How to get into the GRU. GRU special forces training. What did the grusssr do Operational and technical management

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the USSR dates back to 1918. Having gone through a whole series of reorganizations, it received its final form by the beginning of the 1950s. Very little is known about the activities of the Soviet GRU, however, after the collapse of the USSR, something became available to the public.

KGB and GRU

In the minds of the layman, there is some confusion between the sphere of activity of the two state bodies responsible for the security of the country - the KGB and the GRU. If the State Security Committee was primarily responsible for counterintelligence, operational-search work, the protection of party leaders, the fight against dissent, then the Main Intelligence Directorate was responsible for foreign intelligence, being an integral part of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The head of the GRU was directly subordinate to the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Minister of Defense.

The activities of all GRU structures were directly related to the interests of the armed forces of the USSR and included military, industrial, space, electronic and many other types of intelligence. Particular attention was focused on the work of agents through which information was obtained about classified objects, military developments and plans of the leadership of Western states.

Information about the alleged rivalry between the KGB and the GRU often appeared in the media, but this is more true for relations between the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Since 1963, at the initiative of the new head of the GRU, Pyotr Ivashutin, monthly working meetings began to be organized with the head of the KGB, Alexander Sakharovsky, which alternately took place either on Lubyanka or on Gogolevsky Boulevard (most of the military intelligence departments were located there in the 1960s).

Secure the country

The sphere of activity of the GRU of the USSR was extensive: from the introduction of agents to the introduction of sabotage groups, from a detailed study of the armies of competing powers to the creation of the most sophisticated technologies for monitoring enemy territories.

The GRU analytical group could be attracted by any little thing. For example, in early 1943, military intelligence established that German printing houses had dramatically increased the production of maps for the Oryol, Kursk, and Belgorod regions. The conclusion is that the German army is preparing a general offensive there. Indeed, in July of the same year, Operation Citadel began on the northern and southern faces of the Kursk bridgehead.

At the height of the Cold War, the main task of the GRU was to monitor the deployment of strategic and tactical nuclear weapons at NATO bases, as well as the modification of the enemy's defensive and offensive arsenal. This was especially true in the 1960s, when the Americans deployed new carriers of nuclear missiles, both land-based and sea-based, almost weekly.

In the late 50s, Soviet intelligence entered into active rivalry with the United States in the creation and development of space tracking facilities. The secret decree of the USSR government on the development of the Object D program, as a result of which a satellite for photographic reconnaissance from space was to be launched, appeared back in 1956. Until now, the text of this document is kept secret. The first domestic reconnaissance vehicle, Cosmos-4, was launched into orbit on April 26, 1962, and by the mid-1970s, up to 35 such vehicles were launched annually.

One of the duties of the GRU was the daily monitoring of the planet's hotspots, for which they used not only tracking satellites, but also a flotilla of reconnaissance ships. One of the first such ships, the Krym, performed its missions in the Mediterranean in October 1973 during the Fourth Arab-Israeli War.

The work of the reconnaissance vessel was arranged in such a way that the head of the GRU received reports on attacks by the Israeli Air Force in real time. Moreover, on October 25, literally 5 minutes after the command of the US troops stationed in southern Europe received an order to put the units on alert, the USSR Minister of Defense already knew about this.

The birth of special forces

Of all the activities of the GRU, perhaps the most well-known is the operations of the Spetsnaz, which was created in the 1950s. The main task of the special forces of military intelligence was to fight the main enemy of the USSR - NATO, but the range of their applications turned out to be much wider.

Such formations began to be created at the dawn of the emergence of foreign intelligence agencies. These, for example, included partisan detachments operating in the rear of the White Army; special forces during the Soviet-Polish war; special formations that participated in the Civil conflict in Spain in the ranks of the Republican army; sabotage partisan groups of the Second World War.

The detachments thrown into the German rear often suffered heavy losses. So, out of 231 detachments of 12 thousand people sent to the territory of Belarus in 1941, only 43 detachments survived by the winter of this year with a total number of fighters no more than 2 thousand.

GRU in action

In the post-war period, according to various estimates, from 15 to 20 thousand employees of both army and naval special forces operated in the GRU. Special forces teams have repeatedly had to demonstrate their skills in various parts of the world. One of the first successful operations of the GRU spetsnaz was to prepare the ground for the establishment of a government of Czechoslovakia loyal to the USSR in 1968.

Then, literally in 10 minutes, the special forces managed to take control of the Ruzyne airport, which made it possible to transfer the main forces of the Warsaw Pact. It is noteworthy that the former German saboteur Otto Skorzeny called the operation to capture the Prague airport "brilliant."

The GRU special brigade was also noted in Afghanistan, taking part in the capture of Amin's palace. It included representatives of the Asian republics of the USSR, who spoke the Pashto language. The entire battle took no more than 40 minutes, while the GRU fighters lost only 7 people killed, given that Amin had at least 3.5 times more fighters at his disposal.

In 1985, due to the aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan, 4 special forces battalions of 3,000 soldiers each were additionally deployed there. In the work of the Afghan special forces there were not only successes, but also defeats. So, after the successful capture of 14 tons of opium transported from Pakistan, there was a failure in the operation to suppress the smuggling of weapons, in which the special forces soldiers lost 14 out of 26 people.

Combat swimmers became one of the most unusual units of the GRU special forces of the USSR. In NATO countries, submariners appeared by 1952, in the USSR - only in 1967, when a decree was signed on the creation of a "training detachment of light divers." Until the collapse of the USSR, GRU combat swimmers were actively working all over the world: from Angola and Ethiopia to Nicaragua and Korea.

After 1945, there were essentially no reconnaissance and sabotage units in the army, because some of them were reduced and attached to other military formations, and some were disbanded. But they quickly realized that special forces groups are the most effective way to deal with the impending nuclear threat from NATO. Therefore, after a thorough study and generalization of the experience accumulated during the war, in 1950 it was decided to create the first special forces units in the Soviet Union. As of the beginning of May 1951, 46 companies were created, each of which had 120 people. All of them were subordinate to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Army General Staff.

