Federal Protective Service (Russia)

In the Russian Federation, the Federal Protective Service (FSO) (Федеральная служба охраны, ФСО (Federalnaya Sluzhba Okhrany), official name in English Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation ) is a federal government agency concerned with the tasks related to the protection of several, mandated by the relevant law, high-ranking state officials, 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 forgo state protection."

Structure and command
Since May 18, 2008, the agency is headed by General Evgeny Murov. The FSO has roughly 20,000 - 30,000 uniformed personnel plus several thousand plainclothed personnel and controls the "black box" that can be used in the event of 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.

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, 1946 - Apr, 1946
 * Department of safeguard No. 1, MGB Apr, 1946 - Dec, 1946
 * Department of safeguard No. 2, MGB Apr, 1946 - 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)