They come to intelligence once and for all.

And where are we hiding?  - in the judge’s voice one can clearly hear satisfaction, not at all frustration from his failure. And after a couple of moments he turns to the commander of the reconnaissance group: “Raise the people and line them up on the path.” They still won't listen to me.

A second later, the cry of an eagle owl was heard, and one of the scouts moved from a nearby raspberry forest in our direction. Another ten seconds passed, and eight people were already standing at the forest edge.

Well, let’s assume that the enemy’s secret in my person has not been discovered by you,” the judge told the guys sternly in a fatherly manner. And for me he explained: - Intelligence is a creative process. Like any of us, each group has its own style: sometimes they come up with something like this... In general, well done, talented boys.

At the end of June, at the training ground of the 19th Guards Separate Mechanized Brigade of the North-Western operational command a competition was held for the best reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus with the participation of teams from the armed forces Russian Federation and Ukraine. A total of ten reconnaissance groups competed.

It so happened that the profession military intelligence officer has been shrouded in a halo of glory for a long time. Films are made and books are written about these people. Getting into intelligence service is considered a serious success. After all, the requirements for such people are special: they need ideal health, strong will, psychological stability... And, of course, intelligence is no less victorious than any weapon. Often, a scout has only a split second to make a decision, and he must act quickly and accurately. Looking at how unexpectedly and even gracefully some groups approached the implementation of assigned combat training tasks, sometimes I just wanted to give them a standing ovation.

But even before the guys went “hunting,” all scouts had to pass a series of tests for professional suitability. The organizers of the competition tested the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of military personnel. It was necessary to demonstrate both the level of mastery of the nuances of military topography and the filigree ability to prepare for the bombing of individual objects and provide first aid.

It’s probably easier to walk 30 miles again than to perform these tests…” the participants joked later.

However, they all understood perfectly well: the lives of their comrades and the result of carrying out reconnaissance and special tasks could directly depend on the competent and expedient solution of the issues posed.

This year we have significantly increased penalties for participants,” said the chief judge of the competition, head of the management department General Staff Armed Forces Colonel Oleg Tupik.  - Even minus one point can deprive the group of a place in the top three...

Another significant innovation: throughout the entire competition, its participants had to constantly maintain an appropriate level of camouflage. Penalty points were awarded for any unmasking feature. Add to this a backpack with several tens of kilograms of cargo on its shoulders, thirty-degree heat, and you will understand in what difficult conditions the guys went through stage after stage.

Of course, no one is forbidden to hit the road in white sneakers,” Colonel Oleg Tupik clarified, “they just need to be “brought into line” - disguised. How?.. Be smart.

According to tradition, the first of the competitive stages for the scouts was the withdrawal of the group behind enemy lines. The helicopter, in conditions of possible enemy influence, “throws” the participants to a certain point, and there a certain “quest” began for the reconnaissance patrol: on the way to the reconnaissance area, the guys had to walk at least 30 kilometers through difficult, sometimes impassable, wooded and swampy terrain. Almost along the entire route, the military personnel were actively opposed by counterintelligence groups of the mock enemy. And the military masters who set traps in that area approached their work creatively, allowing their own imagination to run wild.

Very soon I became convinced of the veracity of these words.

Already at nine o'clock in the morning the next day, the guys were ready to complete the next task. Best time at “30 kilometers” it was a little over eight hours, and one could only guess how many minutes the scouts managed to find for sleep last night... And they continued to amaze. At times it seemed as if they were forged from metal.

At one of the stops, I got into a conversation with a reconnaissance sniper from the 38th Guards Separate Mobile Guard Brigade, Private Dmitry N. Standing on the sidelines, the guy watched with interest as one of his comrades confidently performed a tactical shooting exercise with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Dmitry himself fired his last shot from a Makarov pistol a few minutes ago, and now he was sincerely worried about his friends.

I like to serve. “I like the atmosphere that reigns in our team,” the guard admitted eye to eye.  - Service in intelligence is a special thrill. A feeling that cannot be expressed in words...

Even from his school days, Dmitry from Rogachev was attracted to service in special forces.

At the military registration and enlistment office I was offered to serve in the 38th Mobile, in reconnaissance,” the reconnaissance soldier said with an unexpected smile.  - Thank God, I agreed.

Not for the first time, when communicating with representatives of military intelligence, I notice one peculiarity: many conscripts want to stay to serve here in the future. There are even examples where contract soldiers, having undergone appropriate training and received officer rank, already command reconnaissance companies, in which five years ago they were trained conscript service. By the way, at this competition one of these servicemen tested himself as a commander.

