Born in 1946. Graduated from the Military Diplomatic Academy under the USSR Ministry of Defense. He worked for more than 20 years in the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. From 1992 to 1997, he was the first deputy chief of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. During the hostilities on the territory of the Chechen Republic, he repeatedly traveled to the combat zone. In May 1997, during the medical examination preceding the dismissal of Colonel General Fyodor Ladygin, he was acting head of the GRU. In May 1997, he was appointed head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces. The former head of the GRU, Fedor Ladygin, who held this position from 1992 to 1997, gave the following description of V. Korabelnikov: “I had to take a very direct part in the fate of Valentin Vladimirovich Korabelnikov and even be the initiator of one or another of his promotions. He is a professional. military intelligence. well prepared theoretically and with extensive practical experience in various areas. including directly in operational work. As far as I can judge, my assessments turned out to be correct regarding Colonel General Korabelnikov. It seems to me that he leads the GRU with dignity and successfully copes with the tasks assigned to him." On August 20, 1997, he was introduced to the Coordination Interdepartmental Council for Military-Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation with Foreign States. Since December 31, 1997 - Member of the Supervisory Council for the activities of the Rosvooruzhenie and Promexport companies. In July 1999, V. Korabelnikov received gratitude from President B. Yeltsin for his significant contribution to the process of resolving the conflict in the Yugoslav region of Kosovo. On September 6, 1999, he was included in the Presidential Commission. Russian Federation on issues of military-technical cooperation with foreign countries. Married.
On November 2, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a gala event on the eve of Military Intelligence Day, proposed returning the Main Directorate of the General Staff to its former name - the Main Intelligence Directorate.
Story
The Main Directorate of the General Staff was formed in 2010 as a result of renaming from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff Armed Forces Russian Federation, which arose after the collapse of the USSR, when on May 7, 1992, an international treaty was signed on the final division of the remnants of the Armed Forces of the USSR and a decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the creation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
However, back in the 1990s, the Main Intelligence Directorate was officially called the Main Directorate.
The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation received all institutions and special forces on the territory of Russia, which were previously part of the structure of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces.
Professional holiday - Military Intelligence Day. Celebrated on November 5th.
Submission and goals
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); in turn, has executive bodies consisting of military command and control bodies, other bodies and subordinate organizations; is government agency, a militarized formal social non-profit entity providing defense and intelligence services. Headed by the head of the State Administration.
The structure, number and financing of the State Administration are classified as information constituting a state secret. However, from the tasks formulated for the GU, it follows that the main structural units of the GU are intelligence departments, in particular, the Operational Intelligence Directorate (abbreviated as the Intelligence Directorate, RU).
The objectives of the intelligence activities of the State Administration are:
- providing the President of the Russian Federation, the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Security Council of the Russian Federation with the intelligence information they need to make decisions in political, economic, defense, scientific, technical and environmental areas;
- ensuring conditions conducive to the successful implementation of the Russian Federation's policy in the field of defense and security;
- promoting economic development, scientific and technological progress of the country and military-technical security of the Russian Federation.
Structure of the Main Directorate
Throughout the history of its existence, the structure of the State Administration has experienced several reorganizations. According to data available in open sources, the structure of the Main Directorate consists of 13 main directorates and 8 auxiliary departments and directorates
Management
- First Directorate - European Commonwealth countries (except Great Britain)
- Second Directorate - Americas, UK, Australia, New Zealand
- Third Directorate - Asian countries
- Fourth Directorate - African Countries
- Fifth Directorate - Operational Intelligence Directorate
- Sixth Directorate - Radio-technical Intelligence Directorate (OsNaz)
- Seventh Directorate - NATO
- Eighth Directorate - special purpose directorate
- Ninth Directorate - Directorate of Military Technologies
- Tenth Directorate - Directorate of War Economy
- Eleventh Directorate - Directorate of Strategic Doctrines and Weapons
- Management Twelve Encore - Information War
- Office of Space Intelligence
- Personnel Department
- Operational and technical management
- Administrative and technical management
- External Relations Department
- Archives department
- Information service
Educational institutions and officer training
Sabotage units and formations
Story
The Ukrainian guard Cossacks should be considered the forerunner of special-purpose formations. In 1571, Tsar Ivan IV approved the “Boyar verdict on the village and guard service” “on the Field,” in which the guard Cossacks were entrusted with reconnaissance and sabotage tasks - to detect enemy detachments (Crimean and Nogai Tatars, “thieves” people) and report to the nearest fortresses, “get” “tongues”, secretly trace the path of the discovered detachment, eliminate enemy patrols and commanders. The guard Cossacks had excellent health and physical strength, a tenacious mind, a quick reaction, knew how to camouflage themselves in any terrain, and were fluent in hand-to-hand combat techniques, edged weapons and firearms of their time. At the same time, they had to constantly maintain themselves in good physical shape. They were governed by their own separate “heads” and atamans. For their service, they received much more money, compared to ordinary city Cossacks, and often the rank of children of the boyars of the Ukrainian category (corresponding to junior officers) and land plots. For weapons, equipment, clothing and even horses lost or damaged during service, the losses of the Cossack guard were reimbursed by the treasury. The selection for the guard Cossacks was very careful; they recruited mainly the descendants of servicemen, Zaporozhye (“Cherkas”) and Don Cossacks and Poles (Poles) who converted to Orthodoxy. The Cossacks did not accept serfs and slaves as guards.
