Russian Spetsnaz
Special purpose forces operating from the shadows of the Cold War to modern conflicts.
Spetsnaz, short for spetsialnogo naznacheniya or "special purpose," refers to the special operations forces of the former Soviet Union and modern Russia. While the term historically designated units of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), it now encompasses branches subordinate to ministries including defense, internal affairs, and emergency situations in nations inheriting these structures from defunct Soviet agencies. The widespread use of "Spetsnaz" is a post-perestroika development; prior to the late 1980s glasnost policy under Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet public knew little about these forces. It was only after state secrets were disclosed and books like Viktor Suvorov's 1987 "Spetsnaz: The Story Behind the Soviet SAS" appeared that stories of their prowess captivated both Russian and Western imaginations.
Quick Facts
- Affiliation
- Russian Federation; Soviet Union
- Role
- Special Operations Forces
Lore & Background
The roots of Spetsnaz trace back to the Russian Civil War, where the Soviet regime established "Tschasti Osobogo Nasatschenia" (Units for special use) in 1918 to act against anti-Communist workers and farmers. Operating up to 300 km behind enemy lines, these elite troops, selected for being under 30 and often athletes or hunters, cooperated with local partisans to blow up 700 km of railways using 3,500 explosive charges.
Reader's Guide
During the Cold War, Spetsnaz operations were diverse. In 1968, during the invasion of Czechoslovakia to halt "Socialism with a Human Face," these units secured key points in Prague, including the airport, bridges, radio stations, and the president's palace. Later, some 3,300 Soviet experts, including Spetsnaz, were sent to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Rumors persisted of men with blue eyes testing new SVD Dragunov sniper rifles in South Vietnam, while John Stryker Meyer of Studies and Observation Group RT Idaho reported two encounters with suspected Spetsnaz units operating in Laos in 1968. Their mission included evaluating Soviet radars against American aircraft; they recovered a cryptographic code machine and an F-111A escape capsule now housed in a Moscow Museum.
Did You Know?
- In 1943, 316 OGBM miner units were dropped by parachute to blow up 700 km of railways using 3,500 explosive charges.
- During the Soviet-Afghan War's Operation Storm-333 on December 27, 1979, approximately 660 operators stormed the Tajbeg Palace, killing President Hafizullah Amin and over 300 guards in just 40 minutes.
- Viktor Leonov, a prominent Soviet frogman, bluffed over 3,500 Japanese soldiers into surrendering at Port Vonsan with only 140 men.
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