The practice of attaching retired and active intelligence-service officers to civilian enterprises and organizations has deep roots in the Soviet system, and took on new life in post-Soviet Russia.
Historical background
The system of "active reserve officers" (ODR) within the KGB was formally established in the mid-1950s. On October 24, 1955, the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee adopted a resolution "On KGB officers working in other organizations, ministries, and agencies." The activity of the ODR was later governed by specific regulations, the last of which was approved in 1982.
Attached officers were placed in practically every key Soviet agency — from the ministries of the aviation industry and atomic energy to the Academy of Sciences and TASS. They handled secrecy compliance, counterintelligence work, and carried out special assignments for the security services.
Under a 1958 instruction, an active-reserve officer's primary duty was to "maintain the security regime and safeguard secrecy" at their workplace. They were also expected to "serve as an example in fulfilling their official duty, systematically improve their qualifications, and approach service matters with principle." Notably, ministries and agencies were officially informed of these officers' presence.
Soviet-era regulations
The activity of the KGB's Active Reserve was governed by a series of documents:
- October 24, 1955 — CPSU Central Committee Presidium resolution No. P165/XXI-op
- December 24, 1958 — Instruction on Working with the Officer Corps of the KGB Active Reserve
- From 1972 — "Regulation on the Officer Corps of the Committee for State Security under the USSR Council of Ministers"
- 1981 — KGB Collegium resolution "On the State of, and Measures for Further Improving, the Work of Active Reserve Officers"
- 1982 — a new "Regulation on Active Reserve Officers of the USSR KGB"
Its transformation in the 1990s
After the collapse of the USSR, the system of attached officers didn't disappear — it adapted to the new reality. In the 1990s, the law "On the Federal Security Service Agencies" allowed active FSB officers to be seconded to enterprises of any ownership form, with the consent of their management.
Legalizing this practice was helped along by the 1992 law "On Private Detective and Security Activity," which made it possible for former KGB and Interior Ministry officers to engage in commercial activity, drawing on their professional skills and connections.
Even after the USSR's collapse, the institution of KGB oversight over state bodies and enterprises was never fully dismantled. Agencies of the former USSR were reorganized into various state conglomerates and joint-stock companies, changing their names and structure — but the attached officers within them remained. Such officers, in particular, stayed on at "Aeroflot," in the media, at major universities, at "Intourist," and at foreign-trade organizations.
Between 1994 and 1996, some of these attached KGB officers were reduced in number or replaced, under a decree by President Yeltsin. In 1998, the system of active-reserve officers was renamed the Apparatus of Attached Officers (APS).
The legal basis of the modern APS
Article 15 of the official "Law on the FSB" explicitly states that "in order to accomplish the tasks of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation, servicemen of the federal security service agencies may be attached to state bodies, enterprises, institutions, and organizations regardless of ownership form, with the consent of their management."
Another important document is the classified Order No. 094, "On Organizing the Work of Attaching Servicemen of the Federal Security Service Agencies," dated April 24, 2001, and signed by then-FSB director Nikolai Patrushev.
Categories of officers
According to available sources, FSB officers working within government bodies and major enterprises can be divided into two categories:
Attached officers
Their assignment is approved at the ministerial or agency level. They are officially sent to state companies, government bodies, major political parties, and law enforcement agencies. Their presence is known to the organization's management.
Embedded officers
Their status is protected as a state secret. Their presence is known only to a very narrow circle of people within the FSB. Disclosing their status is prohibited by law.
Areas of activity
Attached officers (also known as employees of the "first departments") took up a variety of positions:
- Legal advisers
- Deputy directors for security
- Directors of security services
- Advisers to CEOs
- Members of supervisory boards
- Executive assistants
- Deputy directors for internal security regime
This practice was especially widespread in banking, at defense-industry enterprises, at large commercial organizations, and within government institutions.
The APS today
According to researchers, attached FSB officers currently serve within:
Government bodies:
- • The Presidential Administration
- • The Russian Government
- • Various ministries and agencies
- • The Central Bank
- • The Accounts Chamber
State corporations:
- • "Rostec"
- • "Gazprom"
- • "Rosneft"
- • "Lukoil"
- • "Zarubezhneft"
Other organizations:
- • "Aeroflot"
- • VTB, VEB
- • "Russian Railways"
- • Major universities
- • Media outlets
Known examples of attached officers
Among the best-known examples:
- Oleg Feoktistov — a former general with the FSB's Internal Security Directorate, who headed "Rosneft's" security service before moving to "Peresvet" bank
- Alexander Zdanovich — an FSB general, appointed deputy director general of VGTRK in 2002
- Sergei Bazhanov — president of the International Bank of St. Petersburg and a former senator, who served in the KGB/FSB from 1987
- Roman Sedov — an FSB colonel, appointed deputy director general of "Gazprom Mezhregiongaz" in 2017
Financial arrangements
Under FSB Director's Order No. 094 of April 24, 2001, if an attached officer's salary at their new post exceeds their FSB salary, the difference must be returned to the agency. Because of this, many officers, beyond their official salary, receive payments in envelopes. Over time, attached officers can drift from loyalty to the FSB, and begin acting in their own financial interest.
Goals and objectives
The system of attached officers served several purposes:
- Monitoring compliance with security protocols
- Collecting operational intelligence
- Ensuring the loyalty of key enterprises
- Countering industrial espionage
- Monitoring financial flows
- Recruiting agents
- Overseeing corruption schemes
Its connection to the FSO's 9th Directorate
The Apparatus of Attached Officers is closely tied to the Operational Directorate (9th Directorate) of the FSO. In March 2019, it came under the leadership of Sergei Kudinov, head of the FSB Internal Security Directorate's 3rd Service. The FSO's 9th Directorate carries out investigative operations concerning employees of the Presidential Administration and related structures. Officers of this directorate form a reserve pool for the APS, and are assigned to various ministries and regional administrations.
Criticism and problems
The APS system has faced criticism on several fronts. In 2003, retired KGB-FSB Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Kazantsev, in an appeal to President Putin, noted the degradation of the apparatus of attached officers. He pointed out that many officers' counterintelligence effectiveness was essentially zero, and that posts were mainly filled with "one's own," "useful" people.
Some experts note the potential for conflicts of interest, when attached officers begin working in the interests of their new employers rather than the FSB. The system's lack of transparency, and the potential for abuse, have also drawn criticism.
An important note
It should be noted that many details of the FSB's APS operations remain classified. The information presented here is based on open sources, journalistic investigations, and the testimony of former intelligence officers.