Apparently, there is something in these kilometers of field and forest roads, clouds of dust, exhausting obstacle courses that forces even gray-haired colonels with excitement in their eyes to try to go through the stages of the competition on a par with the full-strength youngsters. Neither one nor the other can deny themselves this professional pleasure.

If it were possible not to participate?.. - without even understanding the question, my interlocutor asks again.  - I can’t imagine how you can refuse. This is real army life, romance, for which it is worth serving. And the loads are here for strong in spirit and by will...

Servicemen of the 38th Guards Omobraz come to this tournament year after year with the rank of one of the favorites of the competition.

You need to keep your mark!  - the guardsman says confidently.  - When we were getting ready, we walked fifty kilometers, and our backpacks were heavier. But here everyone does it, so we still give it our all.

Soon his group set off for the next stage: the guys had to conduct reconnaissance settlement. By the way, a funny situation happened to one of the teams here. There were several cars parked not far from the starting point. Already returning from a completed mission, one of the group’s flank patrols heard a deafening dog barking behind them. Apparently, some compassionate owner left his four-legged friend to rest in the shade, and passing scouts woke up the vigilant animal...

That day, in addition to reconnaissance of a populated area, the participants in the competition also had to overcome a water barrier and a tactical zone full of artificial and natural obstacles, performing various special tasks behind enemy lines along the way to the specified point.

Even the judges were enthusiastic about the opportunity to “swim” in 30-degree heat. Well, overcoming the tactical zone has actually become final chord competitions. Under with intent glances strict judges, the guys jumped, crawled, climbed, ran, jumped again, crawled... And everyone completed the main task: the enemy object was mined and conditionally destroyed... ten times. After that, the only thing left was to overcome the enemy’s minefields and make a three-kilometer forced march into full equipment, and that’s 30–40 kilograms behind you.

At the same time, the guys needed to maintain battle order, camouflage, and along the way set up two grenades on a tripwire in possible directions of pursuit. This stage also had one more special nuance: the scouts who “died” when the mine-explosive barriers were blown up in the area were not allowed to separate from their pursuers, but their weapons, technical means of reconnaissance and communications were shared among the “survivors.”

The results shown by the guys on this 3-kilometer stretch are worthy of special respect. They were only one or two minutes behind the existing standard for physical training. True, they ran with 40 kilograms on their shoulders, and not lightly. Watching how the scouts crossed the finish line, I understood: these people are truly seven-core, people who are ready to do anything for the sake of their Fatherland.

Following the results of four days of competition, the winners were determined. First place was taken by scouts from the 27th Guards Separate motorized rifle brigade Western Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The silver of the tournament went to the guardsmen from the 38th Guards Separate Mobile Brigade, and the top three was completed by the team representing the 103rd Guards Separate Mobile Brigade.

Captain DENIS PISARENKO, [email protected], photo by the author and Ramil Nasibulin

So the almost two-meter “baby” son told his father with a grin. And then, quite seriously, the Moscow State University graduate asked: “Who is hired for intelligence?” The AN columnist sought the answer to this question together with staff members of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

The modern Russian intelligence officer bears little resemblance to the hero of spy action films. He doesn't bed stacks of Hollywood beauties like James Bond does. Pursuits and shooting with a pistol are such a rare occurrence for a real intelligence officer that they are comparable to failure. And although the profession is not devoid of romance, this field is not for those who seek fame or big money. And yet thousands of boys and girls dream about her.

Alas, we have to disappoint our very young readers who dream of the laurels of Stirlitz and Sorge. There is a strict age limit in intelligence. Only the FSB Academy, where they train mainly counterintelligence officers, can enroll immediately after school. And the Foreign Intelligence Academy accepts people with higher education. The admission rules are dry but clearly stated: “A candidate for military service In the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, a citizen of the Russian Federation aged 22 to 30 years can become operational personnel positions.”

Dispute about selection

It is not easy to get into service in the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. To do this you need to go through a long and difficult professional selection. As the former director of the SVR, Army General Sergei Lebedev, told an AN observer, future intelligence officers are looked for after the first year of university. Then potential candidates are carefully studied for three to four years. Those who are prone to excessive adventurism, were members of radical youth organizations or religious sects. They look at the student's record book very carefully. For some reason, it is believed that there is no place for C students in Russian intelligence. I think this is a controversial opinion.

For example, legend Soviet intelligence William Fisher, aka Rudolf Abel, was not an excellent student at school, and after graduation he did not receive a red diploma. But he was a talented intellectual. He and his colleagues obtained information about the secrets of the American nuclear bomb. It was about him that the head of the American intelligence services, A. Dulles, said that he would like to have three or four such intelligence officers in Moscow. People who knew him recall that Fischer was brilliantly educated and incredibly talented. He drew at a professional level, played various musical instruments, had patents for inventions in the USA, solved the most complex math problems and was well versed in nuclear physics.

