Service

According to the law “On Service in National Security Bodies”, one of the grounds for conducting counterintelligence activities by RA national security bodies is also the necessity of ensuring security within the bodies of the diplomatic service of RA in foreign states. In order to address this crucial task, the First Main Directorate of Counterintelligence was established within the system of the National Security Service of RA, which carries out external counterintelligence activities.

External counterintelligence is an activity carried out within the powers of the national security bodies of RA, aimed at ensuring the security of the diplomatic service bodies of RA in foreign states, protecting information containing state secrets within those bodies, as well as ensuring the security of citizens and organizations of RA outside its borders.

The measures undertaken to ensure security within the diplomatic service bodies of RA in foreign states make it possible to timely detect and prevent the intelligence activities of foreign special services, other organizations, and individual persons.

The First Main Directorate of Counterintelligence, which performs external counterintelligence functions, also cooperates with foreign partner special services within the scope of its powers.

Counterintelligence is a system of functions executed within the competence of national security bodies aimed at disclosure, prevention and suppression of the intelligence activities of special services and other organizations of foreign states, as well as individuals. It is one of the most important components and main directions of the activity of national security bodies without which it is impossible to confront various threats and challenges containing external and internal risks, which are directed against the security of the state, society and the individual and are stipulated by intelligence and subversive aspirations and encroachments on the part of foreign special services.

The counterintelligence body is also assigned a serious role in the implementation of functions to ensure the security of the political, military, economic, scientific and educational, public and other spheres of the state, the protection of state secrets.

The counterintelligence bodies of the national security of the Republic of Armenia since their establishment until now are organizing their functions with the use of overt and covert methods and means not prohibited by the legislation of RA, guided by the Constitution of RA, laws “On Service in National Security Bodies”, “On Operative-Search Activity” and a number of other laws and departmental normative acts.

The counterintelligence bodies of RA have managed to identify dozen spies and agents of foreign special services, and have neutralized and prevented intelligence-subversive, sabotage programs and actions being prepared against the security of the state, as well as terrorist infiltration programs and actions.

Under the current complicated and rapidly changing geopolitical conditions, the counterintelligence bodies of the NSS of RA are capable of and continue to successfully perform their functions assigned to them by legislation.

Military counterintelligence is a function carried out within the powers of the national security bodies aimed at disclosing, preventing and suppressing intelligence activities against the RA Armed Forces and other military structures by special services and other organizations, as well as individuals of foreign states. Military counterintelligence is one of the main directions of activities of the national security bodies. According to the RA Law "On National Security Bodies", "Military counterintelligence activities are carried out by military counterintelligence bodies (services, divisions, departments) of the authorized body in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, the Police Troops of the Republic of Armenia and other troops and military formations, as well as in their management bodies for the purpose of disclosing, preventing and suppressing crimes, protecting against the penetration of special services of foreign states, as well as for the purpose of assisting the command in maintaining combat capability and combat readiness."

In their activities, the MCI bodies of the RA NSS are guided by the Constitution of RA, the Laws of RA “On National Security Bodies”, “On Operative-Search Activities”, “On State Secrets” and other laws, as well as legal acts of the RA NSS and the Charter of military counterintelligence.

In the complex geopolitical and regional situation that has developed around the Republic of Armenia, military counterintelligence bodies successfully perform their functions, identifying agents and spies of foreign intelligence services in their designated areas, preventing and suppressing numerous cases of subversive intelligence activities of foreign intelligence services, organizations and individuals against the Republic of Armenia and its Armed Forces.

The military counterintelligence subdivisions also exercise control over the state secret protection process in the RA Armed Forces identifying and preventing ways of possible leakage of secrets.

The military counterintelligence, as a separate body of the NSS, carries out its activities since 1995, and since that period it has been involved in the process of uncovering phenomena that impede the combat capability and combat readiness of the RA Armed Forces system and supporting the command, during that time disclosing numerous cases that threaten the national security of RA.

