As we know, any country is an extensive organization that provides an adequate standard of living for its population. Thus, the welfare of a country directly affects the quality of life of its inhabitants. The latter, in turn, are required to protect their state. This fact was recognized by people in ancient times, which led to the creation of armies. Its representatives have always had honor and popularity in society.
However, in addition to conventional military formations, in each power there were security bodies that fought with the intelligence activities of other countries on their territory. In most cases, such organizations implemented their activities in the shade in order to hide methods and working methods from prying eyes. Nevertheless, today the existence and functioning of many state security structures is not surprising, since they exist in almost every country.
As for Russia, in our country there is also a special agency called the Federal Security Service, or the FSB. What this organization does, its structure and functions will be discussed later in the article.
What is the FSB?
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is a special-purpose body that belongs to the executive branch. It implements specific inherently tasks. The work of the federal body is aimed at comprehensively ensuring state security. It is worth noting that the FSB, as well as the FSO, SVR and GFS, refers to special services. This means that the agency is authorized to carry out preliminary investigation and operational-search activities within its powers. The FSB is led directly by the president of the Russian Federation through the director. The chief of the FSB today is Alexander Bortnikov . The number of service personnel is classified.
History of creation
There are many legends about such an agency as the FSB. What this body does is known within the framework of the regulatory framework that regulates its activities. We can only guess about the remaining tasks. However, interest is not only the activities of the FSB, but also its long history. It should be noted that the special service was created by an official decree of the President of the Russian Federation in 1993.
But as such, service arose in the first half of the 20th century. Its progenitor was the Extraordinary Committee, created immediately after the revolution. The Cheka has become the main body that provided the dictatorship of the proletariat. Representatives of the organization fought against the counter-revolution, as well as representatives of the most dangerous gangs operating at that time in Russia. The NKVD became the successor of the Cheka, which was subsequently reorganized into the State Security Committee. The authority acted until the collapse of the Soviet Union. When the aforementioned state ceased to exist, the question arose of creating a unit dealing with state security already in independent Russia. As previously indicated, the FSB became such a body.
Throughout its history, the Federal Security Service has been reorganized several times. The most significant changes were made in 2003 and 2004. In the first case, the border service was introduced to the FSB. The next step was the reorganization of the personnel structure of the security agency. The number of deputy directors of the FSB was reduced to four from twelve.
Normative regulation
The activities of the FSB and other similar state structures are carried out on the basis of certain legislative acts. In other words, there is a separate regulatory framework. Thus, in its activities, the FSB is guided by the provisions of the following official acts:
- Constitution of the Russian Federation.
- Federal Law "On the Federal Security Service".
- Government regulations.
- Departmental orders.
The presented list of regulatory documents shows that the activities of the FSB are legal and democratic. In addition, official documents determine the direction of the body.
Functions of the Federal Security Service
The Law “On the FSB” provides an exhaustive list of areas in which the agency carries out work. It should be noted that the functions of the service can be expanded by amending the relevant regulations. In this case, it should be noted that ensuring the security of the Russian Federation is, of course, the main task of the department mentioned in the article. However, it is implemented comprehensively, that is, in different directions. Thus, today the FSB works in the following areas:
- the fight against the most dangerous types of crime;
- the fight against extremism and terrorism;
- counterintelligence activities;
- state border protection;
- ensuring security in the field of information.
The current federal legislation also defines other areas of the FSB’s activities, for example, the fight against corruption.
Office structure
The law “On the FSB” largely gives an understanding of the structure of the service presented in the article. This question is extremely interesting today. After all, the structure shows the priority of certain areas of the service. Thus, today the system includes the following departments, services and departments of the FSB:
- directly to the office of the department;
- counterintelligence and protection services of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation;
- economic security service;
- border, personnel services and own security;
- investigation department;
- Department of Military Counterintelligence.
There are also other, more insignificant units that are part of the FSB. What each structural department does can be understood by analyzing the regulatory framework and other official information about the service.
Special units
FSB officers perform completely different tasks when working in various structural units of the service. However, there are units in front of which special goals are set. Such a formation is the FSB Special Purpose Center. It consists of two departments: "A" ("Alpha") and "B" ("Pennant"). Units are engaged in special tasks. For example, Alpha is an organization created to fight terrorism, free hostages and solve other important tasks. Alpha fighters often perform tasks in hot spots, such as Chechnya, Dagestan, etc.
As for the Vympel division, it is one of the most classified today. The size, command and personnel of the administration are unknown. The activities of the organization are also covered in mystery. Its functioning can only be judged by rumors, according to which, "Pennant" is used for activities abroad.
Personnel Features
Any government department selects employees carefully. In this case, FSB officers come to the service of the body as military personnel or as civilian personnel. At the same time, people who already have education in certain fields of activity are welcome in the department. In addition, there is a special academy of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. In this educational institution, officers are trained for certain departments of the department.
Conclusion
So, we tried to analyze the features of such a structure as the FSB. What this body does, the features of its system and staffing have also been described in the article. It is hoped that in the future the agency will only improve in its work, since its activities are directly related to the security of Russia.