Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies to operate as well. Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies <br> There was a succession of Soviet secret police agencies over time. The first secret police after the October Revolution, created by Vladimir Lenin's decree on December 20, 1917, was called "Cheka" (ЧК). Officers were referred to as "chekists", a name that is still informally applied to people under the Federal Security Service of Russia, the KGB's successor in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. For most agencies listed here secret policing operations were only part of their function; for instance, the KGB was both the secret police
Saint Petersburg Police title for the commander of the city police service. The department survived intact until 1917 during the February Revolution, when most of the Saint Petersburg Police remained loyal to the Imperial government. A number of policemen were killed after the defection of the bulk of the city's army garrison to the revolution, especially after a rumour spread that they were firing with machine guns from the roofs of buildings. Shortly after the overthrow of the Imperial government the department was formally disbanded. Following the October Revolution, a new Soviet police force was established under the title of "militsiya", which replaced