Russian intelligence

Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation

Служба внешней разведки Российской Федерации
Seal of the SVR RF
Official emblem
Flag of the SVR
Agency overview
Formed	December 1991
Preceding agency	KGB First Chief Directorate
Headquarters	Yasenevo, Moscow, Russia
Minister responsible	Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
Agency executive	Sergey Naryshkin, Director
Child agency	Institute of Intelligence Information
Website	http://svr.gov.ru

Coordinates: 55°35′02″N 37°31′01″E / 55.584°N 37.517°E / 55.584; 37.517

The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (Russian: Слу́жба вне́шней разве́дки, tr. Sluzhba vneshney razvedki; IPA: [ˈsluʐbə ˈvnʲɛʂnʲɪj rɐˈzvʲɛtkʲɪ]) or SVR RF (Russian: СВР РФ) is Russia's external intelligence agency, mainly for civilian affairs. The military affairs espionage counterpart is the GRU. The SVR RF is the successor of the First Chief Directorate (PGU) of the KGB since December 1991. The headquarters of SVR are in the Yasenevo District of Moscow.

Unlike the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), SVR is tasked with intelligence and espionage activities outside Russian Federation. It works together with the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (Russian: Гла́вное разве́дывательное управле́ние, tr. Glavnoye razvedyvatel'noye upravleniye; IPA: [ˈglavnəjə rɐzˈvʲɛdɨvətʲɪlʲnəjə ʊprɐˈvlʲenʲɪjə]) (GRU), which reportedly deployed six times as many spies in foreign countries as SVR in 1997. SVR is also authorized to negotiate anti-terrorist cooperation and intelligence-sharing arrangements with foreign intelligence agencies, and provides analysis and dissemination of intelligence to the Russian president.