This article was written for the Unz Review: http://www.unz.com/tsaker/putin-creates-a-russian-national-guard/
The recent announcement by President Putin of the creation of a Russian National Guard has triggered a flurry of wild speculations about the reasons behind this important move. Some experts saw that as a way to prepare a bloody crackdown against an insurrection, others have speculated that Putin needed a new force to deal with protests and riots, while others have even suggested that this National Guard would become “Putin’s army”. In reality, the matter is both much simpler and much more complicated.
First, let’s look at the forces and units which will be brought together into this National Guard:
- Troops of the Interior Ministry (about 170’000 soldiers)
- Personnel from the Ministry of Emergency Situations
- The OMON riot police forces (about 40’000 soldiers)
- The SOBR rapid-reaction forces (about 5000+ soldiers)
- The Special Designation Center of the Operational Reaction Forces and Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs including the Special Forces units “Zubr”, “Rys’” and “Iastreb” (about 700+ operators)
So we are talking of a total force of about 250’000 soldiers which will probably reach the 300’000 men figure in the near future. By any measure, this is an impressive and powerful force which can deal with the full array of possible internal threats. Furthermore, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it will now include the Federal Migration Service (FMS) and the Federal Drug Service (FSKN). This consolidation is important because it ties in practically all the internal security forces of the Russian Federation with the exception of the high-threat Federal Security Service (FSB). What is even more impressive is the list of tasks given to this new National Guard. It will include:
- The protection of public order and security
- Anti-terrorist operations
- Operations against extremism groups
- The territorial defense of the Russian Federation;
- The protection of important state facilities and special cargoes
- The protection on a contractual basis of the property of citizens and organizations approved by the Russian Government;
- Assistance to the Border Troops of the Federal Security Service in protecting the state border of the Russian Federation;
- Law enforcement in he field of arms trafficking
- The command of the troops of the national guard of the Russian Federation
- Providing social and legal protection of servicemen of the Russian National Guard
General Viktor Zolotov
That is an impressive list which only confirms that the entire spectrum of internal security missions will now be entrusted to the National Guard. What is even more striking is the name of the person whom Vladimir Putin has appointed as the new Commander in Chief of the National Guard: General Viktor Zolotov, a “pure” security man who used to be the head of the Presidential Security Service and who is considered very close to Vladimir Putin. Does that mean, as some have speculated, that Putin is afraid for his security and that he is building himself a personal Praetorian guard?
Hardly.
But what this does, indeed, mean is that Putin is taking personal and direct control of what he sees are top-priority tasks to deal with major security threats for Russia. We are talking exactly about those capabilities with the European Union so badly needs and lacks:
- The ability close down the borders to a massive flow of refugees
- The ability to filtrate a large flow of refugees
- The ability to deal with large-scale violence and riots
- The ability to deal with terrorism even on a large scale
- The ability to centralize the intelligence about internal threats
- The ability to impose a state of emergency on an entire region
- The ability to crush any insurgency, including one supported from abroad
- The ability to seek out and destroy extremist and terrorist groups
- The ability to interdict flows of weapons and narcotics used to finance all of the above
and, most importantly, the ability to do all this without using the regular armed forces.
What this shows is that the Russians have learned important organizational and operational lessons from the wars in Chechnia and that they are now preparing to defend Russia from the threat coming from the West (the Ukraine) and the South (Daesh) without dumping these security tasks in the armed forces which are fundamentally different from internal security/police forces.
Of course, this will be a way too powerful force to trust it to a less than 100% reliable man, but the fact that Putin chose a man he fully trusts does not mean that he fears for himself, or the next elections or any of the other nonsense spewed by the corporate media. Putin’s popularity is still sky-high and that protects him much more than any force or high ranking ally. Besides, protecting Putin will remain the task for the FSO and the FSB.
One topic which the official documents do not mention is the issue of the intelligence support of this new National Guard. The most logical solution would be to create a new National Guard intelligence service and my guess is that is exactly what the Kremlin will do. Finally, some experts have suggested that this new National Guard might have an international peacekeeping function. I would agree with this only if we are talking about a cross border peacekeeping operation, such as in the Donbass or in Central Asia. The rest of the peacekeeping mission will probably remain under the control of the armed forces (which have several specialized units dedicated to such missions).
