Foreign media reveals Russian elite university hides secret department training intelligence agents for covert surveillance and information warfare
Foreign media reports have uncovered that Bauman Moscow State Technical University, a leading Russian polytechnic, harbors a secret department, 'Department 4,' training agents for Russia's Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU). This department teaches covert surveillance and information warfare techniques, including hacking and disinformation tactics.
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- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 17:25
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Moscow, May 7, Comprehensive Foreign Report) Foreign media reports reveal that Bauman Moscow State Technical University, a prestigious Russian polytechnic, secretly houses a department that trains agents for the Russian Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU). This department not only teaches covert surveillance techniques, but students are also required to develop viruses and even learn how to influence audience perception in information warfare.
The Guardian reported that in recent years, Western intelligence agencies have increasingly exposed Russian cyberattacks.
A consortium of six media journalists, including The Guardian, collected over 2,000 internal documents from Bauman Moscow State Technical University, revealing for the first time that this top institution harbors a secret department known as 'Department 4' or the 'Special Training Department.' This department exclusively trains agents for the Russian Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU), with the GRU directly controlling the recruitment and grading process.
GRU agents have previously infiltrated Western parliaments, poisoned dissidents abroad, and interfered in elections in multiple European and American countries.
These documents cover years of activities, including course syllabi and exam records, meticulously tracking students' learning of hacking and disinformation drills, as well as each graduate's professional assignment record.
A former senior Russian defense official said: 'Sometimes you are spotted during your student days, then you enter Bauman University and join the intelligence system... This is part of the training pipeline.'
Bauman University's agent training program includes teaching students 'electronic eavesdropping' and 'covert surveillance' techniques. According to lecture slides obtained by the journalists' consortium, the content is practically a 'deception toolkit,' featuring items like cameras disguised as smoke detectors, invisible keyloggers that record all computer keystrokes, and silent screenshot-capturing display cables.
Furthermore, the curriculum also covers the full range of modern hacking tools, including how to crack passwords, exploit software vulnerabilities, and implant Trojan horses. All students must perform 'penetration tests' and even develop a virus as part of their assessment.
In addition to hacking missions, the curriculum also includes 'information warfare.' Advanced students must complete a seminar on 'developing a disinformation operation,' tasked with creating a social media video using 'manipulation, pressure, and hidden propaganda' techniques to reinforce the audience's 'correct' perception of information. (Compiled by: Chang Ming-hsuan) 1150507
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(Central News Agency, Moscow, May 7, Comprehensive Foreign Report) Foreign media reports reveal that Bauman Moscow State Technical University, a prestigious Russian polytechnic, secretly houses a department that trains agents for the Russian Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU). This department not only teaches covert surveillance techniques, but students are also required to develop viruses and even learn how to influence audience perception in information warfare.
The Guardian reported that in recent years, Western intelligence agencies have increasingly exposed Russian cyberattacks.
A consortium of six media journalists, including The Guardian, collected over 2,000 internal documents from Bauman Moscow State Technical University, revealing for the first time that this top institution harbors a secret department known as 'Department 4' or the 'Special Training Department.' This department exclusively trains agents for the Russian Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU), with the GRU directly controlling the recruitment and grading process.
GRU agents have previously infiltrated Western parliaments, poisoned dissidents abroad, and interfered in elections in multiple European and American countries.
These documents cover years of activities, including course syllabi and exam records, meticulously tracking students' learning of hacking and disinformation drills, as well as each graduate's professional assignment record.
A former senior Russian defense official said: 'Sometimes you are spotted during your student days, then you enter Bauman University and join the intelligence system... This is part of the training pipeline.'
Bauman University's agent training program includes teaching students 'electronic eavesdropping' and 'covert surveillance' techniques. According to lecture slides obtained by the journalists' consortium, the content is practically a 'deception toolkit,' featuring items like cameras disguised as smoke detectors, invisible keyloggers that record all computer keystrokes, and silent screenshot-capturing display cables.
Furthermore, the curriculum also covers the full range of modern hacking tools, including how to crack passwords, exploit software vulnerabilities, and implant Trojan horses. All students must perform 'penetration tests' and even develop a virus as part of their assessment.
In addition to hacking missions, the curriculum also includes 'information warfare.' Advanced students must complete a seminar on 'developing a disinformation operation,' tasked with creating a social media video using 'manipulation, pressure, and hidden propaganda' techniques to reinforce the audience's 'correct' perception of information. (Compiled by: Chang Ming-hsuan) 1150507
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship you provide is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.
Keywords: