SOVIET BORDER GUARD PATROLS AND BORDER GUARD DETAILS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000400350006-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 25, 2013
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: February 16, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
CONFIDENTIAL
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COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
Soviet Border Guard Patrols and
Border Guard Details
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REPORT NO.
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
REFERENCES
16 February 1955
6
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SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
SOURCE:
LIBRARY SUBJECT AND AREA CODES
3-02-0406
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CONFIDENTIAL
I STATE
ARMY
NAVY
2/55
I AIR #XI FBI I I AEC _LJ50X1
Note Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by "#".)
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
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COUNTRY USSR
CONPIDENTIAL
SUBMiC Soviet Border Guard Patrols and Border
Guard Details
DATE OF INFORMATIO
PLACE ACQUIRED
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
REPORT NO.
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DATE DISTR. 28 Dee 1954.
NO. OF PAGES 5
REFERENCES:
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SOURCE
This information was obtained by Department of the Army interro-
gators and is being forwarded essentially as received.
General
1. Source stated that within the Soviet Border Guard zastava, the
various duties which were of a tactical nature were performed by
several different types of patrolling groups. The types of groups and
their duties were outlined in a Border Guard manual entitled Conduct
of Duties in Border Guard Detachments (Instruktsiya Neseniya Sluzhby
Pogranichnikh Otryadov). Source said that he had-seen this Manual
and claimed that it carried a 'isecre.Cclassification. Sergeants read
out of it to privates in source's group and the information contained
in the paragraphs that follow is largely based on its contents as well
as on the theoretical training which source received at the Lenkoran'
(N 38-45, E 48-50) Border School, the refresher training which he
received in his zastava, and his own personal experience.
Duties of Border Guard Patrols
2. The general term for Border Guard patrols was naryady.1 They were
composed of two, and sometimes three, men. One man was designated
as the senior. Normally, both members of a patrol were privates or
privates first class, who were inspected and checked by sergeants and
officers. After receiving its daily orders,- a patrol was not permitted
to re-enter the barracks or other unitr buildings prior to being relieved.
The number of patrols assigned to duty each day varied with the pre-
vailing circumstances. Normally; however, a zastava maintained three
patrols during the day and four to five aenight.
3. On leaving its zastava area, a patrol was required to take along the
following: 60 rounds of ammunition per rifle or two Magazines of
ammunition per SMG, one special field telephone with a receiver that
could be plugged in at various connections along the border, one set
of handcuffs, a pair of field glasses (for daytime use only), an,
observation record, ten flares (green, red, white, and smoke); a lan-
tern, knives (for night duty), and two fragmentation or splinter-type
grenades per man. LONEIDENTIAL
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4. After loading their rifles under the control of the zastava dispatch
orderly or charge of quarters, the members of a patrol left the zas-
tava area. As they left, the senior member was required to indicate
the direction in which the individual members were to go and the
distance which they were to keep between each other. He was also
required to instruct them how to behave in the event they met up with
a border violator (narushitel) or discovered signs indicating the
presence of one.
5. As a rule, Border Guards were to keep under cover while on patrol
duty. In flat areas, they were to take advantage of any foxholes or
trenches which had been dug previously or to move by means of short
runs ending by falling flat under bushes, etc.; or into holes.
Source claimed that, when Border Guard troops guarded open border
territory, they were issued camouflaged ponchos. Where source
served, the troops had to disguise themselves with branches and had
to take advantage of any cover available.
Arrest Procedures Followed by Border Guard Patrols
6. At the first sign of a border violators the members of a patrol were
to take pobitions which enabled them to surround him. Sharp, loud
orders were to be called from both sides for the violator to halt ?
with his hands raised. If he seemed to have a weapon, the patrol
.personnel would order him to discard it. If the violator appeared
to show no resistance, one of the men called the zastava and made
a request for an emergency squad (trevozhhykh or trevozhnaya? grupa)..
However, if the point at which apprehension was made was located
tod, far from a telephone plug-indonnectioh, then the first duty of
the patrol was to Make a personal search of the violator. The search
was to be accomplished as follows: One man covered the priponer..
with his weapon; the other ran his hands along the prisoner's hands,
arms, and body, down to his feet. If the Violator was a female; only
the upper parts of her body and clothing were to be checked. As the
violator discarded his weapon, he was Ordered to move a few steps
away_from it. At the slightest indication that he might attempt
to escape or 'offer resistance, the patrol was to handcu0 him.
