Military Intelligence Day in Russia

Indestructible, legendary, mighty The epithets for our army are not loud or pretentious, but accurately reflect the essence These words fully reveal the character of the Russian person, his will and love of freedom From time immemorial, our army and navy have been famous for their military traditions But no traditions are simply born or revived Now we have about five dozen memorable dates and military holidays adopted to revive Russian military traditions, increase the importance of military service, popularize the army and navy, and recognize the merits of the military Of course, men have their main holiday - Defender of the Fatherland Day - especially those who served in active service Each of us has served or is serving in different branches of the military: navy, paratroopers, marines, artillerymen, motorized infantry and engineering troops For a military man in the past or currently serving, the day on which the holiday of his branch of the military is celebrated is no less important than February 23 Military Intelligence Day A holiday for our military, whose service is closely connected with military intelligence It doesn’t matter where you served: in an airborne reconnaissance company or in the GRU special forces, in the navy or in the air force The holiday was established in 2006 by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation November 5 is not a random date On this day in 1918, the Registration Directorate became part of the Field Headquarters of the Red Army, which was later transformed into the famous GRU of the General Staff Knowledge of the enemy's plans, its advantages and new developments in the military sphere have always been extremely important for the existence of the country Intelligence as a profession dates back more than a dozen centuries, and perhaps several millennia In Kievan Rus, intelligence is an important state matter The predecessor of the GRU, the Order of Secret Affairs, was created under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the 17th century Under Peter I, the receipt of intelligence data was placed on a state basis Russia is trying to lift the naval blockade and join the ranks of the strongest countries in the world The Military Regulations provided a legal basis for intelligence activities At the beginning of the 19th century, in a difficult geopolitical situation, an Expedition of Secret Affairs was created under the Ministry of War Soon the name was changed to the Special Chancellery under the Minister of War The Expedition's tasks included many areas of intelligence activity: intelligence collection in other countries, reconnaissance in border areas, as well as counterintelligence The modern history of the country's military intelligence begins in difficult conditions of a destroyed economy and civil war Military intelligence was initially used, in addition to strategic and operational purposes, to obtain military secrets and information about developments in military and related fields The Great Patriotic War fell upon the shoulders of military intelligence officers as a severe test During the war, glorious military traditions developed: devotion to the Motherland and people, loyalty to the oath, fortitude, courage and self-sacrifice About 10 thousand scouts were sent behind enemy lines in the first months of the war Partisan detachments were created Intelligence data often played a critical role in senior management's decision-making The effectiveness of our military intelligence has been demonstrated more than once in hot spots: in the Middle East, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Chechnya and others About 700 scouts were awarded the gold Hero Star Intelligence is the most important means of obtaining information, the eyes and ears of the army It allows you to solve different problems: military-political, military-technical and purely military It can use space developments and has extensive intelligence among potential adversaries The number, structure and personalities of the GRU are protected as state secrets The importance of military intelligence cannot be overestimated These include successful actions during the war, timely preparation for it, and the possibility of delivering a preemptive strike Counterintelligence played an important role in the history of the USSR In the spring of 1943, the famous “Smersh” was created; it was entrusted with the fight against spies, saboteurs, intelligence of opponents and “friends”, the fight against traitors and treason in the army Despite the ambiguity of historical facts, Smersh did his job, helping the country win the most difficult war Intelligence allows, if not to prevent a war, then to meet it fully armed, standing firmly on our borders The exploits of intelligence officers are sometimes unknown and become public decades later Many remain unknown, dying while performing military duty Honor and praise to military intelligence officers! Honor and praise to the worthy sons of Russia!