“Hydronauts”: that’s what they called them. These aquanauts served at \u0412\u043e\u0439\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f \u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044c \u211645707. Today we explore this secret part of Russia’s military history.
\u0412\u043e\u0439\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f \u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044c \u211645707. It translates roughly to Military Unit No. 45707. It is one of the most secretive military units in Russia. This unit answers directly to the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research. That directorate is known as GUGI.
Created in October 1976 in Leningrad, Military unit No 45707 initially served as the 10th detachment of hydronauts. Its purpose was the testing and operation of deep-sea nuclear power plants. These plants employed aquanauts. These aquanauts worked in reconnaissance. Their missions included maintaining Russian underwater communication cables. They also tapped into submarine communication cables. They installed underwater motion sensors. They collected wreckage from the seabed. This included ships, aircraft, and satellites. They recovered remains of secret Russian equipment. This equipment was lost during tests or accidents.
\u0412\u043e\u0439\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f \u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044c \u211645707 is closely tied to deep-sea vehicles. The bathyscaphes “Rus” and nuclear deep-water stations operate here. “Losharik”, “Nelma”, and “Kashalot” all work on the seabed. They reach depths from 500 to 6000 meters. These vehicles belong to the 10th detachment of hydronauts.
According to Dmitry Kornev, hydronauts conduct special missions. These missions occur in the Sea of Japan. They also happen in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The 15th Central Research Laboratory supports Military unit 45707’s efforts.
Vice-Admiral Alexei Vitalyevich Burilichev headed GUGI for fifteen years. He served from 2005 until his death in November 2020. He died from complications related to coronavirus.
GUGI has submarines that can reach depths of 6000 meters. These submarines are equipped with tools, cameras, and lighting. This equipment supports operations at extreme depths. GUGI also possesses more than 50 ships. These include submarines and floating dry docks. These docks hide submarines from satellite detection.
Ships associated with GUGI include the Evgeny Gorigledzhan. Another is the Yantar. It can carry and repair several minisubmarines. The Belgorod submarine is also part of the fleet. The Vice-Admiral Burilichev is another ship. It is a sister ship to both Yantar and Almaz. It was named in honor of Vice-Admiral Alexei Vitalyevich Burilichev. The Nelma submarine is also part of this secret fleet.
The hydronauts of \u0412\u043e\u0439\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f \u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044c \u211645707 play a vital role in Russia’s deep-sea activities. Their work remains shrouded in secrecy to this day.