Moscow Intelligence Center
Executive Summary
The designations “Moscow Intelligence Center” and “military unit 46188” (including the derivative identifiers 46188-2, 46188-3, and 46188-4 attributed to GRU operational detachments) are not corroborated by authoritative open-source records as of September 2025. No publicly available, verifiable Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) or court, procurement, or sanctions documentation conclusively associates these specific unit numbers with an identified GRU site, headquarters, or subordinate elements. By contrast, several GRU entities and locations in the Moscow area are well documented in public sources, including the GRU headquarters at 76 Khoroshevskoye Shosse (Moscow) and GRU units 26165 and 74455 at publicly cited addresses. In the absence of authoritative public evidence for unit 46188 and its purported detachments, specific details such as location, infrastructure, mission, headcount, or chain of command cannot be provided.
Unit Identification: Military Unit 46188
Open-source data does not establish a definitive linkage between the label “military unit 46188” and a specific GRU formation, installation, or address. This designation does not appear in widely cited Western legal documents or sanctions that publicly enumerate GRU units (e.g., those that identify units 26165 and 74455). Without verifiable publication in Russian MoD orders, court rulings, procurement records, or credible disclosures, the existence and attributes of military unit 46188 cannot be confirmed from public sources.
Entity Name Check: “Moscow Intelligence Center” and “Moscow Intelligence Center HQ”
The formal title “Moscow Intelligence Center” (and a headquarters thereof) is not present in publicly accessible, authoritative Russian MoD references, nor in commonly cited Western legal filings, sanctions listings, or official releases that identify GRU structures. Russian military and security organizations frequently use numeric unit designations and institutional names such as “centers” (tsentry), but a specific, verifiable “Moscow Intelligence Center” corresponding to military unit 46188 is not established in open sources.
Subordinate Elements: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Operational Detachments (46188-2 / 46188-3 / 46188-4)
There is no authoritative open-source confirmation that the identifiers 46188-2, 46188-3, and 46188-4 correspond to GRU operational detachments subordinate to a parent military unit 46188. While Russian military organizations do employ detachments (otryady) as sub-unit structures, public, verifiable documentation for these specific suffix-designated elements is absent. Accordingly, details such as their missions, manning, equipment, and locations are not publicly available.
Known GRU Sites in Moscow and Moscow Oblast (Context)
Several GRU entities in the Moscow area are well documented. The headquarters of the Main Directorate (GRU/GU) is publicly known to be located at 76 Khoroshevskoye Shosse, Moscow. U.S. legal filings identify GRU unit 26165 (the 85th Main Special Service Center, GTsSS) at 20 Komsomolsky Prospekt, Moscow (119146), and GRU unit 74455 (the Main Center for Special Technologies, GTsST) at 22 Kirova Street, Khimki, Moscow Oblast. These references are widely cited in indictments and related public materials and demonstrate confirmed GRU infrastructure in and around Moscow.
Organizational Context: GRU Structure and “Centers”
The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU/GU) conducts military intelligence functions that include human intelligence, signals intelligence, cyber operations, and special operations. Publicly identified GRU formations often use the “center” (tsentr) nomenclature and numeric unit identifiers, as seen with the 85th Main Special Service Center (unit 26165) and the Main Center for Special Technologies (unit 74455). In open sources, these identifications are derived from official legal documents, sanctions, and investigative reporting; however, no comparable public record verifies a GRU entity identified as “military unit 46188.”
Location Analysis for Military Unit 46188
There is no confirmed open-source address, geolocation, or facility description for “military unit 46188” or a “Moscow Intelligence Center HQ” associated with it. Without an authoritative public reference—such as a court decision, government procurement notice, or official registry entry—geospatial characterization (coordinates, perimeter security, facilities, access, or support infrastructure) cannot be provided.
Infrastructure and Capabilities
Because military unit 46188 and the alleged detachments 46188-2/3/4 are not publicly documented in authoritative sources, there is no verifiable information on infrastructure, personnel strength, equipment holdings, command-and-control systems, or operational capabilities for these designations. Any such details, if they exist, are not publicly released.
Legal and Sanctions Record Check
Public Western legal and sanctions records have explicitly identified GRU units 26165 and 74455, and public reporting has attributed activities to unit 29155 and unit 54777. The designations “military unit 46188,” “46188-2,” “46188-3,” and “46188-4” do not appear in those commonly cited public materials. Absence from these records does not constitute proof of nonexistence; it indicates that these identifiers are not part of the publicly documented corpus to date.
Terminology and Numbering Notes
Russian military organizations use numeric “military unit” (voyennaya chast’, v/ch) identifiers in official and logistical contexts. Public visibility of such numbers varies; some appear in court documents, state procurement records, or international legal filings, while others remain undisclosed. Subordinate elements may be referenced internally with appended identifiers, but open-source conventions for rendering such suffixes are not standardized and are often inconsistent across unofficial reporting. No authoritative Russian MoD publication publicly confirms the use of the specific suffix forms 46188-2, 46188-3, or 46188-4.
Information Availability and Classification
Details that would definitively identify the location, structure, and activities of “military unit 46188” and the alleged detachments 46188-2/3/4 are not publicly available. If such information exists within Russian government holdings, it would reasonably fall under restricted or classified categories and is not released in open sources. Accordingly, no further specifics can be provided from verifiable public materials.