Abstract: The subject of this research is the genesis of the Russian investigative agencies, periodization of their development alongside dynamic of evolution. The conducted research of evolution of the investigative authorities, since their initial form as judicial agents until their modern state through the examination of the normative legal acts of corresponding periods in the Russian history, can conduce the adjustment of views of the legal scholars and practical workers upon the concept of single investigative apparatus, as the service of prosecutorial or judicial jurisdiction. The author concludes that the Russian pretrial investigation has deep traditions, which take its roots in Ancient Rus’, Muscovite Tsardom, Russian Empire, and Soviet Russia. Concern of the state regarding the increase in efficiency of the pretrial investigation and court procedure is caused by the urgency of the situation within social environment, which results in autocratic activity on its stabilization, including through formation of the new subjects, authorized to execute the criminal indictment. The scientific novelty lies in the applied during the course of historical-legal research foundation, which encouraged the determination of general periodization of the development of investigative agencies consisting of two stages and eight periods that reflect the most significant milestones in their historical path.