What has changed in our lives with the advent of the Russian Guard

On the territory of the Russian Federation, to ensure the safety of living conditions for citizens, there are special security forces, as well as law enforcement agencies.

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These departments monitor compliance with the established procedure, and also identify and suppress offenses.

In case of detection of crimes, or to prevent them, appropriate measures of influence are also applied, which are provided for by current legislation.

In the Russian Federation there is a fairly large number of departments that are responsible for one or another object of law and order. In this case, it is necessary to consider in more detail one of the power units, as well as what the structure of the Russian Guard is.

What kind of division is this

Currently, this unit has been entrusted with tasks that were previously performed by the army, as well as border and internal troops.

Additionally, the Russian Guard is entrusted with other more specific obligations that were not previously applied by these units.

The most significant task is the fight against terrorism and extremist activities (countering impending terrorist attacks).

Recently, it is precisely such threats of an internal scale that threaten the state and the people living in it.

Let's take a closer look at what functions are assigned to the unit:

1. Soldiers of the Russian Guard, together with other units, undertake to maintain law and order in the country.
2. Provide active assistance in maintaining order to other law enforcement agencies and government agencies (police, riot police, whose fighters may be part of the national guard).
3. Engage in the protection of objects that may be the target of close attention from terrorists.
4. Regularly carry out the fight against terrorism, as well as conduct anti-terrorist operations throughout the country.

All actions aimed at protecting law and order in this case will be regulated by a centralized, unified federal system (separate regional control centers are not provided for by the current law at all).

This scheme will allow National Guard members to speed up their response time to any emergency incidents that require appropriate intervention.

What is the difference?

The main and key differences are:

• Independence. This includes the financial affairs of the unit (including the circulation of private security funds), supervision of the circulation of firearms, issuance and control of licenses for security activities;
• Subordination. The police are included and directly subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian Guard - only to the president;
• Functions and tasks performed. The task of the police is to maintain order within the country and protect the interests of citizens. The task of the Russian Guard is to protect the integrity and inviolability of the state as a whole.

In what year was it formed?

In 2016, by decree of the President of Russia, a new unit was formed - the National Guard of the Russian Federation. This news was received ambiguously.

Half of the population greeted this news with an optimistic attitude, but some were wary of such actions.

Many still believe that this action of the President of the Russian Federation is aimed at creating a structure that will largely suppress the free will of the population.

Moreover, this law enforcement agency, in accordance with the decree, reports directly to the president of the country, which to this day worries a number of citizens.

Additionally, one should take into account the fact that the leadership of the National Guard is also elected and appointed solely by the decision of the country's chief executive.

Additionally, by decision of the head of the country, a separate day was created when the unit celebrates the date of its founding, namely March 27.

What has changed in our lives with the advent of the Russian Guard

Almost four years have passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the creation of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardia), headed by the director of the service - the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Guard troops, Army General Viktor Zolotov.
The new service appeared in accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 157 of April 5, 2016. What has changed in our lives with the advent of the new intelligence service? How does the Russian Guard influence the situation in the country? Was it worth destroying the system that had existed since Soviet times? Or is this not destruction, but reformatting?

The answers to these questions today can already be substantiated not only by theoretical calculations, but also by practical facts. Moreover, over the past years there have already been visible changes in the life of society. Changes that occurred thanks to the activities of the Russian Guard.

A little about the background to the creation of the Russian Guard

I remember how much controversy there was after Putin’s decree.
How many labels were hung on the new structure. How much dirt was poured personally on the head of the Russian Guard, Viktor Zolotov. “Putin is creating a personal security structure,” “Putin’s personal bodyguard becomes the head of a powerful security agency,” “A new gendarmerie has appeared in Russia,” and so on. But by this time it was already clear to professionals that the creation of a new department was not a spontaneous decision of Putin personally, but a simple logic of the development of Russia’s security forces. The reform had been in preparation for a long time, and even the fact that the main participants in the reform, Kolokoltsev and Zolotov, learned about the decree just a day before its promulgation (according to some sources close to these leaders), there was no opposition on their part. The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the commander-in-chief of the internal troops are professionals.

