Federal Protective Service (Russia) Explained

Federal Protective Service (Russia) should not be confused with Federal Protective Service (United States).

Agencyname:	Federal Guard Service of Russia
Nativename:	Федеральная служба охраны России
Commonname:	Federal Guard Service
Abbreviation:	FSO
Logocaption:	Emblem of the Federal Guard Service
Flag:	Flag of the Federal Guard Service.svg
Flagcaption:	Flag of the Federal Guard Service
Motto:	ФСО
Preceding1:	Glavnoye Upravlenie Okhrani (GUO)
Employees:	Classified (50,000 estimated)
Budget:	Classified
Country:	Russia
Federal:	Yes
Legaljuris:	Throughout Russia and its Republics
Governingbody:	Presidential Administration of Russia
Constitution1:	Law On State Protection
Speciality1:	protection
Headquarters:	Moscow Kremlin
Sworn:	Classified
Chief1name:	General Dmitry Kochnev
Chief1position:	Director
Parentagency:	Presidential Administration of Russia
Child1agency:	Presidential Security Service

The Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation^[1] (Russian: Федеральная служба охраны Российской Федерации|p=fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnəjə ˈsluʐbə ɐˈxranɨ rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨɪ), also known as the FGS of Russia (Russian: ФСО России|p=ɛf ɛs ˌo rɐˈsʲiɪ), is a federal government agency concerned with the tasks related to the protection of several high-ranking state officials, mandated by the relevant law, including the President of Russia, as well as certain federal properties. It traces its origin to the USSR's Ninth Chief Directorate of the KGB and later Presidential Security Service (SBP) led by KGB general Alexander Korzhakov.

On May 27, 1996, the law "On State Protection" reorganized the GUO (Glavnoye Upravlenie Okhrani) into the FSO (Federal Protection Service). Under article 7 of the law, "the President of the Russian Federation, while in office, shall not be allowed to forego state protection."^[2]

FSO includes the Russian Presidential Security Service.^[3] The FSO includes an estimated 50,000 troops^[4] and controls the "black box" that can be used in the event of nuclear war.^[5] It reportedly uses advanced domestic technical developments.^[6]

Structure and command

Since May 18, 2000, and until May 26, 2016, the agency was headed by General Evgeny Murov; since May 26, 2016, the head of the service is General Dmitry Kochnev. The FSO has roughly 50,000 uniformed personnel plus several thousand plain-clothed personnel. It controls the Cheget that can be used in the event of a global nuclear war. It also operates a secure communications system for senior government officials. The FSO is a powerful institution with a range of rights and powers, including the right to conduct searches and surveillance without warrants, make arrests, and give orders to other state agencies.

The FSO is organized into the following services:

Management (Director, Deputies)
Presidential Security Service
Security Service
Commandant's Office of the Moscow Kremlin
- Kremlin Regiment
  - Regiment HQ
  - Presidential Band of the Russian Federation
  - 1st Battalion
  - 2nd Battalion
  - 3rd Battalion
  - Presidential Cavalry Escort Battalion
  - 4th Operational Reserve Battalion
Special Communications Service of Russia
Engineering Support Service
Housekeeping Service
- Special Purpose Garage
Administrative service
Security service in the North-West Federal District (St. Petersburg)
Security service in the Caucasus (Sochi)
Security service in Crimea (Simferopol)
Office of central subordination
Units of the FSO at official residences
Office of Special Communications and Information in the Federal Districts
- Centers of special communications and information
Special communications centers
Educational and research institutions, federal unitary enterprises
- Academy of the Federal Security Service of Russia (Oryol)
Public Relations Center

One of the FSO units is the Kremlin Regiment. A more recent addition to the FSO infrastructure is the Special Communications Service of Russia (Spetsviaz) which was incorporated as a structural sub unit on August 7, 2004.

History of the federal protective services

Special department by VChK College
Special department of GPU
Special department by OGPU College – Dec 1929
5th department (special safeguard) of Operod, SOU OGPU, Jan 1930 – Mar 1931
5th department (special safeguard) of Operod, SOU OGPU, Mar–Jun 1931
4th department of Operod, OGPU, Jun 1931
Operod of OGPU
Operative division (Operod) of GUGB NKVD USSR, Jul 1934 – Nov 1936
Division of safeguard by GUGB NKVD USSR, Dec 1936 – Jun 1938
Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, NKVD USSR
1st division of 1st Department by NKVD USSR, Jun–Sep 1938
1st division of GUGB
1st division of NKGB
Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, NKGB USSR
1st division of NKVD
Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, NKVD USSR
Sixth department of NKGB USSR, Apr 1943 – Mar 1946
Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, NKGB USSR
Sixth department of MGB USSR, Mar–Apr 1946
Department of safeguard No. 1, MGB, Apr–Dec 1946
Department of safeguard No. 2, MGB, Apr–Dec 1946
Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, MGB USSR, Dec 1946
Headquarters of safeguard, MGB USSR, Dec 1946 – May 1952
Department of safeguard, MGB, May 1952
Ninth department of MVD USSR, Mar 1953 – Mar 1954
Tenth department of MVD USSR, Mar 1953 – Mar 1954
Ninth department of KGB by SM USSR, Mar 1954 –
Tenth department of KGB by SM USSR, Mar 1954 –
Fifteenth department of KGB by SM USSR
Ninth department of KGB USSR
Fifteenth department of KGB USSR
Service of safeguard, KGB USSR
Department of safeguard by USSR President
Main Administration of Protection (GUO – Glavnoye Upravlenie Okhrani) (1992–1996)
Federal Protective Service (FSO) (1996–today)^[7]

List of leaders

Heads of the GUO/Directors of the FSO

Vladimir Redkoborody (1991 – June 1992)
Mikhail Barsukov (12 June 1992 – 24 July 1995)
Yuri Krapivin (24 July 1995 – 18 May 2000)
Yevgeny Murov (18 May 2000 – 26 May 2016)
General Dmitry Kochnev (since 26 May 2016)^[8]

Deputy Directors of the FSO

Oleg Klimentyev (First Deputy Director since 2015)
Vladimir Belanovsky – Head of the Services of Special Communications and Information
Alexey Rubezhnoy – Head of the Presidential Security Service
Victor Tulupov
Major General Sergey Udovenko – Commandant of the Moscow Kremlin^[9]

Prominent defectors

Gleb Karakulov (engineer in field unit of FSO presidential communications department)

External links

Notes and References

Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation
Статья 7 Федерального Закона О государственной охране 1996 года
Web site: Служба безопасности Президента . Service of President's Security . https://web.archive.org/web/20150325172459/http://agentura.ru/dossier/russia/fso/sbp/ . 2015-03-25 . Agentura.Ru.
Web site: Ellyatt . Holly . 2022-03-30 . Putin might be seen as a 'mad dictator' — but he has built powerful barriers to prevent a coup . 2022-04-17 . CNBC . en.
Earley, pages 161–177
Web site: Russian protective service uses unique domestic innovations, says official.
The FSB control
Web site: Дмитрий Кочнев назначен директором ФСО России. 26 May 2016 .
Web site: Путин включил нового коменданта Кремля в оргкомитет по подготовке к 75-летию Победы. TASS. RU.