Russia's National Guard to engage in information warfare

Russia's National Guard, or Rosgvardiya, will engage in "information warfare", take fingerprints, and issue documents related to weapons trafficking and private security issues, among other things, establishes Vladimir Putin's decree published on the country's legal information portal on Tuesday. In total, the document says, Rosgvardiya will have one hundred different powers.

The decree also stipulates that the head of the National Guard can have up to seven substituents and establishes the abbreviated name of the organization as Rosgvardiya.

Rosgvardiya was established by the decree of Vladimir Putin in April 2016 to fight terrorism and organized crime. The agency is composed of Interior Ministry troops, riot police, SWAT teams, and personal security personnel.

Putin appointed the former head of the Russian President's personal security service Viktor Zolotov to lead the National Guard. Previously, Zolotov was in charge of Russia's Interior Military Forces.

The National Guard will number some 350,000 to 400,000 troops, reported news agency Interfax in April 2016.

In mid-September 2016, it was reported that 163,000 police officers who were rendered redundant when Russian President Putin signed a degree reducing the maximum number of law enforcement officials to 904,881 individuals would be transferred to the country's National Guard.