Let me remind you that Decree No. 157 turned two law enforcement agencies, the State Drug Control Service (FSKN) and the Federal Migration Service (FMS), into the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. At the same time, internal troops were withdrawn from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Thus, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has become quite large, which will make it, if the Internal Troops remains part of the ministry, comparable in size to the Russian army. The withdrawal of explosives reduced the number of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs by a third.

Perhaps there was no power structure in Russia that was stable after 1991. The West's horror of the “almighty” KGB and other “Soviet” security forces forced Western politicians to put pressure on the new Russian government to destroy these structures. I would call the 90s a time of multidirectional reform of the security forces in Russia. Many people remember how many professionals then left the authorities “of their own free will.”

Remember how the SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service), FSO (Federal Security Service), FAPSI, and FPS “left” the former KGB in the period 1991-1994? Many have already forgotten that just recently we didn’t even have a security service at the federal level! Let me remind you that from 1993 to 1995 there was a Federal Counterintelligence Service in Russia, but there was no FSB!

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs was strengthened. This was due to the fact that it was the Ministry of Internal Affairs that was the support of President Yeltsin. The first time the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or more precisely, the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, proved their loyalty to Yeltsin in October 1993. It was then that the soldiers and officers of the Internal Troops carried out the order without a doubt - despite the fact that the army units and the FSK security forces refused to shoot at the White House.

The army structure of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the presence of strong OMON and SOBR detachments allowed the ministry to actively participate in hostilities in the Caucasus during the first and second Chechen wars. Some of the employees helped local police organize their service, but the majority participated in wars precisely as army units.

Ultimately, even President Yeltsin was afraid of the power of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Remember the decree of 1998 on the transfer of powers to escort special forces and guard correctional facilities to the Ministry of Justice? This was precisely an attempt to narrow the powers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Putin eliminates the imbalance

After the election of Vladimir Putin as President of Russia, the security forces breathed more freely.
We often talk and write about the fact that our president comes from the KGB. Moreover, in most cases this circumstance is mentioned in a negative way. Thanks to pro-Western liberals, mentioning the Committee has become something of a stigma. People who know more than the average person. They can do more than an ordinary person. They can do more than the average person. They are able to analyze and predict the development of a situation several steps ahead. It is these qualities that the new president demonstrated. Today we can speak about this with confidence.

Remember the rather painful reforms that went unnoticed by the average person, but caused a lot of protests among specialists? What is the reform of the prosecutor's office worth when this department has lost the right to initiate cases! The Investigative Committee began to deal with this. How long did the conflict between Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika and the head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin last over the distribution of powers...

What about the creation of a military police? How many disputes there were between the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the FSB! The then Minister of Defense really wanted to create his own security structure that would independently deal with crimes in the army, and the security agencies did not want to lose counterintelligence in the army. And the Investigative Committee did not want to refuse to work in the troops.

Time has shown that the right decisions were made. Today, friction between departments has been eliminated, and the system has begun to work effectively. One of these decisions was the creation of the Russian Guard.

We are accustomed to the fact that the authorities react most often to the consequences. At least that's what happens most often. While there are no terrorist attacks, society is silent. But as soon as a tragedy occurs, society begins to boil. “Where were the security forces looking?”, “Why didn’t they foresee it?” Etc.

What has changed with the creation of the Russian Guard?

So, the main question to which we are trying to find an answer today.
Was the game worth the trouble? Is the decision to create a new power structure justified? And I’ll start with one quote said by former Minister of Internal Affairs Anatoly Kulikov immediately after the president signed the decree: “I would rather talk about an attempt to respond to the new challenges and threats that have appeared in recent years: terrorist attacks in Europe, militants of the Islamic State ( terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation), radical terrorism. In 2006, Russia adopted a law on countering terrorism, which for the first time provided for the participation of all law enforcement agencies in this fight. But every year the situation is getting worse: problems with refugees and transnational crime appear. When choosing between human rights within a democratic society and security in an environment of heightened terrorist threat, most citizens will choose security. Someone, of course, will see in what is happening that the authorities are seeking to strengthen their positions. But any government is obliged to do this and does it.”

