The Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (PS FSB Rossii) (russian: Пограничная служба Федеральной службы безопасности Российской Федерации (ПС ФСБ России)) is a branch of
Federal Security Service
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...
of Russia tasked with patrol of the Russian border.
The terms Border Service of Russia (russian: Пограничная служба России) and Border Force of Russia (russian: Пограничные войска России) are also common, while in English, the terms "Border Guards" and "Border Troops" are frequently used to designate this service. The Border service numbers around 170,000 active members, which includes the
Russian maritime border guard units (i.e., the
coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
).
History
Tsarist and Imperial Russia
One can trace the origin of the Russian border service to 1571 and the work of Prince
Mikhail Vorotynsky (died 1573) and his
Great Abatis Border
Zasechnaya cherta (russian: Большая засечная черта, loosely translated as Great Abatis Line or Great Abatis Border) was a chain of fortification lines, created by Grand Duchy of Moscow and later the Tsardom of Russia to prote ...
built along the southern boundaries of the
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I in ...
in the 16th century.
In 1782 the Empress
Catherine II of Russia
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...
established Border Customs Guard units, originally manned by Russian
Cossacks
The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
as well as by low-ranking
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...
troops. In 1810 General
Mikhail Barklay de Tolly organized numerous border posts along the entire western Russian border, manned by 11 regiments of
Don
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
* Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
* Don, Benin, a town in Benin
* Don, Dang, a v ...
and
Bug Cossacks
The Buh Cossack Host (; ) was a Cossack host, which used to be located along the Southern Buh River.
The Buh Cossack Host was formed in 1769 out of Ukrainians, Vlachs, and Bulgarians, who had taken the side of Russia during the Russo-Turkis ...
. Within two years Russian Border Guards became the first to oppose
Napoleon's invasion of Russia (June 1812). In 1832 Cossacks and cavalry were replaced by armed customs officials subordinate to the
Ministry of Finance in peacetime (in wartime the border guards were automatically transferred to the army). In the same year the government of
Emperor Nicholas I
, house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp
, father = Paul I of Russia
, mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire
, death_date = ...
established a
coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
– originally to observe coasts of the
Black Sea and of the
Sea of Azov.
Count
Sergei Witte, the Russian Minister of Finance (1892–1903) in the government of
Alexander III (reigned 1881–1894), reformed the service on 13 October 1893 into the Independent Border Guards Corps (IBGC – a para-military rather than a civilian organization) headed by an army general and reporting directly to the ministry.
In 1906 about 40,000 soldiers and officers served in the IBGC – maintaining the defence of the lengthy Imperial border. They served in 8 division-sized districts as well as in the Saint Petersburg headquarters unit.
Soviet period
Soviet Border Troops, (russian: Пограничные войска СССР, Pogranichnyie Voiska SSSR) were the
militarized
Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mil ...
border guard
A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties.
Name and uniform
In d ...
of the
Soviet Union, subordinated to its subsequently reorganized
state security agency: first to ''
Cheka
The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə), abbreviated ...
''/
OGPU
The Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU; russian: Объединённое государственное политическое управление) was the intelligence and state security service and secret police of the Soviet Union f ...
, then to
NKVD/
MGB and, finally, to
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
. Accordingly, they were known as NKVD Border Troops and KGB Border Troops (with
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
* Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...
abbreviations - ''НКВД СССР''/- ''КГБ СССР'' added on the end of official names). Unlike border guards of many other countries, Soviet Border Troops were a centralized force including also the
maritime
Maritime may refer to:
Geography
* Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps
* Maritime Region, a region in Togo
* Maritime Southeast Asia
* The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Pri ...
border guard units (i.e., a
coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
).
Modern period
Following the collapse of the
Soviet Union, the Federal Border Guard Service of Russia was created on December 30, 1993 as a separate government agency. The agency retained some old traditions, most notably the dark green-coloured uniform and
Border Guards Day
Border Guards Day (russian: День пограничника; kz, Шекараны қорғау күні; tg, Рӯзи сарҳадбонони сарҳадӣ; ky, Чек ара кызматы күнү; be, дзень пагранічніка ...
