The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire (Russian: Министерство внутренних дел Российской империи, romanized: Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del Rossiyskoy imperiyi) was the state executive authority of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire, which carried out administrative functions in the areas of state security, public security, law enforcement, leadership of local authorities, the fight against crime, protection of places of deprivation of liberty, the licensing system, and censorship in media and book publishing.

According to Count Speransky, the ministry should have been in charge of the country's productive forces while being completely alien to the functions of the security police.

Subsequent changes in the overall result expanded the competence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, although it partially narrowed.

So, in 1826, the "special office" of the former Minister of Police was allocated to an independent III department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery; the care of the state and national economy was partly left to the ministries of finance and state property.

Since 1843, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been in charge of the statistical department; in 1861, a special Zemsky department was formed under it; the provision of July 12, 1889 on zemstvo district commanders granted him judicial and judicial oversight functions.