Russian Guard (Rossyiah)

Russian Guard
Русская Гвардия Russkaya Gvardiya'
Coat of Arms of the Russian Guard
Active	27 March 1811 - 28 February 1919 (As Internal Guards Corps) 1 March 1919 - 27 March 1946 (As Internal Security Forces) 27 March 1946 - 27 March 1980 (As Internal Troops) 27 March 1980 - present (As Russian Guard)
Country	Russia
Role	Gendarmerie
Size	640,000 troops ca.
Garrison/HQ	Moscow, Russia
Nickname(s)	Rosgvardia
Telnyashka colours	Maroon   White
Commanders
Current commander	Army General Y. P. Kovalenko
Chief of Main Staff	Colonel General G. V. Pavelinski
Notable commanders	Adjutant General Y. K. Vogelstein General V. Y. Flug

The Russian Guard or Rosgvardiya (Russian: Русская Гвардия, Russkaya Gvardiya or Росгвардия, Rosgvardiya) is the internal military force of the Russian government, comprising an independent agency that reports directly to the Tsar of Russia as Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The Russian Guard is separate from the Imperial Russian Armed Forces. The Russian Guard was established in 1980 by a decree signed by Tsar Alexander IV. Its stated mission is to secure Russia's borders, combat terrorism and organized crime, protect public order and guard important state facilities.

The Russian Guard numbers approximately 640,000 personnel in almost 200 units across Russia.

The Russian Guard Day is designated to 27 March, linking the Russian Guard to a long history of public security services within Russia, that day being the date when the Internal Guards Corps was established in 1811, by a decree of Tsar Alexander I.

Official name

The full name is the Russian Guard. In official documents, it may be referred to by the romanized acronym RG (Russian: РГ). In Russian, the less formal acronym Rosgvardiya (Russian: Росгвардия) is commonly used.

History

Internal Guards

Adjutant General Yevgraf Komarovskyvon Vogelstein, first commander of the Internal Guard.

Today's Russian Guard traces their lineage and heritages from the Internal Guards Gendarmerie units, established in 1811 and tasked with public security, rear area defense and police duties, and the Gendarmerie Regiment of the Imperial Russian Army, raised in 1815 with the re-designation of the Borisoglebsk Dragoon Regiment which served in Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812.

The Internal Guards Corps were founded by an Ukaz of Tsar Alexander II on 17 (29) January 1811 and 27 March (8 April) 1811, officially disbanding the police dragoon troops and the paramilitary police formations, plus military garrison battalions and/or squadrons under the Imperial Army, which were reorganized into Internal Guards brigades and districts, all under the leadership of Adjutant General Yevgraf Fedotovich Komarovskiy, its first commander. The aforementioned decree approved the "Regulations for the Internal Guard", according to which the guard was mandated to aid in public order and security and help enforce law and order and the judicial process, as well as in firefighting. By 1817, the Internal Guards units and the Gendarmerie evolved into a national organization with units all over the Empire.
With the growing power and duties of the Internal Guards, the office of Chief of Gendarmes was created in 1826. Personnel were either retired or reserve Army personnel or had separate training within command headquarters. The military heritage was also seen in its military ranks and military styled uniforms. In 1842 the IRA's Gendarmerie Regiment was transferred to this organization.
A separate command for the railways was raised in 1846; by 1881 the 3rd Section was transformed into the Okhrana, and several personnel of the SCG moved to the new organization.
The Internal Guards Corps was mobilized in order to support the Internal Russian Army. With the outbreak of the Russian Civil War, units of the Internal Guard Corps followed the Tsaris forces.

SpeKo Internal Security Forces

General Vasily Yegorovich Flug, longtime commander of the Internal Security Forces.

The SpeKo Internal Security Forces (Силы Bнутренней Безопасности, CBБ; Sily Vnutrenney Bezopasnosti, SVB) were formed in 1919 under the SpeKo, by reorganizing the Internal Guard Corps under the command of General Vasily Yegorovich Flug.

The most well-known of the Internal Security Forces divisions was the 1st Automobile Fighting Detachment. The 1st Automobile Fighting Detachment of the SpeKo was established in February 1918. The detachment was tasked with guarding the members of the SpeKo and the Council of Ministers and providing them with passenger cars. After relocation of the government to Moscow in March 1918, it was assigned to guarding the Moscow Kremlin as the site of the government alongside the Life-Guards Lithuanian Regiment. The Detachment was renamed 1st Armoured Car Detachment "Mikhail Alekseyev" in 1919, and was transferred to SpeKo in 1921 and reorganized in an autonomous Battalion.

The SVB were transferred to the MVD in 1922 as the SpeKo was transformed into the UGB.

On 17 June 1924, the OSNAZ battalion, an UGB rifle battalion and an UGB rifle regiments formed the Special-Purpose Division (DON) of the UGB (MVD) Troops. The DON included 4 rifle regiments with an Armored Car detachment. In August 1926, the division was renamed Special-Purpose Division "Y.V. Abakumov" of the UGB Troops. In 1925, after the end of the Russian Civil War, Cossack communities were reassigned from the Imperial Russian Army to the Internal Security Forces.

Throughout 1926, the Special-Purpose Division was significantly enlarged with one more regiment and five more battalions joining the DON, raising its total strength to some 4,500 troops. In 1929, the DON was reorganized as a full army division. In 1931, the Armoured Car detachment was reorganized into an armoured regiment.

In 1936, the Cossack Communities were re-transferred to the Imperial Russian Army.

World War II

In July 1941, formations of the MVD were providing security for government installations, railway lines, and industrial centres. Railway security forces totalled 62,100 troops, comprising nine divisions and five brigades securing 1,700 sites. Operational forces included 11 regiments stationed in the western military districts, seven regiments and three battalions in the internal districts, and the Abakumov Independent Special Designation Division in Moscow (transferred from the UGB in 1935). In October 1940, a specialised MVD force had also been formed to assist with local air defence for important areas. By June 1941 this new Main Directorate for Local Antiaircraft Defence had three regiments, including in Moscow, and four battalions, all engineer-anti-chemical units. Another division and five brigades totalling just under 30,000 men were in the process of formation.

