GRU

The GRU (pronounced /gruː/) or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye ("Гла́вное Разве́дывательное Управле́ние"), meaning Main Intelligence Directorate, is a Russian military intelligence agency.

Overview
First established in 1918 by Vladimir Lenin, GRU was assigned the role of handling military intelligence and was intended to be an agency for the Soviet military. They were granted full independence from other organizations within the Soviet Union, and Lenin specifically told the other groups to not get involved with the activities of the GRU. As a result of both this as well as GRU having been infiltrated during 1919 by the Cheka, the predecessor of the KGB (State Security Committee), a fierce rivalry developed between the GRU and KGB.

Little was known about the very existence of the GRU during the time of the Soviet Union. However, its presence became well known throughout Russia after the collapse of the Soviet bloc and is still currently in existence, along with the Spetsnaz (special forces).

Spetsnaz GRU
The Spetsnaz GRU are a special unit of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formerly the Soviet Armed Forces, under the control of GRU.

During the Cold War, Colonel Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin commanded a faction of the Spetsnaz GRU in order to oppose Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. In August, 1964, Volgin ordered his forces to capture nuclear weapons scientist Nikolai Stephanovich Sokolov while the latter was working on the Shagohod prototype, under KGB custody in Tselinoyarsk. The Ocelot Unit were sent to carry out this task, under the command of Major Ocelot. Despite being bested in combat by CIA infiltrator Naked Snake, Volgin, and his recently-acquired ally The Boss, personally arrived in the area to extract Sokolov themselves.

A week later, many GRU soldiers (led by both Colonel Volgin and Major Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov) were stationed as guards in Groznyj Grad, where Sokolov was forced to complete the Shagohod. There, many GRU soldiers encountered and fought Naked Snake. During Snake's battle with Major Ocelot at Bolshaya Past, both regular and Ocelot GRU soldiers surrounded Snake to ensure that no one interfered with the duel, though they were later driven off after being swarmed by The Pain's bees, with some of the Ocelots dying from multiple stings.

Former Spetsnaz GRU colonel Sergei Gurlukovich formed a private military group following the collapse of the Soviet Union, consisting of other disillusioned members. They later participated in terrorist operations during the 2007 Tanker Incident and the 2009 Big Shell Incident. Likewise, two other former Spetsnaz members, Shotmaker and Red Blaster, proceeded to become mercenaries before they ended up joining the mercenary nations of Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land, respectively.

Notable members

 * Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin (Colonel)
 * Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov (Major)
 * Ocelot (Major of the Ocelot Unit)
 * Johnny (prison guard)
 * Sergei Gurlukovich (Colonel)
 * Olga Gurlukovich
 * Red Blaster
 * Shotmaker

Behind the scenes
When interrogating GRU soldiers in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, they may claim that they are unable to swim, or that they will not show their dogtags if threatened by the enemy ; these refer to the player's means of killing them by knocking them into deep water, and to the lack of collectible dogtags in the game, respectively.

GRU and Ocelot Unit soldiers serve as playable characters in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus.

"A member of GRU, the intelligence wing of the Red Army's General Staff. As the military's intelligence service, GRU and the KGB are tasked with keeping a close eye on each other."

- GRU Soldier description in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus

In the Naked Sample Demo for Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, shortly after a narrow crossing through Dolinovodno, a trio of GRU soldiers, presumably on patrol, are walking around an area above Naked Snake. One of the soldiers decided to smoke a cigarette, but he fumbled the box of cigarettes and it fell down a hole near Snake's position. The guard pops his head out from the hole near the root in order to search for the cigarettes, and then attempts to reach for the cigarettes, completely unaware of Snake's nearby presence. Snake then covertly helps the soldier by retrieving the cigarette box while hiding undearneath his position and holding it in his reach.

If the player interrogates a GRU soldier who lacks any useful info multiple times, the GRU soldier will deny knowing anything, curse Snake and declare that he can kill him as he'll never join the west, although he does eventually consider the freedom he has, and also wonder if it is good in the West.

Appearances

 * Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
 * Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
 * Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
 * Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus