Military intelligence bat emblem. Flag "emblem of Russian military intelligence"

Today in the army special forces, and simply - the GRU special forces - will be celebrated with special pomp. October 24 occupies a special place in the life of any commando, simply because it is a memorable day in his honor, in honor of all those who over the past half century have given up public life in exchange for the right to always be at the forefront, even in peacetime. But this year, special forces units of the Russian Army are celebrating their 65th anniversary.

Although the age of the special forces is more than solid, its fighters celebrate their professional day only for the ninth time. The day of special forces units - one of the 14 memorable days of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - was established only on May 31, 2006 by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin No. 549 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

By order of Marshal Vasilevsky

The date of the memorable "special forces" day was chosen due to the fact that it was on October 24, 1950 that the directive of the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR and the Minister of War of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Vasilevsky and Chief of the General Staff General Sergei Shtemenko No. Org / 2 / 395832 was signed. By this document, 46 separate special-purpose companies were created in combined-arms and mechanized armies, as well as in military districts that do not have army associations, under the leadership of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff.

Each of these companies, according to the staffing table, had a strength of 120 people. Thus, in the first "call" of the Soviet special forces, there were 5520 fighters. Moreover, most of them, primarily company and platoon commanders, were front-line soldiers with vast experience. After all, despite the fact that formally the Soviet army never possessed special forces, in fact special forces existed in Russia, perhaps, since the time of Catherine II. After all, it was she who initiated the resettlement of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, who by that time already had a characteristic set of techniques and tactics, which a century later became known to the whole world under the name “plastun tricks”. Cossack scouts should rightfully be considered the forerunner of modern special forces units.

During the First World War, there were no permanent special forces units in the Russian Imperial Army: their functions were performed in the Cossack units by the same scouts, and in the regular units by the so-called hunting teams engaged in both front-line and deep reconnaissance. And only in 1918, under the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission, special-purpose units - CHON - were formed. However, their task was different: not so much reconnaissance as sabotage, subversive and counterintelligence, in fact, work, but the tactics and techniques used were actually the same.

And only in April 1942 did the first units appear in the Red Army, in the name of which there was the phrase "special purpose". During this period, several special-purpose engineering brigades were formed, which were intended to deploy a mine war. Each such brigade consisted of five to seven engineering barrier battalions, one or two electrical engineering battalions, which were responsible for the construction of electrified wire barriers, and a special mining battalion, whose specialization was radio-controlled mines and land mines.

The importance attached to these units and how specific the skills that the fighters of these brigades possessed can be judged by a simple fact. Then, in April 1942, Colonel Ilya Starinov, “the grandfather of the Soviet special forces”, a saboteur, who had already become a legend of the Civil War in Spain and the Winter War with Finland, was appointed commander of the 5th separate engineering brigade of special forces.

From the Korean jungle to the Afghan mountains

But still, all these predecessors and forerunners were not yet fully the special forces that, at the end of the Cold War, frightened the most desperate thugs from NATO special forces units. First of all, because they were not given the specific tasks that the GRU army special forces were supposed to solve. And he was charged with deep reconnaissance, which is also special-purpose reconnaissance, which was to be conducted in the deepest rear of the enemy.

Despite the traditional name, such intelligence pursued completely unconventional goals. In the event of the outbreak of the Third World War, the newly formed special forces units were supposed to advance far beyond the line of contact of the ground forces and operate in close proximity to the command posts and other strategic objects of the enemy. It was there that the GRU special forces were supposed to engage in sabotage and reconnaissance activities, depending on the situation, giving preference either to sabotage or to collecting data.

Therefore, the tasks of the Special Forces of the GRU - these units very soon began to be designated with such an abbreviation - included the destruction of command posts, mine and ground launchers of operational-tactical and ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, strategic bombers and nuclear submarines - carriers of nuclear weapons. And there is no need to talk about such usual cases for saboteurs as violation of enemy control, communications, power supply and communications systems. In practice, the special forces - at least, as far as it is known, and far from everything, and not even half, is known about its activities! - Never had to do this kind of work. But in fact, it was possible to organize and conduct a guerrilla war in the second half of the twentieth century.

