Главное управление глубоководных исследований; ГУГИ; Military Unit 40056; в/ч 40056
Brief description
The Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) is a secretive Russian military unit that oversees naval sabotage operations, maintains underwater sensors, detects foreign vessels in Russian waters, and conducts rescue and recovery missions.
The unit operates independently of the Russian Armed Forces and naval command, instead answering directly to the Ministry of Defence. It draws personnel from the 29th Separate Submarine Division based at Olenya Guba, and naval personnel who serve with it receive a substantial deployment bonus due to the highly specialised nature of their work (RUSI, 2023).
Leadership
- Vladimir Grishechkin
Structure
According to the Financial Times, it coordinates the activities of 50 vessels, mostly submarines and small submersibles, and possesses sophisticated underwater reconnaissance capabilities. The unit’s operations are classified (Financial Times, 2025).
Ships under its command
- Belgorod (mother ship, Oscar-class SSGN)
- BS-64 Podmoskovye (mother ship, Delta-class SSBN)
- Paltus (submarine)
- X-Ray (submarine)
- Kashalot (submarine)
- Losharik (submarine)
- Yantar (research/spy ship)
