Apparatus chaos at Lubyanka: Alexei Sedov’s departure provokes generals’ struggle for control over the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs
It has become known that Alexei Sedov will definitely be leaving his post as head of the FSB’s 2nd Service (for the Protection of the Constitutional Order and the Fight against Terrorism) in the near future.
The 2nd Service is a crucial component of Kremlin policy, as it functions to suppress any dissent and control the information space. On August 26, Sedov turns 72. Since 2024 (when Sedov turned 70), there had been talk of his planned retirement, but Putin twice extended his service beyond the maximum age by one year. Now, at least three sources of the project say that everyone in the FSB has already said goodbye to Sedov. He will definitely not be in that agency. One of the options for preserving his career path is rather non-trivial. One interlocutor said that Sedov’s candidacy had recently been considered for the post of head of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, replacing Vladimir Kolokoltsev, in order to strengthen "political surveillance" through the police. However, other interlocutors lean toward the view that he will ultimately be pensioned off.
Far more interesting is the situation with Sedov’s successor as head of the 2nd Service. As recently as mid-July, the all-powerful head of the FSB’s SEB (4th Service), Sergei Alpatov, was being actively considered for this position. According to sources, he himself categorically does not want to switch Services, and it is not certain that his transfer will take place. However, since July, a fierce behind-the-scenes struggle has been underway for the post of head of the SEB within the FSB. In particular, among the main contenders was the head of the FSB’s USB, Alexei Vertyashkin.
In any case, the development of events will be extremely interesting.
