This page was last edited on 28 September 2018, at 11:31. Updates? In its early history, the KGB valued illegal spies more than legal spies, because illegal spies infiltrated their targets with greater ease. Among the victims were more than half the members of the ruling Central Committee (the Communist Partys highest organ) as well as the NKVDs first two chiefs, Genrikh Yagoda and Nikolay Yezhov. Operations and Technology Directorate research laboratories for recording devices and, Administration Department of the KGB, and, , .. --I KGB, an initialism for Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti (Russian: (), translated in English as Committee for State Security), was the main security agency for the Soviet Union from 1954 until its collapse in 1991. After the introduction of this new system, most existing kombrigs were ranked as colonel, although some were ranked as general; existing komdivs were mostly ranked as major general, komcors and Army Commanders 2nd rank was mostly ranked Lieutenant General, and Army Commanders 1st rank were ranked as Colonel General or General of the Army (a notable exception is Georgy Zhukov who was promoted to General of the Army directly from komcor rank). CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 Ukase of presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR about organization of committee for State Security at the Council of Ministers of the USSR. PART I-GENERAL. It was Cold War policy for the KGB of the Soviet Union and the secret services of the satellite states to extensively monitor public and private opinion, internal subversion and possible revolutionary plots in the Soviet Bloc. This unusual rank structure makes rank comparisons difficult; Marshal of the Soviet Union is arguably not the equivalent to NATO five-star general ranks such as British Field Marshal or American General of the Army, but is instead an honorary rank analogous to the Marshal of France, although without associated state functions. For war-time, KGB had ready sabotage operations arms caches in target countries. : " ". The colour of collar patch and colour of collar patch's edge indicating the corps:[9], From 1943 to 1955, the rank insignia have two colours. Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 Service. Cyrillic letters unit designators Original Price $80.00 You are thinking of US Army ranks, the Soviet Army had three lieutenant ranks. Romania retained the Soviet-based system of ranks until the 1989 revolution. 1963 saw all Starshina insignia in the Army and Air Force change to their final design. Guard and KGB: Background is olive drab. NAVAL AIR FORCE AND SHORE BASED PERSONNEL (AII ranks not shown) 5 Unsurprisingly, there are extremely little information in the wild, but from what I've managed to gather there seems to be a very wild variation in ranks when it comes to agents operating abroad. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The illegal resident spied, unprotected by diplomatic immunity, and worked independently of Soviet diplomatic and trade missions, (cf. This type of data sharing may be considered a sale of information under California privacy laws. - yannis Apr 20, 2013 at 12:44 the Royal Montenegrin coat-of-arms which again is a new heraldic insignia of this small country. Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 $15.00pr . Colonel (Artillery) The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was also introduced. 18(3), . It is responsible for counter-terrorism and counter espionage and Russian information security. // i i i ": , , i", . Schools The shoulder insignia for fleet admirals and all officers' sleeve insignia changed in the following decade as the Admiral of the Fleet rank was revived, now between Admirals and Admirals of the Fleet of the Soviet Union. Some Its also home to a whole host of one-of-a-kind items made with love and extraordinary care. enlisted men's cap Marshals and General officers The KGB was created in 1954 to serve as the sword and shield of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union. Militia: Some as for dress/semi-dress. Branch of service insignia is. Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 I What would be a typical rank for KGB intelligence officers spying abroad in the 1980s? Responsibility for personnel, equipment and mission grows with each. Oleg Vladimirovich Penkovsky. The Chairman of the KGB, First Deputy Chairmen (12), Deputy Chairmen (46). The banks were Peninsula National Bank in Burlingame, the First National Bank of Fresno, and the Tahoe National Bank in South Lake Tahoe. DRESS/SEMI-DRESS, SERVICE AND COMBAT Their efforts were thwarted by the CIA. After discussing this question with my deputies, we conclude that our army needs to have the same number of General ranks as it was in the Tsarist army and as it exists in other European armies such as German, French and British. President Mikhail Gorbachev was arrested and