The Kremlin has now installed surveillance systems in the homes of Russian President ‘s close staffers. A wave of assassinations of top Russian military figures and fears of a coup have prompted the dramatic increase in his personal security, CNN reported Monday.
Citing a European intelligence agency report, Putin’s cooks, bodyguards and photographers have been banned from travelling on public transport. Additionally, those coming to meet the Kremlin chief must be screened twice, while those working close to him are only allowed to use cell phones without internet access, the dossier said.
Why did the Kremlin increase Putin’s security?
According to the report, some of the drastic measures were put in place in the last few months in the wake of the killing of a top general in December last year, which sparked a dispute in the top ranks of Russia’s security establishment. These measures further point to mounting unease within the establishment as it faces growing problems at both home and abroad. This includes economic worries, increasing signs of dissent, and setbacks on the battlefield in .
Russia reduces the locations that Putin visits
As part of the measures, Russian security officials have also drastically reduced the number of locations regularly visits. The Kremlin chief and his family have now also stopped going to their usual residences in the Moscow region and to Valdai, his secluded summer property, located between St Petersburg and the capital.
The report suggests that so far this year, Putin has not visited a single military facility, despite making regular trips in 2025. To get around these restrictions, the releases pre-recorded images of him to the public.
Since Russia’s war in Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has been spending several weeks at a time in upgraded bunkers, often in Krasnodar, a coastal region bordering the Black Sea, hours away from Moscow.
Russia losing the Ukraine war?
The development comes at a time when there has been a growing perceived crisis around the Kremlin, four years after it launched a full-scale invasion of in February 2022.
Moscow’s losses, as estimated by the Western countries, of roughly 30,000 dead and injured each month, have been coupled with limited territorial gains on the frontline, and repeated attacks by Ukraine deep inside Russia, which have impacted the toll of the conflict and taken it to a level that many believe is unsustainable.
The economic cost of the war is pretty evident now, as the cell phone data outages that regularly blight major cities have started to upset even the pro-Putin bourgeoisie. This underscores the impact of the war on the urban elite, who until now were mostly insulated from its effects.
Kremlin, Putin concerned about leaks
Since March 2026, both and the Kremlin have been concerned about potential leaks of sensitive information, along with a risk of a plot or coup attempt targeting the Russian president, who is now particularly wary of the use of drones for a possible assassination attempt by members of the Russian political elite.
The report suggests that it is uncommon for Western intelligence agencies to leak detailed accounts of confidential deliberations by hostile actors, which are likely obtained from human or electronic sources, both of which risk being compromised if exposed. However, the release likely reflects a bid by European officials to seize on a hope that critics have long argued is their primary strategy to defeat Moscow in Kyiv: to wait for its internal collapse, according to the report.