The creation of this National Guard is an excellent idea which will give Russia the means to defend herself against the most likely threats to her territory and people in the foreseeable future.
The Saker
I wonder how the announced Foreign Ministry’s revised view on rus foreign policy will be in “partnership” with this..two sides of the same coin,the currency being russias stability and future…….end of last year it was stated that the support of the russian world is the priority of this foreign policy.
Putin has all his bases covered.
If it is for Putin’s protection, then it is best for Russia. If it is for Russia’s protection, it is also best for Russia.
Putin has all his bases covered.
All one need do is look at the hodgepodge of Outlaw US Empire agencies and their gross inefficiency to see this consolidation as eminently practical and is in preparation for the renewed terrorist assault on Russia and its near abroad by Outlaw US Empire proxies.
The new National Guard might well be entrusted with peacekeeping missions, depending on its training, which for this to work would have to be different from that of the regular army. One of the major lessons learned from the deployment of the Canadian Airborne Regiment to Somalia – which culminated in the murder of a Somali teenager by soldiers of that regiment and resulted in the regiment being disbanded – was that professional soldiers do not make particularly good peacekeepers, as their training is geared toward escalation of force and an expectation of violence. In short, training people to kill on command without philosophizing is a poor background to shepherding civilians who must be controlled but not harmed.
This is brillant move on organizational and operational level…..
The logic as you lay it out is pretty reasonable, however, I would add a cautionary note. History is full of examples of National Guards or paramilitary internal security forces that a) do not perform well in real combat b) are prone to poltically damaging acts of unprofessional excess c) become themselves centers of political rivalry and power. There is no reason to assume that a Russian National Guard will be immune. Putin will likely appoint a highly professional and loyal first CiC, but what happens after Putin leaves office?
what happens after Putin leaves office?
That, dear Fred, is the 1000000000000 dollars question which gives me, and many others, nightmares. Unlike China, Russia has a long and depressing tradition of very, very bad successions and while I see plenty of very good people around Putin, he is such a huge person that I don’t see anybody capable of filling his shoes. The biggest weakness of modern Russia is that she is “personality ruled” and not “system ruled” and that, to make things words, it often appears that to get anything done Putin needs to personally intervene. This ridiculous. I hope and pray that Putin is putting a lot of thought, time and energy in creating a *system* of government and of “social feeback” which could work without him constantly fixing everything…
On the National Guard itself, I would say that for a huge country like Russia, a national guard is not the same as a national guard elsewhere. Think of it as a “internal military” if you want, or a militarized police on steroids. The combat record of the Russian national guard is, in fact, a very good one and I have no fears that it will perform poorly.
Hugs,
The Saker
Civil Defence is important. It is good to see Russia developing these resources.
RR
We should now start seeing lotsa utube videos of Putin on the theme of “like a boss”, to go with all the others up already. Here’s one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZdS3LP3hg8
I think others are correct in the view that this is mainly to secure the borders & maintain domestic order when TSHTF for real next time, soon, about 100 times worse than 2008 Lehman when, among countless other criminal transgressions by the bankster scum, the Euro-peons got peddled (as did China) hundreds & hundreds of billions of toxic near worthless MBS securities offloaded by the US mortgage branches of the big banks, & all rated AAA by the US credit agencies right up to the very day!
Not to worry, they’ve closed that loophole—as mentioned innumerable times, they’ve been ‘blaming the Germans’ (DB Bank) in their owned press endlessly for toxic garbage as if they’re at fault, in the warmup theme to next time, Lehman II.
Interesting “one-off” in history about the power of an NG when you got no military:
The Torrijos–Carter Treaties are two treaties signed by the United States and Panama in Washington, D.C., on September 7, 1977, which abrogated the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty of 1903.
The treaties guaranteed that Panama would gain control of the Panama Canal after 1999, ending
the control of the canal that the U.S. had exercised since 1903. The treaties are named after the two signatories, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the Commander of Panama’s National Guard, General Omar Torrijos.
The problem is oligachy. Putin has almost unanimous support from Ivan but the Bolsheviks who run ‘business’ are still not on board.
