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Directory of RF Defense Related Agencies and Personnel
· Main Index · General Staff · Districts & Fleets · Branches of Service · Related Agencies · Intell/Security Agencies · Defense Industries · Documents · Biographical Index · Unit Register	Editor's Notes on using the FBIS DIRECTORY OF RF DEFENSE RELATED AGENCIES AND PERSONNEL
	The Directory provides reference information on organizations, personnel and documents related to Russia's defense sector.  The RF Ministry of Defense and its subordinate agencies are its primary focus.  It is based on open sources.  The Directory does not provide a complete listing of all personnel or organizations' structures, rather the listings are based on persons and agencies referred to in media sources. It is updated periodically. The date of the most recent update is noted in the red title bar on each page.
	Brackets Dates Editorial Comments	· Numerical Listings · Source(s) of information · Translation Conventions
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Source(s) of information

    The structure and hierarchical order of the military agencies provided in this directory, are based on the position titles listed for officers in Central Eurasian media sources, unless otherwise indicated. 

Numerical Listings

    Numbered units or agencies are listed first, followed by alphabetic listings by unit or organization.  See also, the "Unit Register."

Brackets

    If explicitly referred to by the source, the next higher organization in a given hierarchy is listed to the right of the organization name, and is placed in square brackets, i.e.  [...].  Where subordination is unclear or has not been explicitly noted in an original source a question mark in brackets, e.g. [?], follows the entry.

Translation Conventions

    Where errors in translation from the Russian (or other language) have crept into English usage, and despite long-standing acceptance of such errors among Western readers, the Directory tries to translate terms as close to the proper original definition as possible. Thus "voyska" is rendered as "troops" throughout and the translation of "Raketnyye Voyska Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya" as "Strategic Rocket Forces", has been abandoned in favor of "Strategic Missile Troops", "Ground Forces" in favor of "Ground Troops", etc.  Russian usage dictates that these terms have specific connotations which are lost if the mistranslations are perpetuated.  Former Space Forces CINC General Ivanov, for example, at one time stated that the “Spaces Forces” were not “Troops,” since they do not carry arms.  Rather, he wanted it clearly understood that his people were  “Forces.”  Is this a significant distinction?  It was to General Ivanov.  Therefore, where possible such original literal definitions have been reasserted in this work.

    Capitalization is adjusted to standard English style.

    Rank titles are generally reversed to conform to common Western usage.  Thus "Генерал-полковник" is rendered as "Colonel-General."

Dates

 Where ever possible, each entry provides a source and date in which the officer was first noted in a given position, and the most recent source and date observed to have mentioned the officer.  Where a date precedes a source, as in: "(27 Jul 90 in KVS 15/90 pp 46-62.) the date is that on which the journal was signed to press.  In biographical notes, where a year shown in parentheses follows the name of a school, it refers to the year of graduation.

Editorial Comments

Comments and notations by the Editor are placed in square brackets, e.g. [...].

 [1 February 2002]