Vladimir Schemelinin

Head of the Border Division of the Russian Federation Federal Security Service in the Tskhinvali Region

On 30 April, 2009, on the basis of the agreement on Joint Measures for Protecting the State Border of the Republic of South Ossetia signed between the Russian Federation and Tskhinvali Region, the defense of the 467.4 km part of Tskhinvali Region’s de facto border fall under the responsibility of Shchemelinin’s Border Service, including the 391.4 km stretch of the “border” with Georgia. By 2018, there were approximately 19 military settlements with its entire infrastructure under Shchemelinin’s authority.

After the 2008 Russia-Georgia War, Shchemelinin’s Border Service performs the montage of barbed wires, fences and banners marking the so called border under the illegal so-called borderization process, as well as digging trenches and organizing wildfire containment lines, as a result of which, the territories controlled by the Government of Georgia since the 2008 War, end up under the occupation regime.

The occupation line, which has practically become the border between Georgian and Russia, has become even more “secure” recently. The so-called border zone has been created in Tskhinvali Region, where Russian and Tskhinvali Region citizens can enter using special passes. The area of the border zone is 693 km2, with minimum distance between the occupation line and the so-called border zone set at 100 meters and maximum being eight kilometers.

General biographical information

• In 2015-2017 Shchemelinin was the First Deputy Head of the Border Division of the Federal Security Service in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast.
• For a certain period of time in 2016, Shchemelinin was the Acting Head of the Border Division of the Federal Security Service in the St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region.
• Effective 2019, Shchemelinin is the Acting Head of the Border Division of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in the Tskhinvali Region. He replaced Anatoly Utkin, who served in the Tskhinvali Region since 2017.
• By 2020, Schemelinin has the rank of Major-General.

Relations with the Tskhinvali Region

• On December 20, 2019, the day of Employees of the State Security Services was marked in Russia and some post-Soviet countries. In the Tskhinvali Region the solemn event took place at the Border Division of the Federal Security Service. De facto President of the Tskhinvali Region Anatoly Bibilov participated in the event. He personally congratulated border guards and handed over the Tskhinvali Region awards to the outstanding border guards. Shchemelinin also participated in the event.
• On January 31, 2020, Collegium meeting of de facto State Security Committee of the Tskhinvali Region was held. De facto president of the Tskhinvali Region Anatoly Bibilov and Shchemelinin attended the meeting. At the meeting the Committee de facto Chairman Oleg Shirin presented the committee activity report for 2019.
• On April 30, 2020, was marked the 11th anniversary of establishment of the Border Division of the Russian Federation Federal Security Service in the Tskhinvali Region. De facto President of the Tskhinvali Region Anatoly Bibilov congratulated Shchemelinin on the anniversary.
• On May 28, 2020, the Border Division of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation celebrated the Day of Border Guard. Anatoly Bibilov, de facto President of the Tskhinvali Region, congratulated the Russian border guards on their professional day. Russian „ambassador“ to the region Marat Kulakhmetov and Commander of the 4th military base Aleksandr Kravtsov also took part in the event. According to Schemelinin, the Division is cooperating with [de facto] Border Division of the Tskhinvali Region to take effective measures to protect [de facto] state border of the Tskhinvali Region with Georgia.
• On December 18, 2020, the de facto president of the Tskhinvali region, Anatoly Bibilov, took part in an event dedicated to the Day of Employees of the State Security Agencies of the Russian Federation. The event was hosted by the Border Division of the Russian Federal Security Service. Schemelinin congratulated employees on their professional day. According to Schemelinin, employees of the division detained 186 violators of the so-called state border regime and 210 violators of the so-called border regime.
• On April 30, 2021, the 12th anniversary of the establishment of the Border Division was marked in Tskhinvali. Anatoly Bibilov, the de facto President of the Tskhinvali region, also attended the ceremony. At the event, Shchemelinin spoke about the activities of the Division.
• On December 20, 2021, the Day of State Security Officers was marked. The event was also attended by the de facto President of the Tskhinvali region, Anatoly Bibilov. According to Schemelinin, “the Border Division fully meets the modern requirements for protecting the state border and remains the guarantor of its protection.” Bibilov congratulated Russian border guards on their professional day.
• On April 30, 2022, the de facto President of the Tskhinvali region congratulated Shchemelinin on the professional day of border guards.
• On April 30, 2023, the de facto republic celebrated the 14th anniversary of the establishment of the Border Division of the Russian Federal Security Service. The de facto President, Alan Gagloyev, also congratulated Russian border guards. The meeting was also attended by Shchemelinin, who delivered a congratulatory speech.
• On May 26, 2023, the de facto President, Alan Gagloyev, congratulated the so-called State Security Committee on its 31st anniversary. Shchemelinin also participated in the ceremony.
• On May 27, 2023, the de facto President of the occupied region, Alan Gagloyev, took part in a ceremony dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the establishment of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia. Shchemelinin also delivered speech at the event.