DUSHANBE, December 30, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- By Russian president’s decree Colonel Anatoly Mikheyev has been appointed to head the Operational Border Group (OBG) of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in Tajikistan, replacing Major-General Vasily Vasilyev, Asia-Plus has learned at OBG’s head office in Dushanbe.

Anatoly Mikheyev, 50, graduated from Higher Border Officers’ Training School named after Dzerzhinsky in 1982 and Military Academy named after Frunze in 1993.  In 2003, Mikheyev graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.  In 1993-1997, Mikheyev served with Russian Border’s Service in Tajikistan.

We will recall that the procedure of transferring control of Tajikistan’s common border with China and Afghanistan from Russian border guards to their Tajik colleagues completed in 2005.  Under the bilateral agreement that was signed on October 16, 2004, FSB’s Operational Border Group has been stayed in Tajikistan to perform advisory functions, provide assistance to Tajik border guards in the effective border patrolling and training of the young generation of border guards.