Active Privy Councillor[1] (Russian: действительный тайный советник, deystvitelnyi taynyi sovetnik) was the civil rank (ru: чин / chin) in the Russian Empire, according to the Table of Ranks introduced by Peter the Great in 1722.
That was a civil rank of the 2nd class and equal to those of General-in-Chief in the Army and Admiral in the Navy.
[2][3][4] The rank holder should be addressed as Your High Excellency (Russian: Ваше Высокопревосходительство, Vashe Vysokoprevoskhoditelstvo).
[5] If the Foreign Minister had the rank of the 2nd class, he could be called Vice-Chancellor.
Most of Active privy councillors lived in St. Petersburg; they served in the main state institutions: the Council of State and the most important Ministries.