MGB (USSR) - Definition and Overview

The Ministry of State Security (MGB) ( Russian: Министерство государственной безопасности (Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti)) was the name of the state security agency of the Soviet Union when it existed and also the planned sucessor of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

Soviet Era

It was the name of the Soviet secret police agency from 1946 to 1953. The East German secret police agency, the Stasi, was also named "Ministry for State Security" and it is likely that it adopted the name of the agency that influenced it.

Heads

• Viktor Semionovich Abakumov 1946 - 1951
• Semion Denisovich Ignatiyev 1951 - 1953

In the Russian Federation

According to Pravda [1] (http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/88/350/13389_fsb.html), the current FSB will be reorganized and renamed to the Ministry of State Security.

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