Excursion to the Russian special forces

Those who think that the idea of creating special forces is a thing of the recent past are mistaken. Formations with similar goals arose in Rus' a long time ago.
Russian military leaders Pyotr Panin, Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kutuzov already in the 18th century raised the issue of creating special military units.
They arose in 1764 and were called chasseurs.
At the end of the 18th century, Catherine II initiated the rotation of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks to the Bug and then to the Kuban, where the tactics of the "jaegers" came in handy - military operations in the highlands, ambushes, reconnaissance, raids.
The motto of the units is “Fox tail, wolf mouth”, and the training was reminiscent of modern warfare, a combination of undercover and power intelligence.
In 1797, Emperor Paul I introduced a new Charter, developed in the likeness of the charter of the Prussian army.
1811 was marked by the creation of OKVS - a separate corps of internal guards, which was engaged in the protection or restoration of order within the state.
Alexander I took care of the creation of mobile cavalry gendarmes of rapid reaction in 1817.
In the war of 1812, the Russian army gained tremendous experience, which was widely used later.
In 1826, the influence of the Imperial Chancellery increased.
In 1842, battalions of scouts were created from the Cossack battalions, in whose subsequent combat activities many generations of the future special forces were trained.
In 1903, the Intelligence Department of the General Staff was created. A year later - in all military districts.
In 1905, the influence of the tsarist Okhrana was growing, and formations were created on the basis of the police, the goals and objectives of which resemble the mission of today's OMON.
In 1917, the Bolsheviks created the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs - the Main Directorate of the General Staff - GUGSH.
In 1918, military intelligence was created. In the same year, ChONs were created - special-purpose units subordinate to the Cheka - to fight all kinds of rebels and Asian Basmachi.
In the 1930s, airborne troops and sabotage units were created in the Red Army.

History milestones

The tasks of the new formation were serious: organizing and conducting reconnaissance, destroying any means of nuclear attack, identifying military formations and conducting special missions behind enemy lines, organizing and conducting sabotage actions, creating insurgent (partisan) detachments behind enemy lines, combating terrorism, searching for and neutralization of saboteurs. Other tasks include interfering with communications, disrupting power supplies, eliminating transport hubs, and bringing chaos to the country's military and government administration. Most of the tasks sound at least fantastic, but the GRU special forces could well cope with them: they had at their disposal the appropriate technical means and weapons, including portable nuclear mines.

The training of special forces militants was characterized by high intensity and was carried out using individual programs. For every 3-4 soldiers, 1 officer was assigned, who watched his pupils day and night. And the officers themselves were trained according to such a rich program that after several years of training, each of them could independently replace an entire combined arms unit.

Needless to say, the special forces were classified more than the nuclear developments of the USSR. At least, everyone knew about the presence of nuclear missiles, bombers with nuclear warheads and nuclear submarines, and not every marshal and general knew about the GRU special forces.

Also, one of the tasks of the special forces was the elimination of prominent figures of the enemy countries, but then this task was canceled. (If not classified even deeper).
The first manual for special forces - "Instructions for the combat use of special forces and subunits" was written by Pavel Golitsin, the ex-chief of intelligence of the Belarusian partisan brigade "Chekist".

But not everything was so good. Already in 1953, the Armed Forces began to be reduced and 35 companies were reduced. There are only eleven special special forces companies (ORSpN) left. It took four whole years for army special forces to improve their shaky positions after such a blow, and only in 1957 were 5 separate special forces battalions created, which in 1962, along with the remnants of old companies, were joined by 10 special forces brigades. They were designed for peacetime and wartime. According to the states of peacetime, the brigade did not have more than 200-300 fighters; in the military, the ObrSpNb consisted of no less than 1,700 soldiers and officers. By the beginning of 1963, the USSR special forces included: 10 cadre brigades, 5 separate battalions, 12 separate companies in the Leningrad, Baltic, Belorussian, Carpathian, Kiev, Odessa, Transcaucasian, Moscow, Turkestan, Far Eastern military districts.

In the same year, the GRU conducted the first major exercises, but, despite the excellent results of training fighters, already in 1964, after a new reorganization, the special forces lost 3 battalions and 6 companies, and 6 companies, 2 battalions and 10 brigades remained in the army special forces. Separately, it should be said about the units, which, in addition to the standard training of the special forces, trained for special tasks. So, the soldiers of the 99th company, which was stationed in the Arkhangelsk military district, were oriented to operations in the cold conditions of the Arctic, and the soldiers of the 227th special forces, located in the North Caucasian military district, trained for survival in mountainous terrain. Further intensification of work on the creation of shock groups of special forces began only at the end of the 60s.

Personnel training

In 1968, on the basis of the Ryazan Airborne School, they began to train professional special forces intelligence officers. It was then that the legendary 9th company appeared. The 9th company held its last graduation in 1981, then it was disbanded. Also, special forces officers were trained at the Frunze Military Academy and at the intelligence department of the Kyiv VOKU, but in their specialization they were more like military intelligence officers. In 1970, they formed a training company, then a battalion, and then a regiment stationed in the Pskov region.

When in 1985 (6 years after the start of the war!) it became clear that the soldiers before Afghanistan needed special training, a training regiment was also created in Uzbek Chirchik.

Operations abroad

The first major foreign operation of special forces falls on 1968, after which he no longer had to prove his worth. It was in this year that the countries united by the Warsaw Pact sent their troops to Czechoslovakia. To begin with, our plane requested an emergency landing from the country's capital due to engine failure. Within a few minutes, our special forces captured the airport, to which they very soon transferred an airborne division. At this time, the units that had previously arrived in Prague took control of “train stations, newspapers and telegraph”, that is, all key positions. After seizing the government building, the commandos took the country's leadership to Moscow.

In total, the army special forces sent their troops to two dozen countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. They also had to face the American commandos. Only many years later did the Americans find out who really defeated their elite units in 1970 in the Vietnamese Sean Tay, in 1978 in Angola. Often their special services did not even know about the operations carried out by our fighters. Here is a vivid illustration.

In 1968, 9 of our fighters made a classic raid on a top-secret helicopter camp in Cambodia, located 30 kilometers from the Vietnamese border. The American military threw their reconnaissance and sabotage groups from it into Vietnam, from here they flew out in search of their downed pilots. The camp was guarded by 2 light helicopters, 8-10 heavy transport helicopters and 4 Super Cobra helicopters. A new modification of the "turntable" of fire support with the presence of guided missiles and the latest targeting systems on board was the goal of our paratroopers. It took our special forces only 25 minutes to steal one and destroy the three remaining helicopters under the noses of the American commandos.

Afghan company

There is still very little free information about the combat operations of the Soviet special forces in Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Cuba and Vietnam.

