended to protect the Soviet people, freedom and independence of the Soviet Union.

Part USSR Armed Forces included: the central bodies of military command, the Strategic Missile Forces, the Ground Forces, the Air Force, the Air Defense Forces, the Navy, the Logistics of the Armed Forces, as well as the Civil Defense Troops, the Internal Troops and the Border Troops.

By the mid-1980s, the armed forces of the USSR were the largest in the world in terms of numbers.

Story

After the end of the Civil War, the Red Army was demobilized and by the end of 1923 only about half a million people remained in it.

At the end of 1924, the Revolutionary Military Council adopted a 5-year plan for military development, approved by the III Congress of Soviets of the USSR six months later. It was decided to preserve the personnel core of the army and train as many people as possible in military affairs at the lowest possible cost. As a result, over ten years, 3/4 of all divisions became territorial - recruits were in them at training camps for two to three months a year for five years (see the article territorial police structure).

But in 1934 - 1935, military policy changed and 3/4 of all divisions became personnel. In the Ground Forces in 1939, compared to 1930, the number of artillery increased 7 times, including anti-tank and tank artillery - 70 times. Tank forces and the Air Force developed. The number of tanks from 1934 to 1939 increased 2.5 times; in 1939, compared to 1930, the total number of aircraft increased 6.5 times. The construction of surface ships of various classes, submarines, and naval aviation aircraft began. In 1931, airborne troops appeared, which until 1946 were part of the Air Force.

On September 22, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced, and on May 7, 1940, general and admiral ranks were introduced. The command staff suffered heavy losses in 1937 - 1938 as a result of the Great Terror.

On September 1, 1939, the USSR Law “On Universal Military Duty” was adopted, according to which all men fit for health were required to serve in the army for three years, in the navy for five years (according to the previous law of 1925, “disenfranchised” were deprived of voting rights “ non-labor elements" - did not serve in the army, but were enlisted in the rear militia) By this time Armed Forces of the USSR were completely staffed, and their number increased to 2 million people.

Instead of separate tank and armored brigades, which since 1939 had been the main formations of armored forces, the formation of tank and mechanized divisions began. Airborne corps began to be formed in the airborne troops, and in the Air Force they began to switch to a divisional organization in 1940.

During the three years of the Great Patriotic War, the proportion of communists in Armed Forces doubled and by the end of 1944 amounted to 23 percent in the army and 31.5 percent in the navy. At the end of 1944 in Armed Forces There were 3,030,758 communists, accounting for 52.6 percent of the total party strength. During the year, the network of primary party organizations expanded significantly: if on January 1, 1944 there were 67,089 of them in the army and navy, then on January 1, 1945 there were already 78,640

Towards the end of the Great Patriotic War in 1945 Armed Forces of the USSR numbered more than 11 million people, after demobilization - about three million. Then their numbers increased again. But during the Khrushchev Thaw, the USSR began to reduce the number of its Armed Forces: in 1955 - by 640 thousand people, by June 1956 - by 1,200 thousand people.

During the Cold War from 1955 Armed Forces of the USSR played a leading role in the military Warsaw Pact Organization (WTO). Beginning in the 1950s, missile weapons were introduced into the armed forces at an accelerated pace; in 1959, the Strategic Missile Forces were created. At the same time, the number of tanks increased. In terms of the number of tanks, the USSR came out on top in the world, by the 1980s in Soviet armed forces there were more tanks than all other countries combined. A large ocean-going navy was created. The most important direction in the development of the country's economy was the build-up of military potential and the arms race. This consumed a significant portion of the national income.

In the period after the Great Patriotic War, the Ministry of Defense of the USSR was systematically entrusted with the task of providing civilian ministries with labor by forming for them military formations, units, military construction detachments, which were used as construction workers. The number of these formations increased from year to year.

In 1987 - 1991, during Perestroika, a policy of “defensive sufficiency” was proclaimed and in December 1988 unilateral measures to reduce Soviet armed forces. Their total number was reduced by 500 thousand people (12%). Soviet military contingents in Central Europe were unilaterally reduced by 50 thousand people, six tank divisions (about two thousand tanks) were withdrawn from the GDR, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and disbanded. In the European part of the USSR, the number of tanks was reduced by 10 thousand, artillery systems - by 8.5 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. 75% of Soviet troops were withdrawn from Mongolia, and the number of troops in the Far East (opposing the PRC) was reduced for 120 thousand people.

Legal basis

Article 31. Defense of the socialist Fatherland is one of the most important functions of the state and is the business of the entire people. In order to protect socialist gains, the peaceful labor of the Soviet people, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, the Armed Forces of the USSR were created and universal military service was established. Duty USSR Armed Forces before the people - to reliably defend the socialist Fatherland, to be in constant combat readiness, guaranteeing immediate rebuff to any aggressor. Article 32. The state ensures the security and defense capability of the country, equips Armed forces USSR everything you need. The responsibilities of state bodies, public organizations, officials and citizens to ensure the security of the country and strengthen its defense capability are determined by the legislation of the USSR. Constitution of the USSR 1977

Management

The highest state leadership in the field of defense of the country, on the basis of laws, was carried out by the highest bodies of state power and administration of the USSR, guided by the policies of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), directing the work of the entire state apparatus in such a way that when resolving any issues of governing the country, the interests of strengthening its defense capability must be taken into account : - Defense Council of the USSR (Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense of the RSFSR), Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Articles 73 and 108, Constitution of the USSR), Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Article 121, Constitution of the USSR), Council of Ministers of the USSR (Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR) ( Art. 131, Constitution of the USSR).

The USSR Defense Council coordinated the activities of the bodies of the Soviet state in the field of strengthening defense and approval of the main directions of development of the USSR Armed Forces. The USSR Defense Council was headed by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Supreme Commanders

• 1923-1924 - Sergei Sergeevich Kamenev,
• 1941-1953 - Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union,
• 1990-1991 - Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev;
• 1991-1993 - Evgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov, air marshal.

Military authorities

Direct construction management USSR Armed Forces, their lives and combat activities were carried out by the Military Command Bodies (MCB).

The system of military command and control bodies of the USSR Armed Forces included:

The governing bodies of the SA and the Navy, united by the Ministry of Defense of the USSR (People's Commissariat of Defense, Ministry of the Armed Forces, Ministry of War), headed by the Minister of Defense of the USSR;

The control bodies of the border troops, subordinate to the State Security Committee of the USSR, headed by the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;

Internal troops control bodies subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, headed by the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR.

The nature of the tasks performed and the scope of competence in the educational training system varied:

• Central OVU.
• Military command and control bodies of military districts (groups of forces), fleets.
• Military command and control bodies of military formations and units.
• Local military authorities.
• Chiefs of garrisons (senior naval commanders) and military commandants.

Compound

• Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) (from January 15 (28), 1918 - to February 1946)
• Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) (from January 29 (11) February 1918 - to February 1946)
• Workers' and Peasants' Red Air Fleet (RKKVF)
• Border Troops (Border Guard, Border Service, Coast Guard)
• Internal troops (Internal Guard Troops of the Republic and State Convoy Guard)

• Soviet Army (SA) (from February 25, 1946 to the beginning of 1992), the official name of the main part of the USSR Armed Forces. Included Strategic Missile Forces, Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, Air Force and other formations
• USSR Navy (from February 25, 1946 to early 1992)

Number

Structure

• On September 1, 1939, the USSR Armed Forces consisted of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the Workers' and Peasants' Navy, border and internal troops.
• Sun consisted of types, and also included the rear of the USSR Armed Forces, headquarters and troops of the Civil Defense (CD) of the USSR, internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the USSR, border troops of the State Security Committee (KGB) of the USSR. Page 158.

Kinds

Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN)

Main striking force USSR Armed Forces, which was in constant combat readiness. The headquarters was located in the city of Vlasikha. The Strategic Missile Forces included:

• Military space forces, as part of the launch, control and orbital constellation of military spacecraft.;
• Missile armies, missile corps, missile divisions (headquarters in the cities of Vinnitsa, Smolensk, Vladimir, Kirov (Kirov region), Omsk, Chita, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Orenburg, Tatishchevo, Nikolaev, Lvov, Uzhgorod, Dzhambul)
• State Central Interspecies Test Site
• 10th test site (in the Kazakh SSR)
• 4th Central Research Institute (Yubileiny, Moscow Region, RSFSR)
• military educational institutions (Military Academy in Moscow; military schools in the cities of Kharkov, Serpukhov, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol)
• arsenals and central repair plants, storage bases for weapons and military equipment

In addition, the Strategic Missile Forces had units and institutions of special forces and logistics.

The Strategic Missile Forces were headed by the Commander-in-Chief, who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Staff and Directorates of the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR Armed Forces were subordinate to him.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1959-1960 - M. I. Nedelin, chief marshal of artillery
• 1960-1962 - K. S. Moskalenko, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1962-1963 - S. S. Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1963-1972 - N. I. Krylov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1972-1985 - V. F. Tolubko, army general, since 1983 chief marshal of artillery
• 1985-1992 - Yu. P. Maksimov, Army General

Ground Forces (SV)

Ground Forces (1946) - a branch of the USSR Armed Forces, designed to conduct combat operations primarily on land, the most numerous and diverse in weapons and methods of conducting combat operations. According to its combat capabilities, it is capable of independently or in cooperation with other types of armed forces to conduct an offensive in order to defeat enemy troop groups and seize its territory, deliver fire strikes to great depths, repel enemy invasion, its large air and sea landings, firmly hold occupied territories and areas and boundaries. The ground forces included various types of troops, special troops, special purpose units and formations (Sp. N) and services. Organizationally, the ground forces consisted of subunits, units, formations and associations.