They never will be. With few exceptions they see the Russian President as an impediment to returning to the good ol’ days of the 1990’s, only now it’s post apocolypto.
Putin is selling off strategic assets, including domestic oil production, to make an aristocracy that is dependent on him. That’s why Chinese won’t do. He needs grateful loyalists who can kick start modernization of the Russian economy while remaining respectful of Rodina, which is always Putin’s bottom line.
Russian elites, parasitic looters of Russia’s resource and human wealth from time immemorial, prefer making secret deals with zionist sociopaths, primarily Rothschild, who remain 100% committed to the illuminist NWO dream of technocratic feudalism for eternity.
Until you are microchipped and fully programmable, as roboticized and infantalized as a typical Japanesa, you are a threat to the zionist dystopian dream for a thousand year Reich.
Europe will not go along with Putin’s common sense proposals nor heed his warnings because their game plan does not depend on the ‘opinions’ of domestic populations. They care only for power. As we speak they are working to destroy native populations and be rid of us useless Euro trash eaters forever.
These are your social and political elites ladies and gentlemen. They are toxic and genocidal to a degree which normal, empathically oriented people simply can’t process.
So what then is Putin’s strategy, if he lives in a den of wolves and wants to do good by the people?
Should China side with their traditional Rothschild zionist allies, partners in opium since the late 1830’s, Putin’s only remaing option besides going it alone, is to partner with declining Rockerfeller interests, selling off bits and pieces of Russia’s unrivalled strategic assets in the hope of not falling further behind. Recall the visit of an Exxon chairman to sign development deals in the Arctic, in the midst of sanctions hysteria promoted by Rothschild zionists. Now we know why.
A report in 1996 estimated Rothschild assets were worth 100 trillion while the Rockerfellers came in 2nd with just 1/9th that amount, at 11 trillion. A lot has changed since then and if you buy my argument that China is oriented towards European Rothschild zionists, much more than American Rockerfellers, then the odds could be many times worse.
On the Rockerfeller team is the military industrial plus Google/NSA/CIA intel security complex. Understanding the tech biz is as toxic to humanity as are zionists, one can appreciate the magnitude and difficulty of Putin’s dilemna. There is a definite possibility Rockerfeller pax americanus will string Russia along only to accept a qualifying offer from Rothschild zionists just as US dollar hegemony fades into oblivion.
So it seems the eschatologists have a point. Unless Russia backs down WW3 is inevitable. If Russia does back down, this would be the equivalent of Christ surrendering to lucifer.
For those of us who are still way too comfortable, it gets even worse. I have yet to mention the so-called zionist entity, which is in point of fact no longer under Rothschild zionist sway. Israel has a plan to make a nation between the Nile and Euphrates and so the looming NWO is a definite threat to their existense.
Here it important to identify and emphasize the split between zionists and Israelis. Putin is a unabashed supporter of Israel, yet, he is also the very definition of an anti zionist. Resolve this paradox and you will get an inkling of what Russia’s intimate relationship with Israel might actually represent.
As the day of our atonement draws near, I can tell you that none of these interpretations are as I expected them to be. I know that for most anyone who reads this post, everything will seem upside down. It is almost impossible to believe yet I have not yet encountered a more complete or useful explanation for everything I have witnessed over the last several years.
If you were in Putin’s position, would you surrender to lucifer?
if lucifer swallows Christ it may give him a severe indigestion. And is it not what actually happened?
if the darkness swallows the light would it mean its own end??
very disturbing situation
“So it seems the eschatologists have a point. Unless Russia backs down WW3 is inevitable. If Russia does back down, this would be the equivalent of Christ surrendering to lucifer.”
Fear is the most dangerous enemy,it is equivalent to surrender and give up.Should Russia do that ?
I hope not,if Putin is getting weak,surely will be others – and they are already there behind him – who will take the fight.If that means war,than let it be.The luciferian entities – whom ever they are – have to be crashed without mercy.Every passing day means buying more time for the continuous savage the whole rotted system imposes on this planet.A new ideology has to emerge,a new idea for the whole world,a new concept which enables the people to to fight against the world tyrany,making them to rise up behind this flag because it is true,only united can we go.Russia has this role to keep that flag and showing the way,she has the military power and moral power in those people behind Putin.This would be maybe the last chance.
I couldn’t have said it better.
Putin is extremely danger to EU & US because, as i see it, politics on “west” is mainly made from “vampires”, psychos & other kind of people who produce nothing except misery among ordinary people and trade with peoples fortune. they are people who have no knowledge to do something useful in life except sucking blood from others. in case when they cannot “suck blood” from domestic population anymore they turn to wars. of course there are exceptions and honourable mens and womens in politics who stranded in. hardly they will change something. Putin is different. he is showing that politics does not have to be selfish rule of interest groups who pretend to represent politic options and actually do not care for people. He shows another kind of politics which is diametrically opossed to todays western world order. his way of governing Russian federation is real danger for “west”. and the funny thing is that he does not care anymore for “partners”. he knows that partners are heading to future with two optins available; world war ( he is almost ready for it) and multiple revolutions. nothing else will change this world.
They say a wise man learns from his enemies. The Roman’s adopted their infamous gladius from the Hispanic short sword because it was much more effective in close quarters combat than their previous Greek sword. Just so Russia has now adopted some German paraphernalia because its effective.
The Russian National Guard, similar but not the same as the German Brown Shirts, are there to control internal problems. The police deal with crime, the red army with protecting the border, the National Guard with protecting the nation from internal threats originating externally, which the police are not equipped, training wise, to handle.
The GRU is already there, but Putin rightfully fears media manipulation. There is one more German innovation the Russians should adopt to counter the media – the Hitler youth. The Germans could be said to have built this up based on the success of the British Boy Scouts movement. Called say the Putin youth, this organization would instill in young Russians essential Russian patriotic fervor. So much fervor that they will laugh at pathetic media subversion attempts.
The Putin youth would have to undergo some martial arts training, but not judo, that is too civilized, something like ufc / mma is much better. Then they would need the typical British Boy Scout outdoor grounding (the Boy Scouts were invented to toughen up the British youth, a need identified during the Anglo Boer Wars against the Afrikaners here in South Africa – the British in fact rid their army of its infamous red coat uniforms because they were too easily targeted by the Afrikaners with their German mauser rifles).
The essential team sport of the Putin youth should of course be rugby. Soccer is just too full of drama queens who dive rolling in agony when no-one touches them. Rugby compliments ufc /mma, it teaches the youth to flatten the opponent because that much more fun and easier than playing the ball. Rugby players are virtually always conservative, never liberal.
Lastly but not least, a healthy dose of anti-Jewish realism should also be incorporated into the patriotic message.
By such means the Russian nation can be made to endure the mythical time period of the German thousand year Reich, irrespective of what the media says.
There already is a youth movement, Nashi, supposedly modelled on the Hitler Jugend, formed to pre-empt attempted colour revolutions:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashi_(youth_movement)
Thanks, I never knew about the existence of the Nashi’s. They seem too overly political, instead of just going about the basics of letting kids have fun while learning important life lessons. The parents should be seen to be the ones organizing matters.
Propaganda needs a soft, subtle touch for it to succeed, harshness just alienates folks.
Since the indoctrination of the youth with patriotism has been happening since 2005 already, there should be no need for the National Guard, no danger of media manipulation. Russia is indeed a mystery wrapped in an enigma – Churchill.
Can you explain the parts where Nashi claim to be anti-fascist and anti-anti-semitism?
The anti-fascism I can understand, because of Russia’s history. But what about fighting anti-semitism?That’s probably just for show right? Or is this a kosher group?
And what’s this about fighting skinheads? Is that just a bogeyman or is that for real. Skinheads mostly fight hachis, so is Nashi saying that racial russian pride is what they are against. Promoting a form of Russian civic nationalism instead?
The idea that it is modeled on “the Hitler Youth” is a Western propaganda myth. If anything its modeled on the Soviet Pioneer model. Any time a country tries to instill any national feeling and community service among their youth the West considers it like “the Hitler Youth”. In the West children are supposed to become obedient “consumers”.Without any feelings to their fellow citizens ,total “individualists”. And spend their free time,on drugs,drinking,on social media,cellphones,or playing video games.They can’t understand the idea of children trained to be citizens with community feeling.
