MVD ESCORT AND PATROL GUARD COMPANY V/CH 7461

Created: 7/11/1986

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

ESCORT AND PATROL GUARD1

REF: SOURCE:

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Approved lor

FROM JAILS TO COURTS IN THE CITY AND ESCORTING CONVICTED PRISONERS TO CORRECTIVE LABOR CAMPS THROUGHOUT THE USSR. SOHE OF THE PRISONERS APPEARED TO BE POLITICAL PRISONERS ALTHOUGH THEY HAD BEEN CONVICTED UNDER CRIMINAL CODE ARTICLES.

TEXT: 1. THE ESCORT GUARD1 WAS ONE OF THREE MVD GUARD COMPANIES STATIONED IN OR NEAR VOLGOGRAD. THE THREE COMPANIES TAKEN TOGETHER DID NOTINGLE ENTITY SUCHATTALION, BUT HERE INDEPENDENT UNITS, EACHEPARATE MISSION. TWO OF THE COMPANIES,ERE STATIONED IN VOLGOGRAD, RSFSR, AND THE THIRDB, WAS STATIONEDORRECTIVE LABOR CAMP IN THE NEARBY TOWN OF VOLZHSKIY, ABOUTILES NORTHEAST OF VOLGOGRAD. THE SECOND COMPANY STATIONED IN VOLGOGRAD PROVIDED HONOR GUARD SERVICE AT THE MAMAYEV KURGAN WAR MEMORIAL IN VOLGOGRAD, WHICHAJOR SOVIET TANK VICTORY OVER NAZI INVADERS

2. THE TWO COMPANIES IN VOLCOCRAD, EACH OFEN, WERE HOUSEDMALL, FENCED MILITARY COMPLEX OF FOUR ONE- AND TWO-STORY BARRACKS NEAR THE CENTER OF TOWN. THE COMMANDING OFFICER (NAME NOTOLONEL,AJOR AS HIS DEPUTY AND THEREAPTAIN IN CHARGE OF POLITICAL HATTERS. EACH COMPANY WAS HEADEDAPTAIN, AND EACH CONSISTED OF FOUR PLATOONS WITH ABOUTRENLATOON, COMMANDEDIEUTENANT. THE MISSION OF THE FIRSTAS TWO-FOLD: TO ESCORT (BAILIFFS) DEFENDANTS BETWEEN DETENTION CENTERS (SIZO, SLEDSTVENNYY IZOLYATOR) AND COURTS WITHIN THE CITY, INCLUDING GUARDING DEFENDANTS DURING TRIALS; AND TO ESCORT CONVICTED INDIVIDUALS FROM DETENTION CENTERS AND CORRECTIVE INSTITUTIONS TO AREAS OF LONG-TERM. "T

CORRECTIVE:

(EACH OF TfflTPOUR PLATOONS OP "THE COMPANYTIAD *IDENTICAL*"FUNCTIONS) PICKED UP PRISONERS FOR ESCORTING NOT ONLY FROH THE VOLGOGRADHERE THERE WERE ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE CORRECTIVE LABOR CAMPS, BUT WERE SENT TO CITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY FOR THAT PURPOSE. THEY DID NOT DELIVER PRISONERS TO THE ACTUAL CAHP OR DETENTION FACILITY TO WHICH THE PRISONER WOULD BE ASSIGNED, BUT DELIVERED THEM TO THE RAILROAD STATION CLOSEST TO THE END FACILITY, WHERE THEY WERE MET BY LOCAL ESCORT GUARD COMPANY MEMBERS WHO TOOK CHARGE OF THE PRISONERS AND DELIVERED THEM, USUALLY BY TRUCK, TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION. THE ESCORTING PLATOON RARELY RETURNED TO ITS HOME BASE WITHOUT GETTING ANOTHER ESCORT ASSIGNMENT FROH SOME LOCATION ALONG ITS RETURN ROUTE.

