History and structure NKVD

early nkvd leaders genrikh yagoda, vyacheslav menzhinsky , felix dzerzhinsky, 1924

after russian february revolution of 1917, provisional government dissolved tsarist police , set people s militsiya. subsequent russian october revolution of 1917 saw seizure of state power led lenin , bolsheviks, established new bolshevik regime, russian soviet federative socialist republic (rsfsr). provisional government s ministry of internal affairs (mvd), formerly under georgy lvov (from march 1917) , under nikolai avksentiev (from 6 august [o.s. 24 july] 1917) , alexei nikitin (from 8 october [o.s. 25 september] 1917), turned nkvd (people s commissariat of internal affairs) under people s commissar. however, nkvd apparatus overwhelmed duties inherited mvd, such supervision of local governments , firefighting, , workers , peasants militsiya staffed proletarians largely inexperienced , unqualified. realizing left no capable security force, council of people s commissars of rsfsr established (20 december [o.s. 7 december] 1917) secret political police, cheka, led felix dzerzhinsky. gained right undertake quick non-judicial trials , executions, if deemed necessary in order protect russian socialist-communist revolution .

the cheka reorganized in 1922 state political directorate, or gpu, of nkvd of rsfsr. in 1922 ussr formed, rsfsr largest member. gpu became ogpu (joint state political directorate), under council of people s commissars of ussr. nkvd of rsfsr retained control of militsiya, , various other responsibilities.

in 1934 nkvd of rsfsr transformed all-union security force, nkvd (which communist party of soviet union leaders came call leading detachment of our party ), , ogpu incorporated nkvd main directorate state security (gugb); separate nkvd of rsfsr not resurrected until 1946 (as mvd of rsfsr). result, nkvd took on control of detention facilities (including forced labor camps, known gulag) regular police. @ various times, nkvd had following chief directorates, abbreviated ГУ – Главное управление, glavnoye upravleniye.

ГУГБ – государственной безопасности, of state security (gugb, glavnoye upravleniye gosudarstvennoi bezopasnosti )
ГУРКМ– рабоче-крестьянской милиции, of workers , peasants militsiya (gurkm, glavnoye upravleniye raboče-krest yanskoi militsyi)
ГУПВО– пограничной и внутренней охраны, of border , internal guards (gupvo, gu pograničnoi vnytrennei okhrany)
ГУПО– пожарной охраны, of fire guards (gupo, gu požarnoi okhrany)
ГУШосДор– шоссейных дорог, of highways (guŠd, gu šosseynykh dorog)
ГУЖД– железных дорог, of railways (guŽd, gu železnykh dorog)
ГУЛаг– Главное управление исправительно-трудовых лагерей и колоний, (gulag, glavnoye upravleniye ispravitelno-trudovykh lagerey kolonii)
ГЭУ – экономическое, of economics (geu, glavnoye ekonomičeskoie upravleniye)
ГТУ – транспортное, of transport (gtu, glavnoye transportnoie upravleniye)
ГУВПИ – военнопленных и интернированных, of pows , interned persons (guvpi, glavnoye upravleniye voyennoplennikh internirovannikh)

until reorganization begun nikolai yezhov purge of regional political police in autumn of 1936 , formalized may 1939 directive of all-union nkvd appointments local political police controlled center, there frequent tension between centralized control of local units , collusion of units local , regional party elements, resulting in thwarting of moscow s plans.

following establishment in 1934, nkvd underwent many organizational changes; between 1938 , 1939 alone, nkvd s structure , leadership changed 3 times.

on february 3, 1941, special sections of nkvd responsible military counterintelligence (ci) became part of army , navy (rkka , rkkf, respectively). gugb separated nkvd , renamed people s commissariat state security (nkgb). after german invasion of soviet union (june 1941), nkvd , nkgb reunited on july 20, 1941. ci sections returned nkvd control in january 1942. in april 1943, ci sections again transferred people s commissariats (narkomat) of defense , navy, becoming smersh (from smert shpionam or death spies ); @ same time, nkvd again separated nkgb.

in 1946, soviet commissariats renamed ministries . accordingly, peoples commissariat of internal affairs (nkvd) of ussr became ministry of internal affairs (mvd), while nkgb renamed ministry of state security (mgb). in 1953, after arrest of lavrenty beria, mgb merged mvd. police , security services split in 1954 become:

the ussr ministry of internal affairs (mvd), responsible criminal militia , correctional facilities.
the ussr committee state security (kgb), responsible political police, intelligence, counter-intelligence, personal protection (of leadership) , confidential communications.

main directorates (departments)

state security
workers-peasants militsiya
border , internal security
firefighting security
correction , labor camps
other smaller departments

department of civil registration
financial (fino)
administration
human resources
secretariat
special assignment






^ blank pages g.c.malcher isbn 1-897984-00-6 page 7
^ james harris, dual subordination ? political police , party in urals region, 1918–1953 , cahiers du monde russe 22 (2001):423–446.
^ nkvd organization in 1939


nkvd management


people s commissar internal affairs– lavrenty beria

first deputy , head of main directorate of state security (gugb)– vsevolod merkulov

deputies

for nkvd troops– ivan maslenikov
for militsiya– vasyli chernyshov
for staff– sergei kruglov

secretariats

nkvd secretariat– stepan mamulov
secretariat of special council of nkvd– vladimir ivanov
special technical bureau– valentin kravchenko
special bureau– pyotr scharia
nkvd inspection group– nikolai pavlov
special plenipotentiary– aleksei stefanov
secretariat of first deputy gugb task– vsevolod merkulov
inspection group– vsevolod merkulov
special secretariat– vasyli chernyshov
section organization of labor force– vsevolod merkulov
permanent technical committee– ?
section repair work– pyotr vainschtein
supply section– m. mituschyn
department of railroad transportation , water– ?

directorates , departments

main directorate of state security (gugb)– vsevolod merkulov
1st special department– leonid baschtakov
2nd special department– evgeny lapishin
3rd special department– dmitry shadrin
4th special department– mikhail filimonov
5th special department– vladimir vladimirov
department of mobilization– ivan scherediega
department of staff– sergei kruglov
the chief directorate of economics (geu)– bogdan kobulov
the chief directorate of transportation (gtu)– solomon milshtein
the chief directorate of prison (gtu)– aleksandr galkin
the chief directorate of administration (aČu)– j.schumbatov
the chief directorate of archive (gau)– yosif nikitynsky
the chief directorate of fire guards (gupo)– nikolay istomin
the chief directorate of militsiya (gurkm)– pavel zujev
the chief directorate [or administration] of corrective labour camps , colonies (gulag)– vasyli chernyshov
the chief directorate of highways (guŠosdor)– vsevolod fedotov
directorate of kremlin commander– nikolai spyrydonov
the chief directorate of border troops (gupw)– grigori sokolov
the chief directorate of nkvd troops railroad protection– aleksandr guliev
the chief directorate of nkvd troops escort– vladimir sharapov
the chief directorate of nkvd troops protection of industrial enterprise– i. kozik
the chief directorate of nkvd operative troops– p. ariemyev
the chief directorate of military provision– aleksandr wurgaft
the chief directorate of military construction– ivan luby
directorate prisoners of war– pyotr soprunienko
directorate construction in far east– ivan nikishev
main financial department– lazar bierienzon
main department civil status– fyedor sokolov