Border Guard Service of Russia The Border Service of Russia ( ) , also called the Border Force of Russia ( Пограничные войска России , " Pogranichnyie Voiska Rossii " ) is a branch of Federal Security Service of Russia tasked with patrol of the Russian border . In English , the terms " Border Guards " and " Border Troops " are frequently used to designate this service . The Border service includes the Russian maritime border guard units ( i . e . , a coast guard ) . History . Imperial Russia . Border Guards were created in the Russian Empire in the 18th century , however , the origin of the Russian border service can be traced to Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky and his Great Abatis Border in the 16th century . In 1782 Catherine II of Russia created Border Customs Guards originally manned by Russian Cossacks as well as low - ranking cavalry troops . General Mikhail Barklay de Tolly organized in 1810 numerous border posts consisted of 11 regiments of Don and Bug Cossacks along all Western Russian border . Within two years Russian Border Guards were first to fight the Napoleon ' s invasion of Russia . In 1832 Cossacks and cavalry were replaced by armed customs officials subordinate to the ministry of finance in peacetime ( in wartime the border guards were automatically transferred to the army ) . In the same year the coast guard was created , originally to observe Black sea and Azov sea coasts . In 1893 Count Sergei Witte Russian minister of finance in the Alexander III ' s government reformed the service on October 13 that year into the Independent Border Guards Corps , a para - military rather than civilian organization headed by an army general and reporting directly to the ministry . In 1906 about 40 000 soldiers and officers served in the IBGC responsible for the defence of the vast Imperial border . They served in 8 division sized districts as well as in the Saint Petersburg headquarters unit . Soviet period . Soviet Border Troops , ( ) were the militarized border guard of the Soviet Union , subordinated to its subsequently reorganized state security agency : first to " Cheka " / OGPU , then to NKVD / MGB and , finally , to KGB . Accordingly , they were known as NKVD Border Troops and KGB Border Troops ( with Russian abbreviations - " НКВД СССР " / - " КГБ СССР " added on the end of official names ) . Unlike border guards of many other countries , Soviet Border Troops were a centralized force including also the maritime border guard units ( i . e . , a coast guard ) . Modern period . Following the collapse of the Soviet Union , Federal Border Guard Service of Russia was created on December 30 , 1993 and given a status of separate government agency . This organization retained some old traditions , most notably the dark green - colored uniform and " Border Guarder ' s Day " ( an official holiday commemorated by celebrations of ex - servicemen ) . First minister of FBS ( Federal Border Service ) was Andrei Nikolayev , young and outspoken general who later became deputy of the State Duma . Russian Border Guards were also stationed outside of Russia most notably in southern Tajikistan , in order to guard the border with Afghanistan , until summer 2005 . On Afghan - Tajik border on many occasions they were engaged in heavy fighting with drug - traffickers and Islamic extremists . Armenia ' s border with Turkey and Iran is also still guarded by the Russians . On March 11 , 2003 Russian president Vladimir Putin changed the status of Border Guard Service from a separate agency into a branch of Russian Federal Security Service . The current head of Border Guard Service of Russia is General Vladimir Pronichev . Border Guard Service of Russia is still tasked with a defence of the longest national border in the world . In April 2012 Vladimir Pronichev announced that the country was planning to build 20 frontier posts in the Arctic region . Reasons for this development can be found in the increased abilities to explore hydrocarbon deposits in the north . It will also give Russia an ability to patrol and service the Northern Sea Route . Mission . Responsibilities of Border Guard Service of Russia include : Old FPS Structure . FPS Russia , the Federal Border Service ( , Federal ' naya Pogranichnaya Sluzhba ) , active from 30 December 1994 to 30 June 2003 , was headed by a single centralized system , which included : Lineup . Changes in the regional structure of the Border Service , instead of ten regional border ( see the old structures FPS ) for the new scheme includes regional offices of the border ( in the federal districts ) and 30 border offices . Includes the Maritime Border Guard . Regional border districts : The military educational institutions , vocational education : As adopted by presidential decree dated 23 April 2001 , № 457 Enterprises , institutions and organizations which are subordinate to the Border Service : Border Service Timeline . From 1938 to 1957 : The border troops ( Guard ) : Sources . Лубянка . Lubyanka . Органы ВЧК - ОГПУ - НКВД - НКГБ - МГБ - МВД - КГБ 1917 - 1991 . Справочник , документы ( Международный фонд Демократия , Москва 2003 ) - Authorities VCHK - OGPU - NKVD - NKGB - MGB - MVD - KGB 1917 - 1991 . Reference documents ( International Fund for Democracy , Moscow 2003 )