The Kremlin has significantly strengthened the personal security of the illegitimate aggressor president, Vladimir Putin, as part of new measures prompted by a wave of assassinations of senior Russian military figures and fears of a coup. This is stated in the report of the European intelligence agency, which was quoted by CNN on May 4.
According to this report, all personnel who work with Putin are prohibited from using public transport, as well as telephones with Internet access. Visitors must be double-checked.
Some of these measures have been taken in recent months following the assassination of a senior general in December (we are talking about the murder of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov in Moscow on December 22, 2025. – “GORDON”), which caused conflict in the highest echelons of Russian security forces, the report says.
In addition, Russian security officials have sharply reduced the number of places Putin regularly visits. He and his family stopped traveling to their usual residences in the Moscow region and to Valdai, the president's secluded summer residence located between St. Petersburg and the capital. Putin also did not visit military installations this year, unlike in 2025 when he made regular trips.
Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Putin has been holed up in modernized bunkers for weeks at a time, often in the Krasnodar region, a coastal region on the Black Sea, according to the report. At this time, the media publishes pre-shot videos and photos.
Fears of a coup
Intelligence notes that since early March 2026, the Kremlin and Putin himself have been concerned about potential leaks of classified information, as well as the risk of a conspiracy or attempted coup. He is especially wary of using drones for a possible assassination attempt.
The most striking finding concerns Putin's former confidant, ex-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who now holds the post of Secretary of the Security Council, CNN notes. The Kremlin associates the biggest risks of a coup with him, since he retains “significant influence in the high military command.”
The document also notes that the arrest of Shoigu's former deputy and close associate, Ruslan Tsalikov, on March 5 on charges of embezzlement, money laundering and bribery is seen as a “violation of tacit protection agreements between elites.” This means that Shoigu himself may soon become the object of a judicial investigation.
CNN notes that the report contains no evidence to support the charges against Shoigu, who was previously considered very close to Putin. Considering that the document could be aimed at destabilizing the Kremlin, it is noteworthy that European intelligence would simultaneously actually warn the Kremlin about a possible coup, the publication said.
Security forces conflict
At an emergency meeting after the murder of Sarvarov, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov sharply criticized FSB head Alexander Bortnikov for failing to ensure the safety of officers, the report says. According to intelligence reports, security officials themselves complained of a lack of resources and personnel, which led to increased fear and demoralization among the military.
The document notes that at the end of the tense meeting, Putin called for calm and demanded concrete solutions be presented within a week. As an operational measure, it was decided to expand the powers of the Federal Security Service (FSO), which previously provided protection only to Gerasimov. According to the report, the FSO was ordered to take custody of ten more high-ranking commanders, after which security measures in the Russian military leadership were significantly strengthened.
“Russia has two options left”
The founder of the publication “Important Stories,” Roman Anin, believes that the war between power clans is one of the most important news about Russia in recent times. In his opinion, Russia now has two options left in the short-term historical perspective: the Iranian scenario or turmoil.
In the first case, Putin will be able to consolidate loyal security forces around himself – primarily the FSO and the Russian Guard, who will form the Russian analogue of the Iranian IRGC, Anin writes. He will continue to maintain power – through unprecedented repression, which will affect wider sections of the population and those previously considered untouchable. This option will continue to isolate the country from the Internet and the outside world.
The second option, according to the journalist, is an analogue of the “Time of Troubles” that began in Russia at the end of the 16th century. Then terror, economic exhaustion and devastation in the state led to chaos, the suppression of the Rurik dynasty and the election of the Romanovs as a new royal dynasty.