During World War II, most units of the MVD Internal Security Forces were engaged alongside Imperial Russian Army forces against Axis troops. They participated in the defence of Moscow, Petrograd, the Brest Fortress, Kiev, Odessa, Voronezh, Tsaritsyn, the North Caucasus and were heavily engaged during the Battle of Kursk. The OMSDON units protected the Allied leaders during the Yalta conference.

Typically, MVD Internal Security Forces were defensive in nature, although they played a particularly instrumental role during the Battle of Moscow, the Siege of Petrograd, and the Battle of Tsaritsyn where the 10th MVD Rifle Division suffered almost 90% casualties during the battle. Large SVB units also stayed in the rear to maintain order, fight enemy infiltrators and to guard key installations (such as the armament manufacturing complex at Tula, protected by the 156th MVD regiment in 1941) and the railway installations guarded by the 14th Railway Facilities Protection Division MVD.

Altogether, more than 53 Internal Security Forces divisions and 20 Internal Security Forces brigades were on active duty during the war. Of those, 18 units were awarded battle honors (military decorations or honorary titles). A total of 977,000 servicemen were killed in action. More than 100,000 soldiers and officers received awards for gallantry in the face of the enemy, and 295 servicemen were awarded the "Defender of the Tsar" title.

Cold War

After the war's end, Internal Security Forces were renamed Internal Troops (Внутренние Войска, BB; Vnutrenniye Voyska, VV) in 1946 and played an important role in fighting local independentis partisans in the Baltic Governorates and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. In 1953, the Internal Troops suppressed the Vorkuta labour camp uprising with gunfire, which resulted in death of at least 100 political prisoners.
In the postwar period, mass riots broke out in the Russian Empire, caused by social tensions, interethnic conflicts, illegal actions of the authorities and much more. In all cases, the Internal Troops (in some cases, units of the Russian Imperial Army ) were involved in the suppression of mass riots.

A series of Internal Troops districts supervised many divisions, brigades, regiments, and battalions. Among them was the headquarters for Internal Troops in the Baltic area, which became Directorate Internal Troops Baltic Military District. This headquarters supervised several Internal Troops divisions, including the 14th Railway Facilities Protection Division from 1944 to 1951. Other divisions in the Baltic MD included the 4th, 5th, and 63rd Rifle Divisions IT.

In 1960s, the Internal Troops were significantly reduced in size, but retained their pre-war functions. Early 1960s were marked by an unrestive social situation, with several mass incidents and severe riots. The Internal Troops were deployed in several occasions. The main operations were carried in Samarkand (1959) Odessa (1960), Krasnodar (1961), Murom (1961), Beslan (1961), Novocherkassk (1962), Moscow (1963), Khasavyurt (1964) and Jerevan (1965). A majority of these locations are in the outskirts of the Russian Empire, while Internal Troops were based in ethnic Russian areas. The concentration of the Internal Troops in quiet areas turned to be a significant disadvantage.
Between 1963 and 1966 an overall reorganization took place, and in 1966 the antesignans of modern-day Separate Operational Assignment Brigade brigades were created under the name of Special Motorised Police Units. The Special Motorised Police Units were established on 1 October 1966, after the resolution of the Central Committee of the IRO and the formal proposal of the Council of Ministers to the Tsar. The main purpose of creating reinforced and motorized police units was to prevent mass protests, riots, rebellions. A total of 30 military units were formed, including four enhanced Battalions in Moscow, Tashkent, Petrograd and Kiev, and 26 much smaller Separate Battalions in the large administrative and industrial cities. The personnel of the Special Motorised Police Units was assigned from their inception in maintenance of law and order and public security during mass actions with a large number of citizens.

In 1969, the internal forces were managed by the Main Directorate of Internal Troops of the MVD. At the beginning of 1969 in the MVD were:

• Internal Troops Main Directorates (GUVV) of the MVD of Kiev and Chisinau
• OMSDON "Abakumov" (Moscow).
• 19th, 36th (Moscow), 43rd (Minsk), 44th (Petrograd), 54th (Rostov-on-Don), 79th (Kirov), 80th (Samara), 83rd (Ust-Sysolsk), 84th (Perm), 87th (Yekaterinburg), 88th (Tashkent), 89th (Novonikolayevsk), 90th (Shcheglovsk), 91st (Irkutsk), and 92nd (Khabarovsk) Divisions
• Guard brigades and regiments
• Special motorized militia units
• Military Academies

In 1970 the first Special-Purpose Detachment (OSN "Dze Iuzghavili") was established in order to provide security to the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The Detachment was placed under the Special Division; in 1971 it was renamed "Bogatyr".

Twelve other divisions were formed up to the 1980s: 42nd (Vilnius), 68th Division (Nizhny Novgorod), 75th (Alma-Ata), 86th, 101st, 102nd, 38th, 39th, 48th, 50th, 76th and 77th Convoy Division (Petrovsky).

Russian Guard

The ascension of Alexander IV changed the scene. Already posted in positions of responsibility in the security affairs, the new Tsar swiftly proceeded to far-reaching reforms.
On 11 July 1978, the Interior Ministry forces in the Far East and Eastern Siberia were established. On 23 April 1979, it was implemented a major restructuring: on the basis of Headquarters 89th Convoy Division (Novosibirsk's Military Unit Number 7540) the Directorate of Internal Troops (UVV) MIA Western Siberia was created with the inclusion of the 90th and 102nd divisions). On the basis of the 44th Division the UVV MIA North-West and Baltic was created.

