NKVD of the USSR, People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russian: Народный комиссариат внутренних дел, НКВД, Ukrainian: Народний комісаріат внутрішніх справ, НКВС) - central government body responsible for ensuring national security.
The NKVD was responsible for internal and local administration, maintaining public order, registering citizens' places of residence, registering civil status documents, fire protection, criminal investigation, maintaining state archives, state security and protection, foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, monitoring army officers, labour camps and prisons, and enforcing court sentences.
This structure is best known for its fight against national and political movements. The NKVD is best known for its methods of achieving its goals, which are often associated with mass repression, imprisonment, fabricated cases, arrests and executions of innocent people.
In 1946, the NKVD was reformed into the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, but its structure remained the same.
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References
- Народний комісаріат внутрішніх справ УРСР. Енциклопедія Сучасної України, Том 22. URL: https://esu.com.ua/article-71188
- Золотарьов В. Керівний склад НКВС УРСР під час «великого терору» (1936–1938 рр.): соціально-статистичний аналіз / Золотарьов В. // З архівів ВУЧК-ГПУ-НКВД-КГБ. - 2009. - 33. - С. 86-115. - Режим доступу: http://resource.history.org.ua/publ/gpu_2009_33_2_86