Russian President Vladimir Putin has significantly strengthened his security apparatus over concerns about assassination threats and is spending increasing amounts of time in underground bunkers while reducing external activities, foreign media reported. As war fatigue accumulates among the Russian public amid the prolonged conflict, Putin is instead immersing himself in the war, deepening his isolation, analysts say.
On Tuesday (local time), the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing multiple sources, that the Federal Protective Service (FSO), which guards Russia's top officials, has recently significantly bolstered security around Putin and his inner circle. With fears of assassination reaching an extreme, intense measures are reportedly being implemented, including banning presidential aides such as chefs, photographers and bodyguards from using public transport, as well as blocking the use of mobile phones and internet devices around the president.
The FT said, "Putin and his family no longer use dachas near Moscow or in the northwestern Valdai region." The newspaper explained that "instead, Putin has been staying in bunkers in areas such as Krasnodar in southern Russia, conducting work there for weeks, while state media stages scenes of normal daily life through pre-recorded footage."
Such changes are also evident in his external schedule. Putin visited a rhythmic gymnastics school in his hometown of St. Petersburg on April 27. During the visit, Putin was shown kissing a student on the forehead, marking only his second public appearance this year. This is a sharp decline compared with last year, when he carried out 17 external activities. Last year, he was seen visiting areas near the Ukrainian border and appearing in military uniform, but his external activities have sharply contracted recently.
Changes have also been detected in his governance style, according to reports. Sources said Putin is focusing on the war response rather than other issues. Putin is known to hold daily meetings with military officials to review the battlefield situation and is deeply involved in operational details, personally keeping track of even the names of small villages in Ukraine. One person who knows Putin told the FT, "He spends 70% of his time on the war and the remaining 30% on diplomatic schedules or economic issues," adding, "The only way to gain access is to deliver results related to the war."
Putin's heightened vigilance appears to stem from a series of recent security incidents. Last year, Ukraine carried out the so-called "Spiderweb Operation," using drones to strike air bases deep inside Russian territory, and officials said the shock at the time was considerable. The U.S. arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January this year is also assessed to have heightened Putin's concerns.
As the president's seclusion grows longer and the war drags on, internal discontent in Russia is gradually rising. In local opinion polls, Putin's approval rating has reportedly fallen to its lowest level since the mobilization order declared in the fall of 2022, and videos criticizing Putin are rapidly spreading on social media. Political analyst Farida Rustamova said, "A sign that Putin's anxiety over declining approval ratings is growing is that he is once again staging scenes of kissing children in public."
