National Guard of Russia

National Guard of the Russian Federation
Национальная Гвардия России
Natsional'naya Gvardiya Rossii
Common name National Guard
Agency overview
Formed 5 April, 2016
Employees (est.) 350,000-400,000
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency
(Operations jurisdiction)		 Russia
Population 145 million
Legal jurisdiction Russian Federation
Governing body Security Council of Russia
General nature
Operational structure
Overviewed by President of Russia
Headquarters Moscow
Parent agency Security Council of Russia
Notables
Person Viktor Zolotov, Commander

The National Guard of Russia (Russian: Национальная Гвардия России, Natsional'naya Gvardiya Rossii), also known as the "Russian Guards" (Rosgvardia),[1] is an internal security corps organized along military lines of the Russian Federation. It was established in April 2016 by a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin to create this new federal executive body to combat terrorism, organized crime, protect public order and guard important state facilities. The corps is directly subordinated to him under his powers as supreme commander-in-chief and Security Council Chairman.

According to some scholars, the establishment of the National Guard of Russia is an effort to enhance efficiency and avoid duplication of responsibilities within the Russian security system.[2]

History

Plans to create a National Guard directly subordinated to the president were reported back in 2012, when it was assumed that the National Guard would be formed to ensure the security and protection of the constitutional order on the basis of Russian MVD and other security agencies, including at the expense of the forces and means belonging to the Russian Airborne Troops, Air Force, Navy and the military police, as well as elements of EMERCOM of Russia;[3] the reform of security apparatus had been since the 1990s.[2]

On 5 April 2016, President Putin created the National Guard of Russia by a Presidential Decree (Executive Order) that is a legal act having the status of a by-law.[4]

On 6 April 2016, President Putin submitted to the State Duma lower house of parliament of the Federal Assembly the draft framework law for this new executive body titled "On the Russian National Guard Troops" along with its corresponding amendments[5] that contains a provision for the protection of pregnant women, children, disabled persons and crowds that states:

It shall be prohibited to use firearms against women with the visible signs of pregnancy, people with the apparent signs of disability and underage persons, except for the cases when such persons put up armed resistance, make an assault involving a group of attackers or commit another attack threatening the life and health of citizens or a National Guard serviceman, and it shall also be prohibited to use firearms at largely crowded places, if their use may casually hurt people.[6]

The new corps thus is the successor to the following:

Establishment process phases

Presidential press secretary Peskov told reporters that the National Guard would start operations before the legal basis for its work is actually finalized.[1]

According to National Guard Commander-in-Chief Viktor Zolotov, the formation of the Russian National Guard will be conducted in three stages.[7] The first phase sees the transformation of the Interior Troops, of the OMON units and of the SOBR units (previously framed within the Politsiya) into National Guard units. The second step involves the elaboration of the troops’ organizational and staff structure, harmonizing regulations and assigning specific tasks. Finally, the third phase envisages the completion of all the organizational activities and the beginning of execution of the tasks entrusted.[7]

Organization and leadership

Vladimir Putin and National Guard Commander Viktor Zolotov, 5 April 2016

The National Guard of Russia is directly subordinated to the supreme commander-in-chief (i.e. president) with the commander of this new structure included into the Security Council as a permanent member.[1][8]

The National Guard will take over many of the existing duties of the special police forces thus eliminating the link on their use that previously existed between President Putin and his Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev.[9]

In this major overhaul of Russia’s security agencies,[10] the National Guard which will include Interior Ministry troops, servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces (including paratroopers, air force, navy and military police), and (as proposed in 2012) Ministry of Emergency Situations personnel (such as fire fighters and rescue workers) consisting of both conscripts and contract personnel[4][11] and will take over functions previously managed by the OMON riot police and SOBR rapid-reaction forces.[12] In turn, the Federal Migration Service (FMS) and the Federal Drug Service (FSKN) are to be incorporated into the structure of the Interior Ministry.

The National Guard will number some 350,000 to 400,000 men.[2] However, the Russian government has yet to propose the size of the forces actually needed, but the Presidential decree points out that the transformation process should be completed by 1 June 2016.[10]

On 5 April 2016, Viktor Zolotov, the former commander of Russian Interior Troops, and the former head of the Russian President's personal security service, was appointed as Director of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops and Commander of the National Guard Troops [13] and relieved of his previous duties—and by a separate Presidential Decree was named a member of the Security Council too.[14]

The new National Guard of Russia is thus organized into:

Mission

The proposed missions of the National Guard of Russia include joint[2] operations in fighting terrorism, organized crime, and to perform the functions which are currently carried out by riot police units (OMON, SWAT, etc.);[4] however, the National Guard would not perform field investigation activities.[1]

These forces will also work to protect public safety and order along with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and guard important state facilities and are said by their new commander likely to be involved in suppression of unauthorized mass actions[8] and will be allowed to shoot without warning if delay in using them (firearms) could create a direct threat to the life or health of a citizen or National Guard soldier.[16]

According to President Vladimir Putin, a major area of responsibility of the National Guard is the overseeing the various kinds of security provisions and the authorization system of the right to possess firearms, the oversight of private security firms and the management of the interior troops proper.[17]

It is not yet clear whether these forces will be taking part in counter-terrorism operations abroad, with different open sources reporting different assessments,[1][4][5][11][14][18] but, according to the draft presidential decree, it is expected to get the right to interact with competent bodies of other countries, including training relationships.[19]

Powers

The National Guard is expected to be vested with the right to request federal, state and local authorities, officials and citizens documents, reference and other materials required for decision-making on the issues referred to their spheres of activity, as well as to suspend or limit in emergency situations the use of any communications networks and communications means, and also to exercise the right to the priority use of these communications networks and communications means.[19]

According to the draft provisions, the new agency cannot exercise armed force against pregnant women, disabled people and minors, except for self-defence and other exceptional situations,[6] although it will be authorized to block cars and pedestrians in extraordinary situations and use citizens' motor vehicles to come to the scene of an extraordinary event or chase criminals.[6]

Despite the draft provisions, Russian Duma's Committee on Defense made the recommendation to allow the National Guard to shoot into crowds.[20]

Kremlin turmoil

Putin’s creation of the National Guard of Russia caused turmoil in the Kremlin due to the fact the National Guard displaced the duties and functions normally carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs with Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev has not yet resigned; spokesman Peskov also denied that the establishment of the National Guard meant a crisis of confidence in the "siloviki" and stated that the Federal Guard Service would retain its competences; however, he did not comment on whether the heads of the Federal Drug Service and the Federal Migration Service would retain their posts.[8]

Domestic and international reaction

The establishment of the National Guard of Russia triggered several domestic and international reactions and assessments, with attempts to interpret and explain the move, ranging from power games[21] to plans to prevent colour revolutions.[2][22]

National Guard as element of power games

With the timing of President Putin’s creation of this National Guard force coming ahead of the 2016 parliamentary election to the State Duma in Russia, and crashing oil prices, Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst based in Moscow, said this new force is ..a kind of Praetorian Guard to deal with the internal enemy and further stated It reminds me of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. We see an aging emperor appointing his bodyguard chief of everything." [12]

Mark Galeotti, professor at New York University's Center for Global Affairs, wrote in a post on his blog, In Moscow's Shadows [23] that [National guard] forces have little real role fighting crime or terrorism; they are public security forces, riot and insurrection control and deterrence assets.[12]

Konstantin Gaaze,[24] a Moscow-based political analyst and journalist with the Carnegie Moscow Center, said this new force was linked to the election cycle and that Putin wants to make sure the situation that took place on the Maidan, in Ukraine, won't happen in Russia.[12] Gaaze further said that Putin's creation of the National Guard created a counterbalance not only to the Federal Security Forces, but also to the army itself and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stating: The newly established National Guard is the president's army in the literal sense of the word. An army, which can be used without intermediaries in the form of a defense minister and without the constitutional rules on the use of the Armed Forces.[21]

Ella Paneyakh,[25] senior researcher for the Department of Political science and Sociology at the European University at Saint Petersburg, said that this new National Guard force was not just another law enforcement agency, but another army that had the right to conduct military operations against the country's citizens.[21]

Russian political scientist Gleb Pavlovsky, who heads the analytics department of the Center for Political Technologies (CPT), said Putin's creation of the National Guard was to counter the power of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.[21]

