Why go

After Victor Suvorov's Aquarium came out and sold millions of copies around the world, the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces can be safely called the most popular military unit in Russia. The globe on the emblem of the special forces means that you can be anywhere in the world at any time to complete the task of your homeland. So extreme tourism is provided for you.

Be ready

Be ready to run three kilometers in 10 minutes, pull up 25 times, run a hundred meters in 12 seconds, push up 90 times, do 90 abdominal exercises in two minutes. One of the physical standards is hand-to-hand combat. You will be put against stronger and more experienced "grandfathers". The task is not to win, but to hold out as long as possible: "Son, you just hold on, we will pull you out." Many people dream of getting into the GRU special forces, but this is almost impossible. You must be in absolute physical health. It doesn't have to be big - a big closet falls louder. More important is endurance. After all, you (if they take it) will have to overcome tens of kilometers a day, and not lightly. You will carry many kilograms of weapons, ammunition and ammunition on yourself. If you are a commando, stress resistance is your middle name. You will pass an interview with a psychologist, and then a lie detector test. The relevant authorities will check your father and mother and require written consent from them for the service of their son in the ranks of special forces.

Worst is waiting for you

In Russia, as you know, the steadfastness, courage and heroism of some are often explained by the gouging and betrayal of others. Unfortunately, the GRU troops are no exception. In the first Chechen 1994-1996. Russian special forces have been present in Chechnya since the entry of troops. At first, it was used in intelligence itself. But due to the poor training of conscripts, special forces soldiers took part in assault groups, as happened in Grozny. The year 1995 brought very high losses in the GRU detachments - the battles of this year are the most tragic in the entire history of the special forces of Russia and the USSR. It is believed that it was the GRU officers A.B. and V.B. blew up Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in Doha (Qatar), but the operation was ensured in such a way that the perpetrators were arrested almost immediately, tried and kept in a Qatari prison for almost a year. In the end, they were pulled out - the Russians do not abandon their own in the war, but, they say, they had to suffer.

The best that awaits you

GRU special forces - today in Russia, probably the best possible line in a resume. It is practically officially recognized that Dmitry Kozak and Vladislav Surkov served in the GRU special forces. But now neither the conscript Kozak nor the conscript Surkov would have ended up in the GRU - the practice of recruiting conscripts to serve in military intelligence was discontinued in the 90s, simultaneously with the official appearance of a military contract in the Russian Federation.

2.

Why go

If you like beautiful uniforms, rituals and other bells and whistles associated with the “command-obey” paradigm, and “endure the hardships and deprivations of military service” and “do not spare blood and life itself”, as it was said in the disciplinary charter of the Soviet army, how- then he doesn’t smile, you have a direct road to the guards of the Vatican.

Be ready

Only single people are taken here. Shave everything - the guardsmen are forbidden to wear mustaches, beards and long hair. By tradition, only Swiss subjects are in the papal guard; the official language is German, although you will take the oath in your native language: German, French or Italian. Age of recruits - from 19 to 30 years. The minimum service life is two years, the maximum is 20 years.

Worst is waiting for you

If you find yourself in the guards, you will be allowed to marry only if you have trumpeted for more than three years and have risen to the rank of corporal. And not before twenty-five! Until then, stay celibate. Brides must be Catholic. Women are not accepted into the guards, and not only because of the orthodox views of the authorities - there is simply nowhere to place women's barracks in the tiny Vatican.

The best that awaits you

Entourage. The uniform of the Swiss guard of the Vatican is sewn, for everything about everything - 32 hours and three fittings. The parade of the guards is very picturesque - a metal helmet with an ostrich feather, striped breeches and caftans, white gloves and collars. Colors are yellow, blue and red. These are the traditional colors of the Medici family. For 500 years, the festive uniform of the Swiss Guards has not changed much. The traditional weapons of the guards of the Vatican have always been pierced spears (or halberds) and swords. Firearms will also be given to you, but it is forbidden to demonstrate them.

3.

Why go

Foreign Legion (fr. Legion etrangere) - a military unit that is part of the French ground forces and is recruited mainly from foreigners. Fights only outside of France. Directly subordinate to the head of state. Unlike other French military units, where the path is open to both men and women, only men aged 18 to 40 can sign a contract for service in the legion. For a long time, the identity of the volunteers was practically not checked. Due to this, many criminals were able to escape from prosecution by joining the legion. Now candidates are tested for physical fitness. If you don't have problems with Interpol, they will accept you. However, if you have real terms behind you, it is impossible to get into the legion. At the same time, drives to the police-militia are not considered petty hooliganism. It is not necessary to know French - you will be taught everything.

