RBC's source in the presidential administration noted that the National Guard will allow us to centralize the work of a number of disparate law enforcement units that were until now part of the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Such a service will be easier to manage, added RBC’s interlocutor.
The project to create the National Guard is already about four years old, notes political scientist Evgeniy Minchenko. Initially, it was assumed that, first of all, the National Guard would have security functions (which is why its leaders envisioned its chief security guard for the president): fighting riots, preventing and eliminating mass unrest. But as a result, the functions of the National Guard expanded, which means a big hardware victory for Zolotov, the expert states.
Who will join the guard?
Internal troops are being transformed into troops of the National Guard. They will include all special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as noted in the presidential decree.
The total number of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2015 was slightly more than a million people. Of these, about 170 thousand were internal troops, which were deployed almost throughout the country.
It follows from the document that the new Federal Service of the National Guard troops includes SOBR and OMON units, the Special Purpose Center for Rapid Reaction Forces and Aviation, private security, in particular the Special Purpose Center for Private Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that monitor compliance with legislation in the field arms trafficking and in the field of private security activities, as well as the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Security", which provides services for paramilitary and physical security and for the installation and operation of technical security equipment.
The creation of the National Guard will not require an increase in staffing levels, will not require an increase in the apparatus or anything else, Peskov noted, answering a question from RBC.
Since all training bases and training grounds will be transferred from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the National Guard, budget costs will be minimal, RBC’s source in law enforcement agencies believes. Chairman of the Association of Police Trade Unions of Russia Alexey Lobarev agrees with this opinion. According to him, the training bases will simply be transferred to the National Guard; there will be no need to build new facilities.
Previously, the Ministry of Internal Affairs repeatedly complained about the lack of funding. When discussing the budget for 2016 in the State Duma, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Alexander Makhonov said that the department lacks 41 billion rubles. The lack of funds is caused, in particular, by reductions in the department and payments to employees who leave the ranks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to Khinshtein, it is no secret that within the Ministry of Internal Affairs the internal troops did not receive the required amount of funds for rearmament, provision of technical means, etc. Now this situation will change. The independence of the National Guard may also make life easier for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, since the ministry has a high current budget deficit - more than 120 billion rubles, says Khinshtein.
Who is Viktor Zolotov?
In May 2014, Putin appointed Zolotov First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, after he worked for six months as First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Troops. Before his appointment to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zolotov worked for 13 years in the Federal Security Service (FSO) and was the head of the Presidential Security Service. Zolotov was appointed to manage the presidential security by Putin after he came to the Kremlin in 2000.
Putin had known Zolotov since the 1990s, when Zolotov was guarding the mayor of St. Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak, for whom Putin was his deputy. As Novaya Gazeta reported, Zolotov began his career in the 9th Directorate of the KGB of the USSR, which was later transformed into the FSO. Zolotov Law Institute and General Staff Academy.
“The president and commander-in-chief do not appoint people to lead the security forces without having personal trust in them,” Peskov said, answering the question whether the Kremlin has special trust in Zolotov.
We are talking about a serious strengthening of Zolotov’s apparatus; he is becoming one of the most influential security officials, Minchenko notes. The expert recalls that the increased influence of people from the FSO has been noticeable in recent years, and especially in recent months: several former colleagues of Zolotov took important positions in the Ministry of Internal Affairs after his conflict with the FSB, and Alexey Dyumin became the governor of the Tula region. Veniamin Kondratyev, who recently headed the Krasnodar Territory, is close to this group.
The position of the chief security agency is not vacant - both the FSB and the FSO are vying for this role, but the new structure headed by Zolotov, precisely because of its novelty, may have a greater mandate of trust, political scientist Mikhail Vinogradov emphasized in a conversation with RBC.
How will the National Guard interact with the FSB?
It is still difficult to say whether the powers of other services and departments will change in connection with the emergence of the National Guard, Peskov answered the question of whether powers overlap National Guard with the FSB and other departments. “We can say with confidence that the legal and regulatory framework will definitely need to be improved, some changes to the laws will need to be adopted, and we will not be talking about one or two laws,” the presidential press secretary emphasized.
