Russian Agency at Center of U.S. Hacking Indictment Has Long Operated in the Shadows

The military intelligence agency, known as GRU, employs tactics ranging from military operations to information warfare, experts say

Thomas Grove and

Ann M. Simmons

July 14, 2018 4:16 p.m. ET

MOSCOW—Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia’s military intelligence agency has been blamed for what Western experts say are some of the Kremlin’s most nefarious activities, destabilizing neighbors and embarking on information warfare against enemies and allies alike.

This week, U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller accused 12 officers in Russia’s military intelligence, known formally as the Main Intelligence Directorate, or by its acronym GRU in Russia, of hacking the Democratic National Committee’s servers and spreading...