Participation of military personnel in customs supervision in Russia in the late XVII and the first quarter of the XVIII centuries

The article analyzes legal normative documents and acts to characterize the joint activities of the customs and military departments in the organization of customs supervision during the reign of Peter the Great. The research novelty of the article is in the fact that it is the first special study of this issue, which reveals the historical reasons that led to the involvement of military personnel in the activities of customs officers, determines the forms of customs supervision in which streltsy, soldiers, and their commanders participated, and identifies problems that existed in the activities of customs or sea and land outposts and prevented successful implementation of the customs policy. The authors conclude that the increase in the effectiveness of customs supervision during the reign of Peter the Great, in addition to the gradual reorganization of the customs system and introducing the practice of analyzing the activities of customs and outposts, was also facilitated by the use of military personnel for guard duty, guarding outposts, and conducting relevant investigations, as well as by the adoption of legislative acts aimed at strengthening the discipline and responsibility of army and customs officers. The relevance of the study is determined by the importance of using historical experience for organizing joint work of various departments and paramilitary organizations in order to counter threats to the country’s economic security.