According to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on ''The National Security Authorities of RA'', the responsibilities and tasks of the national security authorities are to detect, to prevent, to suppress terrorist acts, as well as to struggle against illegal armed formations, criminal groups and individuals and organizations that have a purpose to violently change the constitutional order. The body of the National Security Service of RA implementing the function of maintaining the constitutional order and fighting against terrorism coordinates the implementation of integrated activities by national security authorities to ensure the protection of vital and critical infrastructure facilities against terrorist acts in the territory of the Republic of Armenia. In order to promote the efficiency of the fight against terrorism and other extreme manifestations in RA, the subdivision prepares suggestions directed at drafting and improving regulations on the protection of individuals, society and State against the before-mentioned threats; cooperates with foreign anti-terrorist structures to constantly exchange information and studies their experience. Within the framework of cooperation, officers of the authority on protection of constitutional order and fight against terrorism maintain working contacts with the Anti-Terrorist Centre of CIS Member States, with international structures combating terrorism (INTERPOL, UN structures) and with special services of other States. The officers of the structure thoroughly explore and analyze cases of terrorism or of other extremist manifestations in different parts of the world, the reasons and conditions of their origin, the organization by special services of activities aimed at neutralizing or mitigating the consequences. The theoretical knowledge accumulated as a result of this activity is subsequently tested in practical military exercises and other various exercises. Exercises with actors conducting fight against terrorism are organized and carried out on a planned basis, including in the vital and critical infrastructure facilities of RA. During the exercises, situations of conducting terrorist acts in different facilities are modeled, including the release of “hostages” and negotiation with “terrorists”. This kind of exercises are implemented also with the Anti-Terrorist Centre of CIS Member States every year; the exercises usually go through several stages, involving antiterrorism authorities in the territories of the States participating in the exercises.

Not a single State body, conducting the fight against terrorism in the Republic of Armenia, can succeed without the support of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia.

Economic and corruption crimes are traditionally considered to be crimes with high latency. Their detection, disclosure, as well as substantiation of the guilt of officials often causes great difficulties and requires consistent, competent, planned and coordinated actions by operative-search bodies.

A comprehensive study of statistical data on economic and corruption crimes recorded in RA testifies that they are a real threat to both national security and the reputation of the Republic of Armenia in the international platform, since such crimes directly have a negative impact upon the normal operation of the most important spheres of the state's life - financial and economic, contradict the principle of equal economic competition between business entities, as well as jeopardize the financial and economic attractiveness of the Republic of Armenia for potential large investments. In connection with the anti-corruption policy adopted by the Government of RA, within the framework of legal, structural and organizational serious reforms carried out in the National Security Service of RA, a separate body for economic security and countering corruption has been established in order to increase the effectiveness of the fight against the above-stated threats, as well as of the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.

The subdivision carries out counterintelligence support mainly in the fields of sustainment, financial and budgetary, tax, customs, transport, judicial and law enforcement systems, as well as carries out relevant information and analytical work, which is carried out by employees of the NSS with relevant professional knowledge.

The Economic Security and Countering Corruption Body of the NSS of RA cooperates with both NSS subdivisions and other agencies and special services of foreign states.

The Border Troops of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia are tasked with protecting the state border of the Republic of Armenia, ensuring the security of the Republic of Armenia at the state border, maintaining the state border regime, the border zone regime, and the regime at state border crossing points, and carrying out border control at the crossing points of the state border.

After the declaration of independence of the Republic of Armenia, alongside the formation of the Armed Forces, by the order of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia on January 28, 1992, the Administration of the Border Troops was established. This was обусловed by the need to ensure the inviolability of the state border of the Republic of Armenia, to prevent transboundary criminal activity and violations of the state border regime, border regime, and crossing point regime, as well as to carry out the passage of persons, vehicles, animals, cargo, and other property across the state border.

By the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia on September 11, 1993, the Administration was transferred under the jurisdiction of the State Department of National Security of the Republic of Armenia.

On April 26, 1994, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia adopted the Law “On the State Border of the Republic of Armenia,” which defined the concept of the state border, its protection, delimitation, modification, and marking, the regimes of the state border, border zone, and crossing points, the powers of state administration bodies and air defense troops in the field of border protection, as well as the participation of state bodies, officials, citizens, and organizations in protecting the state border. Considering the historical significance of this law, by a Government decision in 2006, April 26 was designated as Border Guard Day.

