Soviet Border Troops

Soviet Border Troops
Пограничные войска СССР
Pograníchnyye Voiská SSSR
Patch of the Soviet Border Troops
Founded1918
Disbanded1992
Country Soviet Union (1918–1991)
 CIS (1991–1992)
AllegianceCommunist Party of the Soviet Union (until 1990)
President of the Soviet Union (1990–1991)
Commonwealth of Independent States (1991–1992)
TypeBorder guard
Size220,000 (1991)
ColorsGreen
EngagementsFirst World War

Chinese Civil War

Soviet–Japanese border conflicts

Second World War

Hungarian Revolution of 1956

Sino-Soviet border conflict

Soviet–Afghan War
Commanders
Current
commander
See list
Notable
commanders
Timofei Strokach
Pavel Zyryanov
The Karpov frontier post, Soviet-Afghan border
Former Soviet Border Guard observation post in Estonia

The Soviet Border Troops (Russian: Пограничные войска СССР, romanizedPogranichnyye voyska SSSR) were the border guard of the Soviet Union, subordinated to the Soviet state security agency: first to the Cheka/OGPU, then to NKVD/MGB and, finally, to the KGB. Accordingly, they were known as NKVD Border Security and KGB Border Troops. Unlike the border guards of many other countries, Soviet Border Troops also included the maritime border guarding units, and aviation units (i.e., a coast guard).

The mission of the Border Troops included repulsing armed incursions into Soviet territory; preventing illegal crossings of the border or the transport of weapons, explosives, contraband or subversive literature across the border; monitoring the observance of established procedures at border crossing points; monitoring the observance by Soviet and foreign ships of navigation procedures in Soviet territorial waters; and assisting state agencies in the preservation of natural resources and the protection of the environment from pollution. Border guards were authorized to examine documents and possessions of persons crossing the borders and to confiscate articles; to conduct inquiries in cases of violations of the state border; and to take such actions as arrest, search and interrogation of individuals suspected of border violations.

With the end of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Border troops remained under the command of the Commonwealth of Independent States but later were divided between the Union's constituent republics.