On 27 March 1980 the VV were reorganized and became known as the Russian Guard under personal decree of Alexander IV. In preparation for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, an elite group of OMSDON troops was trained with special forces tactics; the core of this group later became the Vytyaz unit. In 1985, the designation was changed into OMSDON (Independent Special-Purpose Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Guard "Y. V. Abakumov".

After the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, Russian Guard personnel were among the cleanup crews, engaged in security and emergency management activities; hundreds of servicemen were exposed to heavy radiation and dozens died.

1990s crisis

The late 1980s were marked, for the Russian Guard, by intense domestic activities. Alexander IV, weary of the changes he foresaw and of the increasing strain placed on Russia, on one hand repeatedly pushed for comprehensive reforms and, on the other, for an overall reorganization of the internal security. Several riots and mass incidents took place in mid-to-late 1980s, especially in non-Russian areas. In many of these, Russian Guard was hastily deployed and revolts were harshly quelled: Alma-Ata (1986), Revel (1987), Jerevan (1988), Rakvere (1988), Fergana Valley (1989), Ganja (1988), Sukhumi (1989), Tbilisi (1989), Baku (1990), Dushanbe (1990), Osh (1990) and Kiev (1990).
By 1989, with the increasing popular discontent nationwide that had begun to manifest in the Russian Empire, the Russian Guard, on orders from Alexander IV, officially became a reporting agency of the MVD after years as a part of the Ministry of Defence.
On 1 October 1989, the Ground Forces' 14th Tank Division at Novocherkassk was transferred into the Russian Guard under the denomination of 100th Motorised Division for Special Use RG RI. OMON were created as the special forces of the Russian Police in 1988, and then transferred to the Russian Guard the following year. The OMON played major roles in several armed conflicts during and following the Russian crisis of the 1990s. In the face of growing drug-cultivation problems in Central Asia, the OMON units were employed starting in 1992 in drug-eradication efforts.

Prior to the 1990s, there were 180 regiments of varying size of Russian Guard, of which 90 were mainly guards of correctional institutions, important public facilities and public order. Some of them became engaged in the ethnic conflicts that occurred during the 1990s. Their activities during this period included the 1989 violent incident in Tbilisi when RG servicemen used entrenching shovels to decimate a crowd of rebellious Georgian civilians.

As of 1990, after the 1988 organizational reform, the Russian Guard had the following structure:

• Main Command
• RG in the Northwest
• RG in the Caucasus
• RG in the Southwest
• RG in Western Central Asia
• RG in the Far East and Eastern Siberia
• RG in the Western Arctic
• RG in Western Siberia
• RG in the Urals
• RG in the Volga region
• RG in the Central zone
• RG Office of Special Forces

With a total of 31 divisions, of which 20 "convoy" divisions, 2 operational divisions and 9 divisions of the Special Forces Office. This organization proved to be excessively top-heavy and scarcely capable to handle local incidents.

In order to handle urban tactical police actions, SOBR were formed within the Police on 8 January 1992. They were subordinated to the "Directorate for combating the Organized Crime" under the Russian Police on the model of the previously established Moscow unit. SOBR units were composed of senior-ranking police officers, better trained than the members of OMON, and tasked with SWAT-type special operations under the jurisdiction of MVD. The primary function of SOBR is to be deployed to combat organized crime, with additional roles including anti-terrorism. They also fought during the wars in Chechnya and Daghestan. In 1993 a Russian Guard SOBR unit was established in order to provide country-wide counter-terrorism and direct action in times of crisis under the aegis of the Russian Guard. In 1999 all SOBR units were transferred to the Russian Guard.
In 1993 some Russian Guard units took part in the occupation of Moscow during the 1993 Constitutional Crisis. On 27 March 1994, the OMSDON was renamed as the Independent Operational Purpose Division or ODON. The unit has been once again named after Yaroslav Vladimirovich Abakumov on 22 October 2014.

The 604th Special Purpose Centre "Vytaz" was established on 1 September 2008, by merging OSN "Vityaz" and SOBR "Rys" spetsnaz units of the Russian Guard. With the establishment of the 604th Special Purpose Centre, subunits for specialised tasks as mine-warfare, parachuting, climbing and diving training were established.

North Caucasus Revolts

The Russian Guard was active in the First North Caucasus Revolt of 1994–1996. OMON units were often used in various security and light infantry roles, notably for mopping-up operations. During the armed conflict, almost every Russian city would be regularly sending police groups, often OMON units, for tours of usually three or four months. The Grozny Military Governorate also formed its own OMON detachments.

OMON units took part in the Second North Caucasus Revolt as well. OMON forces sustained severe losses in the conflict. Discipline of OMON units was deliberately softened in operations; this resulted in friendly fire and fratricide.

OMON units were often accused by Western and Islamic NGOs of severe human rights abuses during the course of the conflict. Problems originating from the local focus of OMON units led to several reforms in late 1990s, aimed to restructuring the Guard and to deprive Governors of such autonomy.

Mission

The Russian Guard offers two key capacities for the Kremlin. First, it provides a force with a degree of deniability and secrecy that can take the initiative in hybrid warfare operations. Second, it provides a hedging force against internal forces Cyrill II may see as becoming too strong, such as the security (SVB) and intelligence services and the military.
Missions of the Russian Guard include joint operations in securing borders (in assistance to the Border Service of the Internal Security Service) fighting terrorism, organized crime, and to perform functions related to riot police. However, according to laws, the Russian Guard does not perform field investigation activities. The Russian Guard also is to work to protect public safety and order along with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and guard important state facilities.
In case of war, Russian Guard units may be put at Military Police's disposal, also in order to ensure the discipline and order within the ranks.