The first special purpose units in the Russian army were created on May 31, 1916, when the Separate Special Purpose Naval Brigade (OMBON) was formed in Babinichy near Vitebsk, consisting of the Special Purpose Mine and Artillery Regiments and the Special Purpose River Flotilla. They were staffed by naval officers and took part in hostilities on Western Front until the beginning of 1918, after which they were disbanded.
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army also includes special forces: troops of the United State Political Administration and Convoy troops.
Exceptions affected only formations stationed in the Baltic states and Transcaucasia.
Baltic states abandoned claims to the formation of the USSR Armed Forces, and therefore the 4th separate special forces brigade stationed in Estonia was disbanded on the spot before October 1, 1992.
In Transcaucasia, a different situation developed: in connection with the outbreak of the Karabakh war, the Georgian-Abkhaz war and the South Ossetian conflict, the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces refused to transfer the 12th and 22nd separate brigades and the 797th separate company to the jurisdiction of the Transcaucasian states. The 797th company as part of the GRVZ was disbanded at its deployment point in Yerevan. The brigades were withdrawn to Russian territory: the 22nd brigade until July 19, 1992 from the outskirts of Baku to the Rostov region, the 12th brigade until September 3, 1992 from Lagodekhi to the Sverdlovsk region.
List of formations assigned to sabotage control
- 2nd separate special purpose brigade - Western Military District (Pskov)
- 3rd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade - Central Military District. (Togliatti)
- 10th separate special forces brigade - Southern Military District (Molkino village, Krasnodar region)
- 14th Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade - Eastern Military District (Ussuriysk)
- 16th Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade - Western Military District (Tambov).
- 22nd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade - Southern Military District (Bataysk and Stepnoy, Rostov Region)
- 24th separate special purpose brigade - Central Military District (Novosibirsk)
- 346th Separate Special Purpose Brigade - Southern Military District (Prokhladny, Kabardino-Balkaria)
Naval reconnaissance posts:
- 42nd naval reconnaissance point (Russky Island, Dzhigit Bay, near Vladivostok, Pacific Fleet);
- 420th naval reconnaissance point (Zverosovkhoz settlement, near the city of Kola, Northern Fleet);
- 388th naval reconnaissance point (Sevastopol, Black Sea Fleet, military unit 43071). Former 431st naval reconnaissance point (Tuapse, Black Sea Fleet), relocated to Sevastopol of the same fleet;
- 561st naval reconnaissance point (Parusnoye village, near Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region, Baltic Fleet).
Number of units and formations
By various sources The number of special purpose units and formations currently amounts to 6,000-15,000 people. In addition to special-purpose units and formations, the Main Directorate is subordinate to combined arms formations of about 25 thousand people.
Currently, special forces units - Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces - consist of 8 separate special-purpose brigades and several maritime reconnaissance points of the State Administration with a total number of up to 10 thousand military personnel.
Headquarters
One of the main functions of the Main Directorate is to provide space, electronic and human intelligence data to the top leadership of Russia.
The Main Directorate uses high-tech cyber data collection methods to search for classified information. In January 2016, the German magazine Spiegel, citing sources in German intelligence, claimed that a hacker attack on the Bundestag in early 2015 was linked to Russian military intelligence. Similar hacker activities took place in other NATO countries. An investigation in Germany showed that the hacker attack was organized by computer hacking groups Sofacy and APT28 - according to German intelligence services, they are financed from Russian budget.
