FSB Counterintelligence Service
FSB Counterintelligence Service and 18th FSB Center: Overview
The Federal Security Service (FSB) is Russia’s principal domestic security and counterintelligence agency, established by Federal Law No. 40-FZ On the Federal Security Service dated 3 April 1995. Within the FSB, the Counterintelligence Service conducts counterespionage and protection of state secrets across government bodies, strategic industries, and the Armed Forces. The Information Security Center (TsIB), also known as the 18th FSB Center and identified as military unit 64829, focuses on information security, cyber investigative support, and related operational activities within the FSB’s statutory remit.
Mandate and Legal Authorities
Relevant authorities derive from Federal Law No. 40-FZ On the Federal Security Service (3 April 1995); Federal Law No. 144-FZ On Operational-Search Activity (12 August 1995); Federal Law No. 149-FZ On Information, Information Technologies and Protection of Information (27 July 2006); and Federal Law No. 187-FZ On the Security of the Critical Information Infrastructure of the Russian Federation (26 July 2017). Under these laws, the FSB is empowered to detect, prevent, and suppress espionage and related threats, protect state secrets, conduct operational-search measures, and organize the state system for detecting and responding to computer attacks (GosSOPKA), including coordination via the National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents established in 2018.
Command and Control
Official open sources name Army General Alexander Bortnikov as FSB Director since May 2008. The FSB does not routinely publish the identities of service or center commanders; accordingly, the head of the Counterintelligence Service and the commander of the Information Security Center (military unit 64829) are not officially disclosed in public documents as of 2024. The names provided (Lieutenant General Vladislav Menshchikov for the Counterintelligence Service; Sergey Skorokhodov for the 18th Center) cannot be independently confirmed from official publications.
Unit Identification and Nomenclature
The Information Security Center is commonly referred to as Center 18 of the FSB (TsIB FSB) and is identified in Russian documentation as military unit 64829. In Russian it is known as Tsentr informatsionnoy bezopasnosti FSB (v/ch 64829). The center is part of the FSB central apparatus; specific subordination within the FSB hierarchy is not publicly released.
Infrastructure and Site Footprint
The FSB’s central facilities are concentrated in central Moscow around Lubyanka Square, and center-level units operate from secure facilities within or adjacent to these complexes. Public sources confirm that Center 18 is headquartered in Moscow; the exact street addresses, internal facility layouts, access controls, and any auxiliary sites are not officially disclosed. The FSB maintains regional directorates across the Russian Federation; however, detailed distribution of Center 18 personnel or detachments in regional offices is not publicly documented.
Operational Functions: Counterintelligence Service
The Counterintelligence Service conducts counterespionage, counters sabotage by foreign special services, safeguards defense-industrial enterprises and mobilization readiness, and enforces protection of state secrets within government and strategic sectors. Military counterintelligence elements of the FSB are embedded within the Armed Forces and other militarized formations to ensure security, discipline, and protection against espionage; this mission is longstanding and formally part of the FSB’s remit under federal law.
Operational Functions: Information Security Center (18th FSB Center)
Center 18 is responsible for activities related to information security and cybercrime within the FSB’s competence, including operational support to investigations involving computer information, technical and forensic analysis, and coordination with national cyber defense mechanisms established under the critical information infrastructure law. Open sources also link Center 18 officers to offensive cyber activities outside Russia, as reflected in foreign criminal cases and government designations.
Publicly Reported Incidents and Legal Proceedings
Notable cases include the 15 March 2017 U.S. Department of Justice indictment for the 2014 Yahoo data breach, which charged two FSB officers from the Information Security Center (Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin) alongside two criminal associates; arrests by Russian authorities in December 2016 of senior Center 18 personnel, including Deputy Head Sergey Mikhailov and operative Dmitry Dokuchaev, followed by treason convictions by a military court in 2019; and multiple sanctions actions by foreign governments citing the FSB’s role in malicious cyber-enabled activities. These events are documented in official court filings and government releases.
Sanctions and International Restrictions
The FSB has been designated by the United States since December 2016 under Executive Order 13694 as amended by Executive Order 13757 for malicious cyber-enabled activities, with restrictions maintained and expanded under Russia-related sanctions programs after February 2022; limited general licenses permit certain regulatory submissions to the FSB related to import or distribution of IT and communications products in Russia. The European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and other jurisdictions have also imposed sanctions affecting the FSB and named associated individuals, resulting in restrictions on transactions, technology access, and travel for listed entities and persons.
Personnel and Subunit Details Provided (Unverified)
The following unit and personnel details have been reported but are not confirmed by official publications: Commander of the FSB Counterintelligence Service identified as Lieutenant General Vladislav Menshchikov; Information Security Center (18th FSB Center, military unit 64829) commanded by Sergey Skorokhodov; within the 18th Center, an Operational Department led by Zhakhongir Bakhritdinovich Yuldashev, a Second Operational Department led by Oleg Innokentyevich Kashentsov until October 2022, and an Information Technology Department led by Alexey Grachev. Due to the classified nature of FSB staffing and the lack of authoritative public confirmation, these entries should be treated as unverified.
Information Gaps and Classification Considerations
Details such as the precise chain of command within the FSB central apparatus, current commanders of services and centers, internal departmental structures, personnel strength, facility locations and layouts, technical inventories, and budgetary allocations are not publicly disclosed and are likely classified under Russian law on state secrets. Absent official publication, granular site-level information for Center 18 (military unit 64829) and the Counterintelligence Service cannot be provided.