Russian non-military security forces

Last modified: 2005-12-10 by antonio martins
Keywords: customs | border guard | saltire (blue) | saltire (white) | saltire (yellow) | fsb | kgb | mvd | militia | vv | federal security service | federalhnaâ sluẑba bezopasnosti |
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• Border Guard
• Customs
• Federal Security Service
• MVD (police)

• Russia

Russian Border Guard ensign

The current Russian Border Guard ensign is green with a blue, white-bordered saltire cross.
Tom Gregg, 04 Apr 1999

The green flag with St. Andrews Cross is indeed used by ships of the Maritime Border Guards, part of the Federal Border-Guards Service (FPS, if I remember the Russian abbreviation correctly), which is one of the successor organizations of the KGB. Current photos of cutters displaying this ensign can be found in recent editions of Jane’s Fighting Ships. [jfs] After the breakup of the KGB, this organization was transferred briefly to the Ministry of Defense but soon thereafter established as a separate agency, its director ranking as one of the "power ministers" along with the MOD and Minister of Internal Affairs.

Customs flag

The green flag with white saltire is the Customs Flag. It was adopted 3 december 1994 by presidential decree No 2152. This flag was Customs Flag of imperial Russia since 1827.
Victor Lomantsov, 11 Mar 2000

Any construction details for russian saltires? These images have them thinner than what I have seen. I wander also about the shade of green (normal or KGB’s very dark green?) and about the similarities between this flag and the Border Guard ensign (blue saltire with white fimbriation on green), considering shades and dimensions..
António Martins, 24 May 1999

Federal Security Service
Федеральная Служба Безопасности | Federalhnaâ Sluẑba Bezopasnosti

As they say, the K.G.B. is now K.G.-used-to-B. But a new organization was created (or better, a new name was attibuted…), the F.S.B. — Federal Security Service. It uses a golden saltire on dark green. Their coat of arms is two swords or per saltire on vert.
António Martins, 04 Apr 1999

MVD (police)

I saw recently on russian TV, right there on the desk of some M.V.D. (russian police) big shot, a table flaglet, crossed with that of Russia, white with some kind of dark bordered round seal.
António Martins, 20 Aug 1999