Russia's GRU Called 'Aquarium' As It Has Good View Of What Is Happening In World - Veteran

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2022) The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, commonly known by the abbreviation GRU, was called the "Aquarium" because it has a good view of everything that is happening in the world, a Russian military intelligence veteran has told Sputnik.

Viktor Suvorov, a former Soviet GRU officer and a Russian fiction and non-fiction writer, called GRU the "Aquarium" for the first time in his partly-autobiographical book "Aquarium: the Career and Defection of a Soviet Military Spy," published in 1985.

"For the basis of this unusual name, as we can assume, he (Suvorov) took, first, the appearance of the main building of the directorate made of glass and concrete, and, second, attempted to emphasize that everything that is happening in the world can be seen from it (the building)," the veteran, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

On November 5, Russia celebrates Military Intelligence Day, a professional holiday commemorating the establishment of the Registration Office coordinating intelligence agencies of the Red Army.