Be ready

The fitness standards are:

• 30 pushups
• 50 squats
• climb a six-meter rope without using your legs
• run 2800 meters in 12 minutes

If you successfully pass all the tests and the interview, you are offered to sign a contract for five years. If they didn’t take it, they escort you to the checkpoint, give thirty euros for each day spent here - and you’re free, fighter.

Worst is waiting for you

According to statistics from the late eighties, out of 600,000 thousand who served in the foreign legion, more than 36,000 died in the twentieth century. Given the risks, the salary of a legionnaire cannot be called fabulous. According to one Russian legionnaire, a novice with an experience of 10 months serving in France receives a thousand euros a month, and in the case of a business trip, for example, to Djibouti - about 2,500. Paratrooper legionnaires receive about 1,800 euros in France and a little more than 3 thousand euros in Africa - a business trip usually lasts about four months. And in order to earn, say, 5 thousand euros, you need to be not only a high-ranking officer, but also a dad with many children: salaries and benefits are calculated, among other things, based on the number of children. The length of service for receiving a pension (about 800 euros) is 19.5 years.

The best that awaits you

After three years of service, you have the right to apply for French citizenship or obtain a residence permit at the end of the first contract. And if, God forbid, you are wounded, you have the right to receive French citizenship, regardless of the length of service.

4.

Why go

Numerous special forces units are part of various branches of the military and military units of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). Special Forces battalions operate in the infantry and airborne divisions, and there are special forces in the air force that search for and rescue downed pilots in enemy territory. There is a special forces battalion designed for anti-partisan warfare, there are climbers and rescue units. The tank troops have reconnaissance motorized battalions, whose task is to detect and destroy enemy anti-tank forces and find ways to move tank columns. The personnel of the Israeli special forces is recruited only from volunteers. The requirements for recruits are so high that out of thousands of volunteers, no more than five percent become special forces soldiers.

Be ready

At the first stage of entrance examinations, "Gibush" (translated from Hebrew - "rallying"), within five days you will have to show your ability to survive in an extreme environment. One of the tests is this: they give you an M-16 rifle, two liters of water, a stretcher and a sandbag weighing about 15 kg, which you walk around with. In the process of selection, regular foot crossings are made, mainly on sand, periodically turning into a run. At the end of the day, candidates are allowed to rest and eat, and almost immediately you will be crawling and running with stretchers and bags. I'll have to learn all sorts of female things. One of the most popular camouflage techniques in Israeli special forces is the soldier dressing in women's clothing. First, women are generally not particularly feared. Secondly, in the Islamic world, a woman is an inviolable person: it is not even customary to address her on the street, not to mention a personal search, especially if she is dressed in traditional married clothes.

In a constantly at war state in an unfriendly environment, the probability of not waiting for the end of the service life is more than likely. But don't drift! The Israeli military, according to internal rules, never leave their wounded on the battlefield. In addition, the war in Israel has become not only a science, but also an art. The surviving commandos expect honor, respect and brilliant career prospects. So, the future first persons of the State of Israel Ehud Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yitzhak Rabin, Ariel Sharon served in the special forces.

5.

Why go

The main anti-terrorist units in South Korea. Only volunteers are selected for the battalions from among the military personnel who have served in the special forces of South Korea for three years and have an impeccable track record. Training, as in other special forces of the country, is carried out jointly with American colleagues and mentors from the Delta group and US Navy SEALs teams. The units also conduct joint training and share experience with the Australian SASR assault team, the Singaporean STAR group, and the Hong Kong SDU.

Be ready

The training program is divided into a six-month basic infantry course and a special training course of the same duration. The latter includes airborne training, mine-blasting, mountain training, hand-to-hand combat. Hand-to-hand combat is based on the national martial art of taekwondo. All commandos must be qualified at least as a black belt. (About a master of sports on our money.) Many kilometers of full-equipped forced marches involve swimming without clothes in icy water. Naval training is a special role, the country is surrounded by the sea on three sides. All fighters receive the qualification of a light diver, and also learn how to manage a canoe and other rowing and motorized watercraft. Breaking bricks with your head is a must.

