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Before becoming Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Patrushev served as Director of the Federal Security Service from 1999 to 2008. The Federal Security Service is the successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB, and is responsible for internal security, counterintelligence, and border security. Patrushev is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has been described as one of Putin's most trusted advisers.