Resurgence of GRU

[Red Ryder]

Good piece on GRU's operations in the Ukraine. I'm not as plugged in as other members here but I do read a lot of news that's not reported by the MSM and IMO this is how wars will be fought in the future and we need to be prepared for it.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articl...cret_weapon_military_intelligence_gru_ukraine

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

Interesting article, all though I must say its easy for GRU to look good against and outdated, under equipped and under paid government/military of a country such as Ukraine.

 

[pardus]

Interesting.

 

[Red Ryder]

Interesting article, all though I must say its easy for GRU to look good against and outdated, under equipped and under paid government/military of a country such as Ukraine.

What I thought was most interesting was how GRU and the Russian government are embracing this new kind of warfare regardless of who it's against.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

Actually it was pretty common for the old USSR to run UW operation throughout the 50-60's. The spread of the soviet union and its brand of communism was almost always political coupled with an underground insurgency, backed by mother Russia. I am not at all surprised that Russia (or Putin) would resort to what they know, especially as they attempt to expand the old Russian/USSR empire and reassert their global power.

 

[AWP]

Putin's ex-KGB who ran agents from East Germany* and we're supposed to be shocked when he embraces asymmetric warfare (or whatever the buzz phrase is. LIC/ UW/ COIN/ EIEIO)?

* - Kids, Germany was divided into two parts after World War II. (WWII is that war your grandfather and great-grandfathers won) So, East Germany was Communist and under the USSR's (the old Communist Russia, hence the meme about "In Soviet Russia...") influence while West Germany was a member of NATO. So a Russian working in East Germany is completely logical, assuming this is before you were born.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

Putin's ex-KGB who ran agents from East Germany* and we're supposed to be shocked when he embraces asymmetric warfare (or whatever the buzz phrase is. LIC/ UW/ COIN/ EIEIO)?

* - Kids, Germany was divided into two parts after World War II. (WWII is that war your grandfather and great-grandfathers won) So, East Germany was Communist and under the USSR's (the old Communist Russia, hence the meme about "In Soviet Russia...") influence while West Germany was a member of NATO. So a Russian working in East Germany is completely logical, assuming this is before you were born.

Oh snap! Someone else who knows history.

 

[pardus]

Ive read of Soviet agents using sub-machine guns to assassinate French intel guys in mainland France in the 50's-60's. Like @JAB said, this shit ain't new.

 

[AWP]

What I thought was most interesting was how GRU and the Russian government are embracing this new kind of warfare regardless of who it's against.

Things are coming full circle because everything is cyclical. GRU was in place in Afghanistan from the spring of 1979, so there was a time when GRU was the "go to" element. Of course, reputation in the Ukraine can be undone by an "oh shit" moment, but for now it appears the tide's coming in and they are riding it.

 

[pardus]

It'll be interesting to see if Spetsnaz is reformed and kept under GRU control.

 

[AWP]

It'll be interesting to see if Spetsnaz is reformed and kept under GRU control.

Putin's not an idiot. The world saw what JSOC accomplished over the last decade (probably because of all the books and movies) and you can bet Putin has already tasked some smart people to evaluate Russia's capabilities....if they haven't already reformed.

 

[Red Ryder]

They are definitely taking a cue from us and other western nations.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/05/08/russia_new_special_ops_command_afghanistan