Putin Boosts Authority of Security Service

President Vladimir V. Putin gave Russia's security service sway over border guards and government communications -- broad powers that nearly equal those of its forerunner, the KGB.

Putin said the move should help the government fight illegal drugs and terrorism. Officials also said it would help save money and increase efficiency.

But some observers described it as a worrying sign of the growing clout of the Federal Security Service.

"They are recreating the same old monster," said Lyudmila Alekseyeva, a Soviet-era dissident who heads the Moscow Helsinki Group, a human rights organization.