North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum - Russia

Russia’s FSB Border Guard Service Central and Regional Authorities:
Principal Operational Tasks and Administrative Functions

The border guard authorities are an integral component of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The administrative supervision of Russian border guard authorities is exercised by the Russia’s FSB Border Guard Service, which is mandated to carry out the following principal tasks:

• ensure the physical protection and overall security of the Russian Federation state border;

• safeguard the economic and other legitimate interests of the Russian Federation within the areas of border-aligning territory, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf of the Russian Federation, as well as protective control over the anadromous fish stock originating in the inland waters (rivers) of the Russian Federation.

In performing the above-referenced tasks, the FSB Border Guard Service provides for:

• controlling compliance with corresponding legal regimes, specifically, state border regime, border area regime and the official border-crossing regime;

• performing the border control duties at the official border-crossing points;

• controlling compliance with the corresponding national legislation on inland waters/internal maritime area, territorial sea, EEZ and continental shelf of the Russian Federation;

• safeguarding maritime biological resources (fisheries enforcement), including the areas of the Sea of Azov and Caspian Sea;

• detecting, preventing and suppressing criminal acts and administrative infringements falling under the competence of border guard authorities.

In collaboration with other governmental bodies concerned, the FSB Border Guard Service:

• participates in the general safeguarding of specific objects subject to governmental protection, located on the state border and within the border area (in coordination with the Russian Federation Federal Security Guard Service, FSO);

• takes appropriate measures to combat smuggling activities (in coordination with the Russian Federation Federal Customs Control Service, FTS);

• participates in search and rescue activities conducted at sea and other basins of water of the Russian Federation (in coordination with the Russian Federation Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Preparedness, Transportation Ministry, Russia’s Navy and other agencies concerned)

In addition, the FSB Border Guard Service acts as a chief coordinating authority for all governmental efforts focused on protecting the national interests of the Russian Federation in the border-related sphere.