The ground forces were divided into types of troops (motorized rifle troops (MSV), tank troops (TV), airborne troops (Airborne Forces), missile forces and artillery, military air defense troops (army branches), army aviation, as well as units and units of special forces ( engineering, communications, radio engineering, chemical, technical support, rear security). In addition, there were logistics units and institutions in the Army.

The USSR Army was headed by the Commander-in-Chief, who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Staff and Directorates of the Ground Forces of the USSR Armed Forces were subordinate to him. The number of ground forces of the USSR in 1989 was 1,596,000 people.

• Central Road Construction Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (CDSU MO USSR)

In the design of special events, on posters, in drawings on postal envelopes and postcards, an image of the conventional decorative “flag of the Ground Forces” was used in the form of a red rectangular panel with a large red five-pointed star in the center, with a gold (yellow) border. This “flag” was never approved or made from fabric.

The Ground Forces of the USSR Armed Forces were divided according to the territorial principle into military districts (groups of troops), military garrisons:

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1946-1946 - G. K. Zhukov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1946-1950 - I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1955-1956 - I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1956-1957 - R. Ya. Malinovsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1957-1960 - A. A. Grechko, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1960-1964 - V.I. Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1967-1980 - I. G. Pavlovsky, Army General
• 1980-1985 - V.I. Petrov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1985-1989 - E. F. Ivanovsky, Army General
• 1989-1991 - V. I. Varennikov, Army General
• 1991-1996 - V. M. Semenov, Army General

Air defense troops

The air defense forces (1948) included:

• Rocket and Space Defense Troops;
• Air Defense Radio Engineering Troops, 1952;
• Anti-aircraft missile forces;
• Fighter aviation (air defense aviation);
• Air Defense Electronic Warfare Troops.
• Special troops.

In addition, the Air Defense Forces had rear units and institutions.

The air defense forces were divided on a territorial basis into air defense districts (groups of troops):

• Air defense district (group of forces) - associations of air defense troops designed to protect the most important administrative, industrial centers and regions of the country, armed forces groups, important military and other facilities within established boundaries from air strikes. In the Armed Forces, air defense districts were created after the Great Patriotic War on the basis of the air defense of the fronts and military districts. In 1948, air defense districts were reorganized into air defense districts and recreated in 1954.
• Moscow Air Defense District - was intended to provide protection from enemy air attacks against the most important administrative and economic facilities of the Northern, Central, Central Black Earth and Volga-Vyatka economic regions of the USSR. In November 1941, the Moscow Air Defense Zone was formed, transformed in 1943 into the Moscow Special Air Defense Army, deployed in the air defense of the Moscow Military District. After the war, the Moscow Air Defense District was created on its basis, then the Air Defense District. In August 1954, the Moscow Air Defense District was transformed into the Moscow Air Defense District. In 1980, after the liquidation of the Baku Air Defense District, it became the only association of this type in the USSR.
• Baku Air Defense District.

The air defense of the USSR was headed by the commander-in-chief, who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Headquarters and Air Defense Directorates of the USSR were subordinate to him.

Headquarters in Balashikha.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1948-1952 - L. A. Govorov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1952-1953 - N. N. Nagorny, Colonel General
• 1953-1954 - K. A. Vershinin, air marshal
• 1954-1955 - L. A. Govorov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1955-1962 - S. S. Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1962-1966 - V. A. Sudets, Air Marshal
• 1966-1978 - P. F. Batitsky, Army General, since 1968 Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1978-1987 - A. I. Koldunov, Colonel General, since 1984 Chief Marshal of Aviation
• 1987-1991 - I. M. Tretyak, Army General

Air Force

The Air Force organizationally consisted of branches of aviation: bomber, fighter-bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, transport, communications and ambulance. At the same time, the Air Force was divided into types of aviation: front-line, long-range, military transport, auxiliary. They included special troops, units and logistics institutions.

The Air Force of the USSR Armed Forces was headed by the Commander-in-Chief (Chief, Head of the Main Directorate, Commander) who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Headquarters and Directorates of the USSR Air Force were subordinate to him

Headquarters: Moscow.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1921-1922 - Andrey Vasilievich Sergeev, Commissioner
• 1922-1923 - A. A. Znamensky,
• 1923-1924 - Arkady Pavlovich Rosengolts,
• 1924-1931 - Pyotr Ionovich Baranov,
• 1931-1937 - Yakov Ivanovich Alksnis, Commander of the 2nd rank (1935);
• 1937-1939 - Alexander Dmitrievich Loktionov, Colonel General;
• 1939-1940 - Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich, Commander of the 2nd rank, since 1940 Lieutenant General of Aviation;
• 1940-1941 - Pavel Vasilievich Rychagov, lieutenant general of aviation;
• 1941-1942 - Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, lieutenant general of aviation;
• 1942-1946 - Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, Air Marshal, since 1944 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1946-1949 - Konstantin Andreevich Vershinin, air marshal;
• 1949-1957 - Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, Air Marshal, since 1956 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1957-1969 - Konstantin Andreevich Vershinin, Chief Marshal of Aviation;
• 1969-1984 - Pavel Stepanovich Kutakhov, Air Marshal, since 1972 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1984-1990 - Alexander Nikolaevich Efimov, air marshal;
• 1990-1991 - Evgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov, air marshal;

Navy

The USSR Navy organizationally consisted of branches of forces: submarine, surface, naval aviation, coastal missile and artillery forces and marine corps. It also included ships and vessels of the auxiliary fleet, special purpose units (SP) and various services. The main branches of the force were submarine forces and naval aviation. In addition, the unit also had rear services institutions.

Organizationally, the USSR Navy included:

• Red Banner Northern Fleet (1937)
• Red Banner Pacific Fleet (1935)
• Red Banner Black Sea Fleet
• Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet
• Red Banner Caspian Flotilla
• Red Banner Leningrad Naval Base

The USSR Navy was headed by the Commander-in-Chief (Commander, Chief of the Naval Forces of the Republic, People's Commissar, Minister) who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Staff and Directorates of the USSR Navy were subordinate to him.

The main headquarters of the Navy is Moscow.

Commanders-in-Chief who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR:

Rear area of ​​the USSR Armed Forces

Forces and means intended for logistics support and logistics services for technical support of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces. They were an integral part of the state’s defense potential and a link between the country’s economy and the Armed Forces itself. It included the rear headquarters, main and central directorates, services, as well as command and control bodies, troops and organizations of central subordination, rear structures of branches and branches of the Armed Forces, military districts (groups of forces) and fleets, associations, formations and military units.

• Main Military Medical Directorate (GVMU USSR Ministry of Defense) (1946) (Main Military Sanitary Directorate)
• Main Directorate of Trade (GUT MO USSR) (1956 chief military officer of the Ministry of Trade of the USSR)
• Central Directorate of Military Communications (TsUP VOSO MO USSR), incl. 1962 to 1992, GU VOSO (1950)
• Central Food Administration (CPU USSR Ministry of Defense)
• Central Clothing Directorate (TsVU MO USSR) (1979) (Directorate of Clothing and Household Supply, Directorate of Clothing and Convoy Supply)
• Central Directorate of Rocket Fuel and Fuel (TSURTG MO USSR) (Fuel Supply Service (1979), Fuel and Lubricants Service, Fuel Service Directorate)
• Central Road Administration (CDU USSR Ministry of Defense). (Automobile and Road Administration of the Home Front of the Kyrgyz Republic (1941), Department of Motor Transport and Road Service of the General Staff (1938), Department of Motor Transport and Road Service of VOSO)
• Department of Agriculture.
• Office of the Chief of Environmental Safety of the USSR Armed Forces.
• Fire, Rescue and Local Defense Service of the USSR Armed Forces.
• Railway troops of the USSR Armed Forces.

The rear of the Armed Forces, in the interests of the Armed Forces, solved a whole range of tasks, the main of which were: receiving from the economic complex of the state a supply of logistics resources and equipment, storing and providing them to troops (forces); planning and organization, together with transport ministries and departments, of preparation, operation, technical cover, restoration of communication routes and vehicles; transportation of all types of material resources; carrying out operational, supply and other types of military transportation, ensuring the basing of the Air Force and Navy; technical support for troops (forces) in logistics services; organization and implementation of medical and evacuation, sanitary and anti-epidemic (preventive) measures, medical protection of personnel from weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and adverse environmental factors, carrying out veterinary and sanitary measures and activities of the rear services for the chemical protection of troops (forces); monitoring the organization and state of fire protection and local defense of troops (forces), assessing the environmental situation in places of deployment of troops (forces), forecasting its development and monitoring the implementation of measures to protect personnel from environmentally harmful impacts of a natural and man-made nature; trade and household, housing and maintenance and financial support; protection and defense of communications and logistics facilities in the rear zones, organization of camps (reception centers) for prisoners of war (hostages), their accounting and provision; ensuring the exhumation, identification, burial and reburial of military personnel.