By the end of 1963, the original special forces companies had grown into entire brigades. Initially, there were only ten of them, but in the end, after a few years, each Soviet military district and each fleet had one such unit, plus there was another unit that was directly subordinate to the GRU of the General Staff - that is, there were 21 GRU special forces brigades in the Soviet army. Separate combat missions, as far as is known, were carried out by Soviet special forces during the Korean War of 1950-1953, and in several local conflicts in the Middle East, and during the Vietnam War in 1965-1975.

But the biggest and most difficult test for them was the Afghan war of 1979-1989. Groups, detachments, separate battalions, regiments from two GRU special forces brigades - the 15th and 22nd, operated on Afghan soil, which were assigned the most difficult tasks. Complete statistics on these units in the public domain, of course, is not and cannot be. But from those fragmentary data that began to seep into the press (and sometimes openly declassified - for reasons that can only be guessed at), one can put together such a mosaic. The 15th Special Forces Brigade alone, and only in 1985-1989, lost 140 soldiers and officers killed, and itself managed to destroy and capture about 9,000 dushmans, including several dozen major leaders of gangs.

Always on guard

The same colossal work as in Afghanistan, the GRU spetsnaz did a decade later already during two Chechen campaigns and many local conflicts on the territory of the former USSR. It is difficult to calculate how many Russian soldiers and officers of conventional units were saved by soldiers whose chevrons bear the silhouette of a bat, the traditional emblem of the Russian GRU special forces. But there is no doubt that the people who in the 90s experienced the consistent collapse of the army and who, only thanks to their enthusiasm and loyalty to the oath, preserved the domestic special forces, did much more than they say.

Today, as part of the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, there are 14 units: eight separate brigades scattered across four military districts, a separate special forces regiment and a separate special purpose center "Senezh", as well as four naval reconnaissance points - the so-called naval units special forces.

The total number of these units is classified - as it should be. But it is safe to say that the number of modern Russian special forces, both professional officers and soldiers and sergeants of urgent and contract service, goes into the thousands. And all of them today, for sure - except perhaps those who are on duty - will say three traditional toasts: for us, for the special forces and for those who are no longer with them. But about whom we should always remember - those whose peace was guarded and guarded by the fighters of the Russian special forces.

The presented flag depicts the emblem of the GRU special forces - a bat against the background of the full moon.

History of our intelligence

November 5, 1918 is considered to be the birthday of the Russian (in those days, Soviet) intelligence. It was then that the Revolutionary Military Council approved the structure of the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, which included the Registration Directorate, which was then the prototype of today's GRU.

Special forces and units in the GRU appeared in 1950 after the signing of a secret directive of the USSR Military Ministry. New formations were intended for operations carried out deep behind enemy lines. To have a direct affiliation with the emblem of the GRU special forces was extremely honorable. Even at the present time, when serving on guard of the interests of the Motherland is not a priority for many, people who have gone through the special forces school are respected among friends and acquaintances.

Created and trained to infiltrate the territories of aggressive states, the GRU Spetsnaz units often participated in tasks far from their main profile.

Soldiers and officers of the GRU special forces were involved in all military operations in which the Soviet Union took part. Thus, the servicemen of various reconnaissance brigades reinforced many units conducting combat operations in Afghanistan. Although these guys no longer served directly under the emblem, but, as you know, there are no former special forces. They remained the best in any of the combat specialties, whether it was a sniper or a grenade launcher and many others.

GRU special forces and intelligence during the collapse of the USSR

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was restless in many union republics. Thus, after the elections held in Tajikistan, an open conflict began between supporters of the authorities and the opposition. The main duties of the fighters of the GRU brigades included ensuring the security of the government and the Russian consulate. By the way, around these years, the tradition of tattoos and tattoos appeared, mainly on the shoulder. Also, the strategic objects of the newly formed republic were given under the responsibility of the special forces.

Military intelligence and GRU special forces brigades in the North Caucasus

Naturally, the GRU special forces did not stand aside during the Chechen campaigns either.

The collapse of the Union was marked by a catastrophic drop in the overall level of combat readiness of army formations. As a result of this, it was literally necessary to “patch holes” with elite units. Units trained to take part in the most difficult operations behind enemy lines were sent to escort motorcades and other unusual actions. As a result of the monstrous miscalculations of the command, the country was losing its best forces. This period is one of the most tragic in the history of the GRU special forces. Nevertheless, despite all the difficulties, the fighters of the army elite did not shame the GRU special forces.