On November 20, 2001, the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia adopted the Law “On Border Troops,” which defined the legal basis of their activities, principles, rights and duties, as well as the legal and social protection of the personnel of the border troops and citizens participating in the protection of the state border and their family members.

The protection of the state border of the Republic of Armenia is carried out by three different bodies: the Border Troops of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia, the Border Directorate of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation located in Armenia, and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.

In the initial period, the Administration of the Border Troops of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia included two border detachments and a Special Regiment. The 1st border detachment was located in the city of Sisian, and the 2nd border detachment in Sevan, later in Ijevan.

On January 28, 1992, by the order of the Minister of Defense, military unit 5060 was established. In 1993, by the order of the head of the State Department of National Security, the “Pushkino” border detachment was formed, which on October 1 was relocated from the city of Sisian to the village of Pushkino in Lori Province of the Republic of Armenia. Within military unit 5060, the border commandant’s offices of Noyemberyan, Tashir, and Ashotsk were formed. The unit guards a section of the Armenia–Georgia state border. The day of the unit is celebrated on October 1.

On December 16, 1993, by the order of the head of the State Department of National Security, military unit 5070 was established, which protected a section of the Armenia–Iran state border. Since December 2020, unit 5070 has been stationed in the city of Kapan in Syunik Province and now protects certain sections of the Armenia–Azerbaijan border. The unit’s day is celebrated on June 2.

On January 24, 2006, by the order of the Director of the National Security Service, the Border Control Detachment of the Border Troops—military unit 5080—was formed. Its subdivisions carry out border control at the air crossing points “Zvartnots,” “Gyumri,” and “Erebuni,” the road crossing points “Bagratashen,” “Gogavan,” “Bavra,” “Agarak,” and “Privolnoye,” as well as the railway crossing point “Ayrum.” Since February 28, 2025, the forces and means of the “Zvartnots” border control division have also been ensuring the protection of the “Margara” crossing point.

In 2016, the “Bagratashen” and “Gogavan” crossing points on the Armenia–Georgia border were completely reconstructed and technically modernized, and in 2017 the “Bavra” crossing point was modernized, as a result of which the crossing points were fully brought into compliance with international standards.

On August 21, 2021, by the order of the Director of the National Security Service, military unit 5075 was established, which guards certain sections of the Armenia–Azerbaijan border in Syunik Province. The unit’s day is celebrated on August 21.

In 2024, following the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan that began in Tavush Province, by the September 2 order of the Director of the National Security Service, military unit 5065 was established, which guards certain sections of the Armenia–Azerbaijan border in Tavush Province.

The training and retraining of officers, non-commissioned officers, and contract servicemen of the Border Troops are carried out at the Educational and Research Center of the National Security Service, at the “Border Guard” department of the V. Sargsyan Military Academy of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, and at higher military institutions of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

Since 1992, the Border Troops of the Ministry of Defense and the National Security Ministry (Service) of the Republic of Armenia have been led by Major General Grigori Grigoryan, Colonel General Yuri Khachaturov, Major General Levon Stepanyan, Colonel Vyacheslav Voskanyan, Major General Armen Abrahamyan, Colonel Vaghinak Sargsyan, Colonel Arman Maralchyan, and Colonel Edgar Hunanyan. By the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia on November 10, 2025, Colonel Garik Muradyan was appointed Commander of the Border Troops.

Alongside solving the daily complex and responsible tasks of protecting the state border of the Republic of Armenia, the Border Troops are also involved in countering external and internal threats to the state, combating smuggling, illegal migration, trafficking, and other crimes, as well as carrying out effective work in adopting advanced international experience and implementing modern tools and methods.

As a result of qualitative reforms in the state border protection system, today the Border Troops are equipped with modern technical means, including surveillance systems, alarm devices, night, day, and thermal observation equipment, mobile cameras, and other devices.