Sidenote: When I was youth,and people in a country were talked about in the media they were called “citizens”.Today,9 out of 10 times the word used is “consumers”. We have been demoted from being a valued part of our nations to be just playing our part in the marketplace.To better serve our corporate “robber baron” masters.
That’s right,even the cellphones are targeting the youth “consumers”.The whole entertainment business is made for the youth “consumers” in order to make the weak,both in mind and body.
Wait… isn’t the focus of soccer and rugby to get the ball to the opponent’s goal? How is beating each other up any better than focusing on the ball? In my book, getting injured on purpose is not so much a sign of masculinity as stupidity. What’s your take, Mr. Saker?
Evidently Comrade President does not intend to surrender either himself or his peoples. He has made preparations to counter and ultimately defeat his opponent, and he continues to do so. The new NG is simply a logical (and defiant!) product of such a Policy.
I am often minded, when reading Saker and others, of the famous “long telegram” written by Kennan at Moscow… http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/coldwar/documents/episode-1/kennan.htm
And I wonder if Comrade President does not see similarities between the old SU, of which Kenna wrote, and one of his natural opponent states. If so, then, perhaps, Comrade President’s long term Policy vis a vis that opponent is simply to temporize and watch that opponent decline while Russians build to the future…
If so, then in the fullness of time, no doubt, there will be as power shifts, trials of major NWO criminals…and at such times these may well be seen as minor and of little consequence…
I would like to moot the idea of the similarities between the old SU and the Empire today to both Saker and Readers.
Please read the “long telegram” and consider the idea…
Pax!
I hope it is ok to post in this thread. A Swedish reporter reports in English from the civil war in Ukraine. Surprisingly truthfully and worth reading. More is to come.
http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/longread/ukraina/en/vissa-sager-att-vi-har-stridit-tillrackligt-nu-hur-kan-de-saga-sa/
There is little doubt (except among some brain-dead Western “leaders”) that most Russians truly do support President Putin. As an example of that, here is a video from Red Square, of Graham Phillips stopping Russia tourists in Moscow.And asking them their personal opinions on Putin as their President. It has English subs,and is very enlightening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-AIeTR5m1k&feature=youtu.be
At the expresen url posted above there’s a quote from an anti-fascist fighter in the Donbass – “everybody knows this is a war between America and Russia.”
It’s maybe not entirely without propaganda as an aspect, but it’s an interesting fact that it’s published and also that it’s pretty fair…
ref: http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/longread/ukraina/en/vissa-sager-att-vi-har-stridit-tillrackligt-nu-hur-kan-de-saga-sa/
It is the first fair Swedish war report I have seen. However, there are other signs of change. Two other important papers report on the political circus in Kiev. The practices of the politicians, including Poroshenko. The oligarch mess, the corruption and the fighting in the Rada. Four journalists have their eyes on the country and they all speak Russian.
I get the idea that Ukraine is ripening and in the fullness of time must naturally return, not, mind you, that it’s quite that simple – there have been crimes, not every Ukrainian is a suitable Russian Citizen, but the ripe fruit does fall…
Temporizing, part of a Byzantine Strategy…
The Swedish article was translated into English, which is unusual, and it can be read all over the world. The journalist is a prize winner and has the full support of her superiors. So far she has written three articles and promises more. She is not taking sides, she reports as best as she can as a journalist should do. She wants to write about Europes forgotten war and wake people up.
Ukraine may be ripe, but note also how some Western papers report differently. The wind has changed. Four Russianspeaking Swedish journalists almost compete when they report on different absurdities in Ukraine. Two of them sometimes write from Ukraine and that costs money. The author of the translated article spent weeks in Donbass together with a photographer and her superiors are willing to pay. I never thought it could happen.
Another Swedish article has been translated into English and we may get more. I hope someone can inform Scott. This was written by a journalist, not a propagandist, who wants to know what happens. She writes about the reaction of the people and the suffering. She is not pro-Russia or pro-Ukraine.She reports from Europes forgotten war.
“We’ve been bombed, we’ve lived in basements, our buildings are in ruins.”
http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/longread/ukraina/en/vi-har-blivit-bombade-vi-har-bott-i-kallare-vara-hus-ar-forstorda/
Just another ‘final push’ underway you can see it the plutocrats are out full force.