Much more data on the ten-year Afghan war. Its beginning was laid by the most difficult special operation to eliminate the ruler Hafizuly Amin. Until now, historians consider the capture of the fortress of Amin and its destruction a pure adventure, however, it was a success. In addition to the KGB special forces “Grom” and “Zenith”, the future “Alpha” and “Vympel”, the GRU special forces took part in the operation. About six months before the momentous assault, a Muslim battalion was created, the so-called “Musbat” or the 154th separate special forces detachment, which included GRU fighters from among Soviet Muslims. It was staffed by Tajiks, Uzbeks and Turkmens who had served in tank and motorized rifle units. Most of them spoke Farsi. Shortly before the assault, this detachment was secretly introduced into the palace guards. The assault itself lasted only 40 minutes. 7 special forces soldiers were killed in the palace. This unit, apart from a short respite after this operation, until 1984 conducted combat operations according to the tactics of special forces, staged raids and ambushes, and carried out reconnaissance in Afghanistan.

At the end of 1983, the army began to create a border zone "Veil", along the entire length of Jalalabad - Ghazni - Kandahar. With its help, it was planned to block two hundred caravan routes, by which the rebels delivered ammunition from Pakistan. But for such a grandiose plan in Afghanistan there were not enough special forces, so in 1984 the 177th special forces detachment was transferred here, followed by the 154th special forces. In total, the personnel of the special forces of the GRU General Staff in Afghanistan amounted to about 1,400 people. Since this also seemed not enough, the formation of additional special-purpose military formations began in the USSR.

Among the memorable operations can be called many. For example, in January 1984, company 177, reinforced by a tank platoon and two companies of the Afghan army, was supposed to find and capture a caravan in the area of the village of Vakha, where, according to information, weapons and ammunition of dushmans were supposed to arrive. However, the enemy was not detected, and in the afternoon our detachment was surrounded. And after a hard battle, with the support of aviation and artillery, the detachment left the danger zone.

In 1989, the structure of the 15th and 22nd Special Forces brigades was radically changed. Armored military equipment, grenade launchers, communications controls, including space ones, were withdrawn from the brigades as inappropriate for their tasks - that is, anti-sabotage and military intelligence. The 10-year standoff of the special forces against the enemy was recognized as an "atypical use case" ...

However, in 1990, when the 15th brigade arrived in Baku to fight the bandit formations of the Popular Front of the country, the equipment was returned to them. Then the special forces made 37 flights by Il-76 VTA aircraft and delivered more than 20 units of armored military equipment, vehicles, and communications equipment from Tashkent. The presence of soldiers and officers who were not verbally aware of the fight against saboteurs allowed the brigade, which at that time was in the department of the KGB of the USSR, to fulfill all the tasks assigned. And upon returning home, despite numerous requests from the command of the unit, all military equipment and means of communication were simply confiscated.

Chechen company

In the first Chechen 1994-1996. Russian special forces have been present in Chechnya since the introduction of troops by separate and consolidated detachments. At first, it was used only in intelligence. Due to the poor preparation of the composition of the ground units, the special forces soldiers took part in assault groups, as happened in Grozny. The year 1995 brought very high losses in the special forces detachments - the battles of this year were the most tragic in the entire history of the special forces of Russia and the USSR.
But in spite of everything, the special forces began to work according to their traditional tactics, especially standing out in ambush actions. After the signing of the Khasavyurt agreement, after which the North Caucasus temporarily entered a period of shaky peace, it was clear that the conflict had not yet been resolved. Therefore, with the beginning of the fighting in Dagestan in confrontations with the armed groups of militants, international and Chechen terrorists, the task of the special forces was to provide the troops with intelligence data on the fortifications and positions of the Wahhabis. I had to fight with "old friends" in the Afghan company from among the Arab, Pakistani and Turkish mercenaries and instructors. Ours could recognize many of them by their inherent features of mining, avoiding persecution, radio exchange, and choosing places for an ambush. The GRU special forces were in first place among other units in terms of combat training and the fulfillment of assigned tasks, acting 10 times more efficiently than the rest.

Separate and consolidated detachments were from the brigades of the Siberian, Moscow, Ural, Trans-Baikal, Far Eastern, North Caucasian military districts.

In the spring of 1995, there were no detachments left in Chechnya, the last - a separate special forces detachment assigned to the North Caucasian Military District, returned to Russia in the fall of 1996.

Troubled times

The years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union were the most difficult for the army in general and the special forces in particular. In a series of reforms and reorganizations, the army special forces suffered such damage that they did not suffer even during the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya. After the war in Afghanistan, some brigades returned to their former places of deployment, some were disbanded. From time to time, parts of the brigades were thrown into places of armed clashes with various illegal formations. Thus, the 173rd detachment participated in the elimination of unrest in Baku and Ossetia, when it was necessary to intervene in the Ossetian-Ingush conflict, fought on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The GRU detachments of the Moscow Military District supported the constitutional order in Tajikistan. Soldiers of the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the Transcaucasian Military District fought in Tbilisi and Azerbaijan, then, since 1991, in Nagorno-Karabakh and North Ossetia. The 4th brigade (Estonia) was disbanded in 1992, before that a special forces brigade was withdrawn from the Soviet Group of Forces in Germany. The Pechersk Special Forces Training Regiment was also disbanded.

After the collapse of the Union, the 8th, 9th and 10th special forces brigades became part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and here the 8th was reorganized and turned into the 1st airborne regiment, the other two were disbanded. Belarus got the 5th special forces brigade, Uzbekistan - the 15th special forces brigade, the 459th special forces company, one training regiment.

So how many units of the GRU special forces are there today?

It is not possible to find out up to the end this question. Partly due to the secrecy of information, partly due to the constant reform of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - in other words, reductions. But if we analyze the available information, we can calculate that today there are at least 9 special forces brigades and two battalions "West" and "East". There are a number of military formations whose fighters are identical to the one that was in the special forces. Although it is not a fact that these units are part of the GRU system - they may well end up in the department of the 45th separate reconnaissance regiment of the Airborne Forces, individual reconnaissance units, the Navy, GUIN, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the FSB structures.

The capture by the SBU of former or not quite former Russian special forces near Luhansk, their interviews and various information that surfaced in the press made it possible to take a fresh look at what is happening in the Donbass and in the Russian army. medialeaks collected what is known about the Special Forces of the GRU, where Evgeny Erofeev and Alexander Alexandrov served / are serving and summarized what the captives told.

What is the GRU special forces?

Full title: "Special Forces 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 the boys dream about and what the heroes of Call Of Duty do: the special forces get deep behind enemy lines and run through the forest, collecting information about the enemy’s weapons, destroying its fortified points and communications.