Except high intelligence a scout must have good health. In the SVR, selection for medicine is almost like astronaut selection. The military medical commission is literally vicious, cutting for the slightest chronic sore. And although the doctors themselves say that now there is absolutely no healthy people, but there are only insufficiently examined patients, the health requirements for intelligence officers are increased. After all, they can be sent on business trips to any region of the world. Therefore, everyone entering the intelligence service must be prepared to work in conditions of an unusual, sometimes difficult climate, in countries with a turbulent situation, or even in crisis situations.

Thanks to strict selection and, probably, the best medical care in the country, intelligence officers, as a rule, live and work for a very long time. Thus, the oldest Russian intelligence officer Boris Gudz, about whom our newspaper has already written, died at the age of 105. Or the legendary pair of intelligence officers - Mikhail and Elizaveta Mukasey...

On the eve of the war, the Soviet vice-consul in the USA Mikhail Mukasey had to communicate with many great contemporaries - Theodore Dreiser, Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin... Cavalier of many state awards Mikhail Isaakovich Mukasey lived for 102 years. Elizaveta Ivanovna was five years younger than him and did not live to reach her 100th birthday.

Special secrecy surrounds professional and psychological selection. His candidates for intelligence officers are required to pass. Here the level is assessed intellectual development, psychological readiness, quick thinking, communication skills, neuropsychic stability and other professionally important qualities for work. They say that not only a lie detector is used, but also dozens of other instruments and scientific techniques.

In relation to the candidate, with his consent, verification measures are carried out related to access to information constituting state and other secrets protected by law. And here they “examine” all close relatives up to the seventh generation. But as the example of the traitor Poteev shows, a “clean” questionnaire does not guarantee correct selection. Alas, and the Hero's son Soviet Union may become a traitor.

Unfortunately, for some reason Colonel A. Poteev was not subject to the following requirements of the law: a person who has close relatives living abroad or has been detected using narcotic or other psychoactive substances cannot be an SVR employee.

Instead of money, execution on Fridays

Evil tongues say that many billionaires in Russia come from intelligence services. As an example, they point to the banker Alexander Lebedev and the new Tula governor Vladimir Gruzdev. But this is the exception rather than the rule. After all, they were included in the Forbes magazine list after their dismissal from the Foreign Intelligence Service.

As the former director of the SVR, Army General Sergei Lebedev, said: “In 2000, we experienced certain difficulties with financial support, young employees especially suffered. But now, in my opinion, we get enough for a scout to be able to support his family at the proper level, dress and eat normally. But if a candidate comes to us and immediately starts talking about money, then we tell him that he has come to the wrong address.”

Indeed, an intelligence officer’s salary cannot buy a 600th Mercedes or a large apartment in the center of Moscow. Although there used to be a rule: intelligence officers are not sent on business trips abroad if they do not have their own apartment in their homeland. Because for a person working abroad, it is very important to feel that he has his own corner, somewhere to return. This is a significant psychological factor. Now they are relying more on a military mortgage. But it is still far from perfect.

They say that scouts do not live on one salary. While they work abroad, their salary in rubles is deposited in their accounts in Russian banks. But those who work under the “roof” of any department in Russia receive not two, but only one salary. Either in the Yasenevsky forest, or in a civilian institution. It happens that in two places at once, but the “law of communicating vessels” applies here: if the “roof” pays more, then the accountant in the “office” will reduce the intelligence officer’s salary by the same amount. In a word, financiers will not let you show off.

Among the motives for a career as an intelligence officer, money, even now, in our market times, is far from being in the first place among SVR employees. The fate of the Hero of Russia, the famous illegal intelligence officer Alexei Mikhailovich Kozlov, is a very clear confirmation of this.

This illegal intelligence officer in the 80s, according to legend, a German businessman, traveled half the world, went to South Africa to study it secret connections with the West and find out whether there is a program there to create nuclear weapons.

As a result of his betrayal, Kozlov went to prison. He spent six months on death row. The interrogations went on day and night, but the intelligence officer firmly adhered to the legend developed at the Center: I am a German businessman. And only when he was presented with irrefutable evidence of who he really was, Alexei Mikhailovich said: yes, I am a Soviet intelligence officer. Dot. He didn’t say anything about his work, didn’t give anyone away.

They offered him huge amounts of money for betrayal. But, seeing that this was useless, they switched from bribery to intimidation. On Fridays he was taken to execution, showing a man executed on the gallows. At the same time, they laughed: you are white, you have the privilege of receiving a chicken before you die, but you will hang out just like the blacks.

The KGB leadership did everything to rescue our intelligence officer from captivity. For the first time, a complex multi-way exchange was accomplished. And now Kozlov is in his homeland, receiving a quiet cabinet position. But the scout yearns for real work full of risk. One day, unable to bear it, he risked turning to the head of illegal intelligence with a request to send him back “to the field,” beyond the cordon.

After much doubt and hesitation, he is sent abroad to work illegally. They say that the calculation was that no one would suspect a man who miraculously escaped death of wanting to go all-in again. As a result, Alexey Mikhailovich successfully completed the most difficult task and was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

Turnout at Ostozhenka failed

How to be like Alexey Kozlov? To become a scout, you need to contact HR department SVR of Russia. It is best to appear yourself at the address: Moscow, st. Ostozhenka, 51/10. Bring with you your own completed forms, a color photograph measuring 4x6, a photocopy of your passport (pages with photo and registration), photocopies of your diploma vocational education and applications to it. These documents can also be sent by registered mail at the address: 101000, Moscow, Main Post Office, PO Box 958, Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation.

Appeals from citizens related to employment in the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, sent via electronic communication channels (fax, e-mail etc.) are not considered.

Along Putin's path

“I remember that somewhere at the beginning of the ninth grade I went to the reception room of the KGB department. Some uncle came out to me. Oddly enough, he listened to me. “I want,” I say, “to work for you.” - “It’s gratifying, but there are a few points.” - “Which ones?” “First of all,” he says, “we don’t take initiative people. Secondly, you can only get to us after graduating from the army or some civilian university.” Naturally, I asked: “After what university?” He says: “After anyone!” He apparently already wanted to get rid of me. And I say: “Which one is preferable?” - “Legal!” “I understand,” Vladimir Putin described his attempt to get a job in intelligence in the book “From the First Person. Conversations with Vladimir Putin."

The reporter checked how easy it really is to become a spy

Thanks to Edward Snowden and Anna Chapman, many consider intelligence officers almost media figures. In reality, everything is different: where publicity begins, service ends. But be that as it may, more and more young people now secretly dream of becoming a spy. However, the dreamers are firmly convinced that there is no way a person on the street can get into intelligence. But what if you really want it?

As a journalistic experiment, I decided to get a job in intelligence. I know that since the time of Yevgeny Primakov there has been an unspoken rule - journalists should not be used in “spy business”. But I doubt that it has never been violated, so I certainly have a chance.

There have always been more than enough real intelligence officers among reporters. Just look at Richard Sorge and Ernest Hemingway. The second, by the way, recalled how he had to watch enemy submarines under the guise of fishing. In reality, he did everything the other way around - under the guise of watching the submarines, he simply fished...

“Well, how do I get there?” - I kept pestering friends and acquaintances last days. They only rolled their eyes in response: “What are you talking about? They don’t just take you there!” But the words of one veteran intelligence officer are etched in my memory: “Your neighbor, your classmate, your boss, your mother, finally, anyone can be connected with intelligence. And if you want to get there, you will get there." Neither my neighbor nor my mother, alas, helped me. But on the SVR website I found detailed step by step instructions- what should candidates like me do?

Stage one. So, you’ll have to start with the questionnaires that are right there on the website. Let's get started!

In addition to the expected and banal ones (we judge - we don’t judge, whether you have foreign citizenship or not), there are some very original questions there. For example, they need to know whether among my relatives there were people who died as a result of an accident, suicide, or unclear circumstances? Moreover, it is necessary to clarify who, where, when, under what circumstances. Intelligence is also interested in whether I have endured significant physical or nervous stress in my life. And again, it is necessary to describe when and which ones exactly. Today almost everyone asks about drugs and psychoactive substances, but SVR personnel officers want to know in detail what sensations a person experienced when using them. At the same time, I even need to report to intelligence whether I tried “laughing” mushrooms and what happened to me after that. I'm a little stuck on the issue of diseases. It was necessary to list all the illnesses that she had suffered in her life, indicating her age and circumstances. Well, even if they don’t take you into intelligence, there are a lot of benefits from filling out these questionnaires - thanks to them, I remembered all the illnesses and hardships of life.

One of the main questions in the main questionnaire is why do you want to go into intelligence? And answer options. I checked two boxes next to “prestige of the organization” and “usefulness of the results of work.” I think that with the answers “close to home”, “availability of free time”, “difficult to find another place of work”, my chances of admission would have sharply decreased.

