Internal troops of the Soviet Union

Internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Russian: Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел СССР, VV MVD) were military formations (analogous to the gendarmerie), which were intended to ensure law and public order and internal security of the Soviet Union, protect state facilities and ensure public safety. Formed in the aftermath of the October Revolution of 1917, the original internal troops, known as the Internal Security Forces of the Republic (VOHR) were created as combat detachments of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (Cheka). Numbering approximately 260,000 men in the 1980s, they were one of the largest formations of special troops in the Soviet Union. From September 1, 1939 to March 21, 1989, the internal troops were an integral part of the Soviet Armed Forces but were subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.