Spetsnaz

Spetsnaz iálnogo naznachéniya) is a Russian word to refer to the elite military and police special forces commandos of the current Russian Federation. Its literal translation would be "special designations unit." In other countries the word Spetsnaz is used to refer specifically to the special forces of Russia and other former member countries of the USSR.

History

Soviet special forces were consolidated after World War II, when the Red Army operated special task force detachments behind enemy lines. These forces depended on the NKVD and functioned as sabotage and destabilization units. After the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, the units were reorganized as part of the Army, under the Ministry of the Interior (MVD).

In the 1950s, special detachments were created within Soviet airborne units, such as assault battalions or airborne special forces. In the midst of the Cold War, Soviet units specialized in surveillance, sabotage and even infiltration missions behind enemy lines began to be designated as Spetsnaz. In this sense, it is necessary to differentiate two types of units, those integrated into the intelligence service of the armed forces and those dedicated to counterterrorism operations, originally from the KGB.

On October 24, 1950, the Spetsnaz GRU was created as a special unit. Subordinated to the Central Intelligence Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (Ministry of Defense), it has participated in conflicts such as those in Afghanistan, Chechnya and, it is believed, in Syria. Its main function in times of war is infiltration behind enemy lines, sabotage of infrastructure, counterinsurgency operations and specialized support to conventional units. They are specialists in assassination, demolition, espionage and intelligence operations. The Russian army, airborne forces and navy have Spetsnaz GRU among their ranks.

The creation and sponsorship of the naval Spetsnaz brigades is due to Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov, when he was acting Minister of Defense in 1957.

In 1974, the FSB Spetsnaz were created, subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. They must be differentiated between the Alfa Group, the Výmpel Group and the Smerch Group.

Alpha Group or Department 'A':

Created in 1974 at the initiative of the then head of KGB Yuri Andrópov, with the formal role of the anti-terrorist struggle. The assault on the presidential palace in Kabul (Operation Tormenta-333) defended by several hundred bodyguards was the blood baptism of the Alfa department. In Afghanistan, the Alpha group participated in numerous special operations.

Výmpel Group or Department 'V':

Created in 1981 by Colonel Yuri Drozdov. It is responsible for subversive counter-terrorism operations, with the aim of destabilizing foreign governments and capturing key installations. His creation is more recent and his exact role remains unclear.

Smerch Group or 'S' Department:

Created in 1999. Smerch officials frequently participate in the capture and transfer of several highly dangerous criminal bandits and leaders. Operations include both direct action against bandits and high-profile arrests and monitoring of government officials.

Etymology

The Russian abbreviation SPETSNAZ (Spetsiálnogo Naznachéniya), sometimes pronounced 'SPECNAZ', and OSNAZ (Osóbogo Naznachéniya), both meaning 'special purpose', are commonly used to refer to to the variety of special operations forces, or regular forces assigned to special tasks.

The term Spetsnaz was later used to refer to special purpose and special operations forces. The Soviet public used to know very little about their special forces until after glasnost, carried out by Mikhail Gorbachev, many state secrets were revealed. From that time on, stories about the Spetsnaz and their supposedly incredible exploits, some real and others highly questionable, captured the imagination of Russian patriots, particularly during perestroika and the post-Soviet era. Also a large number of books about Soviet special intelligence forces, such as the 1987 book "Spetsnaz: The Story Behind the Soviet SAS", published by former agent Viktor Suvorov, helped introduce the term Spetsnaz in Western countries.

Spetsnaz GRU

The Spetsnaz GRU is the special operations unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate, the intelligence service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Formed on October 24, 1950, the Spetsnaz GRU was the first unit to receive the name Spetsnaz. Considered some of the most effective infantries in the world, due to their secret nature, the Spetsnaz GRU units do not have names like the Spetsnaz of the FSB or the MVD, but only has a number (such as "18th Spetsnaz Brigade"). The information known about the operations of the Spetsnaz GRU is very limited, but it is known that they have participated widely in conflicts such as those in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

The special units dependent on military intelligence (GRU) are organized into the following independent brigades:

2nd Brigade SpN GRU - Founded in the Leningrad Military District.

3rd SpN GRU Brigade - Assigned at its founding to Berlin - East Germany. Volga-Ural military district.

10th Brigade (mountain) SpN GRU. Krasnodar region. North Caucasus Military District.

12th Brigade SpN GRU - Founded in the Transcaucasian military district (USSR). Initially located in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. Currently in the Volga-Ural military district.

