National Guard in Tatarstan lands on Bulak Street
Extradepartmental Protection Directorate located in the city centre can become the Kazan headquarters of the new national security agency
A four-storey complex with a shooting club, gym and juice bar on 20 Left Bulak Street in the city centre can be occupied by the National Guard. Some sources of Realnoe Vremya think this question has been solved. However, some of them ask to slow down. At the same time guardsmen are sending requests to some Tatarstan ministries and asking to allocate big land parcels and forests 'for the needs' of the new military force. As Realnoe Vremya found out, the 'commander' of the Guard in Tatarstan has not been appointed yet, but it seems the former chief drug policeman Fayaz Shabaev won't be given this post.
Less space for workers with no boss
The new building of the Extradepartmental Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Republic of Tatarstan on Bulak Street officially opened 11 years ago. It was built in compliance with all needs of the service. Apart from offices, the gym and the shooting club, a room for emotional and psychological relief, juice bar and even a museum of the history of service have been prepared. It was told that about 166m rubles were spent on the construction. The Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography states the building occupies over 5,000 square metres and has two annexes. The facilities belong to the Ministry of Land and Property of the Republic of Tatarstan and controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan.
Having visited the building of the regional Extradepartmental Protection Directorate, a correspondent of Realnoe Vremya found no mentioning of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, that is to say, the National Guard at the entrance. Today the directorate and all its workers continue to work in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan and say that this transfer might last till 2018. According to unofficial data, preparation for this reform has already reached the directorate – its workers were accommodated in smaller rooms, so a part of the rooms were prepared for the regional agency of the National Guard. Curiously, it is not carried out at a new head's request, the post of the 'ruler' in Tatarstan is still vacant.
Rafil Nugumanov: 'I think the central personnel staff will consist of 40-50 people. Three units of internal troops, SWAT troops and helicopter detachment will obey it.; Photo: gossov.tatarstan.ru
'According to my data, the building on Bulak Street is being given to the National Guard,' comments the deputy chairman of the Committee on Law and Safety of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan and the former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan Rafil Nugumanov. 'As the management of the directorate is a part of it. I think the central personnel staff will consist of 40-50 people. Three units of internal troops, SWAT troops and helicopter detachment, Administration for Organising the License and Permit Issuing Activity and Extradepartmental Protection Directorate will obey it.
It should be reminded that according to the federal law signed on 3 July 2016, the National Guard troops must provide the public security, participate in the fight against terrorism and extremism, take part in the provision of state of emergency regimes, state of siege, legal regime of anti-terrorist operation, protection of the Russian Federation, help in the protection of the state borders of Russia, keep federal control (supervision) in compliance with the legislation in gun control and private security service, in safety provision in the Fuel and Energy Complex facilities, activity of security departments of juridical persons with special statutory duties and departments of the in-house security service.
Give them land and forest
In turn, sources in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan doubt that the National Guard will be easily given all material base that was used by the workers of the above-mentioned and still police agencies. They tell the decision on neither the directorate on Bulak Street nor Dinamo base in Mirny settlement has not been made yet. Particularly the latter is occupied by one of the future guard units — an aviation unit, which is still police. But it is used by dog handlers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Emergency Ministry's rescue workers. In general, the siloviks are not going to give way what they conquered without a fight. It seems to explain the consideration of alternative options.
So, a source in the Government of Tatarstan in the rank of the head of a department informed: 'Allocation of parcels for training area is under discussion now. It was initiated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A training area for internal troops was mentioned earlier, and now they are speaking about the National Guard troops. Their request was quite much — about 2,000 ha.
The structure has not been defined yet
An attempt of Realnoe Vremya to find those guardsmen who sent the request in Tatarstan was not successful. There is no person in the republic who would be hired by the Guard. The official page of the National Guard confirms this information where only the executive of the National Guard Viktor Zolotov and his deputies are represented. The structure of the agency has not been defined yet. Instead, there are contacts of representative offices of the temporary press centre of the new agency in seven regions of the country, and Kazan is not among them.
The law has been adopted. Executives of the National Guard have been appointed, and now a preparation for the work is taking place. Normative documents are due to be brought into line by 1 October. And heads of regional offices of the National Guard are to be appointed till the end of the year. This is why no one can't to go and officially ask for something on behalf of the agency, including in Tatarstan,' the head of the press service of the Volga Regional Interior Troop Command of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Iliya Zakirov explained Realnoe Vremya and offered to check the documents of false guardsmen without fail.
Shabaev — no, Mister X — yes?
After Putin's decision to liquidate the Federal Drug Control Service, Tatarstan siloviks discussed the Mayor General Fayaz Shabaev — the former head of the Drug Control Service in Tatarstan — who lost his job. It was told he was going to occupy the post of the chief Tatarstan guardsman. But now they say he has not been chosen and won't return to the republic triumphantly. But there are rumours that Shabaev can be appointed as the head of the Investigative Administration of the Investigative Committee of Russia in Tatarstan Pavel Nikolaev's deputy. The very Mayor General has not visited mass events in the republic for a long time and he doesn't comment rumours.
A source of Realnoe Vremya in law enforcement agencies assure that Tatarstan has enough candidates for the post that the former head of the Drug Service is supposed to not to have been chosen for. But at the same time there is the main candidate among Tatarstan state workers. Anyway, his surname and current post are earnestly asked not to be announced in order to appoint him successfully because the key decision will be made by the federal centre.
The Government of Tatarstan supposes the appointment of the head and the definition of the personnel number will cause questions connected with the material provision of the Tatarstan guardsmen. For this reason, at the moment it is unclear what kind of building they need for their headquarters. One of the interlocutors of Realnoe Vremya noted: 'It is a problem if you give them a big one, while there are few people. It is a problem again if you give them a small one, while there are many people. Once it was told that the National Guard offices might not be in all regions...'