The Federal Security Service (FSB) is Russia’s primary domestic security agency and the institutional successor to the Soviet KGB. Institutionally, it is “widely considered the most powerful state agency” (Taylor, 2025:3). Established by federal law in 1995, it answers directly to the president, and it has become more powerful under President Vladimir Putin.

The FSB is responsible for domestic security and regime stability and has several primary domains of activity:

Intelligence and counterintelligence
Counterterrorism (domestic and international)
Combatting organised crime and economic crimes
Combatting corruption (domestic and international)
Ensuring Border security
Providing Information and cyber security
Monitoring financial activity

(Cooper, 2007; Renz, 2018:98-101; Riehle, 2024:37-38).

Leadership

Director

Aleksandr Bortnikov (May 2008-date)
Nikolay Patrushev (August 1999-May 2008)
Vladimir Putin (July 1998-August 1999)
Nikolay Kovalev (June 1996-July 1998)
Mikhail Barsukov (July 1995-June 1996)
Anatoliy Safonov (acting June 1995-July 1995)
Sergey Stepashin (April 1995-June 1995)

First deputy director

Sergey Korolev (March 2021-date)

Structure

Following an organisational restructuring in 2005, most primary units of the FSB are called services, with subordinate centres, directorates, and departments (Riehle, 2024:30). There are eleven main service branches:

The Counterintelligence Service (First Service)
The Service to Protect the Constitutional System and Combat Terrorism (Second Service)
The Department of Military Counterintelligence (Third Service)
The Economic Security Service (Fourth Service)
The Operational Information and International Relations Service (Fifth Service)
The Service of Organisational Personnel Activities (Sixth Service)
The Supply Service (Seventh Service)
The Border Service
The Social Welfare Service
The Scientific and Technical Service
The Oversight Service

There are also numerous parts of the organisation that answer directly to the FSB Director, who chairs the National Antiterrorism Committee and the Council of the Heads of the Security Organs and Special Services of the State-Members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); is a permanent member of the Security Council; and is a member of the Military-Industrial Commission and the Presidential Council for Combatting Corruption.

History

The FSB is the institutional successor to the KGB. Its immediate predecessors were the Ministry of Security (MB), which existed from 1992 to December 1993, and the Federal Counter-Intelligence Service (FSK), which existed from December 1993 to April 1995 (Cooper, 2007).

The responsibilities of most KGB branches were transferred to the FSB through the MB and FSK, although some were devolved to different organisations and returned:

The responsibilities covered by the KGB’s Second Chief Directorate (counterintelligence), Third Chief Directorate (military counterintelligence), Fourth Directorate (counterintelligence support for transport and communications), Sixth Directorate (economic counterintelligence), Seventh Directorate (surveillance), 10th Department (archives), 12th Department (electronic surveillance), OP Directorate (organised crime), and SCh Directorate (special forces) remained within the control of the MB, FSK, and FSB.
Border security initially devolved to the MB, but the Border Service was a separate state agency between December 1993 and March 2003, when it was absorbed by the FSB.
Those of the Fifth Directorate (ideological counterintelligence) were not part of the FSB’s mandate, or that of any other security branch, until 1999.
The responsibilities of the 8th Chief Directorate (cryptography and information security and the 16th Directorate (SIGINT) were handled by the Federal Agency for Government Communication and Information (FAPSI) between December 1991 and March 2003, when most of FAPSI was absorbed by the FSB (some capabilities moved to the Federal Guard Service (FSO) and the SVR).

Several areas of responsibility handled by the KGB have remained outside of the FSB’s remit:

Those of the First Chief Directorate (foreign intelligence) devolved to the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
Those of the 9th Directorate (senior leadership protection) and 15th Directorate (security of government facilities) devolved to the Main Protection Directorate (GUO), which later became the FSO.

(Riehle, 2024:20, 66).

One of the main differences between the KBG and the FSB — apart from the organisational devolution of some of the responsibilities to separate organisations — is its lack of an ideological foundation. As Riehle (2024) notes, KGB employees were required to be members of the Communist Party, whereas FSB employees can be dismissed for membership of a political party or public association. “This does not mean FSB officers eschew all political involvement; the FSB is a highly politicized organization. It only means that, unlike during the Soviet era, no organized political structure drives the FSB’s activities besides loyalty to the president” (Riehle, 2024:66).

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