The Russian GU: a concise history of the military intelligence service

"This book will introduce students and general readers to the history and present role of Russia's military intelligence service, the Main Directorate (GU) of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (better known by its previous acronym, GRU). Kevin P. Riehle describes and analyzes the roles, missions, and impact of the GU from the early years after the Bolshevik Revolution, through World War II and the Cold War, and up to the present. Today, the GU provides the Russian armed forces with capabilities in strategic and tactical intelligence collection (human and technical), strategic warning, analysis, covert action, special forces, sabotage, cyber operations, and information warfare. The GU has become the Putin regime's most notorious actor abroad for its campaign to influence the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election and for the attempted assassination of Sergei Skirpal in 2018 by a toxic nerve agent. This book will fill an important gap in the literature by enhancing our understanding of one of Russia's premier security institutions that frequently makes headlines"-- Provided by publisher.