The best and worst that awaits you

Combat training is carried out in an extremely rigid form. The press repeatedly appeared information about deaths in the classroom. In 1984, after the death of seven comrades in the classroom, a group of special forces formed to kill Kim Il Sung, instead of going on a mission, mutinied, killed officials and hijacked a bus in Seoul. The rebels were quickly eliminated, the survivors were tried and executed. Subsequently, the court recognized that the command got excited, the relatives were paid impressive compensation. A trifle, but nice.

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

Thanks to Edward Snowden and Anna Chapman, many consider intelligence officers almost media people. 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 a career as a spy. However, the dreamers are firmly convinced that a person from the street cannot get into intelligence in any way. But what if you really want to?

As a journalistic experiment, I decided to get a job in intelligence. I know that since the time of Yevgeny Primakov, an unspoken rule has been in force - do not use journalists in the "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 scouts among reporters. What are only Richard Sorge and Ernest Hemingway. The second, by the way, recalled how he was supposed to watch enemy submarines under the guise of fishing. In reality, he did everything the other way around - under the guise of watching submarines, he simply fished ...

"Well, how do I get there?" - I pestered friends and acquaintances all the last days. Those in response only made round eyes: “What are you doing? They just don't take it there!" But the words of one veteran intelligence officer stuck 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 the neighbor nor the mother, alas, helped me. But on the SVR website I found detailed step-by-step instructions on what candidates like me should do.

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

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

One of the main questions in the main questionnaire - why do you want to go into exploration? And answer options. I put two checkmarks in front of "the prestige of the organization" and "the usefulness of the results of labor." I think that with the answers “proximity to home”, “having free time”, “it is difficult to find another job”, my chances of admission would have sharply decreased.

Stage two. The completed questionnaires were supposed to be taken to the specified address - Ostozhenka, 51/10. Specialists will study them and then, if I approach them, they themselves will call and call for an interview.

An old beautiful mansion in the center of Moscow. The press office of the Foreign Intelligence Service is also located here, and I even interviewed the legendary intelligence officer Gevork Vartanyan here. I remember that after a few minutes of conversation, I then had the thought: “Why, he can recruit anyone!” Vartanyan (bless his memory!) was incredibly charming and spoke about intelligence with such enthusiastic love that goosebumps still come from the memories ...

The gates are locked tightly. I call the intercom.

- I brought the questionnaire for admission to the service.

Come in.

At the threshold I was already met by two guards. Without further ado, they take the questionnaires. An awkward pause.

Something else?

- I would like to ask some questions. Can?

What exactly?

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

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

A minute later the officer comes out. Look caring and attentive, like a doctor. After that, I understood why.

In this room, future scouts ask "uncomfortable" questions and fill out questionnaires.

Stage three. We are sitting in an elegant office with antique furniture. The officer looks all the same affectionately attentively.

I'm embarrassed to ask this question...

It's all right, ask whatever you want. In fact, there are always more suspicions caused by people who are not interested in anything, who do not care who they will be and what they will do.

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

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

- Do I have to be fluent in several languages?

Not necessary. But at a good level, at least one is needed. You may need to take a language improvement course with our specialists.

- But the work involves going abroad?

Certainly. Scouts work abroad.

- And where exactly can they send me? To what 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.

- And more precisely?

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

A delicate question, but I can not help but ask. Is it true that women in intelligence can be used in the most ... mmm ... different ways?

For example?

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

Force?! No, definitely not. This was not even in the Soviet years. Sometimes scouts pair up with each other, but only at their own request.

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 I answered extremely openly - how open scouts 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 paper in the reach of someone else's eyes. 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. I was recognized by the head of the press bureau, Sergei Ivanov, who entered the room. He weakly believed that I wanted to become a scout and forced me to confess everything. Thank God that criminal liability for my harmless deceit is not provided. “Now, if you provided us with false documents, then yes, otherwise we can only scold you,” said the officer on duty.

"I'll be useful to you - I can walk through walls"

Different people come to get into intelligence. Many of them are very strange personalities who immediately want to ask for a certificate from a psychiatrist. Recently, one came who claimed that he could read minds from a distance.

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

- What if he was really 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 claimed that she could teleport. She was immediately asked to demonstrate this amazing and “undoubtedly necessary” ability for a scout. They offered a choice - to teleport to China or Africa. The Flying Lady hesitated, said that she was not in shape today, but she was ready to do it later. Hasn't appeared since. Especially often "invisible people" and "able to pass through walls" try to get a job. One, as employees recall, concentrated for a long time, trying to dissolve in space before their eyes. At the same time, he loudly suggested that his outlines were blurring, that he was almost invisible ... The matter ended up asking the guards to help him dissolve outside the building.