Stage two. Completed questionnaires were to be taken to specified address- on Ostozhenka, 51/10. The specialists will study them and then, if I suit them, they will call me and invite me for an interview.

An old beautiful mansion in the center of Moscow. The SVR press bureau is also located here, and I even interviewed the legendary intelligence officer Gevork Vartanyan here. I remember that after a few minutes of conversation, the thought then occurred to me: “But he can recruit anyone!” Vartanyan (blessed his memory!) was incredibly charming and talked about intelligence with such enthusiastic love that the memories still give me goosebumps...

The gate is locked tightly. I'm calling the intercom.

- I brought application forms for joining the service.

Come in.

Two guards are already meeting me at the threshold. Without further ado, the forms are taken away. Awkward pause.

Anything else?

- I would like to ask some questions. Can?

Which ones exactly?

- Well... what salary will I have and what will I do? At least these.

I'll call the duty officer now. He will talk to you.

A minute later the officer comes out. The look is caring and attentive, like a doctor's. Afterwards I understood why.

In this room, future intelligence officers ask “uncomfortable” questions and fill out questionnaires.

Stage three. We are sitting in an elegant office with antique furniture. The officer still looks at him with the same gentle, attentive gaze.

- I’m embarrassed to ask this question...

It's okay, ask whatever you want. In fact, people who are not interested in anything, who do not care who they will be and what they will do, are always more suspicious.

- Then tell me, what position can I count on in the SVR?

I cannot answer this for sure. It all depends on your abilities, and I don’t know them.

- Should I be fluent in several languages?

Not necessarily. But on good level at least one is needed. You may need to take a language improvement course from our specialists.

- But does the job require traveling abroad?

Certainly. Scouts work abroad.

- Where exactly can they send me? Which country?

Only you and your immediate supervisor will know this. Nobody else. But if you have a family, then you can go together.

- What salary can I expect?

Worthy.

- Or more precisely?

I can’t name the numbers. But believe me, it’s very good by today’s Moscow standards. And plus the additional care of the state - medical care, comfortable sanatoriums, military mortgages.

Delicate question, but I can’t help but ask. Is it true that women in intelligence can be used in a variety of... uh... different ways?

For example?

- Well... force you to meet someone... marry the right people...

Force?! No, definitely not. This didn’t happen even in Soviet years. Sometimes scouts make pairs with each other, but only according to at will.

Our conversation gradually became more and more interesting. I relaxed a little (the trembling in my knees subsided), and the officer was convinced that I was serious, so he answered extremely openly - how open intelligence officers can be in principle. Sometimes we were interrupted - one of the employees came into the office, and my interlocutor invariably turned over the notebook that lay in front of him. This is the first rule of a scout - never leave a single piece of paper within the reach of someone else's gaze. Remember how Zheglov taught Sharapov? And also, no real intelligence officer will come close enough to a colleague to look into his computer or documents. But this is so, a small digression.

And then... a terrible thing happened - I failed miserably. The head of the press bureau, Sergei Ivanov, recognized me when he entered the room. He weakly believed that I wanted to become a scout and forced me to confess everything. Thank God that criminal liability there is no penalty for my harmless deception. “Now, if you provided us with false documents, then yes, but otherwise we can only scold you,” said the officer on duty.

“I’ll be useful to you - I can walk through walls.”

They come to get a job in intelligence different people. Many of them are very strange individuals, from whom you immediately want to ask for a certificate from a psychiatrist. Recently someone came who claimed that he could read thoughts from a distance.

If he had read, he would have immediately understood from my thoughts that he needed to run away from here,” Ivanov jokes.

- What if he turned out to be truly unique?- I ask.

In that case, I would catch up with him and ask him to answer a couple more questions.

A woman came who assured that she could teleport. She was immediately asked to demonstrate this amazing and “undoubtedly necessary” ability for a scout. They offered me a choice of teleporting to China or Africa. The “Flying Lady” hesitated and said that she was out of shape today, but she was ready to do it later. She hasn't appeared since then. “Invisible people” and “people who can walk through walls” especially often try to get a job. One, as employees recall, concentrated for a long time, trying to disappear into space before their eyes. At the same time, he loudly suggested that his outlines were blurring, that he was almost no longer visible... It ended with the security being asked to help him disappear outside the building.

Scout and writer Zoya Voskresenskaya at work. Photos from the SVR ARCHIVE

Now I understand why the duty officer looked at me suspiciously from the very beginning. I was waiting for me to start showing miracles...

- But in all this time, was there really at least one person who possessed all these abilities?

And as for the candidates... Among those who came on their own, there are real diamonds. After good cutting, they turned out to be high-quality intelligence officers. Many of them are now extracting valuable information in different parts of the planet.