See Brazil where a congressional committee has recommended impeachment for their prez Rousseff.
Then there’s according to reports many prez primaries just being blatantly out-and-out cancelled since I’m not sure if those can be fixed by electronic vote jerry-rigging.
China subs supposedly sighted off US left coast many times these past weeks, some say as their “don’t do it” warning for a coming USD devaluation (not to be just the puny -8% that Tricky Dicky did late 1971)
But nice to see it’s still business as usual, since Putin is still at this critical late stage allowing foreigners to use their only rocket lift vehicle available for the huge payloads!
Reminds me of a saying a US prez long gone: “the business of the nation is business!”.
With the partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, the Global Hybrid War between the Degenerate NATO-GCC Empire and Russia has entered a new chapter.
This latest chapter involves Russia looking to preserve some of the gains (or limit the losses, or even extend the gains as in the Palmyra case) made after the RuAF Operation in Syria which lasted for around 6 months.
With the Empire still powerful, solidly united and still riding the last fumes of its latest credit-fueled bubble, Russia sees fit to partially retreat so as to protect the Home Front.
With Russian Parliamentary Elections coming up, we can be certain that the Empire’s “color Revolution” toolkit will be utilized and deployed to the absolute maximum in order to destabilize the Russian State as much as possible.
This is all the more possible since the economic pressure on Russia remains very real (the global oil-market requires around a year more to reach a new balance) and the internal contradictions of the Empire itself remain hidden under the surface. Under these conditions, it would make little sense for Russia to maintain a significant exposure in the Syrian theater.
As Russia seeks to maintain her internal cohesion, the calculation (or even hope) is that the SAA (along with help from Hezbollah, IRGC, and some Iraqi militias) can maintain their stance in the Middle East until both the Russian and Iranian economies recover and the Empire’s multiple bubbles begin popping.
So, by late 2016 or early 2017, I would hopefully expect that the Russian Bear will return with increased fury on the Syrian Front so as to deal the decisive blows to NATO’s rodents.
By then, the Kiev Junta may well be history. Moreover, pressure will have to be applied on the Turks (via arming of the Kurds) the Israelis (via arming of Hezbollah) The mega-hypocrites of the West will by then also be struggling (again) with bail-outs, bail-ins, histrionic elections and so on. The next few months will be critical for the future of Russia.
It is in this overall context that Putin’s decision to create a National Guard should be seen.
Putin the Great is always ahead of the game. The rest are as always, behind the 8th ball.
My hope is that he is grooming the next Russian president that will take over after he leaves.
You all can laugh all you want at me, but I fear a world without Putin.
Carmel by the Sea
I wish Mr. Trump would fund/create a private army……we could really save America with something like that.
All the governments are regional operational agencies of the world ruling cabal. The Saker, say good bye to your dreams, you are poorly informed. Do not juge by the external show. They all are pals.
A stunning interview of Harold Rosenthal, Zionist officer https://youtu.be/9pfzHRwlCEQ
This video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl90fme0XEc seems to go well with this discussion…Comrade President knows how to do a job on a rat…. Enjoy!
This is the third Swedish report from the present and ongoing war in Ukraine. The articles are translated into English, which is unusual, and the links are spread on the net. The journalist does not take sides, she reports on the suffering. Please inform Scott.
The third.
http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/longread/ukraina/en/vi-hade-tv-dator-wifi-och-badrum-nu-ar-allt-sondersprangt/
The second.
http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/longread/ukraina/en/vi-har-blivit-bombade-vi-har-bott-i-kallare-vara-hus-ar-forstorda/
The first.
http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/longread/ukraina/en/vissa-sager-att-vi-har-stridit-tillrackligt-nu-hur-kan-de-saga-sa/
Russia has a serious problem with her Muslim population, even in relatively “benign” places such as Tatarstan. Even this bimbo Yarovaya was forced to admit the problem on one of Soloviyov’s shows about a year or so ago. It is one of the major factors which was considered when creating the national guard.
How will the people who serve int he National Guard be paid? Or is this like a draft, and its not paid, or nominally paid?