Scout writer Zoya Voskresenskaya at work. Photo FROM THE SVR ARCHIVE

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

- But for all the time there was really at least one person who possessed all these abilities?

As for the candidates... Among those who came like this, there are real diamonds. After a good "cutting" of them, high-class scouts were obtained. Many of them are now extracting valuable information in different parts of the planet.

Some get into intelligence just like that, through the so-called open channels, - says Sergey Ivanov. - Whole groups of schoolchildren came to us, who, after watching some film about intelligence, asked to take them. We talked to each one separately. And many sincerely want to serve their homeland. So why stop this hunt? In no case! We say that we will wait until they finish school, and then we will take them into our ranks. But there are also individual instances that pursue exclusively selfish goals and have a perverted idea of ​​​​intelligence.

By the way, it is calculated quickly. Even if the candidate was chosen, he will have to undergo a medical examination, communication with psychologists and 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 in all respects, but they take him. He may be over 35 years old (the age limit when they are accepted into the ranks of scouts), and the eye is "not like an eagle's." But with all this, he seemed to be created for intelligence activities.

There are absolute contraindications to the service. Guess what's on the first list? Psychological propensity to betray. I remember that very interview with Vartanyan. How did the face of the legendary illegal intelligence officer change when I asked about the reasons for the failure of Anna Chapman: “Nothing will save if a traitor points a finger at you.”

Among the absolute contraindications are the poverty of the mind, poor memory and slow reaction. There is no scout with such shortcomings. For this, a triple screening system is provided. In the SVR without a higher education they don’t take it - this is the time. During the verification process, you need to pass a special test for intelligence - these are two. In practice (simulating specific situations), they will check how a person behaves if he is confused, scared, etc. - three. Careerists are “declassified” quickly and they try not to take them, because you can never trust such people 100%. Just out of a desire to get another star, they can make some ridiculous mistake. A scout, like a sapper, makes a mistake once. No matter how pathetic it may sound, but without a special relationship to the motherland, without a desire to do something for her, it’s not even worth poking into intelligence. And if you really want to live abroad and make good money, then there are plenty of other ways for this.

The Soviet illegal spy Leontina Cohen worked as a liaison for the legendary intelligence officer Abel. Photo FROM THE SVR ARCHIVE

Intelligence does not need plumbers?

What if I was hired? What would be next? I will try to imagine a possible advance along the "spy path". No matter how talented and beautiful a newly minted scout is, he cannot do without training. You need to know a lot 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 have been sent to special courses conducted by active intelligence officers and veterans of the service. Perhaps they were assigned to a curator who would teach me everything that was needed.

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

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

Among the special disciplines taught in the Foreign Intelligence Service are international law, the history of diplomatic relations, political science, regional studies, operational psychology (its emphasis is on the behavior of various types of people who will have to deal with in practical work). In general, psychology is the main thing in intelligence. Therefore, the academy studies all the latest achievements of this science and their use in the activities of foreign intelligence services.

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

Knowing how to use the latest generation of spy equipment is a whole science, and you will have to spend a lot of time on it. Although the SVR says that the human factor plays a paramount role. And if you rely only on technology, you will definitely stumble somewhere. Technology 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 not quite real, but for "cover". Work will have to be those who decide the authorities. And what if it will be a profession of a cleaner or a plumber? What if they send you to some canteen to fry donuts?

They explain to me that this does not happen. Usually a scout works in the field of diplomacy, foreign trade, private business. Cleaners, maids, plumbers, waiters, of course, help the service, and quite often (say, to install eavesdropping equipment). But it makes no sense for a scout to impersonate them, he will simply recruit a person, and that's it.

"Stirlitz" in a skirt

Despite the fact that more young men are selected in the SVR, I turned out to be not the only woman in a few 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 in skirts are among the scouts - I think even ordinary scouts themselves don’t know them. And yet intelligence today is not a woman's business? Not certainly in that way. Just intelligence girls, like boys, do not rave, they are more timid and shy.

