Spetsnaz: The Inside Story of the Soviet Special Forces

by Viktor Suvorov

This is the first comprehensive insight for the West into a Soviet "army within an army" whose existence has been known until recently only to a few highly placed people--most of whom would deny it.


The spetsnaz Soviet special forces are one of the more shadowy and ruthless secret special forces in the world. Controlled by military intelligence (the GRU), spetsnaz units are recruited from the ranks of the toughest officers and men in the Soviet Army, the cutting edge of Soviety military might. In modern warfare their primary task is the destruction of enemy tactical nuclear weapons, but the training of anyone selected for spetsnaz prepares him or her for an unlimited range of tasks--from undercover activity as a member of a Soviet Olympic sports team to piloting a midget submarine.


As an officer in the GRU, the author was directly involved in the control and planning of spetsnaz. In this revealing and sometimes shocking book, he talks about his own experience; about the military code of an armed force that kills its own wounded; about the weapons, strategy, and training. For anyone interested in the true military capability of the Soviet Union, this book is essential reading.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Russia, War, Military History, Audiobook

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Former Soviet-Union army officer fled in 1978 to England. Where he worked as a teacher and a adviser for news agencies.

Author of a number of bestsellers about the history of the World War II, the Soviet Army special operations troops and military intelligence, and the Red Army.

He is one of the historians who believes that Hitler started the war against Russia to prevent Stalin attacking Germany first.

See also Виктор Суворов and Wiktor Suworow

Reviews

[Metodi Markov · Rating 3 out of 5]

На мен ми бе интересно през цялото време, въпреки повтарящата се понякога информация и на моменти сухото ѝ представяне. Суворов умее да систематизира и да формулира добре знанията и мислите си, това винаги е от полза за читателите му.

"Спецназ" е елита на една армия, нямащ аналог в другите по света - като се започне още от подбора на кадрите, обучението, снабдяването и задачите им. Това е много скъпо удоволствие, което само чудовище като СССР би могло да си позволи, без същевременно да го ползва особено много (Спецназ изпълнява задачи при интервенциите в Унгария 1956, Чехословакия 1968, Афганистан 1979 и при потушаването на един от първите бунтове при разпада на СССР - в Грузия 1989). Времето на конвенционалните и мащабни военни конфликти вероятно е отминало, поне за сега (уви не).

След разпада на Империята на злото, тези отлично подготвени убийци стават телохранители на престъпната корумпирана номенклатура, разпарчетосала и откраднала активите на страната или се вливат в организираната престъпност, за да внесат още жестокост и непредвидимост в прийомите ѝ. Ако ти пилят зъбите, точно за няколко минути ще си признаеш и неща, за които и не си подозирал, че знаеш...

За наш късмет и както практиката показва, Руската федерация не може да си позволи, най-вече поради страх на управляващите я нов Спецназ и затова се дъни навсякъде където може. Неуспешни са интервенциите в Украйна, Сирия и Либия, провалиха се в опитите да отровят Скрипал и Навални, успехи сигурно имат, но и гафовете им са огромни и водят до последствия, които не са много приятни за режима на ситния диктатор.

Надявам се скоро и този урод да се разпадне на части, нормалните хора ще дишат по-спокойно със сигурност.

Цитат:

"Кремълските диктатори имаха много инструменти, с чиято помощ удържаха милиони граждани в комунистическите свинарници."

"Корените на явлението “съвременен международен тероризъм” са в СССР."

Перефразирано по памет от мен:

През зимата на 1941 година по заповед на Сталин са унищожени от неговите диверсанти безброй домове и различни сгради в Белорусия и Украйна, обрекли по този начин на сигурна смърт от студ и глад стотици хиляди съветски цивилни люде. Не е чудно, че тези подпалвачи (предимно облъчени от съветската пропаганда девойки и младежи като Зоя Космодемянская) са висяли навред по дърветата, предадени на немците или направо бесени от собствените им сънародници.

Сталин изпраща лятото на 1943 година хиляди диверсанти в тила на врага, за да взривят жп линните в тила на нашествениците и по този начин да препънат немската офанзива при Курск. Като резултат са взривени всички линии, които би могло да се ползват от последвалото съветско настъпление, а пропуснатите поради силна немска охрана са унищожени при немското отстъпление... Поредният грандиозен гаф на "генералисимуса", коствал живота на хиляди войници.

P.S. В края на книгата са публикувани фотографии, чийто подбор ми изглежда напълно произволен...

[Wibisono Yamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book written by a defected USSR agent who wrote about his ex army corps, the infamous Spetsnaz, its history, training programs, skill sets, gear and war methods. He also shared his view on Russia's diplomatic vision: "The Soviet leadership and the Soviet diplomatic service adopt a philosophical attitude to all agreements. If one trusts a friend there is no need for a treaty; friends do not need to rely on treaties to call for assistance. If one is weaker than one’s enemy a treaty will not be any use anyway. And if one is stronger than one’s enemy, what is the point of observing a treaty? International treaties are just an instrument of politics and propaganda. The Soviet leadership and the Soviet Army put no trust in any treaties, believing only in the force that is behind the treaties.".
Good book for them who like military stuffs especially special forces.

[Sad Sherp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Дори и да си представим, че е художествена измислица, е добра измислица.
Всички живели и живеещи в сянката на СССР/ОНД/Русия знаят реалността на тази измислица - в различна степен.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Suvorov's The Aquarium , about his career and defection as a GRU officer, but Spetsnaz is simply not as compelling.