British and American sources published the main current goals in January 2016 intelligence structures Russia (GU and SVR). Among the current goals, they included, in particular, the secret financing of European parties and foundations by Russian intelligence officers with the aim of “undermining the political integrity” of the European Union, creating disagreements between EU members on the issue of sanctions against Russia, negatively influencing the Euro-Atlantic solidarity of NATO, blocking the process of deployment of missile defense systems US defense in Europe and creating conditions for Russia's energy monopoly. Among the far-right parties in Europe that have come under suspicion of secret cooperation and financing through Russian intelligence channels, according to The Telegraph newspaper, are the Hungarian nationalist party Jobbik, the Italian Northern League, the Greek Golden Dawn, and the French National Front.
In May 2016, British expert on Russian intelligence services Mark Galeotti analyzed the activities of Russian foreign intelligence structures, including the Main Intelligence Directorate, in the West in 2014-2016. The general conclusion of Galeotti's analysis is that, due to hierarchical bureaucratic obstacles and preferred comfortable expectations, valuable information and analytical calculations collected by Russian military intelligence officers in Western countries do not reach the top leadership of Russia. Galeotti associates these trends with the Kremlin's erroneous forecast regarding the consolidated position of the West and the duration of anti-Russian sanctions of the European Union in connection with the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation, the possibility of further keeping Ukraine in the sphere of Russian influence and other pressing problems of international politics.
A number of media considered the liquidation of one of the leaders of the “Chechen Republic of Ichkeria” Zelimkhan Yandarbiev on February 13, 2004 in Doha (Qatar) as a GU operation. The fact that the “subversives” arrested and then convicted in Qatar belonged to the Russian special services was recognized on February 26, 2004 in a special statement addressed to the authorities of the emirate by the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov. That same year, the intelligence officers were released from a Qatari prison through diplomatic efforts and returned to their homeland.
As of 2017, not a single Russian military intelligence officer (as well as SVR intelligence officers, with the exception of a number of agents - citizens of foreign states) is under arrest or imprisonment abroad of Russia - all of them were released, exchanged or ransomed, as reported in an interview TV channel Russia 24 writer and historian of special services, laureate of the Prize of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation Nikolai Dolgopolov.
In November 2017, it became known that Russian citizen Stanislav Shipovsky, who had worked for military intelligence for a number of years, had been sentenced in Poland to 7 years in prison.
As of 2017, 750 military intelligence officers were awarded the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Russia, thousands were awarded orders and medals.
"Sovinformsputnik"
Gallery
Heads of the Main Directorate
Deputy Chiefs
Active
First deputies DeputiesThe head of the Military Academy of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the commander of the Special Operations Forces are also deputy heads of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Former
- Colonel General Yuri Aleksandrovich Gusev - first deputy from January 1986 until his death in a car accident in 1992
- Lieutenant General Alexey Gennadievich Dyumin (2014-2015), commander of the Special Operations Forces
- Kostyukov Igor Olegovich, first deputy until December 2018, vice admiral.
- Major General Ivanov Yuri Evgenievich (2006-2010)
- Colonel General Izmailov Vladimir Makarovich - first deputy
- Lieutenant General Korobov Igor Valentinovich (2016-2018)
- Colonel General Kostechko Nikolai Nikolaevich
- Major General of Aviation Sokolin Valery Vladimirovich
- Lieutenant General Shlyakhturov Alexander Vasilievich (?-2009) - first deputy
See also
Notes
- GRU chief Igor Korobov died | RIA Novosti
- Putin proposed returning the name GRU to military intelligence (undefined) . Interfax(November 2, 2018). Retrieved January 31, 2019.
The first special-purpose military units were created back in 1764 at the proposals of A. Suvorov, M. Kutuzov, and P. Panin. These units were called huntsmen. The soldiers were engaged in tactical exercises, carried out military operations in the mountains, carried out ambushes and raids.
How did it all begin?
In 1811, a separate corps of internal guards was created, which was charged with protecting and restoring order within the state. In 1817, thanks to the actions of Alexander I, a rapid response detachment of mounted gendarmes was opened. The year 1842 was marked by the emergence of battalions of plastuns from the Cossacks, who, through their combat operations, trained many generations of future special forces.
