# Did the USSR have a Coast Guard?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-ussr-have-a-coast-guard/957664>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 12, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-ussr-have-a-coast-guard/957664 "2022-01-12T22:01:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-ussr-have-a-coast-guard/957664/1 "2022-01-12T22:01:11Z")

</div>

The term “coast guard” means different things to different nations.  
I am asking for a comparison to the US Coast Guard.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-ussr-have-a-coast-guard/957664/2 "2022-01-13T00:46:37Z")

</div>

I was curious myself so I looked this up on wikipedia.

The USSR’s “coast guard” was the Maritime Units of the KGB Border Troops.

After WWII, the Soviet Border Troops basically served the function of both the US Border Patrol and the US Coast Guard, with different units for each. The Border Troops were put under the NKVD and became the NKVD Border Security. Later they were put under the KGB and were renamed the KGB Border Troops, where they remained until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Currently, the Border Service of Russia (including the maritime units which serve as Russia’s “coast guard”) is under the Federal Security Service of Russia.

More info:

> **[Coast Guard (Russia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Guard_(Russia))**
>
> Pages for logged out editors learn more
> 
> The Coast Guard of the Border Service of the FSB (Russian: Береговая охрана Пограничной службы ФСБ России, romanized: Beregovaya okhrana Pogranichnoy sluzhby FSB Rossii), previously known as the Maritime Units of the KGB Border Troops (Russian: Морские части Пограничных Войск КГБ СССР), is the coast guard of Russia. 
> The purpose of the formation of the Coast Guard of the FSB of Russia is to create a modern comprehensive and multifunctional system...

> **[Soviet Border Troops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Border_Troops)**
>
> Pages for logged out editors learn more
> 
> Chinese Civil War
> Soviet–Japanese border conflicts
> Second World War

> **[Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Service_of_the_Federal_Security_Service_of_the_Russian_Federation)**
>
> Pages for logged out editors learn more
> 
> The Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (PS FSB Rossii) (Russian: Пограничная служба Федеральной службы безопасности Российской Федерации (ПС ФСБ России)) is a branch of Federal Security Service of Russia tasked with patrol of the Russian border.
> The terms Border Service of Russia (Russian: Пограничная служба России) and Border Force of Russia (Russian: Пограничные войска России) are also common, while in Engl...

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-ussr-have-a-coast-guard/957664/3 "2022-01-14T17:15:45Z")

</div>

Sounds like they have the FSB Border Troops Coast Guard, and they also have the [National Guard Naval Service Corps.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Guard_Naval_Service_Corps), who it looks like may pick up some of the search-and-rescue type duties that the US Coast Guard handles.