CITIES FROH WHICH PRISONERS WERE OFTEN PICKED UP TO TRANSFER TO LABOR CAMPS INCLUDED MOSCOW, LENINGRAD, ULAN-UDE, LVOV, VOLGOGRAD, AND CHERKASSY. GUARDS WERE INTENTIONALLY NEVER SENT TO PERFORM ESCORTING DUTIES IN THEIR HOME TOWNS. LOCATIONS WHERE PRISONERS, MOSTLY MALE BUT OCCASIONALLY INCLUDING FEMALES, WERETURNED,E MANy'LA'I

THE PLATOON LEADER OR HIS DEPUTY WOULD CO TO THE RAILROAD STATION TO SELECT ANDRISONER TRANSPORT CAR FOR THE JOURNEY. THE CAR WOULD BE INCLUDEDIVILIAN PASSENGER TRAIN AND WOULD INVARIABLY BE EITHER THE FJBST OR THE LAST CAR. ON THE STATION PLATFORM SIDE THE CAR HAD WINDOWS LIKE AN ORDINARY CIVILIAN PASSENGER CAR, EXCEPT HAT THE CURTAINS WOULD ALWAYS BE DRAWN. THERE WERE NO WINDOWS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CAR. ALONG THE WINDOWS THERE WAS AUSED BY THE ESCORTS FOR PATROLLING AND ALONG THE PASSAGE-WAY THERE WERE FIVE CELLS WHICH COULD ACCOMMODATE UP TORISONERS EACH PLUS TWO GUARD ROOMS, ONE FOR THE SOLDIERS AND ONE FOR THE PLATOON LEADER AND/OR HIS DEPUTY. PRISONER CONVOYS USUALLY CONSISTED OF ABOUTNDIVIDUALS. ONLY ABOUTEMBERS OF THE ESCORT PLATOON PARTICIPATED IN ANY ONE ESCORT MISSION, THE PLATOON MEMBERS REMAINING BEHIND IN VOLGOGRAD CONTINUED WITH THEIR BAILIFF DUTIES. COLD RATIONS FOR THE PRISONERS TO COVER THE LENGTH OF THE JOURNEY WERE PREPARED IN ADVANCE BY THE INSTITUTION FROM WHICH THE PRISONERS WERE BEING TAKEN. ESCORT CUARDS BROUGHT ALONG THEIR OWN FOOD SUPPLIES FROM HOME OR FROM THE COMPANY MESS, BUT THEY WERE ALSO ALLOWED TO DINE AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE IN THE TRAIN'S DININC CAR. PRISONERS RECEIVED NO WARM FOOD OR DRINK, EXCEPTEMBER OF THE ESCORT GUARDS AGREED,RISONER'S OWN MONEY, TO BUY HIM SOMETHING FROM THE TRAIN'S DINER.

5. OSSIER IN THE SAFEKEEPING OF THE PLATOON LEADER OR HIS DEPUTY ACCOMPANIED EACH PRISONER BEING ESCCHT-D. (CCHKENT: OCCASIONAL PERUSAL OF DOSSIERS REVEALED THAT SOME PRISONERS WHO HAD BEEN CONVICTED AS CRIMINALS WERE IN FACT POLITICAL PRISONERS

CONVICTED UNDER CRIHINAL CODE ARTICLES .SUCH. AS, ANTI-SOVIET AGITATION, , ^

RATION OF CHURCH AND "STATE, PARTICIPATION IN ."

