GRU structure

GRU chief is subordinated only to the chief of General Staff and to the Minister of defense and he has not a direct contact with politic leadership of the country. Unlike SVR director who meets with the president weekly on Monday, a chief of military intelligence doesn’t have «his own hour» - strictly fixed time in the order of the day for a report to the president of the country. Existent system of «marking» - i.e. receive of intelligence information and analysis by the high leadership - deprives the politicians to direct approach towards GRU.

GRU chief, deputy head of General Staff - Korabelnikov Valentin Vladimirovich

  • First department (agent intelligence)

It has five departments each one accounts for its set of European countries. Each department has sections by the countries.

  • Second department (front-line intelligence)

It includes 7 directions acting in the Western hemisphere:

  • First - controls tactics intelligence.
  • Second - leads agents recruiting and set agent’s networks.
  • Third - accounts for operations on detachments of special purpose in these countries.
  • Fourth (information) - information collection and analysis.
  • Fifth - answers for radio- and electronic interception.
  • Sixth - OSNAZ.
  • Seventh - accounts for communication codifying and security.
  • Third department (Asian countries)
  • Fourth (Africa and North East)
  • Fifth.  Department of operative-tactic intelligence (intelligence at military objects).

Army units of intelligence are subordinated to this department. Naval intelligence is subordinated to the Second department of Naval Staff which in its turn is subordinated to the Fifth GRU department. The Department - is a coordination center for thousands of intelligence structures in the army (from intelligence departments of the districts to special divisions of the units). Technical services: communication centers and code service, computer center, special archive, service of business logistics and financial supply, department of planning and control and besides personnel department.

  • Sixth department

It includes Center of space intelligence - at Volokolamskoye schosse, so-called «object K-500».

Department leads the actions of OSNAZ - detachments of Special Purpose subordinated to the First and Second divisions of the Sixth GRU department. Their functions is radio- and radio-technical  intelligence.

Analysis and processing of the got by such a way information are allotted upon so-called «system Patrol (Dozor)» which is situated at the central building of GRU, Khoroshevskoye schosse («object K 200»).

  • Sovinformsputnik, official GRU  dealer of satellite photos trade
  • Seventh department (answers for NATO). Has six territorial departments.
  • Eight department (work on especially marked out countries)
  • Ninth department (military technologies)
  • Tenth department (military economy, military production and sales, economic security)
  • Eleventh department (strategic nuclear forces)
  • Twelfth department
  • Administration and technical department
  • Financial department
  • Operative-technical department
  • Decode service
  • Military Diplomatic Academy (cant word - «a conservatory») located by Moscow metro station «Oktyabrskoye pole».

1st faculty. Prepares «coats», i.e. those who shall work under the embassy «cover» in residencies.

2nd faculty. Prepares officers of military attaches.

3rd faculty. Prepares officers of operative-tactic intelligence which distributed to the headquarters of military districts. About 200 persons annually graduated from «the conservatory».

  • First GRU department (production of forged documents)
  • Eight GRU department (security of internal GRU communications)
  • Archive GRU department
  • Two NII (Scientific-research Institutes)

Detachment of special purpose (Spetsnaz)

24 subversion and storm units of total strength up to 25 thousands persons present the army’s elite notably exceeding by level of training and armament the Military Landing forces and «the courtier units». Brigades of Spetsnaz - is a forge of the intelligence: a probation candidate to «the conservatory» should have a rank no lower than a captain and had to serve at the Spetsnaz for 5-7 years. Traditionally a numerical proportion between residents of GRU and KGB (now SVR) was and is as approximately 6:1 in favor of «pure intelligence».

Modern structure of Intelligence headquarters by General Staff of Armed forces  forms a state secrecy. Presented here structure was compounded on the basis of Viktor Suvorov book and publications in press.