Secret troops

Since officially no special forces existed, in Afghanistan, for example, they were called individual motorized rifle battalions. Until now, the GRU has not been mentioned in the names of the compounds. Let's say Alexandrov and Erofeev were / are employees 3rd Separate Guards Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov 3rd Class Special Forces 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 Special Forces of the GRU is unknown, it is believed that now there are about 10 thousand of them in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

What became famous SpN GRU

The most famous operation carried out by the Special Forces was the capture of the palace of Hafizullah Amin in Kabul in 1979. Due to the irregularity of hostilities in Afghanistan, the GRU special forces were widely used against the Mujahideen. Intelligence units were attached to all military formations, so everyone who served in Afghanistan knew about the existence of intelligence officers. It was in the late 80s that the number of this type of troops reached its maximum value. The hero of Michele Placido, Major Bandura, in "The Afghan Break" is more of a bully than a paratrooper, but in 1991 it was still impossible to talk about this.

What is the difference between the SpN GRU and the Airborne Forces?

Special forces are often confused with paratroopers for a completely understandable reason: for conspiracy, the combat uniform of some units of the Special Forces of the GRU of the USSR was the same as that of the Airborne Forces. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the tradition remained. For example, the same 3rd separate brigade of the Special Forces wears vests and blue berets on the parade ground. Scouts also skydive, but paratroopers have larger combat missions. Accordingly, the number of airborne forces is much higher - 45 thousand people.

What is armed with SpN GRU?

In general, the armament of the special forces is the same as that of the rest of the motorized rifle units, but there are several specific technologies. The most famous are: the special “Val” assault rifle and the special “Vintorez” sniper rifle. This is a silent weapon with a subsonic bullet speed, which at the same time, due to a number of design features, has a high penetrating power. It was "Val" and "Vintorez", according to the SBU, that were captured on May 16 from the fighters of the "Erofeev detachment". There is, however, no convincing evidence that such weapons did not remain in the warehouses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Who serves in the Special Forces of the GRU?

Due to high requirements and the need for lengthy training, most of the special forces are contract soldiers. Young people with sports training, healthy, with knowledge of a foreign language are accepted for service. At the same time, we see that these are completely ordinary people from the provinces, for them service is rather a good job, it can be difficult and dangerous, but not a battle for an abstract idea.

Everything in life is not like in the movies

Patriotic cinema and bravura stories on TV inspire us that special forces soldiers are universal terminators. On a combat mission they can not sleep for three days, they shoot without a miss, alone with their bare hands they can scatter a dozen armed people and, of course, they don’t abandon their own. But if you believe the words of the captured soldiers, then quite unexpectedly for themselves, a rather large group of special forces fell into an ambush and, firing 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 fairly 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, respectively, soldiers and officers of the GRU special forces must be trained on how to behave in captivity, and before being sent on a mission, they must be instructed and receive a “legend”. Since these are secret troops, a secret mission, the command should have warned the fighters: you will be captured, we don’t know you, you yourself came there. It is all the more surprising that, as we see, both Alexandrov and Erofeev were absolutely not ready either for captivity, or for the fact that the country and their relatives refuse them.

SBU torture

It can be seen that both (former) commandos are genuinely shocked that the Russian authorities (and even Alexandrov's wife) said that they are not in the service of the Russian troops and it is not known 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 too correct phrases as if they had memorized the text. We do not see this on the Novaya Gazeta recording. Moreover, their words contradict the version of the SBU, which claims that the “Yerofeev group” was engaged in sabotage, while the captives speak only of observation. People who have been forced to say what they need by torture 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 participation in the conflict in the Donbass of the Russian Armed Forces. The capture of the 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 blogs and interviews with members of the DPR and LPR militia, the picture is as follows: a large-scale military operation involving Russian units, if there was, then once in late August - early September, when the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 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 in the headquarters of the DPR and LPR (just as specialists come from Washington to teach officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine). There is a possibility that separate groups of military from Russia operate on the territory of the self-proclaimed republics, but in limited numbers. As the captives rightly point out, there are a lot of people here, including real retired officers who want to fight. Alexandrov 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.

In essence, there were none left in the army, because some of them were reduced and attached to other military formations, and some were disbanded. But they quickly realized that special forces groups- the most effective way to deal with the impending nuclear threat from NATO. Therefore, after a thorough study and generalization of the experience accumulated during the war, in 1950 it was decided to create the first units in the Soviet Union special forces. As of the beginning of May 1951, 46 companies were created, each of which had 120 people. All of them were subordinate to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Army General Staff.

Those who think that the idea of creation special forces- a matter of the recent past, is mistaken. Formations with similar goals arose in Rus' a long time ago.

Russian military leaders Pyotr Panin, Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kutuzov already in the 18th century raised the issue of creating special military units. They arose in 1764 and were called chasseurs.
At the end of the 18th century, Catherine II initiated the rotation of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks to the Bug and then to the Kuban, where the tactics of the "jaegers" came in handy - military operations in the highlands, ambushes, reconnaissance, raids. The motto of the divisions was the phrase "Fox tail, wolf mouth", and the training was reminiscent of modern warfare, combinations of undercover and power intelligence.
In 1797, Emperor Paul I introduced a new Charter, developed in the likeness of the charter of the Prussian army.
1811 was marked by the creation OKVS - Separate corps of the internal guard, which was engaged in the preservation or restoration of order within the state.
Alexander I took care of the creation of mobile cavalry gendarmes of rapid reaction in 1817.
In the war of 1812, the Russian army gained tremendous experience, which was widely used later.
In 1826, the influence of the Imperial Chancellery increased.
1842 battalions are created from Cossack battalions scouts, on whose subsequent combat activities many generations of the future were trained special forces.
In 1903, the Intelligence Department of the General Staff was created. A year later - in all military districts.
In 1905, the influence of the tsarist Okhrana was growing, and formations were created on the basis of the police, the goals and objectives of which resemble the mission of today OMON.
In 1917, the Bolsheviks created the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs - Main Directorate of the General Staff - GUGSH.
In 1918, military intelligence was created. Created in the same year CHONs - special purpose parts with the subordination of the Cheka - to fight all kinds of rebels and Asian Basmachi.
In the 1930s, the Red Army created airborne assault And sabotage divisions.

The tasks of the new formation were serious: organizing and conducting reconnaissance, destroying any means of nuclear attack, identifying military formations and conducting special missions behind enemy lines, organizing and conducting sabotage actions, creating insurgent (partisan) detachments behind enemy lines, combating terrorism, searching for and neutralization of saboteurs. Other tasks include interfering with communications, disrupting power supplies, eliminating transport hubs, and bringing chaos to the country's military and government administration. Most of the tasks sound at least fantastic, however GRU special forces he could well cope with them: he had at his disposal the appropriate technical means and weapons, including portable nuclear mines.

