Yes, Russia has a military space branch called the Russian Space Forces (KV), which operates as a component within the broader Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), handling satellite launches, space situational awareness, and missile warning systems, similar to the US Space Force but integrated into a larger air force structure. This branch was re-established in 2015 after mergers and now manages key space-based military assets for Russia.
The Russian Space Forces (Russian: Космические войска России, romanized: Kosmicheskie voyska Rossii, KV) is the space force branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The KSSO: Russia's Special Operations Command. The Special Operations Forces Command has established itself as Russia's foremost special forces division. Known also as the “polite people”, Russian Special Forces or the KSSO and it rivals many tier-1 western special forces.
The SVR Russia's Intelligence Service.
The Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is the civilian foreign intelligence agency of Russia. The SVR succeeded the First Chief Directorate of the KGB in December 1991. The SVR has its headquarters in the Yasenevo District of Moscow with its director reporting directly to the President of the Russian Federation.
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterintelligence Service (FSK), which was reorganized into the FSB in 1995.
10 of the Best Special Forces in the World
Spetsnaz (Russian: Спецназ) are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spetsnaz GRU, special operations units of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Soviet General Staff (GRU).
In October 2025, Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited alleged leaked Russian data published by the I Want to Live hotline operated by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, according to which Russia suffered 281,550 total losses between January and August 2025, including: 86,744 killed, 33,996 missing ...
10 Best Space Agencies in the World
Krikalev is sometimes referred to as the "last Soviet citizen," having been aboard Mir during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. With the country that launched him no longer existing, his return was delayed, and he remained in space for 311 days—twice as long as planned.
This fact sheet traces the United States' historical and latent capabilities related to direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) weapons. While the U.S. does not currently operate or acknowledge an active DA-ASAT system, it has conducted more than two dozen tests and retains substantial technological capability.
In 2015, China declared space a warfighting domain. Nine years later, it established its own space force, the People's Liberation Army Aerospace Force. Today, the country is actively pursuing technology that threatens U.S. space superiority.
Chinese astronauts are already excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) because Washington has barred Nasa from sharing its data with China. The latest restriction from Nasa only adds to the decline in scientific collaboration between the two sides because of national security concerns.
The military head of the USSF is the chief of space operations (CSO). As of 2023, the U.S. Space Force has approximately 4,286 enlisted service members and 4,314 officers, making it not only the youngest service branch, but also the smallest.
The Royal Navy and allied navies likely have a qualitative advantage, but the sheer weight of fire that the Russian Navy can bring to bear should not be underestimated.
Spetsnaz GRU, formally known as Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, (Russian: Части и подразделения специального назначения Главного управления Генерального штаба Вооружённых сил Российской Федерации) is the special forces (spetsnaz) of the GRU, the foreign military ...
A special mission unit (SMU), at one time referred to as a "tier 1" unit, is a designation for the United States military's most highly secretive and elite special operations forces. The term special missions unit is also used in Australia to describe the Special Air Service Regiment.
We enlisted 15 of the best of the best Special Forces around the world.
Neither SAS nor SBS is definitively "more elite"; they are equally elite but specialized, with the SAS focusing on land/air and the SBS on maritime/amphibious roles, both part of the UK's UK Special Forces (UKSF) and sharing the same rigorous Joint Special Forces Selection process, with SBS adding extra maritime training like swimmer-canoeist skills. Think of them as the Army's and Navy's top-tier counterparts within the same elite special forces framework.
On 3 December 1991, the KGB was officially dissolved. It was succeeded in Russia by the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and what would later become the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system.
"GRU" has several meanings, most commonly referring to the Gated Recurrent Unit, a type of neural network, or Russia's military intelligence agency, the Main Intelligence Directorate (Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie). It can also refer to the character Felonious Gru from Despicable Me, or less commonly, grits (Louisiana French) or a shipbuilding term.