Suvorov provides an overview of the doctrine and training of Soviet special forces, the Spetsnaz. The overall objective of the Spetsnaz is strategic reconnaissance and chaos. Some categories of objectives are clearly military, to locate and destroy NATO nuclear weapons, aircraft, radar, and other key facilities on the eve of a general attack to clear the way for the Red Army. But Spetsnaz also has objectives of political terror and sabotage, using the weeks leading up to war to dislocate NATO infrastructure and political systems.

Spetsnaz training is self-consciously extreme, combining snake-eating machismo with the omerta of Russian prison gangs. Spetsnaz soldiers are desensitized to violence, hardship, and danger, and trained to use deception and torture to achieve their ends. Training includes frequent beatings, harsh survival exercises against the Siberian wilderness and Soviet internal security, and obstacle courses that include a literal maze of blood.

Suvorov reveals several secrets. The Soviet athletic complex is intimately bound up with Spetsnaz, with the top ranks of the organization consisting of Olympic quality athletes, especially those focusing on militarily useful sports like parachuting, scuba diving, and mountaineering. Western Europe is also riddle with Spetsnaz agents and safehouses, locations operated by non-political local pensioners stocked with supplies and vehicles. In the event of war, Spetsnaz soldiers will infiltrate to these prepared safehouses, stock up, kill their owners to ensure silence, and then carry out their attacks.

It's all very thrilling, very hardcore, but also somewhat abstract and graceless, especially compared to the sharp specificity of The Aquarium

[Sebastian Gebski · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Classic" Suvorov - entertaining (fairy)tales for big boys (mostly).

Of course, there are a lot of truths here as well, but as those are not that attention-catching, the book is peppered with myths, exaggeration, and half-truths that make it a bit grotesque. Expect standard (for Suvorov) criticism of communism mixed with (even more standard) mythologization of the skills & capabilities of special forces soldiers. Don't get me wrong, Spetsnaz (& other special units) are indeed hardcore-trained, have exceptional skills & took part in operations one would never believe, but there's "Suvorov's truth" & "true truth" :)

I hoped to learn something, at least from the chapter on Maskirovka, but even that one was disappointing. So, yeah, 2.8 stars - it's like Clancy w/o a plot :)

[Jared Perovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The clean towel ritual:
"That morning they had been divided up into companies and platoons. Before letting them back into their mud-covered, sodden tent at the end of the day each sergeant had time to show his platoon the extent of his authority.
'Get inside!'
There were ten young men crowding around the entrance to a huge tent, as big as a prison barracks.
'Get inside, damn you!' The sergeant urged them on
The first soldier thrust aside the heavy wet tarpaulin which served as a door and was about to enter when something stopped him. On the muddy, much trampled ground just inside the entrance a dazzlingly white towel had been laid down in place of a doormat. The soldier hesitated. But behind him the sergeant was pushing and shouting: 'Go on in, damn you!'
The soldier was not inclined to step on the towel At the same time he couldn't make up his mind to jump over it, because the mud from his boots would inevitably land on the towel. Eventually he jumped, and the others jumped across the towel after him. For some reason no one dared to take the towel away. Everyone could see that there was some reason why it had been put there right in the entrance. A beautiful clean towel. With mud all around it. What was it doing there?
A whole platoon lived in one huge tent. The men slept in two-tier metal bunks. The top bunks were occupied by the stariki -- the 'old men' of nineteen or even nineteen and a half, who had already served a year or even eighteen months in spetsnaz. The salagi slept on the bottom bunks. They had served only six months. By comparison with those who were now jumping over the towel they were of course stariki too. They had all in their day jumped awkwardly across the towel. Now they were watching silently, patiently and attentively to see how the new men behaved in that situation.
The new men behaved as anybody would in their situation. Some pushed from behind, and there was the towel in front. So they jumped, and clustered together in the centre of the tent, not knowing where to put their hands or where to look. It was strange. They seemed to want to look at the ground. All the young men behaved in exactly the same way: a jump, into the crowd and eyes down. But no -- the last soldier behaved quite differently. He burst into the tent, heled by a kick from the sergeant. On seeing the white towel he pulled himself up sharply, stood on it in his dirty boots and proceeded to wipe them as if he really were standing on a doormat. Having wiped his feet he didn't join the crowd but marched to the far corner of the tent where he had seen a spare bed.
'Is this mine?'
'It's yours,' the platoon shouted approvingly. 'Come here, mate, there's a better place here! Do you want to eat?'
That night all the young recruits would get beaten. and they would be beaten on the following nights They would be driven out into the mud barefoot, and they would be made to sleep in the lavatories (standing up or lying down, as you wish). They would be beaten with belts, with slippers and with spoons, with anything suitable for causing pain. The stariki would use the salagi on which to ride horseback in battles with their friends. The salagi would clean the 'old men's' weapons and do their dirty jobs for them. There would be the same goings-on as in the rest of the Soviet Army. Stariki everywhere play the same kind of tricks on the recruits. The rituals and the rules are the same everywhere. The spetsnaz differs from the other branches only in that they place the dazzlingly clean towel at the entrance to the tent for the recruits to walk over. The sense of this particular ritual is clear and simple: We are nice people. We welcome you, young man, cordially into our friendly collective. Our work is very hard, the hardest in the whole army, but we do not let it harden our hearts. Come into our house, young man, and make yourself at home. We respect you and will spare nothing for you. You see -- we have even put the towel with which we wipe our faces for you to walk on in your dirty feet. So that's it, is it -- you don't accept our welcome? You reject our modest gift? You don't even wish to wipe your boots on what we wipe our faces with! What sort of people do you take us for? You may certainly not respect us, but why did you come into our house with dirty boots?
Only one of the salagi, the one who wiped his feet on the towel, will be able to sleep undisturbed. He will receive his full ration of food and will clean only his own weapon; and perhaps the stariki will give instructions that he should not even do that." (52-54)

