Circling the Lion's Den

Structure of the FSB

Director - Alexander Bortnikov

  • First Deputy Director - Sergei Smirnov
  • First Deputy Director, Chief of the Border Guards - Vladimir Kulishov
  • Deputy Director, Chief of Staff of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAK) and Deputy Chief of the Federal Operations Staff - Evgeny Sysoev
  • Deputy Director, State Secretary of the FSB - Dmitry Shalkov
  • Deputy Director - Alexander Kupryazhkin
1. Counterintelligence Service - Lieutenant General Vladislav Menshchikovv
  • The Department of Counterintelligence Operations
  • Directorate of Coordination and Analysis of Counterintelligence Activity
  • Directorate of Special Activities
  • Directorate of Counterintelligence at Facilities
  • Directorate of Information Support to Operational Detective Activity
  • Information Security Center - Vladimir Skorik
  • Department of Military Counterintelligence - Alexander Bezverkhniy

This service is in charge of counterespionage, including supervision of the military-industrial complex, the Russian army and navy, and the pursuit of hackers who attack government resources on the Internet.

2. Service to Protect the Constitutional System and Combat Terrorism - Aleksey Sedov

  • Directorate of the Operations Organization
  • Operations Search Directorate
  • Directorate to Combat Terrorism and Political Extremism - Mikhail Belousov
  • Directorate to Combat International Terrorism - Yuri Sapunov
  • Special Purpose Center - Alexander Tikhonov

This service combats terrorism at home and abroad (including cooperation with the secret services of other countries) and conducts political surveillance and special operations.

3. Scientific and Technical Service - A.A.Fetisov

  • Directorate of Orders and Deliveries of Weapons and Military and Special Equipment
  • Directorate of Operational Technical Measures (eavesdropping and interception)
  • Research Institute of Information Technologies

This service offers technical support for operations.

4. Economic Security Service - Yuri Yakovlev

  • Directorate of Counterintelligence Support to Industrial Enterprises (Directorate P)
  • Directorate of Counterintelligence Support to Transportation (Directorate T) - Sergei Chernyshov
  • Directorate of Counterintelligence Support to the Financial System (Directorate K) - Victor Voronin
  • Directorate of Counterintelligence Support to the Interior Ministry, Ministry of Emergency, and Ministry of Justice (Directorate M) - Alexei Dorofeev
  • Organizational Analysis Directorate - Yuri Aleshin
  • Administrative Service

This service supervises crucial industries and companies as well as the Interior Ministry and the ministries of emergency and justice.

5. Operative Information and International Relations Service - Sergei Beseda

  • Department of Operative Information (DOI) - Oleg Khramov
  • Analysis Directorate
  • Strategic Planning Directorate
  • Department of Unclassified Information
  • Directorate of International Cooperation - Alexei Kuzyura

Formerly the Department of Analysis and Prognosis, this service is responsible for providing assessments to the FSB leadership and the Kremlin and oversees intelligence operations and international activity.

6. Service of Organizational Personnel Activities (Human Resources) - Evgeny Lovyrev

  • Directorate of Special Registrations
  • Organizational Planning Directorate
  • Personnel Directorate
7. Supply Service - Mikhail Shekin
  • Finance and Economics Directorate
  • Directorate of Material and Technical Support
  • Directorate of Capital Construction - A.Kruglov

This service is responsible for maintaining FSB headquarters and for constructing military facilities for the FSB.

Oversight Service - Yuri Ignaschenkov

  • Inspection Directorate
  • Auditing Directorate

This service reviews personnel and investigates crimes committed by the FSB rank and file.

Border Service - Vladimir Yegorovich Pronichev

This service includes headquarters in Moscow, an intelligence department, regional directorates, and border troops along Russian frontiers.

Subdivisions directly subordinate to director

  • Directorate of Internal Security (USB) - Sergei Korolev 
  • Investigative Directorate (main investigative body of the FSB, supervises investigative sections in FSB regional departments) - Vyacheslav Terekhov
  • Operation Search Directorate (surveillance units)
  • Sixteenth Center for Radio-electronic Intelligence on Communications (electronic intelligence)
  • Center for Special Equipment (includes bomb squad units)
  • Communications Security Center (software protection of government communications)
  • Center for Licensing, Certification, and Protection of State Secrets
  • Administration Directorate
  • Treaty and Legal Directorate
  • FSB Reception Office
  • Directorate of Assistance Programs (disinformation operations; includes the Center for Public Communications) - Vasily Dvornikov
  • Registry and Archives Directorate - Vasily Khristoforov
  • Directorate of Special Communications - A.Presnov
  • Directorate of Aviation - N.Gavrilov
  • Military Medical Directorate - Alexei Lapin
  • Watch Officer Service
  • Military Mobilization
  • Academy of the FSB - Victor Ostroukhov

For reference: a division is up to seven personnel, a department is at least eight personnel and a directorate is at least 55 personnel.

The FSB in Regions

According to the Regulation Concerning the Federal Security Service (Presidential Decree no. 960, August 11, 2003), the system is structured as follows:

  • Directorates in regions (territorial security organizations)
  • Directorates in the armed forces, in the field, and in other military formations
  • Directorates in the Border Guards
  • Aviation subunits, special training centers, special subunits, and all enterprises, educational institutions, scientific research, expert, forensic, military medical, and military construction subunits (among other institutions and subunits) designed to support the activity of the FSB
  • Other directorates that exercise separate authority of the FSB

    By 2010 the structure of the central apparatus of the FSB defined by Presidential Decree no. 960 was improved as a result of reforms in 2005–2006 when two Presidential Decrees were signed: no. 1383 (December 1, 2005) and no. 1476 (December 26, 2006). The details are derived from open sources and information gathered by Agentura.ru.

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