ineffective attempts made to seize power. Second most junior rank in the Army, and the first at which a Soldier wears rank insignia. General of Cavalry, Marshal of Armoured Troops). (1987 year). Students of Nakhimov Immediately after the Revolution, personal military ranks were abandoned in favour of a system of positional ranks, which were acronyms of the full position names. This category has only the following subcategory. The final rank structure from these reforms stayed well until the Union's dissolution and is the basis for the current ranks of the Russian Ground Forces. [4] It operated legal and illegal espionage residencies in target countries where a legal resident gathered intelligence while based at the Soviet Embassy or Consulate, and, if caught, was protected from prosecution by diplomatic immunity. Turning off personalized advertising opts you out of these sales. Learn more in our Privacy Policy., Help Center, and Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy. The Admiral of the Fleet rank was also created by then. He was especially concerned with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Andrei Sakharov, "Public Enemy Number One". The following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total. Elephant, Warrior (6 months to a year), other names are a grand goose, senior rabbit, etc. 999/08/24 CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 Twenty-four years after the birth of Spetsnaz, the first counter-terrorist unit was established by KGB head Yuri Andropov. This category has the following 10 subcategories, out of 10 total. Approved For Release 1999/08/1iI&RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 The letter imprint on Soviet navy shoulder boards OR1 to OR7 symbolised the adherence to the appropriate fleet or naval major command. One of its networks, the Red Orchestra, comprised several hundred agents and informers, including agents in the German ministries of foreign affairs, labour, propaganda, and economics. dress and service Buttons are gold. Its rank structure was modeled on that of the army however, in part to give its officers the clout needed to act against the military if needed. Navy and Militia: Same as for dress/semi-dress. (in Russian)( , - . . Military Transportation branch of service insignia are olive drab. . Summer: field uniform Summer: 2nd type uniform* Summer: 3rd type uniform thread. I can say the GRU is the most fearsome force in Chechnya. (for officers serving on ships and in figs. Advancing in rank tends to produce a paper trail, and an illegal resident spy would need to have as low a profile as possible (even within the USSR). Click Buy it now or Add to cart and proceed to checkout. 999/08124 CIA-RDP78-026468000400360001-4 12 It was the chief government agency of "union-republican jurisdiction", acting as internal security, intelligence, and secret police. The Red Army abandoned epaulettes and ranks, using purely functional titles such as "Division Commander", "Corps Commander", and similar titles. Multicolor plastics, 75 x 100 mm. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. A series of trials and executions continuing into 1956 eliminated a number of his senior associates. Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, , ; Military rank insignia of the KGB, Military rank insignia of the KGB (1955-1957), https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Military_rank_insignia_of_the_KGB_(1955-1957)&oldid=634508877, Uses of Wikidata Infobox with no instance of, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. gold, except for the administrative, quarter- Approved For Releas%ORRP~P ?~, j&-F SPg i92646R000400360001-4 Skills like general familiarity with the country they would operate in, good or even expert knowledge of the foreign language, at least some vague physical resemblance with the natives. NOTE: MILITIA OFFICERS always wear shoulderboards of silver thread background with red longitudinal stripes and pi ing. None of them were or ever became ranked officers of the KGB. remained unaffected. Does shopping on Etsy help support small businesses? Immediately following Stalins death in March 1953, the MGB was merged back into the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), still under Beria. Repressive actions of the institutions of the soviet occupation regime from 1940. 1972 saw Midshipmen's status raised to warrant officers with Chief Ship Petty Officers replacing their former roles as the highest enlisted ratings. NAVY - SHOULDERBOARDS, OFFICERS A cinnamon-brown color was used instead of the burgundy red previously worn by commanders and commanding officers. Navy: Background either of gold or silver thread. I stand by the rest, using as my source. The ranks and rank insignia of the Soviet Armed Forces between 1955 and 1991 were distinguished by the reorganisation of the Soviet armed forces after the death of Stalin, resulting in changes to ranks, insignia, and uniforms. 