06.2007 - Source: Freedom House

New legislation in March 2006 handed Federal Security Service (FSB) extensive new powers in fighting terrorism; FSB controls National Antiterrorist Committee and has authority to give orders to all other state agencies ("Nations in Transit 2007") [ID 20443]

"On March 6, the president signed legislation that hands the Federal Security Service (FSB) extensive new powers in fighting terrorism. 10 Because the FSB controls the National Antiterrorist Committee, it now has the authority to give orders to all other state agencies. Critics fear that the wording of many of the passages in the legislation are so vague that they can be used against civil society. For example, the new law bans “establishing or operating any organizations whose goals or actions aim to promote, justify, or support terrorism or crime.” A court must determine which organizations can be sanctioned at the recommendation of the Office of the Procurator General.11 The new law permits the secret services to tap telephones and monitor electronic communications in a geographic area where counterterrorist operations are under way. While all Western democracies have also adopted counterterrorism laws that give extensive powers to their intelligence agencies, they did so in the context of political systems that provide a degree of accountability not found in Russia today. Nevertheless, the Russian public generally supports Putin’s law enforcement measures."

Document(s): Open document

03.06.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

CoE criticizes large power of security service FSB ("Honouring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation [Doc. 10568]") [#32710],  [ID 11913]

"218. On accession to the Council of Europe in 1996, the Russian Federation undertook to revise the law on federal security services to bring it into line with Council of Europe principles and standards within ONE year of accession.

219. Again, we regret to report that to date this commitment has not been fulfilled, eight years after accession to the Council of Europe.

220. The current Law on Organs of the Federal Security Service126 of 3 April 1995 gave the President direction of the activities of the security service, which has the status of a federal executive organ and outlined the FSB's mission in detail. The FSB regained a number of the functions that had been eliminated in earlier post-KGB reorganisations. Investigative authority was fully restored by the law, although the FSK, one of its predecessors, had already been conducting criminal investigations on the basis of a presidential decree. Russia's fourteen investigative detention prisons and several special troop detachments also returned to the control of the security service. Contrary to what was written in the Assembly's 2002 report, Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre is not the only one that is in use: indeed, since the FSB is a centralised institution with regional departments, it has at its disposal also SIZO's in the regions.

221. To date, the 1995 law has been neither repealed nor substantially modified: it still provides that, apart from the normal activities of a secret service127, the FSB also performs law enforcement duties that are traditionally in most member states, if not all, entrusted to specialised departments of the police or the public prosecutor's office. Indeed, the main problem with the FSB is not that it is still authorised to run a number of pre-trial detention centres but that it retains to date a number of specific investigation powers seriously affecting individuals' rights which it should not have.

222. Article 10 of the 1995 law128, entitled crime fighting, provides that FSB organs, in accordance with Russian Federation legislation, implement operational-investigative measures to detect, avert, suppress, and expose espionage, terrorist activity, organized crime, corruption, illegal arms and drugs trafficking, smuggling, and other crimes, whose investigation [doznaniye] and preliminary examination [sledstviye] are ascribed by law to their jurisdiction, the activity of illegal armed formations, criminal groups, individuals, and public associations which aim at forcibly changing the Russian Federation constitutional system. The list of offences that can be investigated by the FSB is a very long one and there is a serious risk of overlap with the investigation powers of the Prokuratura.

223. Article 13 d) of the 1995 law authorizes the FSB to use detention centres in accordance with Russian Federation legislation129. According to Article 13 h), security police may enter private residences if "there is sufficient reason to suppose that a crime is being or has been perpetrated there… or if pursuing persons suspected of committing a crime." In such cases, related laws require the officer in charge only to inform the procurator within twenty-four hours after entering a residence.

224. Article 23 of the law stipulates that the president, the Federal Assembly (parliament), and the judicial organs monitor the security service. But the only right given deputies of the State Duma in this regard is a vague stipulation that deputies could obtain information regarding the activity of FSB organs in accordance with procedures laid down by legislation. The imprecision of actual oversight functions is compounded by the security law's provision that unpublished "normative acts" would govern much of the FSB's operations. Finally Article 24 of the 1995 law provides that the Russian Federation general prosecutor and prosecutors empowered by him oversee FSB organs' implementation of the laws of the Russian Federation.

225. Although we have no compelling reason to doubt that the thousands of agents working today for the FSB act only in the national interest and in conformity with the law, fully respect fundamental freedoms and are not being used as a means of oppression or undue pressure, as was the case with the KGB, the present set-up of the FSB is clearly contravening European standards and, in particular, the Assembly's Recommendation 1402 (1999) on the control of internal security services in Council of Europe member states. We do not believe, contrary to what was stated by our interlocutors, that the necessity to fight terrorism and organised crime justifies the sweeping powers still afforded to the FSB.

226. We therefore urge the Russian authorities to honour this outstanding commitment without further delay and to revise the 1995 law on the federal security services in line with Council of Europe standards."

Document(s): Open document

07.04.2004 - Source: Amnesty International

Deputy procurator of the Republic of Ingushetia detained by men believed to be members of the Ingush Department of the Federal Security Service (FSB)/ he is feared to have "disappeared"/ there are concerns that he may be tortured or extrajudicially executed ("Russian Federation (Republic of Ingushetia) - UA 140/04") [#21198],  [ID 11914]

"According to information recently received by Amnesty International Rashid Borisovich Ozdoev was detained on 11 March 2004, by men believed to be members of the Ingush Department of the Federal Security Service (FSB), and he is feared to have "disappeared". Amnesty International fears that he may be tortured or extrajudicially executed.