To solve these problems, the Rear Armed Forces included special troops (automobile, railway, road, pipeline), formations and material support units, medical formations, units and institutions, stationary bases and warehouses with appropriate supplies of material resources, transport commandant's offices, veterinary - sanitary, repair, agricultural, trade and household, educational (academy, schools, faculties and military departments at civilian universities) and other institutions.

Headquarters: Moscow.

Chiefs:

• 1941-1951 - A. V. Khrulev, army general;
• 1951-1958 - V.I. Vinogradov, Colonel General (1944);
• 1958-1968 - I. Kh. Bagramyan, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1968-1972 - S. S. Maryakhin, army general;
• 1972-1988 - S.K. Kurkotkin, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1988-1991 - V. M. Arkhipov, Army General;
• 1991-1991 - I. V. Fuzhenko, Colonel General;

Independent branches of the military

Civil Defense Troops (CD) of the USSR

In 1971, direct leadership of the Civil Defense was entrusted to the USSR Ministry of Defense, and day-to-day management was entrusted to the head of the Civil Defense - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR.

There were civil defense regiments (in major cities of the USSR), the Moscow Military School of Civil Defense (MVUGO, the city of Balashikha), reorganized in 1974 into the Moscow Higher Command School of Road and Engineering Troops (MVKUDIV), which trained specialists for road troops and civil defense troops.

Chiefs:

• 1961-1972 - V.I. Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1972-1986 - A. T. Altunin, Colonel General, (since 1977) - Army General;
• 1986-1991 - V. L. Govorov, Army General;

Border troops of the KGB of the USSR

Border troops (until 1978 - the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR) - were intended to protect the land, sea and river (lake) borders of the Soviet state. In the USSR, the Border Troops were an integral part of the USSR Armed Forces. The direct management of the border troops was carried out by the KGB of the USSR and the Main Directorate of Border Troops subordinate to it. They consisted of border districts, individual formations (border detachment) and their constituent units that guard the border (border outposts, border commandant's offices, checkpoints), special units (units) and educational institutions. In addition, the Border Troops had aviation units and units (individual aviation regiments, squadrons), sea (river) units (brigades of border ships, boat divisions) and rear units. The range of tasks solved by the border troops was determined by the USSR Law of November 24, 1982 “On the State Border of the USSR”, the regulation on the protection of the state border of the USSR, approved on August 5, 1960 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The legal status of border troops personnel was regulated by the USSR Law on General Military Duty, regulations on military service, charters and manuals.

Border districts and units of central subordination, excluding units and formations transferred from the USSR Ministry of Defense, as of 1991 included:

• Red Banner North-Western Border District.
• Red Banner Baltic Border District.
• Red Banner Western Border District.
• Red Banner Transcaucasian Border District
• Red Banner Central Asian Border District
• Red Banner Eastern Border District
• Red Banner Transbaikal Border District.
• Red Banner Far Eastern Border District
• Red Banner Pacific Border District
• North-Eastern border district.
• Separate Arctic border detachment.
• Separate border control detachment "Moscow"
• 105th separate border special forces detachment in Germany (operational subordination - Western Group of Forces).
• Higher Border Command of the Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky (Alma-Ata);
• Higher Border Command of the Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after Mossovet (Moscow);
• Higher border military-political Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after K. E. Voroshilov (Golitsyno town);
• Higher Border Command Courses;
• Joint Training Center;
• 2 separate air squads;
• 2 separate engineering and construction battalions;
• Central Hospital of Border Troops;
• Central Information and Analytical Center;
• Central Archive of Border Troops;
• Central Museum of Border Troops;
• Faculties and departments at military educational institutions of other departments.

Chiefs:

• 1918-1919 - S. G. Shamshev, (Main Directorate of Border Troops (GUP.v.));
• 1919-1920 - V. A. Stepanov, (Border Supervision Department);
• 1920-1921 - V. R. Menzhinsky, (special department of the Cheka (border protection));
• 1922-1923 - A. Kh. Artuzov, (department of border troops, department of border guard (OPO));
• 1923-1925 - Y. K. Olsky, (OPO);
• 1925-1929 - Z. B. Katsnelson, (Main Directorate of Border Guard (GUPO));
• 1929 - S. G. Velezhev, (GUPO);
• 1929-1931 - I. A. Vorontsov, (GUPO);
• 1931-1933 - N. M. Bystrykh, (GUPO);
• 1933-1937 - M.P. Frinovsky, (GUPO) (since 1934 border and internal (GUPiVO)) NKVD of the USSR;
• 1937-1938 - N.K. Kruchinkin, (GUPiVO);
• 1938-1939 - A. A. Kovalev, Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops (GUP. V.v.);
• 1939-1941 - G. G. Sokolov, Lieutenant General (GUP.v.);
• 1942-1952 - N.P. Stakhanov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1952-1953 - P.I. Zyryanov, Lieutenant General (GUP.v.);
• 1953-1954 - T. F. Filippov, Lieutenant General (GUP.v.);
• 1954-1956 - A. S. Sirotkin, Lieutenant General (GUP.v.);
• 1956-1957 - T. A. Strokach, Lieutenant General (GUP. V.V.);
• 1957-1972 - P.I. Zyryanov, Lieutenant General, (since 1961) Colonel General (GUP.v.);
• 1972-1989 - V. A. Matrosov, Colonel General, (since 1978) General of the Army (GUP.v.);
• 1989-1992 - I. Ya. Kalinichenko, Colonel General (GUP.v.) (since 1991 Commander-in-Chief)

Internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs

Internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, component USSR Armed Forces. Designed to protect government facilities and perform other service and combat missions defined in special government decrees assigned to the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. They protected especially important objects of the national economy, as well as socialist property, the personality and rights of citizens, the entire Soviet legal order from the encroachments of criminal elements, and performed some other special tasks (protecting places of deprivation of liberty, escorting convicts). The predecessors of the Internal Troops were the Gendarmerie, the Troops of the Internal Security of the Republic (Troops VOKhR), the Troops of Internal Service and the Troops of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (VChK). The term Internal Troops appeared in 1921 to designate units of the Cheka serving in the interior of the country, in contrast to the border troops. During the Great Patriotic War, NKVD troops guarded the rear of fronts and armies, carried out garrison service in liberated areas, and participated in neutralizing enemy agents. Internal troops of the NKVD of the USSR (1941-1946), Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (1946-1947, 1953-1960, 1968-1991), MGB of the USSR (1947-1953), Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RSFSR (1960-1962), Ministry of Defense of the RSFSR (1962-1966), MOOP USSR (1966-1968), Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (since 1991):

Chiefs:

• 1937-1938 - N.K. Kruchinkin, (Main Directorate of Border and Internal Security (GUPiVO));
• 1938-1939 - A. A. Kovalev, (Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops (GUP. V.V.));
• 1941-1942 - A.I. Guliev, Major General;
• 1942-1944 - I. S. Sheredega, major general;
• 1944-1946 - A. N. Apollonov, Colonel General;
• 1946-1953 - P. V. Burmak, lieutenant general;
• 1953-1954 - T. F. Filippov, lieutenant general;
• 1954-1956 - A. S. Sirotkin, lieutenant general;
• 1956-1957 - T. A. Strokach, Lieutenant General;
• 1957-1960 - S.I. Donskov, lieutenant general;
• 1960-1961 - G. I. Aleinikov, lieutenant general;
• 1961-1968 - N. I. Pilshchuk, lieutenant general;
• 1968-1986 - I.K. Yakovlev, Colonel General, since 1980 - Army General;
• 1986-1991 - Yu. V. Shatalin, Colonel General;

Military duty

The universal military obligation established by Soviet legislation stemmed from the constitutional provision determining that the defense of the socialist Fatherland is the sacred duty of every citizen of the USSR, and military service in the ranks USSR Armed Forces- an honorable duty of Soviet citizens (Articles 62 and 63 of the USSR Constitution). Legislation on universal conscription went through several stages in its development. Reflecting socio-political changes in the life of society and the needs of strengthening the country's defense, it developed from volunteerism to compulsory military service of workers and from it to universal military service.

Universal conscription was characterized by the following main features:

• it applied only to Soviet citizens;
• was universal: all male citizens of the USSR were subject to conscription; Only persons serving a criminal sentence and persons against whom an investigation was underway or a criminal case was being considered by the court were not drafted;
• was personal and equal for everyone: replacing a conscript with another person was not allowed: for evading conscription or performing military service duties, the perpetrators were held criminally liable;
• had time restrictions: the law precisely established the terms of active military service, the number and duration of training camps and the age limit for being in the reserve;

Military service under Soviet legislation was carried out in the following main forms:

• service in the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces for the periods established by law;
• work and service as military construction workers;
• undergoing training, verification training and retraining during the period of being in the reserve of the USSR Armed Forces;

The fulfillment of universal military duty also included preliminary preparation (military-patriotic education, initial military training (CTP), training of specialists for the Armed Forces, improving general literacy, conducting medical and health activities and physical training of youth) for military service:

• passing by students in secondary schools, and by other citizens in production, NVP, including training in civil defense, with students in secondary schools (starting from the 9th grade), in secondary specialized educational institutions (SSUZ), and in educational institutions of the vocational system - technical education (SPTO) by full-time military leaders. Young men who did not study in full-time (full-time) educational institutions underwent NVP at training points created (if there are 15 or more young men required to undergo NVP) at enterprises, organizations and collective farms; The NVP program included familiarizing young people with the purpose of the Soviet Armed Forces and their character, the responsibilities of military service, the basic requirements of the military oath and military regulations. The heads of enterprises, institutions, collective farms and educational institutions were responsible for ensuring that the NVP covered all young men of pre-conscription and conscription age;
• the acquisition of military specialties in educational organizations of SPTO - vocational schools and in organizations of the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy (DOSAAF), was intended to ensure constant and high combat readiness of the Armed Forces, was advance and provided for the training of specialists (car drivers, electricians, signalmen, parachutists and others ) from among boys who have reached the age of 17. In the cities it was produced without interruption from production. At the same time, during the period of passing exams, young students were provided with paid leave for 7-15 working days. In rural areas it was produced separately from production at harvests in the autumn-winter period. In these cases, conscripts retained their jobs, their positions, and were paid 50% of their average earnings. The costs of renting living quarters and travel to and from the place of study were also paid;
• the study of military affairs and the acquisition of an officer specialty by students of higher educational institutions (HEIs) and secondary educational institutions engaged in training programs for reserve officers;
• compliance with the rules of military registration and other military duties by conscripts and all citizens in the reserve of the USSR Armed Forces.