Tatiana Stanovaya,[26] who heads the Center for Political Technologies (CPT) in France, in commenting on Viktor Zolotov's appointment to head the National Guard said: The unnecessary link, that of a minister between the commander-in-chief and the head of the National Guard is removed. Whoever the minister is, a brother, friend, classmate or judo coach, his hand may tremble when you need him to execute an order. Zolotov is protected from those fluctuations as much as possible.[21]

National Guard as a tool against strategic destablization

According Roger McDermott for The Jamestown Foundation the establishment of the National Guard is intended in order to counter Colour revolutions and links foreign and domestic threat assessments as part of a seamless web. McDermott links the origins of the corps to experience acquired during internal crises and power games among key actors in the 1990s,[2] as well as to colour revolutions abroad, especiallly close to the Russian borders and in Middle East. In this view, the 2016-2017 election cycle in Russia supplied domestic context for the timing of the implementation of the 2016 reform aimed to counter a strategic threat,[2] but the deep reason does not lie into the actual elections.[2]

Italian industrialist Giancarlo Valori holds a similar viewpoint to that of McDermott, insofar he deems the National Guard as intended to relieve Russian internal and foreign Intelligence Services of a whole range of traditional and routine tasks related to the internal security, in order to obtain a more geostrategic intelligence. In this view, the main stability threats are Islamist terrorism, imported jihad and Colour revolutions.[22]

Official comments of Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a televised debate, denied the mistrust in current security establishment: according to him, the direct subordination to the President comes from the fact the National Guard has the authority of a ministry, and as a power ministry it reports to the President.[17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "National Guard to get license for peacekeeping operations abroad". RT. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 McDermott, Roger (12 April 2016). "Countering Color Revolution Drives Russia’s Creation of National Guard". Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume 13 (71). Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Federal Service of Troops Russian Federation National Guard (RF FSVNG)". GlobalSecurity. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Putin orders creation of National Guard to fight terrorism, organized crime". RT (Russia). 5 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Putin submits to State Duma bill on National Guard troops". TASS (Russia). 6 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 "Russia’s newly-created National Guard to have no right to shoot at crowd — bill". TASS. TASS. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  7. 1 2 Smityuk, Yuri (20 April 2016). "Russian National Guard to be formed in three phase — commander". TASS. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 "Kremlin: National Guard likely to be involved in suppression of unauthorized mass actions". TASS. TASS. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Newly-Created Russian National Guard is ‘Preventive Measure’". Sputnik. Sputnik. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  10. 1 2 Panfilov, Alexander (7 April 2016). "National Guard: Major Overhaul of Russia’s Security Forces". Russian Legal Information Agency (Rapsinews). Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Russia to form National Guard to answer new challenges – report". RT (Russia). 2 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Putin's New National Guard Strengthens His Grip on Security as Russian Economy Falters". Vice News. Vice News. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  13. ↑ "Events ∙ President of Russia". President of Russia.
  14. 1 2 "Former chief of Putin's security service appointed Russian National Guard chief — Kremlin". TASS (Russia). 5 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "Putin crea la Guardia Nazionale Russa". Aurora - Bollettino di informazione internazionalista (in Italian). 17 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Putin's hidden agenda behind new Russian National Guard: Opinion". Ukraine Today. uatoday.tv. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  17. 1 2 Druzhinin, Alexei (14 April 2016). "Putin: National Guard creation to place arms turnover in Russia under special control". Russia. TASS. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Russia's National Guard Could Take Part in Peacekeeping Operations Abroad". Sputnik News. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  19. 1 2 Filippov, Alexey (11 April 2016). "Russia’s National Guard to interact with counterparts from other countries". TASS. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  20. ↑ Bazenkova, Anastasia (21 April 2016). "Putin's National Guard May Gain Right to Shoot at Crowds". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 "Putin's Personal Army: Analysts on Russia's National Guard". The Moscow Times (Russia). 7 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  22. 1 2 Valori, Giancarlo Elia (27 April 2016). "Russia's National Guard as a Chess Piece". Russia Insider. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  23. ↑ "In Moscow's Shadows". In Moscow's Shadows.
  24. ↑ "Konstantin Gaaze". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  25. ↑ "Paneyakh, Ella - European University at St Petersburg".
  26. ↑ "Tatiana Stanovaya - Institute of Modern Russia".

Further reading

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