The Russian leadership and President Vladimir Putin have been on high alert since early March over fears of a coup and possible drone assassination attempts. Putin has stopped visiting his usual residences near Moscow and in Valdai, instead working from upgraded bunker facilities in the Krasnodar region.
This was reported by Vazhnye Istorii, citing an intelligence report from an EU country. Parts of the report were confirmed by independent sources within Russian security services.
The Federal Protective Service has expanded its list of officials under heightened protection, adding ten generals from the General Staff and military intelligence, including Igor Kostyukov and Nikolai Bogdanovsky. These steps followed the killing of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov in Moscow and the inability of security services to prevent attacks on military leadership behind the front lines.
Former Defense Minister and current Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu is now seen by the Kremlin as a potential source of instability. The March arrest of his deputy, Ruslan Tsalikov, was viewed as a breach of informal security guarantees for elite figures, raising the risk of further legal action against Shoigu.
To increase Putin’s security, the Federal Protective Service has introduced two levels of screening for all visitors to the presidential administration, including full searches. The number of locations where Putin regularly stays has also been reduced, and Russian media have increasingly relied on pre-recorded footage to create the appearance of his ongoing activity.
In Moscow, communication networks and the internet are periodically shut down to counter potential drone attacks. These measures are handled by a technical unit of the Federal Protective Service. Service personnel conduct regular inspections using sniffer dogs and set up posts along the Moscow River to monitor the airspace.
Staff who work directly with the president are banned from using mobile phones with internet access. Chefs, photographers, and security personnel are required to travel only in official service transport, and the Federal Protective Service has installed 24/7 video surveillance systems in their residences.
Tensions between security agencies escalated during a meeting in December 2025, where the physical security of Russian Armed Forces officers was discussed. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov sharply criticized the security services for failing to detect assassination plots and demanded additional resources to protect military leadership.
In response, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov said it was impossible to systematically prevent all attacks in rear areas. He also criticized the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation for lacking its own specialized unit to protect top leadership, similar to those in other security agencies.
Head of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya) Viktor Zolotov refused to allocate his agency’s resources to protect Defense Ministry officers, instead suggesting that Gerasimov implements his own operational security measures.
Sources within the FSB point to growing paranoia in the Kremlin. Surveillance tools once used for criminal investigations have been redirected to monitor government officials. Security services have been instructed to focus on detecting potential plots among Russia’s political and military elite.
This year, no members of the State Duma were invited to the May 9 parade on Red Square, reportedly to reduce the number of people in close proximity to Vladimir Putin. The Federal Protective Service has also been given broad powers over information policy, allowing it to personally approve any media appearances or announcements involving the president.
