Coat of arms or symbol of intelligence. Symbols of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR)

There is an opinion that the traditional symbol of Russian military intelligence is a bat. However, few people know when and under what circumstances these bats suddenly acquired such a status. From time immemorial, November 5 was celebrated as the annual holiday of military unit 45807, better known as the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. On this day, in 1918, by secret order The Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic No. 197/27 announced the staff of the Field Headquarters of the RVSR, which included the Registration Directorate, which was in charge of all issues of undercover intelligence. And although this staff was approved by the Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council E.M. Sklyansky, Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the Republic I.I. Vatsetis and member of the Revolutionary Military Council K.Kh. Danishevsky four days earlier on November 1, and in order No. 1 on the Register of November 8, 1918, it was said: “The Registration Office of the RVSR Field Headquarters is considered formed from November 1 of this year. ...”, later the day of the annual holiday was exactly the 5th. 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.

But let's go back to 1993, when the Russian 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 Forces2, as well as the Russian contingent of peacekeeping forces in Transnistria, had already acquired their own officially approved sleeve insignia (the letters “MS” on the blue rectangular patch) their bosses or not, but they, nevertheless, bypassed 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. 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. Special forces and units also widely used various versions of sleeve insignia made based on the approved pattern. But starting in 1998, the bat began to be gradually replaced by the new symbol of military intelligence, the red carnation, which was proposed by the famous heraldry artist Yu.V. Abaturov. Initially, it appears on the breastplate "For service in military intelligence"5, in 2000 it becomes an element of the large emblem and the new sleeve insignia of the GRU6 and, finally, in 2005 it finally occupies a central place on all heraldic badges, including sleeve patches.

It remains to be added that the palm in the use of the image of a bat belongs to the air forces of Great Britain and the United States: for the first time, bats appeared on the emblems of British and American squadrons back in the First World War. In the early 1920s, they became widespread in the aviation of the US Navy and Marine Corps, and during the Second World War in the Royal Air Force of Canada and the Union of South Africa. The image of a bat is used on the emblem of the military intelligence of South Korea and the naval intelligence of Israel. As for "our" bat, it was borrowed and is still used on the sleeve insignia of the intelligence units of the armed forces of Ukraine (16, 26 and 54- th separate reconnaissance battalions, 1457th reconnaissance artillery regiment, 50th special training center, special forces units) and Belarus (113th separate reconnaissance battalion, reconnaissance units of the 103rd and 317th separate mobile brigades, 153rd separate radio engineering brigade , 12th and 83rd communication centers, special forces). At the same time, the sleeve insignia of the Belarusian mobile brigades are almost exactly the same as their Russian counterparts.

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 the 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 intelligence 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 battalions of engineering barriers, 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 brigades of the GRU special forces - 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 ordinary units were saved by the lives and health of fighters whose chevrons flaunt 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 account 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.

There are as many legends and fictions as there are about these people, probably not invented about any military specialty. On November 5, military intelligence officers will celebrate their holiday for the 10th time. All those who are connected in one way or another today or were connected in the past with military intelligence will gather at the table, remember something, tell the next "tales". They will drink the traditional one hundred grams, commemorate their dead friends.

I had to visit such "mezhdusoboychiki". And it has always amazed me how much the image created in our head by films and the memories of eyewitnesses does not correspond to reality. Yes, among the operational-tactical link of intelligence, one can meet quite impressive people in terms of size and strength. But not "Schwarzeneggers" for sure. Strong, big people. With good sports training.

But in the link of strategic intelligence ... A complete break in the pattern. Ordinary, often gray-haired, men, of which there are many on the street. More often kind than "with steel characters." You will meet such a person on the street and you won’t even think that he is involved in some serious military affairs. But it was these guys who traveled the world back in Soviet times. Worked in the armies of many countries.

Often asked about the date itself. What was the "starting point" for the new holiday? After all, intelligence has existed exactly since the first army appeared.

Indeed, the history of military intelligence began in the distant 1654 under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. It was then that the first specialized order was created in Russia, which dealt specifically with intelligence - the Order of Secret Affairs. Moreover, we must pay tribute to the military leaders of that time, the order became one of the most effective governing bodies of that time.

So where did the date November 5 come from? This date is the legacy of the Red Army. It was in the Red Army that the Field Headquarters of the Red Army of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic was created. This decision was made on November 1, 1918. And on November 5, the order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic No. 197/27 was issued. It was this order that became the basis for the creation of the department, which became the prototype of the GRU: the Registration Directorate for coordinating the efforts of all intelligence agencies of the army.

The first body of the Republic was called in accordance with the revolutionary trends - Register.

Many people know about the intelligence activities of the GRU. Or rather, they assume. But few people know that the famous and terrible Smersh for enemy spies and their accomplices, created in April 1943, was also organizationally part of intelligence.

Most people who are not associated with such organizations are firmly convinced that military intelligence deals with issues related to the armies of other states. If the military, then experts specifically on military issues. However, this is not the case.

Strategic and operational intelligence for military intelligence is indeed a priority. However, no one relieves the GRU of the task of resolving other issues. This includes military-technical intelligence, military-political intelligence, environmental intelligence, military-economic intelligence... To enumerate the tasks of modern intelligence officers is not a thankful and even stupid task. There are no issues that in the modern world are not connected with the army.

The "eyes and ears" of our army today are equipped with the most modern equipment and weapons. Information for scouts today is available in the widest range of possibilities. From the ocean depths to outer space. But no one forgets the old, traditional methods of reconnaissance. The GRU agent network is a rather serious argument in disputes with the opposite side.

I would like to pay special attention to the GRU special forces. This year this structure is 66 years old. Yes, only 66! Special forces units of the GRU of the USSR were created in 1950. Today it is not possible to talk about the number and composition of the divisions of this structure. The composition and number of such units is strictly secret.

But what they are capable of sometimes gets into the press. Now in one country, then in another, events are taking place that cannot be called otherwise than a "miracle". Dictators die, the arsenals of armies ready to attack neighboring states explode, terrorists miraculously become complaisant negotiators and release hostages, allies for some reason start to fight each other, instead of a prepared operation to capture something.

It is difficult to overestimate the activity of military intelligence officers. It is possible to underestimate, due to the secrecy of most operations. But it was military intelligence that stood and stands at the forefront of Russia's defense. It is the scouts who will be the first to report an impending attack or sabotage. It is the scouts who will help find the gangs of terrorists. It is the intelligence officers in peacetime who are actually at war.

I would like to touch on a topic that is heard today in most media. At the hearing thanks to the intelligence department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Military intelligence emblem theme. Many remember and saw the popular bat against the backdrop of the globe. The emblem of the Soviet intelligence officers.

By the way, this sign has never been the official emblem of the GRU. There is no order to approve him as such. But there is an order to wear uniforms and emblems of units and subunits of the garrison. So, military intelligence officers have always been tankers, paratroopers, artillerymen and other representatives of the garrison majority. Yes, and the mouse, it seems to me, appeared already at the end of the 20th century. More precisely, in the late 80's - early 90's.

After the adoption of the new Federal Law "On Military Duty and Military Service" on February 11, 1993, where it was directly indicated the obligation to indicate belonging to the type of troops with sleeve chevrons, a lot of "animal" emblems appeared. Echoes of this event you can see today on any beach in Russia. Wolves, scorpions, eagles ... Against the background of the emblems of the Airborne Forces, the globe and other things ...

Therefore, in 2002, the GRU adopted the official emblem - a red carnation on a black background and a grenade in the center. But there is still a mouse "lying" on the floor in the headquarters of the GRU of the Russian Federation! But next to the wall is really a carnation.

We have already written about the hard everyday life of army intelligence. The fact that these guys are the elite of our armed forces is undeniable. Training, training, exercises. And absolute privacy.

And it so happened that exactly on the eve of the holiday, at the training ground where the regular exercises were held, we, without even imagining it, were the first to fly into reconnaissance.

Good roads rarely lead to interesting places. And even more so at the landfills, the more disgusting there, the more informative in the end. And at the end of this direction, so to speak, we saw buildings that were not there last time. Well, we decided to drive up, since, it seems, the direction quite allowed.
Two merry fellows in off-white overalls on top of the "Gorki", fully equipped, joyfully informed us that we had arrived and were taken prisoner. Yeah, right now ... With the support of a representative of the press service of the Western Military District, we captured a reconnaissance group of a separate reconnaissance battalion of one of the Western Military District brigades based in the neighboring region.

We did not know that in the past two weeks this range has been significantly expanded in area and has become a place for practicing combat missions by all nearby units, since now it allows you to work with live charges for everything from mortars to self-propelled guns.

We started with huts. The situation has not been fully clarified, to knock out any information from intelligence is another occupation. But as we understood, the guys were too lazy to drag these huge tents for the sake of one night. And even more so, put them first, and then disassemble them. And then winter began with all the special effects.

I had to equip myself with a more equipped overnight stay ...

And then, the authorities, having seen the fruits of creativity, expressed their approval and ordered to make a training place out of this overnight camp. The place worked out just like we did.

The scouts themselves had to do completely different things. And they showed us them. The task was to organize a position for covert observation of the road.

This is not an attempt to shoot a winter landscape. It was I who filmed the place of the first NP. The stump was not real, but quite man-made.

The fighters immediately explained that in a combat situation, all equipment would be made of branches, sticks, wire and other inconspicuous materials. And then a plastic basin, processed with a bayonet-knife, came up quite well. When asked where they got a civilian plastic basin, the guys honestly looking into their eyes said that they had bought it. Mentally imagining where the nearest store is located, I mentally shuddered ...

