Spetsnaz

Spetsnaz (?????? ???????????? ?????????? - ???????/Voiska spetsialnogo naznacheniya - spetsnaz, {{IPA|/ʃpecnaz/}} in IPA) is a general term for "Special Forces, SpecOps" in Russian, literally "special purpose units". In Russian the term is commonly used to denote special forces of all countries, but in English it is used only for the Russian special forces. In fact, its use in English is usually associated with Russians writing in English or with writers making an attempt at linguistic authenticity. English language media generally refer to them as Russian special forces and, in fact, usually refer to special forces of any other country by a similar generic term.

Related Topics:
IPA - Special Forces - Russian

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Spetsnaz can refer to elite units controlled by the Federal Security Service (FSB) with counter-terrorist and anti-sabotage tasks, Ministry of Interior (of the police) MVD, and the army special forces controlled by the military intelligence service GRU.

Related Topics:
Federal Security Service - Counter-terrorist - Anti-sabotage - MVD - Special forces - GRU

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Strictly speaking all SPETSNAZ units operated by the KGB/FSB are called OSNAZ, an acronym for osobogo naznacheniya or "special purpose ". These units were originally raised for internal use against counter-revolutionaries, dissidents and other undesirables. There has always been a certain amount of shifting of personnel and units between both the GRU who control SPETSNAZ and the MVD with OSNAZ MVD and OZNAZ KGB or FSB, especially between the latter two.

Related Topics:
OSNAZ

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Spetsnaz carry out reconnaissance and social warfare missions in "peacetime" as well as in war. For example, it is known that the assassination of Afghanistan's president carried out by Spetsnaz in December 1979 was under the direction of the KGB.

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According to Vladimir Rezun, a GRU defector who used the pseudonym "Viktor Suvorov", there were 20 Spetsnaz brigades plus 41 separate companies. Thus, total strength of Spetsnaz forces in the 1980s could have been around 30,000 troops.

Related Topics:
Pseudonym - Viktor Suvorov

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