Border Guard Service of Russia

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Emblem of the Russian Border Guard Service

Russian Border Guard cavalryman around 1812

Russian Border Guards seize smuggled heroin on the Afghan-Tajik border, circa 2004

Border Guard Service of Russia (Russian: Пограничная служба России) is a branch of Federal Security Service of Russia tasked with patrol of the Russian border. Border Guards were created in the Russian Empire in the 18th century, however, the origin of the Russian border service can be traced to Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky and his Great Abatis Border in the 16th century. In 1782 Catherine II of Russia created Border Customs Guards originally manned by Russian Cossacks as well as low-ranking cavalry troops. General Mikhail Barklay de Tolly organized in 1810 numerous border posts consisted of 11 regiments of Don and Bug Cossacks along all Western Russian border. Within two years Russian Border Guards were first to fight the Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In 1832 Cossacks and cavalry were replaced by armed customs officials subordinate to the ministry of finance in peacetime (in wartime the border guards were automatically transferred to the army). In the same year coast guard was created, originally to observe Black sea and Azov sea coasts. In 1893 Count Sergei Witte Russian minister of finance in the Alexander III's government reformed the service into Separate Corpus of Border Guards a para-military rather than civilian organization headed by an army general. In 1906 about 40 000 soldiers and officers served in the Separate Corpus of Border Guards responsible for the defence of the vast Imperial border.

[edit] Soviet period

See USSR Border Troops

[edit] Modern period

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Federal Border Guard Service of Russia was created on December 30, 1993 and given a status of separate ministry. This organization retained some old traditions, most notably the green-colored uniform and "Border Guarder's Day" (an official holiday commemorated by celebrations of ex-servicemen). First minister of FPS (Federal Border Service) was Andrey Nikolayev, young and outspoken general who later became deputy of the State Duma. Russian Border Guards were also stationed outside of Russia most notably in southern Tajikistan, in order to guard the border with Afghanistan, until summer 2005. On Afghan-Tajik border on many occasions they were engaged in heavy fighting with drug-traffickers and Islamic extremists. Armenia's border with Turkey and Iran is also still guarded by the Russians. On March 11, 2003 Russian president Vladimir Putin changed the status of Border Guard Service from a separate ministry into a branch of Russian Federal Security Service. The current head of Border Guard Service of Russia is general Vladimir Pronichev. Border Guard Service of Russia is still tasked with a defence of the longest national border in the world.

Responsibilities of Border Guard Service of Russia include:

defence of the Russian national border, prevention of illegal crossing of the land and sea border by people and goods (smuggling).

protection of economic interests of the Russian Federation and its natural resources within land and sea border areas, territorial waters and internal seas, including prevention of poaching and illegal fishing.