Cooperation with Russian Police

A key part of the Russian Guard's role is supporting the Russian Police and the Penitentiary Service (and occasionally the SVB) by providing tactical support. While the Russian Guard does have intelligence resources, the major part of the investigative and intelligence assets that the Russian Guard relies on to direct its operations are part of the Russian Police, encouraging the cooperation.

Foreign operations

The law includes the possibility of using Russian Guard troops in international operations "to restore and maintain peace". The Russian Guard is among other things tasked for repelling aggression against Russia together with the Imperial Russian Armed Forces, and participation in the territorial defence of the Russian Empire.

Organization and leadership

The Russian Guard is directly subordinated to the supreme commander-in-chief with the incumbent head included into the Security Council as a permanent member.

Although the Russian Guard incorporates the most effective units within Russia’s internal security forces, it also includes a large number of conscript units of limited effectiveness, as well as units, for example in Caucausus, of questionable loyalty to the centre.

General organisation

The Russian Guard is a paramilitary force with centralized system of ranks, command and service, and as such reports to the Tsar of Russia. Majority of the officer corps has been trained in both special academies of the Russian Guard, while a part is trained in the Armed Forces's military academies. Other ranks include a mix of both conscripted national servicemen and volunteer servicemen.

The main kinds of Russian Guard units are field units, various facility-guarding units (except in prisons), special motorized units, riot control and patrol units, and special forces. Fields units are essentially light motorized infantry, similar to respective regular army units by their organization and weapons. They and the special forces have been heavily engaged in the armed conflicts and unrest in Caucasus.

The Russian Guard is organized into a composed structure, consisting of six broad elements:

• Russian Guard Forces Command (Войска национальной гвардии), which handles the operational units;
• ODON and the Russian Guard Naval Service Corps;
• Russian Guard Special Operations and Aviation Center, including Zubr, Vityaz, Rus and Yastreb special units;
• Russian Guard SOBR, Berkut and OMON Units.

High Command

The High Command of the Russian Guard is the operational and strategic command of the Russian Guard, designed to maintain constant combat and mobilization readiness of troops, develop and implement plans for the construction and development, improve their organizational and staff structure, organize service and combat activities of the Russian Guard.

The Russian Guard is led by a Commander. The Commander has six deputy Commanders, including a first deputy director who is simultaneously Chief of Staff of the Russian Guard.

Military units under direct subordination:

• Separate Rapid Deployment Division (ODON) This formation, the former Felix Dzerzhinsky Division, based near Moscow, is the most well-known formation of the Internal Troops.
• Central Communications Division: The Russian Guard also cultivates experience and capabilities in electronic warfare, cyber warfare, and information warfare–all important components of a hybrid warfare strategy;
• Engineering Centre;
• Political-Military Work Directorate;
• Personal Security Directorate: to act as bodyguards for regional governors and “other” figures determined by the Tsar. This is to control politically-relevant Governors.
• Military Police Directorate;
• Intelligence Directorate: under the Intelligence Chief-Deputy Chief of Staff of the Internal Troops.
• Cossack Troops Deployment Directorate: in charge of providing Cossack Troops to the operational commanders.

Commander

The Commander of the Russian Guard commands and is responsible for the Russian Guard, is responsible for organizing and preparing the Royal Carabinieri and proposes to the Tsar the program relating to the Russian Guard for the purpose of general interforce planning.

The Commander of the Russian Guard is an officer of the Russian Guard who, at the time of his appointment, holds the rank of Colonel-General. He is appointed by decree of the Tsar, after hearing the Chief of General Staff and the Minister of Internal Affairs. The Commandant-General is a member of the Security Council of Russia.

The current Commander is Colonel-General Yegorov Pavlovich Kovalenko. He was appointed in 2016.

Chief of Main Staff

The Chief of Main Staff of the Russian Guard exercises the vicarious functions in case of absence or impediment of the Commander and assists him in carrying out the functions and tasks delegated, carries out inspections to the high commands of the Guard (by delegation of the Commander).

The Chief of Main Staff is an Colonel-General in effective permanent service and is appointed by decree of the Duce, upon proposal of the Minister of Internal Affairs, after hearing the Chief of General Staff.

He receives from the Commandant-General the directives for the activity to be carried out and directs the activities of the Main Staff and defines, where necessary, the additional elements to translate the decisions of the General Commander into orders and plans.

As Chief of Main Staff, he represents the Commander and issues orders in his name, when authorized, and has some departments and units under his direct dependencies.

Deputy Chief of Main Staff

The Deputy Chief of Staff assists the Chief of Main Staff in the performance of his duties and replaces him in case of temporary absence, impediment or vacancy of the office, provides for the delegated determination of spending commitments, directs the provision of expenditure items to of the Heads of the Department, presides and coordinates the activity of the working and study groups for the study of problems of primary interest to the Carabinieri.

Operations Room of the High Command

The Operations Room of the High Command acts as a driving force: it updates the Commander and the central authorities on the evolution of particular situations and employs the operational reserves of the Russian Guard.

Separate Operational Purpose Division

The Separate Operational Purpose Division or ODON (a.k.a. Abakumov Division), is a rapid deployment internal security division of the Russian Guard. The entire division employs more than ten thousand personnel, hundreds of armoured vehicles, and divisional artillery (mortars and anti-aircraft guns). The ODON has around 18,000 troops in its subordinate units.

• 604th Special Purpose Center "Vytaz" (including OSN "Bogatyr" and SOBR "Rus" units);
• 2nd Operational Duties Regiment;
• 4th Operational Duties Regiment;
• 5th Operational Duties Regiment;
• 16th Training Center;
• 319th Battalion for the protection and security training centers;
• 344th Command Battalion;
• Communications Battalion;
• Repair and Refurbishment Battalion;
• Selected Medical Battalion;
• 4th separate company for radiation, chemical and biological protection;
• Garrison quarters and operations area;
• 441st Security Battalion;
• 752nd Engineering Battalion.