Some people get into intelligence this way, through the so-called open channels,” says Sergei Ivanov. - Entire groups of schoolchildren came to us and, after watching some film about intelligence, asked to take them. We talked to each one separately. And many quite sincerely want to serve their homeland. So why discourage this hunt? No way! We say that we will wait until they graduate from school, and then we will take them into our ranks. But there are also individual individuals who pursue exclusively selfish goals and have a perverted idea of ​​intelligence.

By the way, this is calculated quickly. Even if the candidate is chosen, he will have to undergo a medical examination, communicate with psychologists and undergo a polygraph test, where “uncomfortable” questions are asked.

But in general it is difficult to say which qualities are more important in this matter. Sometimes it seems that a person does not fit all the parameters, but they take him. He may be over 35 years old (the age limit when one is accepted into the ranks of intelligence officers), and his eyes are “not like an eagle’s.” But despite all this, he seems to have been created for undercover activity.

There are also absolute contraindications to the service. Guess what's first on the list? Psychological tendency to betrayal. I remember that very interview with Vartanyan. How the legendary illegal intelligence officer’s face changed when I asked about the reasons for Anna Chapman’s failure: “It won’t save anything if a traitor points his finger at you.”

Among the absolute contraindications are poverty of mind, poor memory and slow reaction. There is no intelligence officer with such shortcomings. For this purpose, a triple screening system is provided. They don’t hire you into the Foreign Intelligence Service without a higher education - that’s it. During the verification process, you need to pass a special intelligence test - that's two. In practice (by simulating specific situations) they will check how a person behaves if he is confused, severely frightened, etc. - three. Careerists are “declassified” quickly and they try not to hire them, because you can never trust such people 100%. Only out of a desire to get another star can they make some ridiculous mistake. But a scout, like a sapper, makes one mistake. No matter how pretentious it may sound, but without special treatment to the homeland, without the desire to do something for it, it’s not even worth getting into intelligence. And if you really want to live abroad and make good money, then there are plenty of other ways to do this.

Soviet illegal intelligence officer Leontina Cohen worked as a liaison for the legendary intelligence officer Abel. Photos from the SVR ARCHIVE

Intelligence doesn't need plumbers?

What if I were hired? What would happen next? I will try to imagine the possible progress along the “spy path”. No matter how talented and beautiful a newly minted intelligence officer is, he cannot do without training. You need to know a bunch of subtleties. “Addresses, passwords, appearances.” But who would teach me all this? It turned out that in intelligence everything is very, very flexible. Perhaps I would be sent to special courses taught by active intelligence officers and service veterans. Perhaps they were assigned to a supervisor who would teach me everything I needed.

But there is that famous Academy of Foreign Intelligence, within the walls of which almost all intelligence officers and such masters as Heroes of Russia V. Barkovsky and L. Kvasnikov studied (however, then it was called the 101st school). It is interesting that each intelligence officer studies at the academy not exactly 5 years, but for as long as “recommended” by the Center.

Entering the service and entering the Foreign Intelligence Academy are completely different things, they explain to me. - Many people get confused. Not everyone we accept goes on to study at the academy. But everyone who enters the academy is already our employee.

Among the special disciplines taught at SVR are: international law, history of diplomatic relations, political science, regional studies, operational psychology (its emphasis is the peculiarity of behavior various types people you will have to deal with practical work). In general, psychology is the main thing in intelligence. That's why they study everything at the academy latest achievements this science and their use in the activities of foreign intelligence services.

Foreign language- the second weapon of a scout, is the first thing they tell every student at the academy. - Here you will hone it with special care. Master the phonetic course, enrich your vocabulary, accumulate linguistic knowledge in the country where you will have to act in the near future in the interests of your homeland.

Be able to use the latest generation spy technology - a whole science, and you will have to spend a lot of time on it. Although the SVR says that human factor plays a primary role. And if you rely only on technology, you will definitely stumble somewhere. Equipment breaks, but you can’t break a person.

I imagine that I am already “savvy”, I know and can do everything. What's next? Employment. This time it’s not quite real, but for “cover.” Those who the management decides will have to work. What if this is the profession of a cleaner or plumber? What if they send you to some canteen to fry donuts?

They explain to me that this does not happen. An intelligence officer usually works in the field of diplomacy, foreign trade, and private business. Cleaners, maids, plumbers, and waiters certainly help the service, and quite often (say, to install listening equipment). But there is no point for a scout to impersonate them, he will simply recruit a person, and that’s all.

