Federal Security Service (FSB)
Organizational Overview
The Federal Security Service (FSB) is the Russian Federation’s principal internal security, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and border security organ. It is a militarized federal executive body subordinate to the President of Russia. Its activities are regulated primarily by Federal Law No. 40-FZ of 3 April 1995 On the Federal Security Service, complemented by presidential decrees and departmental regulations. The FSB inherited domestic security functions from the former KGB and, following the dissolution of FAPSI in 2003, absorbed selected communications, information security, and signals-related functions, while nationwide government communications responsibilities were transferred largely to the Federal Protective Service (FSO).
Headquarters and Leadership
Headquarters: Moscow, Lubyanka Square (the Lubyanka Building complex). Director: Army General Alexander V. Bortnikov, appointed on 12 May 2008 and publicly reported as continuing in that post as of 2024. The headquarters houses central services responsible for counterintelligence, counterterrorism, economic security, operational-technical support, information security, and oversight of territorial and border directorates.
Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB), military unit 35690
Mission: national-level counterterrorism, hostage rescue, high-risk direct action, and protection of critical state facilities. Publicly known components include Directorate A (Alpha Group), formed on 29 July 1974, and Directorate V (Vympel), formed on 19 August 1981; additional specialized detachments and training elements operate under the Center. Publicly acknowledged deployments include the Moscow theater hostage crisis (23–26 October 2002) and the Beslan school siege (1–3 September 2004). Open sources widely associate military unit number 35690 with the Center; official Russian documents typically do not confirm unit numbers, and detailed locations, manning, and equipment remain classified.
Special Communications Support, military unit 66523
Open-source references link military unit 66523 to special communications support within the FSB, i.e., secure communications, cryptographic support, and technical communications infrastructure for operational and headquarters needs. Precise subordination, locations, and equipment are not disclosed in official sources and are likely classified. In the Russian system, many government communications functions were reassigned after FAPSI was dissolved in 2003; while the FSB maintains internal secure communications and information security organs, responsibility for nationwide government communications networks lies largely with the FSO’s Spetsviaz service.
Government Communications Function, military unit 48852
Some publicly accessible compilations attribute military unit 48852 to a government communications unit within or associated with the FSB. Official Russian publications do not confirm this attribution. Since the mid-2000s, the federal government communications network and the special communications service (Spetsviaz) have been subordinate to the Federal Protective Service (FSO), not the FSB. Any FSB-linked government communications unit would therefore be expected to focus on internal FSB secure networks and technical support rather than the broader interagency government communications backbone. Detailed data on unit numbering, facilities, and equipment are not publicly available.
Operational Information and International Relations Service (SOiMS), military unit 26047
Function: collection and synthesis of operational information of strategic value, liaison and coordination with foreign intelligence and security services, and management of international cooperation channels on counterterrorism and counterintelligence matters. Open-source materials assign military unit 26047 to this service and describe a structure including an Operational Information Department, an Information-Analytical Department, an Open Information Department, an International Cooperation Department, and an Operational Information Group. Names such as Georgy Grishaev, Yuri Aleshin, and Lieutenant General Alexey Kuzyura are cited in some public listings as department heads or deputies. The FSB does not publish an authoritative organizational directory, and these attributions cannot be independently verified in official documents.
Training and EMERCOM-linked Object in Moscow (Troparevo area)
Public reporting describes a special-purpose facility in Moscow associated with the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM), reportedly the former laboratory for measurements and tests of the Moscow Metro, and sometimes linked in secondary sources to FSB training activities. The Moscow Government Decree No. 1164-PP dated 23 December 2008 modified the boundaries of the Troparevsky landscape reserve, excluding a parcel for federal use; open-source commentators identify that parcel with this restricted site. The official purpose of the facility is not detailed in public records; any FSB involvement has not been confirmed by authoritative sources. Access, layout, and technical characteristics are not publicly disclosed.
Underground Infrastructure Allegations (D-6/Metro-2)
Claims about an underground metro line known as D-6 or Metro-2 connecting government and security facilities in Moscow have circulated in media and urban-exploration communities for decades. Russian authorities have not provided official confirmation, technical documentation, or public mapping of such infrastructure. As a result, specific alignments, access points, and operational details remain unverified in open sources and are commonly treated as unconfirmed or speculative. References to organized excursions or tours are not official publications and are not reliable for evidentiary purposes.
Military Unit 92931
Military unit 92931 is referenced in some public compilations as an FSB-affiliated unit. There is no authoritative open-source documentation describing its mission, chain of command, or location. Without official confirmation, its function cannot be reliably characterized in open-source analysis.
Military Unit 1020 (direction-finding attribution)
Open-source mentions connect military unit 1020 with radio direction-finding tasks. The four-digit numbering suggests a legacy designation rather than typical contemporary military unit numbers used by the Russian Defense Ministry or many FSB units. No official FSB documentation validating this unit’s existence, mission, or subordination has been published. Any detailed technical description of direction-finding capabilities would be classified and is not available in public sources.
Infrastructure Capabilities Overview
At a general level, relevant FSB infrastructure encompasses a headquarters complex in central Moscow for command, analysis, and operational coordination; special-purpose training and staging areas in the Moscow region for the Special Purpose Center and other tactical elements; internal secure communications networks and information security services supporting command and operations; and liaison mechanisms to interact with foreign partners through the Operational Information and International Relations Service. Facility footprints, detailed internal layouts, and equipment inventories are classified and not described in official open publications.
Legal and Secrecy Considerations
Information about specific FSB military unit numbers, their locations, personnel, and technical equipment is generally classified under Russian law governing state secrets and the protection of information related to security organs. While occasional references appear in procurement notices, court filings, or regional acts, comprehensive official registries are not public. Where authoritative documents exist, such as Federal Law No. 40-FZ or Moscow Government Decree No. 1164-PP, they establish legal context but do not disclose operational details. Accordingly, analysis must distinguish confirmed legal-administrative facts from unverified attributions.
Source Reliability and Confidence Assessment
High confidence: headquarters in Lubyanka Square; Director Army General Alexander V. Bortnikov; existence and missions of the Special Purpose Center including Alpha and Vympel; Moscow Government Decree No. 1164-PP adjusting Troparevsky reserve boundaries (23 December 2008). Medium confidence: association of military unit 35690 with the Special Purpose Center; general functions of the Operational Information and International Relations Service; the post-2003 redistribution of government communications functions to the FSO’s Spetsviaz. Low confidence: specific attributions for military units 66523, 48852, 92931, and 1020; named individuals for departmental posts within the Operational Information and International Relations Service; claims regarding the D-6 or Metro-2 network and any linkage of the Troparevo facility to that network.