The Separate Operational Purpose Division is headquartered near Moscow and it is tasked to function as intervention spearhead. It is known to closely cooperate with the Army paratroopers.

Political-Military Work Directorate

The Political-Military Work Directorate (Russian: Управление Bоенно-Политической Pаботы, УBПP; Upravleniye Voyenno-Politicheskoy Raboty, UVPR) is engaged in military-political propaganda and agitation, maintaining the moral and political loyalty to the Tsar of the military and the formation of an ideologically convinced personality of a serviceman. The Directorate carryies out Tsarist political education and supervision of the military personnel. The Directorate directly controls the higher echelons of the professional military down to the Brigade level. The UPVR is the main stronghold of influence and presence within the military ranks of the Imperial Revolutionary Organization. The UPVR of the Royal Carabinieri consists of a Political-Military Commissioner, of Lieutenant General rank, personal representative of the Tsar, and of numerous Deputy Commissioners, most of whom are also accorded Major General or Colonel rank. The UPVR also has eight of Offices under it: General Affairs Office, Discipline inspection Office, Associations Office, Welfare Foundations Office, Education Office, Liaison Office, Organization Office, Press and propaganda Office. The Commission also oversees the Russian Guard Museum and the Russian Guard publications. Besides the central organization, there are three levels of political education officers:

• Political Education Delegates are assigned to all organizations at the regiment and brigade level; Delegates are of Major to Lieutenant Colonel rank and operate the relevant Political-Military Unit Offices.
• Political Education Directors are assigned to all battalion-level organizations; Directors are of Captain to Major rank and operate the relevant Political-Military Unit Offices.
• Political Education Instructors are assigned to all company-level organizations; they are Lieutenants. If the relevant Company-level unit is led by a Lieutenant, there is no Political Education Instructor. Below the battalion level, political control is exercised by so-called Political Groups.

All political officers have the responsibility of strenghtening chain of command and unit cohesion, providing political education to the troops within their organization, working with other components of the political work system.

Training Command

The Training Command is in charge of all training and educational activities of the Russian Guard. It is led by a Colonel General and controls:

• Higher Military-Political School of the Russian Guard (Petrograd)
• Higher Command School of the Russian Guard (Moscow)
• Higher Command School of the Russian Guard (Vladikavkaz)
• Higher Military Command School of the Russian Guard (Perm)
• Higher Military School of the Rear of the Russian Guard (Kharkiv)

Districts

Military Disctricts in the Russian Empire.

The territorial organization consists of six Russian Guard Districts which have the same name of the relevant Military District. Each Russian Guard District is further subdivided into Brigades. Police officers are appointed to the post of heads of the Russian Guard Districts, while military officers are appointed to the positions of chiefs of staff.

Districts of the  Russian Guard directly operate task forces, military units and the other organizations of the Russian Guard, as well as region-level territorial units, such as main administration departments, local administration structures, other departments. There are six Russian Guard disctricts (Okrug), with the same boundares of the Armed Forces Districts. The RG Okruga are:

• Northern District;
• Western District;
• Central District;
• Caucasus District;
• Eastern District;
• Turkestan District.

In turn, each District Command may be subdivided into two or more Subdistricts (Oblast). Russian Guard territorial units must always act together in collaboration with Imperial Russian Armed Forces and other bodies in accordance with the laws, under decrees and orders of the Tsar of Russia. All territorial units boundaries of Russian Guard must be created on proposal of commander of Russian Guard previously agreed with Ministry of Defence and then approved by the Tsar.

Organization

The District Command is a complex body consisting of numerous offices and subdivisions:

• Commander;
• Staff;
• Administrative Logistic Technical Directorate;
• General Affairs and Personnel Affairs Directorate;
• Operations Directorate;
• Intelligence branch;
• Military Police Office.

The District Commander is assisted by the Aide-de-Camp and by the Secretariat.

Administrative Logistic Technical Directorate

The Administrative Logistic Technical Directorate is the body tasked to handle all support duties. The Directorate consists of offices, services and all the executive bodies (such as infirmaries, workshops and telematic laboratories) that work for the units located in the area covered by the District command.

General Affairs and Personnel Affairs Directorate

The General Affairs and Personnel Affairs Directorate is divided into three Bureaus (Russian: Бюро; Byuro): General Affairs, Personnel, Litigation.
The General Affairs Bureau guarantees the fulfillment of the tasks concerning "general affairs", relations with the public and "social protection". The Bureau acts as the District Command's intermediary between the Main Command and the Governorate and Subdistrict levels: it directs the correct application of the instructions given by the Main Command or the District Command in the sectors of respective interest, intervening with specific directives. The General Affairs Bureau also provides the general protocol and archive activities and performs any other task delegated or delegated by the Main Command and oversees the planning and execution of the inspections of the Commander to the subordinate departments and units. The Personnel Affairs Bureau ensures the management of its personnel (officers, starshinas, sergeants and troops), including training activities. The Bureau avails itself of the "Matriculation Section" of the subordinate Commands for the management of enlisted personnel, directs the correct application of the provisions governing the employment of personnel, gives detailed instructions in relation to the provisions of the Main Command, directs reports between the corresponding articulations of the subordinate Commands and those of the Main Command and ensures the fulfillment of any other task delegated or delegated by the Main Command. The Personnel Affairs Office also manages administrative procedures in the field of discipline. The Litigation Bureau provides all the preliminary activities for the decision of the hierarchical appeals against acts and measures adopted by the officers under examination; moreover, it sends opinions on external litigation (civil or criminal).

Operations Directorate

The Operations Directorate is divided into two sections. The 1st Section ensures the fulfillment of the duties related to the operational activity, expresses its opinion in the discussions concerning the attribution of the name of the buildings in use to the dependent units and departments and the construction of stones, gravestones and related monuments, performs any other delegated task. The 2nd Section verifies the adequacy of the subordinate units and departments in the performance of the service, defining the operational priorities.