Needless to say, with special forces was classified more than the nuclear developments of the USSR. At least everyone knew about the presence of nuclear missiles, bombers with nuclear warheads and nuclear submarines, but about spetsnaz GRU- not every marshal and general.

Also, one of the tasks of the special forces was the elimination of prominent figures of the enemy countries, but then this task was canceled. (If not classified even deeper).

First aid for special forces - "Instructions for the combat use of special forces and subunits" wrote Pavel Golitsin - ex-head of intelligence of the Belarusian partisan brigade "Chekist".

But not everything was so good. Already in 1953, the Armed Forces began to be reduced and 35 companies were reduced. Only eleven left special companies for special purposes (ORSpN). It took four whole years army special forces in order to correct their shaken positions after such a blow, and only in 1957 were 5 separate battalions created special purpose, which in 1962, along with the remnants of the old companies, were joined by 10 brigades special forces. They were designed for peacetime and wartime. According to the peacetime states, the brigade did not have more than 200-300 fighters, in the military - in ObrSpNb consisted of no less than 1700 soldiers and officers. By early 1963 USSR special forces included: 10 cadre brigades, 5 separate battalions, 12 separate companies in the Leningrad, Baltic, Belorussian, Carpathian, Kiev, Odessa, Transcaucasian, Moscow, Turkestan, Far Eastern military districts.

In the same year GRU conducted the first major exercises, but, despite the excellent results of the training of fighters, already in 1964 after a new reorganization Special Forces lost 3 battalions and 6 companies, and in army special forces 6 companies, 2 battalions and 10 brigades remained. Separately, it should be said about the units, which, in addition to standard training commando trained for special tasks. So, the soldiers of the 99th company, which was stationed in the Arkhangelsk military district, were oriented to operations in the cold conditions of the Arctic, and the soldiers 227th special forces, located in the North Caucasian Military District, trained for survival in mountainous terrain. Further intensification of work on the creation of shock groups of special forces began only at the end of the 60s.

In 1968, on the basis of the Ryazan Airborne School, they began to train professional intelligence officers. It was then that the legendary 9th company appeared. The 9th company held its last graduation in 1981, then it was disbanded. Also special forces officers they were trained at the Frunze Military Academy and at the intelligence department of the Kyiv VOKU, but in their specialization they were more like military intelligence officers. In 1970, they formed a training company, then a battalion, and then a regiment stationed in the Pskov region.

When in 1985 (6 years after the start of the war!) it became clear that the soldiers before Afghanistan needed special training, a training regiment was also created in Uzbek Chirchik.

The first major foreign operation of special forces falls on 1968, after which he no longer had to prove his worth. It was in this year that the countries united by the Warsaw Pact sent their troops to Czechoslovakia. To begin with, our plane requested an emergency landing from the country's capital due to engine failure. Within a few minutes, our special forces captured the airport, to which they very soon transferred an airborne division. At this time, the units that had previously arrived in Prague took control railway stations, newspapers and telegraph, that is, all key positions. After the seizure of the government building, commandos took the country's leadership to Moscow.

Total, army special forces sent his troops to two dozen countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. They also had to face the American commandos. Only many years later did the Americans find out who really defeated their elite units in 1970 in the Vietnamese Sean Tay, in 1978 in Angola. Often their special services did not even know about the operations carried out by our fighters. Here is a vivid illustration.

In 1968, 9 of our fighters made a classic raid on a top-secret helicopter camp in Cambodia, located 30 kilometers from the Vietnamese border. The American military threw their reconnaissance and sabotage groups, from here they flew out in search of their downed pilots. The camp was guarded by 2 light helicopters, 8-10 heavy transport and 4 helicopters "Super Cobra". fire support with the presence of guided missiles and the latest targeting systems on board was the goal of our paratroopers. It took only 25 minutes for our special forces to hijack one and destroy the three remaining helicopters under the noses of the American commandos.

About military operations Soviet special forces in Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Cuba and Vietnam there is still very little free information.

Much more data on the ten-year Afghan war. Its beginning was laid by the most difficult special operation to eliminate the ruler Hafizuly Amin. Until now, historians consider the capture of the fortress of Amin and its destruction a pure adventure, however, it was a success. In addition to the then existing KGB special forces"Thunder" And "Zenith", And "Vympel", took part in the operation GRU special forces. About six months before the momentous assault, a Muslim battalion was created, the so-called "Musbat" or 154th separate special forces detachment, which included GRU fighters from among the Soviet Muslims. It was staffed by Tajiks, Uzbeks and Turkmens who had served in tank and motorized rifle units. Most of them spoke Farsi. Shortly before the assault, this detachment was secretly introduced into the palace guards. The assault itself lasted only 40 minutes. 7 special forces soldiers were killed in the palace. This unit, apart from a short respite after this operation, until 1984 fought on special forces tactics, arranged raids and ambushes, carried out reconnaissance in Afghanistan.

At the end of 1983, the army began to create a border zone "Veil", along the entire length of Jalalabad - Ghazni - Kandahar. With its help, it was planned to block two hundred caravan routes by which the rebels delivered ammunition and weapons from Pakistan. But for such a grandiose plan in Afghanistan there were not enough special forces, so in 1984 he was transferred here 177th Special Purpose Detachment, and behind it - 154th Special Forces. Total personnel of the troops special forces GRU GSh in Afghanistan was about 1400 people. Since this also seemed not enough, the formation of additional military special forces.

In 1989, the structure of 15 and 22 brigades spn changed radically. Armored military equipment, grenade launchers, communications controls, including space ones, were withdrawn from the brigades as inappropriate for their tasks - that is, anti-sabotage and military intelligence. The 10-year confrontation of the special forces with the enemy was recognized as "atypical use case".

However, in 1990, when the 15th brigade arrived in Baku to fight the bandit formations of the Popular Front of the country, the equipment was returned to them. Then the special forces made 37 flights by Il-76 VTA aircraft and delivered more than 20 units of armored military equipment, vehicles, and communications equipment from Tashkent. The presence of soldiers and officers who did not know in words about the fight against saboteurs, allowed the brigade, which at that time was in the department KGB USSR complete all assigned tasks. And upon returning home, despite numerous requests from the command of the unit, all military equipment and means of communication were simply confiscated.

