Putin Retreating to Bunkers Amid Coup and Drone Fears, EU Intelligence Reports Claim
The dossier says surveillance, screening and travel limits have expanded as officials fear drone strikes, leaks and internal plotting.
- The Kremlin has dramatically increased personal security around President Vladimir Putin, installing surveillance systems in staffers' homes and restricting their movements, according to a European intelligence report obtained by CNN.
- Heightened security follows the December 22, 2025, assassination of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, while Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russian territory have intensified Kremlin fears of assassination and potential coups.
- Personnel close to the president face strict controls, including bans on public transport and mobile phones, while Putin spends extended periods in modernized bunkers in the Krasnodar region with pre-recorded footage used for public appearances.
- Following the March 5 arrest of Ruslan Tsalikov, a former deputy to Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, the Federal Protective Service expanded protection to 10 additional senior military commanders, intensifying elite tensions.
- Long-Range strike drones targeted Moscow on May 4, with debris landing roughly 3.7 miles from the Kremlin, underscoring threats as the war enters its fourth year and potentially straining military command effectiveness.
157 Articles
157 Articles
der Standard AT
der Standard DEThe planned ceasefire around 9 May is only the latest statement of an increasing fear in the Kremlin of Ukrainian drones and local putschists
It seems to be increasingly unattainable – and apparently also increasingly fearful: according to a media report, Vladimir Putin is said to have largely withdrawn from the public out of fear of a possible coup. Consequently, the Kremlin chief lives under massively intensified security measures and allegedly spends whole weeks in bunkers.
Service reports from a European country tell a Putin more and more focused on war - and more and more fearful of a coup d'état. Zelensky: "We will act according to what the Russians will do"
The Russian President, according to The Financial Times, is increasingly isolated for fear of a assassination or coup d’état
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- 42% of the sources lean Right
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