Northern District

The Northern District includes the important base of Arkhangelsk and guards a portion of the Russian Artic Sea. Alongside the ordinary Governorate-level garrisons, it controls:

• 28th Special-Purpose Detachment "Ratnik" (Arkhangelsk);
• 2nd Marine Detachment (Murmansk);
• 1st Plant-Protection Detachment (Sabetta).

Western District

The Western RG District includes Petrograd and its surroundings, White and Black Russians, as well as Finnish and Baltic peoples. The Western RG District is responsible to guard the Russian Empire against colour revolutions in or near frontier zones. It is to note that the Western RG District includes in its area of responsibility also the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, due to the special statutes which govern the Grand Duchy, the Russian Guard does not directly operate in Finland but coordinates with the Police of Finland (with the Public Security and Custom Guard).
Alongside standard units at the governorate level, the Western District controls:

• 1st Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Yaguar" (Vyshhorod);
• 2nd Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Halychyna" (L'vov);
• 3rd Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Rys" (Minsk);
• 5th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Knyaz Askold" (Kiev);
• 7th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Krasnodar);
• 11th Cossack Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Getman Bohdan Khmelnytsky" (Zaporozhye);
• 25th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Knyaz Dir" (Kiev);
• 33rd Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Lebyazhye);
• 85th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Berkut" (Sevastopol);
• 112th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Sinferopol);
• 115th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Kerch): the tasks of the 115th brigade include the protection of the Crimean bridge;
• 1st Special-Purpose Detachment "Almaz" (Minsk);
• 3rd Special-Purpose Detachment "Tyhr" (Pavlohrad);
• 4th Marine Detachment "Sparta" (Darkehmen);
• 35th Special-Purpose Detachment "Rus Kiev" (Simferopol).

Baltic Subdistrict

The Baltic General Governorate coincides with the Baltic Subdistrict. The Baltic Subdistrict is traditionally heavily garrisoned in order to augment security of Petrograd area. The Subdistrict consits of:

• Command department;
• Personnel Bureau;
• Operations Bureau;
• Intelligence Bureau;
• National shooting Bureau;
• Logistics Bureau;
• Administration Bureau;
• Bureau of spiritual assistance, directed by a military chaplain;
• 4th Separate Operational Brigade (Riga);
• 6th Separate Operational Brigade (Tallinn);
• 2nd Special-Purpose Detachment "Aras" (Vilnius);
• 4th Special-Purpose Detachment (Vilnius).

Alongside units directly subordinated to the Subdistrict Command, the three Governorate Commands control a total of three OMON units and three SOBR units.

Central District

The Central District controls the most part of the Red Russia and governorates lying on the Black Sea. Alongside standard units at the governorate level, the Central District controls:

• 22nd Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Kalach-na-Donu);
• 34th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Shumilovo);
• 50th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Kazachi Lageri);
• 23rd Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Arseni Pavlov" (Alexandrovsk);
• 26th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Astana);
• 100th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "Sotka" (Kharkov);
• 5th Marine Detachment "Azov" (Mariupol)
• 12th Special-Purpose Detachment "Ural" (Nizhny Tagil);
• 17th Special-Purpose Detachment "Edelveys" (Mineralnye Vody);
• 23rd Special-Purpose Detachment "Mechel" (Chelyabinsk);
• 25th Special-Purpose Detachment "Merkuriy" (Smolensk);
• 26th Special-Purpose Detachment "Bars" (Kazan);
• 27th Special-Purpose Detachment "Kuzbass" (Kemerovo);
• 29th Special-Purpose Detachment "Bulat" (Ufa);
• 36th Special-Purpose Detachment "Burkit" (Astana).

Moscow Subdistrict

The Moscow Subdistrict includes Moscow and surrounding Governorates. It is always commanded by a trusted officer.

• Command department;
• Personnel Bureau;
• Operations Bureau;
• Intelligence Bureau;
• National shooting Bureau;
• Logistics Bureau;
• Administration Bureau;
• Bureau of spiritual assistance, directed by a military chaplain;
• 20th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Sofrino);
• 33rd Special-Purpose Detachment "Peresvet" (Moscow).

Caucasus District

Emblem of the Caucasus District of the Russian Guard.

The Caucasus District coincides with the Caucasus Viceroyalty. This District is very sensitive due to the endemic unrestiveness of the area and the ethnic fragmentation. Joint operations with the Internal Security Service are not uncommon. Alongside standard units at the governorate level, the Caucasus Units controls:

• 46th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Tbilisi);
• 49th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Vladikavkaz);
• 51st Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Senaki);
• 52nd Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Telavi);
• 55th Separate Operational Assigned Brigade (Stepanakert);
• 102nd Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Petrovsk-Port);
• 607th Special Purpose Center (Grozny);
• 7th Special-Purpose Detachment "Rosich" (Novocherkassk);
• 15th Special-Purpose Detachment "Vyatich" (Jerevan);
• 30th Special-Purpose Detachment "Svyatogor" (Baku);
• 34th Special-Purpose Detachment "Skif" (Grozny).

Eastern District

The Eastern District is in charge for Siberia and, alongside standard territorial units, controls five Brigades and two Marine Detachments:

• 21st Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Irktusk);
• 101st Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Krasnoyarsk);
• 111th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Khabarovsk);
• 19th Special-Purpose Detachment "Ermak" (Novosibirsk);
• 21st Special-Purpose Detachment "Tayfun" (Sosnovka);
• 1st Marine Detachment (Khabarovsk);
• 3rd Marine Detachment (Severobaikalsk).