Under the "stump" was a room about 2x1.5 meters. Assessing the size, I almost agreed that you can sit in it for more than one hour. Almost - this is because I really didn’t want to test it for myself, and the fighters were quite ready to put me there. But the weather and the prospect of returning in approximately the same camouflage (very dirty) made me agree "on time".

All the same dirty-snowy landscape. It seems that the traces should have shown where the cache was, but I saw it only when the head of the group gave the command "Serge, stick out the pipe!"

Seryoga pulled out. Burnt down the place. Under normal conditions, as commander Maxim explained, a plaster is wound onto the pipe, a little bit grabbed with dirty hands, and that's it, camouflage is provided.

Although it (the pipe) is not very noticeable anyway.

Third NP. It has not yet been completed, the fighters deployed a surveillance system.

Unfortunately, we could not wait for the end, it was time to start what we actually came for. So, saying goodbye and wishing success to our "prisoners", we left the reconnaissance group.

Personal impression: elite pofigists with great opportunities. In a word - intelligence!

So, on behalf of the editors and authors of the Military Review, let me congratulate those who wear "carnations" today and those who continue to wear "mice" on their professional holiday. "There are only stars above us!" Happy holiday "eyes" and "ears"!

The flag of the Russian Military Intelligence has several versions. One version uses a black canvas with an aspect ratio of 2:3 and a round emblem of the Russian military intelligence forces placed in the middle. The emblem is an image of the globe with a black bat hanging over it. At the top of the emblem is the inscription "Armed Forces of the Russian Federation", at the bottom - "MILITARY INTELLIGENCE". The inscriptions encircle the globe. The entire emblem is framed by a yellow border.

Another version of the flag also features a bat, but uses the flag of Russia as the background. At the top of the flag is the word "MILITARY", at the bottom - "INTELLIGENCE".

Symbolism

The bat is a symbol of the night and invisibility. It is depicted on the emblems of the intelligence troops of many countries.

Story

The bat emblem used on both versions of the flag became the official symbol of military intelligence (as well as some special forces units) in 1993. At that time, Russian military intelligence was preparing for the 75th anniversary. One of the GRU employees presented this symbolism to the department as a gift. Since October 23, it has been officially approved as a sleeve insignia.

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?

Intermonitor conducted its own investigation into this matter.

The mention of the origin of the "Bat", as a symbol of military intelligence, which has authorship, we found in an authoritative publication - the magazine "National Forecast", published by "ITAR-TASS Ural". For ITAR-TASS, in principle, it is typical to verify information - therefore, such a source deserves attention.

“The symbol of Russian military intelligence was invented by a journalist from Yekaterinburg. He claims that while serving in the special forces of the Northern Fleet in 1987, he drew the emblem for his group - a bat inscribed in a globe. She "protocolated" the overalls of all the fighters and commanders of the group. For the first time, the Severomorians publicly “lit up” the emblem in the summer of 1988 at the championship of special forces units in Pechory (now Estonian Petseri). The group then participated in the special forces championship for the first time, but performed successfully, and the emblem on the chest of the "fur seals" was remembered by the intelligence elite of the USSR. A few years later, the commander of the unit, Gennady Ivanovich Zakharov, already in the rank of rear admiral, with the "core" of his combat swimmers, went to serve in the guards of President Yeltsin. And the bat, invented then for internal circulation, began to live its own life., - said the publication.

Former Severomorsk special forces (currently serving in a number of Russian special services), the information of the National Forecast was confirmed. According to the eyewitnesses we interviewed, that mouse was exactly like the illustration in our material, but the globe was not round, but oval. Parallels and meridians were present on it. The mouse itself was exactly the same. And yet - there was not a single letter. On overalls there was only an emblem and numbers - each fighter has his own number. For example, the number 1412 meant "141 reconnaissance groups, 2nd number."

In 2002, "Bat" was replaced by carnation. This happened after a major scandal: “To streamline the riot of animals, birds and skulls that settled on the stripes of the military was beyond the power of even the department of military heraldry and symbols specially created in the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in 1994. At the moment, no one can say for sure how many types of sleeve patches exist in the Russian army.

The last straw that overflowed the patience of military commanders was the trick of one of the GRU special forces brigades. The commandos broke into the department of heraldry and demanded that another scorpion be approved as a symbol of the brigade. The response decision was tough: a single emblem was introduced for the entire GRU.

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.”

It is noteworthy that even after the replacement of the "Bat" with the "Red Carnation", not only the special forces and the "pear" did not stop considering the "mice" as their symbol, but the "Bat" was preserved on the floor at the headquarters of the Main Intelligence Directorate, adjacent to the "Carnation", attached to the wall of the hall.