"In spetsnaz, as throughout the Soviet Army, they observe the 'cult of the old soldier'. All soldiers are divided into stariki ('old men') and salagi ('small fry'). A real salaga is a soldier who has only just started his service. A really 'old man' ( some twenty years' old) is one who is about to complete his service in a few months." (51)

"The beating up of the young recruits who are just starting their service is an effort on the part of the stariki to preserve their dominating position in the section, platoon, or company. But among the recruits too there is right from the beginning a no less bitter battle going on for priority. [...] I recall a soldier of enormous physique and brutal features known as 'The Demon' who, after serving for half a year, got together a group of soldiers from all the classes [...] He and his group never attacked stariki in normal circumstances. They would wait patiently until one of the stariki did something which by spetsnaz standards is considered a disgrace, like stealing. Only then would they set about him, usually at night. The demon was skillful at making use of provocation. For example, having stolen a bottle of aftershave from a soldier, he would slip it to one of his enemies." (64-65)

On sport:
"There are no women in the usual spetsnaz units. But in the professional sports units of spetsnaz women constitute about half the numbers. They engage in various kinds of sport: parachute jumping, gliding, flying, shooting, running, swimming, motocross, and so on." (84)

"A private in the average spetsnaz unit cannot, of course, visit the places where he is likely to have to fight in the event of war. But a top-class professional athlete does have the opportunity." (85)

"At the present time every country has good grounds for not receiving any Soviet military athletes on its own territory. [...] so long as the 'limited' contingent of Soviet troops is still in Afghanistan it would not be a bad idea to limit the number of Soviet colonels, majors, captains and sergeants in the countries of the West, especially those wearing blue berets and little gilt parachute badges on their lapels. It is those people in the blue berets who are killing children, women and old men in Afghanistan in the most brutal and ruthless way." (86)

Training battalions:
"The whole of the thinking behind the training battalions can be put very simply. They say that if you make an empty barrel airtight and drag it down below the water and then let it go it shoots up and out above the surface of the water. The deeper it is dragged down the faster it rises and the further it jumps out of the water. [...] In the spetsnaz training battalions the empty barrel is dragged so far down into the deep that it is in danger of bursting from external pressure. A man's dignity is stripped from him to such an extent that it is kept constantly at the very brink, beyond which lies suicide or the murder of his officer. The officers and sergeants of the training battalions are, every one of them, enthusiasts for their work. [...] The commander's work is constantly to see before him dozens of men, each of whom has one thought in his head: to kill himself or to kill his officer?" (95-96)

"Every soldier taken into a training battalion is given a nickname, almost invariably sarcastic. He might be known as The Count, The Duke, Caesar, Alexander of Macedon, Louis XI, Ambassador, Minister of Foreign Affairs, or any variation on the theme. He is treated with exaggerated respect, not given orders, but asked for his opinion: 'Would your Excellency be of a mind to clean the toilet with his toothbrush?' 'Illustrious Prince, would you care to throw up in public what you ate at lunch?' [...] the men are permanently hungry, even if they do not suffer the unofficial but very common punishment of being forced to empty their stomachs." (96)

"The main difficulty in carrying out this act of human engineering is to turn the fury of the young soldier in the right direction. He has to have been reduced to the lowest limits of his dignity and then, at precisely the point when he can take no more, he can be given his sergeant's stripes and sent off to serve in a regular unit. There he can begin to work off his fury on his own subordinates, or better still on the enemies of Communism. The training units of spetsnaz are a place where they tease a recruit like a dog, working him into a rage and then letting him off the leash. It is not surprising that fights inside spetsnaz are a common occurrence. Everyone, especially those who have served in a spetsnaz training unit, bears within himself a colossal charge of malice, just as a thunder-cloud bears its charge of electricity. It is not surprising that for a spetsnaz private, or even more so for a sergeant, war is just a beautiful dream, the time when he is at last allowed to release his full charge of malice." (97)

The hidden logic of little training for young recruits:
"The Revolution of 1917 was no revolution. It was simply a revolt by the guards in just one city in a huge empire. [...] Lenin's party, which seized power in that vast empire by means of the bayonets of terrified guards in the rear, drew the correct conclusions. Today soldiers are not kept for long in the rear and they don't spend much time in training. It is judged much wiser to throw the young soldier straight into battle, to put those who remain alive into the reserve, reinforce with fresh reservists, and into battle again." (150)

Blood:
"Another very important element of spetsnaz training is to teach a soldier not to be afraid of blood and to be able to kill. This is more important and more difficult for spetsnaz than for the infantry, for example. The infantry man kills his enemy mainly at a distance of more than a hundred metres and often at a distance of 300 of 400 metres or more. The infantryman does not see the expression on the face of his enemy. His job is simply to take aim correctly, hold his breath and press the trigger smoothly. The infantryman fires at plywood targets in peacetime, and in wartime at people who look at a distance very much like plywood targets. The blood which an infantryman sees is mainly the blood of his dead comrade or his own, and it gives rise to anger and a thirst for revenge. After that the infantryman fires at his enemy without feeling any twinges of conscience. The training of a spetsnaz soldier is much more complicated. He often has to kill the enemy at close quarters, looking him straight in the face. He sees blood, but it is not the blood of his comrades; it is often the blood of a completely innocent man. The offers commanding spetsnaz have to be sure that every spetsnaz soldier will do his duty in a critical situation." (156)