But in general, ladies in domestic intelligence left a very noticeable mark. There are even books and films about them. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, intelligence tells only about past affairs. There are so few declassified intelligence officers... Why? Because the role of women was not so great and there is nothing special to tell about them? On this topic, I recently started talking with one big government official. And he quite confidently said, they say, what can they do - in intelligence they only worked and work on the hook. Say, all they can do is send a cipher or give a secret sign at a meeting. I even felt a little offended for our entire female gender. How not to remember the names of the 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 indeed more often found themselves on the sidelines (they almost never rise to high military ranks), then abroad everything is completely different. In the Israeli Mossad intelligence service, the British MI6 and the American CIA, women even head entire intelligence services and departments.

It turns out that foreign scouts achieve greater success than ours? Maybe our scouts just take care of their women more?

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 with you. And their names will be recognized by our children and grandchildren, not by us. Intelligence is still not a public profession ...

To begin with, it is worth remembering that all scouts do not like to be called spies. And then - nothing is impossible. And even a diploma in a specialty that is not related to intelligence is not an obstacle on the way to a dream.

“The profile of the university does not matter much, the main thing is the basic level of culture and education, as well as learning ability, including foreign languages,” said AiF head of the press bureau of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Ivanov. Only a citizen of Russia, as a rule, at the age of 22-30 can become a staff member of the Foreign Intelligence Service. A person must meet the medical and professional-psychological requirements of military service. Everyone who thinks that "a man from the street" cannot get into intelligence is mistaken. The SVR website has detailed step-by-step instructions on what such candidates should do.

First of all, you need to fill out two questionnaires by hand (available on the site). Attach a color photo, a photocopy of your passport, diploma or an extract from the student's record book, if you are still studying at the university. The entire package of documents is sent by registered mail to the address: С Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, PO Box 510, Main Post Office, Moscow, 101000. Or you can personally hand it over to the SVR press office at: Moscow, st. Ostozhenka, 51, building 1. “Materials sent by e-mail, facsimile, etc., are not considered,” Ivanov explained. “Personal data transmitted through open electronic communication channels may become known to third parties, including foreign intelligence agencies.” Those whose documents are of interest to the SVR will receive a response from the personnel department within 30 days from the date of their receipt. Candidates will be invited for an interview.

The questionnaire contains both fairly predictable questions (we judge - we don’t judge, whether there are close relatives - foreigners, etc.), and unexpected ones. For example, it is important for intelligence whether among the relatives of a potential candidate there were persons who died as a result of an accident, suicide, under unclear circumstances. And if a person suddenly used drugs and other psychoactive substances, it is necessary to describe what sensations he experienced.

What checks need to be passed?

“Different people come to get into intelligence. There are also some very strange people. Then a subject will come who "can read minds." If I could, I would immediately understand from my thoughts that I had to run away from here, - Sergey Ivanov jokes. - A woman came who claimed that she could teleport. She was immediately asked to demonstrate this "necessary" ability for a scout. Hasn't appeared since. Often trying to get a job "invisible people" and "able to pass through walls."

But more often come across those who pursue selfish goals. These are calculated immediately. Even if the candidate has successfully passed the first stage of selection, he will have to communicate with psychologists and undergo a polygraph examination, where they ask “uncomfortable” and tricky questions. Careerists are “declassified” quickly and try not to take them, because you cannot trust them 100%: in pursuit of another star on shoulder straps, such people can make a fatal mistake.

There are absolute contraindications to the service. For example, insufficient resistance to psychological pressure. This can also be safely attributed to a bad memory, a slow reaction, and even bad erudition. Not every profession requires such a broad outlook and flexibility of mind, but a scout has no right to be uninteresting for those people who interest him. So slow-witted scouts are not kept with us. A triple filter is provided to screen out such candidates. First, you need to get a higher education. Secondly, it is necessary to pass a special test for intelligence. And thirdly, to be tested in practice: specific situations are simulated that allow you to identify how a person behaves in an extreme situation, if he is confused or very scared. Also, no matter how pathetic it may sound, but without patriotism, you should not even meddle in intelligence. “When we talk about the feeling of patriotism, then, believe me, these are not some lofty words, but an urgent need,” Sergey Ivanov explains. “A person must believe in the rightness of his cause, because he goes to difficulties, hardships, and sometimes risks his life for the sole purpose of serving the Fatherland.”

What salary?

