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| Caucasus |
| Russia to replace MVD troops with National Guard... |
| 2002-10-29 |
| Russia will soon get its own National Guard. First deputy head of the Russian Interior Ministry's Legal department, Major-General Tatyana Moskalkova, told journalists on Tuesday that the National Guard would be set up in the course of the forthcoming police reform and become a legal successor of the Interior Ministry's troops. Moskalkova reported that in connection with the need to limit inquiries and preliminary investigations at the federal level, two parallel structures were being considered: the federal police, which would combat crime and maintain public order, and federal investigative bodies. Municipal police forces will maintain public order at the municipal level, Moskalkova said. The MVD troops used to be an unofficial arm of the Communist Party. They were prison camp guards, that sort of thing. "National Guard" is open to many different interpretations, from the American model of state-based reservists to that of various South American countries, where the "National Guard" is the army. Moskalkova reported that in connection with the need to limit inquiries and preliminary investigations at the federal level, two parallel structures were being considered: the federal police, which would combat crime and maintain public order, and federal investigative bodies. Municipal police forces will maintain public order at the municipal level, Moskalkova said. Whatever the details of the reorganization are — and I'd like to know more about them — they're probably a good indication that Putin wants to streamline things. I'd guess he wants the "federal investigative bodies" to be something more along the lines of the FBI, for whom the Russers do have quite a bit of respect. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 MVD were and are the border guards. At one time as numerous as the Red Army, though not as heavy with armor. Not sure how much of the camps they guarded. KGB also had untis for this purpose. MVD used to provide the guards at the Kremlin. BTW, did the non-communist Russians ever close the gulags? I don't recall hearing that they did. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2002-10-30 09:24:42 |