"Stirlitz" in a skirt

Despite the fact that more young men are selected for the SVR, I turned out to be not the only woman in several months who wanted to get a job in intelligence herself (that citizen who teleports does not count). I won’t give specific figures on how many modern “Stirlitz” men in skirts there are among the intelligence officers - I don’t think even ordinary intelligence officers themselves know them. And yet intelligence today is not a woman’s business? Not really. It’s just that girls don’t delve into intelligence like boys, they are more timid and shy.

But in general, the ladies in domestic intelligence left a very noticeable mark. There are even books and films about them. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, intelligence only talks about past affairs. There are so few declassified intelligence officers... Why? Because the role of women was not so great and there was nothing special to tell about them? I recently spoke to a senior government official about this topic. And he said quite confidently, they say, what can they do - in intelligence they have only worked and are working in the wings. They say all they can do is send an encrypted code or give a secret sign at a meeting. I even felt a little offended for our whole feminine. How can one not remember the names of Hero of Russia Leontina Cohen, Gohar Vartanyan, Zoya Voskresenskaya, Anna Kamaeva-Filonenko and many others?

It is curious that if in Soviet and Russian intelligence women actually still more often found themselves in secondary roles (they almost never rise to high positions) military ranks), then abroad everything is completely different. In the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, the British MI6 and the American CIA, women even head entire intelligence services and departments.

It turns out that foreign intelligence officers are trying to achieve great success than ours? Maybe our intelligence officers simply take more care of their women?

But for some reason I want to believe that somewhere out there, in a foreign land, in the interests of Russia, unusually strong intelligence officers are working for you and me. And our children and grandchildren will recognize their names, not us. Intelligence is still not a public profession...

Divisions military intelligence- this is a service special purpose, consisting of military personnel undergoing training as part of a labor contract. According to social surveys, this type of training is one of the most enviable, and therefore getting into the ranks of employees of this unit is not at all easy. In addition to undergoing strict selection, you also need to be prepared for special conditions of service. Knowing the rules for recruiting military personnel into the ranks of intelligence will allow you to prepare in advance for future work.

Historical development

The first memories of reconnaissance units appeared in the middle of the 18th century. The main area of ​​training for such soldiers included tactical training. Employees had to navigate the terrain and be ready to act in conditions of lack of time and critical situations. The main thing is that the work of the military was associated with constant participation in combat operations.

After about 100 years, the procedure for serving was significantly changed, which marked the beginning of the formation of modern ones (abbreviated as GRU). Later, namely in the 20th century, the current rules for recruitment and training were already established. Also legislative acts functional are fixed. These included:

• disruption of transport;
• fight against terrorism;
• training of intelligence officers and saboteurs;
• breakdown of communications and power supplies.

The military carried out their duties both on the territory of Russia and abroad, participating in combat operations, helping to unexpectedly overtake the enemy, depriving him of means of communication.

Main tasks of the Main Intelligence Directorate

The abbreviation GRU stands for Main Intelligence Directorate. This is a system of bodies that are subordinate to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and take part in foreign intelligence.

Modern units consist of special departments, each of which is assigned individual functions.

Table No. 1 " Functional responsibilities while serving in intelligence"

Department	Assigned powers
Controls from 1st to 4th	The main responsibility is to implement foreign policy, as well as establishing connections with other countries
5th	An operational intelligence agency operating directly behind enemy lines
6th	This is the place of service of radio technicians performing their duties within the framework of the use of communications equipment. These are specialists who conduct reconnaissance through the use of walkie-talkies, encrypted letters, and so on.
7th	Organization of communication with NATO member countries. Authorized to take part in organizational events of the Commonwealth
8-13 departments	These organs perform following responsibilities: development of strategic activities; sabotage; collection of military information; analysis of the possibilities of using nuclear weapons and others
Organization of scientific work	There are 2 research institutes on the territory of Russia engaged in the development of new methods of exploration

Also, depending on the military situation in the country, additional special forces brigades may be created. Their work is organized only within the framework of military tasks; the service of soldiers is limited to specific events or temporary periods.

How to get into the GRU

In order to be able to sign an employment contract for employment in intelligence, one must go through a complex multi-level selection process. To the number mandatory conditions employment include:

A separate stage of preparation is passing physical standards, namely, you will have to obtain positive results for the following types of testing:

• long-distance running (3 kilometers, completion time should not exceed 10 minutes);
• 100 meter run ( maximum time task completion – 12 seconds);
• pull-ups from 25 times;
• lying push-ups (at least 90 times, unlimited time);
• hand-to-hand combat.

A separate area of ​​selection is a psychological interview, as well as passing tests for temperament and character. Additionally psychological tests analyze the reaction rate.