No matter how talented and beautiful a newly minted scout is, he cannot do without training. They can be sent to courses taught by active intelligence officers and veterans of the service. And perhaps they will individually assign you to a curator who will teach you everything. They will not take you to the Academy of Foreign Intelligence from the school bench. “Not everyone we accepted goes on to study at the academy. But everyone who enters the academy is already our employee,” the Foreign Intelligence Service explains. Moreover, they study here not for 5 years, as in an ordinary university, but for as long as the Center “recommended”. They teach a lot of different and interesting things - international law, foreign languages, the history of diplomatic relations, political science, regional studies and so on. But first of all - special disciplines by profession: the theory and practice of intelligence work.

After training, young employees come to service units, where for some time they delve into the situation, and already with specific tasks they are sent to the most important place of work of an intelligence officer - abroad. If you have a family, then you can go together.

Worthy salary. The press office does not give exact figures, since they depend on where you are currently working - here in Russia, in the central office of the service, or on a business trip abroad. Yes, and on a business trip, the country is different from country to country: it all depends on the complexity of the current situation and the tasks performed. But they advised me to focus on the salaries of the military, since all intelligence officers are officers and have combined arms ranks. They are covered by all the benefits due to military personnel - a good social package with free medical care, sanatoriums and military mortgages.

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

The modern Russian intelligence officer bears little resemblance to the hero of spy action movies. He doesn't lay down stacks of Hollywood beauties like James Bond does. Chasing and shooting from a pistol for a real scout is so rare that it is comparable to failure. And although the profession is not without romance, this field is not for those who are looking for fame or big money. And yet thousands of boys and girls dream of her.

Alas, we have to disappoint our very young readers who dream of the laurels of Stirlitz and Sorge. In intelligence there is a strict age limit. Only the Academy of the FSB, which trains mainly counterintelligence officers, can be entered immediately after school. And people with higher education are taken to the Academy of Foreign Intelligence. The admission rules dryly but clearly state: “A citizen of the Russian Federation aged 22 to 30 years old can become a candidate for military service in the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service in positions of operational staff.”

Selection controversy

Getting into the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is not easy. To do this, you need to go through a long and difficult professional selection. As the former director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, General of the Army Sergei Lebedev, told the AN observer, they are looking for future intelligence officers after the first year at the university. Then, for three or four years, they carefully study potential candidates. Immediately weed out those who are prone to excessive adventurism, were members of radical youth organizations or religious sects. They look at student records very carefully. For some reason, it is believed that there is no place for troechniks in Russian intelligence. I think this is controversial.

For example, the legend of Soviet intelligence, William Fisher, aka Rudolf Abel, was not an excellent student at school, and even after graduating from the institute he did not receive a red diploma. But he was a talented intellectual. He, along with 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 remember that Fischer was brilliantly educated and incredibly talented. He drew at a professional level, played various musical instruments perfectly, had patents for inventions in the United States, solved the most complex mathematical problems and was well versed in nuclear physics.

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

Thanks to a tough selection and probably the best medical care in the country, intelligence officers, as a rule, live and work for a very long time. So, 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 scouts - 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 ... Mikhail Isaakovich Mukasey, holder of many state awards, lived for 102 years. Elizaveta Ivanovna was five years younger than him and a little short of her 100th birthday.

A special secret is surrounded by professional and psychological selection. His scout candidates are mandatory. Here the level of intellectual development, psychological readiness, quickness of thinking, sociability, neuropsychic stability and other professionally important qualities for work are evaluated. They say that not only a lie detector is used, but also dozens of other instruments and scientific methods.

With regard to the candidate, with his consent, verification activities are carried out related to access to information constituting state and other secrets protected by law. And here all close relatives up to the seventh generation “shine through”. But as the example with the traitor Poteev shows, a "clean" questionnaire is not yet a guarantee of correct selection. Alas, the son of the Hero of the Soviet Union can become a traitor.

Unfortunately, for some reason such requirements of the law did not apply to Colonel A. Poteev: a person who has close relatives living abroad, is noticed in the case of using narcotic or other psychoactive substances, cannot be an employee of the Foreign Intelligence Service.

Instead of money, execution on Fridays

Evil tongues say that many billionaires in Russia come from intelligence. As an example, they point to the banker Alexander Lebedev and the new Tula governor Vladimir Gruzdev. But this is more the exception 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 Foreign Intelligence Service, General of the Army Sergei Lebedev, said: “In 2000, we experienced certain difficulties with financial support, especially young employees suffered. But now, in my opinion, we are getting enough so that the scout can support his family at the proper level, dress and eat normally. But if a candidate comes to us and immediately starts a conversation with money, then we tell him that he came to the wrong place.