For the purpose of systematic preparation and organizational implementation of conscription for active military service, the territory of the USSR was divided into regional (city) conscription areas. Every year during February - March, citizens who turned 17 in the year of registration were assigned to them. Registration to conscription stations served as a means of identifying and studying the quantitative and qualitative composition of conscription contingents. It was carried out by district (city) military commissariats (military registration and enlistment offices) at the place of permanent or temporary residence. The determination of the health status of those attributed to them was carried out by doctors allocated by decision of the executive committees (executive committees) of the district (city) Councils of People's Deputies from local medical institutions. Persons assigned to conscription stations were called conscripts. They were given a special certificate. Citizens subject to registration were obliged to appear at the military registration and enlistment office within the period established on the basis of the Law. Changing the conscription site was allowed only from January 1 to April 1 and from July 1 to October 1 of the year of conscription. At other times of the year, changing the recruiting station in some cases could be permitted only for valid reasons (for example, moving to a new place of residence as part of the family). The conscription of citizens for active military service was carried out annually everywhere twice a year (in May - June and in November - December) by order of the USSR Minister of Defense. For troops located in remote and some other areas, conscription began a month earlier - in April and October. The number of citizens subject to conscription was established by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The exact dates for the appearance of citizens at recruiting stations were determined, in accordance with the Law and on the basis of the order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR, by order of the military commissar. None of the conscripts were exempted from appearing at conscription stations (except for the cases established by Article 25 of the Law). Issues related to conscription were resolved by collegial bodies - conscription commissions created in regions and cities under the chairmanship of the relevant military commissars. The commission included representatives of local Soviet, party, Komsomol organizations and doctors as their full members. The personnel of the draft commission was approved by the executive committees of the district (city) Councils of People's Deputies. The district (city) draft commissions were entrusted with:

• a) organization of medical examination of conscripts;
• b) making a decision on conscription for active military service and the assignment of those called up according to the types of armed forces and branches of the military;
• c) granting deferments in accordance with the Law;
• d) exemption from military duty for conscripts due to their illnesses or physical disabilities;

When making a decision, draft commissions were obliged to comprehensively discuss the family and financial situation of the conscript, his state of health, take into account the wishes of the conscript himself, his specialty, and the recommendations of Komsomol and other public organizations. Decisions were made by majority vote. To manage district (city) conscription commissions and control their activities in the union and autonomous republics, territories, regions and autonomous districts, appropriate commissions were created under the chairmanship of the military commissar of the union or autonomous republic, territory, region or autonomous district. The activities of conscription commissions were monitored by the Councils of People's Deputies and prosecutorial supervision. For dishonest or biased attitude to the matter when deciding the issue of conscription, granting illegal deferments, members of conscription commissions and doctors involved in examining conscripts, as well as other persons who committed abuses, were held accountable in accordance with current legislation. The distribution of conscripts by branch of the Armed Forces and branches of the military was based on the principle of industrial qualifications and specialties, taking into account their health status. The same principle was applied when conscripting citizens into military construction detachments (VSO), intended to perform construction and installation work, manufacturing structures and parts at industrial and logging enterprises of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The recruitment of the military forces was carried out mainly from conscripts who graduated from construction educational institutions or had construction or related specialties or experience in construction (plumbers, bulldozer operators, cable workers, etc.). The rights, duties and responsibilities of military builders were determined by military legislation, and their work activities were regulated by labor legislation (with some features in the application of one or the other). Remuneration for military construction workers was made according to current standards. The mandatory period of work in the military service was counted towards the period of active military service.

The law determined: - a single conscription age for all Soviet citizens - 18 years;

The duration of active military service (command military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen) is 2 - 3 years;

A deferment from conscription could be granted on three grounds: a) for health reasons - it was granted to conscripts declared temporarily unfit for military service due to illness (Article 36 of the Law); b) by marital status (Article 34 of the Law); c) to continue education (Article 35 of the Law);

During the period of post-war mass demobilization 1946-1948, conscription into the Armed Forces was not carried out. Instead, conscripts were sent to reconstruction work. A new law on universal conscription was adopted in 1949, in accordance with it, conscription was established once a year, for a period of 3 years, for the navy for 4 years. In 1968, the service life was reduced by one year, instead of conscription once a year, two conscription campaigns were introduced: spring and autumn.

Completion of military service.

Military service is a special type of public service, which consists in the fulfillment by Soviet citizens of a constitutional military duty as part of the USSR Armed Forces (Article 63, Constitution of the USSR). Military service was the most active form of citizens exercising their constitutional duty to defend the socialist Fatherland (Articles 31 and 62, Constitution of the USSR), was an honorable duty and was assigned only to citizens of the USSR. Foreigners and stateless persons living on the territory of the USSR did not bear military duty and were not enrolled in military service, while they could be accepted for work (service) in civilian Soviet organizations in compliance with the rules established by law.

Soviet citizens were recruited into military service without fail through conscription (regular, for training camps and for mobilization) in accordance with the constitutional obligation (Article 63, Constitution of the USSR), and in accordance with Art. 7 of the Law on General Military Duty (1967), all military personnel and those liable for military service took a military oath of allegiance to their people, their Soviet Motherland and the Soviet government. Military service is characterized by the presence of an institution assigned in the manner established by Article 9 of the Law on General Military Duty (1967) personal military ranks, according to which military personnel and those liable for military service were divided into superiors and subordinates, senior and junior, with all the ensuing legal consequences.

IN USSR Armed Forces About 40% of the conscript contingent registered with the military (assigned to military registration and enlistment offices) were drafted.

Forms of military service were established in accordance with the principle accepted in modern conditions of constructing the Armed Forces on a permanent personnel basis (a combination of personnel Armed Forces with the presence of a reserve of military-trained citizens liable for military service). Therefore, according to the Law on General Military Duty (Article 5), military service was divided into active military service and reserve service, each of which took place in special forms.

Active military service is the service of Soviet citizens in the cadres of the Armed Forces, as part of the relevant military units, crews of warships, as well as institutions, establishments and other military organizations. Persons enrolled in active military service were called military personnel, they entered into military service relations with the state, and were appointed to positions provided for by the states, for which certain military or special training was required.

In accordance with the organizational structure of the Armed Forces, the difference in the nature and scope of service competence of personnel, the state adopted and used the following forms of active military service:

• compulsory military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen
• long-term military service of sergeants and foremen
• warrant officer and midshipman service
• service of officers, including officers who were called up from the reserve for a period of 2-3 years

As an additional form of active military service, the service of women accepted in peacetime in USSR Armed Forces on a voluntary basis for the positions of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen;

The service (work) of military builders was adjacent to the forms of military service.

Reserve service- periodic military service by citizens enlisted in the armed forces reserve. Persons who were in the reserve were called reserve servicemen.

The forms of military service during the period in the reserve were short-term training and retraining:

• training camps aimed at improving the military and special training of those liable for military service, maintaining it at the level of modern requirements;
• verification training aimed at determining the combat and mobilization readiness of military command and control bodies (MCB);

The legal status of the personnel of the USSR Armed Forces was regulated by:

• Constitution (Basic Law) of the USSR, (1977)
• USSR Law on Universal Military Duty, (1967)
• General military regulations of the USSR Armed Forces and the Naval Regulations
• Regulations on military service (officers, warrant officers and conscripts, etc.)
• Battle regulations
• Instructions
• Instructions
• Guides
• Orders
• Orders

USSR Armed Forces abroad

• Group of Soviet troops in Germany. (GSVG)
• Northern Group of Forces (SGV)
• Central Group of Forces (CGV)
• Southern Group of Forces (YUGV)
• Group of Soviet military specialists in Cuba (GSVSK)
• GSVM. Soviet troops in Mongolia belonged to the Transbaikal Military District.
• Limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan (OKSVA). Soviet army units in Afghanistan belonged to the Turkestan Military District, and border troops units within the OKSVA belonged to the Central Asian Border District and the Eastern Border District.
• Base points (PB) of the USSR Navy: - Tartus in Syria, Cam Ranh in Vietnam, Umm Qasr in Iraq, Nokra in Ethiopia.
• Naval Base Porkkala-Udd, Republic of Finland;