Blood in copious quantities:
"Like fire, blood is a constant attribute of the battle training of a soldier. It used to be thought that a soldier could be accustomed to the sight of blood gradually -- first a little blood and then more day by day. But experts have thrown out this view. The spetsnaz soldier's first encounter with blood should be, they argue, quite unexpected and in copious quantities. [...] A group of young spetsnaz soldiers are hauled out of bed at night because of an emergency, and sent in pursuit of a 'spy'. The worse the weather the better. Best of all when there is torrential rain, a gusty wind, mud and slush. Many kilometres of obstacles -- broken-down stairs, holes in walls, ropes across holes and ditches. The platoon of young soldiers are completely out of breath, their hearts beating fast. Their feet slip, their hands are scratched and bruised. Forward! Everyone is bad-tempered -- the officers and especially the men. The soldier can give vent to his anger only by punching some weaker fellow-sufferer in the face and maybe getting a kick in the ribs in reply. The area is dotted with ruined houses, everything is smashed, ripped apart, and there's broken glass everywhere. Everything is wet and slippery, and there are never-ending obstacles with searchlights trained on them. but they don't help: they only hinder, blinding the men as they scramble over. Now they come to a dark cellar, with the doors ripped off the hinges. Everybody down. Along the corridor. Then there's water ahead. The whole group running at full tilt without slowing down rushes straight into some sticky liquid. A blinding light flashes on. It's not water they are in -- it's blood. Blood up to the knees, the waist, the chest. On the walls and the ceiling are chunks of rotten flesh, piles of bleeding entrails. The steps are slippery from slimy bits of brain. Undecided, the young soldiers jam the corridor. Then somebody in the darkness lets a huge dog off its chain. There is only one way out, through the blood. Only forwards, where there is a wide passageway and a staircase upwards. Where on earth could they get so much blood? From the slaughterhouse, of course. It is not so difficult to make the tank of blood. It can be narrow and not very deep, but it must be twisting and there must be a very low ceiling over it. [...] Even in very limited space it is possible to create the impression that you are in an endless labyrinth overflowing with blood. [...] The bottom of the tank must not be even: you must give the learner the possibility of tripping over and going under. But most important is that the first training session should take place with a group of really young soldiers who have joined spetsnaz but are still isolated and have had no opportunity of meeting older soldiers and being warned what to expect. And there's something else: the tank of blood must not be the final obstacle that night. The greatest mistake is to drive the men through the tank and then bring the exercise to an end, leaving them to clean themselves up and go to bed. In that case the blood will only appear to them as a terrible dream. Keep driving them on over more and more obstacles. [...] Carry on with the exercise throughout the morning , throughout the day. Without food and without drink. In that way the men acquire the habit of not being taken aback by any surprises. Blood on their hands and on their uniforms, blood in their boots -- it all becomes something familiar." (157-159)

No treaties:
"International treaties and conventions have never saved anybody from being attacked. The Ribbentrop-Molotov pact is a striking example. It did not protect the Soviet Union. [...] Stalin said quite openly on this point: 'War can turn all agreements of any kind upside down.' [Pravda, 15 September 1927] The Soviet leadership and the Soviet diplomatic service adopt a philosophical attitude to all agreements. If one trusts a friend there is no need for a treaty; friends do not need to rely on treaties to call for assistance. If one is weaker than one's enemy a treaty will not be any use anyway. And if one is stronger than one's enemy, what is the point of observing a treaty? International treaties are just an instrument of politics and propaganda. The Soviet leadership and the Soviet army put no trust in any treaties, believing only in the force that is behind the treaties." (167)

Forward detachments expect to be cut off:
"The fact that the forward detachments may be cut off from the main force should not deter them. For example, on the advance in Manchuria in 1945 the 6th Guards Tank Army advanced rapidly towards the ocean, having crossed the desert, the apparently impregnable Khingan mountain range and the rice fields, and covering 810 kilometres in eleven days. But ahead of it were forward detachments, operating continually, which had rushed 150 to 200 kilometres ahead of the main force. When the officer in command of the front learnt of this spurt ahead (by quite unprotected detachments, which really had not a single support vehicle with them), he did not order the detachments to slow down; on the contrary, he ordered them to increase their speed still further, and not to worry about the distance separating them, however great it was. The more the forward detachments were separated from the main force, the better. The more unsuspected and strange the appearance of Soviet troops seems to the enemy, the greater the panic and the more successful the operations of both the forward detachments and the main Soviet troops." (197-198)

Expand or decline:
"I was standing on the top of an enormous skyscraper in New York when I saw King Kong. The huge gorilla surveyed Manhattan triumphantly from a dizzy height. Of course I knew it wasn't real. But there was something both frightening and symbolic in that huge black figure. I learnt later that the gorilla was a rubber one, that it had been decided to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the showing of the first film about King Kong by creating a gigantic inflatable model of the beast and placing it high above New York. The rubber monster was hauled up and swayed about in the wind. From the technical point of view the operation had been a real triumph by the engineers and workmen who had taken part in it. But it was not an entire success. The monster turned out to be too huge, with the result that holes appeared in its body through which the air could escape. So the gigantic muscular frame quickly collapsed into a shapeless bag. They had to pump more air into it, but the harder they pumped the bigger the holes became and the quicker the air escaped from the monster. So they had to keep on pumping. . . The Communist leaders have also created a rubber monster and have hauled it up to a dizzy height. the monster is known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the Soviet leaders are faced with a dilemma: to expand or to decline rapidly and become a flabby sack. It is interesting to note that the Soviet Union became a superpower in the course of the most destructive war in the history of civilization, in spite of the fact that it suffered the greatest loss of life and the greatest destruction on its own territory. It has become a military superpower and perhaps war is essential for its existence." (222-223)

