GRU (Soviet Union)

Main Intelligence Directorate
Glavnoje Razvedyvatel'noje Upravlenije
ГРУ СССР
Главное разведывательное управление
Agency overview
Formed5 November 1918
as Registration Agency; GRU since 1942
Preceding agencies
  • Fifth Department of the Russian Imperial Chief of Staff
  • Expedition for Secret Affairs
Dissolved7 May 1992
Superseding agency
Jurisdiction
HeadquartersMoscow
EmployeesClassified
Annual budgetClassified
Parent agencyMinistry of Defense
Child agencies
The emblem of the RVS

Main Intelligence Directorate (Russian: Главное разведывательное управление, romanized: Glavnoye razvedyvatel'noye upravleniye, IPA: [ˈglavnəjə rɐzˈvʲɛdɨvətʲɪlʲnəjə ʊprɐˈvlʲenʲɪjə]), abbreviated GRU (Russian: ГРУ, IPA: [ɡɨ̞‿rɨ̞‿ˈu], [gru]), was the foreign military intelligence agency of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces until 1991. For a few months it was also the foreign military intelligence agency of the newly established Russian Federation until 7 May 1992 when it was dissolved and the Russian GRU took over its activities.