Hostilities

States (countries) in which USSR armed forces or military advisers and specialists USSR armed forces participated in hostilities (were present during hostilities) after World War II:

• China 1946-1949, 1950
• North Korea 1950-1953
• Hungary 1956
• North Vietnam 1965-1973
• Czechoslovakia 1968
• Egypt 1969-1970
• Angola 1975-1991
• Mozambique 1976-1991
• Ethiopia 1975-1991
• Libya 1977
• Afghanistan 1979-1989

• Syria 1982
• Interesting Facts

• From June 22, 1941 to July 1, 1941 (9 days) in Armed Forces of the USSR 5,300,000 people joined.
• In July 1946, the first missile unit was formed on the basis of the Guards Mortar Regiment.
• In 1947 entered service Soviet troops The first R-1 missiles began to arrive.
• In 1947 - 1950, mass production and mass entry into the armed forces of jet aircraft began.
• Since 1952, the country's air defense forces have been equipped with anti-aircraft missile technology.
• In September 1954, the first major military exercise with a real explosion of an atomic bomb was held in the Semipalatinsk area.
• In 1955, a ballistic missile was launched from a submarine for the first time.
• In 1957, the first tactical exercise was held with tanks crossing the river along the bottom.
• In 1966, a detachment of nuclear submarines circumnavigated the world without surfacing.
• Armed Forces of the USSR were the first in the world to en masse adopt such a class of armored vehicles as the Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The BMP-1 appeared in the army in 1966. In NATO countries, an approximate analogue of the Marder will appear only in 1970.
• In the late 1970s of the 20th century, in service USSR Armed Forces consisted of about 68 thousand tanks, and the tank forces included 8 tank armies.
• During the period from 1967 to 1979, 122 nuclear submarines were built in the USSR. In thirteen years, five aircraft-carrying ships were built.
• At the end of the 1980s, construction units in terms of the number of personnel (350,000 - 450,000) exceeded such types of troops of the USSR Armed Forces as the Border Troops (220,000), the Airborne Troops (60,000), and the Marine Corps (15,000) combined .
• There is a precedent in the History of the USSR Armed Forces when a motorized rifle regiment, actually in a state of siege, defended the territory of its own military camp for 3 years and 9 months.
• The number of personnel of the Marine Corps of the USSR Armed Forces was 16 times less than the US Marine Corps - the main potential enemy.
• Despite the fact that Afghanistan is a mountainous country with non-navigable rivers, naval (river) units of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR took an active part in the Afghan War.
• Every year into service in USSR Armed Forces 400 - 600 aircraft arrived. From the responses of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel General A. Zelin at a press conference at MAKS-2009 (August 20, 2009). The accident rate in the Air Force in the 1960s - 1980s was at the level of 100 - 150 accidents and disasters annually.
• Military personnel who found themselves under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, when they were created on March 16 - May 7, 1992, did not take an oath, did not violate this oath, but are bound by the following oath:

I, a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, joining the ranks of the Armed Forces of the USSR, take the oath and solemnly swear to be an honest, brave, disciplined, vigilant warrior, strictly keep military and state secrets, observe the Constitution of the USSR and Soviet laws, unquestioningly fulfill all military regulations and orders of commanders and superiors. I swear to conscientiously study military affairs, to protect military and national property in every possible way, and to be devoted to my people, my Soviet Motherland and the Soviet government until my last breath. I am always ready, by order of the Soviet government, to defend my Motherland - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and, as a warrior of the Armed Forces of the USSR, I swear to defend it courageously, skillfully, with dignity and honor, not sparing my blood and life itself to achieve complete victory over enemies. If I violate this solemn oath of mine, then may I suffer the severe punishment of Soviet law, the general hatred and contempt of the Soviet people. Series of postage stamps, 1948: 30 years of the Soviet Army Series of postage stamps, 1958: 40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR A particularly numerous and colorful series of postage stamps was issued for the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces: Postage stamp series, 1968: 50 years of the Soviet Armed Forces

These people prefer not to put their lives on public display. The GRU special forces do not even have their own designation or name. And the most interesting thing is their secrecy in their work. After all, special forces work in all parts of our planet, and their representatives can be dressed in absolutely any clothes, including the uniform of the British army or other countries.

Spetsnaz is an elite unit of the military forces of the Russian Federation. Many films are made about special forces soldiers, books and articles are written about their hard work for the glory of their homeland. True, the cinematic presentation is most often either embellished or undertold. Only the best of the best are worthy of service in the GRU, which is why very strict selection rules have been created for them. And the most banal training day can shock an ordinary person who has nothing to do with serving in the country’s law enforcement agencies.

On TV or on the Internet they will never talk or write about real special forces operations; most often the noise is made because of failure, but, fortunately for everyone, this practically never happens.

What is GRU

Each country has its own military structures, and it just so happens that foreign intelligence plays one of the most important roles in protecting its state. In the Russian Federation, such functions are performed by the GU GSH VS, which means the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. However, the predecessor of this name was the Main Intelligence Directorate. This is exactly what the GRU transcript will sound like.

Initially, it conducted its reconnaissance and sabotage activities in the interests of the Soviet Union, and was also the central organ of military intelligence.

Intelligence under the Tsar

Even before the overthrow of the monarchy, under Tsarist Russia, sabotage and reconnaissance groups operated. These were specially trained military units. If we recall the reign of Ivan the Fourth, then in the 16th century he was the founder of the guard service, which consisted of Cossack detachments. All warriors were checked for physical health and excellent skills in using weapons (bladed and firearms). Since in those days the Tatars constantly raided Moscow, the main purpose of these detachments was to monitor the surrounding territories to prevent an attack.

At a later time, Alexey Mikhailovich revealed the Secret Order to the country. The order's intelligence officers collected and structured all messages and information reports about possible enemy attacks and the activities of countries in the neighborhood.

In 1764, Suvorov and Kutuzov put forward the idea of ​​​​creating special detachments of rangers. Their operations were carried out in parallel with the main royal army. The rangers staged raids and ambushes, and also attacked the enemy in the mountains, forests and other difficult terrain. These were the so-called beginnings of special forces. And in 1810, Barclay de Tolly established the Secret Affairs Expedition.

History of the GRU

When the workers' and peasants' Red Army was formed in the USSR, after the famous revolution, the need arose for the formation of a special unit that was supposed to take on intelligence functions. On this occasion, in 1918, the Bolsheviks came to the creation of the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Council. One of the components of this headquarters was a special department for registration, collection and processing of information obtained by intelligence officers. As a result, counterintelligence activities were completely transferred to the shoulders of the Field Headquarters.

In 1921, the Intelligence Department of the Red Army Headquarters was formed; it was engaged in reconnaissance not only in difficult and wartime times, but also in peacetime they were one hundred percent covered in reconnaissance work. In Soviet times, human intelligence was carried out. In countries neighboring the Union, special partisan detachments were created that carried out subversive operations.

In 1934, intelligence management was transferred to the People's Commissar of Defense. There were successful missions during the Spanish War, but even such a high-ranking structure as the country's intelligence service was affected by the tragedy of repression. And by the beginning of World War II, half of the intelligence service was shot. Since 1942, we have known the Razvedupr under the familiar name GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate).

The first special forces units in the USSR

In 1950, a secret decree was issued on the formation of special groups whose task was to conduct sabotage operations on the side of the enemy. All military districts of the Union were equipped with such units; in total they created forty-six companies, each consisting of one hundred and twenty soldiers. And it was they who were the basis for the creation of special forces in 1962. After 6 years, a special regiment was formed to train employees.

The initial purpose of creating such units was to carry out sabotage actions in the war with NATO and the confrontation with the United States in the Cold War. The pattern of these actions was the collection and delivery of all information from the enemy rear to the GRU headquarters, sowing panic in populated areas where civilians live, undermining important infrastructure, and large-scale actions to destroy enemy headquarters. Weapons of mass destruction were strategically important; special forces destroyed missile silos, airfields used by enemy long-range aviation, launchers, and bases with submarines.

The Afghan war was fought with the active participation of GRU agents, and special forces also played an important role during the unrest in the North Caucasus. Moreover, Tajikistan and Georgia also did not go unnoticed by elite units during their military operations (the last war with Georgia in 2008). At the moment, the Syrian war is taking place with the participation of Russian special forces.

Now the GRU command gives orders to act not only by force, but also by information.

The renaming from the Soviet name occurred in 2010. Everyone who is in the service of the GRU (decoding - Main Intelligence Directorate) celebrates their holiday dedicated to military intelligence officers on November 5th.

Management Goals

The GRU is not only a foreign intelligence agency, but also controls other military organizations in Russia, and also appears as an executive military force.

The goals of Russian intelligence can be divided into three points:

• The first is to provide all information intelligence data first of all to the President of our country and then in order of seniority of “roles” (Ministry of Defense, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Security Council) on the issue of protecting the borders and internal integrity of the Russian Federation. This information is necessary for conducting domestic and foreign policy, and so on.
• The second is to provide suitable conditions for the smooth implementation of political actions in the field of defense and security.
• Third, intelligence contributes to the rise in the economic sphere, scientific and technical developments and military security of the Russian Federation.

Headquarters

The first GRU headquarters was located on Khodynka. The new one was built 11 years ago and is a large complex of different buildings. The headquarters area is huge - approximately seventy thousand square meters. For physical Security forces training inside even has its own sports complex with a swimming pool. The construction of such a grandiose project cost the country nine billion rubles. The special forces complex is located on Grizodubova Street.