[Srikanth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Russians or the Soviets depending on the timeline, a group of people who have suffered both from internal as well as external threats for ages. Imagine these 2 examples of brutality

A. Stalin used to go to Lubyanka prison to shoot prisoners between ballet breaks from Bolshoi theater!!!!

B. The worlds most prominent killer, Vasili Bolokhin who killed 7000 in 28 days!!!

This includes weather also. It is bloody cold is all i can say. So it would be no surprise that their armed forces would be ruthless and brutally effective and equally stupid. As this exercise of training to fight under actual nuclear detonation can happen only in Russia. Imagine their special forces!!

The Russian special forces are called Spetsnaz. They look cool, not much information is known about them, nor do they specialize and make movies like the publicity savvy US army does. This makes them mysterious and dangerous, to a lot of people. Especially to a lot of arm chair strategists who play video games and think they know a lot..

My interest was really piqued because of this article about Zaslon and also the mention of Lt Prokhorenko. Apart from that, it was also professional. Heard a lot about our own Indian special forces training. e.g being a book review immediately after a gruelling 40+ kms route march.

As i trawled the internet came across a book on Spetsnaz by an Ex- Soviet intel officer who deflected to the west. Had to get my hands on the book, which i did in a weeks time.

I am not going to review the book nor not going to talk about the book. This is more of an FYI on the though process and policy of the Russians. The true communists who hated religion and not like Indian commies who are absolute fakes.

The book talks about the history of Spetsnaz, the people who are part of Spetsnaz, selection & training, equipment, the agents network from enemy countries, operations (deception, command and control etc) & the future of Spetsnaz.

If anyone thinks Spetsnaz is all sexy, guts and glory, i am sure you have never heard of Dedovshchina & its consequences.

Just imagine a cold day(most of the days in Russia are cold) , you are in a new place and getting trained by hard men who have institutionalized brutality. The problem is you can't imagine until the time you face it.

The history of Spetsnaz started off around the WW I and matured during WW II, where Operation "War on the rails" commenced against German supply lines. From there the journey of one of the most feared special operations force.

The best parts of the book are the below lines, which sum up the Russian thought process

" A Spetsnaz soldier has to work with blood during war, hence he is made familiar with it. Just like a surgeon or a butcher. What will happen if they are suddenly afraid of blood. This is in no way to make them sadists"


"Liberals are the best agents that can be recruited by Soviets"

"Soviet soldiers were not taught that Red cross vehicles and personnel are not to be attaked. Having such a symbol only makes it an attractive target"

And some gems like these which are strewn around in the book. This is the reason i love the Russians. Brutality is just a tool to be used against political objectives. They were truly secular when it came to religions, ethnicity etc to the best possible manner.

What i liked about the book

A. This is an insiders view of Spetsnaz, nothing more to be said

B. The overall flow of the book and the information shared is relevant and interesting

What could be better in the book is, some good editing. Overall a nice book which will interest professionals as well as amateurs.

PS: The author was an ex Soviet army officer who deflected to the west.

[Lukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ostatnie wydarzenia na Ukrainie sklonily mnie do przeczytanie tej ksiazki. Od prawie miesiace sledzie z wielka uwaga to co ma miejsce na Ukrainie, szczegolnie na polwyspie krymskim. Kiedy obejrzalem kilka reportazy o tajemniczych zolnierzach w nieoznakowanych mundurach ktorzy pojawili sie na Krymie jak "obroncy" miejscowej ludnosci rosyjskokecznej nie mialem watpliwosci, ze ci zolnierze naleza do speznazu. Co prawda Rosja sie do nich nie przyznaje. Wladze Rosji wlacznie z Putinem na czele zaprzeczaja, ze to rosyjscy zolnierze. Jednak mysle, ze nikomu nie trzeba mydlic oczu. To specnaz.

Ksiazka Suworowa zostala napisana jeszcze za czasow zimnej wojny. Moglaby sie wydawac niekatualna.Faktycznie, moze nie opisuje aktualnego stanu rzeczy, jednak mysle, ze aby zrozumiec to co dzieje sie dzisiaj w Rosji, na Ukrainie, trzeba koniecznie zapoznac sie ze spozcizna Zwiazku Radzieckiego. Odnosze wrazenie, ze wspolczesna Rosja chetnie powraca do starych metod, wypracowanach za czasow Zwiazku Radzieckiego. Mysle, ze dzisiejszy specnaz ma wiele wspolnego z tym, ktory istnial za czasow zimnej wojny. Uwazam wrecz, ze dzisiejszy specnaz jest nawet nowoczesniejszy, skuteczniejszy niz ten, ktory istnial za czasow zimnej wojny. Dzisiejszy specnaz niewatpliwie jest ulepszona wersja tego, ktory istnial kilkadzeisiat lat temu. Aby zrozumiec kim tak naprawde sa tajemniczy zolnierze w nieoznakowanych uniformach, ktorzy dosc licznie pojawili sie na Krymie, koniecznie trzeba zapoznac sie z lektura Suworowa pt. "Specnaz".

