List of chairmen of the KGB

The Chairman of the KGB was the head of the Soviet KGB. He was assisted by one or two First Deputy Chairmen, and four to six Deputy Chairmen. He was also the head of the Collegium of the KGB— which consisted of the Chairman, deputy chairmen, Directorate Chiefs, and one or two republic-level KGB organization chairmen— who affected key policy decisions.

Chairman of the Committee for State Security
Flag of the KGB commanders
SeatLubyanka Building, 2 Bolshaya Lubyanka Street, Moscow, Russian SFSR
PrecursorNone
Formation30 December 1922
First holderFelix Dzerzhinsky
Final holderVadim Bakatin
Abolished22 October 1991
SuccessionHead of the Inter-republican Security Service

In 1934–1943 the Soviet State Security agency was part of People's Commissariat of Interior (NKVD) as Main Directorate of State Security (GUGB). Director of GUGB was the first deputy of People's Commissar of Interior.

List
No. Name
(birth–death)		 Took office Left office Time in office Premier
1 Chairman of the Cheka (1917–1922)
Felix Dzerzhinsky
(1877–1926)		 20 December 1917 6 February 1922 4 years, 48 days
Chairman of the GPU–OGPU (1922, 1923–1934)
Felix Dzerzhinsky
(1877–1926)		 6 February 1922 20 July 1926 4 years, 164 days
2 Vyacheslav Menzhinsky
(1874–1934)		 30 July 1926 10 May 1934 7 years, 284 days
3 Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1934–1941)
Genrikh Yagoda
(1891–1936)		 10 July 1934 26 September 1936 2 years, 78 days
4 Yakov Agranov
(1893–1938)		 29 December 1936 15 April 1937 107 days
5 Mikhail Frinovsky
(1898–1940)		 15 April 1937 28 March 1938 347 days
6 Lavrentiy Beria
(1899–1953)		 29 September 1938 17 December 1938 79 days
7 Vsevolod Merkulov
(1895–1953)		 17 December 1938 3 February 1941 2 years, 48 days
People's Commissar for State Security (1941)
Vsevolod Merkulov
(1895–1953)		 3 February 1941 20 July 1941 167 days
Main Directorate of State Security of People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (1941–1943)
Vsevolod Merkulov
(1895–1953)		 20 July 1941 14 April 1943 1 year, 268 days
People's Commissar for State Security (1943–1946)
Vsevolod Merkulov
(1895–1953)		 14 April 1943 15 March 1946 2 years, 335 days
Ministry of State Security (1946–1954)
Vsevolod Merkulov
(1895–1954)		 15 March 1946 18 March 1946 3 days
8 Viktor Abakumov
(1908–1954)
—
 18 March 1946 14 July 1951 5 years, 118 days
— Sergei Ogoltsov
(1900–1976)
(Acting)
—
 14 July 1951 9 August 1951 26 days
9 Semyon Ignatyev
(1904–1983)
—
 9 August 1951 5 March 1953 1 year, 208 days
6 Lavrentiy Beria
(1899–1953)		 5 March 1953 26 June 1953 113 days
10 Sergei Kruglov
(1907–1977)
—
 June 1953 13 March 1954 9 months
11 Chairman of the Committee for State Security (1954–1991)
Ivan Serov
(1905–1990)		 13 March 1954 8 December 1958 4 years, 270 days
12 Alexander Shelepin
(1918–1994)
—
 25 December 1958 13 November 1961 2 years, 323 days
13 Vladimir Semichastny
(1924–2001)		 13 November 1961 18 May 1967 5 years, 186 days
14 Yuri Andropov
(1914–1984)		 18 May 1967 26 May 1982 15 years, 8 days
15 Vitaly Fedorchuk
(1918–2008)
—
 26 May 1982 17 December 1982 205 days
16 Viktor Chebrikov
(1923–1999)
—
 17 December 1982 1 October 1988 5 years, 289 days
17 Vladimir Kryuchkov
(1924–2007)		 1 October 1988 22 August 1991 2 years, 325 days
— Leonid Shebarshin
(1935–2012)
(Interim)
—
 22 August 1991 23 August 1991 1 day
18 Vadim Bakatin
(born 1937)		 23 August 1991 24 January 1992 154 days

See also

Citations

    Sources
    • Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, Gardners Books (2000), ISBN 0-14-028487-7 Basic Books (1999), hardcover, ISBN 0-465-00310-9; trade paperback (September, 2000), ISBN 0-465-00312-5
    • John Barron, "KGB: The Secret Work of Soviet Secret Agents",Reader's Digest Press (1974), ISBN 0-88349-009-9
    • Vasili Mitrokhin and Christopher Andrew, The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World, Basic Books (2005) hardcover, 677 pages ISBN 0-465-00311-7

    Further reading
    • Yevgenia Albats and Catherine A. Fitzpatrick. The State Within a State: The KGB and Its Hold on Russia – Past, Present, and Future. Farrar Straus Giroux (1994) ISBN 0-374-52738-5.
    • John Barron. KGB: The Secret Works Of Soviet Secret Agents. Bantam Books (1981) ISBN 0-553-23275-4
    • Vadim J. Birstein. The Perversion Of Knowledge: The True Story of Soviet Science. Westview Press (2004) ISBN 0-8133-4280-5 (describes a secret KGB lab engaged in development and testing of poisons)
    • John Dziak, Chekisty: A History of the KGB, Lexington Books (1988) ISBN 978-0-669-10258-1
    • Sheymov, Victor (1993). Tower of Secrets. Naval Institute Press. pp. 420. ISBN 1-55750-764-3.
    • Бережков, Василий Иванович (2004). Руководители Ленинградского управления КГБ : 1954-1991. Санкт-Петербург: Выбор, 2004. ISBN 5-93518-035-9 (in Russian)

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