Bat

Probably everyone has seen in photographs or in the news the patches on the GRU uniform in the form of a bat. Where did this animal come from in the GRU emblem? According to some sources, one of the Yekaterinburg journalists during his service decided to draw an emblem for his squad. This happened in 1987, and the bat inside the globe was so liked by the bosses and colleagues that it was immediately printed on all special forces uniforms.

Flower theme

To understand what the GRU is today, you can look at the meaning of the modern emblem. At the moment (since 2002) the bat has been replaced by a red carnation, it means perseverance and devotion. The GRU emblem is the personification of an unyielding decision to achieve a set goal. The Three Flame of Grenada is explained as a badge of honor with a historical past, it was awarded to the best military among the elite units.

True, in the new headquarters the mouse, laid out on the floor, remained adjacent to the flower.

What does it consist of?

Information about the structure of the GRU and its special forces units at the moment is as follows:

• Western Military District with the second brigade.
• The tenth mountain brigade operates in the North Caucasus.
• The special forces who participated in the Afghan and Chechen campaigns were from the fourteenth brigade of the Far East.
• The Western Military District has the sixteenth brigade; it also participated in the Chechen wars and in protecting the OVO in Tajikistan.
• The southern military district is defended by the twenty-second brigade. Has a guards rank after the Great Patriotic War. The twenty-fifth special forces regiment is also stationed here.
• The Central Military District is equipped with soldiers from the twenty-fourth brigade.
• A unit of the 346th brigade is located in Kabardino-Balkaria.
• The fleet in the Pacific Ocean, Baltic, Black and North Seas is equipped with its own special reconnaissance units.

What is the total number

For a better understanding of what the GRU is, it is worth paying attention to the absolute secrecy about the number of its fighters. Since the activities of special forces are inaccessible to mere mortals, there are no reliable sources about the real size of the GRU headquarters. Some claim there are six thousand, and some say the figure is fifteen thousand.

Moreover, in addition to the existing special forces units, general military units are also subordinate to the GRU, and their number is approximately twenty-five thousand soldiers.

Training centers

At the moment, you can train to become a special forces soldier at higher educational institutions in Ryazan and Cherepovets. The Ryazan Airborne School trains specialists for sabotage activities. There is also a Military Academy of the Ministry of Defense in the Russian Federation. It has three faculties: strategic human intelligence, tactical and human-operational intelligence.

You can apply only if you speak several foreign languages ​​and pass a special list of requirements.

Selection of fighters

What is required of candidates entering such serious institutions to study? Passing the entrance tests is a very labor-intensive process, but with the help of personal patience and accumulated knowledge, as well as physical strength, you can do it.

Absolute physical health is an absolute requirement for all applicants. But a future special forces soldier does not have to be two meters tall and have a lot of muscle mass, because the most important thing in this matter is endurance. The raids carried out are usually accompanied by fairly heavy loads and can cover many kilometers.

The standards for admission, for example, include running three kilometers in ten minutes, doing twenty-five pull-ups, a hundred-meter dash must be done in twelve seconds, push-ups must be at least ninety, and the same number of times you must do abdominal exercises (given here just two minutes). One of the most important skills in the work of a special forces soldier is hand-to-hand combat.

This is followed by a very meticulous medical examination. A person must have unshakable stress resistance. His head must be in working order in any situation. For this purpose, trained psychologists are used, and after that the candidate is tested with a “lie detector”. The entire family and even distant relatives are checked by special state security agencies. Parents must write to the management about their consent that their son will serve in the special forces unit.

Preparation for service in special forces

Long-term hard training, training in proper hand-to-hand combat (it is believed that it strengthens the spirit and character of a fighter), fighting with the use of various objects (not only edged weapons), fights with initially stronger and more experienced opponents - all this awaits a recruit when training in such a serious division. It is at these moments that the fighter realizes what the GRU is.

From the first day of training, there is a program to instill in them that all of them, special forces soldiers, are the best not only among Russian military structures, but also in the whole world.

Some of the difficult tests that are given specifically to find out whether a person can survive his limit of physical potential are a long stay in a waking state, a load of exorbitant physical and psychological actions. And, of course, training in the use of small arms (all types).

The General Staff of the USSR was the central organ of military control of the country. For obvious reasons, not all of the operations he carried out were known to the general public. Some had a top secret status.

Operation Berezino

During the Great Patriotic War, the USSR General Staff carried out many operations, but there were not many secret ones among them. The most successful of these were operations “Monastery” and “Berezino”. As conceived by the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff and related intelligence services, it was decided to cover up the existence in the Soviet Union of the underground organization “Throne,” which sympathized with the Germans. A key role in the development was played by emigrant Alexander Demyanov, recruited back in 1929. Recruited by Soviet counterintelligence during Operation Monastery, he contributed to the capture of German intelligence officers and the sending of disinformation to Germany. German intelligence trusted Dementyev, they went by the pseudonym “Max”, for Soviet intelligence he was “Heine”. On August 18, 1944, he radioed to his German “superiors” that a large Wehrmacht detachment was surrounded in the area of ​​the Berezina River. This “detachment” was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sherhorn (“Shubin”). The success of Operation Berezino was facilitated by the fact that real German officers who went over to the side of the Red Army were involved in it. They convincingly portrayed the surviving regiment, and the paratroopers-liaison officers were immediately recruited by counterintelligence, joining the radio game. According to archival data, from September 1944 to May 1945, the German command carried out 39 sorties to our rear and dropped 22 German intelligence officers (all of them were arrested by Soviet counterintelligence officers), 13 radio stations, 255 pieces of cargo with weapons, uniforms, food, ammunition, medicines, and 1,777,000 rubles. Germany continued supplying “its” detachment until the very end of the war.

Operation Anadyr

“Anadyr” is the code name of the secret operation of the USSR General Staff to deliver Soviet missiles, aircraft bombs and combat units to Cuba. The total strength of the Soviet group of forces was 50,874 personnel and up to 3,000 civilian personnel. In addition, it was necessary to transport over 230,000 tons of logistics. The first transport entered Cuba on July 10, 1962. To maintain secrecy, the operation was presented to American intelligence under the guise of a strategic relocation of USSR army forces to different areas of its official presence. To further disinformation, ships of the USSR Ministry of the Navy with dummies of tanks, guns and other equipment were sent from different ports of the USSR. Everyone, with the exception of senior officer ranks, was informed that the cargo was being sent to Chukotka. Hence the name of the operation - “Anadyr”. The port of Anadyr was also indicated in all accompanying documents. A large amount of winter clothing, felt boots, sheepskin coats, and fur coats arrived at the ports of departure. A participant in those events, sergeant of missile unit 14119 in the city of Darnitsa Viktor Kostyukhevsky recalled: “The secrecy was incredible. Almost no information. A paper was signed stating that each individual soldier was ready to fulfill his international duty on the territory of another country. All. No more details." Only on October 14, 1962, after analyzing aerial photography, did the CIA realize that Soviet ballistic missiles were installed in Cuba. Before this, even despite reports from informants, the United States was not completely sure that the Soviet “nuclear umbrella” had opened over Cuba.

Operation Vietnam Throw

The participation of Soviet troops in the Vietnam War was not advertised for a long time. Despite the fact that modern Hollywood films depict the “red” special forces soldier as almost the main enemy of the “Yankees,” the presence of the Soviet military in the Vietnam War had a secret status. The USSR decided to send its military to Vietnam only after the United States began regular bombing of North Vietnam on March 2, 1965. The Soviet General Staff began large-scale supplies of military equipment, specialists and soldiers to Vietnam. Of course, everything happened in the strictest secrecy. According to the recollections of veterans, before departure the soldiers were dressed in civilian clothes, their letters home were subject to such strict censorship that if they fell into the hands of a stranger, the latter would be able to understand only one thing: the authors were relaxing somewhere in the south and enjoying their serene vacation. From the USSR, a little over six thousand officers and about 4,000 privates arrived in Vietnam. These figures clearly show that the “Soviet special forces” could not be the “main enemy” for the half-million US Army. In addition to military specialists, the USSR sent 2,000 tanks, 700 light and maneuverable aircraft, 7,000 mortars and guns, more than a hundred helicopters and much more to Vietnam. Almost the entire air defense system of the country, impeccable and impenetrable to fighters, was built by Soviet specialists using Soviet funds. “On-site training” also took place. Military schools and academies of the USSR trained Vietnamese military personnel.

"African Special Forces"

For a long time it was not customary to talk about the fact that the Soviet military fought in Africa. Moreover, 99% of USSR citizens did not know that there was a Soviet military contingent in distant Angola, Mozambique, Libya, Ethiopia, North and South Yemen, Syria and Egypt. Of course, rumors were heard, but they were treated with restraint, not confirmed by official information from the pages of the Pravda newspaper, as tales and speculation. Meanwhile, only through the 10th Main Directorate of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces from 1975 to 1991, 10,985 generals, officers, warrant officers and privates passed through Angola. During the same time, 11,143 Soviet military personnel were sent to Ethiopia. If we also take into account the Soviet military presence in Mozambique, then we can talk about more than 30,000 Soviet military specialists and ordinary personnel on African soil. However, despite such a scale, the soldiers and officers who fulfilled their “international duty” were as if non-existent, they were not given orders and medals, and the Soviet press did not write about their exploits. It was as if they were not there for official statistics. As a rule, the military cards of participants in African wars did not contain any records of business trips to the African continent, but simply contained an inconspicuous stamp with the unit number, behind which the 10th Directorate of the USSR General Staff was hidden.

