This article, using open historical data, attempts to analyze the participation of Soviet border troops in the Great Patriotic War. Using actor-based and managerial approaches, we identify the specifics of border guard combat training, which allowed them to become one of the elite branches of the USSR Armed Forces. Limited information complicates a sociological analysis of this professional group, as much data on the activities of border guards during this period remains unavailable. Our analysis draws on research by historians and military scholars, as well as memoirs by prominent military personnel, publications by amateur historians, and specialized websites devoted to the Great Patriotic War in general and the contribution of border troops in particular. These factors may have contributed to the limited coverage in the academic literature of border guards' activities during the Great War, their heroism, dedication, and professionalism, which was honed even in peacetime. The analysis revealed factors confirming that Soviet border guards were not only representatives of the government but also actively participated in shaping the sociocultural environment in their areas of service. Moreover, the linear border protection system that existed during the Soviet era and the first decade of the post-Soviet era entailed a unified structure of border districts and their subdivisions. However, the regional diversity of our country (socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, and geographic) necessitated diversifying the approaches used by border guards, both in the performance of their professional duties and in their interactions with the local population. With proper outreach, the local population was actively engaged in cooperation during peacetime, and during the Great Patriotic War, they participated alongside border guards in partisan and sabotage and reconnaissance operations.

Great Patriotic War, USSR border troops, border actors, heroism, defense of the fatherland's borders

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