7. If the arrest of a border violator occurred in the daytime and in
an open area, the patrol was required to take hi M to the nearest
form of cover or, if no cover was available, he was to be ordered
to lie down in a foxhole or trench. As alast resort, the patrol
could make him lie down and cover him-with mud, sand., grass, ot '
branches until the arrival of the emergency squad. If the arrest
occurred in a covered area, one member of the patrol was to check
the territory within a radius of 100 meters frem the point of arrest
to insure that the crosser did not throw anything away. A more
detailed search of the area and the route taken by the crosser was
to be made after he had been taken away by the emergency patpl.
The transfer of the prisoner from the patrol to the emergencYllad
to be carried out in such a manner as to keep it from being spotted
from the opposite side of the border.
8.. On daytime observation duty, a patrol had to be on constant alert
gor any activity on the opposite side of the border. The senior mem-
ber had to record even the most minor occurrences in the observation
record (zhurnal tablyudeniya). Important occurrences were to be
reported immediately by phone. In addition; regular telephonic
reports were to be made, to the zastava every half hour. If tele-
phonic contact could not be made the patrol had to send up a flare.
Precautions Taken by Border Guard Patrols
9. At night, patrol members were'not allowed to smoke, sleep, or talk
loUdly. During the hours of darkness, they were to be especially'
alert for any kind of sound, such as, barking, bird calls, the sound
of snapping branches, etc.
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10. If a patrol member discovered any indication that someone .had crosseg
the KSP (Kontrolno-Sledovaya Polosa), he called the emergency squad.
As soon as the emergency squad was called, the patrol was to follow
the tracks or signs left by the border violator. If the vitolator
headed into the USSR, the patrol was to follow the tracks rapidly
and attempt to apprehend him. If he headed out of thR U$SR, the
patrol was to follow the tracks to the nvra6r a4d attempt to
catch or kill the violator before he left SQViet territory. If
the tracks of a violator were distinguishable, the best course was
to employ dogs.
11. If the patrol spotted a neighboring patrol approaching its area,
both were required to head towards each other and, at about 100
meters before their point of encounter, both were to exchange
identification and friendly greetings.
12. Source stated that every border guard was to acquire a very precise
and detailed knowledge of the area along his sector of the border
and had to be constantly alert for even the slightest of changes,
such as broken branches, new bushes, etc.
13. A patrol had to detain any individual sending or receiving any kind
of signals, such as, light, sound, etc., across the border.
14. The patrol was to repair border alarm devices only if so ordered.
The only device which was never to be handled by anyone except
specialists from the komendaura or otryad Was the KLEN (pronounced
"KLON" Kasatelnoye Lokatsionnoye NablyUdeniye). During the day,
attempts were to be made to camouflage any repair activities which
a patrol carried out. Such repair work was not to decrease the
operating efficiency or have an adverse influence on the capacities
of the Border Guard patrol.
15. Members of a Border Guard patrol could wear civilian clothing along
probable routes of border violator traffic and movement. Each guard
had to be very careful to imitate exactly the habits of the local
populace of the area in which he found himself. Source was taught
this only in theory. He never knew anyone in his own unit who had
worn civilian clothes for this purpose.
16.
es of Border Guard Patrols and Border Guard Details
44th Border Guard upryea, tne normal Gaily routine ror a given
50:00 24-hour period required the use of the following details:
a. Two observation posts (which were replaced by three or four
border guards moving on foot in predesignated areas if visi-
bility was poor).
b. Three or four patrols.
c. Six sentries for zastava headquarters. Each sentry stood a
four-hour tour.
d. Two zastava C's, each on 12 hours duty.
17. This was the normal, repeating daily pattern for at least half of
the privates in source's zastava. Other details were set up as
specifically designated by the zastava CO.
18. During his service in the Border Guard, source encountered eleven
distinct types of patrols and details, each with a different mission.
