Intelligence

SECURITY MINISTRY OF RUSSIA (MBR)
Ministerstvo Bezopasnosti Ruskii

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union the KGB Second Chief Directorate became the Russian Security Ministry (MBR). The MBR was directed by Colonel General Viktor Barranikov, a career law-enforcement officer who joined the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) in 1961. Barranikov reported to the Russian Federation Security Council (established in April 1992). Press reports placed the number of MBR staff members at 137,900 as of mid-1992.

In December 1991 Yeltsin issued a decree merging the MBR (then called the Federal Security Agency) with the the MVD. The two agencies would co-exist under the name of the Ministry of Security and Internal Affairs. However the Russian Constitutional Court reviewed the merger decree, declared it unconstitutional and advised Yeltsin to annul it, and Yeltsin complied. In February 1992, the parliament undertook a study to recommend the manner in which effective political control over the MBR could be ensured.

The Russian Security Ministry was responsible for analyzing threatening foreign situations, conducting counter-intelligence, and the collection of intelligence in co-operation with the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, monitoring and protecting joint economic ventures, and defending the military forces and foreign establishments in Russia as well as space, engineering, army and strategic assets. However despite its broad mandate the MBR was said to not monitor the political activity of Russian citizens.

After President Yeltsin became uncertain of the Minitry's loyalties during his struggle with parliament, the MBR was disbanded in December 1993 and replaced by the Federal Counterintelligence Service [Federal'naya Sluzhba Kontr-razvedky - FSK]. This 75,000-person agency was subsequently redisgnated the Federal Security Service (FSB).