Rashid Ozdoev is deputy procurator of the Republic of Ingushetia. His duties include the supervision of the Ingush department of the FSB. As part of this remit he had allegedly raised with the Ingush authorities his concerns about a number of unlawful actions committed by members of the FSB. He had also written twice with such concerns to the General Procuracy and to the head of the FSB of the Russian Federation most recently in late February or early March 2004.
[...]"

Document(s): Open document
Open document

03.11.2003 - Source: Prima News

Military court trial against former member of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Mikhail Trepashkin; he is accused of having disclosed state secrets ("FSB never forgets insults") [#17560],  [ID 11915]

Document(s): Open document

08.2002 - Source: Defence Academy of the United Kingdom - Advanced Research and Assessment Group

Report on structure and tasks of the Russian special services; examples of their activities in and outside Russia, including their role in Chechnya ("Vladimir Putin & Russia's Special Services (by Gordon Bennet)") [#11609],  [ID 11900]

Document(s): Open document

08.2002 - Source: Defence Academy of the United Kingdom - Advanced Research and Assessment Group

Conflict Studies Research Centre: Report on structure and tasks of the Russian special services; examples of their activities in and outside Russia, including their role in Chechnya ("Vladimir Putin & Russia's Special Services (by Gordon Bennet)") [#11609],  [ID 11916]

Document(s): Open document

21.09.2001 - Source:

Die Zeit: Background article on the Russian intelligence agency FSB ("21/09/2002 - Die Zeit: Wo die Äste Ohren haben") [ID 11918]

"Der FSB hat seine Ohren und Kameras überall. Ihn interessiert, welchen Umgang russische Wissenschaftler mit westlichen Instituten pflegen, wie die liberale Jabloko-Partei funktioniert, was sich die Menschen in Russland per E-Mail zu sagen haben. Und was die Lauscher überhören, können wachsame Bürger per Brief an die Ljubjanka schicken. Seit Februar nimmt der FSB wieder anonyme Zuschriften an, die sich schon in der Sowjetunion großer Beliebtheit erfreuten. [...]
Grundsätzlich gilt das Prinzip Vorsprung durch Technik, der FSB vergleicht sich gern mit den amerikanischen Pendants CIA und NSA. Die junge Generation FSB arbeitet diskret, chirurgisch präzise, blitzschnell - sie wird an Eliteakademien mit modernem Gerät ausgebildet."

Document(s): 21/09/2002 - Die Zeit: Wo die Äste Ohren haben

22.02.1995 - Source:

Library of Congress: On Organs of the Federal Security Service (FSB) ("On Organs of the Russian Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation") [ID 11155]

"Article 1. Federal Security Service [FSB] Organs and Their Mission
FSB organs are a component part of the forces safeguarding Russian Federation security and within the bounds of their remit safeguard the security of the individual, society, and the state. The president of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation direct the activity of FSB organs.
Article 2. The System of FSB Organs
FSB organs represent a unified centralized system, which includes:

the Russian Federation FSB; directorates (departments) of the Russian Federation FSB for individual regions and components of the Russian Federation (territorial security organs);

directorates (departments) of the Russian Federation FSB within the Russian Federation Armed Forces, troops, and other military formations, and also within their organs of command and control (security organs within the troops).

Territorial security organs and security organs within the troops are directly subordinate to the Russian Federation FSB.

FSB organs have under their jurisdiction enterprises, educational establishments, research, expert, and military-medical establishments and subunits, military-construction subunits, special training centers, and also special-purpose subunits.

The creation of FSB organs not envisaged by this Federal Law is not permitted.

The creation of organizational structures and the activity of political parties and mass public movements which pursue political objectives, as well as political campaigning and the conducting of election campaigns is prohibited in FSB organs.
Article 3. The Russian Federation FSB
The Russian Federation FSB is a federal executive organ. The Russian Federation FSB creates territorial security organs and security organs within the troops, directs them, organizes their activity, issues normative acts within the bounds of its remit, and directly implements the main avenues of FSB organs' activity.

The structure and organization of the Russian FSB's activity are determined by the Statute on the Russian Federation FSB, ratified by the president of the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation FSB is headed by the director of the Russian Federation FSB with the status of a federal minister. The military rank of army general corresponds to the post of director of the Russian Federation FSB.
Article 4. The Legal Base for the Activity of FSB Organs
The Russian Federation Constitution, this Federal Law, other federal laws, and other normative legal acts adopted by federal organs of state power form the legal base for the activity of FSB organs. The activity of FSB organs is also implemented in accordance with the Russian Federation's international treaties."

Document(s): On Organs of the Russian Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation

22.02.1995 - Source:

Library of Congress: Federal Security Service (FSB) Organs ("On Organs of the Federal Security Service in the Russian Federation") [ID 11917]

"The Russian Federation FSB is a federal executive organ. The Russian Federation FSB creates territorial security organs and security organs within the troops, directs them, organizes their activity, issues normative acts within the bounds of its remit, and directly implements the main avenues of FSB organs' activity.

The structure and organization of the Russian FSB's activity are determined by the Statute on the Russian Federation FSB, ratified by the president of the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation FSB is headed by the director of the Russian Federation FSB with the status of a federal minister. The military rank of army general corresponds to the post of director of the Russian Federation FSB."

Document(s): On Organs of the Federal Security Service in the Russian Federation