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Department of Counterintelligence Operations
View on Wikipedia| Департамент контрразведывательных операций | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Moscow, Russia |
| Department executive |
|
| Parent Department | 1st Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) |
The Department of Counterintelligence Operations (DKRO; Russian: Департамент контрразведывательных операций; ДКРО) is a department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia officially in charge of counterintelligence operations.[1][2] It is led by Dmitry Minaev,[3] and supervised by the First Service of the FSB, which is led by Vladislav Menshchikov.
History
[edit]The DKRO was created in 1998. It has a legal basis in Article 9 of Federal law 40-FZ of 1995, which was signed by President Yeltsin, and which defines the role of counterintelligence services in Russia.[4]
However, the FSB's counterintelligence predecessor, the Federal Counterintelligence Service, was a successor to the KGB;[5] the KGB's Second Main Directorate had long history of counterintelligence work, stretching back to the Cheka. The FSB's own view of its counterintelligence history focusses on activities in World War II.[6] As of 2024[update], the FSB's director is Alexander Bortnikov, who previously served in counterintelligence units of the KGB during the Cold War.[7]
Activities
[edit]The DKRO is responsible for "counterintelligence" work against foreigners in Russia; ostensibly against foreign intelligence agencies[8] but also against tourists, journalists, and embassy workers.[9] It harasses Western diplomats and journalists. In addition to arrests such as Evan Gershkovich, it follows the cars of diplomats (and their family members), cuts the power to their homes or breaks into them, and leaves human feces as a "calling card".[10] In one case, DKRO agents killed a diplomat's dog. It has been involved in the detentions of at least three Americans.[10]
The DKRO has also been involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[10][11]
The DKRO has been involved in "monitoring" of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which led to corruption, as officers extorted money from security companies.[12]
According to an internal report by the DKRO's 7th Service, which is responsible for countering espionage from China and other parts of Asia, the Russian intelligence establishment viewed China as one of its major threats despite the close relationship between the two countries in public, especially so following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Департамент контрразведывательных операций (ДКРО) ФСБ". agentura.ru. 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Inside the Secretive Russian Security Force That Targets Americans". 7 July 2023.
- ^ Grove, Evan Gershkovich | With Drew Hinshaw, Joe Parkinson and Thomas (13 December 2024). "Tracking Putin's Most Feared Secret Agency—From Inside a Russian Prison and Beyond". WSJ. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Статья 9. Контрразведывательная деятельность \ КонсультантПлюс". www.consultant.ru. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ "Russia Federal Counterintelligence Service (FSK) - Flags, Maps, Economy, History, Climate, Natural Resources, Current Issues, International Agreements, Population, Social Statistics, Political System". www.photius.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Интервью и публикации по истории отечественных органов безопасности :: Федеральная Служба Безопасности". www.fsb.ru. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ "Биография :: Федеральная Служба Безопасности". www.fsb.ru. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ "Estonian Spy Hunters". Warsaw Institute. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ "Putin's Counterintelligence State - The FSB's penetration of state and society and its implications for post-24 February Russia" (PDF). icds.ee.
- ^ a b c Parkinson, Joe; Hinshaw, Drew (7 July 2023). "Inside the Secretive Russian Security Force That Targets Americans". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ "Russian Army and Special Forces of Russian Federation at War against Ukraine". censor.net. 25 November 2014.
- ^ Press, Russian Free (12 April 2023). "Catch and trade. How the FSB hunts foreigners". Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ Judah, Jacob; Sonne, Paul; Troianovski, Anton (7 June 2025). "Secret Russian Intelligence Document Shows Deep Suspicion of China". New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2025.