(an official holiday commemorated by celebrations of ex-servicemen). The First minister of the FBS (Federal Border Service) was
Andrei Nikolayev, a young and outspoken general who later became deputy of the
State Duma
The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...
. Russian Border Guards were also stationed outside of Russia most notably in southern
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
, in order to guard the border with
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, until summer 2005. On the Afghan-Tajik border on many occasions they were engaged in heavy fighting with
drug-traffickers and
Islamic extremists
Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism, or radical Islam, is used in reference to extremist beliefs and behaviors which are associated with the Islamic religion. These are controversial terms with varying definitions, ranging from academic und ...
.
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
's closed border with
Turkey and open border with
Iran is also still guarded by the Russians. On March 11, 2003, the Russian president
Vladimir Putin changed the status of the Border Guard Service from a separate agency into a branch of the Russian
Federal Security Service
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...
. The current head of the Border Guard Service of Russia is General
Vladimir Pronichev
General of the Army Vladimir Yegorovich Pronichev (russian: Владимир Егорович Проничев; born 1 March 1953) is a retired Russian security official, and the former head of the Border Guard Service of the Russian Federation. ...
. The Border Guard Service of Russia is tasked with a defence of the
longest national border in the world.
In April 2012 Vladimir Pronichev announced that the country was planning to build 20 frontier posts in the Arctic region. Reasons for this development can be found in the increased abilities to explore hydrocarbon deposits in the north. It will also give Russia an ability to patrol and service the
Northern Sea Route
The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, ''Severnyy morskoy put'', shortened to Севморпуть, ''Sevmorput'') is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Nov ...
.
In July 2014
Ukraine opened a criminal case against the head of the Border Guard Service
Vladimir Kulishov
Vladimir may refer to:
Names
* Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name
* Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name
* Volodymyr for the Uk ...
; he was accused of financing “illegal military groups” in
Eastern Ukraine
Eastern Ukraine or east Ukraine ( uk, Східна Україна, Skhidna Ukrayina; russian: Восточная Украина, Vostochnaya Ukraina) is primarily the territory of Ukraine east of the Dnipro (or Dnieper) river, particularly Kha ...
who at the time fought against the Ukrainian army
The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the land forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They ...
.
Mission
Responsibilities of the Border Guard Service of Russia include:
* Defence of the Russian national border, prevention of illegal crossing of the land and sea border by people and goods (
smuggling
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.
There are various ...
).
* Protection of economic interests of the Russian Federation and its natural resources within land and sea border areas,
territorial waters and internal seas, including prevention of
poaching
Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights.
Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...
and
illegal fishing
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries.
Illegal fishing takes p ...
.
* Combat any threats to
national security in the border area, including
terrorism and foreign infiltration.
Organization
Command
* The head of the Border Service – General of the Army
Vladimir Kulishov
Vladimir may refer to:
Names
* Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name
* Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name
* Volodymyr for the Uk ...
(Deputy Director of Russia's FSB)
* First Deputy Head of the Border Service – Lieutenant-General
Vladimir Rozhkov
* First Deputy Head of the Border Service – the head of the Organizational Department, Colonel-General
Mansur Masgutovich Valiev
* Deputy head of Russia's FSB Border Service – the chief international treaty management Lieutenant-General
Alexander L. Manilov
* Deputy Chief of the Border Service – Lieutenant-General
Victor Trofimovich Trufanov
* Deputy Chief of the Border Service – Maj. Gen.
Alexander O. Mizon
* Deputy Chief of the Border Service – Maj. Gen.