Preparation and training of GRU special forces

Based on the above, it takes years to prepare for intelligence service. It’s not enough to go for demobilization and immediately apply for signing employment contract. If, after the verification, the candidate was recruited by the GRU, then you need to be prepared for intensive training.

Types of events	Implementation Features
Psychological	The most important thing in the intelligence service is the fighter’s self-confidence, which is why comprehensive training is carried out to increase self-confidence. Humiliation of the military is strictly prohibited, while commanders, on the contrary, praise the soldiers and encourage their further development
Hand to hand combat	Preparation involves not only learning combat techniques, but also the rules of defense and attack using improvised means.
Physical activity	Consists of comprehensive inspections and sports competitions. Competitions and sparring are held periodically
Mode	Be sure to follow a daily routine. Soldiers must be able to obey commands and carry them out unquestioningly

In addition, every six months the acquired skills are tested in order to study the prospects for further training. The soldiers who, through such hard work, got into the ranks of intelligence officers are themselves interested in obtaining the highest results, since the average wages employee of a division in Russia is 60,000 rubles.

If after reading the material you still have questions, share them in the “Comments” section.

Frame clip The separate reconnaissance battalion of the 7th Airborne Mountain Division was formed atypically. Major Roman Ivanov, appointed by the battalion commander, was given preferences in the selection of the best officers, warrant officers and sergeants to serve in divisional intelligence. And every newly appointed officer to the battalion was involved in this work. Each volunteer was personally visited by his future company commander for conversation and testing. Applications to the military registration and enlistment offices were not sent by mail, they were taken by the same officers who selected future intelligence officers for their units. This is what made it possible to filter out random people from the very beginning. As a result, contract soldiers arrived at military unit, which was already equipped to perfection: dormitories with a mini-gym and showers in each company. Perhaps it was this approach that laid the good foundation for the rapid development of this battalion Russian army XXI century. Mine St. George's Cross Roman Ivanov earned it in August 2008. At the head of a reconnaissance platoon, he paved the way for our tactical group to the Georgian airfield, from which not a single combat aircraft took off after that. In general, he grew up in military garrisons and drew parachutes in kindergarten. After Ryazan School From lieutenant to major, he served in the 247th Cossack Air Assault Regiment, slowly passing through all the combat positions from platoon commander to battalion commander. “There are no uninteresting people in the battalion,” he thinks out loud philosophically. “Sometimes you talk to a soldier at a field bivouac and it’s like reading a fascinating story.” And in the battalion formation you already notice a living monolith of complementary characters, life experience and spiritual qualities. The everyday problems of contract workers, like themselves, look like adults. When the deputy commander of the automobile platoon, foreman Vladimir Gruzenkov, came into force life's vicissitudes found himself alone with three children, the battalion commander and his “political commander” Major Denis Nikonov were knocked off their feet, knocking out a three-room service for him. Schools and kindergartens are already accustomed to the fact that children can be picked up not only by
father is a paratrooper, but also one of his colleagues.” Cooper complex test When selecting contract soldiers for a battalion, it is assumed that a person with the habit of serving anyhow in the airborne elite will not take root. Here, self-installation for constant development is preferable. It’s not for nothing that every candidate is put through the so-called “Cooper complex” - a test of physical hardening. It seems nothing complicated: four exercises of ten approaches for arm strength, abs, endurance, jumping ability. Romantics who expect that someone in the battalion will make a superman out of them are eliminated immediately. Hard workers who work to achieve results with all their might have a chance to become scouts. In three months probationary period a new contract soldier has to go through double the load. In general, the intensity of combat training in the battalion is of a cult nature. And the range of fighting skills is very wide. In service
reconnaissance officers - elements of a computerized tactical level control system, with the help of which the battalion commander and company commanders can receive radio and video information from each reconnaissance officer online via closed communication channels on the battlefield, use programs for simulating the development of the situation and making tactical decisions. Successfully mastered here aerial unmanned reconnaissance complex. The electronic intelligence unit is armed with equipment that allows for round-the-clock remote reconnaissance. So higher education, which 30 percent of the unit’s contract soldiers have, comes in very handy. However, hand-to-hand combat does not fade into the background for the scouts. The battalion has a policy: do not limit your level of “hand-to-hand combat” to the framework of the physical training manual. The result is already visible - victories at the connection championship hand-to-hand combat lieutenants Pavel Osipov and Anatoly Mamurkov. The reconnaissance battalion of Major Roman Ivanov is still in its infancy. But in how skillfully its professional soldiers acted in combat training tests of the past year, such as, for example, the international exercises “Slavic Brotherhood,” the features of a combat unit of the 21st century, always ready for immediate use, are clearly visible.