Okhrana
| Охрана Охранное отделение Отделение по охранению общественной безопасности и порядка | |
Okhrana group photograph in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire in 1905 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1881 |
| Dissolved | 1917 |
| Superseding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Russian Empire |
| Headquarters | Petrograd |
The Department for the Protection of Public Safety and Order (Russian: Отделение по охранению общественной безопасности и порядка, romanized: Otdelenie po okhraneniyu obshchestvennoy bezopadnosti i poryadka), usually called the Guard Department (Russian: Охранное отделение, romanized: Okhrannoye otdelenie) and commonly abbreviated in modern English sources as the Okhrana (Russian: Охрана, IPA: [ɐˈxranə] ⓘ, lit. 'The Guard') was a secret police force of the Russian Empire and part of the police department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) in the late 19th century and early 20th century, aided by the Special Corps of Gendarmes.