In recent months, the Russian Federal Protection Service (FSO), which supervises the security of the highest-ranking officials, has significantly tightened security measures around President Vladimir Putin, reports “FT”. Russia's leader is spending more time in underground bunkers managing the war and increasingly distancing himself from civilian affairs, according to people in Moscow who know Putin and a person close to European intelligence services.
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Vladimir Putin increasingly isolated
Putin's isolation has deepened in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. But since March, Kremlin concerns about a coup or attempted coup, especially involving drones, have increased sharply, a person close to European intelligence said.
“The shock caused by the 'Spiderweb' drone operation is still ongoing,” a person familiar with Putin told the FT daily. As part of this operation, Ukrainian drones attacked Russian bases last year.
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Putin fears an attack
Security concerns were further fueled by the January arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the United States, said another person also familiar with the president.
In response, FSO tightened security measures even further. Putin has limited visits and security checks on people who met him in person are even tighter, a source close to European intelligence said.
Vladimir Putin is hiding in bunkers
The president and his family stopped going to their residences in the Moscow Oblast and northwestern Valdai. Putin spends more time in bunkers, including in Krasnodar in southern Russia, from where he works for several weeks at a time.
According to European intelligence, FSO agents are currently carrying out large-scale checks with the help of sniffer dogs and are stationed along the banks of the Moskva River, ready to respond in the event of drone attacks.
Operation “Spiderweb”
Operation Spiderweb is a Ukrainian special operation against Russian strategic aviation carried out on June 1, 2025.
Ukrainian forces struck airfields hosting an aging fleet of Russian Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers. According to Ukrainian sources, the attack destroyed or damaged approximately 41 aircraft.
Ukrainian drones taking off from parked trucks hit the Olenja base in Olenegorsk-Vysoky in the Murmansk Oblast, the Belaya base in the Irkutsk Oblast, the Diaghilev base in Ryazan and the Ivanovo-Severny base in the Ivanovo Oblast.
Source: Financial Times
