MOSCOW S SPECIAL FORCES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88T00528R000100020021-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 27, 2008
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: April 1, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/03/27: CIA-RDP88T00528R000100020021-7
4P a
THE DIRECTOR OF
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
Approved For Release 2008/03/27: CIA-RDP88T00528R000100020021-7
 Approved For Release 2008/03/27: CIA-RDP88T00528R000100020021-7
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Moscow's Special Forces
There is now a fair body of evidence-in the form of
reliable sightings of frogmen and the tracks of mini-
submarines-to suggest that the Soviets have been using
Sweden coastal waters (including the approaches to its
most sensitive naval installations) for dress rehearsals by
their naval "diversionary brigades." These are the
maritime counterpart of the Soviet Union's Spetsnaz
forces, Moscow's equivalent of Britain's Special Air Ser-
vice or America's Green Berets. Some first-hand insights
into the structure and operations of Soviet special forces
have recently been offered by a former Soviet army of-
ficer who uses the pen-name Viktor Suvorov. We are able
to provide additional details.
Spetsnaz is the acronym for a Russian phrase meaning
"Special Detachments." The total strength of the
Spetsnaz forces, organized as independent companies
and brigades attached to the headquarters of Military
Districts, army groups in satellite countries and
Afghanistan, and the four Soviet fleets, is about 30,000.
They constitute an elite arm of the Soviet armed forces.
The men are predominantly Russians, Byelorussian and
Ukrainians (Jews and Central Asians, with the exception
of a few Tatars, are excluded) and they are chosen for
superior intelligence and physical strength. They are also
screened carefully for political loyalty; all Spetsnaz of-
ficers are required to be members of the Communist Party.
In time of war, the role of Spetsnaz is to go behind
enemy lines, destroy command centers, communications
and strategic bases, and to liquidate key political and
military leaders. To prepare for that role, Spetsnaz
recruits receive extensive training in foreign lapguages
and covers, and in methods of infiltration. They would
be able to count on networks of "sleeper agents", in-
cluding members of Soviet-controlled terrorist cells in the
West, in order to carry out their functions.
Their prowess has been demonstrated In two situations
in recent years: in Prague in 1968, where Spetsnaz
troopers were used to capture airfields and arrest
political leaders in advance of the Soviet invasion, and in
Afghanistan since 1979. Spetsnaz troops took part in the
assault on the Darulaman palace, spearheaded by a KGB
hit-team directed by Colonel Bayerenov (who was killed
by his own men in the confusion) in which President
Hafizollah Amin was murdered. More recently, they
have been involved in cross-border strikes against Mu-
jahideen sanctuaries inside Iran, and in counter-
insurgency operations in rebel-held territory. Their
fighting record has been notably superior to that of the
remainder of the Soviet expeditionary forces-officially
described by Moscow as the "Limited Contingent."
Mini-subs
The incursions into Swedish waters since 1981, a recent
embarrassment to the left-wing government of Olof
Palme, indicate the role Spetsnaz units might play in the
event of military hostilities between the Warsaw Pact
and NATO, as well as their commanders' attention to
realism in training exercises.
Each Soviet fleet has a Spetsnaz brigade which in-
cludes a battalion of paratroops, two or three frogmen
battalions, and a squadron of mini-submarines; each
mini-sub has a crew of between five and seven men.
Their major task, in wartime, is to infiltrate enemy ter-
ritory and knock out nuclear bases-including nuclear
submarines, before they could put to sea-and other
strategic targets.- Their- rehearsals- include maritime in-
filtration of the United States, and they are believed to
have conducted exercises in the Caribbean and along the
coastline of Cuba. k
According to recent military;defectors, the Soviet navy
has been keenly interested in developing mini-subs for in-
shore operations against NATO ports and naval bases
since World War III The midget submarine that is most
widely used at present weighs about 100 tons, and essen-
tial parts are manufactured at the Krasnoye Sormovo
plant in Gorky. Recently the Soviets have started produc-
ing an improved model, which ipay be nuclear-powered.
The standard mini-sub can carry two torpedoes or anti-
ship missiles, or six mines, or several frogmen in addition
to the crew. The original design was stolen from the
Italians. Today the Soviet military intelligence service,
the GRU, has standing orders to seek to obtain any new
technology relating to the miniaturization of underwater
craft. This ranks high on the list of priorities in its annual
requirements book. The mini-subs that had been in-
truding deep Inside Swedish waters are from the Diver-
sionary Brigade of the Baltic Fleet, whose targets are
West Germany and Scandinavia.
Since the range of mini-subs is not great, they are
Approved For Release 2008/03/27: CIA-RDP88T00528R000100020021-7