There is a new chief in the GRU - General Igor Korobov (biography raises many questions)

Lieutenant General Igor Korobov was appointed head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.This was reported to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

“The corresponding decision has been made, Igor Korobov has been appointed head of the GRU,”- explained the representative of the Ministry of Defense.

“On Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented General Korobov with the personal standard of the head of the GRU. General Korobov was introduced to the generals and officers of the military intelligence headquarters. The ceremony took place at the Glaucus headquarters. On Friday, Korobov will take up his new office,” the source said.

According to information from the military department, the GRU seriously feared that a security officer from other structures (for example, from the Federal Security Service or the Foreign Intelligence Service) who had not previously encountered the peculiarities of working in military intelligence could be appointed as the new leader.

The Main Intelligence Directorate - GRU - is one of the most closed security forces: its structure, numerical strength, as well as the biographies of senior officers are a state secret.

The GRU is the foreign intelligence agency of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the central military intelligence management body in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It is the executive body and military control body of other military organizations (the Russian Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation).It is headed by the Chief of the GRU, who reports to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. The GRU and its structures are engaged in intelligence in the interests of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, including intelligence, space, radio-electronic, etc.

On November 21, 2018, after a long illness, Igor Korobov, Chief of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, died. Appointed to perform his duties

According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Russian military intelligence system under the command of Colonel General Igor Sergun worked very effectively. She “timely revealed new challenges and threats to the security of the Russian Federation.” Military intelligence participated in the planning and implementation of the operation to annex Crimea to Russia in February-March 2014.

Since the summer of 2015, the GRU, together with the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff, has been planning a Russian air operation in Syria.

In November 2015, the head of the GRU, Colonel General Igor Sergun, visited Damascus confidentially. The GRU prepared an open report at an international conference held in Moscow in the fall of 2015, which analyzed the goals and recruitment activity of the Islamic State in the Central Asian region and the republics of the Ural-Volga region and the North Caucasus.

Sergei Shoigu presents a personal standard to the Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Korobov. Photo: Twitter of the Russian Ministry of Defense

The GRU, according to foreign sources, uses high-tech methods of search and data analysis to collect information. Thus, in January 2016, the German magazine “Spiegel” claimed that the hacker attack on the Bundestag in 2015 was initiated by Russian military intelligence. Similar actions by hackers took place in some other NATO countries.

Bloomberg indicates that GRU employees use disguises in cyberspace that the US National Security Agency is unable to reveal.Moreover, the level of competence of GRU specialists is so high that their presence can only be revealed if they themselves want it...

For a long time, the headquarters of the GRU was located in Moscow in the Khodynskoye Pole area, Khoroshevskoye Shosse, 76.After the construction of a new headquarters complex, which consists of several buildings with an area of ​​more than 70 thousand m² with a so-called situation center and command post, the GRU headquarters was moved to the street. Grizodubova in Moscow, 100 meters from the old complex known as the Aquarium.

Colonel General Igor Sergun, who previously headed the GRU, died suddenly on January 3, 2016 in the Moscow region due to acute heart failure at the age of 58.

As Ivan Safronov wrote earlier in the article “Intelligence Among Our Own”, posted on the portal of the Kommersant publishing house, competent persons first of all named one of his deputies as the new head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation instead of the deceased Igor Sergun .

Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Sergun’s family and friends, calling him a man of great courage. Expressing condolences to the general’s family and colleagues, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that it was under his leadership that “the Russian military intelligence system received its further development, functioned with proper efficiency, and promptly identified new challenges and threats to the security of the Russian Federation.”

Let us note that General Sergun headed the GRU immediately after the reforms of Alexander Shlyakhturov. The reform provided for a reduction in the number of special forces brigades, as well as the transfer of some units to the subordination of military districts. According to a General Staff officer, after the appointment of Sergei Shoigu as head of the military department, Igor Sergun carried out a structural reorganization of the GRU, rolling back some of the changes of his former chief.Already in February-March 2014, the special service played one of the main roles in the operation to annex Crimea to Russia.

Sources close to the General Staff note that the new head of military intelligence will lead an extremely effective and balanced department, the creation of which is “the merit of Igor Dmitrievich Sergun.” The head of the GRU, Sergun, has had at least four deputies in recent years, about whom little is known.

General Vyacheslav Kondrashov

in 2011, he was already deputy to the previous head of the GRU, Alexander Shlyakhturov; in May of the same year, he presented a report at the Academy of the General Staff on the tactical and technical characteristics of ballistic missiles in service in the countries of the Near and Middle East (including Iran and North Korea) .

General Sergey Gizunov

Before his appointment to the central apparatus of the GRU, he headed the 85th main center of the special service, and at the end of 2009 he became a laureate of the Russian Government Prize in the field of science and technology.

Igor Lelin

in May 2000, with the rank of colonel, he was the military attache of the Russian Federation in Estonia (he was mentioned in a report by a local publication dedicated to the laying of flowers at the memorial to liberating soldiers on Tõnismägi Square), by 2013 he received the rank of major general and worked as deputy head of the main department personnel of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. In 2014 he was transferred to the GRU.

The fourth deputy of Igor Sergun was General Igor Korobov. There is no mention of his participation in any public events, Igor Korobov’s biography is a “closed seal” secret, but it was he who was called a “serious person” in the media and considered the most likely candidate for the vacated post.

What is reliably known about the new head of the GRU?

What details of Igor Korobov’s biography are still known?

He was awarded the Order “For Services to the Fatherland”, 4th degree, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of Courage, the Order “For Military Merit”, the Order “For Service to the Motherland in the USSR Armed Forces”, 3rd degree and the Medal “For Courage”.

It is difficult to construct a detailed biography, but the key points can be outlined. Let's skip the school years. It is known that Igor Korobov graduated with honors from the flight department of the Stavropol Higher Military Aviation School of Air Defense Pilots and Navigators (1973-1977) and received the rank of lieutenant. To serve, he was assigned to the 518th Fighter Aviation Berlin Order of Suvorov Regiment (Talagi airfield, Arkhangelsk) of the 10th Separate Red Banner Air Defense Army.

Young pilots who arrived in the regiment from the Stavropol school - lieutenants Faezov, Anokhin, Korobov, Patrikeev, Zaporozhtsev, Syrovatkin, Tkachenko, Fatkulin and Tyurin - spent the first year retraining for new equipment in the third squadron of the regiment. After this they were assigned to the first and second squadrons. Lieutenant Korobov ended up in the second.

Two-seat Tu-128 long-range loitering interceptors (a total of five regiments in the USSR Air Defense Fighter Aviation were equipped with them) covered the areas of Novaya Zemlya, Norilsk, Khatanga, Tiksi, Yakutsk, etc. In those directions, there were “gaps” in the single radar field and there were very few alternate airfields, which made the “carcass” the only effective means of covering the country’s air borders.

Second squadron of the 518th Berlin Aviation Order of Suvorov Regiment. The squadron commander and his deputy are sitting. Standing on the far right is senior lieutenant Igor Korobov (between the pilots - “Korobok”). Talagi airfield, Arkhangelsk, late 1970s.

In 1980, a personnel officer from the central apparatus of the GRU came to the regiment, began to study personal files, and selected two SVVAULSH graduates from 1977 - Viktor Anokhin and Igor Korobov. At the interview, Viktor Anokhin refused the offer to change his job profile. Igor Korobov agreed.

In 1981, Igor Korobov entered the Military Diplomatic Academy with a specialization in military intelligence.

Then - in various positions in the GRU, he was the first deputy head of the Main Directorate, supervising strategic intelligence issues - all of the department's foreign residencies were under his jurisdiction.

In February 2016, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, he was appointed Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Apparently, the Ministry of Defense was inclined towards the option that would allow maintaining continuity in the work of the special service, which General Sergun had been building in recent years.

Sources in the military department told Kommersant that the new head of the GRU will be an active intelligence officer, and not someone from other law enforcement agencies. According to them, the candidacies of several deputies of Igor Sergun, who died suddenly on January 3 in the Moscow region due to acute heart failure, were considered as a priority.

According to Kommersant's information, the GRU feared that a security officer from other structures (for example, from the Federal Security Service or the Foreign Intelligence Service), who had not previously encountered the peculiarities of the work of military intelligence, could be appointed as the new leader.

The General Staff and the Ministry of Defense considered that continuity was necessary for the stable functioning of the department.

New headquarters of the Main Intelligence Directorate outside and inside

Currently, the GRU is actively involved in planning Russia’s military air operation in Syria, and also provides space, electronic and human intelligence data to the country’s top military-political leadership.

Given the importance of this work, it can be assumed that the new head of the GRU enjoys the full confidence of the Russian leadership.

GRU structure

It is difficult to judge the current structure of the GRU, but judging by open sources, the GRU includes 12-14 main departments and about ten auxiliary departments. Let's name the main ones.

The first Directorate includes the countries of the European Commonwealth (except Great Britain).

Second Directorate - the Americas, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Third Directorate – Asian countries.