101 In particular, the Bolsheviks condemned the use of the word "officer" and used the word "commander" instead. 1st Rank KGB Journals and books. If one did not know a commander's position, one used one of the possible positions - for example: "Regiment Commander" for K-9. shoulderboards have piping, other ranks have only longitudinal stripes colored Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 We also created 2.6 million jobs in the U.S.enough to employ the entire city of Houston, TX! the non-official cover CIA officer). Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 . Rear-Admiral $24.00, $30.00 OFFICERS SHOULDERBOARDS istrative, technical, medical and veterinary services when they are silver. The KGB also has been considered a military service and was governed by army laws and regulations, similar to the Soviet Army or MVD Internal Troops. Good news! This position of respect is held by KGB's long time veterans that have made a major contribution to the organization as a whole. -RDP78 Navy [citation needed], In the mid-1970s, the KGB tried to secretly buy three banks in northern California to gain access to high-technology secrets. You are thinking of US Army ranks, the Soviet Army had three lieutenant ranks. Good behavior over the long hall, sacrifice, and commitment are all important attributes of a SUPREME KNIGHT. I'm asking after watching the TV-show "The Americans", which got me thinking about the likely rank (if any) of Elizabeth and Philip. 1 - 3. Before the end of summer, the post-Stalinist leadership under Nikita Khrushchev turned against the power-hungry Beria, and he was deposed and executed. KGB operatives, especially those operating outside the USSR, would need a diverse set of skills, of which rank would be the least important. non-commissioned officers' and [citation needed] In 1944, the New York City residency infiltrated the top secret Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, by recruiting Theodore Hall, a nineteen-year-old Harvard physicist. MISCELLANEOUS ILLUSTRATED HANDBOOK Only Poland and East Germany remained loyal to the pre-war uniform and ranks style out of the Warsaw block countries. The KGB's Czech success in the 1960s was matched with the failed suppression of the Solidarity labour movement in 1980s Poland. The rank insignia was now also seen on epaulettes: black on-duty dresses and dark blue and gold on all full and ceremonial dresses for the fleet forces, with air force blue borders for the aviation branch and red borders for the coastal defense and naval infantry branch. HAVE PIPING. Boatswain Rigger Musician Storekeeper Hospital Corpsman buttons and insignia are olive drab for all ranks. Stars, In 1939 all flag officer ranks were reinstated and Midshipman became the highest enlisted rating in the Navy, and in the course of the Great Patriotic War, all Redfleetmen became Seamen in another rank change. [3][pageneeded]. Navy and Militia: Same as for dress/semi-dress. The ranks and insignia used by Russian Ground Forces are inherited from the military ranks of the Soviet Union, although the insignia and uniform has been altered slightly. These generals were afraid of KGB colonels, and slightly nervous facing lower ranks, such as Lt. Col or Major. Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 1955 saw the renaming of the Admiral of the Fleet rank into that of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union and was now equivalent to that of a Marshal of the Soviet Union. Like similar U.S. officers, they tended to "top out" at Major, but would often receive a final promotion to Lt. Col. at the end of their careers. In March 1956, general officers' stars were changed to gold. Tradecraft included stealing and photographing documents, code-names, contacts, targets, and dead letter boxes, and working as a "friend of the cause" or agents provocateur, who would infiltrate the target group to sow dissension, influence policy, and arrange kidnappings and assassinations. Areas of KGB activities. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Always silver background with red piping and longitudinal stripes. Under Catherine the Great were all officers appointed for five years? NAVY - SHOULDERBOARDS, PETTY OFFICERS AND SEAMEN* Colour of shoulder board and edge colour indicating the corps:[10], From December 1955 to 1970, the colours were changed to:[11]. [2][pageneeded] For the most part the new system restored that used by the Imperial Russian Army after its participation in World War I. At present we have five General-grade ranks (kombrig, komdiv, komcor, komandarm 2nd rank, and komandarm 1st rank). To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. dress/semi=dress DESCRIPTION. The KGB was formed in 1954 and attached to the Council of Ministers, the committee was a direct successor of such preceding agencies as Cheka, NKGB, and MGB. On October 9, 1942, the authorities abolished the system of military