The functions of the National Guard will partially coincide with the functions of the FSB, notes the head of the Moscow trade union of police officers, Mikhail Pashkin. In a conversation with RBC, he noted that the fight against terrorism is now legally enshrined as the prerogative of the FSB. In order to involve the National Guard in counterterrorism activities, the law will need to be changed.
However, it is not clear why the new structure should duplicate the powers of the FSB, Pashkin emphasized. “Does this mean that the FSB is bad at fighting terrorism? And in addition to law enforcement functions, will the National Guard also have operational intelligence functions, without which it is impossible to fight terrorism? So far there are more questions than answers,” Pashkin believes. “If the National Guard will only carry out the power tasks assigned to it by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, customs and others, then problems should not arise,” Pashkin added.
Retired FSB Major General Vasily Eremenko believes that the National Guard, taking over the functions of internal troops, will conduct major operations within the country. “If the FSB is fighting individual, hidden terrorists preparing attacks in the subway or at a train station, then the new army unit will confront large terrorist groups, such as, for example, the ISIS group banned in Russia,” Eremenko argues in a conversation with RBC.
Who else has a guard?
The example closest to Russia is the creation of the National Guard in Kazakhstan. In April 2014, President Nursultan Nazarbayev decided to transform the internal troops into the National Guard. Apart from the renaming, little has changed: the new service remained subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, headed by the last head of the internal troops, General Ruslan Zhaksylykov.
In 2015, in an interview with the Russian publication Krasnaya Zvezda, Zhaksylykov admitted that the soldiers of the National Guard are assigned basically the same tasks as the military personnel of Kazakhstan. These responsibilities include: maintaining public order, escorting cargo, assisting border guards, participating in special operations of other law enforcement agencies, escorting convicts and other tasks. Similar functions are performed by the National Guard in some other CIS countries, for example, in Kyrgyzstan.
The second type of military formations in the territory of the former USSR, called the National Guard, is a service for protecting senior officials and the head of state personally, a kind of presidential regiment. The National Guard operates according to this principle in Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. In Georgia, in addition, the National Guard is involved in military mobilization issues: accounting for reservists and assisting with conscription.
The National Guard of Ukraine is also formed on the basis of internal troops, but has much greater powers. It performs all the functions mentioned above: both protecting public order and officials, as well as organizing mobilization, carrying out counter-terrorism measures, and even participating in military operations.
The term “national guard” itself appeared at the initial stage of the French Revolution to designate the units ensuring order on the streets of Paris. The Americans were among the first to adopt this name at the beginning of the 19th century: the US National Guard is staffed by military reservists who are periodically mobilized to suppress riots. One of the last such cases was the riots in Ferguson in 2014, although the authorities there resorted to the support of only the local Missouri State Guard.
Viktor Zolotov, recently appointed by the head of state to the post of commander of the National Guard created in the country. Journalists from the "" section of the "Stock Leader" publication studied in more detail what facts from Zolotov's biography the Russians were able to find.
The Sobesednik publication notes that the main part of Viktor Zolotov’s biography still continues to remain classified as “secret”. According to the official version, the current commander of the National Guard began his career as a mechanic at one of the factories, but at the age of 20 he ended up in the "nine" known throughout the Soviet Union - the 9th KGB directorate, which guarded the country's top officials.
As Valery Velichko, Major General of the KGB, ex-chief of staff of the 9th Directorate, explained, they most often included persons who had distinguished themselves in service in the border troops, in the Airborne Forces, in the GRU, in special forces, and preference was given to those who had proven themselves worthy in combat situation or in a critical situation, and Zolotov was just doing military service in the border troops. Velichko notes that he does not remember him from the 70-80 years - apparently, then the current commander of the National Guard had not yet managed to distinguish himself in anything.
