Russian Federal Protective Service

The Russian Federal Protective Service (RFSO) (Россиийский федеральная служба охраны, РФСО (Federalnaya Sluzhba Okhrany), official name in English Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation), commonly known as the Federal Okhrana, is a Russian federal agency concerned with the tasks related to the protection of several, mandated by the relevant law, high-ranking state officials, including the President of Russia, as well as certain federal properties. It traces its origin to the USSR's Ninth Chief Directorate of the KGB and later Presidential Security Service (SBP) led by KGB general Alexander Korzhakov.

On May 27, 1996, the law "On State Protection" reorganized the GUO (Glavnoye Upravlenie Okhrani) into the FSO (Federal Protection Service) “Federal Okhrana”. Under article 7 of the law, “the President of the Russian Federation, while in office, shall not be allowed to forgo state protection.”

Okhrana includes the Russian Presidential Security Service. The president's personal security is directed by Viktor Zolotov who, according to Sergei Tretiakov, also supervises the entire Okhrana.

Structure and command
Since May 18, 2000, the agency is headed by General Evgeny Murov. The Okhrana has roughly 20,000–30,000 uniformed personnel plus several thousand plainclothed personnel and controls the Cheget that can be used in the event of global nuclear war. It also operates a secure communications system for senior government officials. The Okhrana is a powerful institution with a range of rights and powers, including the right to conduct searches and surveillance without warrants, make arrests, and give orders to other state agencies.

One of the Okhrana units is the Kremlin Regiment. A more recent addition to the Okhrana infrastructure is the Special Communications Service of Russia (Spetsviaz) which was incorporated as a structural sub unit on August 7, 2004.

History of Russian federal protective services

 * Special department by VChK College
 * Special department of GPU
 * Special department by OGPU College – Dec 1929
 * 5th department (special safeguard) of Operod, SOU OGPU, Jan 1930 – Mar 1931
 * 5th department (special safeguard) of Operod, SOU OGPU, Mar–Jun 1931
 * 4th department of Operod, OGPU, Jun 1931
 * Operod of OGPU
 * Operative division (Operod) of GUGB NKVD USSR, Jul 1934 – Nov 1936
 * Division of safeguard by GUGB NKVD USSR, Dec 1936 – Jun 1938
 * Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, NKVD USSR
 * 1st division of 1st Department by NKVD USSR, Jun–Sep 1938
 * 1st division of GUGB
 * 1st division of NKGB
 * Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, NKGB USSR
 * 1st division of NKVD
 * Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, NKVD USSR
 * Sixth department of NKGB USSR, Apr 1943 – Mar 1946
 * Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, NKGB USSR
 * Sixth department of MGB USSR, Mar–Apr 1946
 * Department of safeguard No. 1, MGB, Apr–Dec 1946
 * Department of safeguard No. 2, MGB, Apr–Dec 1946
 * Department of Moscow Kremlin's commandant, MGB USSR, Dec 1946
 * Headquarters of safeguard, MGB USSR, Dec 1946 – May 1952
 * Department of safeguard, MGB, May 1952
 * Ninth department of MVD USSR, Mar 1953 – Mar 1954
 * Tenth department of MVD USSR, Mar 1953 – Mar 1954
 * Ninth department of KGB by SM USSR, Mar 1954 –
 * Tenth department of KGB by SM USSR, Mar 1954 –
 * Fifteenth department of KGB by SM USSR
 * Ninth department of KGB USSR
 * Fifteenth department of KGB USSR
 * Service of safeguard, KGB USSR
 * Department of safeguard by USSR President
 * Main Administration of Protection (GUO – Glavnoye Upravlenie Okhrani) (1992–1996)
 * Federal Protective Service (FSO) (1996–today)