So, the main thing that has already happened and, I hope, will continue to happen is that the Russian Guard, together with the FSB and other security forces, provides us with a quiet life. How many terrorist attacks have been prevented! How many criminals have been detained! And this is in a context where the activity of terrorist organizations has increased sharply. Terrorists also learn. The challenges are changing. Only the result does not change.

During the existence of the Russian Guard, employees neutralized more than 200 criminals. And these were by no means pickpockets or thieves. These were terrorists and militants. In addition, more than 300 caches of weapons were uncovered; work is being carried out especially actively in Crimea and areas bordering Ukraine.

I don’t know if you have noticed how the speeches of our opposition have changed after the creation of the Russian Guard. Remember the provocations that happened quite recently. When rallies and processions were accompanied by numerous violations of the law. And this was done purposefully. The protesters provoked the security forces to take tough actions, and then the media made a fuss about the government’s inadequate response to peaceful protests...

What now? The Russian Guard reacts to violations of the law no less harshly than before, but it carries out all actions in accordance with the current legislation, and with video recording. Under these conditions, provocateurs can no longer tell tales of violations. Numerous attempts to do this in court have failed.

Today, most opposition rallies take place strictly according to the law, and, the funny thing is, under the protection of the Russian Guard. Both sides strictly adhere to the law. Some people don’t like it, others, on the contrary, are delighted with such actions. But, most importantly, the law. The Russian Guards are not the Duma or the president. It is not their job to make or interpret laws. Their job is to follow the laws.

Next: weapons. I’m not talking about those caches and illegal weapons that security forces periodically find. I'm talking about legal firearms. About hunting, premium and other weapons, which the population has enough in their hands. About how attitudes towards these weapons have changed.

The issues of storing weapons, their transportation and use are clearly regulated. Therefore, any hunter always knows that employees can check him at any time. They will check the safe or storage box, the condition of the weapon, and the order in which ammunition is stored. Therefore, there are quite few violations in this regard.

However, everything changes, or rather, changed, when you go hunting. Those who hunt are well aware that, despite the safety measures that hunters are required to observe, any opening of the season is accompanied by tragedies. Someone killed or injured someone while handling a weapon carelessly. And the reason is simple. Alcohol consumption. It was like that before.

In recent years, the situation has changed radically. Now it is not the huntsman Uncle Vasya who is checking hunters, but a whole group of employees from different departments. Drones, helicopters, cars, ATVs are used. And everything is checked at once. From having documents to drinking alcohol and the game that the hunter caught.

And God forbid if the hunter smells of alcohol or is intoxicated. There will be problems in all directions. From driving licenses to gun permits and licenses. I don’t know about other regions, but in my native region the number of tragedies has decreased. For a couple of years now, no one has hurt anyone and, thank God, no one has killed anyone.

But I just want to finish the material. The Russian Guard today has fit into the system of the country's law enforcement agencies, although the majority of the population still has little understanding of the differences between the Russian Guard and the police.

I don't have exact figures for the past year. Therefore, I will name the results of the activities of the Russian Guard for three years. These figures are publicly available. For high performance results in 2022, the Kalachevsk separate operational brigade of the National Guard (Southern District) was awarded the Order of Zhukov. For courage and bravery shown in the performance of military duty, 569 employees of the Russian Guard were awarded state awards, 9 of them posthumously. More than 34 thousand employees were awarded departmental awards. Impressive.

Who makes up the army?

In accordance with current legislation, every citizen serving in the National Guard is equal to military personnel.

At the same time, both conscript soldiers and military personnel serving in the RF Armed Forces on a contract basis can get into the Russian Guard.

