Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the creation of a new National Guard, which he said would fight terrorism and organised crime.
The force will be formed of interior ministry troops and led by Mr Putin's former bodyguard, Viktor Zolotov, who will report directly to the president.
Mr Putin's spokesman said the force could be used to maintain public order.
But Dmitry Peskov denied its creation was linked to elections in September. Some critics say Mr Putin fears unrest.
Mr Putin made the announcement during a meeting with key security officials at the Kremlin. "The decisions have been taken, we are creating a new federal body of executive power," he said.
He also announced that Russia's drug control agency and federal migration service would become part of the interior ministry's remit.
Why now?
The creation of a National Guard has been talked about for years. Mr Peskov said he "could not explain" the timing but denied it had anything to do with upcoming elections or any mistrust of other law-enforcement agencies.
But there are suggestions that President Putin is concerned about possible unrest in the run-up to parliamentary elections in September.
Liberal Yabloko party leader Emilia Slabunova said it was an "attempt by the authorities to protect themselves from protests" while independent military analyst Alexander Golts said Russian authorities were concerned by "colour revolutions" in neighbouring countries such as Ukraine and Georgia.
Who's in favour and who's against?
Pro-Kremlin officials have welcomed the change, but opposition figures and commentators fear a further strengthening of security structures.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said the new force would "enhance units' operational capability". The head of the State Duma's defence and anti-corruption committee, Irina Yarovaya, said it was "an absolutely timely, adequate and systemic answer to modern challenges and threats".
But Communist MP Vladimir Rodin said the reshuffle was "a dangerous path" and influential cultural figure Marat Gelman called it a "step towards a police state".
What happens next?
The National Guard looks set to become a powerful force. Its proposed powers include the right to shoot or use force without warning and enter private premises while on duty when there is a threat to the lives of civilians or National Guard personnel.
Some unconfirmed reports suggest it could number up to 400,000 people and havetanks, heavy artillery and attack helicopters. What is not clear is how the new force will work with the interior ministry and other security agencies.
Analysis by BBC Monitoring
As commander-in-chief of the National Guard, Mr Zolotov has been given a seat on Russia's Security Council. This means he will report directly to President Putin, bypassing the interior minister.
Mr Putin warned in February that Russia's "foes abroad" were preparing to interfere with the 18 September election, and told the country's security services that such attempts must be thwarted.
Moscow has long accused the West of trying to influence Russian elections through encouraging mass protests - a claim denied by US and European officials.
Thousands of protestors took to the streets in Moscow and other cities after the 2011 parliamentary elections amid allegations of ballot-rigging and electoral fraud. Dozens of opposition figures were arrested and jailed.
Rise of Viktor Zolotov
Little is known about 62-year-old Viktor Zolotov. He tends to stay out of the media spotlight and usually refrains from making political statements. But most commentators agree that his appointment is the outcome of his close relationship and his loyalty to the Russian president.
Born into a working-class family, Mr Zolotov started his career as a locksmith at a car plant, later joining the KGB. He spent 20 years as a guard with the Soviet security agency.
In 1994, he became bodyguard for then St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak and deputy mayor Vladimir Putin. That was when he apparently developed a close relationship with the future president, even becoming his judo sparring partner.
When Mr Putin was appointed prime minister in 1999, Mr Zolotov was made head of his security entourage. He held the post until 2013, when he was transferred to the interior ministry and put in charge of interior troops in 2014.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered that a National Guard be created in Russia under the auspices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The guard will fight terrorism and organized crime.
“We have made a decision to create a new federal executive body within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, namely the National Guard," the president said Tuesday.
The National Guard "will be fighting terrorism, organized crime, all in close cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They will also continue to perform the functions which are currently carried out by riot police units, SWAT, etc.,” he added.
The National Guard will be formed out of existing Interior Ministry troops.
“We thought about how to improve [the work of law enforcement] in all areas, including those related to fighting terrorism, to organized crime and illicit drug trafficking,” Putin said.
The statement came as Putin met Interior Minister Viktor Kolokoltsev, head of the Federal Drug Control Service Viktor Ivanov, and the commander of the interior troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Viktor Zolotov.
Viktor Zolotov, ex-commander of the Internal Troops and former head of the President's personal security service, has been appointed as the leader of the new structure, with orders to report directly to the president, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.
He also drew attention to the fact that Zolotov “has grand experience in [the work of] special forces. This is a very good basis for managing a body such as the National Guard.”
The National Guard will not perform field investigation activities, but they will be involved in fighting terrorism within the country, he added. It is not yet clear, however, whether these troops will be taking part in counter-terrorism operations abroad, according to the spokesman.
Peskov said that the National Guard will work to protect public safety and order along with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Peskov added that the changes in the structure of internal troops do not mean a loss of confidence in them, stressing that the move is aimed at improving their combat capabilities and increasing their effectiveness.
The creation of the new department will require improving the existing legal regulatory framework, as well as setting up ties with other agencies dealing with state security, especially the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, for coordination, he added.
No increase in staffing will be needed, according to Peskov. Moreover, “a combination of merging the Federal Drug Control Service and the Federal Migration Service with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the allocation of internal troops into the National Guard will optimize the entire structure,” he explained.
Legislators welcome National Guard
State Duma representatives have welcomed the President’s decision. Michael Starshinov, head of the inter-factional group on the interaction of civil society with law enforcement and intelligence agencies, considers the creation of the National Guard the State’s response to the current challenges.
“I can only support the president's decision, because it corresponds with the logic of reforming the judicial system in general and the Ministry of Interior in particular. This step, of course, is also a response to modern challenges and threats, primarily from the international terrorism” Starshinov told reporters.
The deputy chairman of the Duma committee on security and corruption control, Andrey Lugovoy, expressed his hope for positive changes from the creation of the new structure. “The fact that the internal forces will obtain new duties – fighting against organized crime and terrorism – I would expect that the effect of this will be positive,” Lugovoy said.
Franz Klintsevich, first Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, noted the National Guard will not have to answer to a long hierarchy of superiors, which will make decision-making easier and faster. “[The National Guard will] possess the maximum resources to fight terrorism, including the best forces from the Interior Ministry troops – the people, as they say, proven in combat. It will be endowed with ample powers laid down by federal law [and] will be able to make decisions quickly, without wasting time on all sorts of coordination.”
State Duma deputy from the party 'Spravedlivaya Rossiya' Tatyana Moskalkova also welcomed the news, predicting great improvement to the effectiveness of internal troops.
“The task of combating crime involves the use of specific tools, which are owned by internal troops. [Internal troops] use this special knowledge and special tools to deal with the most dangerous criminal manifestations, such as terrorism, hostage taking, hijacking and riots. The forming of the National Guard is a step toward strengthening the structure [of security forces] and finding new solutions to these security problems,” she said.
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