Po przeczytaniu tej ksiazki lepiej zrozumialem sposob dzialania poszczegolnych organizacji wywiadowczych Zwiazku Radzieckiego i Rosji. Zawsze zastanawialo mnie, po co Rosji GRU (wywiad wojskowy) oraz KGB (wywiad cywilny). Po co Rosjanom dwie sluzby wywiadowcze? Suworow w ksiazce odpowiada na to pytanie. Nawet zagozali komunisci sowieccy uwazali, ze konkurencja jest rzecza pozyteczna i istnienie dwoch rownoleglych sluzb wywiadu, ktore ze soba konkuruja mialo wiecej korzysci niz wad.

Specnaz jest integralna czescia GRU, ktore z koleji jest czescia armii. Armia potrzebuje miec swoj wywiad a w ramach wywiadu potrzebuje silne oddzialy specjalne przeznaczone do dzialalnosci terrorystycznej (tego slowa uzywa Suworow) dywersyjnej, rozpoznawczej.

Specnaz czesto dziala na tylach wroga. Za czasow zimnej wojny na przyklad Specnaz mial byc w przypadku wybuchu wojny jeszcze przed jej wybuchem desantowany na tyly wroga. (tu widac podobienstwo do dzisiejszej sytuacji na Krymie). Do desantu miala nie tylko sluzyc droga lotnicza, ale na przyklad lodzie podwodne. Co ciekawe, wszystkie cywilne samoloty Aeroflotu byly przystosowane do desantu. Bedac na tylach wroga Specnaz mial na celu neutralizowanie na przyklad wyrzutni rakietowych broni balistycznej, dokonywania zamachow na przywodcach wojskowych krajow alianckich, dokonywania aktow sabotazu, paralizowanie szlakow komunikacyjnych itd. Specnaz wiele razy byl wykorzystywany w praktyce. Suworow na przyklad podaje za przyklad inazje na Czechoslowacje w roku 1968. Jednostki specnazu opanowaly na przyklad lotnisko cywilne w Pradze, zanim jeszcze doszlo do inwazji wojsk ukladu Warszawkiego.

Tak nawiasem mowiac, specnaz stacjonowal w Rembertowie, byl zawsze w pogotowiu i w razie wydania rozkazu w Moskie byl w stanie opanowac wiele punktow strategicznych w Warszawie wciagu 1-2 godzin. Tej informacji nie ma w ksiazce Suworowa. Ta informacja pochodzi od pulkownika Kuklinskiego.

Kim sa zolnierze specnazu? Zolnierze specnazu to elita. Sa dosc dobrze wyszkoleni, pod kazdym wzgledem. Wielu zolnierzy specnazu to sportowcy, czesto olimpijczycy, nie rzadko medalisci. Suworow opisuje pewna anegdote na temat tego jacy sa zolnierze specnazu. Raz osobiscie obserwowal szkolenie specnazu. Polegalo ono na tym, ze w ciagu kilku dni, zolnierze mieli na piechote pokonac kilkadzisiat kilometrow. Trasa byla oznaczona strzalkami. Na trasie znajdowal sie wysoki most nad rzeka. Cwiczenia te mialy miejsce wczesna wiosna. Woda w rzece byla lodowata. Kazdy z zolnierzy mial zeskoczyc z mostu do lodowatej wody z wysokosci kilkunastu metrow i plynac z pradem rzeki na mala wysepke znajdujaca sie kawalek dalej w dol pradu rzeki. Suworow byl w szoku widzac, ze tak wysokiego skoku do lodowatej wody wymaga sie od zolnierzy. Zapytal oficera z ktorym obserwowal cwiczenia, "a co jak sie potopia?" Oficer na to mu odpowiedzial: " to znaczy, ze nie nadaja sie na zolnierzy specnazu". W tych konkretnych cwiczeniach nikt nie zginal.Kazdy dal rade. Zolnierze przed skokiem przeklinali, ale skakali.

Specnaz to kasta. Maja oni swoje rytualy. Zolnierze zaciagnieci do sluzby przechodza proces inicjacji. Zdarza sie, ze wielu z nich nie wytrzynuje psychicznie presji. Zolnierzy specnazu uczy sie zabijac. Przyzwyczaja sie ich do krwi. Standartowym cwiczeniem uczacym jak zabijac jest na przyklad (to mnie naprawde przerazilo, zrobilo mi sie zle) rozcinanie zyletka brzucha kotom na zywca.

Kazdy zolnierz specnazu szkolony jest jak wyciagac informacje od wieznia. Suworow pisze, ze zolnierz specnazu uzyskuje srednio w ciagu 1 sekundy informacje, ktorej potrzebuje. Nikt nie jest w stanie oprzec sie dluzej niz 1 sekunde torturom zolnierza specnazu. Za czasow zimnej wojny rezerwisci specnazu, juz po przeszkoleniu i przejsciu do rezerwy czesto podejmowali prace w aeroflocie, w klubach sportowych itd. Regularnie podrozowali na zachod. Wykonywali specjalne zadania dla wywiadu wojskowego.

Specnaz mial, pewnie do dzisiaj ma swoich agentow na zachodzie w poblizu strategicznych miejsc. Idealny agent specnazu to czlowiek miedzy 55-65 rokiem zycia, zyjacy samotnie, nie zwracajacy na siebie uwagi, spokojny obywatel jakiegos zachodniego kraju. To tez ciekawosta dla mnie.

Do specnazu naleza rowniez odzialy kobiece. Kobiety w szeregach specnazu do sportsmenki. Szkolone sa podobnie jak mezczyzni.

