Federal Security Service
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterintelligence Service (FSK) which was reorganized into the FSB in 1995. The three major structural successor components of the former KGB that remain administratively independent of the FSB are the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the Federal Protective Service (FSO), and the Main Directorate of Special Programs of the President of the Russian Federation (GUSP).
Some of the key events about Federal Security Service
- 1995Successfully resolved a hostage crisis in Budyonnovsk through negotiations
- 1995Alleged involvement in the assassination of a prominent television journalist in Moscow
- 1999Thwarted a major terrorist attack planned for New Year's Eve in Moscow
- 1999Accused of orchestrating apartment bombings in Russian cities to justify military action in Chechnya
- 2002Conducted a rescue operation during the Moscow theater hostage crisis
- 2002Suspected use of a dangerous gas during the Moscow theater hostage crisis, resulting in civilian casualties
- 2003Dismantled a large international drug trafficking network
- 2004Criticized for mishandling intelligence that could have prevented the Beslan school siege
- 2006Uncovered and neutralized a spy ring operating in Russia
- 2006Implicated in the poisoning of a former FSB officer in London using radioactive polonium
- 2007Accused of involvement in the murder of a journalist critical of the Russian government in Moscow
- 2010Prevented a terrorist attack on the Moscow Metro system
- 2013Provided crucial intelligence that helped prevent an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Moscow
- 2014Successfully secured the Sochi Winter Olympics against terrorist threats
- 2014Alleged participation in covert military operations during the annexation of Crimea
- 2015Suspected involvement in the assassination of a prominent opposition politician near the Kremlin
- 2016Disrupted a major cybercrime operation targeting Russian banks
- 2018Coordinated security measures for the FIFA World Cup hosted in Russia
- 2018Accused of attempting to assassinate a former Russian spy and his daughter in the UK using a nerve agent
- 2020Alleged poisoning of a Russian opposition leader with a Novichok nerve agent
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