commissars, together with the commissar ranks, and they were completely integrated into the regular officer corps. For faster navigation, . A ppr ved Far Release 1999/08/24 : CIA-RDP78-026468000400360001-4, Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room. ARMY, AIR FORCE AND NAVY, KGB and MILITIA MILITIA (CRIMINAL AND TRAFFIC POLICE) Union HIGH RANKING OFFICERS Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. They were to gain the trust of and spy upon the most outspoken proponents of Alexander Dubek's new government. Insignia and rank stripes are gold except for admin- Yugoslavia abandoned the Soviet-style insignia in 1951, following the breakaway from Stalin's block; other countries quickly reverted to previous designs shortly after Stalin's death (19561958). Feliks Dzerzhinsky, the Chekas chief during the early years of Soviet power, molded the service into an effective, merciless tool of the ruling Communist Party. Fleet of the Soviet What was the origin of the roles of "lieutenant" officers? Thanks for contributing an answer to History Stack Exchange! In 2020 alone, purchases on Etsy generated nearly $4 billion in income for small businesses. With political reassignments, Shelepin protg Vladimir Semichastny (196167) was sacked as KGB Chairman, and Shelepin himself was demoted from chairman of the Committee of Party and State Control to Trade Union Council chairman. SOVIET RANK STARS SRS1.Small gold rank stars. OFFICERS: DRESS/SEMI-DRESS Although they underwent some modifications, the ranks were based on those of the Russian Empire. 18 MILITIA: DRESS and SERVICE (Rank stripes are in silver or white) enlisted men In retrospect, the captures of the moles Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen proved that Angleton, though ignored as over-aggressive, was correct, despite costing him his job at CIA, which he left in 1975. agonal sh?A pr sporcReIease 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R00d400360001-4 (Infantry) (Infantry) Air Force Captain Vice-Admiral Private, Military Construction Responsibility for personnel, equipment and mission grows with each advancement. KGB Structure. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. 16 Branch of service insigni Marshals and. GRU, abbreviation of Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie, (Russian: Chief Intelligence Office), Soviet military intelligence organization. After the war, the rank of Generalissimus of the Soviet Union was proposed to Joseph Stalin in his role as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, however, he refused the proposal of the rank several times. Yezhov was succeeded as head of the NKVD by Lavrenty Beria, who served from 1938 to 1953. Army, Air Force, Border Guard and KGB: Background either of gold or silver [4] The rank insignia featured the USSR arms above a large Marshal's Star surrounded by a wreath. (20% off), Sale Price $32.00 ), , .. (All ranks not shown) Navy: Background black or sky-blue. always sky-blue, c) for the KGB: royal blue, d) for the Border Guard: dark green. $32.00, $40.00 Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 HONOR GUARD (usually (usually mustered for arrival of Chiefs of State) The KGB failed to prevent Sakharov's collecting his Nobel Peace Prize in 1975, but did prevent Yuri Orlov collecting his Nobel Prize in 1978; Chairman Andropov supervised both operations. of the Soviet Union Another example is the Cambridge Five. SLEEVE INSIGNIA WORN BY LINE AND LINE ENGINEER NAVAL OFFICERS The last major illegal resident, Rudolf Abel ("Willie" Vilyam Fisher), was betrayed by his assistant, Reino Hyhnen, in 1957. Army, Air Force, Border Guard and KGB: Background is olive drab. Our global marketplace is a vibrant community of real people connecting over special goods. Hence, during the Second World War (193945)at the Teheran (1943), Yalta (1945), and Potsdam (1945) conferencesBig Three Ally Joseph Stalin of the USSR, was better informed about the war affairs of his US and UK allies than they were about his.[8]. In 1970 all Starshinas became full-time senior non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel and the new NCO rank of Praporshchik became a Warrant Officer rank, with a new rank of Senior Praporshchik created for senior rank holders later in 1981. The ranks and rank insignia of the Soviet Army between 1955 and 1991 were distinguished by the reorganisation of the Soviet armed forces after the death of Stalin, resulting in changes to ranks, insignia, and uniforms. The false-identity or legend assumed by a USSR-born illegal spy was elaborate, using the life of either a "live double" (participant to the fabrications) or a "dead double" (whose identity is tailored to the spy). Note: Winter overcoat as for officers. While most of the KGB archives remain classified, two on-line documentary sources are available. MOZAMBIQUE Militia Summer: dress, semi-dress Summer: dress, semi-dress And if the illegal resident spy was a Soviet national and a KGB officer, then it would make sense for them to be low ranking. In 1922 the Cheka was supplanted by the GPU (State Political Administration) in an effort by the Communist Party to reduce the scale of the Chekas terror. The MGB, directed by V.S. SOVIET COLLAR TABS, SLEEVE PATCHES, BRANCH INSIGNIA. Navy: Same as for dress/semi-dress. Evidence suggests that Soviet agents in Britain passed 15,000 to 20,000 documents to Moscow between 1941 and 1945. 