The Kremlin has tightened security measures around Vladimir Putin and expanded the powers of the Federal Protective Service amid fears of a possible coup, according to an intelligence report from an unnamed European country. The document was reported on by Important Stories, CNN, and the Financial Times.
Concerns inside the Kremlin
According to the report, in March the presidential administration grew more concerned about leaks of sensitive information, as well as the risk of a conspiracy or coup attempt against Putin. It says the Russian leader is particularly concerned about the possible use of drones in an assassination attempt by members of the Russian political elite.
The document also says that former defense minister and current Russian Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu is associated with the risk of a possible coup attempt because, in the intelligence service’s assessment, he still retains significant influence within the military command.
Tighter protection and restrictions
According to the intelligence report, the FSO strengthened security measures around Putin, including by reducing the list of places he can visit. It says he stopped traveling to military infrastructure sites and no longer appears at residences in the Moscow region and Valdai.
Instead, the report says, Putin may spend weeks sheltering in upgraded bunkers, one of which, according to European intelligence, is located in Krasnodar Krai. During such periods, the media are said to publish pre-recorded video materials.
To protect him, internet access is periodically shut down in certain parts of Moscow. FSO officers carry out large-scale inspections using canine units and stand guard along the Moscow River in case of drone attacks. Visitors to the presidential administration now undergo two levels of screening, including a full search by FSO personnel. Employees who work with Putin have, according to the intelligence report, been banned from using public transport and mobile phones with internet access, and surveillance systems have been installed in their homes.
Tension among security officials
The report says that three days after the killing of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, which took place in Moscow on December 22, Putin held a meeting with representatives of the security agencies. During that meeting, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reportedly criticized FSB head Alexander Bortnikov for failing to ensure the protection of officers, while Bortnikov responded by complaining about a lack of personnel and resources.
At the end of the meeting, Putin instructed the heads of the security agencies to provide him within a week with “concrete solutions to the problem.”
The intelligence service says the Kremlin then expanded the FSO’s authority. Whereas previously the service protected only Gerasimov among senior military officials, the document says its protection has now been extended to ten more commanders.
Declining ratings
Earlier, the state-run analytical center VTsIOM recorded declining support indicators for Putin for seven consecutive weeks. According to the latest published data from April 24, 24.1% of respondents said they did not trust him, while another 23.3% disapproved of his work. Other analytical centers, including the Public Opinion Foundation and the Levada Center, have also reported a drop in Putin’s ratings.
The article links the decline in Putin’s popularity to a wave of public discontent, including over internet shutdowns and the mass culling of livestock. Earlier, the project Faridaily, citing sources, wrote that among Russian officials, “everyone except the FSB” opposes the shutdowns and blocks, but no one dares say so to Putin. Putin himself, on April 23, indicated that the FSB would cut communications for as long as necessary, saying the restrictions were tied to operational efforts to prevent terrorist attacks.
Faridaily had also previously reported, citing sources, that in the first three months of the year Putin reduced the number of his public events: there were nearly 25% fewer than in the same period last year, and counting pre-recorded appearances, the decline amounted to 20%.