Russia's external intelligence: description, composition and history

External intelligence of Russia to date is represented by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. This is one of the key forces that ensure the security of Russian citizens and the country as a whole from threats emanating from other states, organizations and individuals. The abbreviated name of the organization is the SVR of Russia.

Description of the Office

The service's job is to find and report to the president of the Russian Federation, to provide complete and accurate information about the military, economic and other foreign policy positions and attitudes. Based on all the data received, decisions are taken to ensure the safety of citizens and the whole country.

The received data are processed, the information is reported directly to the President of the Russian Federation, to which the Federal Service for Foreign Intelligence of Russia is subordinate. The President of the country has the right to remove and appoint the director of the service, who is responsible for the timeliness of the information provided, as well as their reliability.

The basic law regulating the work of the special services was adopted in 1996. After the adoption of the law "On Foreign Intelligence" from time to time, various amendments and changes were made to it. The date of the founding of service in Russia can be considered the end of 1920.

History of Foreign Intelligence

Today, it is impossible to name the exact date for the appearance of reconnaissance events in Russia. Intelligence changed, renamed, but was always. The history of Russia's foreign intelligence (in a more or less modern form) originates approximately in 1918.

It was then, after the victory in the October Revolution, that there was a need to protect the interests of the country in foreign policy at the proper level. For the then leadership of the country, the vital necessity was to have complete and reliable information about the situation in the world and the alignment of forces (opponents and allies).

It is clear that no negotiations would allow such data to be clarified, so the task was set: to create an external intelligence unit under the leadership of the Cheka chairman Felix Dzerzhinsky. The head of the division was Yakov Davydov. The paramount task of the manager was the development of a work plan for the state and a scheme for the activities of the departments. Subsequently, the name and structure of the unit changed several times, but all the main functions of the special services were preserved.

November 1991 was the starting point for the intelligence department as an independent body. After the procedure for the withdrawal of intelligence from the structure of the KGB, the structure was renamed and reorganized. Towards the end of the winter of 1991, the decree of the president of the RSFSR formed an independent organization - an external intelligence service. The old division has not undergone any significant changes, except for the name change.

Soon the service was again renamed, intelligence was called the SVR of Russia. Yevgeny Primakov, who previously held a similar post in the Soviet Union, came to the post of director of the special service. Primakov was tasked to develop the type, staff and system of work of the new organization in a week. In early 1992, the Russian president added posts to the staff, appointed deputy directors of the special services.

In fact, all the posts held by the CSR of the USSR simply moved into a new structure. The newcomer was only Lieutenant-General Ivan Gorelovsky, who took over the tasks of the administrative and economic direction.

For all the time the management has changed more than 20 chapters and many titles. In 1991, Yevgeny Primakov joined the post, in the 96th he was succeeded by VI Trubnikov, in 2000 the head of Russia's foreign intelligence appointed SVR director Sergei Lebedev. In 2007 Mikhail Fradkov came to the post of director. Since October 5, 2016, the post is occupied by Sergei Naryshkin.

Legislation

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia is regulated by several laws and amendments to them. The first and to date the main law "On Foreign Intelligence" appeared after the collapse of the USSR, in the summer of 1992. Today a new document is in force since 1996, as amended in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2007.

In addition, the activities of the Service are regulated by laws and supplements to them: "On Defense", "On the Status of Servicemen", "On State Secrets", "On Operational Investigative Activities" and some others. Also, the intelligence service is guided and works in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Tasks and means of service

The main functionality that is carried out by Russia's external intelligence today is:

1. Creating an environment that will support the successful implementation of Russia's political plans.
2. Support and creation of favorable conditions for economic, military, scientific and other plans of the Russian Federation.
3. Search, structuring and processing of information on issues relating to the security of the country, plans for its development, the intentions of other countries and individual organizations in relation to the Russian Federation.
4. Support for the implementation of national security measures.
5. Report to the president of the country with the most accurate information about the situation and intentions of countries in relation to Russia. This report is submitted personally by the Director of External Intelligence of Russia or his deputy.
6. Removing the threat of terrorism and taking countermeasures.

The general management is carried out by the president, and all managements submit to the director of external investigation.

Authority of the service

The law grants the Intelligence Service the right:

• To establish contacts with persons to obtain the necessary information, including classified information;
• Classify data and staff;
• Use any means that will not harm the life and health of people, the reputation of the country and the environmental situation.

Operational work and its quality is provided by the structure of the special service.

Structure of special services

To date, Russia's foreign intelligence has included various services and departments that perform the functions of rapid response, analytics and information gathering. Relatively widely known is the structure of the central apparatus of the service. The remaining units, including regional ones and in other countries, have a place, but are strictly classified. The special service's management is represented by the director, collegium, deputies, as well as various departments and services that provide all the functionality of the work.

The head of the foreign intelligence service of Russia reports to the President of the country, and manages all the units of the service. The Board of the SVR is another important link in the work of the special services. The college is going to solve the main problems and develop plans for reconnaissance activities, focusing on the current situation. The meeting includes all deputy directors, as well as the heads of each of the units of the special services.

For communication with the public in the structure of the service, a department has been created - the JI and Media Office.

Famous operations

The history counts a lot of bright operations of our scouts. Certainly not all projects were widely publicized in the media because the service is secret. But those operations that have received wide publicity, represent very effective projects:

1. "Syndicate-2" - the operation of the 20-ies. B. on the withdrawal from abroad of the active enemy of the USSR B. Sannikov.
2. The operation to decipher secret messages of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1923.
3. Operation "Tarantella" in 1930-1934, which was conducted to monitor the activities of British intelligence in relation to the USSR.
4. Development and creation of a nuclear shield of the country.

Due to successful operations, most employees have personal rewards from the government of the country.

Additional Information

Today there is a misconception that two important structures ensuring the security of citizens and the country - the FSB and Russia's external intelligence - share their responsibilities quite clearly. In the opinion of the majority, the SVR works only with external information, and the FSB is engaged only in the internal.

In reality, everything is a little different. Both services operate both within and outside the country. The difference between them is not in where, but in how the services work. The FSB protects the country from terrorist attacks and spies, and the SVR if not completely, then for the most part, itself is an espionage organization.

Today, the SVR of Russia is considered one of the best special services in the world. A rich history, strict selection of specialists and a lot of successfully accomplished tasks confirm this fact.