The
Soviet Border Troops were the
border guard of the
Soviet Union, subordinated to its subsequently reorganized state security agency: first to
Cheka/
OGPU, then to
NKVD/
MVD/
MGB and, finally, to
KGB. Accordingly, they were known as NKVD Border Troops and KGB Border Troops. Unlike border guards of many other countries, Soviet Border Troops were a centralized force including also the marine units of the Border Troops (i.e., a
coast guard).
Russian Federation Following the collapse of the
Soviet Union,
General Colonel Ilya Kalinichenko was both the last chief of the Soviet Border Guards and the first chief of the succeeding Russian force. Colonel-General Vladimir Shlyakhtin, the first new Russian commander, said the situation when he took command was "chaotic." , 2011 The
Federal Border Service of Russia (, a.k.a. FPS) 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 (an official holiday commemorated by celebrations of ex-servicemen). The First minister of the FPS was
Andrei Nikolayev, a young and outspoken general who later became deputy of the
State Duma. Russia also took over the Soviet Border Guards which were stationed outside of Russia most notably in southern
Tajikistan, in order to guard the border with
Afghanistan, until summer 2005. On the Afghan-Tajik border on many occasions they fought
drug-traffickers and
Islamic extremists. At the same time, however, there were repeated reports that the entry of drugs across the border had been facilitated by officials.
Armenia's closed border with
Turkey and open border with
Iran were also supervised by Russian border guards. In July 1993, after the of Russian border guards at the 12th outpost on the
Tajik-Afghan border, Russian President Boris Yeltsin dismissed General Shlyakhtin. Colonel General
Andrei Nikolayev was soon appointed Commander of the and Deputy . In December 1993, his position was renamed, and he became Commander-in-Chief of the . In December 1994, the Federal Border Service of the Russian Federation was created, and Nikolayev was then appointed its first director. He was promoted to
Army General by a presidential decree dated November 17, 1995. By the late 1990s the previous Soviet organisation was no longer adequate. General Nikolayev publicly said in July 1997 that a "fundamental restructuring" has already begun, including a "demilitarization" of the Border Service. The
Red Banner Baltic Border District had already disappeared in the process of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania breaking away from the Soviet Union. By Decree of the President of Russia dated August 1, 1998, the North-Western Border District was renamed the North-Western Regional Directorate of the FPS. All other border districts were also abolished. On March 11, 2003, Russian president
Vladimir Putin changed the status of the Border Service from a separate agency into a branch of the
Russian Federal Security Service. The new conversion took effect on July 1, 2003. The current head of the FSB Border Service is General
Vladimir Pronichev. The Border Service of Russia is tasked with a defence of
one of the longest national borders in the world. , 2008 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. In July 2014
Ukraine opened a criminal case against the head of the FSB Border Service
Vladimir Kulishov; he was accused of financing "illegal military groups" in
Eastern Ukraine who at the time fought against the Ukrainian army. Vladimir Kulishov claimed in May 2024 that about 70% of the weapons and equipment used by his service is "modern" (100% in the "operationally difficult" directions). He also said that more than 50 types of technical means were taken for supply by the service in 2023–2024, including UAVs, means to detect and counter them, coastal radars and thermal-optical imaging systems. About 150 domestic systems are in use. In August 2024, Ukrainian forces
crossed the border into
Kursk Oblast during the ongoing
Russian invasion of Ukraine resulting in part of the oblast becoming under
Ukrainian occupation.
Conscripts from the FSB Border Service unsuccessfully defended the
Russia–Ukraine border in the Kursk Oblast. The Prime Minister of Armenia,
Nikol Pashinyan, announced in early 2025 that as of March 1, 2025, Armenian Border Guards would have relieved all remaining Russian border guards along Armenia's borders. ==Structure==