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The Okhrannoye otdeleniye (Template:Lang-ru, literally meaning Protection Section), usually called the Okhrana in Western sources, or Okhranka by those dissatisfied with the czarist regime, was a secret police force of the Russian Empire and part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) in late 1800s, aided by Special Corps of Gendarmes.

As the name suggests, the primary purpose of the agency was the security of the Tsar and imperial family, including, but not limited to, fighting hostile organizations: terrorists ("bombists"), socialists, and revolutionaries. The Okhrana operated offices throughout the Russian Empire and in a number of foreign satellite agencies primarily concerned with monitoring the activities of Russian revolutionaries abroad, most notably in Paris, where Pyotr Rachkovsky was based (1884–1902). Its headquarters were located in St. Petersburg, Fontanka, 16; this street address was infamously known in the Russian Empire.

The task was performed by any means, including covert operations, undercover agents, and "perlustration" — reading of private correspondence. Even the Foreign Agency served this purpose. The Okhrana is notoriously known for its agents provocateurs, including Dr. Jacob Zhitomirsky (a leading Bolshevik and close associate of Vladimir Lenin), Yevno Azef, and Dmitry Bogrov.

The Okhrana tried to compromise labour movement by creating police-run trade unions, the practice known as zubatovshchina. Of note is the Bloody Sunday event, when imperial guards killed hundreds of unarmed protesters who were marching during a demonstration organized by Father Gapon, who collaborated with Okhrana, and Pyotr Rutenberg.

Other controversial activities included fabrication of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion hoax (many historians maintain that Matvei Golovinski, a writer and Okhrana agent, compiled the first edition on the instructions of Pyotr Rachkovsky) and fabrication of the antisemitic Beilis trial.

Suspects captured by the Okhrana were given to the normal Russian judicial system, and then either executed or sent to forced labor camps known as katorgas in extremely remote areas of northeastern Siberia.

History

The first special security department was Department on Protecting the Order and Public Peace (Отделение по охранению порядка и общественного спокойствия) under the Head of St. Petersburg, created in 1866 after a failed assassination attempt on Alexander II, with a staff of 12 investigators. After another failed attempt, on August 6, 1880 the Emperor, under proposals of Count Loris-Melikov, created the Department of State Police under Ministry of the Interior (MVD) and transferred both Special Corps of Gendarmes and Third Section of the Imperial Chancellery to the new body; the Chief of Gendarmes was merged with the Minister and Commander of the Corps was assigned Deputy of the Minister. Still, these measures did not prevent the assassination of Alexander II.

In an attempt to implement preventive security measures, Emperor Alexander III immediately created two more 'Security and Investigation (охранно-розыскные) secret police stations, supervised by Gendarme officers, in Moscow and Warsaw; they became the basis of the later Okhrana. The Gendarmes still operated as security police in the rest of the country through their Gubernial and Uyezd Directorates. The Tsar also created Special Conference under the MVD (1881), which had the right to declare a State of Emergency Security in various parts of the Empire (which was actively used in the time of 1905's Revolution), and subordinated all of the imperial police forces to the Commander of the Gendarmes (1882).

The rise of the socialist movements called for integration of security forces. Since 1898, the Special Section (Особый отдел) of the Department of Police succceded the Gendarmes in gaining information from domestic and foreign agents and "perlustration". Following the SR assassination of MVD Minister Sipyagin on April 2, 1902, the new Minister Plehve gradually relieved Directorates of Gendarmes of investigation power in favor of Security and Investigation Stations (Охранно-розыскное отделение) under respective Mayors and Governors (who as a matter of fact were subordinate to the MVD Minister).

Following the outbreak of the 1905 Revolution and assassination of Plehve, Pyotr Stolypin, as the new MVD Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers, created of nation-wide net of Security Stations. By 1908, there were 31 Stations and more than 60 by 1911. Two more Special Sections of the Department of Police were organized in 1906. The centralized Security Section of the Department of Police was created on February 9, 1907; it was located on 16, Fontanka, St. Petersburg.

The assassination of Stolypin and the Azef case put the methods of the Okhrana under great suspicion; they were further compromised by discovering loads of similar double agents-provocateur. In Autumn 1913, all of the Security Stations but original Moscow, St Petersburg and Warsaw were dismissed. The start of World War I marked a shift from anti-revolutionary activities of the Department of Police to counter-intelligence; however, the efforts of the Department were poorly synchronised with counter-intelligence units of the General Staff and the Army. The organization was officially dissolved after the February Revolution of 1917, although this by no means marked an end to the role of secret police in Russian national security.

