Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces

Spetsnaz GRU
Spetsnaz GRU logo
Active	1949–2012, 2013–present
Country	Soviet Union (1949–1991)  Russian Federation (1991–present)
Branch	GRU Special Operations Forces (Russia)
Type	Special forces
Role	Special operations Counter-terrorism Special reconnaissance Direct action
Size	Classified[1]
Part of	Soviet Armed Forces (1949–1991) Russian Armed Forces (1991–present)
GRU Headquarters	76 Khoroshyovskoe shosse, Khodinka, Moscow
Patron	Saint Alexander Nevsky
Motto(s)	"Only the stars are above us." («Выше нас только звёзды»)[2]
Mascot(s)	Bat
Engagements	Cold War conflicts Vietnam War Operation Danube Soviet–Afghan War Civil War in Tajikistan East Prigorodny conflict War in Abkhazia First Chechen War Invasion of Dagestan Second Chechen War Insurgency in the North Caucasus Russo-Georgian War Russian military intervention in Ukraine Russian military intervention in Syria

Depiction of a Spetsnaz GRU training installation as published in Soviet Military Power, 1984

Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (Russian: Части и подразделения специального назначения (спецназ) Главного управления Генерального штаба Вооружённых сил Российской Федерации (СпН ГУ ГШ ВС РФ)), commonly known as the Spetsnaz G.U. or Spetsnaz GRU is the special forces (spetsnaz) of the G.U., the foreign military intelligence agency of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The Spetsnaz GRU was formed in 1949, the first spetsnaz force in the Soviet Union, as the military force of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), the foreign military intelligence agency of the Soviet Armed Forces. The force was designed in the context of the Cold War to carry out reconnaissance and sabotage against enemy targets in the form of special reconnaissance and direct action attacks. The Spetsnaz GRU inspired additional spetsnaz forces attached to other Soviet intelligence agencies, such as the Vympel and Alpha Group of the KGB.

Modus operandi[]

The concept of using special forces tactics and strategies in the Soviet Union was originally proposed by the military theorist Mikhail Svechnykov, who envisaged the development of unconventional warfare capabilities in order to overcome disadvantages that conventional forces faced in the field. Svechnykov was executed during the Great Purge in 1938, but practical implementation of his ideas was begun by Ilya Starinov, dubbed the "grandfather of the spetsnaz". Following the entrance of the Soviet Union into World War II, basic forces dedicated to acts of reconnaissance and sabotage were formed under the supervision of the Second Department of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces, and were subordinate to the commanders of Fronts.^[3]

The primary function of Spetsnaz troops in wartime was infiltration/insertion behind enemy lines (either in uniform or civilian clothing), usually well before hostilities are scheduled to begin and, once in place, to commit acts of sabotage such as the destruction of vital communications logistics centers, as well as the assassination of key government leaders and military officers.^{[citation needed]} Spetsnaz GRU training included: weapons handling, fast rappelling, explosives training, marksmanship, counter-terrorism, airborne training, hand-to-hand combat, climbing (alpine rope techniques), diving, underwater combat, emergency medical training, and demolition.

History[]

Soviet era[]

The situation was reviewed after the war ended, and between 1947 and 1950 the whole of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) was reorganized.^[4] The first "independent reconnaissance companies of special purpose" were formed in 1949, to work for tank and combined-arms armies, which were tasked to eliminate amongst others enemy nuclear weapons systems such as the MGR-3 Little John and MGM-1 Matador.^[4] In 1957, the first Spetsnaz battalions were formed under the GRU, five to operate beyond the 150–200 km range of the reconnaissance companies. The first brigades were formed in 1962, reportedly to reach up to 750 kilometres in the rear to destroy U.S. weapons systems such as the MGM-52 Lance, MGM-29 Sergeant, and MGM-31 Pershing.^[4] Two 'study regiments' were established in the 1960s to train specialists and NCOs, the first in 1968 at Pechora near Pskov, and the second in 1970 at Chirchik near Tashkent.^[5] According to Vladimir Rezun, a GRU defector who used the pseudonym "Viktor Suvorov", there were 20 GRU Spetsnaz brigades plus 41 separate companies at the time of his defection in 1978.

Known missions[]

An Afghanka wearing Soviet Spetsnaz team preparing for a mission at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan in 1988

In May 1968, at the peak of the Vietnam War, nine GRU special forces operatives raided a secret US airbase in Cambodia in a bid to capture a brand new Super Cobra attack helicopter, equipped with the latest guidance systems and guided missiles at the time. As a result of the operation, one helicopter was stolen and taken to Vietnam which was eventually brought back to the Soviet Union. The rest were destroyed and 15 Americans soldiers were killed in the operation. According to the Soviets, the U.S. learnt about the attack on the base by Soviet special forces years later thanks to a KGB leak.^[6][7]

