The Committee for State Security, commonly known by its Russian acronym KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti), is a term that signifies the domestic security and espionage agency of the former Soviet Union. Founded on March 13, 1954, the KGB played a pivotal role in maintaining the regime's power and control.
This intelligence organization was responsible for a wide range of functions, predominantly involving state security, counterintelligence, foreign espionage, and maintaining and implementing Soviet government policies. Operating under the authority of the Soviet Ministry of State Security, the KGB held a vast network of informants and agents both domestically and abroad.
Internally, its primary role was to safeguard the Soviet Union from various forms of internal dissent, counterrevolutionary activities, and opposition to the Communist regime. This included monitoring and suppressing political dissidents, coercion, intimidation, censorship, and surveillance of citizens. Externally, the KGB actively engaged in espionage, disinformation campaigns, sabotage, and gathering of intelligence abroad, primarily targeting the United States and other Western nations during the Cold War.
The KGB had an intricate hierarchical structure, with its operations divided into separate departments, each dealing with specific areas of intelligence and security. Notably, the First Chief Directorate focused on foreign espionage, while the Fifth Chief Directorate was responsible for suppressing dissidence within the USSR. The KGB maintained surveillance through extensive networks, bugging devices, and agents, both overt and covert.
The KGB played a highly influential role in the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991, after which it was succeeded by the Russian Federation's internal security agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB). The KGB's history and modus operandi continue to shape perceptions of intelligence agencies worldwide.
