Spetsnaz Spetsnaz ( , ( спецназ , ) tr : " Voyska spetsialnogo " naznacheniya ; ) is an umbrella term for special forces in Russian ; its literal meaning is " special purpose forces " . Historically , the term referred to special military units controlled by the military intelligence service Glavnoye Razvedyvatel ' noye Upravleniye " GRU " . Etymology . The Russian acronyms SPETSNAZ ( " spetsialnogo naznacheniya " ) and OSNAZ ( " osobogo naznacheniya " ) , both meaning " special purpose " , are general terms used for a variety of special operations forces ( or regular forces assigned to special tasks ) . They are syllabic abbreviation s typical of early Soviet - era Russian , although many Cheka and Internal Troops units ( such as OMSDON ) used " osobogo naznacheniya " in their full names . " Spetsnaz " later referred to special purpose or special operations forces , and the word ' s widespread use is a relatively recent , post - " perestroika " development in Russian language . The Soviet public used to know very little about their country ' s special forces until many state secrets were disclosed under the " glasnost " ( " openness " ) policy of Mikhail Gorbachev during the late 1980s . Since then , stories about " spetsnaz " and their supposedly incredible prowess , from the serious to the highly questionable , have captivated the imagination of patriotic Russians , particularly in the background of the decay in military and security forces during " perestroika " and the post - Soviet era . A number of books about the Soviet military intelligence special forces , such as 1987 ' s " Spetsnaz : The Story Behind the Soviet SAS " by defected GRU agent Viktor Suvorov , helped introduce the term to the Western public as well . In post - Soviet Russia " " spetsnaz " " became a colloquial term as special operations ( " spetsoperatsiya " ) , from police raids to military operations in internal conflicts , grew more common . Coverage of these operations , and the celebrity status of special operations forces in state - controlled media , encouraged the public to identify many of these forces by name : SOBR , Alpha , Vityaz , and so forth . The term " spetsnaz " has also continued to be used in several other post - Soviet state s such as Belarus , Ukraine and Kazakhstan for their own special operations forces . In Russia , foreign special operations forces are also known as " spetsnaz " ( for example , United States special operations forces would be called " " amerikanskiy spetsnaz " " ) . Timeline . The concept of using special tactics and strategies was originally proposed by Russian military theorist Mikhail Svechnykov ( executed during the Great Purge in 1938 ) , who envisaged the development of unconventional warfare capabilities to overcome disadvantages faced by conventional forces in the field . Its implementation was begun by the " grandfather of the " spetsnaz " " , Ilya Starinov . During World War II , the Red Army reconnaissance and sabotage detachments were formed under the supervision of the Second Department of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces . These forces were subordinate to front commanders . The infamous NKVD internal security and espionage agency also had their own special purpose ( " osnaz " ) detachments , including many saboteur teams who were airdropped into enemy - occupied territories to work with ( and often take over and lead ) the Soviet Partisans . In 1950 , Georgy Zhukov advocated the creation of 46 military " spetsnaz " companies , each consisting of 120 servicemen . This was the first use of " " spetsnaz " " to denote a separate military branch since World War II . These companies were later expanded to battalions and then to brigades . However , some separate companies ( orSpN ) and detachments ( ooSpN ) existed with brigades until the dissolution of the Soviet Union . The " spetsnaz " included fourteen army brigades , two naval brigades and a number of separate detachments and companies , operating under the Main Intelligence Directorate ( GRU ) and collectively known as Spetsnaz GRU . These units and formations existed in the highest - possible secrecy , and were disguised as Soviet paratroopers ( Army " spetsnaz " ) or naval infantrymen ( Naval spetsnaz ) by their uniforms and insignia . Twenty - four years after the birth of Spetsnaz , the first counter - terrorist unit was established by KGB head Yuri Andropov . From the late 1970s through the 1980s , a number of special - purpose units were created in the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs ( MVD ) . During the 1990s , special detachments were established within the Federal Penitentiary Service ( FSIN ) and the Airborne Troops ( VDV ) . Some civil agencies with non - police functions have created special units also known as " spetsnaz " , such as the Leader special centre in the Ministry of Emergency Situations ( MChS ) . Soviet and Russian military special forces . The elite units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were formerly controlled , for the most part , by the military - intelligence GRU ( Spetsnaz GRU ) . 