The first major foreign operation of the unit came in August 1968, when Moscow decided to crack down on the Prague Spring and move the troops of Warsaw Pact countries into Czechoslovakia. The Spetsnaz GRU was tasked with capturing the Prague Airport. On the night of 21 August, a Soviet passenger plane requested an emergency landing at the Prague Airport, allegedly due to engine failure. After landing, the commandos, without firing a shot, seized the airport and took over air traffic control. At the same time, other Spetsnaz GRU units that had infiltrated into Prague a few days before the operation seized control of other key city points.^[6][7]

In December 1979, the undercover Spetsnaz GRU unit codenamed "Muslim Battalion" participated in Operation Storm-333, the successful mission to assassinate Hafizullah Amin, the President of Afghanistan, and to capture Amin's residential palace which triggered the Soviet–Afghan War.^[6][7]

Most of Spetsnaz GRU's operations remain classified even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It is believed the special forces had participated in operations in more than nineteen countries around the world in Africa, Asia and South America. From time to time, the men also served as military instructors and set up training camps for Soviet-backed fighters in Vietnam and Angola.^[7]

Russian Federation era[]

Following the deactivation of the Soviet GRU in 1992, control of the special forces was transferred to the newly formed G.U. of Russia and were maintained to their respective assigned units as before. According to Stanislav Lunev, who defected to the U.S. in 1992, the GRU also commanded some 25,000 Spetsnaz troops as of 1997.^[8]

Following the 2008 Russian military reform, a brand new Directorate of Special Operations was established in 2009 following studies of American and various Western special operations forces units and commands. The newly formed Special Operations Forces which is directly subordinated to the General Staff, bypassing the GRU.^[9][10] In 2013, the Directorate became the Special Operations Forces Command with a GRU unit transferring to the command.^[10]

In 2010, Spetsnaz GRU units were reassigned to the military districts of the Ground Forces and was subordinate to the operational-strategic commands until 2012, due to then Defence Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov's military reforms.^[11][10] This decision was reversed in 2013 and Spetsnaz GRU units were reassigned to their original GRU divisions.^[11][10]

Known operations[]

Spetsnaz GRU forces during the 1999 Dagestan War

Spetsnaz GRU during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War

Throughout the mid-1990s to the 2000s, Spetsnaz GRU were involved in both the First Chechen War and more prominently in the Second Chechen War and also the Invasion of Dagestan in August 1999. The special forces learned invaluable lessons from the first war and transformed into a better and more effective fighting force and were instrumental in Russia's and the Russian backed government's success in the second war.

In 2003, during the Second Chechen War, the GRU formed the Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad, two ethnic Chechen units that belonged to the Spetsnaz GRU which fought primarily in Chechnya, and also in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War as well as peacekeeping operations after the 2006 Lebanon War.

Spetsnaz GRU maintains an airborne unit, the Separate Spetsnaz Airborne Reconnaissance Unit (codenamed No. 48427), which participated in the 2008 Georgian War.^[12] The unit is housed at Matrosskaya Tishina 10 in Moscow.^[12][13]

During the period of insurgency in the North Caucasus region, Spetsnaz GRU along with special forces from the FSB and MVD conducted numerous special operations and counter-terrorism operations against mainly the Caucasus Emirate, Wilayat al-Qawqaz and other smaller terrorist groups.

After the Crimean crisis, during which some units of Spetsnaz GRU were a part of the "Little green men", and the start of the rebel insurgency by pro-Russian rebels, Ukraine has on numerous occasions accused various Spetsnaz forces of aiding the rebels and even fighting on the ground in Eastern Ukraine. In December 2014, the Ukrainian military claimed that the Spetsnaz GRU was involved in attacks on an airport^[14] in Donetsk which was later captured by DPR in the battle.

In late 2015, GRU special forces operators were reportedly involved in the Syrian Civil War, appearing in the government offensives of Aleppo and Homs.^[15][16] GRU officials have also visited Qamishli, near the border with Turkey.^[17]

List of GRU special units[]

Below is a list of current "Spetsnaz" units in the Russian Armed Forces that fall under GRU operational control during wartime operations:^[18][19][20]

• Russian Ground Forces^[21][22] - fields 7 spetsnaz brigades of varying sizes and one spetsnaz regiment.
  • 2nd Spetsnaz Brigade – based in Promezhitsa, Pskov Oblast
    • Brigade HQ
      • Signals Battalion (2× Company)
      • Support Company
    • 70th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 329th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 700th Special Purpose Detachment
    • Training Battalion (2× Company)
  • 3rd Special Purpose Brigade – based in Tolyatti
    

    3rd Spetsnaz Brigade on parade, 9 May 2011.
    • Brigade HQ
      • Signals Company
      • Special Weapons Company
      • Support Company
      • Logistics Company
    • 1st Special Purpose Detachment (1st Battalion)
    • 790th Special Purpose Detachment (2nd Battalion)
    • 791st Special Purpose Detachment (3rd Battalion)
    • Training Battalion (2× Company)
  • 10th Special Purpose Brigade – based in Mol'kino, Krasnoyarsk Territory
    • Brigade HQ
      • Signals Company
      • Special Weapons Company
      • Support Company
      • Logistics Company
      • K-9 Unit
    • 325th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 328th Special Purpose Detachment
    • Training Battalion (2× Company)
  • 14th Special Purpose Brigade – based in Ussuriysk
    • Brigade HQ
      • Signals Company
      • Logistics Company
    • 282nd Special Purpose Detachment
    • 294th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 308th Special Purpose Detachment
    • Training Battalion (2× Company)
  • 16th Special Purpose Brigade – based in Tambov, with all units deployed in Tambov except for the 664th SPD.^[23]
    