Special forces in the 20th century
The 20th century began with the creation of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs - GUGSH (Main Directorate of the General Staff). In 1918, intelligence and special-purpose units were formed, subordinate to the Cheka. In the 30s, airborne assault and sabotage units were created.
The new special forces were given serious tasks: reconnaissance, sabotage, the fight against terror, disruption of communications, energy supply, transport and much more. Of course, the fighters were supplied with the best uniforms and new equipment. The preparation was serious and individual programs were used. The special forces were classified.
In 1953 the mouth occurred. And only 4 years later 5 separate special-purpose companies were created, to which the remnants of the old ones joined in 1962. In 1968, they began to train professional intelligence officers, and then, by the way, the famous company number 9 appeared. Gradually, the special forces turned into a powerful force defending their state.
these days
Now the GRU is a special foreign intelligence agency of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, whose goals are to provide intelligence information, necessary conditions implementation of successful policies, as well as assistance in the economic, military-technical development of the Russian Federation.
The GRU includes 13 main departments, as well as 8 auxiliary ones. The first, second, third and fourth main departments deal with issues of interaction with different countries. The Fifth Directorate is an operational reconnaissance point. The sixth department deals with the Seventh division, which resolves issues that have arisen with NATO. The remaining six departments of the GRU deal with sabotage, development of military technologies, management of the military economy, strategic doctrines, nuclear weapons and information warfare. The intelligence department also has two research institutes located in Moscow.
Special Forces Brigades
GRU special forces brigades are considered the most trained units in the Russian Armed Forces. In 1962, the first GRU special forces detachment was formed, whose tasks included the destruction of nuclear missiles and deep reconnaissance.
The second separate brigade was formed from September 1962 to March 1963 in Pskov. The personnel successfully participated in the exercises "Horizon-74" and "Ocean-70" and in many others. The special forces of the second brigade were the first to participate in the Dozor-86 airborne training and went through the Afghan and Chechen wars. One of the detachments took part in resolving the conflict in South Ossetia from 2008 to 2009. The permanent location is Pskov and Murmansk regions.
In 1966, the 3rd Guards Separate GRU Special Forces Brigade was created. The composition took part in battles in Tajikistan, in the Chechen wars, in Afghanistan, and in a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Since 2010, the brigade has been located in a military camp in the city of Tolyatti.
In the city of Stary Krym in 1962, the 10th GRU special forces brigade was formed. The military took part in the Chechen wars and in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict of 2008. In 2011, the brigade was awarded a state award for its services in the development and conduct of military operations. Place of deployment - Krasnodar region.
The 14th brigade, which was created in 1963, is located here. The personnel were repeatedly thanked for the excellent conduct of the exercises and for their participation in combat operations in Afghanistan and the Chechen wars.
The 16th GRU special forces brigade was formed in 1963. In 1972, its members participated in extinguishing fires in the Central Black Earth Zone, for which they were awarded a Certificate of Honor from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. In 1992, a detachment of the brigade was engaged in protecting government facilities on the territory of Tajikistan. The 16th Special Forces Brigade took part in the Chechen wars, peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, and performed demonstration exercises in Jordan and Slovakia. Place of deployment - the city of Tambov.
The year 1976 was marked by the emergence of the 22nd Guards Separate GRU Special Forces Brigade. Location is Rostov region. The composition took part in the Chechen and Afghan wars, in the Baku events of 1989, in the resolution of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In the Chita region in 1977, the 24th separate brigade was formed. Special forces took part in the Chechen war, and several units fought in Afghanistan. By orders of the heads of the Soviet Union in the 80-90s. The brigade carried out secret operations in hot spots. At the moment, the train is located in the city of Novosibirsk.
In 1984, on the basis of the 791st company, the 67th separate special forces brigade was created. The personnel took part in military operations in Chechnya, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Karabakh. Previously, the unit was located in Kemerovo, but now they are talking about its disbandment.
Russian GRU special forces. Primary selection
How to get into the GRU? Special forces are the dream of many boys. Dexterous, fearless warriors, it would seem, are capable of anything. Let's face it, joining a special forces unit is difficult, but possible.
The main condition for consideration of a candidacy is military service. Then a series of selections begins. Basically, the special forces of the GRU of the Russian Federation recruit officers and warrant officers. An officer must have a higher education. Recommendations from reputable employees are also needed. It is advisable for the candidate to be no older than 28 years old and have a height of at least 175 cm. But there are always exceptions. As for physical training, the quality of its implementation is strictly monitored, rest is kept to a minimum.