Nikolai Nikolaevich Rybalkin
* Deputy Chief of the Border Service – Lieutenant General
Gennady Semenovich Simuhin
Old FPS structure
FPS Russia, the Federal Border Service (russian: Федеральная пограничная служба, Federal'naya Pogranichnaya Sluzhba), active from 30 December 1994 to 30 June 2003, was headed by a single centralized system, which included:
* Border control;
* Foreign intelligence corps;
* Operational entities engaged in intelligence, counter, operational investigative activities, to ensure its own security system;
* Border guards and other organs of the Border Service, provided by federal law;
* FPS Russia border troops;
* Military educational institutions, vocational education,
* Companies, institutions, and organizations in Russia under the FPS (hereinafter referred to authorities and troops as FPS Russia), according to federal law
Lineup
Changes in the regional structure of the Border Service, instead of ten regional border (see the old structures FPS) for the new scheme includes regional offices of the border (in the federal districts) and 30 border offices. Includes the Maritime Border Guard.
Regional border districts:
* Regional Border Directorate of the Central Federal District
* Regional Border Management for the Southern Federal District
* Regional Border Directorate of the Ural Federal District
* Regional Border Directorate of the Volga Federal District
* Regional Border Directorate for the Siberian Federal District
* North West Regional Border Driectorate
* Arctic regional border directorate
* Regional Border Directorate for the Far Eastern Federal District
* Regional Border Directorate for the North Caucasian Federal District
As adopted by
presidential decree No. 457, dated April 23, 2001, the following educational institutions form part of the BS-FSS:
* Border Forces Academy of the BS-FSS
* Military Medical Institute, the Border Service of Russia's FSB in the Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy;
* Golitsynsky Military Institute of the Border Service;
* Kaliningrad Military Institute of the Border Service;
* Kurgan Military Institute of the Border Service;
*
Moscow Border Institute of the FSB
* Khabarovsk Military Institute of the Border Service;
* The First Cadet Corps of the Border Service
Enterprises, institutions and organizations which are subordinate to the Border Service:
* Medical and health institutions;
* Repair plant;
* Parts logistics, technical, and other support.
Foreign operations
Armenia
The basis for the deployment of Russian border guards in
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
is an interstate agreement concluded on September 30, 1992. The border department of the FSB of Russia in Armenia includes four border detachments: one in
Gyumri,
Armavir,
Artashat
Artashat ( hy, Արտաշատ); Hellenized as Artaxata ( el, Ἀρτάξατα) and Artaxiasata ( grc, Ἀρταξιάσατα), was a large commercial city and the capital of ancient Armenia during the reign of king Artaxias I; the founder of t ...
and
Meghri
Meghri ( hy, Մեղրի) is a town and the center of the urban community of Meghri, in Syunik Province in southern Armenia, near the border with Iran. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town was 4,580. According to the 2020 official e ...
, as well as a separate checkpoint at the
Zvartnots International Airport
Zvartnots International Airport ( hy, Զվարթնոց միջազգային օդանավակայան, translit=Zvart'nots' mijazgayin ōdanavakayan) is located near Zvartnots, west of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. It acts as the main ...
. The maintenance of about 4.5 thousand Russian border guards in Armenia is financed from the budgets of both states. Russian border guards also guard the borders of Armenia with
Turkey and
Iran.
Российские пограничники убили турецкого пастуха, обстрелявшего их на территории Армении
Tajikistan
From 1992 to 2005, there was a Group of Russian Border Troops in the Republic of Tajikistan.
Abkhazia
In Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which ...
, the base of the coast guard patrol ships of the Russian FSB Border Guard Service is located in the seaside town of Ochamchira. The goal is to assist the Abkhaz Navy in ensuring the security of its maritime borders.
Russian Coast Guard
See also
*Border Security Zone of Russia A Border Security Zone in Russia is the designation of a strip of land (usually, though not always, along a Russian external border) where economic activity and access are restricted in line with the Frontier Regime Regulations set by the Federal S ...
*
* Awards of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation
Timeline
* The border and internal troops (Guard) VCHK-OGPU-NKVD-USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.
* 29 September 1918 – The headquarters of the hull forces (internal security) VCHK.
* 1 April 1921 – The Office of troops VCHK-OGPU.
* 1 December 1922 – The headquarters of the troops OGPU.
