Ministry of State Security (Transnistria)

MGB emblem.

The Ministry of State Security (Romanian: Ministerul Securității Statului, Russian: Министерство государственной безопасности, Ukrainian: Міністерство державної безпеки) is the Transnistrian state security service.

History

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It was formed May 16, 1992 and was headed by Vladimir Antyufeyev up to 2012,[1] until he was replaced by Vladislav Finagin. The ministry is headquartered in Tiraspol. Until January 11, 2017, it was known as the Committee of State Security of the PMR, which was named after the former Soviet KGB.

The headquarters of the ministry were attacked in 2022 while the Russian invasion of Ukraine was taking place. This was part of a series of attacks of unknown authorship that occurred in Transnistria in that year. The perpetrator is unknown, but it is possible that it was a false flag incident orchestrated by Russia or Transnistria.[2][3]

Structure

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  • Territorial security agencies
  • Security forces of the Armed Forces of Transnistria
  • Service bodies within the ministry
  • Support units
  • Independent Battalion of Special Operations "Delta"
  • Border Detachment
    • Separate Reserve Cossack Border Regiment
  • Center for Special Operations

Border Detachment

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The Border Detachment of the MGB tasked with patrol of the regional borders with Moldova and Ukraine.[4] On 14 November 1992, former territorial rescue detachment fighters took the role of protecting of the borders of the republic, along with the Black Sea Cossacks. On 1 March 1993, in the structure of the Ministry of State Security, a reserve cossack regiment was created. The border detachment was formed in September 1993 from the Black Sea Cossacks and soldiers of the TSO. On 14 September 1993, the Border Guard received a battle banner. Today, there are two Cossack border commandant's offices, units of which more than 75% of the personnel are Cossacks.

The border outpost in Bender is named after the Cossack Colonel Driglov, who died defending the during the Transnistria War.[5] Border Guards Day is celebrated on 14 September.[6]

Independent Battalion of Special Operations "Delta"

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The Order of Honor Independent Battalion of Special Operations "Delta" of the Ministry of State Security is a special battalion formed on 31 March 1992 by presidential decree of Igor Smirnov, at the height of the Transnistria War. It is currently subordinate directly to the MGB, and is enlisted in the reserve of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, it currently performs tasks of protecting the national border and fight against terrorism.[7][8]

In late June of that year, the Delta battalion took part in the battle of Bender, driving the forces of the Moldovan National Army from the bridge over the Dnister River. On 4 April 1997, the Delta Battalion was awarded the Order of Honor by President Yevgeny Shevchuk. In 2012, the Delta Battalion was reorganized into the "East" Special Operations Center of the KGB.[9]

List of leaders

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  • Vladimir Antyufeyev – September 1992 – December 2011
  • Vladislav Finagin – January 24, 2012 – May 17, 2013
  • Nikolay Zemstov – October 22, 2013 – May 21, 2014
  • Mikhail Lapitsky – May 21, 2014 – June 1, 2017
  • Valeriy Gebos - June 1, 2017 – present

References

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  1. ^ "Needing Better Control in Ukraine War, Moscow Sends in an Old KGB Hand". July 17, 2014.
  2. ^ "Moldova leaders risk losing posts over protests inspired from outside". Robert Lansing Institut. April 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Possible 'false flag' attacks in separatist Moldovan region of Transnistria raises concerns Russia plans to expand conflict". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. April 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "Пограничным органам МГБ ПМР исполнилось 27 лет | Новости Приднестровья".
  5. ^ "Пограничные войска ПМР празднуют годовщину своего создания | Новости Приднестровья".
  6. ^ "14 сентября — День Пограничного отряда МГБ ПМР | Государственная администрация Григориопольского района и г.Григориополь" (in Russian). Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  7. ^ И танки наши быстры Archived 2010-01-10 at the Wayback Machine// Независимая Молдова
  8. ^ "Ордена Почета Отдельный батальон специального назначения МГБ ПМР "Дельта"". Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  9. ^ "Спецназу «Дельта» – 27 лет | Новости Приднестровья".
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