Counterintelligence Operations Department
Identification
Best-supported match is the FSB’s Department for Counterintelligence Operations, usually abbreviated DKRO, within the FSB counterintelligence chain. Open-source reporting places DKRO under the First Service/Counterintelligence Service, and official Russian government materials place the FSB central apparatus at 1/3 Bolshaya Lubyanka Street, Moscow; authoritative public materials reviewed for this briefing did not provide a separate DKRO street address. ([hashtag.al](https://www.hashtag.al/en/index.php/2023/07/11/brenda-njesise-sekrete-te-sherbimit-inteligjent-rus-qe-synon-amerikanet-wsj/))
Leadership
As of late 2024 and mid-2025 reporting, Lieutenant General Dmitry Minaev is identified as the officer running DKRO. Earlier specialist OSINT profiles also listed Minaev among the deputies of First Service chief Vladislav Menshchikov, which is consistent with the hierarchy path supplied here, though Russian official channels do not publicly publish a current DKRO command roster. ([felipesahagun.es](https://felipesahagun.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Evan-Gershkovich-sobre-la-unidad-de-contraespionaje-de-Putin.pdf?utm_source=openai))
Mission
DKRO’s publicly attributable role is foreign counterespionage inside Russia. A June 2025 New York Times report, based on an internal FSB planning document that six Western intelligence agencies assessed as authentic, said the memo came from DKRO’s 7th Service, which handles counterintelligence planning and operations against Asian targets, especially China, and was intended for circulation to FSB field offices; that points to a central headquarters element with nationwide tasking reach rather than a standalone regional site. ([rsn.org](https://www.rsn.org/001/secret-russian-intelligence-document-shows-deep-suspicion-of-china.html))
Operational profile
Major-media reporting attributes several high-visibility operations to DKRO. WSJ reporting summarized by Axios and other outlets said DKRO led the March 29, 2023 arrest of Evan Gershkovich, and earlier WSJ reporting described the unit as responsible for surveillance of foreigners in Russia, especially Americans; these points should be treated as reported allegations and investigative findings, not official FSB disclosures. ([axios.com](https://www.axios.com/2024/12/13/evan-gershkovich-wsj-first-story-release-russia?utm_source=openai))
Location limits
Open sources tie the department to the Lubyanka-based FSB headquarters complex in central Moscow, but exact office suite, building section, staffing, secure communications infrastructure, and internal security arrangements are not publicly confirmed. Best assessment from verified open sources is therefore to treat this record as an organizational node within the FSB central apparatus at Lubyanka, not as a separately geolocated installation. ([rsn.org](https://www.rsn.org/001/secret-russian-intelligence-document-shows-deep-suspicion-of-china.html))