    370th SPD conducting special reconnaissance training (2017).
    • Brigade HQ
      • EOD company
      • Signals Company
      • Logistics Company
    • 370th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 379th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 585th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 664th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 669th Special Purpose Detachment
  • 22nd Special Purpose Brigade – entire unit is based in Stepnoi, Rostov Oblast^[24][25]
    

    22nd SPB operatives conducting winter Anti-Terrorist training (2017).
    • Brigade HQ
      • Signals Company
      • Support Company
      • Special Weapons Company
      • Logistics Unit
      • Engineer Unit
    • 108th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 173rd Special Purpose Detachment
    • 305th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 411th Special Purpose Detachment
  • 24th Special Purpose Brigade – based in Irkutsk, with all units and units deployed in Irkutsk^[23]
    • Brigade HQ
      • Signals Company
      • Special Weapons Company
      • Logistics Unit
    • 281st Special Purpose Detachment
    • 297th Special Purpose Detachment
    • 641th Special Purpose Detachment
  • 25th Special Purpose Regiment
• Russian Airborne Troops^[26]
  • 45th Guards Special Purpose Brigade – based in Kubinka
    

    A paratrooper of the 45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade at a demonstration show.
• Russian Navy

Combat swimmers of the 313th PDSS conduct land operations.

Combat swimmer from the 311th PDSS in Kamchatka (2017).

The navy also fields dedicated maritime sabotage and counter-sabotage diver units which are attached to the naval infantry. These units also include combat swimmers, trained to conduct underwater combat, mining and clearance diving. The task is to protect ships and other fleet assets from enemy frogmen and special forces. The term "combat swimmers" is correct term in relation to the staff of the OSNB PDSS. Every PDSS unit has approximately 50–60 combat swimmers.^[27] There are PDSS units in all major naval bases across Russia.^[27] The OMRP is composed of reconnaissance divers that fall under operational subordination to the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). There are four OMRPs in Russia serving each fleet: Northern Fleet, Baltic Fleet, Black Sea Fleet and Pacific Fleet, with each consisting of 120–200 personnel.^[27]

• Naval Special Reconnaissance (OMRP)^[28]
  • 42nd Marine Reconnaissance point (Pacific Fleet)
  • 388th Marine Reconnaissance point (Black Sea Fleet) – reorganized from the former 431st MRP
  • 420th Marine Reconnaissance point (Northern Fleet)
  • 561st Marine Reconnaissance point (Baltic Fleet)
• Special Purpose Detachments for Combat against Underwater Diversionary Forces and Devices (OSNB PDSS)
  • 101st SPDC PDSS - based in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
  • 102nd SPDC PDSS - based in Sevastopol
  • 136th SPDC PDSS - based in Novorossiysk
  • 137th SPDC PDSS - based in Makhachkala
  • 140th SPDC PDSS - based in Vidyayevo
  • 152nd SPDC PDSS - based in Polyarny, Murmansk Oblast
  • 153rd SPDC PDSS - based in Ostrovnoy, Murmansk Oblast
  • 159th SPDC PDSS - based in Razboynik
  • 160th SPDC PDSS - based in Murmansk
  • 269th SPDC PDSS - based in Gadzhiyevo
  • 311th SPDC PDSS - based in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
  • 313rd SPDC PDSS - based in Baltiysk
  • 473rd SPDC PDSS - based in Kronstadt

Dissolved units[]

Ethnic Chechen soldiers of Sulim Yamadayev's Special Battalion Vostok in Georgia in 2008

The Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad were two Spetsnaz units; Vostok headquartered at Eastern Chechnya and Zapad headquartered at Western Chechnya. It was subordinate to the GRU and responsible for carrying out mountain warfare and special operations in Chechnya. A power struggle then broke out between rival pro-Russian Chechen warlords then Head of the Chechen Republic Kadyrov and Sulim Yamadaev which led to a series of assassinations and shootouts in the ensuing years forcing the GRU to disband the controversial battalions in November 2008.

See also[]

Similar foreign special forces units:

• List of special forces units

References[]

Further reading[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

• Carey Schofield, The Russian Elite: Inside Spetsnaz and the Airborne Forces, Greenhill, London, 1993
• Scott and Scott, The Armed Forces of the Soviet Union
• Viktor Suvorov, Spetsnaz: The Story Behind the Soviet SAS, 1987, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-11961-8
• Steve Zaloga, James W. Loop, Soviet Bloc Elite Forces, Volume 5 of Elite Series, Osprey Publishing, 1985, ISBN 0850456312, 9780850456318