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Subject
The future of Russia's military intelligence body.
Significance
Russia's military intelligence service, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), has enjoyed rising fortunes in recent years. Its success is in large part due to its late head, Colonel-General Igor Sergun, who died on January 3. The agency specialises in working with proxy forces abroad as well as conventional espionage, and has seen action in Ukraine and Syria.
Impacts
The government will continue to use deniable methods of foreign intervention including mercenaries and other paramilitaries and sabotage.
GRU espionage abroad will continue to be active and aggressive.
If the GRU is divided up, other army structures may take over some of its roles.
Keywords:
Russia,
RUCIS,
CIS,
Syria,
Ukraine,
international relations,
politics,
defence,
espionage,
foreign policy,
government,
guerrillas,
military,
war
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2016
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