Ministry of State Security (Soviet Union)
| Министерство государственной безопасности | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 15 March 1946 |
| Preceding agencies | |
| Dissolved | 5 March 1953 |
| Superseding agencies | |
| Type | Secret police Intelligence agency |
| Jurisdiction | Central Committee and Council of Ministers (1946–1953) |
| Headquarters | Lubyanka Building, 2 Bolshaya Lubyanka Street, Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Agency executives |
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The Ministry of State Security (Russian: Министерство государственной безопасности, Russian pronunciation: [mʲɪnʲɪˈsʲtʲerstvə ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ]), abbreviated as MGB (Russian: МГБ), was a ministry of the Soviet Union from 1946 to 1953 which functioned as the country's secret police. The ministry inherited the intelligence and state security responsibilities of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) and People's Commissariat for State Security (NKGB). The MGB was led by Vsevolod Merkulov for 50 days from March 15 to May 4 1946, then by Viktor Abakumov from May 4 1946 to July 14 1951, then by Semyon Ignatiev until Stalin's death in March 5 1953, upon which it was merged into an enlarged Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD).