Abstract: The object of the present research is legal actions of the government in the sphere of regulating legal relations related to criminal proceedings. The subject of the research is the activity of government authorities aimed at criminal prosecution of individuals who had violated the law. There is an opinion that agencies authorized to prosecute criminally can be viewed as prosecuting agencies due to the fact that their prosecuting activity is of governing nature while prosecutive jurisdiction is a constituent of state authority. But does it exist in reality? In his research Raschetov has used universal research methods (such as dialectical materialistic method) and general research methods such as deduction, induction, analysis, synthesis and logic. The scientific novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author offers a new approach to defining the nature of prosecuting authority as well as a specified definition of prosecuting authority and definitions of prosecuting agencies based on the analysis of the criminal procedure legislation of the Russian Federation. Conclusions of the research are the following: prosecuting authority objectively exists and so do prosecuting agencies and bodies.