Basic requirements for the applicant’s physical fitness
The physical standards that must be passed successfully are as follows:
- Run 3 km in 10 minutes.
- 100 meters in 12 seconds.
- Pull-ups on the bar - 25 times.
- Abdominal exercises - 90 times in 2 minutes.
- Push-ups - 90 times.
- A set of exercises: abs, push-ups, jumping up from a crouching position, moving from a crouched position to a lying position and back. Each individual exercise is performed 15 times in 10 seconds. The complex is performed 7 times.
- Hand-to-hand combat.
In addition to passing the standards, work with a psychologist, a full medical examination, and a lie detector test are carried out. All relatives must be checked; in addition, written consent to the candidate’s service will need to be obtained from the parents. So how to get into the GRU (special forces)? The answer is simple - you need to prepare from childhood. Sport must firmly enter the life of a future fighter.
I'm in a special forces unit. What awaits me? Psychological side
From the first day, the soldier is taught in every possible way that he is the best. As the coaches say, this is the most important moment. In the barracks itself, fighters often conduct secret checks on each other, which helps to always be in combat readiness.
To strengthen the spirit and form the character of the recruit, they are taught hand-to-hand combat. From time to time he is put into battle against a stronger opponent in order to teach him how to fight even with an opponent who is obviously superior in preparation. Soldiers are also taught to fight using all sorts of improvised means, even a tightly rolled newspaper. Only after a warrior has mastered such materials does he train in striking techniques.
Once every six months, soldiers are checked for readiness for further service. Soldiers are left for a week without food. Warriors are in constant motion, they are not allowed to sleep all the time. Thus, many fighters are eliminated.
Physical side of the service
A warrior trains every day, without weekends or holidays. Every day you need to run 10 km in less than an hour, and with additional weight on your shoulders (about 50 kg).
Upon arrival it takes 40 minutes. This includes finger push-ups, fist push-ups, and jumping jacks from a seated position. Basically, each exercise is repeated 20-30 times. At the end of each cycle, the fighter pumps the abs a maximum of times. Hand-to-hand combat training takes place every day. Strikes are practiced, agility and endurance are developed. Training GRU special forces is serious, hard work.
Special forces outfit
The GRU special forces uniform has different types, to match the tasks being carried out. At the moment, important parts of a fighter’s “wardrobe” include belts, as well as belt-shoulder systems. Functional vests include several types of equipment pouches. The belt can be adjusted in volume; a synthetic insert is used to increase its strength. The shoulder-belt system includes straps and straps that are designed to distribute the load between hip joint and shoulders. Of course, this entire unloading system comes in addition to everyday uniform and body armor.
How to get into the GRU (special forces)?
Only guys with excellent health and excellent physical fitness get into special forces. A good help for a conscript will be the presence of the “Fit for the Airborne Forces” mark. Some experienced fighters answer the question: “How to get into the GRU (special forces)?” They answer that you need to go to the nearest Intelligence Department and declare yourself.
For officers, general military training is conducted at the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School, and special training takes place at the Military Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The Academy includes adjunct courses and Higher Academic Courses. Higher education is a mandatory requirement for inclusion in the ranks of officers.
Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (GRU GSH RF Armed Forces)
The Chief of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces reports only to the Chief of the General Staff and the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. He has no direct connection with the political leadership of the state. Unlike the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, whom the President of the Russian Federation receives weekly on Mondays, the head of military intelligence does not have “his own hour” - strictly fixed in the daily routine and time for reporting to the President of the state. The existing system of “marking,” that is, the receipt by high authorities of intelligence information and analysis, deprives politicians of the opportunity to directly access the GRU.
Structure of the GRU General Staff Sun RF modeled on the structure of the GRU during the USSR: 1. First Main Directorate (intelligence) has five directorates responsible for its set of European states; Each directorate has regional sections by country. 2 . Second Directorate (front-line reconnaissance).