Fourth Directorate – African countries.

The Fifth Directorate deals with operational intelligence.

Sixth – radio intelligence.

The Seventh Directorate works for NATO.

Eighth Directorate – sabotage (SpN).

The Ninth Directorate deals with military technology.

Tenth – military economy.

Eleventh – strategic doctrines and weapons.

Twelfth – ensuring information wars.

In addition, there are auxiliary departments and departments, including the space intelligence department, personnel department, operational and technical department, administrative and technical department, external relations department, archive department and information service.

General military training of GRU officers is carried out at the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School. Specialties:

“use of military reconnaissance units”

“use of special reconnaissance units” .

Special training for GRU officers is at the Military-Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Faculties:

strategic human intelligence,

agent-operational intelligence,

operational-tactical reconnaissance .

The structure of the GRU also includes research institutes, including the famous 6th and 18th Central Research Institutes in Moscow.

2018-11-22T21:22:11+05:00 Alex Zarubin Analysis - forecast Defense of the Fatherland Figures and faces army, biography, military operations, GRU, intelligence, RussiaThe GRU has a new chief - General Igor Korobov (biography raises many questions) Lieutenant General Igor Korobov was appointed head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This was reported to the Russian Ministry of Defense. “The corresponding decision has been made, Igor Korobov has been appointed head of the GRU,” explained a representative of the Ministry of Defense. “On Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented General Korobov with a personal...Alex Zarubin Alex Zarubin [email protected] Author In the Middle of Russia

We can safely call them the most popular military units in Russia. Dozens of films have been made about him, hundreds of books and articles have been written on the Internet. The special forces of the Russian GRU are the real elite of the armed forces - although, as a rule, film scripts have little relation to reality.

Only the best get into the special forces, and in order to be enrolled in this unit, candidates must undergo a brutal selection process. The usual training of GRU special forces can shock the average person - special attention is paid to the physical and psychological preparation of special forces.

Real operations in which army special forces took part are usually not reported on television or written in newspapers. Media hype usually means mission failure, and failures for GRU special forces are relatively rare.

Unlike special units of other law enforcement agencies, the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate do not have their own name, and in general prefer to act without publicity. During operations, they can wear the uniform of any army in the world, and the globe depicted on the emblem of military intelligence means that GRU special forces can operate anywhere in the world.

GRU special forces are the “eyes and ears” of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and often an effective tool for various “delicate” operations. However, before continuing the story about special forces and their everyday life, it should be said what the Main Intelligence Directorate is and about the history of the special units that are part of it.

GRU

The need to create a special body that would engage in intelligence in the interests of the military became obvious almost immediately after the formation of the Red Army. In November 1918, the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Council of the Republic was created, which included the Registration Department, which was responsible for collecting and processing intelligence information. This structure ensured the work of human intelligence of the Red Army and was engaged in counterintelligence activities.

The order to create the Field Headquarters (and with it the Registration Directorate) was dated November 5, 1918, so this date is considered the birthday of Soviet and Russian military intelligence.

However, one should not think that before the 1917 revolution in Russia there were no structures that collected information in the interests of the military department. The same can be said about special military units that performed special, specific tasks.

Back in the 16th century, Russian Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible established a guard service, which recruited Cossacks who were distinguished by good physical health and excellent skills in handling firearms and bladed weapons. Their task was to monitor the territory of the “Wild Field”, from which Tatars and Nogais constantly attacked the Muscovite kingdom.

Later, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a Secret Order was organized, which collected military information about potential opponents.

During the reign of Alexander I (in 1817), a detachment of mounted gendarmes was formed, which today would be called a rapid reaction unit. Their main task was to maintain order within the state. In the middle of the 19th century, reconnaissance and sabotage battalions consisting of Cossack plastuns were formed in the Russian army.

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: raids, ambushes, and fight the enemy in hard-to-reach areas (mountains, forests).

In 1810, on the initiative of Barclay de Tolly, a Special Expedition (or Secret Affairs Expedition) was created.

In 1921, on the basis of the Registration Directorate, the Intelligence Directorate of the Red Army Headquarters was formed. The order establishing the new body stated that the Intelligence Department was engaged in military intelligence in both peacetime and wartime. In the 1920s, the department conducted human 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 operated successfully in the Spanish War. At the end of the 30s, a rollercoaster of political repression thoroughly swept through Soviet military intelligence, many officers were arrested and shot.

On February 16, 1942, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Red Army was formed, and it was under this name that the organization existed for more than sixty years. After the war, the GRU General Staff was abolished for several years, but in 1949 it was restored again.

On October 24, 1950, a secret directive was issued on the creation of special units (SPT) that would conduct reconnaissance and sabotage behind enemy lines. Almost immediately, similar units were formed in all military districts of the USSR (a total of 46 companies of 120 people each). Later, special forces brigades were formed on their basis. The first of them was created in 1962. In 1968, the first special forces training regiment appeared (near Pskov), and in 1970 the second was formed near Tashkent.

Initially, special forces units were trained for war with the NATO bloc. After the start (or before) of hostilities, intelligence officers had to operate deep behind enemy lines, collect information and transmit it to the Main Intelligence Directorate, act against enemy headquarters and other control points, commit sabotage and terrorist attacks, sow panic among the population, and destroy infrastructure facilities . Particular attention was paid to weapons of mass destruction of the enemy: missile silos and launchers, strategic aviation airfields, and submarine bases.

Special units of the GRU actively participated in the Afghan War, and special forces units played an important role in suppressing separatism in the North Caucasus. GRU special forces were also involved in the civil war in Tajikistan and in the 2008 war against Georgia. There is information that some units of the Special Forces are currently located in Syria.

Currently, the Main Intelligence Directorate is not only sabotage and reconnaissance groups. The GRU is actively engaged in human intelligence, information collection in cyberspace, and uses electronic and space reconnaissance. Russian military intelligence officers successfully use information warfare methods and work with foreign political forces and individual politicians.

In 2010, the Main Intelligence Directorate was renamed the Main Directorate of the General Staff, but the old name is still better known and popular.

Structure and composition of the GRU Spetsnaz

• The 2nd separate special forces brigade is part of the Western Military District.
• The 3rd Guards Separate Brigade of the GRU (Central Military District) was created in 1966 in Tolyatti. However, there is information about its disbandment.
• 10th mountain separate brigade of the GRU of the North Caucasus Military District. It was formed in 2003 in the village of Molpino, Krasnodar Territory.
• 14th separate GRU brigade. Part of the Far Eastern District, it was formed in 1966. The soldiers of this unit took an active part in the fighting in Afghanistan. The 14th Brigade went through both Chechen campaigns.
• The 16th Special Forces Brigade is part of the Western Military District. Formed in 1963. She participated in both Chechen campaigns, in peacekeeping operations, and guarded particularly important facilities on the territory of Tajikistan in the early 90s.
• 22nd Guards Separate Special Purpose Brigade. It is part of the Southern Military District. It was formed in 1976 in Kazakhstan. 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 GRU brigade. It is part of the Central Military District. The brigade took part in the Afghan War and in combat operations in the North Caucasus.
• 346th separate special forces brigade. Southern Military District, Prokhladny city, Kabardino-Balkaria.
• The 25th separate special forces regiment is part of the Southern Military District.

Also subordinate to the GRU there are four maritime reconnaissance points: in the Pacific, Black, Baltic and Northern fleets.

The total number of GRU special forces units is not known exactly. Various figures are cited: from six to fifteen thousand people.

Training and arming of GRU special forces

Who can join the GRU special forces? What are the requirements for candidates?

It is quite difficult to get into special forces units, but not impossible.

First of all, the candidate must be in absolute physical health. It is not necessary to have impressive dimensions; endurance is much more important in special forces. During a raid, scouts can cover many tens of kilometers in a day, and they do it by no means lightly. You have to carry many kilograms of weapons, ammunition and ammunition.

The applicant will have to pass the required minimum: run three kilometers in 10 minutes, do 25 pull-ups, run a hundred meters in 12 seconds, 90 push-ups, do 90 abdominal exercises in 2 minutes. One of the physical standards is hand-to-hand combat.

Naturally, all candidates undergo the most thorough and scrupulous medical examination.

In addition to physical training, the psychological health of the applicant is no less important: a special forces soldier must be absolutely “stress-resistant” and not lose his head even in the most difficult situations. Therefore, candidates must undergo an interview with a psychologist, followed by a lie detector test. Moreover, the relevant authorities carefully check all the relatives of the future intelligence officer, and parents are required to provide written consent for their son to serve in special forces.

If a person does end up in special forces, he will have to endure many months of hard training. Fighters are trained in hand-to-hand combat, which significantly enhances the spirit and strengthens character. A special forces soldier must be able to fight not only with his bare hands, but also use various different objects in battle, sometimes not at all intended for combat use. A rookie is often placed against stronger opponents (and sometimes even several), in which case it is important for him not even to defeat him, but to hold out as long as possible.

From the very beginning of training, future special forces soldiers are instilled with the idea that they are the best.

Future special forces soldiers learn to endure the most severe tests to the limit of physical capabilities: long-term deprivation of sleep, food, extreme physical activity, and psychological pressure. Naturally, in special forces future fighters are trained to master all types of small arms.

Despite the “international” specificity of the tasks performed by the GRU special forces, its fighters most often use standard weapons of the Russian army.

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