The second Chechen war also took place not without the participation of special forces. From the very beginning, the formations fought against sabotage detachments of terrorist organizations, blocked the channels for transporting weapons, and supplied intelligence to the troops of the regular army.

Bat - a symbol of military intelligence

The symbol of military intelligence is the bat. The choice of symbol is far from accidental. The bat has always been considered one of the most mysterious and secretive creatures operating under the cover of darkness. Well, secrecy, as you know, is the key to a successful reconnaissance operation. That is why this night wanderer settled on the flag of the Russian special forces.

Russian military intelligence is the most closed structure of the state, the only special service that has not undergone any special changes since 1991. Where did the "bat" come from, which for many years served as the emblem of the military intelligence of the USSR and Russia, and even after the official replacement with a carnation with grenade, did not leave the headquarters of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Russia?

November 5, 1918 is considered to be the birthday of the Russian (in those days, Soviet) intelligence. It was then that the Revolutionary Military Council approved the structure of the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, which included the Registration Directorate, which was then the prototype of today's GRU.

Just imagine: a new department was created on the fragments of the Imperial Army, which in one decade (!!!) acquired one of the largest intelligence networks in the world. Even the terror of the 1930s, which, of course, was a blow of enormous destructive power, did not destroy the Intelligence Directorate. The leadership and the scouts themselves fought for life and the opportunity to work in all ways. A simple example: today Richard Sorge, who has already become a legend of military intelligence, and then a resident of the intelligence department in Japan, simply refused to return to the USSR, knowing that this meant death. Sorge referred to the difficult situation and the inability to leave the seat vacant.

The role played by the activities of military intelligence in the Great War is invaluable. It was almost impossible to imagine that the intelligence department, which had been destroyed for years, would completely outplay the Abwehr, but today it is an established fact. Moreover, we are talking here about military intelligence, and about agents, and about Soviet saboteurs.

For some reason, the fact that the Soviet partisans are also a project of the intelligence department is little known. Detachments behind enemy lines were created by regular officers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The local fighters did not wear the emblems of military intelligence only because it was not advertised at all. The theory and methodology of guerrilla warfare was put in the 50s and the basis of the GRU special forces being created. The basics of training, the methods of warfare, the aim for the speed of movement - everything is in accordance with science. Only now the special forces brigades have become part of the regular army, the range of tasks performed has expanded (the nuclear threat is a priority), special weapons and uniforms are being introduced, on which the symbol of military intelligence is a subject of special pride and a sign of belonging to the “elite of the elite”.

Created and trained to infiltrate the territories of aggressive states, GRU Spetsnaz units often participated in tasks that were far from their main profile. Soldiers and officers of the GRU special forces were involved in all military operations in which the Soviet Union took part. Thus, the military personnel of various reconnaissance brigades reinforced many units conducting combat operations. Although these guys no longer served directly under the emblem, but, as you know, there are no former special forces. They remained the best in any of the combat specialties, whether it was a sniper or a grenade launcher and many others.

November 5 acquired its “open” status only on October 12, 2000, when the Military Intelligence Day was established by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 490.

The bat once became the emblem of military intelligence - it makes little noise, but hears everything.

"Mouse" on the chevrons of the GRU special forces soldiers for a very long time, they say that the first here was 12 ObrSpN. For a long time, all this was unofficial, but with the end of the Soviet era, the view of the "separation of duties" in the armed forces has changed. In the elite military units, they began to introduce appropriate insignia, and approved the new official symbols of military intelligence.

In 1993, when the national military intelligence was preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its creation. For this anniversary, someone who is fond of heraldry from among the employees of the GRU1 decided to present a gift to his colleagues in the form of new symbols. This proposal was supported by the head of the GRU, Colonel-General F.I. Ladygin. By that time, as is known, the Airborne Forces, as well as the Russian contingent of peacekeeping forces in Transnistria, had already acquired their own officially approved sleeve insignia (the letters “MS” on a blue rectangular patch).
We do not know whether the “heraldists-scouts” and their superiors knew about this or not, but they nevertheless circumvented the law. In the second half of October, the GRU prepared a draft report of the Chief of the General Staff addressed to the Minister of Defense with a description and drawings of two sleeve insignia: for military intelligence agencies and military special forces. October 22 F.I. Ladygin signed it "from the hand" of the Chief of the General Staff, Colonel General
M.P. Kolesnikov, and the next day the Minister of Defense, General of the Army P.S. Grachev approved the descriptions and drawings of sleeve insignia.

