Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
Name	Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
Native name	Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел Российской Федерации
Active	1917–2016
Country	Russian Federation
Allegiance	Ministry of Internal Affairs
Type	Gendarmerie, paramilitary
Size	≈150,000 (varied)
Garrison	Moscow
Notable commanders	Viktor Zolotov, Vladimir Kolokoltsev

Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs were a paramilitary force under the Ministry of Internal Affairs tasked with internal security, riot control, and facility protection in the Russian Federation. Rooted in formations from the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, they served alongside bodies such as the Russian National Guard, Federal Security Service, Ministry of Defence, and Federal Protective Service before major reform in 2016. Their personnel, units, and traditions intersected with events including the Russian Civil War, World War II, the First Chechen War, the Second Chechen War, and the 2011–2013 Russian protests.

History

The origins trace to the Gendarmerie and the NKVD Internal Troops active in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union during periods such as the October Revolution and the Great Patriotic War. Post-1991 reform of the MVD created a successor to the Soviet Internal Troops that operated through crises like the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, the First Chechen War, and the Beslan school siege. Commanders who shaped doctrine included figures linked to Viktor Chernomyrdin, Boris Yeltsin, and later Vladimir Putin administrations; structural changes paralleled legislation such as laws passed by the State Duma and directives from the Presidential Administration of Russia. In 2016, a major reorganization transferred much of the force into the newly formed Russian National Guard under decree by Vladimir Putin, altering links with the Federal Security Service and MOD.

Organization and Structure

Units were organized into armies, divisions, brigades, regiments, battalions, and detachments mirroring formations of the Red Army and Soviet Army. Command elements included the central staff in Moscow, regional commands aligned with federal subjects such as Chechnya, Dagestan, Sverdlovsk Oblast, and Saint Petersburg. Specialized formations included the OMON riot police, SOBR rapid response units, and military-engineer, railway, and prison-guard contingents cooperating with institutions like the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Training institutions included academies named after figures like Felix Dzerzhinsky and links with military schools such as the Moscow Higher Military Command School and colleges connected to Russian Academy of Sciences research on security doctrine.

Roles and Missions

Missions encompassed crowd control at events involving actors such as CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow, and during state occasions with participation by the Presidential Administration of Russia; protection of strategic sites like Rosneft facilities and Gazprom installations; counterinsurgency in theaters including Chechnya and North Caucasus republics; and support to law-enforcement operations alongside the Investigative Committee of Russia and the State Duma security committees. Their mandates included counterterrorism efforts tied to incidents like the Beslan school siege and the Makhachkala attacks, riot suppression during episodes such as the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis aftermath and the 2011–2013 Russian protests, and safeguarding critical infrastructure associated with corporations such as Rostec.

Equipment and Uniforms

Equipment paralleled armaments used by formations like the Russian Ground Forces and included small arms such as the AK-74, AK-103, sniper systems like the SVD, support weapons including the RP-77 and various machine guns, and vehicles such as the BTR-80, Tigr, and armored personnel carriers produced by firms like Uralvagonzavod. Riot-control gear included shields and batons standardized by MVD procurement, non-lethal systems comparable to those used by OMON and SOBR, and protective equipment supplied by manufacturers associated with Rostec. Uniforms incorporated insignia from agencies like the MVD and ranks influenced by Soviet-era patterns preserved in institutions such as the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia for ceremonial duties.

Major Operations and Deployments

Major deployments included counterinsurgency campaigns in the First Chechen War and Second Chechen War, security operations during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi alongside FSB detachments, and responses to mass demonstrations during the 2011–2013 Russian protests. They conducted prison and convoy security in coordination with the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia during crises like the Moscow theater hostage crisis aftermath, participated in anti-terrorist operations linked to the North Caucasus Insurgency, and supported disaster response with agencies such as the Ministry of Emergency Situations during events resembling the 2010 Russian wildfires.

Controversies and Human Rights Issues

Controversies involved allegations of excessive force by units such as OMON and SOBR in incidents tied to protests like the 2011–2013 Russian protests, operations in Chechnya involving figures such as Ramzan Kadyrov, and treatment of detainees highlighted by organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Accusations included unlawful detentions, ill-treatment during counterterrorism operations such as the Beslan school siege aftermath, and use of crowd-control measures criticized by bodies including the Council of Europe and thematic reports from the United Nations Human Rights Council. Domestic legal scrutiny involved proceedings in the Constitutional Court of Russia and debates within the State Duma about oversight, accountability, and the 2016 transition to the Russian National Guard under a presidential decree by Vladimir Putin.

Category:Law enforcement in Russia Category:Military units and formations of Russia