Indeed, the salary of an intelligence officer cannot buy the six hundredth Mercedes or a large apartment in the center of Moscow. Although there used to be a rule: scouts are not sent on a business trip 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, there is a place to return. This is a significant psychological factor. Now they rely more on military mortgages. But it is still far from perfect.

They say scouts don't live on one salary. While they are working abroad, their monetary allowance in rubles is deposited in their Russian bank accounts. But those who work under the "roof" of any department in Russia receive not two, but only one salary. Or in the "Yasenevsky forest", or in a civilian institution. It happens that in two places at once, but here the “law of communicating vessels” applies: if the “roof” pays more, then the accountant in the “office” will reduce the salary of the scout by the same amount. In a word, the financiers will not allow to show off.

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

This illegal intelligence agent in the 80s, according to legend, a German businessman, traveled half the world, traveled to South Africa to study its secret ties with the West and find out if there was a program to create nuclear weapons there.

As a result of the betrayal, Kozlov ended up in prison. He spent six months on death row. Interrogations went on day and night, but the intelligence officer firmly adhered to the legend worked out in the Center: I am a German businessman. And only when they presented him with irrefutable evidence of who he really was, Alexei Mikhailovich said: yes, I am a Soviet intelligence officer. Dot. He did not say anything about his work, did not betray anyone.

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

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

After much doubt and hesitation, he is sent abroad for illegal work. They say that the calculation was that no one would suspect a person who miraculously escaped death of wanting to play for broke again. As a result, Alexei Mikhailovich successfully completed the most difficult task and was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

Turnout at Ostozhenka not failed

How to be like Alexei Kozlov? To become a scout, you need to contact the personnel service of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. It is best to come to the address: Moscow, st. Ostozhenka, 51/10. You must have self-filled questionnaires, a 4x6 color photograph, a photocopy of your passport (pages with a photo and registration), a photocopy of a diploma of professional education and its annexes. These documents can also be sent by registered mail to the address: 101000, Moscow, Main Post Office, PO Box 958, Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation.

Appeals of 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 way

“I remember, 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 is encouraging, but there are a few points." - "What?" “First of all,” he says, “we don’t take initiators. Secondly, you can get to us only after the army or some civilian university. Naturally, I asked: “After which university?” He says: "After any!" He seemed to want to get rid of me. And I say: “Which one is preferable?” - "Legal!" “Understood,” Vladimir Putin described his attempt to get into intelligence in the book “From the First Person. Conversations with Vladimir Putin.

Military intelligence is an elite unit whose task is to obtain and study information about a potential enemy and the place of military operations in the future. Getting there is not so easy. Candidates must be prepared for the passage of a large competition and preliminary preparation for future military service.

What is military intelligence

The military intelligence units are a special-purpose service that consists of military personnel undergoing training under a labor contract.

The first mention of such structures appeared in the 18th century. Over time, the order of service has changed significantly and modern special-purpose military units (GRU) have been formed.

The system of bodies of the GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate) is subordinate to the Ministry of Trade of the Russian Federation and takes part in foreign intelligence. The divisions include several special departments, each of which has its own functions.

Today, the intelligence services of various countries are closely cooperating with each other, fighting against such global problems as international terrorism, the spread of unsafe nuclear technologies, drug trafficking, and so on.

Types of intelligence

Conventionally, intelligence is divided into three main types:

• Undercover. It is carried out by agents whose task is to collect useful information, gain access to important objects and get into the power structures of the enemy. Methods for obtaining data can be different, but most often they are peaceful.
• Military. This is intelligence that takes part in the hostilities themselves, giving the army and military formations up-to-date information about the enemy.
• Technical. Technical intelligence involves the use of modern technology: space, air, land, sea.

How to get into intelligence of the RF Armed Forces

In Soviet times, the selection was carried out directly among university students, and special attention was paid to the departments of foreign languages. Today, in order to replenish the ranks of military intelligence, you will have to try. This can be done through an urgent service or on a contract basis.

On a contract basis

You can usually get into intelligence on a contract basis after completing military service. Most fighters get offers to stay. You can also simply contact the selected part, where they will give information about what documents are required and when profile testing will be carried out.

