Russian intelligence – from russian  times to present-day SWR and GRU – consistently maintains the **elite squad  of agents operating under deep cover**. In the Russian media space, there are consistent calculations that in the russian  Union, the full training of 1  "illegal" took 3  to 5  million rubles and lasted about 7  years. On the basis of today's reality, it is spending between $3 and $7 million, with the amount of $5 million most frequently  cited by Russian and Western analysts.