At A Glance

• Founded the committee in 1954
• Dissolved with the Soviet collapse in 1991
• Based operations at Lubyanka, Moscow
• Served foreign intelligence and internal security

Lineage

• Trace origins to the 1917 Cheka
• Pass through the NKVD by 1934
• Reform into the MGB in 1946
• Consolidate as the KGB in 1954

Foreign Reach

• Run intelligence abroad through the First Directorate
• Operate from embassies and legal residences
• Deploy illegals without diplomatic cover
• Extend networks across the globe

Internal Watch

• Counter domestic threats through the Second Directorate
• Screen the military for disloyalty
• Suppress dissent under the Fifth Directorate
• Track dissidents and foreigners under surveillance

Signals & Surveillance

• Run physical surveillance via the Seventh Directorate
• Secure communications and intercept signals
• Mount close watch on priority targets
• Integrate technical collection with field work

Recruitment

• Exploit ideology to turn assets
• Leverage ego and ambition
• Apply coercion and compromise
• Cultivate sources for the long term

Active Measures

• Spread disinformation to shape opinion
• Run influence and deception campaigns
• Wage political warfare against rivals
• Blend espionage with coercive control

Assessment

• Wield centralized control over operations
• Exercise long-term patience and discipline
• Field strong deep-cover capability
• Suffer from heavy politicization