In the first Chechen 1994-1996. Russian special forces was present in Chechnya since the introduction of troops by separate and consolidated detachments. At first, it was used only in intelligence. Due to the poor preparation of the composition of the ground units special forces soldiers they took part in assault groups, as happened in Grozny. 1995 brought very high losses in special forces units - this year's battles are the most tragic in all history special forces of Russia and the USSR.

But in spite of everything, the special forces began to work according to their traditional tactics, especially standing out in ambush actions. After the signing of the Khasavyurt agreement, after which the North Caucasus temporarily entered a period of shaky peace, it was clear that the conflict had not yet been resolved. Therefore, with the beginning of the fighting in Dagestan in confrontations with the armed groups of militants, international and Chechen terrorists, the task of the special forces was to provide the troops with intelligence data on the fortifications and positions of the Wahhabis. I had to fight with "old friends" in the Afghan company from among the Arab, Pakistani and Turkish mercenaries and instructors. Ours could recognize many of them by their inherent features of mining, avoiding persecution, radio exchange, and choosing places for an ambush. Spetsnaz GRU was in first place among other units in combat training and the implementation of assigned tasks, acting 10 times more efficiently than the rest.

Separate and consolidated detachments were from the brigades of the Siberian, Moscow, Ural, Trans-Baikal, Far Eastern, North Caucasian military districts.

In the spring of 1995, there were no detachments left in Chechnya, the last - separate special forces unit, assigned to the North Caucasian Military District, returned to Russia in the fall of 1996.

The years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union were the most difficult for the army in general and the special forces in particular. In a series of reforms and reorganizations army special forces such damage was inflicted that he did not suffer even during the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya. After the war in Afghanistan, some brigades returned to their former places of deployment, some were disbanded. From time to time, parts of the brigades were thrown into places of armed clashes with various illegal formations. Thus, the 173rd detachment participated in the elimination of unrest in Baku and Ossetia, when it was necessary to intervene in the Ossetian-Ingush conflict, fought on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Detachments GRU Moscow Military District supported the constitutional order in Tajikistan. Fighters 12th special forces brigades The Transcaucasian Military District fought in Tbilisi and Azerbaijan, then, since 1991, in Nagorno-Karabakh and North Ossetia. The 4th brigade (Estonia) was disbanded in 1992, before that they withdrew special purpose brigade from the Soviet Group of Forces of Germany. Also disbanded Pechersk Special Forces Training Regiment.

After the collapse of the Union 8th, 9th and 10th Special Forces Brigades became part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and here the 8th was reorganized and turned into the 1st parachute regiment, the other two were disbanded. Belarus got 5th Special Forces Brigade, Uzbekistan - 15th Special Forces Brigade,459th special forces company, one training regiment.

It will not be possible to find out until the end this question, even inveterate CIA-shnikam. Partly due to the secrecy of information, partly due to the constant reform of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - in other words, reductions. But if we analyze the available information, we can calculate that today there are at least 9 special forces brigades and two battalions "West" And "East". There are a number of military formations whose fighters are identical to the one that was in the special forces. Although it is not a fact that these units are part of the GRU system - they may well end up in the department, individual intelligence units, the Navy, GUIN, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the FSB structures.

Spetsnaz GRU of Russia. Primary selection. How to get into the GRU?

Special Forces is the dream of many boys. Agile, 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 the possibility of considering a candidate is service in the army. Then the series of selections begins. Mainly in special forces of the GRU of the Russian Federation take officers and ensigns. The officer must have a higher education. Recommendations of reputable employees are also needed. It is desirable 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 minimized. Basic requirements for the physical preparation of the applicant.

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

Run 3 km in 10 minutes.
Hundred meters in 12 seconds.
Pull-ups on the crossbar - 25 times.
Abs exercises - 90 times in 2 minutes.
Push-ups - 90 times.
A set of exercises: press, push-ups, jumping up from a crouching position, transition from an emphasis crouching to an emphasis lying and back. Each individual exercise is done 15 times in 10 seconds. The complex is performed 7 times.
Hand-to-hand combat.

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

From the first day, the soldier is told 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 arrange covert checks on each other, which helps to always be on alert. To strengthen the spirit and form the character of the recruit, they are taught hand-to-hand combat. Periodically, he is put into battle against a stronger opponent in order to teach him how to fight even with an opponent who is obviously superior in training. Also, soldiers are taught to fight using all sorts of improvised means, up to a tightly folded newspaper. Only after a warrior has mastered such materials, he trains on shock equipment. Once every six months, fighters are checked for readiness for further service. . Warriors are in constant motion, they are not allowed to sleep all the time. Thus, many fighters are eliminated.

A warrior trains every day, without days off and 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, a 40-minute circuit training session is performed. This includes push-ups on the fingers, on the fists and jumping up from a sitting position. Basically, each exercise is repeated 20-30 times. At the end of each cycle, the fighter pumps the press a maximum of times. Hand-to-hand combat training takes place every day. Strikes are practiced, dexterity and endurance are brought up. Preparation spetsnaz GRU — .

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Now they are talking a lot in newspapers, on TV, on the Internet about the GRU special forces and the special forces of the Airborne Forces. Since these two communities of military professionals are very similar, we will try to figure out how they still differ for an inexperienced person who is far from all this.

Let's start with a historical excursion. Who came first? Spetsnaz GRU is definitely accurate in 1950. Since a lot of tactical blanks and other chips were borrowed from the partisan actions of the Great Patriotic War, it is still fair to designate its unofficial appearance in the second half of the thirties of the last century. The first sabotage groups of the Red Army successfully operated in the war in Spain. And if you look at an even earlier historical period, when the need to conduct sabotage operations forced many countries of the world (including the Russian Empire) to keep completely autonomous "scout" units in their armies, then the origins of the appearance of the GRU special forces go back to "the depths of centuries".

The special forces of the Airborne Forces appeared in 1930, along with the Airborne Troops. With the very first landing near Voronezh, when there was an obvious need to start our own intelligence. The paratroopers can't just land in "paws to the enemy", someone has to shorten these "paws", break off the "horns", and file the "hooves".

Main goals. GRU special forces - conducting reconnaissance and sabotage (and some other, sometimes delicate) operations behind enemy lines at a distance of 1000 km. and further (how long the radio communication range is enough) to solve the tasks of the General Staff. Previously, communication was on short waves. Now on short and ultra-short via satellite channel. The communication range is not limited by anything, but still, in some corners of the planet there are "dead zones", there are no mobile, radio or satellite communications at all. Those. It is not for nothing that a stylized image of the globe is often found on the symbols of the GRU.