Na podstawie formacji specnazu widac, ze Zwiazek Radziecki byl okrutna dyktatura. Wspolczesna Rosja nie jest lepsza. Trzeba pamietac o tym, ze ludzie wyszkoleni za czasow Zwiazku Radzieckiego do dzisiaj dumnie wykonuja swoje obowiazki i dalej pracuja, zajmuja przywodcze stanowiska w nowej juz "demokratycznej" Rosji. My na zachodzie mamy z tym wielki problem. Ludzie na przywodczych stanowiskach Federacji Rosyjskiej zostali juz za czasow Zwiazku Radzieckiego odpowiednio wyselekcjonowani, wyszkoleni. Mysla, wedlug tych samych schematow co za czasow zimnej wojny. Nie wierza w zadne bzdurne demokratyczne idee. Demokracje uwazaja za bzdure. W ogole nie identyfikuja sie z wartosciami wspolczesnego, demokratycznego swiata zachodniego. Wazne jest, aby to zrozumiec i znalezc madry sposob na koegzystencje we wspolczesnym swiecie z tymi potworami.

Tak apropos, Stieg Larson wiedzial o czym pisze w swojej trylogii "Millenium". Zalachenko, ojciec Salander, wlasnie byl przeszkolonym zolnierzem specnazu. Stary poczciwy Stieg Larson pokazal na przykladzie trylogii "millenium", jakim wielkim zrodlem zla potrafi byc zbrodnicza orgnizacja jaka jest specnaz.

[Zare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viktor Suvorov s book is somewhat of a mixed bag. Author just cannot decide whether to criticize former-soviet-union Special Forces or to compliment them.[return]In one chapter they are depicted as rather savage bunch ready to do anything to accomplish the mission, even to shoot their own if they hinder them in any way (remember Omega Squad from Canadian Bacon :) ) only to be depicted [in following chapters] as best of the best, dedicated professionals with high regard of honor and camaraderie (I mean camaraderie if one has to be on constant watch not to be shot by his own teammates what are we talking about here).[return][return]Book is full of these contrasts, but nevertheless it is a rare book on the subject and there lies its worth. So read it with open-mind and do not take everything for granted there are other great history books out there with additional information on these mysterious but highly regarded units.

[Connie Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book focused a lot on the organization of spetsnaz in the military (which I did not find as interesting). There was very little on the training which is what I was curious about. It reads with some broken English due to the translation.

[Gundega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Padomju Savienība bija krimināla valsts, kura iznīcināja vairāk savu pilsoņu, nekā tie aizgāja bojā karu laikā. Krimināla valsts dzīvo pēc pavisam citiem likumiem. Un šī grāmata šos likumus labi atspoguļo. Cerību nav, ja viss uzcelts uz tādiem pamatiem.

[Dоcтоr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insights of Russian & Soviet Special Forces

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiecare infanterist din armata sovietică poartă cu el o lopăţică. Atunci cînd i se ordonă să se oprească, se întinde pe jos şi începe să sape o groapă în pămîntul de sub el. În trei minute poate fi săpat un mic locaş adînc de 15 centimetri, în care poate sta întins: n-au decît să şuiere gloanţele pe deasupra capului său… Cu pămîntul pe care l-a scos formează în faţă şi într-o parte o mică movilă care îl protejează la rîndul ei. Dacă un tanc trece peste un astfel de locaş, soldatul are 50% şanse să scape nevătămat. În orice moment, soldatul poate primi ordin să înainteze din nou şi, urlînd din răsputeri, va porni la asalt ca o furtună. Dacă nu i se ordonă să înainteze, sapă în continuare, tot mai adînc. La început, din locaş poate să tragă din poziţia culcat. Mai tîrziu are loc să tragă stînd în genunchi, iar apoi, după ce ajunge la o adîncime de un metru şi zece centimetri, poate trage stînd în picioare în locaşul săpat de el. Pămîntul pe care l-a scos din groapă îl protejează de gloanţe şi de schije. În acest parapet face o deschizătură în care îşi potriveşte ţeava armei. Dacă nu primeşte alte ordine, mai lucrează la locaş, îl camuflează. Începe să sape un şanţ care să ajungă la camarazii săi din stînga. Întotdeauna se sapă de la dreapta la stînga şi în cîteva ore unitatea are o tranşee care leagă unul de altul toate locaşurile săpate de infanterişti. Tranşeele unităţii sînt legate de cele ale altor unităţi. Se construiesc adăposturi şi se mai sapă nişte tranşee de comunicare mai în spate. Tranşeele sînt adîncite, acoperite, camuflate şi întărite. Apoi, pe neaşteptate, se dă din nou ordin de înaintare. Soldatul iese din locaş, strigînd cît îl ţine gura.

[Ankush Chander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is dated but gives enough glimpse around the selection, training, psychological moulding and day to day philosophy that governs the life of Spetsnaz soldier.

Personally I found author"s description of some of the underlying values of spetsnaz shocking.

For eg:
1. Competition and internal rivalry over cooperation.
"Within spetsnaz a bitter battle goes on for a place in theonpk pack, closer to the leader and even in the leader's place. In the ver course of this bitter battle for a place in the pack the spetsnaz soldier is sometimes capable of displaying such strength of character as I have never seen elsewhere."

2. Cynicism
"The typical spetsnaz soldier is a sceptic, a cynic and a pessimist.

He believes profoundly in the depravity of human nature and knows (from his own experience) that in extreme conditions a man becomes a beast...

The soldier's credo can be stated in a triple formula: Don't trust don't beg, don't fear."

