The Kremlin enforces near-slavery policy in Russian security services to avoid mass personnel loss.

A growing number of officers serving in Russian security agencies and notably in the Federal Security Service (FSB) neglect their duties and sabotage its operations. 

The main reason is the impossibility to resign from their jobs by legal means, claims the investigative outlet Vazhnye Istoryi (Important Stories). 

In 2022, President Vladimir Putin prohibited the servicemen in the military and security forces from quitting during the so-called period of mobilization and there’s no sign that the Kremlin intends to call off the mobilization decree. This prohibition discouraged many middle and high-ranking officers from performing their duties properly, turning to simulation of work and outright sabotage of orders from their superiors, the outlet quoted a former FSB official as saying.

If commanders are unhappy with their performance, the resignation seeking officers openly demand to be fired officially, in compliance with the laws in effect.

“Doin’ no shit”

Vazhnye Istoryi also checked up with an acting official at the FSB headquarters, who asked not to be named:

“Indeed, the mood of many is roughly like this – let’s sit quietly until [the time of] retirement [comes], doin’ no shit and avoiding getting into any f…g trouble.”

The first source specified that the FSB has turned to employment of non-commissioned ranks among the military and FSB operatives who are ready to do whatever being asked in return for big money, in spite of being unqualified for the job.

Some complex tasks are entrusted to outrightly unskilled people, a fact that explains many of the FSB’s failures lately. One example is the exposure of at least eight FSB operatives and their superiors who participated in the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny in August 2020 (pictured below).

Upper row (left to right): Alexey Alexandrov, Oleg Tayakin, Mikhail Shvetz, Stanislav Makshakov. Lower row: Konstantin Kudryavtsev, Ivan Osipov, Alexei Krivoshchekov, Vladimir Panayev. Credit: navalny.com

The trend of labor imitation is also present among high-ranking officials, he added.

Vazhnye Istoryi reached a source familiar with Kremlin insiders, “There’s an unwritten order to prevent the departure of the administrative personnel. Many would like to leave since the war broke out, but if all of them quit we’ll lose the management. In addition, the president interprets the desire to resign as betrayal.”

Those who stay are handsomely rewarded with cash and career promotion.

The outlet was unable to review any official numbers, given that the Russian government has classified most of the statistical data, as well as all information related to the military, security services, and intelligence agencies.

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