There were a succession of Soviet secret police agencies over time. The Okhrana was abolished by the Provisional government after the first revolution of 1917, and the first secret police after the October Revolution, created by Vladimir Lenin's decree on December 20, 1917, was called "Cheka" (ЧК). Officers were referred to as "chekists", a name that is still informally applied to people under the Federal Security Service of Russia, the KGB's successor in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

For most agencies listed here, secret policing operations were only part of their function; for instance, the KGB was both a secret police and an intelligence agency.

History of the Soviet state security organs Detailed chronology

Cheka (abbreviation of Vecheka, itself an acronym for "All-Russian Extraordinary Committee to Combat Counter-Revolution and Sabotage" of the Russian SFSR) Felix Dzerzhinsky (December 20, 1917 – July 7, 1918) Jēkabs Peterss (July 7, 1918 – August 22, 1918) (acting) Felix Dzerzhinsky (August 22, 1918 – February 6, 1922)

February 6, 1922: Cheka transforms into GPU, a department of the NKVD of the Russian SFSR.

NKVD – "People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs" GPU – State Political Directorate Felix Dzerzhinsky (February 6, 1922 – November 15, 1923)

November 15, 1923: GPU leaves the NKVD and becomes all-union OGPU under direct control of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR.

OGPU – "Joint State Political Directorate" or "All-Union State Political Board" Felix Dzerzhinsky (November 15, 1923 – July 20, 1926) Vyacheslav Menzhinsky (July 30, 1926 – May 10, 1934) Genrikh Yagoda (May 10, 1934 – July 10, 1934)

July 10, 1934: NKVD of the Russian SFSR ceases to exist and transforms into the all-union NKVD of the USSR; OGPU becomes GUGB ("Main Directorate for State Security") in the all-union NKVD.

NKVD – "People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs" GUGB – "Main Directorate for State Security" Genrikh Yagoda (July 10, 1934 – September 26, 1936) Nikolai Yezhov (September 26, 1936 – November 25, 1938) Lavrentiy Beria (November 25, 1938 – February 3, 1941)

February 3, 1941: The GUGB of the NKVD was briefly separated out into the NKGB, then merged back in, and then on April 14, 1943, separated out again.

NKGB – "People's Commissariat for State Security" Vsevolod Merkulov (February 3, 1941 – July 20, 1941) (NKGB folded back into NKVD) NKVD – "People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs" GUGB – "Main Directorate for State Security" Lavrentiy Beria (July 20, 1941 – April 14, 1943) NKGB – "People's Commissariat for State Security" Vsevolod Merkulov (April 14, 1943 – March 15, 1946) (NKGB reseparated from NKVD)

March 18, 1946: All People's Commissariats were renamed to Ministries.

MGB – "Ministry of State Security" Vsevolod Merkulov (March 15, 1946 – May 4, 1946) Viktor Abakumov (May 4, 1946 – July 14, 1951) Sergei Ogoltsov (July 14, 1951 – August 9, 1951) (acting) Semyon Ignatiev (August 9, 1951 – March 5, 1953)

The East German secret police, the Stasi, took their name from this iteration.

– "Committee of Information" (foreign intelligence service)Svetlana Chervonnaya, KI briefing from the Russian side, H-HOAC Discussion, March 17, 2005. Retrieved August 20, 2011. Pyotr Fedotov MGB Fedor Kuznetsov GRU Yakov Malik Foreign Ministry

May 30, 1947: Official decision with the expressed purpose of "upgrading coordination of different intelligence services and concentrating their efforts on major directions". In the summer of 1948 the military personnel in KI were returned to the Soviet military to reconstitute foreign military intelligence service (GRU). KI sections dealing with the new East Bloc and Soviet émigrés were returned to the MGB in late 1948. In 1951 the KI returned to the MGB.

March 5, 1953: MVD and MGB are merged into the MVD by Lavrentiy Beria.

MVD – "Ministry of Internal Affairs" Lavrentiy Beria (March 5, 1953 – June 26, 1953) Sergei Kruglov (June 26, 1953 – March 13, 1954)

March 13, 1954: Newly independent force became the KGB, as Beria was purged and the MVD divested itself again of the functions of secret policing. After renamings and tumults, the KGB remained stable until 1991.

KGB – Committee for State Security Ivan Serov (March 13, 1954 – December 8, 1958) (December 8, 1958 – December 25, 1958) (acting) Alexander Shelepin (December 25, 1958 – November 5, 1961) Pyotr Ivashutin (November 5, 1961 – November 13, 1961) (acting) Vladimir Semichastny (November 13, 1961 – May 18, 1967) Yuri Andropov (May 18, 1967 – May 26, 1982) Vitaly Fedorchuk (May 26, 1982 – December 17, 1982) Viktor Chebrikov (December 17, 1982 – October 1, 1988) Vladimir Kryuchkov (October 1, 1988 – August 28, 1991) Leonid Shebarshin (August 22, 1991 – August 23, 1991) (acting) Vadim Bakatin (August 29, 1991 – December 3, 1991)

In the aftermath of the 1991 Soviet coup attempt, when the State Emergency Committee failed to overthrow Gorbachev and Yeltsin took over, General Vadim Bakatin was given instructions to dissolve the KGB.

In Russia today, KGB functions are performed by the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the Federal Counterintelligence Service which later became the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) in 1995, and the Federal Protective Service (FSO). The GRU continues to operate as well.

Leadership OrganizationChairmanDates ChekaЧекаFelix Dzerzhinsky1917–1918Communist Secret Police: Cheka, referencing the quote by David Shub about the starting date of the Cheka, Retrieved November 24, 2016Jēkabs PeterssJuly 7–August 22 1918 (act.)Felix Dzerzhinsky1918–1922 GPUГПУFelix Dzerzhinsky1922–1923 OGPUОГПУFelix Dzerzhinsky1923–1926Vyacheslav Menzhinsky1926–1934Genrikh YagodaMay–Jul 1934 NKVDНКВДGenrikh Yagoda1934–1936Nikolai Yezhov1936–1938Lavrentiy Beria1938–1941 NKGBНкгбVsevolod MerkulovFeb–Jul 1941 NKVDНКВДLavrentiy Beria1941–1943 NKGBНкгбVsevolod Merkulov1943–1946 MGBМГБVsevolod MerkulovMarch 15–May 4 1946Viktor Abakumov1946–1951Sergei OgoltsovJuly 14–August 9 1951 (act.)Semyon Ignatiev1951–1953 MVD КГБLavrentiy BeriaMar–Jun 1953 Sergei Kruglov1953–1954 KGB КГБIvan Serov1954–1958December 8–25 1958 (act.)Alexander Shelepin1958–1961Pyotr IvashutinNovember 5–November 13 1961 (act.)Vladimir Semichastny1961–1967Yuri Andropov1967–1982Vitaly FedorchukMay–Dec 1982Viktor Chebrikov1982–1988Vladimir Kryuchkov1988–1991Leonid ShebarshinAugust 22–23 1991 (act.)Vadim BakatinAug–Dec 1991

See also

Commanders of the border troops USSR and RF Director of the Federal Security Service Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service FAPSI – State communications, formed from the former 8th and 16th Directorates of KGB and later merged into FSB List of chairmen of the KGB Poison laboratory of the Soviet secret services

Notes

External links The Cold War International History Project (CWIHP) has the full text of former KGB agent Alexander Vassiliev's Notebooks with evidence of Soviet espionage in the United States during the Cold War Communist Secret Police: Cheka