* 3 October 1923 – Inspektsiya troops GPU – OGPU.
* 6 November 1926 – The Directorate of Border Guard Troops and OGPU.
* 10 July 1934 – General Directorate of Border and internal security (GUPVO) Soviet NKVD.
* 29 September 1938 – General Directorate of Border and Interior Troops (GUPVV) Soviet NKVD.
From 1938 to 1957:
* The Directorate of Border Troops (GUPV)
* The Directorate of troops for the protection of railway facilities
* The Directorate of troops for the protection of critical business industry
* The Directorate escort troops (GUKV)
* General Directorate of Military Supplies (GUVS)
* The main military construction management
* 9 June 1956 – GUPVV USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.
* 2 April 1957 – GUPVV USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs was disbanded in connection with the transfer of border troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Soviet KGB when the Soviet Union SM.
The border troops (Guard):
* 28 May 1918 – Border Guard when Narkomate Finance (later - in the military and Narkomate Foreign Trade).
* 24 November 1920 – features in the GS VCHK-GPU, then to the CGB GPU and the headquarters of a frontier corps (Border Division) headquarters troops OGPU.
* 28 July 1923 – Department of Border Guard GPU, OGPU.
* 6 November 1926 – The Directorate of Border Guard Troops and OGPU.
* 10 July 1934 – Soviet NKVD GUPVO.
* 29 September 1938 – Soviet NKVD GUPVV.
* 8 March 1939 – Soviet NKVD GUPV.
* 17 October 1949 – GUPV MGB USSR
* 14 March 1953 – GUPV USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs
*9 Jun, 1956 – based GUPV, GUVKO and MAT USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs was organized by the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs GUPVV.
* 2 April 1957 – GUPV KGB when the Soviet Union SM.
* 5 July 1978 – GUPV KGB.
* In December 1991 – after the reorganization of KGB, the General Directorate of Border Troops were abolished and formed the Committee for the Protection of the State border of the Soviet Union with the Joint Command of the border forces led by was assigned to the post of chairman of the Committee - Chief of Soviet border troops.
* In 1992 – a Border troops of the Russian Federation, which have been subordinated to the Ministry of Security.
* In 1993 – Federal Border Service – General Command of Border Troops of Russian Federation with the status of federal ministries.
* In 1994 – renamed the Federal Border Service (FPS Russia).
* 4 May 2002 – FPS Russia renamed the Border Service of the Russian Federation, which consists of specially authorized federal executive body for the Border Service (FPS Russia), troops and other organizations.
* 11 March 2003 – Vladimir Putin abolished the function of FPS conveyed to the FSB. FPS Russia renamed PS Russia's FSB.
Equipment
Aircraft
*Antonov An-26
The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Twin ...
* Ilyushin Il-76
*Technoavia SM92 Finist
The Technoavia SM92 Finist is a utility aircraft with a STOL capability, designed by the Russian company Technoavia. The maiden flight was on 28 December 1993. It is built by the Smolensk Aviation Plant.
Variants
; SM92 Finist
:Basic versi ...
Helicopter
*Mil Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968.
It is now produced by Russia.
In addition to ...
Hip
References
Sources
*Лубянка. Lubyanka. Органы ВЧК-ОГПУ-НКВД-НКГБ-МГБ-МВД-КГБ 1917–1991. Справочник, документы (Международный фонд Демократия, Москва 2003) - Authorities VCHK-OGPU-NKVD-NKGB-MGB-MVD-KGB 1917–1991. Reference documents (International Fund for Democracy, Moscow 2003)
* Приложение N 2 к Указу Президента Российской Федерации от 19 июля 1997 г. N 732 Annex 2 to N decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 19 Jul, 1997 N 732
External links
Official website
Central Border guard museum
Border Guard profile on agentura.ru
{{DEFAULTSORT:Border Guard Service Of Russia
Government and politics articles needing translation from Russian Wikipedia
Border protection
Military of Russia
Military of the Russian Empire
Borders of Russia
Federal Security Service