Unit 54777 (also known as the 72nd Special Service Center) is a Russian GRU unit reportedly responsible for psychological operations.[1][2] Unit 54777 retains several front organizations, including InfoRos and the Institute of the Russian Diaspora.[2] The unit originated from Soviet GLAVPUR (Glavnoye Politicheskoye Upravlenie, or the Main Political Department) and was created in early 1990s and notably employed colonel Aleksandr Viktorovich Golyev, whose memoirs were published in 2020 along with other GRU documents. In the 1990s, the unit focused on pro-Soviet disinformation in newly split republics such as Lithuania and Chechnya. In later years the unit covered a broad range of activities from running NGOs targeting Russian expatriates in Western countries (InfoRos, Institute of the Russian Diaspora, World Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots Living Abroad, Foundation for Supporting and Protecting the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad) and manipulating public opinion in Russia and abroad in preparation for armed conflicts such as in Georgia, Donbas or Syria.[3]

According to a report from Meduza, Alexander Starunsky (Russian: Александр Старунский), a deputy commander of the unit accused of spreading disinformation about the coronavirus was appointed to the Security Council of Russia (Sovbez) in 2021.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ Andrew S. Bowen (November 24, 2020). Russian Military Intelligence: Background and Issues for Congress (PDF) (Report). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Troianovski, Anton; Nakashima, Ellen; Harris, Shane; Abbakumova, Natalia (28 December 2018). "How Russia's military intelligence agency became the covert muscle in Putin's duels with the West". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018.
  3. ↑ Weiss, Michael (2020-12-07). "Aquarium Leaks. Inside the GRU's Psychological Warfare Program | Free Russia Foundation". 4freerussia.org. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  4. ↑ Dmitriev, Denis; Kovalev, Alexey; Yapparova, Lilia (2021-05-17). Lysova, Tatiana (ed.). "Psy-ops in high places Putin's new science adviser to Russia's National Security Council is a military intelligence agent accused of spreading disinformation about the coronavirus". Meduza. Translation by Kevin Rothrock. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  5. ↑ "Путин включил в совет при Совбезе сотрудника ГРУ. США обвиняли его в распространении фейков о COVID" [Putin has included a member of the GRU in the Council of the Security Council. The US accused him of spreading fake news about COVID]. openmedia.io (in Russian). 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
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