14th SpN GRU Brigade - Founded in the Eastern Military District. Located in the city of Ussuriysk.

16th SpN Brigade GRU - Founded in the Moscow Military District. Ryazan.

22nd Brigade SpN GRU - Initially founded in Azerbaijan, currently located between the Russian autonomous republics of North Ossetia and Ingushetia. It currently has battalions formed by Chechens, such as the Vostok and Západ battalions. North Caucasus Military District.

24th Brigade SpN GRU. Siberian military district.

Apart from this, there are also several independent battalions, such as:

216th Battalion SpN GRU. Moscow. Moscow Military District.

67th Brigade Spn GRU.

Spetsnaz of the VDV RF

• 45.a Special Designation Guard Separated Brigade

FSB Spetsnaz

The FSB (former KGB) has 3 special forces groups: Alfa (А), Výmpel (V), also called "Vega", and Smerch (S). Alpha Team specializes in counterterrorism and is one of the most respected special units in the world. Team Vega is a relatively new squadron, made up of members of the original Vega squadron (which belonged to MVD, before the USSR broke up), and veterans of "Výmpel", one of the most feared sabotage groups during the Cold War.. The new Vega group is responsible for foreseeable operations, mainly concerning atomic plants and nuclear levels on the planet.

MVD Spetsnaz

The MVD has some Spetsnaz units of the Interior Troops, such as «Vityaz», «Rus», «Rósich», «Skif», «Grom», etc. The soldiers of the army's Spetsnaz troops are highly trained and well equipped. For example, the "Rus" unit has participated in many combats in Chechnya, with a few civilians killed against hundreds of Chechen rebels (approximately 1 to 200). Their missions vary from reconnaissance missions to assault, including supporting the Alpha team during anti-terrorist operations.

Operational

Missions

In the beginning, the commandos had to destroy the means of launching nuclear weapons and their establishment, command and control. Later they would be assigned more missions: destruction of air defense systems, artillery, headquarters, airfields, ports and special units. They were expected to have no exact knowledge of the situation of their targets, and that Spetsnaz would locate them with electronic and visual means.

Weapons

Among the little that is known about the weapons used by the Spetsnaz is the use of AK-74, AN-94 and AK-103 assault rifles. They are also known to use 9.2 mm caliber pistols with silencers (PB and APB), as well as their great specialization in the use of edged weapons. The members of this unit have a special combat knife, called NR-2, which by activating an automatic device is capable of launching the blade with enormous force for use over short distances. Also used are the SVD Dragunov, the RPG-16 rocket launcher, the SA-14 portable anti-aircraft missile launchers, as well as the OSB-96 sniper rifle. Spetsnaz members also receive training in handling foreign weapons.

The Spetsnaz belonging to the Navy have a special assault rifle, capable of firing underwater with a range close to 100 meters, and with the SPP-1 underwater gun, whose range It is between 7 and 17 meters.

Spetsnaz units were very familiar with the use of fragmentation explosives, which can be used as Claymore mines. As for their transmission equipment, they use small radio stations with high-speed transmissions.

Organization

The Spetsnaz are organized mainly into brigades, to which are added independent Spetsnaz companies attached to the armies:

• An independent army company (approx. 41 in total).
• A brigade per front (approx. 16 in total).
• A naval brigade per fleet (4 in total).
• A regiment by Commander-in-Chief of Central Directorate, equivalent to a theatre of operations (3 in total).
• A unit of information per front and fleet (20 in total).

An independent company Spetsnaz is made up of 9 officers, 11 non-commissioned officers and 95 men. In total 115 men who can operate in 15 separate and independent groups. Within the organization chart of the Spetsnaz company there is a basic unit that consists of a team of 8 to 10 soldiers with one officer. Each team is provided with a specialist in transmissions, reconnaissance, medic, explosives and sniper.

The Spetsnaz brigade has 3 to 5 battalions, with some additional specialized companies, with a force of between 1000-1300 men that can be subdivided into about 135 groups. The Plana Mayor company had to be able to remain for long periods in the enemy rear, in civilian clothes and with a command of languages to go unnoticed. It comprised between 50 or 60 men, trained for the physical elimination of enemy political and military leaders.

The naval Spetsnaz follow the structure of the Russian Marine Corps, with an estimated force between 1,000 and 3,000 men. Each naval brigade is structured into:

• An information company.
• Another anti-personality.
• Specialized battalions: Two or three combat divers, a parachute battalion and a group of pocket submarines.
• One transmission company and one logistic support company.