References

Charles A. Ruud, Sergei A. Stepanov; Fontanka 16 — The Tsars' Secret Police; McGill-Queen's University Press (paperback, 2002) ISBN 0-7735-2484-3
Political police and political terrorism in Russia (second half of XIX – beginning of XX). Сollection of documents. Compiled by VI Kochanov, NN Parfyonova, MV Sidorova, Ye. I. Sherbakova. Moscow, AIRO-XX (2000). ISBN 5-88735-079-2. (In Russian). [1]
Paris Okhrana 1885–1905 CIA historical review program (Approved for release 22 September 1993)

External links

Fontanka 16 book review
Paris Operations of the Russian Imperial Police
Official history of the MVD of Russia: 1857-1879 1880-1904 1905-1916 (in Russian)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 The '''Okhrannoye otdeleniye''' ({{lang-ru|'''Охранное отделение'''}}, literally meaning ''Protection Section''), usually called the '''Okhrana''' in Western sources, or  '''Okhranka''' by those dissatisfied with the [[czar]]ist regime, was a [[secret police]] force  of the [[Russian Empire]] and part of the [[MVD|Ministry of Internal Affairs]] (MVD) in late [[1800s]], aided by [[Special Corps of Gendarmes]].
-As the name suggests, the primary purpose of the agency was the security of the [[Tsar]] and [[imperial family]], including, but not limited to, fighting hostile organizations: terrorists ("bombists"), socialists, and revolutionaries. The Okhranka operated offices throughout the Russian Empire and in a number of foreign satellite agencies primarily concerned with monitoring the activities of Russian revolutionaries abroad, most notably in [[Paris]], where [[Pyotr Rachkovsky]] was based ([[1884]]–[[1902]]). Its headquarters were located in [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], Fontanka, 16; this street address was infamously known in the Russian Empire.
+As the name suggests, the primary purpose of the agency was the security of the [[Tsar]] and [[imperial family]], including, but not limited to, fighting hostile organizations: terrorists ("bombists"), socialists, and revolutionaries. The Okhrana operated offices throughout the Russian Empire and in a number of foreign satellite agencies primarily concerned with monitoring the activities of Russian revolutionaries abroad, most notably in [[Paris]], where [[Pyotr Rachkovsky]] was based ([[1884]]–[[1902]]). Its headquarters were located in [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], Fontanka, 16; this street address was infamously known in the Russian Empire.
-The task was performed by any means, including covert operations, undercover agents, and "perlustration" — reading of private correspondence. Even the Foreign Agency served this purpose. The Okhranka is notoriously known for its [[agent provocateur|agents provocateur]]s, including Dr. [[Jacob Zhitomirsky]] (a leading [[Bolshevik]] and close associate of [[Vladimir Lenin]]), [[Yevno Azef]], and [[Dmitry Bogrov]].
+The task was performed by any means, including covert operations, undercover agents, and "perlustration" — reading of private correspondence. Even the Foreign Agency served this purpose. The Okhrana is notoriously known for its [[agent provocateur|agents provocateur]]s, including Dr. [[Jacob Zhitomirsky]] (a leading [[Bolshevik]] and close associate of [[Vladimir Lenin]]), [[Yevno Azef]], and [[Dmitry Bogrov]].
-The Okhranka tried to compromise labour movement by creating police-run trade unions, the practice known as ''[[Sergei Vasilyevich Zubatov|zubatovshchina]]''. Of note is the [[Bloody Sunday 1905|Bloody Sunday]] event, when imperial guards killed hundreds of unarmed protesters who were marching during a demonstration organized by [[Father Gapon]], who collaborated with Okhranka, and [[Pinhas Rutenberg|Pyotr Rutenberg]].
+The Okhrana tried to compromise labour movement by creating police-run trade unions, the practice known as ''[[Sergei Vasilyevich Zubatov|zubatovshchina]]''. Of note is the [[Bloody Sunday 1905|Bloody Sunday]] event, when imperial guards killed hundreds of unarmed protesters who were marching during a demonstration organized by [[Father Gapon]], who collaborated with Okhrana, and [[Pinhas Rutenberg|Pyotr Rutenberg]].
-Other controversial activities included fabrication of ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]'' [[hoax]] (many historians maintain that [[Matvei Golovinski]], a writer and Okhranka agent, compiled the first edition on the instructions of [[Pyotr Rachkovsky]]) and fabrication of the [[History of anti-Semitism|antisemitic]] [[Menahem Mendel Beilis|Beilis trial]].
+Other controversial activities included fabrication of ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]'' [[hoax]] (many historians maintain that [[Matvei Golovinski]], a writer and Okhrana agent, compiled the first edition on the instructions of [[Pyotr Rachkovsky]]) and fabrication of the [[History of anti-Semitism|antisemitic]] [[Menahem Mendel Beilis|Beilis trial]].
-Suspects captured by the Okhranka were given to the normal Russian judicial system, and then either executed or sent to forced labor camps known as [[katorga]]s in extremely remote areas of northeastern [[Siberia]].
+Suspects captured by the Okhrana were given to the normal Russian judicial system, and then either executed or sent to forced labor camps known as [[katorga]]s in extremely remote areas of northeastern [[Siberia]].
 ==History==