3. Application of Malice as a fuel

"The training units of spetsnaz are a place where they tease a recruit like a dog, working him into a rage and then letting him off the leash. It is not surprising that fights inside spetsnaz are a common occurrence. Everyone, especially those who have served in a spetsnaz training unit, bears within himself a colossal charge of malice, just as a thunder cloud bears its charge of electricity. It is not surprising that for a spetsnaz private, or even more so for a sergeant, war is just a beautiful dream, the time when he is at last allowed to release his full charge of malice."

Overall it reminds of "Sardaukars - The Imperial Blade" from Dune. Their reliance on ruthlessness, ferocity and cunning.

[David Chabot · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd heard high praises about that book and was excited to read it, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Although the author is knowledgeable about the topic, the book was boring and not very fun to read. I was not expecting a spy novel or something fun, but it feels more like a field manual than a mass market paper. You get very quickly the main point about the Spetsnaz, namaly that everyone is mean, tough and individualistic. It just doesn't really get around to cover anything else worth the time.

I guess it was a small revolution at the time of the first print when the Cold War was still going on and the World was discovering for the first time the Spetsnaz in the mainstream, but 40+ years later, it's not that relevant anymore.

[Ingrid Spera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be completely fascinating! The author was originally recommended to me by a friend who had plenty of anecdotes involving him and I had to rush out and read some for myself! This book was at once horrifying and thought provoking. While presenting information about the Spetsnaz, Suvorov is able to present it in such a way that one becomes entranced by the topic and not just the words on the page. I'd heard of the Spetsnaz before, but I definitely didn't fully appreciate them until after reading this book. Well worth the read for anyone interested in learning about the force... just be ready to want to discuss the book as you read it!

[Klemens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książka nadal aktualna w wielu aspektach.

"Oficer Specnazu, przeprowadzający rekrutację kandydatów do bezpośredniej akcji terrorystycznej, ma na Zachodzie wspaniałą bazę dla swojej pracy.
Znajduje się tam ogromna liczba ludzi niezadowolonych i gotowych zaprotestować przeciw absolutnie wszystkiemu. I podczas gdy większość protestuje w milczeniu, znajdzie się kilka jednostek, które uciekną się do każdego sposobu wyrażenia swojej kontestacji. Oficer musi tylko znaleźć takich, gotowych pójść na całego, malkontentów."

[Bogdan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Оценявам факта, че такава книга съществува, но...

Стила на автора е доста сух и фактологичен(бивш Спецназ). Няма много интересни историй, защото явно не е това целта. Книгата не е написана да възбуди интерес в читателя, а да докаже съществуването и опише структурата и целите на Спецназ в доста монотонен стил.

Оценката ми е като на човек който не се вълнува много от книги на тази тематика. Може би 1/3 от цялата книга ми беше интересна.

[Konstantin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Suvorovilt olen üsna mitu raamatut lugenud, ning need on olnud ääretult lahedad, aga see ei tõmmanud käima ka pärast ca 110t lehekülge.

Seosetu jutt Teisest maailmasõjast, spordi ajaloost Nõukogude liidus, relvastusest Vene armeest ja erinevate Vene armee struktuuride logistilistest ja organisatoorsetest eripäradest.

Jätsin katki.

Done.

[Harri T · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Kui oleme sõbrad, siis lepingut meil vaja ei ole.
Kui oleme teiega vaenlased, siis leping ei päästa seda, kes on nõrgem.”
See ütleb kõik antud raamatu kohta.
PS: enamus raamatust räägib üksus(t)e loomisloost ja arengust nõukogude ajal.
Seoses Ukraina sõjaga on mitmed jõudude ja süsteemi efektiisusega seotud väited ümber lükatud, kuid tegutsemise julmus kahjuks mitte.

[Boris Linkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Разобличаваща и интересна до последната страница.

Нека всеки сам за себе си прецени дали една свръхдържава (каквато е била СССР) е разполагала със агентурно и дълбочинно разузнаване от калибъра с който Резун го описва.

И ако някой се съмнява в съществуването на Спецназ, трябва да се съмнява и в съществуването на ГРУ и НКВД.

Съмненията стават неоправдано много.

[Adrian Zamfirescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating lecture.
Even the fact that it is written in the middle the 80s the author shows to us the real things behind the curtain that could explain some recently or nowadays happened events.
Like all his books, a must-read for history and politics lovers.

[Thor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorough and interesting read from the late 80s. I ought to have read this sooner, but I had the entire book saved in Pocket without realising it was actually a book.

[Ján Kapusňak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind-blowing reading at the end of 80s of the last century.

[Martin Dion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, the translation from Russian is too « word for word » but the historical point of view from the cold war and the point of view from the insider is quite intriging and interesting

[Taavi Tuisk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Campsite-like storytelling about spetsnaz.

[Dagne567 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utoopia katkendite kõrvutamine N Liiduga oli väga hea. Muidu oli ka häid stseene ja peatükke. Kohati aga ... suht igav (numbrid ja numbrid jmt).

Üldiselt asjalik raamat.

[Stephen Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be afraid...be very, very afraid.

[Сибин Майналовски · Rating 1 out of 5]

Кой дебил е превеждал??? Ехо, Фекал Експрес, ама не наемайте Сульо и Пульо, моля ви се... Или поне си пуснете книгите без пари. Да искаш заплащане за това извращение е престъпно.

[Paul Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling. You wouldn't want to meet these people on a dark night. But if you want to write a novel with a former Spetsnaz officer as an important character, this is the book for you.