So the bat became a symbol of military intelligence and special forces units. The choice was far from random. The bat has always been considered one of the most mysterious and secretive creatures operating under the cover of darkness. Well, secrecy, as you know, is the key to a successful reconnaissance operation.

However, in the GRU, as well as the intelligence departments of the branches of the armed forces, districts and fleets, the sleeve badge approved for them, for obvious reasons, was never worn. But its numerous varieties quickly spread throughout the units and subunits of military, artillery and engineering reconnaissance, as well as anti-sabotage combat. In formations and units for special purposes, various versions of sleeve insignia, made based on the approved pattern, were also widely used.

Each unit of military intelligence has its own unique symbols, these are various variations with a bat, and some specific sleeve patches. Very often, individual units of the Special Forces troops (Special Forces) use predatory animals and birds as their symbol - it all depends on the geographical location and the specifics of the tasks performed. In the photo, the emblem of military intelligence 551 ooSpN symbolizes the wolf squad, which, by the way, was revered by scouts back in Soviet times, perhaps it was the second in popularity after the “mouse”.

It is believed that the red carnation is “a symbol of perseverance, devotion, inflexibility and determination in achieving the goals,” and the three-flame grenada is “the historical sign of the grenadiers, the most trained military personnel of the elite units.

But starting from 1998, the bat began to be gradually supplanted by the new symbol of military intelligence, the red carnation, which was proposed by the famous heraldry artist Yu.V. Abaturov. The symbolism here is extremely clear: carnations were very often used by Soviet intelligence officers as an identification mark. Well, the number of petals on the new emblem of military intelligence is five types of intelligence (ground, air, sea, information, special), five continents on the globe, five senses that are extremely developed in a scout. Initially, she appears on the insignia "For Service in Military Intelligence". In 2000, it becomes an element of a large emblem and a new sleeve insignia of the GRU, and, finally, in 2005, it finally occupies a central place on all heraldic signs, including sleeve patches.

By the way, the innovation initially caused rather a negative reaction among the soldiers and officers of the special forces, but when it became clear that the reform did not mean the eradication of the “mouse”, the storm subsided. The introduction of the new official combined-arms emblem of military intelligence did not affect the popularity of the bat among the fighters of the GRU army units; even a superficial acquaintance with the culture of tattoos in the Special Forces troops is enough here. The bat, as one of the main elements of the symbolism of military intelligence, was established long before 1993 and will probably always remain so.

One way or another, the bat is an emblem that unites all active and retired scouts, it is a symbol of unity and exclusivity. And, in general, it does not matter who we are talking about - about a secret GRU agent somewhere in the army or a sniper from any of the special forces brigades. They all did and are doing one very important and responsible thing.

So, the bat is the main element of the symbolism of Russian military intelligence, even despite the appearance of the “carnation”, it does not give up its positions: this symbol today is not only on chevrons and flags, it has also become an element of soldier folklore.
It is noteworthy that even after the replacement of the "Bat" with the "Red Carnation", not only the special forces and "pear" did not stop considering the "mice" as their symbol, but the "Bat" remained on the floor at the headquarters of the Main Intelligence Directorate, adjacent to the "Carnation", attached to the wall of the hall.

Today, the 2nd Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU GSh) is a powerful military organization, the exact composition and organizational structure of which, of course, are a military secret. The current headquarters of the GRU has been operating since November 5, 2006, the facility was commissioned just in time for the holiday, it is here that the most important intelligence information is now coming in, and from here the command of special forces military formations is carried out. The building was designed in accordance with the most modern technologies, not only construction, but also security - only selected employees can enter many of the "compartments" of the Aquarium. Well, the entrance is decorated with a giant emblem of the military intelligence of the Russian Federation.