 The first special security department was ''Department on Protecting the Order and Public Peace'' (Отделение по охранению порядка и общественного спокойствия) under the Head of [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], created in [[1866]] after a failed assassination attempt on [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]], with a staff of 12 investigators. After another failed attempt, on [[August 6]], [[1880]] the Emperor, under proposals of [[Count Loris-Melikov]], created  the  '''Department of State Police''' under [[MVD|Ministry of the Interior (MVD)]] and transferred both [[Special Corps of Gendarmes]] and [[Third Section]] of the [[His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery|Imperial Chancellery]] to the new body; the ''Chief of Gendarmes'' was merged with the Minister and ''Commander of the Corps'' was assigned ''Deputy of the Minister''. Still, these measures did not prevent the assassination of Alexander II.
-In an attempt to implement preventive security measures, Emperor [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] immediately created two more '''Security and Investigation'' (охранно-розыскные)  secret police stations, supervised by Gendarme officers, in [[Moscow]] and [[Warsaw]]; they became the basis of the later Okhranka.  The Gendarmes still operated as security police in the rest of the country through their [[Guberniya|Gubernial]] and [[Uyezd]] Directorates. The Tsar also created Special Conference under the MVD ([[1881]]), which had the right to declare a State of Emergency Security in various parts of the Empire (which was actively used in the time of [[Russian Revolution of 1905|1905's Revolution]]), and subordinated all of the imperial police forces to the Commander of the Gendarmes ([[1882]]).
+In an attempt to implement preventive security measures, Emperor [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] immediately created two more '''Security and Investigation'' (охранно-розыскные)  secret police stations, supervised by Gendarme officers, in [[Moscow]] and [[Warsaw]]; they became the basis of the later Okhrana.  The Gendarmes still operated as security police in the rest of the country through their [[Guberniya|Gubernial]] and [[Uyezd]] Directorates. The Tsar also created Special Conference under the MVD ([[1881]]), which had the right to declare a State of Emergency Security in various parts of the Empire (which was actively used in the time of [[Russian Revolution of 1905|1905's Revolution]]), and subordinated all of the imperial police forces to the Commander of the Gendarmes ([[1882]]).
 The rise of the [[socialist|socialist]] movements called for integration of security forces.  Since [[1898]], the ''Special Section'' (Особый отдел) of the Department of Police succceded the Gendarmes in gaining information from domestic and foreign agents and "perlustration". Following the [[Socialist-Revolutionary Party|SR]] assassination of MVD Minister  [[Dmitry Sergeyevich Sipyagin|Sipyagin]] on [[April 2]], [[1902]], the new Minister [[Vyacheslav von Plehve|Plehve]] gradually relieved Directorates of Gendarmes of investigation power in favor of Security and Investigation Stations (Охранно-розыскное отделение) under respective Mayors and Governors (who as a matter of fact were subordinate to the MVD Minister).
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Following the outbreak of the [[Russian Revolution of 1905|1905 Revolution]] and assassination of [[Vyacheslav von Plehve|Plehve]], [[Pyotr Stolypin]], as the new MVD Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers, created of nation-wide net of Security Stations. By 1908, there were 31 Stations and more than 60 by [[1911]]. Two more Special Sections of the Department of Police were organized in [[1906]]. The centralized ''Security Section of the Department of Police'' was created on [[February 9]], [[1907]]; it was located on 16, Fontanka, St. Petersburg.
-The assassination of Stolypin and the [[Yevno Azef|Azef]] case put the methods of the Okhranka under great suspicion; they were further compromised by discovering loads of similar [[double agent]]s-provocateur. In Autumn [[1913]], all of the Security Stations but original Moscow, St Petersburg and Warsaw were dismissed. The start of [[World War I]] marked a shift from anti-revolutionary activities of the Department of Police to  [[counter-intelligence]]; however, the efforts of the Department were poorly synchronised with counter-intelligence units of the General Staff and the Army. The organization was officially dissolved after the [[February Revolution]] of [[1917]], although this by no means marked an end to the role of secret police in Russian [[national security]].
+The assassination of Stolypin and the [[Yevno Azef|Azef]] case put the methods of the Okhrana under great suspicion; they were further compromised by discovering loads of similar [[double agent]]s-provocateur. In Autumn [[1913]], all of the Security Stations but original Moscow, St Petersburg and Warsaw were dismissed. The start of [[World War I]] marked a shift from anti-revolutionary activities of the Department of Police to  [[counter-intelligence]]; however, the efforts of the Department were poorly synchronised with counter-intelligence units of the General Staff and the Army. The organization was officially dissolved after the [[February Revolution]] of [[1917]], although this by no means marked an end to the role of secret police in Russian [[national security]].
 == See also ==