Viktor Zolotov distinguished himself a little later - in 1991. All the world's media then circulated a photograph of Boris Yeltsin standing on a tank near the White House. The back of the future president of the Russian Federation was then covered by an unknown person with a concentrated face. This was Viktor Zolotov, who later got into the camera lenses, already covering the back of Vladimir Putin.
They met in the 90s, when Zolotov became the head of security for Anatoly Sobchak, who then held the position of mayor of St. Petersburg, who was on very good terms with his deputy Vladimir Putin. Rumor has it that Zolotov and the future second president of the Russian Federation were united by a common passion for judo. By the way, both have not stopped training yet.
Alexander Korzhakov knows a lot about the first years of Zolotov’s service.
Viktor Korzhakov knows a lot about the first years of Viktor Zolotov’s service, but the former chief of Boris Yeltsin’s security has refused to talk about his former subordinate for quite some time. Korzhakov, in particular, refused to talk about Zolotov with Sobesednik journalists, citing indisposition. Korzhakov only noted that it was he who made the current commander of the National Guard into the Zolotov whom everyone knows. If in the 90s everyone knew Alexander Korzhakov, but no one had heard anything about Viktor Zolotov, then now the situation has completely changed.
Valery Velichko emphasized that currently the security of the country's top officials has really changed, and significantly. At one time, the 9th Directorate of the KGB served, while the current guards serve only individuals. This is no longer a public service, but personal security.
According to St. Petersburg colleagues Vladimir Putin and Viktor Zolotov, their relationship became very strong during the period when persecution of Sobchak began - then both neglected their further careers for the sake of their boss, who fell into disgrace. As a result, Anatoly Sobchak left for the capital, Zolotov resigned from the Federal Security Service, and left the St. Petersburg mayor's office.
After resigning from the FSO, Viktor Zolotov decides to go into commerce, becoming a personal security guard for an influential businessman from St. Petersburg, Roman Tsepov, who was credited with extensive connections with representatives of law enforcement agencies and representatives. Tsepov was called the “uncrowned king” of St. Petersburg, and in 2004 the businessman was poisoned. This crime has never been solved, and it still remains one of the most mysterious in the modern history of the Russian Federation.
After the death of his boss, Viktor Zolotov returns to public service. did not forget his former colleague and invited him to be his personal security guard, thereby demonstrating the highest degree of trust. The everyday life of the security of the head of state is a secret behind seals. Nevertheless, it is known that Zolotov was repeatedly nominated for awards during his years of service, and his colleagues even jokingly call him “Generalissimo.”
Among the awards received by the commander of the National Guard are not only anniversary and honorary ones - he was also awarded awards that are not simply awarded: the Order of Military Merit and Courage. Considering the fact that Zolotov’s service is top secret, the conclusion suggests itself - only the recipient himself can tell about his awards. However, Viktor Zolotov has not yet given a single interview in his entire life, and this circumstance, most likely, was also highly appreciated by Vladimir Putin.
It is quite possible that Zolotov received his orders for preventing assassination attempts on the president - it is believed that the head of state was attempted 12 times during his entire stay in power. One of the publication’s interlocutors, who asked not to be named, explained that special attention is paid to the security of Vladimir Putin - the places where the president visits are repeatedly examined and checked. Food served on the table of the country's first person also undergoes a multi-stage inspection.
The year before, Zolotov, who turned 60, finally left the FSO, heading the internal troops. Even then, many said that this was just an intermediate stage, and that he would soon head one of the leading intelligence services of the Russian Federation, but the reality turned out to be even more interesting. The National Guard was created especially for him, which received very broad powers in the field of security - an area in which Zolotov worked all his life.
At the same time, three neighboring plots next to it belong to the full namesake of Yuri Chechikhin, whom Navalny called the husband of Zolotov’s daughter Zhanna. Chechikhin owns more than 1.2 hectares. It is unknown when the couple formalized their relationship. Chechikhin became the owner of the plots, as follows from the extracts, in April 2004, March 2005 and April 2008.
