OSN Saturn
OSN Saturn is Moscow’s special unit of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN). It was created in April 1992 as part of the Moscow Department of Punishment Execution under the Interior Ministry. In 2006 the punishment system was renamed FSIN and moved from the Interior Ministry to the Ministry of Justice. Saturn is sometimes called “Jail Spetsnaz.”
The unit performs a wide range of tasks in security and special operations, including counterterrorism, hostage rescue, anti-riot and bomb disposal work, reconnaissance, and urban, desert, or cold-weather warfare. It has taken part in major conflicts like the First and Second Chechen Wars, storming Grozny in 1994–1995, and has carried out missions such as protecting visiting delegates in 2000, a hostage rescue in Kapotnya in 2006, and providing protection and convoy support in high-profile cases like those involving Mikhail Khodorkovsky. It also protects undercover agents in Moscow. The unit is based in Moscow, and the current commander is Boris Nikolaev.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:32 (CET).