REFERENCE. Those wishing to serve under the contract are encouraged to apply in several parts at the same time. In some of them there may be a shortage, which will make it possible to get into the desired troops. In the future, it will be possible to transfer to another part, or, having completed a successful service under a contract in one place, conclude an agreement in another, more convenient or prestigious one.

For military service

First you need to get into one of the elite military units, for example, the Airborne Forces or the Marine Corps. Tank and motorized rifle units are also suitable. Having served in them on conscription, you can later get into intelligence. It will also be possible to transfer from one part to another during the service. In order to get into the elite unit during the distribution, you need good health, physical fitness and psychological stability.

The algorithm of actions will be as follows:

1. It is necessary to pass all the tests positively and get a medical certificate.
2. Next comes the security clearance.
3. At the credentials committee, you need to inform about your desire.
4. During the first months of service, it is important to perform well in order to be able to transfer to the desired troops.
5. It is necessary to write a report for transfer to intelligence and verbally express your desire to the unit commander.

Good characteristics from the place where the young fighter took the course will help to get into intelligence. As a rule, selection is carried out on a competitive basis. Preference is given to applicants who have a category in skydiving, success in power martial arts or shooting.

ATTENTION! If the applicant himself or one of his relatives has a criminal record, even canceled, then the road to intelligence is closed.

Features of service

The intelligence service is a secret and extremely important unit in the system of forces responsible for the security of the country.

Its goals include not only the collection, analysis and provision of up-to-date information about potential adversaries to the highest structures, but also the promotion of Russia's policy in the world, and the promotion of the country's economic and scientific development.

The authority of the service also includes the recruitment of foreign citizens who are ready to cooperate, the encryption of the data of personnel and agents, as well as the covert use of any means and methods that do not harm people and the environment. Although sometimes, due to circumstances, scouts exceed their authority for the good of their homeland.

While Soviet intelligence opposed the capitalist West at almost every point, the modern service has moved away from this globalism in its work. Its current doctrine is local activity in regions where Russia has topical true interests.

This enables the reasonable use of human and technical resources without loss of efficiency in ensuring the interests of the state.

What tasks does

The main task of the Russian Armed Forces is protection of the security of the country, individual and society from threats from outside. Also, intelligence activities pursue the following goals:

• Providing the government with intelligence information that is necessary to make decisions in the field of economics, politics, ecology, and so on.
• Ensuring the conditions under which the successful implementation of the policy of the Russian Federation in the security industry is achieved.
• Assistance to the scientific, technical, economic development of the country, ensuring the security of the Russian Federation in military-technical terms.

Features of the selection of candidates for the foreign intelligence service

The candidate must have a higher education. You also need to be well versed in one of the following areas:

1. military-industrial;
2. political and economic;
3. scientific and technological.

There are also clear criteria:

• citizenship of the Russian Federation;
• availability of higher education and professional training corresponding to a particular type of intelligence;
• compliance with medical standards for work in intelligence;
• passing a psychological test to assess the stability, speed of thinking, the mental abilities of the candidate and his readiness to carry out military service;
• passing a test for the accuracy of information, reliability, cleanliness before the law, the ability to obtain access to classified data.
• military service;
• a positive reference from the military unit serving the service;
• recommendations from jobs related to security or law enforcement;
• external parameters (there are no criteria regarding weight, but the minimum height for candidates is 175 cm).
• age up to 28 years;
• written consent of parents to serve in intelligence.

An obligatory stage is the delivery of physical standards. It includes running for short and long distances, pull-ups, push-ups, hand-to-hand combat. Psychological tests are aimed at analyzing character and temperament. They also determine the rate of a reaction.

Knowledge of foreign languages ​​is welcome. The path to foreign intelligence is also open to girls. They also need good physical shape, but more emphasis is placed on the mind, psychological stability and the ability to solve difficult situations. Such qualities as resourcefulness, diligence and forethought are valued.

Reasons for not taking

The road to exploration is closed to the following categories of citizens:

1. Persons who are not citizens of the Russian Federation.
2. Those who permanently reside in another country or draw up paperwork for permanent residence in another state (this also applies to the candidate's relatives).
3. Persons who have not passed medical and psychological checks, or who do not meet age or professional selection criteria.
4. People who had or have a criminal record are under investigation (also applies to relatives).
5. Persons who provided false information and documents,

Getting into the intelligence service is quite difficult. The competition is big There are many requirements for candidates. Nevertheless, it is possible, but you will have to try and study not only the requirements, but also the features of the service as a whole.