In any case, when selecting candidates, strict requirements are put forward, namely:

Also, additional stringent requirements are imposed on candidates - the absence of any previous problems with the current legislation.

Persons with criminal records, criminal records, or serious administrative offenses will not be allowed into the unit.

What is the police?

The police are one of the parts of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs system. Its affiliation and position in the system are approved by Art. 13 Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated December 21, 2016 N 699 (as amended on November 6, 2018) “On approval of the Regulations on the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.”

Thus, the police are not a separate body, but several departments of the internal affairs department that implement police functions.

The main task of the police is to protect the life, health and rights of the country's citizens, people with citizenship of other countries, and stateless persons. In addition, the tasks include maintaining public order and security, and fighting crime.

The leadership of the police is carried out by the President of the Russian Federation (within his competence) and the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Structure

The police are part of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs system. It also includes:

1. the central governing body is the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation;

Headquarters. It contains:

• criminal investigation department;
• internal security department;
• Department of Public Order;
• Department for Combating Organized Crime;
• Department of Economic Activities;
• legal department;
• financial and economic;
• main departmental directorates;
• departments of internal affairs.

1. the main directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, its divisions and departments;
2. management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, divisions and departments included in its composition;
3. Ministry of Internal Affairs of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation;
4. departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation;
5. police departments.

Compound

The police units include:

• criminal investigation;
• accident bureau;
• center for countering extremism;
• ORCh to ensure the safety of persons subject to protection;
• operations department;
• economic security department;
• Interpol department;
• canine service;
• department of interaction with executive authorities and self-government bodies;
• department of organization of inquiry;
• Department of Licensing and Permitting Activities;
• juvenile detention center;
• the traffic police department and its subdivisions;
• duty department;
• riot police;
• forensic department;
• commandant's department;
• SOBR;
• district police department;
• department for administrative supervision;
• teaching staff;
• battalion escorting suspects.

Activities and functions

The main activities and functions are defined in Article 2 of the Police Law:

1. actions to protect the rights of the individual, society and the state;
2. prevention of crimes and administrative violations;
3. solving crimes, carrying out the inquiry process;
4. search for citizens;
5. proceedings in cases of administrative offenses, execution of administrative penalties;
6. maintaining public order;
7. ensuring road safety;
8. supervision of private detective activities;
9. protection of victims, witnesses and other participants in criminal proceedings;
10. work of criminologists and forensic experts.

To summarize, the activities of the National Guard overlap somewhat with the activities of the police. This is due to the fact that both services guard order

and security within the state. However, the range of functions of the Russian Guard is not limited only to public order, it is broader than the functionality of the police.

What powers was it given?

Due to the fact that the fighters of this unit will perform special tasks and missions, it should be noted that the legislation vests the Russian Guard with special powers, namely:

1. Employees of this law enforcement unit have the right to inspect any vehicle.
2. Squad members have every right to open fire with weapons without prior warning.
3. Security guards will have the right to check documents and establish the identity of any citizen or official.
4. Anyone suspected of committing a crime or misdemeanor may be detained by department officials.
5. Soldiers of the Russian Guard have full authority to carry out all of the above actions anywhere in the country.

Additionally, one should take into account the fact that specialists of this unit will have the right to freely have access to any premises, regardless of what kind of facility it is (private property or government building).

The only prohibition for the unit’s fighters is opening fire on children and pregnant women.

Will military personnel have benefits?

For citizens who will be officially enrolled in the National Guard, the current legislation defines a whole list of benefits.

All this is aimed at ensuring that every citizen has a desire to get into this unit, which in turn will ensure competition and selection of the most suitable fighters for the elite unit.

Let's take a closer look at what incentives the state has provided:

In addition to this list of privileges, one should also add an increased level of wages that will be paid to law enforcement officers.

So the rank and file of the unit will be able to receive over 90 thousand rubles per month, and the officers over 120 thousand rubles per month.

It is also planned in the near future to increase these figures to 100 and 150 thousand rubles, respectively.