Main Intelligence Directorate
Main Intelligence Directorate (GU/GRU) – Organizational Overview
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (officially the Main Directorate, GU; historically known as the GRU) is the Ministry of Defense’s military intelligence service. It is subordinate to the General Staff and is responsible for collection and analysis of foreign military intelligence across human, signals, imagery, measurement-and-signature, and cyber domains, as well as planning and support to special operations. The organization maintains specialized formations, including special purpose (spetsnaz) units and radio-technical intelligence elements. It is headquartered in Moscow; detailed internal structure, manning, and budgetary data are not publicly disclosed.
Leadership Verification – Director of the Main Intelligence Directorate
As of October 2024, authoritative public sources identify Admiral Igor Olegovich Kostyukov as the Director of the Main Directorate of the General Staff. He assumed the role in late 2018 following the death of his predecessor, Colonel General Igor Valentinovich Korobov (21 November 2018). There is no public confirmation that a Major General named Ruslan Kosygin serves as Director of the Main Directorate. Absent official publication or consistent corroboration, no change to that leadership status can be verified.
Historical Context – Radio-Technical Intelligence in the GRU
Within the Soviet and Russian military intelligence system, radio-electronic and signals intelligence have been core missions traditionally associated with the GRU’s specialized directorates (notably the Soviet-era 6th Directorate). The term OSNAZ (special purpose) historically denoted radio-technical formations tasked with interception, direction finding, and technical analysis of communications and other emitters. Following defense reforms in the late 2000s and the 2010 re-designation of the GRU as the Main Directorate (GU), radio-technical intelligence units continued to function as part of the Main Directorate’s collection architecture. Detailed contemporary organizational charts are not publicly released.
153rd Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Brigade (military unit 30695) – Overview
The 153rd Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Brigade (military unit 30695) is identified in open sources as a Main Directorate radio-technical intelligence formation. In Russian nomenclature, “separate” indicates direct subordination rather than assignment within a division, and “special purpose radio-technical” denotes a mission set focused on radio-electronic reconnaissance (signals and electronic intelligence, interception, and direction finding). Officially published basing details, internal structure, and equipment for military unit 30695 are not disclosed.
153rd Brigade – Functions and Capabilities (Publicly Attributed)
Public descriptions of Russian special purpose radio-technical brigades indicate capabilities that include monitoring of HF/VHF/UHF and microwave communications, passive technical collection against non-communication emitters, precision radio direction finding and geolocation, traffic and technical signal analysis, and the production of intelligence for operational and strategic consumers in the General Staff system. Such brigades typically operate a mix of fixed intercept sites and mobile collection platforms and maintain secure connectivity to Main Directorate networks. Specific systems fielded by military unit 30695 are not identified in official sources.
255th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit 75158) – Overview
The 255th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit 75158) is referenced in open sources as part of the Main Directorate’s radio-technical intelligence apparatus. Regimental formations of this type conduct radio-technical reconnaissance and direction finding in support of operational and strategic tasks. Authoritative public documentation does not provide confirmed garrison details, subordinate elements, or an official table of organization and equipment for military unit 75158.
255th Regiment – Functions and Capabilities (Publicly Attributed)
Open-source characterizations of Russian special purpose radio-technical regiments describe mission sets comparable to those of brigades, scaled to a regimental echelon. Functions include collection against voice and data communications and non-communication emitters, emitter mapping and geolocation in support of military operations, and delivery of time-sensitive technical reporting to the Main Directorate. Specific platforms, antennas, and analytic toolsets associated with military unit 75158 are not publicly enumerated.
Subordination and Inter-Service Integration
Special purpose radio-technical formations report within the Main Directorate structure and provide intelligence to the General Staff and operational commands. They coordinate with the Ground Forces’ Electronic Warfare Troops (responsible for electronic attack and protection) and with Aerospace Forces sensing enterprises, while retaining a distinct mission focused on collection and analysis rather than jamming or deception. Tasking and dissemination are conducted through secure channels; detailed command relationships below the strategic level are not publicly disclosed.
Infrastructure and Facilities – General Characteristics
Facilities associated with radio-technical intelligence units typically include secure garrison compounds, specialized technical buildings for intercept and analysis, antenna fields and mast arrays, vehicle parks for mobile collection systems, and dedicated communications nodes linked to Main Directorate networks. Remote posts may be emplaced to optimize propagation and line-of-sight for collection. Precise locations, layouts, access control measures, and internal communications architecture for military units 30695 and 75158 are not published in official sources.
Operational Employment – Context from Recent Conflicts
Public reporting in multiple conflicts—including the 2008 war in Georgia, operations in Syria since 2015, and the conflict in Ukraine since 2014—has described Russian use of radio-technical intelligence to support situational awareness, force protection, and operational decision-making. These accounts reference intercept, emitter mapping, and direction finding to inform commanders. Authoritative sources generally do not attribute specific activities in these theaters to identified Main Directorate units by number or designation.
Terminology and Designations
“Special purpose” (spetsialnogo naznacheniya) denotes missions supporting higher-level headquarters. “Radio-technical” refers to signals-focused reconnaissance of communications and other emitters. Russian “military unit” numbers (voinskaya chast, v/ch)—such as 30695 and 75158—are administrative identifiers widely used in internal correspondence and procurement documentation; they do not, by themselves, disclose a unit’s location, structure, or current operations.
Public Information Gaps and Classification Constraints
Detailed information on leadership below the director level, exact garrison locations, unit manning, equipment inventories, deployment patterns, and current operations for Main Directorate radio-technical formations remains classified under Russian law. Open-source references exist but are often fragmentary or inconsistent. In the absence of official publication, specifics for the 153rd Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Brigade (military unit 30695) and the 255th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit 75158) cannot be independently verified.