Rosgvardia - what kind of structure is it and to whom does it report. The National Guard of Russia: composition and powers What does the National Guard do


Any state is a complex socio-political structure that has many characteristic features. At the same time, society is the main element of any country. This fact suggests that the state unites huge masses of people. As we understand, society must not only be used to modernize the country, but also protected. Indeed, without people, in fact, there will be no states. People understood this fundamental principle at all times, which led to the creation of the military sphere of life. Its representatives have always enjoyed great respect in society, because everyone understood the importance of their functions. Later, a narrower, law enforcement sector separated from the military sector.

Today, these spheres of human activity are quite strongly developed in all states without exception. For example, in the Russian Federation there are a lot of various departments and structures that implement the functions of ensuring security of a state and public nature. One of them is the troops of the Russian National Guard. A large number of important tasks are assigned to this structure today. In addition, the troops are a relatively young organization, which will be discussed later in the article.

National Guard Troops: Concept

Internal, or rather, its provision is a priority for most law enforcement agencies. In this regard, the troops of the National Guard of Russia are a military organization, the main purpose of which is to maintain security, as well as to ensure the freedoms and rights of citizens of the Russian Federation. It should be noted that such structures exist today in many states, namely: the USA, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Croatia, etc. For a long time, internal troops functioned in many CIS countries, which became the prototype of modern national guard units.

Organization history

The troops of the Russian National Guard have an extremely interesting history. The territory of our state, as we know, at all times was far from being small. Maintaining order in the country was extremely difficult. Therefore, already in the early stages of the development of the country, bodies began to appear that supervised the society and its activities. For example, in the imperial period there were corps of internal guards. The divisions were engaged in the collection of taxes and the protection of public order. In 1836, gendarmerie units were created on the basis of the internal guard.

During the development of the Soviet Union, the functions of the National Guard were performed by combat units of the Cheka. After the Great Patriotic War, special guard formations appeared, which later became the internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. They lasted until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Internal troops and their difference from the national guard

As mentioned earlier, the modern military organization of the National Guard is relatively young. It was formed only in 2016. Prior to this, internal troops operated on the territory of the Russian Federation, which were the "successors" of similar Soviet units. To date, many believe that the National Guard and the BB are the same structures with different names. This statement is deeply misleading. The bottom line is that the internal troops are the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. In turn, the National Guard is a military organization that is subordinate to the department of the same name, which is the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation. The range of tasks in this case is significantly expanded. If earlier the goals set by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia were the basis of activity, today the organization has considerable freedom of activity. This fact is clearly visible if we analyze the tasks of the National Guard troops.

Tasks of the organization

The troops of the Russian National Guard are currently implementing a fairly wide range of various functional tasks. All of them are aimed at ensuring safety. But there are also some specific features. Thus, the main tasks of the National Guard troops are the following:

Law enforcement and security;

Protection of objects of national importance;

Organization of the fight against extremism and terrorism on the territory of Russia;

Ensuring a military, state of emergency in the event of their direct introduction;

Defense of the territory of Russia;

Assistance in the work of the border agencies of the FSB;

Control over compliance with the law in the field of arms trafficking and security activities;

Protection of objects on which a special regime operates.

In accordance with the regulatory documents that will be presented below, other tasks may be assigned to the troops, based on decisions of the President of the Russian Federation.

Legal basis of the organization

Any formation whose activities are carried out directly on the territory of Russia must have its own regulatory framework. Otherwise, such a structure will simply be illegal. National Guard troops are also subject to the law. The main regulatory sources of the organization's activities are as follows:

the Constitution of the Russian Federation;

Federal Law "On the troops of the National Guard of Russia";

Regulations.

Thus, a special normative structure ensures the legality of the activities of the National Guard as an armed or force formation.

The structure of the troops of the national guard of Russia

Any power organization is systemic. Well-organized allows you to perform the entire array of functional tasks much more efficiently. In general, the system of the National Guard of the Russian Federation is borrowed from the once existing VV RF. At the same time, formation is a structural element of a different, more extensive organization. Today it is the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, which was already mentioned earlier in the article. This body belongs to the security forces, which equates it to special services.

It is worth noting that the direct reform of the structure of the Russian National Guard continues to this day. A special program of changes is calculated until 2018. The main goal is to introduce into the composition of the National Guard troops such units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as SOBR and OMON. As for the layout of the personnel, it will be filled with people with higher education.

ODON: the meaning of the abbreviation

As in any military organization, the National Guard has a special, inherently elite unit. A separate operational division is the oldest formation of this type. The number of its personnel is more than ten thousand people. The division is actively used in various special and counter-terrorist operations. It should be noted that representatives of the unit also ensure public safety on the territory of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region together with the police.

The position of personnel in the National Guard

The military formation presented in the article has several ways of manning. Today, the number of troops of the Russian National Guard is about three hundred thousand people. At the same time, the organization provides for both state civil and military service. Thus, completely different types of employees are provided for the implementation of certain functional tasks.

Organization equipment

In their activities, the National Guard troops use different technical means. If we talk directly about the weapon, then it is represented by copies of Russian and Soviet production. In the activities of the National Guard, the following copies are used:

Pistols: PM, PMM, GSh-18, PSS;

Submachine guns: PP-2000, AEK-919K;

Machine guns: AK74, AKSU74U;

Sniper SVD, VSS, ASVK, etc.

As we can see, the equipment of the guard unit is excellent for performing all functional tasks. In addition, the troops of the Russian National Guard, whose uniform is similar to the RF MV, also have special equipment in their charge, namely armored vehicles, cars, helicopters and planes.

It should be noted that the organization presented in the article is equipped with special means. These include weapons to combat sabotage under water.

Symbols of the troops of the national guard of Russia

To date, the National Guard of the Russian Federation does not have official symbols, because it is under development. But given the fact that the organization presented in the article is a “descendant” of the internal troops, the symbolism of these structures is likely to be similar.

The National Guard of Russia today exists in outline. It is a golden double-headed eagle with a crown on its head.

So, we tried to consider the features, structure and technical equipment of the National Guard troops. Let's hope that the reform process will end in this military organization and it will become a fully functioning link that will protect the rights and freedoms of citizens of the Russian Federation.

RBC's source in the presidential administration noted that the National Guard would allow centralizing the work of a number of disparate power units that were still part of the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Such a service will be easier to manage, the interlocutor of RBC added.

The project to create the National Guard is already about four years old, notes political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko. Initially, it was assumed that, first of all, the National Guard would have protective functions (which is why its leaders predicted the chief guard of the president): fighting riots, preventing and eliminating mass riots. But in the end, 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 transformed into troops of the National Guard. They will include all special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the presidential decree says.

The total number of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2015 was just over 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 Forces Center for Rapid Response and Aviation, private security, in particular the Special Forces 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 of trafficking in weapons and in the field of private security activities, as well as the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Okhrana, 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, will not require an increase in the apparatus and anything else, Peskov said, answering a question from RBC.

Since all training bases and training grounds will be transferred from the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the National Guard, the costs from the budget will be minimal, RBC's source in law enforcement believes. Aleksey Lobarev, chairman of the Association of Russian Police Trade Unions, 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.

Earlier, 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, that the department lacks 41 billion rubles. The lack of funds is caused, in particular, by cuts 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 internal troops inside the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not receive the necessary funds for rearmament, for providing technical equipment, etc. Now this situation will change. The independence of the National Guard can, among other things, make life easier for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, since the ministry has a high current budget deficit of more than 120 billion rubles, Khinshtein says.

Who is Viktor Zolotov?

In May 2014, Putin appointed Zolotov First Deputy Minister of the Interior and Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, after he had worked for six months as First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Interior Troops. Prior to 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 guard by Putin after he came to the Kremlin in 2000.

Putin had known Zolotov since the 1990s, when Zolotov was guarding Anatoly Sobchak, the mayor of St. Petersburg, for whom Putin was 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 the Academy of the General Staff.

“The President and Commander-in-Chief does not appoint people to lead the security forces without having personal trust in them,” Peskov said, answering the question whether the Kremlin has special confidence in Zolotov.​

We are talking about a serious hardware reinforcement of Zolotov, he becomes one of the most influential security officials, Minchenko notes. The expert recalls that the growing 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 Alexei Dyumin became the governor of the Tula region. Close to this group is Veniamin Kondratiev, who recently headed the Krasnodar Territory.

The position of the main security agency is not vacant - both the FSB and the FSO claim 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?

While it is 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 the powers overlap of the National Guard with the FSB and other departments. “We can say with confidence that it will definitely be necessary to improve the legal and regulatory framework, it will be necessary to make some changes to the laws, and it will not be 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, draws attention to the head of the Moscow trade union of police officers Mikhail Pashkin. In a conversation with RBC, he noted that now the fight against terrorism is legally enshrined as the prerogative of the FSB. To involve the National Guard in counterterrorism activities, it will be necessary to change the law.

However, it is not clear why the new structure should duplicate the powers of the FSB, Pashkin stressed. “Does this mean that the FSB is bad at fighting terrorism? And will the National Guard, in addition to the security functions, also have operational-search 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 that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, customs and others will set for it, then there should be no problems,” Pashkin added.

Retired FSB Major General Vasily Eremenko believes that the National Guard, having assumed the functions of internal troops, will conduct major operations inside the country. “If the FSB is fighting individual, hidden terrorists who are preparing attacks in the subway or at the 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 closest example 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. In addition to the renaming, little has changed: the new service remained under the control of 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 edition of Krasnaya Zvezda, Zhaksylykov admitted that the soldiers of the National Guard are assigned basically the same tasks as the military personnel of Kazakhstan’s military forces. Among these duties: protection of public order, cargo escort, assistance to border guards, participation in special operations of other law enforcement agencies, escort of 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 on the territory of the former USSR, called the National Guard, is a service for the protection of senior officials and personally the head of state, a kind of presidential regiment. According to this principle, the National Guard operates in Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. In Georgia, in addition, the National Guard deals with issues of military mobilization: registration of reservists and assistance in 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 the protection of public order and officials, and the organization of mobilization, the implementation of counter-terrorism measures, and even participation in hostilities.

The very term "national guard" appeared at the initial stage of the French Revolution to refer to the detachments that ensured 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 equipped with military reservists who are periodically mobilized to suppress riots. One of the latest such cases was the riots in Ferguson in 2014, although there the authorities resorted to the support of only the local Missouri state guard.

The National Guard of Russia (full name of 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 appropriate level of state and public security, to stand guard over the rule of law, the rule of law and the constitutional order. Presidential Decree No. 157, which contained a resolution on the formation of the troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, entered into force on April 5, 2016.

The National Guard of Russia is a new force on guard of 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 of the Internal Troops 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 from 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 - the Russian Public Initiative. All willing citizens of the Russian Federation took part in the survey, and the result was eloquent - the majority supported the proposal.

The opinion of the people and the state coincided, especially since, according to the President of the Russian Federation, the reform of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation has been discussed for a long time. The result of such work was the adoption of the Presidential Decree of April 5, 2016, according to which a new state power structure was created in Russia from the composition of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This legal act contains the main provisions regarding the formation, structure and powers of the National Guard of the Russian Federation.

Such a decision was expedient and quite natural, because there are similar military formations 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 areas of internal troops, is of fundamental importance.

Composition and structure of the National Guard of the Russian Federation

Viktor 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 General Staff of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (since April 5, 2016)

V. Putin, in his comments on the adopted Decree, noted that the NG was created to combat 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 OMON and SOBR.

V. Zolotov was placed at the head of the troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, who, until the moment he took 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 detachments does not require the recruitment of additional troops. They are formed from employees of the existing units of the power structures 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;
Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Protection";
Divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for control over the circulation of weapons and security activities of a private order.

The number of NG RF may reach 400 thousand people. The transition of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the ranks of the National Guard is carried out with the full preservation of their 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 FMS and the drug control service, which were previously separate structures, to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Functions and powers of the National Guard

The functions of the National Guard of the Russian Federation are very wide:

Maintaining public order;
Conducting a full-scale fight against terrorist and extremist groups and formations;
Territorial defense of the country;
Protection of state facilities and especially important cargoes;
Assistance to the FSB in organizing the protection of border areas;
Regulation and control of private security activities;
Conducting private security;
Opposition to 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 in the event of the introduction of martial law, the guards will be tasked with organizing the rear defense and protection of the country's communications, countering sabotage and reconnaissance groups, performing garrison service, etc. Simply put, the main task of NG is to protect the country from external and internal enemies and to protect the constitutional order, as well as the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens.

Historical digression

An interesting fact is that in our state an attempt has already been made 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 an initiative to create the Russian Guard in order to protect the constitutional order 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. Rutskoy.

The developers focused on the parallel existence of a new type of troops with the USSR Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies of the USSR and the RSFSR and other state authorities. 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, the composition of the headquarters, special departments, brigades, and so on. 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 of the opposition pushed the project to create a people's guard into the background. Moreover, the attention of statesmen very quickly switched to a new structure - the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Whatever it was, everything has its time. Then the creation of such troops was premature and inappropriate due to the unstable situation inside the country. Now the time has come to organize a new force that will stand guard over law and order and justice. Now Russia has its own National Guard.

The Russian Guard is a paramilitary body of executive power, formed by order of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (Armed Forces) of the Russian Federation. Another name is the National Guard. The structure is based on:

  • internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
  • detachments of SOBR and OMON;
  • private security;
  • TsSN SOR and aviation (center for special forces and rapid response).

The composition of the TsSN SOR includes the legendary units "Lynx" (SOBR), "Bison" (OMON), "Hawk" (aviation special forces), deployed in Moscow and the capital region. Those wishing to enter the service in the National Guard by conscription must clearly understand the goals and objectives of the unit. Military service in the National Guard has significant differences from the performance of military duty in the ranks of the army.

The main tasks of the National Guard

The troops of the National Guard are directly subordinate to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces. The activity of a paramilitary structure is determined by the Federal Law. The intended purpose is to protect the security of society and the state.

To ensure the goal, the Russian Guards perform the following tasks:

  • combating terrorist and extremist organizations, participating in counter-terrorist operations;
  • protection of OP (public order);
  • protection of state facilities, sensitive facilities and cargo of special importance;
  • participation in hostilities to protect the territory of the Russian Federation;
  • assistance to FSB officers and servicemen of the border troops in the protection of the state border of Russia;
  • ensuring the organization of the state of emergency and martial law;
  • supervision over the implementation of state laws in the field of arms trafficking, the activities of private security companies (private security companies) and private detectives;
  • ensuring the security of representatives of state authorities (by personal order of the President).

The escort and protection of prisoners and persons under investigation is not included in the tasks of the National Guard. Unlike the active army, which is deployed in four military districts, the territorial division of the Russian Guard consists of eight districts: North Caucasus, Siberian, Urals, Southern, Eastern, Central, United North-Western and Volga.

Basic requirements for applicants for service in the divisions of the Russian Guard

To serve in the units of the National Guard on a contract basis, you must meet the age category from 18 to 31 years. Behind the shoulders of the applicant must be a military service on conscription. Priority is given to candidates who served in the airborne troops, special forces, marines, border troops.

An additional advantage will be work experience (in a civilian position), or length of service in rank, in law enforcement agencies and law enforcement agencies. Police officers applying for a place in the ranks of the Russian Guard are not required to take qualification exams.

For other candidates, the qualifying events include:

  • examination by a medical commission with the assignment of an “A” fitness category (sometimes, a “B” category is allowed);
  • psychological testing for stress resistance and adequacy;
  • delivery of standards of physical training.

The gender of the applicant does not matter. Female representatives are allowed to serve on an equal basis with men, and in accordance with identical requirements. For Russian Guardsmen from among girls and women, positions are provided in medical, printing, photogrammetric units, and in communications units.

And also as lawyers, psychologists, cooks, video surveillance operators, translators. Selection for women's positions is accompanied by a medical examination, psychological testing and compliance with physical fitness standards.

Legislatively approved the formation of the National Guard troops of a mixed type, where contract soldiers make up 80% of the total personnel. The remaining 20% ​​are accounted for by young people serving on conscription. The term of military service in the ranks of the National Guard corresponds to the length of service in the Armed Forces, that is, it is one year.

The key requirements for recruit candidates are:

  • age of majority;
  • the presence of a document confirming the citizenship of the Russian Federation;
  • ideal state of health (compliance with the fitness category "A", according to a medical examination at the Military Commissariat).
  • compliance with the standards of physical training;
  • psychological stability.

With deviations of physical or mental health, you can forget about serving in the units of the National Guard.

Basic standards for the scoring system

With a competitive selection system, preference is given to candidates with higher physical fitness. Not the last place is given to the personal qualities of the applicant. The young man should be distinguished by a high level:

  • working capacity;
  • responsibility;
  • self-control;
  • self-discipline.

It is necessary to adhere to the moral values ​​accepted in society. Be restrained, decisive, courageous, attentive. Express thoughts clearly.

The procedure for a conscript who wants to serve in the National Guard

To become a member of the National Guard, and not to serve in the army, a young man of military age must:

  • apply to the military commissariat at the place of registration;
  • fill in the form of the questionnaire (questionnaire);
  • write an autobiography separately (sheet format A-4);
  • sign consent to verify personal information.

The application is accompanied by a package of documents, including:

  • passport and a copy of the document;
  • a certificate of secondary education, or a diploma from a technical school / college / university;
  • registration certificate from the Military Commissariat;
  • work book (if any);
  • TIN and a copy of the document;
  • driver's license (if any).

After submitting the documents, the special services are engaged in identity verification. The procedure can take 1-3 months, so you need to take care of submitting documents well in advance of the start of the draft campaign. If the issue is resolved positively, the young man is sent for a medical examination, psychological testing, and physical fitness standards.

Possible reasons for refusal:

  • having problems with the law (conviction);
  • participation in activities aimed against the public interest;
  • neuro-psychological discrepancy;
  • having dual citizenship.

The basis for refusal is an unconfirmed medical category of fitness or inability to fulfill the standards of physical fitness.

The National Guard, created in 2016, is sometimes referred to as the president's "personal troops". She has broad powers: she participates in the fight against extremism and terrorism, protects the territorial integrity of Russia, regulates the circulation of weapons and, along with the police, keeps order at rallies and protests. We tell you why the National Guard is needed and what it can do.

What is the National Guard and to whom does it report?

The National Guard was created in April 2016 by a special decree of Vladimir Putin. It arose on the basis of the departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The main purpose of the National Guard is to protect public order (along with the police) and ensure public safety. The National Guard also regulates the circulation of weapons, security activities and private security. Its special powers include the organization of mandatory state fingerprint registration and the development of measures in the field of aviation security. In addition, the National Guard participates in the fight against terrorism and assists the FSB in protecting the state border of Russia, and since March 2018 it can protect governors and heads of republics on a contractual basis (money from this should go to the federal budget).

There are currently 340,000 people in the Russian Guard. This is one of the largest power structures. For comparison, this is more than a third of the entire composition of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (894,000 people).

The National Guard reports directly to the president. It is commanded by General Viktor Zolotov, who for a long time led the security service of Vladimir Putin.

They say it was created to fight the opposition, is that true?

Detain and deliver to the police premises

Require public order and stop violations

Check and stop vehicles

The National Guard may fire without warning if the delay will cost the life of a soldier or citizens nearby.

How to behave with the National Guard?

The rules are the same as when dealing with the police:

- Don't resist(especially physical), but communicate politely and confidently

- Ask to introduce yourself, name the position and state the grounds for the application of coercive measures

If the employees of the Russian Guard exceed their authority, they must be reported to their superiors, and their actions should be appealed to the prosecutor's office and in court.

For example, employees of the Russian Guard requested documents from a resident of St. Petersburg, referring to the upcoming World Cup. Then they demanded to put things out of their pockets and checked the applications running on the smartphone. At the same time, no inspection protocol was drawn up, there were no witnesses, there was no video recording, and the phone check in this case is generally doubtful from the point of view of constitutional rights. Such violations must be complained to the prosecutor's office and the court.

In the Tomsk region, a criminal case was opened against employees of the Russian Guard for exceeding their authority - they beat several citizens on the territory of a rotational camp.

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