OMON

OMON is a system of military special police units within the National Guard of Russia. It previously operated within the structures of the Soviet and Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). Originating as the special forces unit of the Soviet militsiya in 1988, it has played major roles in several armed conflicts during and following the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union. OMON is much larger and better known than SOBR, another special-police branch of the National Guard of Russia. In modern contexts, OMON serves as a riot police group, or as a gendarmerie-like paramilitary force. OMON units also exist in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and other post-Soviet states. However, some post-Soviet units have changed names and acronyms. Russian speakers commonly refer to OMON officers as omonovtsy (Russian: омоновцы; singular: omonovyets – Russian: омоновец). On 5 April 2016, OMON became part of the newly-established National Guard of Russia, ending its years as part of the MVD. The MVD continues to operate the Police of Russia.