Internal Troops of Russia

Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел Vnutrenniye Voiska Ministerstva Vnutrennikh Del
Common name	Internal Troops
Emblem of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Internal Troops of Russia
Flag of Internal Troops: a 2:3 white flag with rose madder cross pattée and emblem of Internal Troops in the center of it
Agency overview
Formed	March 27, 1811
Dissolved	April 5, 2016
Superseding agency	National Guard
Employees	182,000 in 2012
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency	Russia
Governing body	Ministry of Internal Affairs (Russia)
General nature	Federal law enforcement Gendarmerie
Operational structure
Headquarters	Moscow
Notables Person Nikolay Rogozhkin, Commander Anniversary March 27

The Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD RF) (Russian: Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел, Vnutrenniye Voiska Ministerstva Vnutrennikh Del; abbreviated ВВ, VV), was a gendarmerie-like paramilitary force of the federal government in Russia. On April 5, 2016 it was officially split from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to form the basis of the National Guard of Russia.

Internal Troops supported and reinforced the Politsiya, deal with large-scale riots, internal armed conflicts and safeguarding of highly-important facilities (like nuclear power plants). As such, the service was involved in all conflicts and violent disturbances in modern Russia, including and First and Second Chechen Wars. Internal Troops fell under Armed Forces military command during wartime and fulfill the missions of local defence and rear area security.

Internal Troops consisted of both volunteers and conscripts and hence the number of active service members keeps fluctuating. On the moment of their disestablishment, it had less than 200,000 active members and had had shortage of officers since 1998. Its strength plunged to this level from the peak strength of 350,000 active members. The commander of the Russian Internal Troops was Colonel General Viktor Zolotov until their disestablishment occurred in April 2016.

The modern Internal Troops were raised by the All-Russian Central Execuitive Committee as part of the NKVD in 1918, and was reorganized in 1919 unto the Internal Security Forces (Voyska vnutrenney okhrany Respubliki,VOHR). In 1919, these were transferred to the Cheka and in 1922-23 into the OGPU.

On 28 July 1988, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet issued a decree “On duties and rights of the Internal Troops of the USSR MVD when safeguarding public order”, clarifying its role in the cracking USSR. However, the Internal Troops were still a part of the Soviet Armed Forces and this state of affairs pleased no one. The Armed Forces did not want to be seen as a force of internal suppression, especially after the disastrous Afghan War. The MVD was finding itself having to extinguish increasingly frequent and violent hot spots and to cope with growing and increasingly well organised and equipped criminals. For this the MVD needed more fire power. On 21 March 1989, the Presidium decided to take the Internal Troops out of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense and give them to the Internal Affairs Ministry.