Vladimir Pronichev

General of the Army Vladimir Yegorovich Pronichev is the current head of the Border Guard Service of the Russian Federation. Pronichev also holds the title of First Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor organization to KGB.

When the Federal Border Guard Service was reorganized (in 2003) as a directorate of the FSB, Pronichev was named to lead the Border Service and retained his former title as well.

Born in 1953, Pronichev served with the Border Guards as an officer in the Transcaucasus, the Soviet Far East, and the Northwest Border Districts from 1974 to 1981. Subsequently, he served with the FSB in Karelia and led the FSB's anti-terrorism efforts until 1999, when he was named to his current post in the FSB.

Vladimir Pronichev was the head of the FSB operation on the ground in Beslan during the Beslan school hostage crisis.