The special forces of the Airborne Forces - in fact the "eyes and ears" of the Airborne Forces, are part of the Airborne Forces themselves. Reconnaissance and sabotage units operating behind enemy lines to prepare for the arrival and preparation of the landing (if necessary) of the main forces ("cavalry"). Capturing airfields, sites, small bridgeheads, solving related tasks with the capture or destruction of communications, related infrastructure facilities and other things. They act strictly on the orders of the headquarters of the Airborne Forces. The range is not as significant as that of the GRU, but still impressive. The main aircraft of the Airborne Forces IL-76 is capable of overcoming 4000 km. Those. there and back - about 2000 km. (refueling is not considered, although the range in this case increases significantly). Therefore, the special forces of the Airborne Forces operate behind enemy lines at a distance of up to 2000 km.

Let's continue the research. An interesting question with the form of clothing. At first glance, everything is the same. Bertsy, camouflage, vests, blue berets. But this is only at first glance. Take, for example, takes. This piece of clothing is of medieval origin. Pay attention to the old paintings of artists. All beret wearers wear them asymmetrically. Either right or left. The special forces of the GRU and the special forces of the Airborne Forces are behind the scenes to wear a beret, bent to the right. If you suddenly see a commando in the form of the Airborne Forces and in a beret bent to the left, then this is just an ordinary paratrooper. The tradition has been carried on since the time of the first parades with the participation of the Airborne Forces, when it was necessary to open the face as much as possible to the podium, and this can be done only by breaking the beret on the left side of the head. And there is no reason to shine intelligence.

Let's move on to signs. During the Great Patriotic War, the Airborne Troops made many landings and landing operations. Many awarded heroes. Including the units of the Airborne Forces themselves were awarded the title of Guards (almost all). The GRU special forces for the period of that war were already in the process of formation as an independent branch of the armed forces, but were outside the legal framework (and in general everything was secret). Therefore, if you see a paratrooper, but without the "Guards" badge, then with almost 100% certainty - GRU special forces. Only a few GRU units bear the rank of Guards. For example, the 3rd Separate Guards Warsaw-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov III Art. SPN GRU brigade.

About food. Those. about satisfaction. GRU spetsnaz, if it is in the format (i.e. under the guise) of an airborne unit, receives uniforms, clothing allowance, monetary allowance, and all the hardships and deprivations that are due, both in sickness and in health, and food, strictly in in accordance with the standards of the Airborne Forces.
Special forces of the Airborne Forces - everything is clear here. This is the airborne troops themselves.

But with the GRU, the issue is more tricky, and this detail always brings confusion. A friend wrote to me after the Pechora training of the GRU special forces in the eighties. "Everyone, ** ***, arrived at the place, in the company. We sit for the first day, ****, rip off blue shoulder straps, gave out fuel oil, everything is black, **** today is mourning (((((((. Berets , vests were also taken away. Am I now in the signal troops or something, *****?". So, they arrived in Germany, in the Western Group of Forces, and changed clothes. They immediately became signalmen. And changed their shoes (boots with lacing were replaced with ordinary boots). But Germany is small, there our sworn "friends" are also not fools. They are watching. There is a strange signal company. All signalmen are like signalmen, and these stir up something all day. in full swing, then digging trenches (similar to a comfortable bed in a forest belt behind the autobahn), then hand-to-hand combat, then shooting for the whole day, then at night something happens. "And for you, dear, there is a field post. Forward! The trumpet is calling! Soldiers! On the march!"

In this way, the GRU special forces can disguise themselves (at times successfully) under absolutely any branch of the armed forces (as the Motherland orders, and to what quiet / rotten distance they send).
The unmasking signs will be numerous badges with sports ranks, badges of paratroopers, all the same vests (stubborn boychins will still be put on them under any pretext, but you can’t see everyone, and it’s good that airborne vests are terribly popular in all branches of the military), tattoos in the form of clothing No. 2 (naked torso) again airborne theme with an abundance of skulls, parachutes, bats and all sorts of different living creatures, slightly weather-beaten muzzles of faces (from frequent running around in the fresh air), always increased appetite and the ability to eat exotic, or completely artless .

An interesting question about another invisibility. This stroke will give out a commando who is used to getting to the place of "work" not on comfortable transport to invigorating music, but on his own two with all parts of his body worn in calluses. The gulley style of running with a huge load on the shoulders forces the arms to straighten at the elbows. Longer arm lever - more economical effort in transporting trunks. Therefore, when one day they first arrived at a unit with a huge concentration of personnel, then on the very first morning run they were shocked by the huge number of fighters (soldiers and officers) who ran with their hands down, like robots. Thought it was some kind of joke. But it turned out not. Over time, my personal feelings about this appeared. Although everything is strictly individual. Though pick your finger in your nose and wave your wings, but do what you have to do.

And the most important thing is not this. Clothes are clothes, but what is inherent in absolutely the same as the GRU special forces and the special forces of the Airborne Forces is the eyes. The look is so completely relaxed, friendly, with a share of healthy indifference. But he looks right at you. Or through you. You never know what to expect from such a subject (only a megaton of trouble, if anything happens). Complete mobilization and readiness, complete unpredictability of actions, logic that instantly turns into "inadequate". And so in ordinary life, quite positive and inconspicuous people. No self-admiration. Only a tough and calm focus on the result, no matter how desperately hopeless it turns out to be. In short, for military intelligence, this is a kind of philosophical salt of being from ever-memorable times (a lifestyle, that is).

Let's talk about swimming. The special forces of the Airborne Forces must be able to overcome water obstacles. Are there many obstacles along the way? All sorts of rivers, lakes, streams, swamps. The same is true for the GRU special forces. But if we are talking about the seas and oceans, then for the Airborne Forces the topic ends here, the diocese of the Marine Corps begins there. And if they have already begun to distinguish someone, then more precisely, a very specific area of \u200b\u200bactivity of the reconnaissance units of the Marine Corps. But the GRU special forces have their own units of brave combat swimmers. Let's reveal a little military secret. The presence of such units in the GRU does not at all mean that just the same, every special forces officer in the GRU has undergone diving training. The combat swimmers of the GRU special forces are a really closed topic. They are few, but they are the best of the best. Fact.