They were the following:
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a. Dozor (foot patrol)- This type of patrol was composed of two or
three men mainly operating along the border. It was sent to
predetermined parts of the borderline sector primarily to check
the KSP (plowed strip) for indications of border crossing. After
it accomplished this, it returned to its zastava. If a border
violdtioh was discovered, then the patrol was to take all
necessary and possible steps to apprehend the violator. The
period of duty for a dozot was four to eight hours, depending
on the time it took to cover specific areas.
b. "NF" or Nablyudatelinyy Punkt (observation post) - This was a
daily patrol consisting of iwo men. Its main mission was con-
tinuously to observe the part of the border sector assigned to
it for the day or certain routes or channels in foreign terri-
tory which lead towards the USSR. Sometimes, it was to observe
only one specific point. An "NP" patrol was on duty eight
hours. If visibility grew poor, the "NP" could change from a
stationary to a moving patrol on its own initiative, but the
zastava would have to be informed of the change.
c. Vision (interception group) - This was a rare type of patrol
which source never witnessed in operation. It was sent in order
to intercept a person or persons suspected of intending to leave
USSR territory for any reason. A zaslon could operate along or
near the border, or even inland, and it could check documents.
d. Sekret (concealed post) - This was also a rare type of patrol
which source never witnessed in actual operation. It operated
only if circumstances warranted its use. Usually it was sent
out to apprehend a border violator in a small, specific area
which did not exceed 400 meters in diameter. Usually it was
equipped with a buzzer device (pishchalka) that had a thin wire
attached to it. The wire extended over the entire 400 meters.
The period of duty for such a patrol ranged from four to six
hours.
e. Zasada (ambush) - Ambushes were placed at predetermined spots
situated along the route expected to be taken by an armed border
violator. Usually they were placed close to the border and
could be at road intersections, on bridges, at entrances to
ravines or valleys, or at the edge of a forest or bushy area.
The ambush was to be well-camouflaged in order to take the
violator by surprise. Duty at an ambush point was from six to
eight hours. Source, himself, never witnessed an actual ambush
In operation.
f. Patrul' (patrol) - These patrols were sentto check for documents
among the populace of villages in border areas. They operated
three or four times per month and lasted about eight hours each
time. Source was never a member of such a patrol but saw some
in operation.
g. Chasovoy Zastavy (zastava sentry) - This man was on guard around
the zastava buildings as security sentry. He was also required
to watch for signals sent by patrols along the border areas. .
If visibility was good, he was posted in a watch tower. This
detail was maintained 24 hours a day; each relief was on guard
four hours.
h. Dizhurnyy Zastavy (zastava dispatch orderly or charge Of quarters)
The duty of the orderly was to dispatch patrols to the border,
to check on internal order and security in the zastava area, and
to receive all signals, especially telephonic, from the border
and from the areas across the border. He was on duty 12 hours.
Source saw orderlies on duty every day, but he never served as
one.
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Chasovoy Granitsy (border sentry) - This was a patrol 0 wo,
rarely three, border guards. Its duty was to guard a specific
borderline sector which was usually not longer than two kilometers;
the exact length depended on the terrain covered. The extremities
of the sector were to be strictly defined, and the patrol walked
from one end to the other, checking the plowed strip and the
technical warning deviees.3 Such patrols were on duty every night
and even operated in the daytime if visibility was poor. They
were increased if a zastava CO or a komendatura expected to
receive a message or reply from Iranian authorities at a certain
border point. Source was often on such duty. He stated that,
although according to the manual the individual members of the
patrols were to walk separately and not converse, they were often
together. The duty was about eight hours.
j. Pogranichnyy Konvoy (border escort) - The composition of a border
escort depended on the number of individuals that were to be
escorted, but it always had at least two soldiers. Its mission
was to escort detained border violators from its own zastava to
a zastava situated closer to the komendatura or to the komendatura
itself if the latter was located close to the zastava. After the
escort delivered its prisoner, it had to return directly to its
home unit. Source saw an escort in operation twice.
k. Pogranichnaya Pochta (border mail detail) - This detail was com-
posed of two men whose duty was to carry and deliver secret
communications from their zastava to a neighboring one. Usually
this detail was given personal mail which it had to dispatch
through postal channels. It was also required to return directly
to its home zastava after accomplishing its mission. One such
detail was sent out two or three times each month. Source saw
it on two occasions but was never detailed to it.
Patrol of Inter-Zastava Boundaries
19. The line where two zastava areas met was called a piket. The COs of
both zastavas would make a mutual arrangement whereby they would take
turns supplying personnel for patrols along their common boundary.
2.
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Comment: In Border Guard parlance the term naryad does not
mean detail as it does in the Soviet Army but rather,
personnel on patrol.
Comment: The KSP is commonly known as the "plowed strip." It
is plowed over two or three times a month or more often
if the weather affects it in any way.
escription of such devices.
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