page_title: Spetsnaz
section_title: List and structure of Soviet and Russian military special forces
hierarchical_section_title: Spetsnaz / List and structure of Soviet and Russian military special forces
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Тренировка разведчиков ЗВО в Тамбове.
context_page_description: Spetsnaz is an umbrella term for special forces in Russian language and is used in numerous post-Soviet states.
  Historically, the term referred to special operations units controlled by the main military intelligence service GRU. It also describes task forces of other ministries in post-Soviet countries. Russian special forces wear different berets depending on the branch of the armed forces they belong to. These include:
  Ground Forces and Airborne Forces – Blue beret
  Navy and Marines – Black beret
  National Guard – Maroon beret
  As Spetsnaz is a Russian term, it is typically associated with the special units of Russia, but other post-Soviet states often refer to their special forces units by the term as well, since these nations also inherited their special purpose units from the now-defunct Soviet security agencies. The 5th Spetsnaz Brigade of Belarus is such an example of non-Russian Spetsnaz forces.
context_section_description: The elite units of the Soviet Armed Forces and Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are controlled, for the most part, by the military-intelligence GRU (Spetsnaz GRU) under the General Staff. They were heavily involved in secret operations and training pro-Soviet forces during the Cold War and in the wars in Afghanistan during the 1980s and Chechnya during the 1990s and 2000s. In 2010, as a result of the 2008 Russian military reform, GRU special forces came under the control of the Russian Ground Forces, being "directly subordinated to commanders of combined strategic commands."  However, in 2013, these Spetsnaz forces were placed back under the GRU. The Russian Airborne Troops (VDV, a separate branch of the Soviet and Russian Armed Forces) includes the 45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade. In 2009, a Directorate of Special Operations was established that reported directly to the General Staff not the GRU to establish the Special Operations Forces which in 2013 became the Special Operations Forces Command.
  The FSB Spetsnaz maintain a training base near the village of Averkyevo.
  Most Russian military special forces units are known by their type of formation (company, battalion or brigade) and a number, like other Soviet or Russian military units. Two exceptions were the ethnic Chechen Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad (East and West) that existed during the 2000s. Below is a 2012 list of special purpose units in the Russian Armed Forces:
  Special Operations Forces Command (KSSO)
  Special Operations Forces (SOF)
  Special Purpose Center "Senezh"
  Special Purpose Center "Kubinka-2"
  561st Naval Rescue Center
  344th Army Aviation Combat Center
  Main Intelligence Directorate (G.R.U)
  Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (Spetsnaz GRU)
  Following units belong to their specific military branches, but come under GRU operational control during wartime operations.
  Russian Ground Forces – fields 7 spetsnaz brigades of varying sizes and one spetsnaz regiment (25th).
  2nd Special Purpose Brigade – based in Promezhitsa, Pskov Oblast
  Brigade HQ
  Signals Battalion (2x Company)
  Support Company
  70th Special Purpose Detachment
  329th Special Purpose Detachment
  700th Special Purpose Detachment
  Training Battalion (2x Company)
  3rd Special Purpose Brigade – based in Tolyatti 
  Brigade HQ
  Signals Company
  Special Weapons Company
  Support Company
  Logistics Company
  330th Special Purpose Detachment
  501st Special Purpose Detachment
  503rd Special Purpose Detachment (2nd Battalion)
  509th Special Purpose Detachment (1st Battalion)
  510th Special Purpose Detachment
  512th Special Purpose Detachment
  Training School
  10th Special Purpose Brigade – based in Mol'kino, Krasnoyarsk Territory
  Brigade HQ
  Signals Company
  Special Weapons Company
  Support Company
  Logistics Company
  K-9 Unit
  325th Special Purpose Detachment
  328th Special Purpose Detachment
  Training Battalion (2x Company)
  14th Special Purpose Brigade – based in Ussuriysk
  Brigade HQ
  Signals Company
  Logistics Company
  282nd Special Purpose Detachment
  294th Special Purpose Detachment
  308th Special Purpose Detachment
  Training Battalion (2x Company)
  16th Special Purpose Brigade – based in Tambov, with all units deployed in Tambov except for the 664th SPD. 
  Brigade HQ
  EOD company
  Signals Company
  Logistics Company
  370th Special Purpose Detachment
  379th Special Purpose Detachment
  585th Special Purpose Detachment
  664th Special Purpose Detachment
  669th Special Purpose Detachment
  22nd Special Purpose Brigade – entire unit is based in Stepnoi, Rostov Oblast 
  Brigade HQ
  Signals Company
  Support Company
  Special Weapons Company
  Logistics Unit
  Engineer Unit
  108th Special Purpose Detachment
  173rd Special Purpose Detachment
  305th Special Purpose Detachment
  411th Special Purpose Detachment
  24th Special Purpose Brigade – based in Irkutsk, with all units and units deployed in Irkutsk
  Brigade HQ
  Signals Company
  Special Weapons Company
  Logistics Unit
  281st Special Purpose Detachment
  297th Special Purpose Detachment
  641th Special Purpose Detachment
  25th Special Purpose Regiment in Stavropol
  Russian
caption: 370th SPD conducting special reconnaissance training (2017).
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