Turkestan District

Russian Turkestan as of 2018

The Turkestan District is in charge for southern Governorates of the Russian Central Asia, including the Emirate of Bukhara. The headquarters of the Turkestan District are in Tashkent. The Turkestan District oversees the rear of the western portion of the Russian-Chinese border and the rear of the Russian-Iranian border. Due to the serious security issues, Russian Guard Turkestan District operates in strict coordination with the units of the Border Troops of the Internal Security Service.
Alongside standard territorial units, the Turkestan RG District includes eight Separate Operational Assignment Brigades and four Special-Purpose Detachments:

• 9th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Verniy);
• 10th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Pishpek);
• 86th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Tashkent);
• 90th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Nukus);
• 91st Separate Operational Assignment Brigade "General Bobo Makhamov" (Dushanbe);
• 94th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Ferghana);
• 98th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Talas);
• 116th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Rushan);
• 117th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Tashkent);
• 6th Special-Purpose Detachment "Yaguar" (Pishpek);
• 8th Special-Purpose Detachment "Sokol" (Taskhent);
• 24th Special-Purpose Detachment "Skorpion" (Ferghana);
• 1001st Special-Purpose Detachment "Alfa" (Ashgabat).

1001st Special-Purpose Detachment "Alfa"

Emblem of the Turkestan District of the Russian Guard.

The 1001st Special-Purpose Detachment "Alfa" is an OSN unit stationed in Ashgabat. It is a composite unit drawn from the Russian Guard and other agencies and national law enforcement agencies such as the Border Troops, and the Internal Security Service.The main distinguishing feature of the battalion is high level of combat, theoretical and physical training, in order to counter hostile actions originating from the Empire of Iran.

Bukhara Subdistrict

For Russian Guard purposes, the Emirate of Bukhara coincides with the Bukhara Subdistrict, which is the Russian Guard component of the Imperial Russian Armed Forces Garrison in Bukhara.

• Command department;
• Personnel Bureau;
• Operations Bureau;
• Intelligence Bureau;
• National shooting Bureau;
• Logistics Bureau;
• Administration Bureau;
• Bureau of spiritual assistance, directed by a military chaplain;
• 118th Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Karshi, Bukhara Emirate);
• 22nd Special-Purpose Detachment "Orel" (Bukhara, Bukhara Emirate).

Governorate Command

The Governorate Command (Russian: Командование Провинции, КП; Komandovaniye Provintsii, KP, literally "Provincial Command") is in charge of OMON and SOBR units in each Governorate. The Governorate Command is directly dependent on the relevant District Command for disciplinary, training, equipment and military matters, and on the relevant Police Directorate for functional (deployment-related) matters, when related to police activity and public order services.
The Governorate Command is led by an officer of rank equal to the relevant Police Director. In the Special Cities, he is by default a Lieutenant General (two-stars rank). A typical Governorate Command consists of one or more OMON units, usually at Battalion level, of one or more SOBR units and of the intelligence branch.

Separate Operational Assignment Brigade

The Separate Operational Assignment Brigade (Russian: Отдельная Бригада Oперативного Назначения, OБpOН; Otdel'naya Brigada Oerativnogo Naznacheniya, OBrON) is the main formation outside the governorate garrisons. Troops of the OBrON are the most numerous of the Russian guards assets. OBrON are not regularly used for supporting the Russian Police, but more to provide support for other units unless there is an incident that explicitly requires their intervention.

Separate Operational Assignment Brigades are usually employed in smaller detachments, but they can be massed to be used in large military maneuvres if the situation requires such an engagement. As of 2020, there are 60 Russian Guard Separate Operational Assignment Brigades.

Organization

Each Separate Operational Assignment Brigade consists of:

• Brigade Command;
• Motor Rifle Battalion (3 x Motor Rifle Companies; 1 x Mortars Company): 800 troops at full force;
• Motor Rifle Battalion (3 x Motor Rifle Companies; 1 x Mortars Company): 800 troops at full force;
• Motor Rifle Battalion (3 x Motor Rifle Companies; 1 x Mortars Company): 800 troops at full force;
• Motor Rifle Battalion (3 x Motor Rifle Companies; 1 x Mortars Company): 800 troops at full force;
• Motor Rifle Battalion (3 x Motor Rifle Companies; 1 x Mortars Company): 800 troops at full force;
• Motor Rifle Battalion (3 x Motor Rifle Companies; 1 x Mortars Company): 800 troops at full force;
• Artillery Battalion (3 x Artillery Batteries);
• Artillery Battalion (3 x Artillery Batteries);
• Engineer Battalion (1 x Sapper Company; 1 x Construction Company; 1 x Technical Company; 1 x Pontoon Bridge Company);
• Signal Battalion (2 x HQ Signal Company; 1 x Communications Centre Platoon);
• Maintenance Battalion (5 x Maintenance Companies);
• Material Support Battalion (3 x Transport Companies; 1 x Support Companies);
• Reconnaissance Battalion (3 x Reconnaissance Companies);
• Cargo security and escort battalion (3 x Motor Rifle Companies; 1 x Military Police Company);
• Hygiene Battalion (4 x Sanification Companies);
• Special Vehicles Battalion (3 x Vehicles Companies);
• Special Vehicles Battalion (3 x Vehicles Companies);
• NBCR Defence Company;
• Medical Company;
• Sniper Platoon.

At full force, a Separate Operational Assignment Brigade consists of 8,000 troops.

Special-Purpose Detachments

The Special-Purpose Detachments (Russian: Отряды Cпециального Назначения, OCН; Otryady Spetsial'nogo Naznacheniya, OSN) of the Russian Guard includes a number of units to combat internal threats to the government, such as insurgencies and mutinies. These units usually have a unique name and number, and some are part the ODON.
It is to note that, unlike the SOBR units, OSN units are assigned to special operations different from urban police tactical actions. OSN units depend on the relevant District or Subdistrict Commands.

