Although there are other elite units, such as the paratroopers' 45th Guards Independent Reconnaissance Regiment and the Federal Security Service's Al'fa antiterrorist teams, the Spetsnaz (the term is a contraction of spetsial'noe naznacheniya, “of special purpose” or “of special designation”) remain the primary elite ...
They are any special operations unit of the Russian military, including the Russian Navy, Airborne troops, and FSB (formerly the KGB). Most often, when westerners refer to the Spetsnaz, they're referring to the special operations section of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence service.
Unusually for commandos, Spetsnaz units include conscripts — or at least the more capable ones — as well as volunteers, and there are some 17,000 Spetsnaz in total. Most Spetsnaz are assigned to the GRU, Russia's military-intelligence agency, rather than the military itself.
The soldiers had to be younger than 30, were mostly athletes or hunters and had to identify 100% with their mission. Many exhausted and wounded soldiers were, even in training, left to their own devices. The selection methods qualified the troops as elite but caused high numbers of casualties.
Both military units are tied in most weapons edges, but experts believe that what really sealed the victory for the SAS is their better training, tactics and experience in more dangerous missions.
Russia's Spetsnaz [Special Designation] forces are light infantry forces that are largely configured for reconnaissance, counterinsurgency, and power-projection missions, more comparable to the U.S. 75th Ranger Regiment or the British 16th Air Assault Brigade than to true special forces.
In general terms, SpetsNaz troops are not “Special Forces” in the American sense of the term, because their role is not to train and organize foreign, allied units, like our own Special Forces groups. Russian SpetsNaz are more like U.S. Army Rangers or Navy SEALs, trained primarily for direct-action, commando missions.
SEALs are better trained, better equipped and are in better shape and heal generally. But Spetsnaz are utterly ruthless and so brutally trained that they are hard as hell to get down and keep down. My bet would be on the SEAL, if only because they have usually not been as seriously damaged during training.
Both had extremely tough training, however Delta Force in the end was better with teamwork and hand-to-hand combat, albeit not by far, but a advantage regardless. Delta Force also brought in superior ranged weapons, which allowed them to pick off Spetsnaz from a far and outmatch them up close in hand-to-hand.
Only Russian citizens that speak 'Russian' can enlist and apply to qualify in the Spetsnaz. What are some special operations units that are considered to be on the same level as Spetsnaz? How do these units compare to Spetsnaz in terms of effectiveness, training methods, etc.?
The Ukrainian Naval Infantry maintains its own small Spetsnaz force in the form of the 73rd marine Spetsnaz detachment. The detachment is named "Seals" after the United States Navy SEALs and is tasked around the same purpose.
According to the leaked documents, the 346th Spetsnaz unit “lost nearly the entire brigade with only 125 personnel active out of 900 deployed.” Another unit, the 25th Spetsnaz Regiment, apparently never made it back to Russia from Ukraine, possibly due to extreme casualty rate and equipment losses.
"Only the stars are above us." ―Official motto. The Spetsnaz GRU, (Russian: Спецназ ГРУ), is a faction in Blackhawk Rescue Mission 2. They fill a support role, and are fairly commonly in-tandem with other combat-active groups, such as airborne VDV units.
AK-74 rifle
The standard issue 5.45mm AK-74 is used by both Spetsnaz and the regular troops. The AK-74 family of assault rifles are the modernised version of the AK-47. They are lighter and more accurate than the original AK-47, however now they are becoming outdated.
Yes, Russia has incorporated women into serving in Russian Special Forces/Spetsnaz for some time now. There were a few exceptional females that paved the way early on who had served in the Russian Special Operation's Alpha Group, the elite Russian Special Forces anti-terrorist unit.
U.S. Marines
Of course, when you reach the top, you can find them becoming SEALs or a part of the Marine Raider Regiment (MRR), but the training of any Marine is some of the hardest military training in the world. Even outside of Special Forces, Marines have to be ready for both land and sea combat.
Army Green Berets — "Special Forces"
Notably, Green Berets have some of the toughest initial training in the entire military (at the risk of drawing the ire of SEALs and Marine Recon). Their initial test lasts an incredible 24 days, and that's just to see if you can attend the Green Beret qualification course.
The US Army's Delta Force was modeled after the SAS, and the units share a close relationship.
SEAL Team 6, officially Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), common name for the elite U.S. military special missions unit constituted of Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, and Land forces). SEAL Team 6 is best known for the 2011 raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.
Although the Marines are highly respected and considered one of the most elite fighting forces, the Navy SEALs training is far more rigorous and demanding than that of the Marines.
Spetsnaz in general are most comparable to the US Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, a light infantry force, though some units are akin to Tier 1 units, like the US Army's Delta Force, according to Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russian security affairs.
Special Group "Alpha" is an elite Ukrainian Spetsnaz group, branch of the Security Service of Ukraine; and a successor of the Soviet Union's Alpha Group. Group Alpha is one of the top divisions of the special forces of Ukraine. Special Group "Alpha" Spetsgruppa "A"