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 . The Russian Airborne Troops ( VDV , a separate branch of the Russian Armed Forces ) have a 45th Independent Guards Spetsnaz Regiment . Since 2010 , as a result of the 2008 military reforms , GRU special forces are under the control of the Ground Forces . Most military Spetsnaz units are known by their type of formation ( company , battalion or brigade ) and a number , similar to 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 Spetsnaz units in the Russian Armed Forces : KGB and FSB special forces . The Center of Special Operations of the FSB ( CSN FSB , " центр специального назначения ФСБ " ) is officially tasked with combating terrorism and protecting the constitutional order of the Russian Federation . The CSN FSB consists of three operative divisions : Department A ( " Spetsgruppa Alfa " ) , Department V ( " Spetsgruppa Vympel " ) and the Special Purpose Service . CSN FSB headquarters is a large complex of buildings and training areas , with dozens of hectares of land and scores of training facilities . The average training period for a CSN officer is about five years . Alpha Group is a counter - terrorist unit created in 1974 . It is a professional unit , consisting of about 700 operators and support personnel in five operational detachments . Most are stationed in Moscow , with the remainder in three other cities : Krasnodar , Yekaterinburg and Khabarovsk . All Alpha operators undergo airborne , mountain and counter - sabotage dive training . Alpha has operated in other countries , most notably Operation " Storm - 333 " ( when Alpha and Zenith detachments supported the 154th Independent Spetsnaz Detachment — known as the " Muslim Battalion " — of the GRU on a mission to overthrow and kill Afghan president Hafizullah Amin ) . " B " ( Vympel or Vega , among other names ) was formed in 1981 , merging two elite Cold War - era KGB special units — Cascade ( " Kaskad " ) and Zenith ( " Zenit " ) — which were similar to the CIA ' s Special Activities Division ( responsible for covert operations involving sabotage and assassination in other countries ) and re - designated for counter - terrorist and counter - sabotage operations . It is tasked with the protection of strategic installations , such as factories and transportation centers . With its Alpha counterparts , it is heavily used in the North Caucasus . Vympel has four operative units in Moscow , with branch offices in nearly every city containing a nuclear power plant . Little is known about the Special Purpose Service , but it participates in FSB special operations in the North Caucasus and guards government officials . With the Center of Special Operations and its elite units , many FSB special forces units operate at the regional level . These detachments are usually known as ROSN or ROSO ( Regional Department of Special Designation ) , such as Saint Petersburg ' s " Grad " ( Hail ) or Murmansk ' s " Kasatka " ( Orca ) . The foreign intelligence service , SVR , has its own paramilitary special force known as " Zaslon " ( Barrier or Shield ) . Soviet and Russian MVD special forces . The Ministry of Internal Affairs ( MVD ) " spetsnaz " includes a number of Russian Internal Troops ( VV , successor to the Soviet Internal Troops ) paramilitary units to combat internal threats to the government , such as insurgencies and mutinies . These units usually have a unique name and official OSN number , and some are part the ODON ( also known as Dzerzhinsky Division ) . The following is a list of Internal Troops OSNs ( " отряд специального назначения " , " special purpose detachment " ) in 2012 : In addition to Internal Troops , the MVD has Politsiya ( formerly Militsiya ) police special forces stationed in nearly every Russian city . Most of Russia ' s special - police officers belong to OMON units , which are primarily used as riot police and not considered an elite force — unlike the SOBR ( known as the OMSN from 2002 to 2011 ) rapid - response units consisting of experienced , better - trained and - equipped officers . The Chechen Republic has unique and highly autonomous special police formations , supervised by Ramzan Kadyrov and formed from the Kadyrovtsy , including the ( Akhmad or Akhmat ) Kadyrov Regiment ( " Kadyrov ' s " spetsnaz " " ) . Maroon berets . Servicemen of Russian Internal Troops ' special forces , as well as officers of special police formations and members of special units of the FSIN and FSKN , may compete for the distinction of wearing the " krapovyi beret " ( maroon beret , ) , awarded to the " most professional , physically and morally fit " sergeants and officers . Competitions are hosted twice a year by former Vityaz instructors . After preliminary physical - fitness and shooting tests , the main competition includes a 12 - km cross - country run in full combat uniform , a 100m sprint , urban - assault exercises ( including wall - climbing ) , acrobatics , and a 12 - minute free - style sparring match with three opponents . Fewer than 10 % of applicants pass the tests .