The Kremlin has publicly acknowledged that security around Vladimir Putin has been significantly strengthened, amid mounting reports that the Russian president has abandoned his usual residences and retreated to bunkers over fears of both a Ukrainian assassination attempt and a potential coup from within his own inner circle.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the additional measures on Thursday, attributing them to what he described as “the rather complex operational situation against the backdrop of the terrorist threat posed by the Kyiv regime,” with a major military parade scheduled for Saturday. He made no comment on the coup speculation or reports that Putin has been living and working from bunkers for weeks at a time.
The admission follows a detailed assessment from a Western European intelligence agency, reported by investigative outlet Important Stories, which paints a picture of a Russian president operating in a state of acute personal anxiety. According to the report, since March 2026 Putin has been gripped by fears of both an information leak and a physical threat from within the Russian political elite — specifically the possibility that drones could be used against him by members of his own entourage. The Federal Protective Service has responded by drastically tightening access to the presidential administration, introducing two-tier screening including full body searches, while significantly reducing the number of locations Putin regularly visits. Neither his Moscow region residence at Novo-Ogaryovo nor his retreat at Valdai are now on his itinerary.
The report names former defence minister Sergei Shoigu as a figure “associated with the risk of a coup attempt.” Once one of Putin’s closest companions — the pair were famously photographed on fishing and hunting trips together in Siberia — Shoigu now serves as secretary of the Russian security council. Last month, his former deputy Ruslan Tsalikov was arrested on suspicion of corruptly accumulating family assets of nearly £50 million, a move widely interpreted as an effort to weaken Shoigu’s position.
The intelligence assessment also claims that Putin has “often taken refuge in renovated bunkers, particularly in the Krasnodar region, where he may work for weeks, while Russian media continue public communication using pre-recorded footage.” The Krasnodar region is home to Putin’s £1 billion clifftop palace at Gelendzhik — a vast complex equipped with multiple underground floors and frequently likened to the lair of a James Bond villain — located in an area that has itself been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes.
Further security measures detailed in the report include the regular cutting of mobile internet across Moscow, large-scale checks by Federal Protective Service officers using canine units, and the deployment of officers along the Moscow River in preparation for possible drone attacks. Putin has also halted visits to military infrastructure entirely this year, despite such visits reportedly having taken place in 2025.
Peskov moved to dismiss the underlying intelligence report earlier in the week, questioning its credibility by asking: “Who are ‘European intelligence’? I am not aware of the existence of such a thing.” He insisted that security arrangements for Putin were no different in principle to those surrounding any other head of state.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky stopped short of repeating an earlier threat to send military drones to Saturday’s parade in Moscow, but left little ambiguity about his broader intentions. “In response to Russia’s readiness to engage in diplomacy, we will pursue diplomacy,” he said, adding that as long as Russia continues to attack, it will face Ukrainian long-range missiles and drones in return.
