Bauman University trains GRU operatives in hacking and disinformation
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 7
Bauman University trains GRU operatives in hacking and disinformation
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 7
More than 2,000 internal documents trace students from the Moscow university into GRU units including Fancy Bear and Sandworm, with 16 graduates from one 2024 cohort assigned to military intelligence.
The files show direct GRU involvement in recruitment, exams and placements, and courses covering password attacks, malware, surveillance, psychological manipulation and disinformation campaigns.
The revelations offer rare evidence of Russia’s cyber-operator pipeline as European officials warn Moscow is intensifying hybrid attacks during the Ukraine war, with the programme continuing through at least 2027.
Are Russia's top tech students willing recruits or coerced assets in its escalating cyber war?
With Russia turning universities into spy academies, how can the West counter these 'gray zone' attacks?
As another Russian agency joins in destructive cyberattacks, what critical infrastructure in Europe is the next target?
The 2025 Bauman Leak: Inside Russia’s Secret GRU Cyber Warfare Training Pipeline
Overview
In 2025, a major leak revealed Department 4 at Bauman Moscow State Technical University, a secret program training elite students for Russia's GRU cyber units. This covert faculty operated with strict secrecy, offering advanced hacking and information warfare courses aligned with Kremlin goals. Graduates, like the 2024 cohort, were directly assigned to notorious units such as Fancy Bear and Sandworm, responsible for high-profile cyberattacks including election interference and infrastructure sabotage. This program is part of Russia's broader hybrid warfare strategy, which blends cyber operations with psychological tactics. The leak sparked global awareness, prompting Europe and NATO to strengthen cyber defenses, enact new laws, impose sanctions, and debate the ethics of militarized academia.