Land in the village of Barvikha is one of the most expensive in Russia, says Maxim Leshchev, general director of the Geo Development group of companies. “Cost - 3-6 million rubles. per hundred,” he notes. Thus, the estate of Roman Zolotov near Moscow may cost 266-531 million rubles, and the property of his neighbor Yuri Chechikhin - 360-720 million rubles. According to an employee of the real estate agency Metrium, the price of land in Barvikha in a guarded village can reach $70-120 thousand per hundred square meters.
Yuri Chechikhin, whom Navalny calls Zolotov's alleged son-in-law, became general director of the Izvestia newspaper in January 2009. Before that, he headed the company Strategic Brand Creation & Development. After Izvestia, he worked at the National Media Group as an adviser (Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS)
According to Novaya Gazeta, until 2014 Roman Zolotov worked at the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Okhrana of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. This organization offers security services on a commercial basis. During the reorganization of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, FSUE Okhrana came under the control of the National Guard. According to SPARK, Roman Zolotov, together with Sergei Somov and Alexander Sabadash, owns the companies Stroyalyans and Stroyalyans Plus, whose main activity is the installation of buildings and structures from prefabricated structures.
Chechikhin is an old acquaintance of the Zolotov family. In the late 2000s, Chechikhin, together with Roman Zolotov, acted as producers of the TV series “Bighorns” and “Tycophics. To be together”, shown on Channel One. Soon after this, Chechikhin was appointed to the post of general director of Izvestia OJSC, which published the newspaper of the same name.
Solid neighborhood
The full namesake of Yuri Chechikhin also has land in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region: he, according to the Unified State Register, owns 29 acres in the village of Kalchuga, adjacent to the plot of Viktor Zolotov himself. Chechikhin registered the ownership of this land in July 2012. Based on market prices for plots in this location, Chechikhin’s estate could cost 43-72 million rubles.
Yuri Chechikhin did not answer the call of the RBC correspondent. RBC called all the companies listed in SPARK as associated with Chechikhin, but it was not possible to contact the businessman through them either. Two RBC companies said they had never heard of such a person. All other companies did not answer calls. It was also impossible to contact Chechikhin through the National Media Group, where he worked as an adviser some time ago.
In addition to the lands near Moscow, the full namesake of the alleged son-in-law of the head of the National Guard has at least two apartments in Moscow on Veresaev Street. The total area of two apartments owned by Yuri Chechikhin is 400.9 square meters. m. Purchased in March and November 2011. According to the CIAN service, apartments on Veresaeva cost from 300 thousand to 900 thousand per 1 sq. m. m. Real estate agency "Prostor" sells two apartments in Chechikhin's house for 400 thousand rubles. for 1 sq. m. Thus, the real estate of the full namesake of Zolotov’s alleged son-in-law could cost at least 120-160.4 million rubles.
Right by the sea
In addition, Navalny did not indicate that one of Viktor Zolotov’s declared apartments has an area of 189 square meters. m - located in the center of Gelendzhik, one block from the sea (an extract from the Unified State Register for an apartment of a similar area located on Lenin Street, the owner of which is Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov, is at the disposal of RBC).
On realtor websites, offers for the sale of apartments in this building range from 60 thousand to 90 thousand rubles. for 1 sq. m depending on the availability and quality of repairs. Some apartments in this building with an open terrace are priced at 190 thousand rubles. for 1 sq. m. Whether there is a terrace in Zolotov’s apartment is not indicated in the extract, but based on market offers, the apartment on Lenin Street can be valued at 11-17 million rubles.
Gelendzhik is a resort city located on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in addition to the healing mountain air, it is known for the fact that not far from the city (25 km from Lenin Street), in the vicinity of the village of Praskoveevka, there is a residence on a plot of 676.6 thousand square meters. m, which, after the scandalous letter from businessman Sergei Kolesnikov to Dmitry Medvedev, the media began to call “Putin’s palace.”
