# List of chairmen of the KGB

The chairman of the KGB was the head of the Committee for State Security (KGB), the main security agency of the Soviet Union in 1954–1991. He was assisted by one or two first deputy chairmen, and four to six deputy chairmen. He was also the head of the Collegium of the KGB—which consisted of the chairman, deputy chairmen, directorate chiefs, and one or two republic-level KGB organization chairmen—who affected key policy decisions.
In 1934–1943 the Soviet State Security agency was part of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) as the Main Directorate of State Security (GUGB). The director of the GUGB was the first deputy of the People's Commissar of Interior.

## List of officeholders

| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Premier |
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Premier |
| 1 | Chairman of the Cheka (1917–1922) | Chairman of the Cheka (1917–1922) | Chairman of the Cheka (1917–1922) | Chairman of the Cheka (1917–1922) | Chairman of the Cheka (1917–1922) | Chairman of the Cheka (1917–1922) |
| 1 | | Felix Dzerzhinsky (1877–1926) | 20 December 1917 | 7 July 1918 | 199 days | Vladimir Lenin (1917–1924) |
| 2 | | Yakov Peters (1886–1938) | 7 July 1918 | 22 August 1918 | 46 days | Vladimir Lenin (1917–1924) |
| 1 | | Felix Dzerzhinsky (1877–1926) | 22 August 1918 | 6 February 1922 | 3 years, 168 days | Vladimir Lenin (1917–1924) |
| Chairman of the GPU–OGPU (1922, 1923–1934) ||||||
| 1 | | Felix Dzerzhinsky (1877–1926) | 6 February 1922 | 20 July 1926 | 4 years, 164 days | Vladimir Lenin (1917–1924) Alexey Rykov (1924–1930) Vyacheslav Molotov (1930–1941) |
| 3 | | Vyacheslav Menzhinsky (1874–1934) | 30 July 1926 | 10 May 1934 | 7 years, 284 days | Vyacheslav Molotov (1930–1941) |
| 4 | Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1934–1941) | Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1934–1941) | Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1934–1941) | Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1934–1941) | Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1934–1941) | Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1934–1941) |
| 4 | | Genrikh Yagoda (1891–1936) | 10 July 1934 | 26 September 1936 | 2 years, 78 days | Vyacheslav Molotov (1930–1941) |
| 5 | | Yakov Agranov (1893–1938) | 29 December 1936 | 15 April 1937 | 107 days | Vyacheslav Molotov (1930–1941) |
| 6 | | Mikhail Frinovsky (1898–1940) | 15 April 1937 | 28 March 1938 | 347 days | Vyacheslav Molotov (1930–1941) |
| 7 | | Lavrentiy Beria (1899–1953) | 29 September 1938 | 17 December 1938 | 79 days | Vyacheslav Molotov (1930–1941) |
| 8 | | Vsevolod Merkulov (1895–1953) | 17 December 1938 | 3 February 1941 | 2 years, 48 days | Vyacheslav Molotov (1930–1941) |
| People's Commissar for State Security (1941) ||||||
| 8 | | Vsevolod Merkulov (1895–1953) | 3 February 1941 | 20 July 1941 | 167 days | Vyacheslav Molotov (1930–1941) Joseph Stalin (1941–1953) |
| Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1941–1943) ||||||
| 8 | | Vsevolod Merkulov (1895–1953) | 20 July 1941 | 14 April 1943 | 1 year, 268 days | Joseph Stalin (1941–1953) |
| People's Commissar for State Security (1943–1946) ||||||
| 8 | | Vsevolod Merkulov (1895–1953) | 14 April 1943 | 15 March 1946 | 2 years, 335 days | Joseph Stalin (1941–1953) |
| Ministry of State Security (1946–1954) ||||||
| 8 | | Vsevolod Merkulov (1895–1953) | 15 March 1946 | 18 March 1946 | 3 days | Joseph Stalin (1941–1953) |
| 9 | | Viktor Abakumov (1908–1954) | 18 March 1946 | 14 July 1951 | 5 years, 118 days | Joseph Stalin (1941–1953) |
| — | | Sergei Ogoltsov (1900–1976) Acting | 14 July 1951 | 9 August 1951 | 26 days | Joseph Stalin (1941–1953) |
| 10 | | Semyon Ignatiev (1904–1983) | 9 August 1951 | 5 March 1953 | 1 year, 208 days | Joseph Stalin (1941–1953) |
| 7 | | Lavrentiy Beria (1899–1953) | 5 March 1953 | 26 June 1953 | 113 days | Georgy Malenkov (1953–1955) |
| 11 | | Sergei Kruglov (1907–1977) | 26 June 1953 | 13 March 1954 | 260 days | Georgy Malenkov (1953–1955) |
| 12 | Chairman of the Committee for State Security (1954–1991) | Chairman of the Committee for State Security (1954–1991) | Chairman of the Committee for State Security (1954–1991) | Chairman of the Committee for State Security (1954–1991) | Chairman of the Committee for State Security (1954–1991) | Chairman of the Committee for State Security (1954–1991) |
| 12 | | Ivan Serov (1905–1990) | 13 March 1954 | 8 December 1958 | 4 years, 270 days | Georgy Malenkov (1953–1955) Nikolai Bulganin (1955–1958) Nikita Khrushchev (1958–1964) |
| 13 | | Alexander Shelepin (1918–1994) | 25 December 1958 | 13 November 1961 | 2 years, 323 days | Nikita Khrushchev (1958–1964) |
| 14 | | Vladimir Semichastny (1924–2001) | 13 November 1961 | 18 May 1967 | 5 years, 186 days | Nikita Khrushchev (1958–1964) Alexei Kosygin (1964–1980) |
| 15 | | Yuri Andropov (1914–1984) | 18 May 1967 | 26 May 1982 | 15 years, 8 days | Alexei Kosygin (1964–1980) Nikolai Tikhonov (1980–1985) |
| 16 | | Vitaly Fedorchuk (1918–2008) | 26 May 1982 | 17 December 1982 | 205 days | Nikolai Tikhonov (1980–1985) |
| 17 | | Viktor Chebrikov (1923–1999) | 17 December 1982 | 1 October 1988 | 5 years, 289 days | Nikolai Tikhonov (1980–1985) Nikolai Ryzhkov (1985–1991) |
| 18 | | Vladimir Kryuchkov (1924–2007) | 1 October 1988 | 28 August 1991 | 2 years, 331 days | Nikolai Ryzhkov (1985–1991) Valentin Pavlov (1991) |
| — | | Leonid Shebarshin (1935–2012) Acting | 22 August 1991 | 23 August 1991 | 1 day | |
| 19 | | Vadim Bakatin (1937–2022) | 29 August 1991 | 3 December 1991 | 96 days | Ivan Silayev (1991) |