What can you say about physical training? There are no differences at all here. And in the special forces of the GRU, and in the special forces of the Airborne Forces, there is still some kind of selection. And the requirements are not that high, but the highest. Nevertheless, in our country there are a couple of every creature (and there are many who want to). Therefore, it is not surprising that all sorts of random people get there. Then they read books, from the Internet there are videos with window dressing, or they watch enough films. Often they have an abundance of sports diplomas, awards, categories and other things. Then, with such a hard-boiled porridge in their heads, they arrive at the duty station. From the very first forced march (named after the Great Special Forces), enlightenment sets in. Complete and inevitable. Oh fuck, where did I go? Yes, you got it ... For such excesses there is always a stock of personnel recruited in advance, just for the subsequent and inevitable screening.

Why go far for examples? Finally, for the first time in the Russian army, six-week survival courses for contract soldiers were introduced, which end with an examination 50-kilometer field trip, with shooting, overnight stays, saboteurs, crawling, digging and other unexpected pleasures. First (!). Twenty-five thousand contract soldiers in three military districts were finally able to experience for themselves what the average soldier-special forces intelligence officer has always lived for. Moreover, they have it for "a week before the second", and in special forces for every day and for the entire period of service. Even before the start (!) of the field exit, every tenth soldier of the personnel of our armed forces turned out to be a kalich, a slipper. Or even refused to participate in a safari show for personal motivation. Some parts of the body suddenly bench-press.

Therefore, why talk for a long time? Survival courses in the conventional army, ie. something so unusual and stressful, they are equated with the average way of unremarkable ordinary service in the GRU special forces, and in the special forces of the Airborne Forces. Nothing new seems to be here. But the special forces also have an extreme pastime. For example, "races" have been traditionally arranged for many years. In ordinary language - competitions of reconnaissance and sabotage groups of different brigades, different military districts, and even different countries. The strongest fight the strongest. There is someone to take an example from. There are no longer any standards or limits of endurance. At the full limit of the capabilities of the human body (and far beyond these limits). Just in the GRU special forces, these events are very common.

Let's sum up our story. In this article, we did not pursue the goal of dumping stacks of documents from staff briefcases on the reader, we did not hunt for some "fried" events and rumors. At least some secrets must remain in the army. Nevertheless, it is already clear that the GRU special forces and the special forces of the Airborne Forces are very, very similar in form and content. It was about the real Big Special Forces, which is ready to complete the assigned tasks. And they do it. (And any group of military special forces can be in "autonomous navigation" from several days to several months, occasionally getting in touch at a certain time.)

Recently, exercises took place in the USA (Fort Carson, Colorado). First. Representatives of the special forces of the Russian Airborne Forces took part in them. And they showed themselves, and looked at "friends". Whether there were representatives of the GRU, history, the military and the press are silent. Let's leave everything as it is. Yes, and it doesn't matter. One point is interesting.
With all the differences in equipment, weapons and approaches to training, joint exercises with the "Green Berets" demonstrated an absolutely amazing similarity between representatives of the special forces (the so-called special operations forces based on parachute units) in different countries. And here you don’t go to a fortuneteller, you even had to go overseas to get this long unclassified information.

As it is now fashionable, let's give the floor to bloggers. Just a few quotes from the blog of a man who visited the 45th Special Forces Regiment of the Airborne Forces during an open press tour. And this is a completely unbiased view. Here's what everyone found out:
“Before the press tour, I was afraid that I would have to communicate mainly with oak martinet special forces who beat off the remnants of their brains by breaking bricks on their heads. This is where the stereotype collapsed ...”.
“Immediately, another parallel stamp dissipated - the special forces turned out to be not at all two-meter ambals with bull necks and pood fists. I don’t think I’m lying too much if I say that our group of bloggers, on average, looked more powerful than the special forces group of the Airborne Forces ... ".
"... for the entire time of my stay in the unit, out of hundreds of military men, I did not see a single ambal there. That is, absolutely not a single one ...".
"... I did not suspect that the obstacle course could be more than a kilometer long and that it could take an hour and a half to complete it...".
"... Although at times it really seems that they are cyborgs. How they carry such heaps of equipment on themselves for a long time, I do not understand. Far from everything has been laid out here, there is no water, food and cartridges. The main cargo itself is not there! .. .".

In general, such drooling does not need comments. They go, as they say, from the heart.

(From the editors of 1071g.ru, we will add about the obstacle course. In 1975-1999, at the height of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA and later, there was an obstacle course in the Pechora training of the GRU special forces. The officially common name for the entire GRU Special Forces is "trail reconnaissance officer ". The length is about 15 kilometers, the terrain was successfully used, descents and ascents, there were impassable areas, forests, water barriers, some in Estonia (before the collapse of the Union), some in the Pskov region, a lot of engineering structures for classes. Two training battalions (9 companies, in others up to 4 platoons, this is about 700 people + a school of ensigns of 50-70 people) could disappear there in small units (platoons and squads) for days at any time of the year and in any weather, day and night. the units not only did not intersect, but could not enter into visual contact at all. The cadets ran "admittedly", now they are dreaming about it. A fact based on real events.)

Today in Russia there are only two, as we found out, exactly the same (with the exception of some cosmetic details) special forces. This is the GRU special forces and the special forces of the Airborne Forces. To perform tasks without fear, without reproach, and anywhere in the world (by order of the Motherland). There are no more subdivisions legally authorized by various international conventions. Forced marches - from 30 kilometers with a calculation or more, push-ups - from 1000 times or more, jumps, shooting, tactical and special training, development of stress resistance, abnormal endurance (on the verge of pathology), narrow-profile training in many technical disciplines, running , run, and run again.
Complete unpredictability by opponents of the actions of reconnaissance groups (and each fighter separately, in accordance with the current situation). Skills to instantly assess the situation, and also instantly make decisions. So move on (guess how fast)...

By the way, is the reader aware that during the entire war in Afghanistan, the special forces of the Airborne Troops and the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense took upon themselves the burden of the hardships of military intelligence? There, the now known abbreviation "SpN" was born.

Finally, let's add. "Graduates" of the harsh school of the Special Forces of the Airborne Forces and Special Forces of the GRU are ready to accept with open arms any law enforcement agencies and departments, from the FSB to small private security companies. This does not mean at all that the Bolshoy Spetsnaz are ready to accept employees of any power structures, even with an impeccable track record and the highest level of training. Welcome to the club of real men! (If you are accepted...).

This material was prepared based on the forum of the Landing Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan, various open sources, the opinions of professional experts, the blog gosh100.livejournal.com (credit to the blogger from military intelligence officers), reflections (based on personal experience) of the author of the article. If you have read this far, thank you for your interest.