Documents obtained by a consortium of journalists have revealed the existence of a secret faculty at Bauman Moscow State Technical University that trains students for careers in Russia’s military intelligence directorate, the GRU. The faculty, known as Department 4 or “Special Training”, prepares operatives for hacking, election meddling, and other covert operations.
The documents, covering several years of activity up to 2025, include course syllabuses, exam records, and career assignments of graduates. They trace students from classroom exercises in hacking and disinformation to postings in notorious cyber-units within the GRU. The programme is divided into three specialist streams, with the most prominent being the “Special Reconnaissance Service”.
The GRU exerts direct control over recruitment and grading, sending its own officers to conduct exams and approve candidates. The department is led by Lieutenant Colonel Kirill Stupakov, a signals intelligence officer who signed a contract with GRU Unit 45807. Another teacher is Viktor Netyksho, a sanctioned major general who commanded the hacking group Fancy Bear, indicted for interfering in the 2016 US presidential election.
Core courses include “Defence against technical reconnaissance”, which teaches password attacks, software vulnerabilities, and trojans over 144 hours. Students are required to master these skills to pass. The university’s rector noted in a 2013 letter that over 40% of its research and development is conducted for the Ministry of Defence.
