Foreign Intelligence Service
Agency Overview and Mandate
The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR RF) is Russia’s external intelligence agency and the institutional successor to the KGB First Chief Directorate. It was formally established in 1991, and its activities are regulated primarily by Federal Law No. 5-FZ of 10 January 1996 On Foreign Intelligence and by provisions of the Law of the Russian Federation No. 5485-1 of 21 July 1993 On State Secrets. The SVR conducts foreign intelligence collection (political, economic, scientific-technical), analysis, and covert influence abroad in support of national security policy. It operates independently of, but in coordination with, other Russian security organs, including the Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU), the Federal Security Service (FSB), and the Federal Protective Service (FSO).
Command and Leadership
Sergey Yevgenyevich Naryshkin has served as Director of the SVR since October 2016 by presidential appointment, succeeding Mikhail Fradkov. The SVR reports directly to the President of the Russian Federation; the Director is a permanent member of the Security Council of Russia. Deputy directors and heads of principal directorates are not comprehensively listed in open sources, and detailed internal chain-of-command information is not publicly released.
Headquarters Location and Site Context
The SVR headquarters complex is located in Moscow and is commonly referred to in public sources as the Yasenevo complex, after the Yasenevo District in the city’s southwest. Open-source references also associate the broader area with the toponym Bachurino, a locality in the New Moscow (Novomoskovsky Administrative Okrug) sector. The precise administrative boundaries, postal addresses, and internal site identifiers used by the SVR for the headquarters are not officially published. Publicly available imagery and media reporting confirm a large, purpose-built, multi-building campus in this sector of Moscow.
Infrastructure Characteristics of the Yasenevo Complex
Open-source imagery and reporting indicate that the headquarters site comprises multiple administrative buildings, a prominent central office tower, perimeter fencing, controlled vehicular access points, and support facilities typical of a major government intelligence campus. The layout, internal functional zoning (operations, analysis, communications, logistics), and any specialized structures (e.g., secure data centers or signal facilities) are not disclosed in official sources. Details such as internal floor plans, hardened underground infrastructure, and communications architecture are classified and not publicly available.
Military Unit 33949 (SVR) – Open-Source Profile
Military unit (v/ch) 33949 is cited in Russian open-source materials, including procurement and legal registries, as an organizational entity associated with the SVR. Public documents typically identify the unit by number without detailing its mission, exact location, or staffing. Based on the nature of Russian government procurement practices, such unit identifiers often serve administrative, logistics, or security-support roles for parent agencies; however, the specific functions of v/ch 33949 have not been officially disclosed. Any granular site information (street address, facility layout, or operational remit) is not publicly confirmed and is likely classified.
Military Unit 61643 (SVR) – Open-Source Profile
Military unit (v/ch) 61643 also appears in open-source references as linked to the SVR. As with v/ch 33949, publicly accessible records generally provide only the unit number and contracting footprint, without authoritative disclosure of location, mission set, or subordination beyond its SVR association. Detailed characteristics of v/ch 61643—such as specific site infrastructure, equipment holdings, or internal organization—are not available in official public sources. Where these units surface in procurement databases, the materials rarely include precise geocodes or sensitive technical detail.
Roles Within the Russian Intelligence Apparatus
Within Russia’s intelligence and security system, the SVR’s mandate covers foreign HUMINT and related analytical support. The GRU conducts military intelligence (including tactical, operational, and strategic foreign intelligence for the Ministry of Defense), while the FSB focuses on internal security and counterintelligence. The SVR coordinates select activities with other agencies under presidential and Security Council oversight. The existence of SVR-associated military unit numbers (e.g., 33949 and 61643) reflects administrative and support structures rather than a change to the SVR’s civilian-agency status.
Security Posture and Access Controls
The SVR headquarters is a restricted-access government facility with layered security measures typical of high-sensitivity sites in Moscow. These include controlled entry points, perimeter barriers, monitored approaches, and a dedicated guard force. Access is governed by Russian federal security regulations and internal SVR procedures. Specific guard compositions, watch rotations, sensor systems, communications protocols, and incident response plans are not publicly released and are classified.
Legal Framework and Secrecy Regime
SVR activities are conducted under Federal Law No. 5-FZ On Foreign Intelligence and are protected by the state secrecy regime established by Law No. 5485-1 On State Secrets and subordinate presidential decrees and government orders. These legal instruments govern classification of locations, personnel identities, organizational structure, technical means, and operational methods. As a result, detailed site data for SVR facilities and associated military units—including precise addresses, inventories, and communications infrastructure—are not publicly available.
International Sanctions and Public Exposure
Following major geopolitical developments since 2014 and especially after February 2022, the SVR as an institution, and its senior leadership including Director Sergey Naryshkin, have been the subject of sanctions by multiple jurisdictions (e.g., the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom). Sanctions documentation has increased public visibility into leadership identities but does not disclose protected site details. No official sanction listings provide technical specifics about SVR facilities or unit 33949/61643 locations.
Training and Education Institutions
The Academy of Foreign Intelligence (Akademiya vneshney razvedki) is publicly acknowledged as the SVR’s principal training institution for intelligence officers. Open sources do not provide confirmed, detailed site schematics or comprehensive campus descriptions. Specific training sites, course content, and specialized facilities are subject to the state secrecy regime; any linkage between the Academy and particular military unit numbers is not officially published.
Assessment of Bachurino Area References
The toponym Bachurino is present in Moscow’s administrative geography (Novomoskovsky Administrative Okrug) and appears in open-source discussions related to the general area of the SVR headquarters commonly described as Yasenevo. While the user-provided reference to Bachurino is consistent with public toponymic usage near the southwestern sectors of Moscow, authoritative official documents do not publish the precise, current addressing of SVR headquarters facilities. Accordingly, any more specific site coordinates or facility addresses at Bachurino are not publicly confirmed.
Information Availability and Classification Notes
Many details relevant to SVR sites—including exact locations, unit missions, physical security systems, communications architectures, technical inventories, and internal layouts—are classified under Russian law and are not available in official public sources. Open-source references to SVR military unit numbers 33949 and 61643 confirm their existence and association but do not provide verifiable, granular site intelligence. Where information is not publicly available or is classified, it is not provided here.