Plant-Protection Detachments

Plant-Protection Detachments (Russian: Отряды Защиты Pастений, OЗP; Otryady Zashchity Rasteniy, OZR) of the Russian Guard are responsible for providing security at or within 5 km of any relevant civilian nuclear or extraction or stocking site and for nuclear materials in transit within the Russian Empire by guarding power stations, research centers and other facilities. These Detachments, in cooperation with the Police, also escort nuclear materials in transit. Plant-Protection Detachments are deployed on a range of security tasks: their soldiers man fixed point guard stations, carry out foot and vehicle patrols in and around nuclear facilities. They also man armed response teams which are on standby to react to a security breach; dog handlers are used on patrols and to sniff out explosives. The Specialty runs its own firearms training cadre, which includes counter terrorism firearms training.

Special Purpose Mobile Units

Special Purpose Mobile Units (Russian: Отряд Мобильный Особого Назначения, previously Отряд Милиции Особого Назначения, ОМОН; Otryad Mobil'nyy Osobogo Naznacheniya, OMON) is a system of special police units of the Russian Guard. OMON officers are commonly known as the Omonovtsy. While trained as a light infantry force, in modern context OMON are used like riot police, or as a gendarmerie-like paramilitary force; unlike the conscripts, the OMON police units are seen as professional, battle-hardened troops.

OMON units are mostly known as public order force. OMON also function as armed intervention, usually working in cases that are too dangerous or delicate for regular Police but are not as dangerous as situations warranting the limited resources of a SOBR team. Usual interventions are related to arrests for non-violent organised criminals.

There is an OMON unit in every Governorate, as well as in many major cities; these OMON units report directly to the Russian Guard Governorate Command, while these are expected to be deployed in support of the police forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The biggest OMON unit in Russia, Moscow OMON, numbers over 2,000 troops. Due to the use of OMON members in high risk situations, especially in the Caucasus and in Southern Central Asia, the group often loses members in combat. Across the Russian Empire, there are 65,200 OMON troops. The average OMON unit is 400 strong, with quieter Governorates being garrisoned with smaller units.

OMON personnel wear black berets.

Membership and training

Members of OMON are required to achieve a high level of fitness and expertise in small arms and hand-to-hand combat. Males between the ages of twenty-two and thirty who have completed their two-year military service can apply to join OMON. The application includes medical and psychological tests, and tests of speed and fitness. Most OMON officers retire at the age of approximately forty-five.

The initial training lasts for five months. The applicants are extensively trained in the use of different weaponry and close combat, and are also trained to follow orders at any cost. Special emphasis is put on urban combat and the entering and clearing of buildings. The training also includes legal training. The application procedure closes with a final test, where the applicant has to fight three to five trained members of OMON by hand wearing boxing gloves. Fewer than one in five applicants pass and are selected to join.

Special Rapid Response Unit

The Special Rapid Response Unit (Russian: Специальный Отряд Быстрого Реагирования, СОБР; Spetsial'niy Otryad Bystrovo Reagirovaniya, SOBR) is a spetsnaz unit of the Russian Guard tasked with urban special tactics police activities. SOBR's are the smallest of the regional Russian Guard assets. As of 2018, SOBR units are listed as having a strength of 163 detachments and 16,300 men. Differently from OMON units, each SOBR unit is 100 troops-strong.

Each Governorate has a SOBR unit, which depends on the relevant Governorate Command. The level of equipment of a SOBR team partly depends on the level of funding the relevant Governorates allocates to the security function. Due to the military nature of their equipment, overalls and training, the OMON and SOBR constitute a rapid-reaction and rapid-insertion military force available to the regular police, normally to be employed at the local Police Directorate’s discretion. SOBR units are specialised in dealing with armed suspects, being only used for the most severe of arrests and incidents. SOBR units are focused on urban public security actions, and fight against organized crime gangs in urban environments or in circumstances where the rules of engagement are strict. SOBR units are also deployed in custom police operations, in order to provide a heavy cordon. Large scale counterterror operations usually involve SOBR, OSN, OMON and SVB special units due to the large personnel demands.

Membership and training

Members of the SOBR units undergo severe vetting, scrutiny and selections. All SOBR personnel is commissioned officers in the Rosguard and go through psychological testing prior to joining the unit. The selection has several levels in order to pass those who are deemed to be mentally and phisically fit for special service. A significant percentage of SOBR operators previously served in Paratroopers or as OMON troops. Once accepted as SOBR operator, troops undergo several training phases, from basic firearms training to parachute training. Close-quarters marksmanship, hand-to-hand fighting and urban assault techniques such as rappelling are also part of the training

Russian Guard Naval Service Corps

The Russian Guard Naval Service Corps (Корпус Военно-Морской Службы России, КBMCP; Korpus Voyenno-Morskoy Sluzhby Rossii, KVMSR) is the naval service, water police and coast guard branch of the Russian Guard. It was established in 1979 through the fulfillment of a 1978 Ukaz of Tsar Alexander IV.

Mission

The KVMSR is ensure the safety of important public facilities and communications structures, located in the coastal lands and waters of the Russian Empire, the territorial seas, the rivers, lakes and other surface water bodies.
As a water-based security force, it conducts anti-terrorism operations and combating illegal weapons trade in the inland and coastal waters of Russia, participats jointly with the Police in maintaining public order and security in the important waterways located in areas with the most valuable natural resources. The Corps also participates in disaster relief, life saving and other emergencies on the specified protected objects and structures in waterways (together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Coast Guard of the Internal Security Service Border Service).
In wartime, the KVMSR is subordinated to the Imperial Russian Navy according directives and commands issued by the Tsar. The Russian Guard Naval Service Corps also supports the Coast Guard branch of the Border Service of the Internal Security Service, assisting in border security the Coast Guard of the Border Service.

See also

• Law enforcement in the Russian Empire
• Ministry of Internal Affairs (Rossyiah)
• Police of Russia (Rossyiah)