3. Third Directorate (Asian countries). 4. Fourth Directorate (countries of Africa and the Middle East). 5. Fifth Directorate of Operational-Tactical Intelligence (reconnaissance from the position of military targets). All army intelligence units are subordinate to the Fifth Directorate. Naval intelligence is subordinate to the Second Directorate of the Navy Headquarters, which, in turn, is subordinate to the Fifth Directorate of the GRU. The directorate is the coordination center for thousands of intelligence structures in the army (from intelligence directorates of districts to personal departments of units). Technical services: communication centers and encryption service, computer center, special archive, logistics and financial support service, Planning and Control Department, and Personnel Department. Within the Directorate there is also a special intelligence department that supervises special forces. 6. Sixth Directorate(electronic and electronic intelligence) includes the Space Intelligence Center, the so-called “K-500 facility”. Official GRU intermediary for trade space satellites is Sovinform satellite. The said Directorate includes personal-purpose units "OSNAZ". 7. Seventh Directorate(by divisions of NATO states) has six territorial directorates. 8. Eighth Directorate(work on specially designated countries). 9. Virgo fifths control(military technology). 10. Tenth Control(military economy, military production and sale of military products, economic security). 11. Eleventh Directorate(in strategic nuclear forces). 12. Twelfth Directorate. 13. First (independent) department of the GRU(production of cover documents). 14. Eighth (independent) GRU department(security of internal communications of the GRU). 15. Archives department GRU. 16. Special forces (special forces) They constitute the elite of the army, noticeably surpassing the airborne forces and border units in terms of training and armament. Special forces brigades are a forge of intelligence personnel: a candidate for Air Force training must have the rank of at least captain and serve 5-7 years in special forces. 16. Auxiliary units: 16.1) administrative and technical management; 16.2) financial management; 16.3) operational and technical management; 16.4) decryption service; 16.5) Military-Diplomatic Academy and two research institutes.
Military Topographical Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces
In Russia, there are two structures that operate a constellation of photo reconnaissance satellites. Both are part of the structure of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - the Main Intelligence Directorate (space reconnaissance center) and the military topographic directorate. A special intermediary commercial structure, Sovinformsputnik, sells satellite images and offers photographs taken by the Comet satellite (TKK Kosmos). This class of satellites was developed and operates in the interests of the Military Topographic Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. It was from such a satellite that photographs of the secret American military base Area 51 were taken, which caused a scandal. According to rumors, the same base where supposedly since the 40s of the 20th century. The American government is hiding the remains of aliens from outer space.
The availability of forces, means and materials, terrain surveys allow the ITU to update maps every 10 - 15 years. The annual “aging” of a map at a scale of 1:50,000 (the main map of a commander at a tactical level) is up to 3%; the discrepancy between its terrain over 10 - 15 years can reach 40%. As the experience of the Chechen campaign has shown, such maps give rise to well-founded complaints from headquarters and troops about their quality. According to ITU estimates, in order to meet the requirements of the troops for the content of topographic maps, the latter must be updated within a strictly defined period: for sparsely populated areas - with a frequency of 8 - 10 years, for populated and industrially developed areas - every 3 - 5 years.
Based on the list of threats to the information security of the Russian Federation and the directions of countering them, the main role will be taken down, in accordance with its functional responsibilities, assigned directly to the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The SBU’s capture of former or not-so-former Russian special forces soldiers near Lugansk, their interviews and various information that surfaced in the press allowed us to take a fresh look at what is happening in the Donbass and in the Russian army. Medialeaks collected what is known about the GRU Special Forces, where Evgeny Erofeev and Alexander Alexandrov served/are serving and summarized what the prisoners said.
What is GRU special forces?
Full name: "Special Purpose Units of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation". Tasks: deep reconnaissance and sabotage activities. This is what boys dream about and what Call Of Duty heroes do: special forces climb deep behind enemy lines and run through the forest, collecting information about the enemy’s weapons, destroying their fortified points and communications.
Secret troops
Since no special forces officially existed, in Afghanistan, for example, they were called separate motorized rifle battalions. The GRU is still not mentioned in the names of the formations. Let's say Alexandrov and Erofeev were/are employees 3rd Separate Guards Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov III Class Special Purpose Brigade . Now no one denies the existence of these troops, but the composition of the units is still classified. The number of troops of the GRU Special Forces is unknown; it is believed that there are currently about 10 thousand of them in the RF Armed Forces.
What is the GRU Special Operations Forces famous for?
The most famous operation carried out by the Special Forces was the seizure of the palace of Hafizullah Amin in Kabul in 1979. Due to the irregular nature of combat operations in Afghanistan, GRU special forces were widely used against the Mujahideen. Scout units were assigned to all military formations, so everyone who served in Afghanistan knew about the existence of scouts. It was in the late 80s that the number of this type of troops reached its maximum. Michele Placido's hero, Major Bandura, in "Afghan Break" is more of a sadist than a paratrooper, but in 1991 it was still impossible to talk about this.