2-3. of Captain 1st Rank or below. Militia. During the Hungarian revolt, KGB chairman Ivan Serov personally supervised the post-invasion "normalization" of the country. Officers' cap devices Appro da4 ov R 3ease 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000400360001-4 OFFICERS' CANDIDATES and STUDENTS OF SUVOROV MILITARY SCHOOLS At that time the Imperial Russian Table of Ranks was abolished, as were the privileges of the pre-Soviet Russian nobility. Later in 1943, the ranks of Marshal and Chief Marshal of a service branch were introduced in aviation, artillery, communications troops, and armored troops; both equivalent to General of the Army. Moreover, KGB counter-intelligence vetted foreign intelligence sources, so that the moles might "officially" approve an anti-CIA double agent as trustworthy. Try contacting them via Messages to find out! (20% off), Sale Price $20.00 Finally, the KGB prepared hardline, pro-USSR members of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (CPC), such as Alois Indra and Vasil Biak, to assume power after the Red Army's invasion. The military ranks of the Soviet Union were those introduced after the October Revolution of 1917. Uniquely, the ranks of the Soviet Naval Infantry, Soviet Naval Aviation, and the other ground services remained army-styled similar to their Red Army counterparts but the rank insignia became uniform. This handbook has been compiled from the latest Soviet sources During this period the OGPU also conducted covert operations on foreign soil to disrupt the activities of the regimes opponents, some of whom it kidnapped and murdered. The GRU Spetsnaz were a part of the occupying force in the battle of Grozny. Information uncovered in the 1990s indicated that by 1953 some 2,750,000 Soviet citizens were in jail or in forced-labour camps, and approximately the same number were in internal exile. Monument to "victims" of KGB operations in Vilnius, Lithuania. Found something you love but want to make it even more uniquely you? With powerful tools and services, along with expert support and education, we help creative entrepreneurs start, manage, and scale their businesses. Military Schools Army, Air Force, Border Guard and KGB: Background is olive drab. Its policy Collegium comprised a chairman, deputy chairmen, directorate chiefs, and republican KGB chairmen. Why are physically impossible and logically impossible concepts considered separate in terms of probability? is either silver on gold shoulderboards or gold on silver shoulderboards. shoulderboard is as shown in Fig. : 1918 - 1956. These banks had made numerous loans to advanced technology companies and had many of their officers and directors as clients. Soviet Military, I Rank insignia then used both upside-down chevrons on the sleeve and collar marks. The agent then substantiated his or her legend by living it in a foreign country, before emigrating to the target country, thus the sending of US-bound illegal residents via the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Senior Petty Officers (Navy) To follow [them] is the highest military rank in the Red Army, the Marshal of the Soviet Union, which corresponds to similar ranks in foreign capitalist armies. Captain The rank systems in the pro-Soviet states of Mongolia and Tuva developed under the Soviet influence, following the pattern change in 1943. The branch of service insignia cone Fl r1CoDn A Dnc (2011). "", . According to the unofficial table of ranks, KGB colonel was way more important than a military (or Militia) general. Army, Air Force and KGB 2. Sgt.-Major, Infantry (extended enlistment) Senior Sgt., Air Force Of course I'm not implying such sleeper-cells existed in the USA, just asking for likely ranks. Rank insignia of Yefreytor of the KGB Border Troops (1980).png 89 242; 28 KB. [citation needed]. They stayed that way until 1925 when new ranks and rates were created. Ship and Ship Engineers Other than ship and ship engineers Etsys 100% renewable electricity commitment includes the electricity used by the data centers that host Etsy.com, the Sell on Etsy app, and the Etsy app, as well as the electricity that powers Etsys global offices and employees working remotely from home in the US. The Soviet ranks ceased to be used after the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, although the military ranks and insignia of the modern Russian Federation and Ukraine have been largely adopted from the Soviet system.