PHD, Kent State University, 2021, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

This study is focused on understanding what factors impact the transition of the KGB to a successor organization in a former Soviet Republic. The case chosen for this research was the case of the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU), which inherited the role of the second largest contingent of the KGB upon the collapse of the USSR. This case provides context-driven insights into the understanding of the institutional evolution of a security service in the post-Soviet context. This study addresses the question of how the SBU evolved in terms of its formal and informal mission objectives (what tasks the SBU is being asked to carry out), personnel practices, and organizational structure. Furthermore, this study investigates the factors shaping the reforms that took place, regarding the SBU and why some reforms failed to progress towards their intended outcome. The methods used to identify the answers to these questions were a content analysis of media reports, archival documents, and semi-structured elite interviews with individuals holding knowledge and experience pertaining to the security apparatus of Ukraine. The triangulation of these data identify and explain how the SBU evolved into the organization it is today. They demonstrate the impact of the KGB legacy, informal practices and corruption, foreign and domestic pressures, leadership transitions, and political crises on the SBU's mission, personnel practices, and organizational structure. These findings generate knowledge on the factors that influence and determine the course of the SBU's evolution and provide insights that improve the understanding of the post-Soviet security apparatus.

Committee: Andrew Barnes (Advisor); Timothy Scarnecchia (Committee Member); Joshua Stacher (Committee Member); Julie Mazzei (Committee Member) Subjects: East European Studies; Peace Studies; Political Science