How does the GRU Special Forces differ from the Airborne Forces?
Spetsnaz soldiers are often confused with paratroopers for a completely understandable reason: for the sake of secrecy, the combat uniform of some units of the Special Forces of the GRU of the USSR was the same as that of the Airborne Forces. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the tradition remained. For example, the same 3rd separate Special Forces brigade wears vests and blue berets on the parade ground. Scouts also jump with a parachute, but paratroopers have larger combat missions. Accordingly, the number of airborne forces is much higher - 45 thousand people.
What are the GRU Special Forces armed with?
In general, the weapons of special forces are the same as those of other motorized rifle units, but there are several specific technologies. The most famous: the special machine gun “Val” and the special sniper rifle “Vintorez”. This is a silent weapon with a subsonic bullet speed, which at the same time, thanks to a number of design features has high penetrating power. It was “Val” and “Vintorez”, according to the SBU, that were captured on May 16 from fighters of “Erofeev’s detachment”. However, there is no convincing evidence that such weapons do not remain in the warehouses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Who serves in the Special Operations Directorate of the GRU?
Due to high demands and the need for long-term training, most of the special forces are contract soldiers. Young people who have sports training, are healthy, and have knowledge are accepted for service. foreign language. At the same time, we see that these are completely ordinary people from the provinces; for them, service is more of a good job, may be difficult and dangerous, but in no way a battle for an abstract idea.
Life is not like in the movies
Patriotic movies and bravura stories on TV convince us that special forces soldiers are universal terminators. On a combat mission they can go without sleep for three days, they shoot without missing, they can scatter a dozen armed people alone with their bare hands and, of course, they don’t abandon their own. But if you believe the words of the captured soldiers, then quite a large group of special forces soldiers, completely unexpectedly, were ambushed and, shooting randomly, retreated in a hurry, leaving two wounded and one killed on the battlefield. Yes, they are well trained, they can run for a long time and shoot quite accurately, but these are ordinary people who are afraid of bullets and do not always know where the enemy is waiting for them.
Not a word to the enemy
Scouts operate behind enemy lines, where the risk of being captured is quite high; accordingly, soldiers and officers of the GRU special forces must undergo training on how to behave in captivity, and before being sent on a mission, undergo instruction and receive a “legend.” Since these are secret troops, a secret mission, the command, in theory, should have warned the soldiers: you will find yourself in captivity, we don’t know you, you came there yourself. It is all the more surprising that, as we see, both Alexandrov and Erofeev were absolutely unprepared for either captivity or the fact that the country and loved ones abandoned them.
SBU torture
It is clear that both (former) special forces soldiers are sincerely shocked that the Russian authorities (and even Aleksandrov’s wife) stated that they are not serving in the Russian troops and it is unknown how they ended up near Lugansk. This can be explained by torture, but people who are forced to say something against their will often do not make eye contact, pronounce words slowly and abruptly, or speak in overly correct phrases as if they had memorized the text. We don’t see this in the Novaya Gazeta recording. Moreover, their words contradict the version of the SBU, which claims that “Erofeev’s group” was engaged in sabotage, while the captives talk only about observation. People who have been forced by torture to say what is needed do not change their testimony so boldly.
Are there Russian troops in Donbass? How many are there and what are they doing there?
The Kremlin consistently denies the participation of Russian Armed Forces units in the conflict in Donbass. The capture of special forces, according to Kyiv, proves the opposite. However, the SBU does not say how many Russian soldiers and units are fighting in eastern Ukraine.
If you study the blogs and interviews of members of the DPR and LPR militia, the picture emerges as follows: a large-scale military operation with the participation of Russian units, if there was one, was once in late August - early September, when the forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were suddenly thrown back from Ilovaisk, and the front line reached the border of Mariupol. According to various sources, there are military emissaries from Moscow at the headquarters of the DPR and LPR (just as specialists come from Washington to train officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine). There is a possibility that separate groups of military personnel from Russia are operating on the territory of the self-proclaimed republics, but in limited numbers. As the prisoners rightly point out, there are a lot of people here, including real retired officers who want to fight. Aleksandrov and Erofeev say that their tasks included only observation without any sabotage; this does not coincide with either the version of the General Staff of the Russian Federation or the version of the SBU.