VIOLATION OF LAWS ONOVAI.SO

DISTINGUISHED" BY'THEIR INTELLIGENT APPEARANCE AND' 'BEHAVIOR 'As'* OPPOSED" TO THE ROUGH APPEARANCE^AND "ATTITUDES 'OF "THE CRIMINALS THAT"THE BULK OF THE TRANSPORTEES. MANY OF THOSE WHO APPEARED TO BE POLITICAL PRISONERS WERE TRANSPORTED TO STATIONS IN HORDOVSKAYA ASSR AND PENZENSKAYA 0BLAST AND THERE WERE ONE OR TWO INSTANCES WHEN PRISONERS WERE TRANSPORTEDPETSPSIKHBOL'NITSA (SPECIAL PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL) IN THE ASTRAKHAN' AREA. MOST CORRECTIVE LABOR CAMPS WERE IN THE RSFSR, WITHEW IN THE tTKSSR. THERE WERE ALSO DETENTION CENTERS (SIZO) AND LABOR CAMPS OPERATED BY THE KGB.)

DORMITORY-TYPE BARRACKS WITH FROMORISONERSOOM. IN EXTRA SECURITY CAMPS, ACCOMMODATIONS WERE IN CELLS WITH NO MORE THAN TWO OR THREE KENELL. ALL OF THE TYPES HAD INTERNAL BRIGS AND ISOLATION CELLS- (SHTRAFNOY IZOLYATOR) WHERE VIOLENT OR RECALCITRANT PRISONERS WERE KEPT. PRISONERS HAD WORK DUTIES IN ALL HE TYPES OF CAMPS AND THE CAMPS WHERE PRISONERS WERE FORCED TO LABOR IN PARTICULARLY UNPLEASANT CONDITIONS (MINES AND COLD CLIMATE) WERE EITHER STRICT OR EXTRA SECURITY TYPES. IN ADDITION TO THE FOUR TYPES OF LABOR CAMPS, THERE WERE TWO TYPES OF PRISONS, USED MOSTLY FOR VERY DIFFICULT PRISONERS OR THOSE WITH VERY LONG SENTENCES, THE TYPES BEING GENERAL SECURITY AND STRICT SECURITY. IN EACH OF THESE TYPES Or PRISONS, PRISONERS WERE HELD IN LOCKED CELLS AND OTHER CONDITIONS AND PRIVILEGES WERE AT LEAST AS SEVERE AS IN EXTRA SECURITY-TYPE CAMPS.

7. HOST OFHISSIONED OFFICER PERSONNEL OF THE THO MVD ESCORT GUARD COMPANIES IN VOLGOGRAD AND THE PATROL GUARD COMPANY IN VOLZHSKIY WERE TWO-YEAR DRAFTEES WHO HAD RECEIVED THEIR BASIC AND SPECIALIZED TRAININGIX-MONTH COURSE AT THE MVD SERGEANTS SCHOOL IN KALACH, LOCATEDMALL GARRISON WHERE THERE WASCHOOL FOR WARRANT OFFICERS (PRAPORSHCHIKIY). THE WARRANT OFFICERS WERE EXTENDED DUTY PERSONNEL WHO WERE BEING TRAINED FOR INTERNAL GUARD AND ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES WITHIN CORRECTIVE LABOR CAMPS AND OTHER MVD DETENTION INSTALLATIONS SUCH AS SPECIAL PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS. WARRANT OFFICERS DID NOT COME UNDER THE COMMAND OF ESCORT PERSONNEL, BUT WERE UNDER THE DIRECT CONTROL OF INSTALLATION COMMANDERS. ESCORT COMPANY PLATOON LEADERS WERE MOSTLY RESERVISTS, ., PERFORMING TWO-YEAR OR SHORTER COMPULSORY TOURS OF DUTY, FOLLOWING

WHICH THEY WOULDTATUS IN THE MVD RESERVE. STUDENTS AT THE

ON SNIPER TRAININGp"RECEIVED SPECIALIZED TRAINING IN ESCORT

PATROL GUARD DUTIES, INCLUDING THE HANDLING OF GUARD DOGS. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE INDOCTRINATION ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE MVD. ENLISTED MEN OF THE ESCORT AND PATROL GUARD COMPANIES WERE TRAINED ON THE JOB IN THEIR UNITS.

Original document.

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