Soviet/Russian Military Special Forces
The elite units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were mostly formerly controlled by the military intelligence GRU (Spetsnaz GRU). They were heavily involved in the wars in Afghanistan in the 1980s and in Chechnya in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as in the training of pro-Soviet forces and various secret operations during the Cold War. The Russian Airborne Troops (VDV, a separate branch of the Russian armed forces) have the 45th Detached Reconnaissance Regiment.
Most units of the military spetsnaz have no official names and are generally referred to by the type of its formation (company, battalion, brigade) and a number, much like any other Soviet/Russian military unit. An exception was given to the ethnic Chechen Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad during the 2000s.
Read more about this topic: Spetsnaz
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