Roman Zolotov also owned real estate in Gelendzhik. From May 2014 to March 2015, as follows from the Unified State Register extract, he owned a house in Parkovy Proezd with an area of 958.2 square meters. m, but now the owner of this property is Lanfranco Cirillo - the full namesake of the Italian architect, the author of the palace project in Praskoveevka.
Assets of the head of the National Guard
(Video: RBC TV channel)
According to RBC calculations, the cadastral value of all the Zolotovs’ property (excluding Chechikhin’s lands and real estate) is 532.5 million rubles, and the market valuation of only land plots and apartments at the lower limit of the price range is 750 million rubles. Chechikhin's property can cost from 523 million to 952.4 million rubles, and its cadastral value, according to the Public Cadastral Map, is 223.1 million rubles.
Not in the declaration
According to the Unified State Register, in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region, where the 1.2 hectares of land declared by Viktor Zolotov are located, his full namesake owns another small plot of 277 square meters. m adjacent to a larger site. He is not listed in the declaration of the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs. The guard booth with an area of 1.5 square meters is also not indicated there. m, which, according to the Unified State Register, is also located in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region. Ownership of a plot of 277 sq. m. Viktor Zolotov received m in August 2008, but the guardhouse appeared on the list of his property back in June 2002 - earlier than all the lands belonging to Zolotov near Moscow.
In addition, the Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard incorrectly indicated in the declaration the area of the apartment that he owns together with his wife. According to the state register, the area of the apartment is 171.6 square meters. m, while the declaration indicated 178.5 sq. m. m.
RBC turned for comments to the press service of the internal troops (VV), on the basis of which the National Guard is being created. VV representative Vasily Panchenko told RBC that the request was “reported to Zolotov,” but there is no response yet.
As it turned out, the head of the National Guard, General Viktor Zolotov, is a millionaire and owner of luxury real estate in Barvikha and Gelendzhik. The officer's family owns numerous companies and offshore companies.
The head of the newly created guard may turn out to be corrupt. The market value of Mr. Zolotov’s family’s real estate and land plots is 750 million rubles. In addition to this, similar property of Yuri Chechikhin (the general’s son-in-law) can cost from 523 million to 952.4 million rubles!It is impossible to buy such plots with a salary. But that's not all the assets! The blessed Zolotov family owns four land plots with a total area of 2.6 hectares, four apartments (1016 sq. m.) and five houses (2488 sq. m.).
In addition to the lands and real estate of Viktor Zolotov and his wife Valentina, they found the property of their children - Roman and Zhanna, which Viktor Zolotov is not obliged to declare! It is very convenient: to transfer luxury real estate to children. The value of the general's assets can reach up to 750 million rubles!
The Zolotovs are vacationing in the center of the Gelendzhik resort, one block from the sea. Some apartments in this building with an open terrace are priced at 190 thousand rubles. for 1 sq. m. Whether there is a terrace in Zolotov’s apartment is not indicated in the extract, but based on market offers, the apartment on Lenin Street can be valued at 11–17 million rubles!
Note that in this town there is a residence on a plot of 676.6 thousand square meters. m, which, after the scandalous letter from businessman Sergei Kolesnikov to Dmitry Medvedev, the media began to call “Putin’s palace.”
The most interesting thing: it is not clear how family members became owners of square meters in different regions of the country worth such a sum of rubles. After all, Viktor Vasilyevich’s salary does not allow him to do this.
"Closer to the body"
Zolotov’s success can be explained very simply. “During Putin’s two terms, he (Zolotov) promoted from colonel to colonel general. He entered Putin’s closest circle,” noted intelligence services historian Boris Volodarsky.
After all, in the 90s, Zolotov was hired as a bodyguard for the mayor of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak. Where I met Vladimir Putin, who at that time was in the position of deputy mayor. Subsequently, he became close to Putin and began to take part in sparrings in boxing and judo. Actually, this is how many future successful officials or oligarchs became close to Putin.
Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard
So, the official income of the security officer for 2014 is 6.5 million rubles, his wife is 400,744 rubles. It is interesting that, according to the Anti-Corruption Foundation of Alexei Navalny, the son of Viktor Zolotov, Roman, in addition to a residential building in the village of Barvikha with an area of 676 square meters. m also owns more than 88.5 acres of land in the same area.
Let us emphasize that the son of the head of the National Guard also has real estate in Gelendzhik. He owns a house in Parkovy Proezd with an area of 958.2 square meters. m, but now the owner of this property is Lanfranco Cirillo - the full namesake of the Italian architect, the author of the palace project in Praskoveevka (“Putin’s Palace”).
The general’s favorite son, Roman Zolotov, worked at the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Okhrana of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. After the reorganization of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, FSUE Okhrana came under the control of the National Guard and the pope personally.
Here it is worth remembering the story when the Stroyalyans company was created in Moscow in June 2013. Zolotov’s partners in this company were Alexander Sabadash and Sergey Somov! Sabadash is a former senator from the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the owner of several alcoholic enterprises, for which he is often called the “vodka king” in the media. A little less than a year after the founding of the company with Zolotov, in May 2014, Alexander Sabadash was detained by an investigator of the Russian Investigative Committee. On March 30, 2015, the Gagarinsky Court of Moscow sentenced him to six years in prison.
Sabadash was accused of attempting to steal 1.8 billion rubles from the budget under the guise of a VAT refund.
Alexander Sabadash, friend of the Zolotov family
Roman Zolotov, together with Sergei Somov and Alexander Sabadash, owns the companies Stroyalyans and Stroyalyans Plus, whose main activity is the installation of buildings and structures from prefabricated structures.
Another close person of the head of the National Guard, Chechikhin, in the late 2000s, together with Roman Zolotov, acted as producers of the TV series “Tycophs” and “Tycoons. To be together”, shown on Channel One.
After this, Chechikhin was appointed to the post of general director of Izvestia OJSC, which published the newspaper of the same name! Chechikhin headed the company Strategic Brand Creation & Development. Afterwards he worked at the National Media Group as an adviser.
After marrying the daughter of General Zolotov, Mr. Chechikhin immediately acquired land in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region: he owns 29 acres in the village of Kalchuga, adjacent to the plot of Viktor Zolotov himself. The estate that Chechikhin has can cost 43–72 million rubles.
By the way, Chechikhin has two apartments with an area of 400.9 square meters. m. The cost of one square meter of housing is 900 thousand rubles!
Let us note that Zolotov’s son-in-law Chechikhin owns more than 1.2 hectares. It is unknown when the couple formalized their relationship. Chechikhin became the owner of the plots, as follows from the extracts, in April 2004, March 2005 and April 2008.
It seems that the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor General’s Office and other security officials should check whether Viktor Zolotov is really a corrupt official who acquired his wealth through dishonest means. Or the noblest officer, not sparing his belly in a well-furnished office. In any case, the information provided by anti-corruption fighters must be verified. After all, a thief cannot lead the National Guard?
The National Guard of Russia (the full name is the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation) is an executive body formed on the basis of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The NG is called upon to ensure an adequate level of state and public security, to guard law and order, the rule of law and the constitutional order. Presidential Decree No. 157, which contained a resolution on the formation of troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, came into force on April 5, 2016.
The Russian National Guard is a new force to guard public order
In Russia, NG as such has never existed. The first mention of the possibility of its formation appeared in 2002. Then it was said that NG should become the successor to the VV of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And in 2012, information appeared in the press that the Ministry of Defense had already begun discussing the concept of creating an NG and it was planned that it would include troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Airborne Forces, Air Force, Navy and Ministry of Emergency Situations.
In 2014, a proposal regarding the formation of the National Guard of the Russian Federation appeared on the Internet portal of the ROI - Russian Public Initiative. All interested citizens of the Russian Federation took part in the survey, and the result was telling - the majority supported the proposal.
The opinion of the people and the state coincided, especially since, according to the President of the Russian Federation, reforming the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation had been discussed for a long time. The result of such work was the adoption of the Presidential Decree of 04/05/2016, according to which a new state power structure was created in Russia from the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This legal act contains basic provisions regarding the formation, structure and powers of the National Guard of the Russian Federation.
Such a decision was expedient and quite natural, because similar military formations exist in many countries, including the USA, Latvia, Spain, Ukraine, Georgia, etc. The appearance of NG in Russia was a matter of time. In addition, the fact that the guard is directly subordinate to the President of the country, and not to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, like other branches of the internal troops, is of fundamental importance.
Composition and structure of the National Guard of the Russian Federation
Victor Vasilievich Zolotov(Army General) - Director of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (since April 5, 2016)
Sergei Viktorovich Bunin(Colonel General) - Chief of the Main Staff of the National Guard of the Russian Federation (since April 5, 2016)
V. Putin, in his comments regarding the adopted Decree, noted that the NG was created with the aim of combating terrorism and organized crime, and will work in close cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as perform functions that were previously assigned directly to the riot police and special forces.
V. Zolotov was placed at the head of the troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, who, until taking up his new position, served as Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. His new appointment is identical to the status of a federal minister.
The goal of the Russian Guard is to optimize and increase the efficiency of the activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as rationalize budget funds for the maintenance of law enforcement agencies. The latter fact is due to the fact that the formation of National Guard units does not require the recruitment of additional troops. They are formed from employees of existing units of the law enforcement agencies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
In addition to SOBR and OMON, the NG of Russia includes:
Private security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation;
Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation;
FSUE "Security";
Units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for control over the circulation of weapons and private security activities.
The number of members of the NG RF may be 400 thousand people. The transfer of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the ranks of the National Guard is carried out with full preservation of their existing awards and social guarantees. It is noteworthy that in order to balance such an outflow of people from the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the head of state decided to transfer the Federal Migration Service and the drug control service, which were previously separate structures, to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Functions and powers of the Russian Guard
The functions of the National Guard of the Russian Federation are very broad:
Maintaining public order;
Conducting a full-scale fight against terrorist and extremist groups and entities;
Territorial defense of the country;
Protection of government facilities and critical cargo;
Assistance to the FSB in organizing the protection of border areas;
Regulation and control of private security activities;
Conducting private security;
Fight against organized crime;
Implementation of state policy in the field of arms trafficking;
Suppression of unauthorized large-scale actions, etc.
In addition, it is obvious that if martial law is introduced, the guard will be tasked with organizing rear protection and protecting the country’s communications, countering sabotage and reconnaissance groups, performing garrison service, etc. Simply put, the main task of the NG is to protect the country from external and internal enemies and protect the constitutional order, as well as the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.
Historical excursion
An interesting fact is that in our state there has already been an attempt to form the National Guard. In a difficult year for the country in 1991, B. Yeltsin at the August session of the Supreme Council put forward the initiative to create the Russian Guard in order to ensure the protection of the constitutional system and provide society with guarantees of law and order. To develop the concept of the future structure, a commission was formed from people's deputies, representatives of law enforcement agencies and state committees under the leadership of Vice President A. Rutsky.
The developers focused on the parallel existence of the new type of troops with the USSR Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies of the USSR and the RSFSR and other government bodies. Work on the project lasted 2 months, after which the commission presented B. Yeltsin with the general structure of the future guard, which included the organizational foundations, locations, composition of the control headquarters, special departments, brigades, etc. It was planned that the formation of troops would be carried out from the operational units of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RSFSR.
At the Supreme Council, the presented developments were approved by the majority of those present. However, the matter never came to official approval. The tense situation in the country and the confrontation between oppositions pushed into the background the project to create a people's guard. Moreover, very quickly the attention of government officials switched to a new structure - the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Be that as it may, everything has its time. At that time, the creation of such troops was premature and inappropriate due to the unstable situation within the country. Now the time has come to organize a new force that will guard law and order and justice. Now Russia has its own National Guard.
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