The Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation ( rus, Федеральная служба охраны Российской Федерации, p=fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnəjə ˈsluʐbə ɐˈxranɨ rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨɪ (Federal'naya sluzhba okhrany Rossiyskoy Federatsii)), also known as the FGS of Russia ( rus, 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 The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...

, as well as certain federal properties. It traces its origin to the USSR's Ninth Chief Directorate of the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

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." FSO includes the Russian Presidential Security Service. The FSO includes an estimated 50,000 troops and controls the Russian

nuclear briefcase A nuclear briefcase is a specially outfitted briefcase used to authorize the use of nuclear weapons and is usually kept near the leader of a nuclear weapons state at all times. France In France, the nuclear briefcase does not officially exist. ...

( Cheget) that can be used in the event of

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...

.Earley, pages 161–177 It reportedly uses advanced domestic technical developments.

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

. 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. Private of Kremlin Regiment

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 The Kremlin Regiment (), also called the Presidential Regiment (), is a unique military regiment and part of the Russian Federal Protective Service (Russia), Federal Protective Service with the status of a special unit. The regiment ensures the s ...

*** 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 Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

) * Security service in

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

(

Simferopol Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...

) * 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 Oryol ( rus, Орёл, , ɐˈrʲɵl, a=ru-Орёл.ogg, links=y, ), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, situated on the Oka Rive ...

) * Public Relations Center One of the FSO units is the

. 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)

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)

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

Prominent defectors

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

References

External links

Official website

Protection of the president
{{authority control 1996 establishments in Russia Government agencies established in 1996 Federal law enforcement agencies of Russia Russian intelligence agencies Protective security units *