United States

Indictments Put Spotlight on Massive Russian Spy Agency

The Main Intelligence Directorate is better known by the acronym GRU

The indictments against 12 Russian operatives allegedly involved in hacking the Democratic National Committee has put a spotlight on a massive Russian intelligence agency that has long lived in the shadow of the KGB, NBC News reported.

The Main Intelligence Directorate, better known by the acronym GRU from its Russian name, is the Kremlin's military intelligence arm. Founded not long after the Bolshevik revolution, it plays a much larger role than its rough U.S. equivalent, the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The indictment stands as special counsel Robert Mueller's first allegation implicating the Russian government directly in criminal behavior meant to sway the presidential election, the Associated Press reported.

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