Is Vladimir Putin losing trust even in the people closest to him? A dramatic European intelligence report obtained by CNN reveals that the Kremlin has significantly increased security arrangements around the Russian president amid growing fears of an assassination attempt or coup.
According to the report, Putin is especially concerned about a drone attack and an attempted coup by members of Russia's political elite.
No-internet phones and bunkers
According to the report, surveillance systems have been installed in the homes of close staff members, while cooks, bodyguards and photographers who work with the president have been barred from using public transportation. In addition, anyone seeking to meet Putin is required to undergo two comprehensive security checks, and members of his inner circle have been permitted to use only phones that are not connected to the internet, for fear of leaks or technological surveillance.
The report published by CNN further said that since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin has spent long stretches in upgraded underground bunkers, mainly in the Krasnodar region on the Black Sea coast. Personal security has become a central consideration, to the point that Putin has stopped visiting his regular residences in the Moscow region and his traditional vacation home in Valdai.
In an unusual move, the president has not visited any military facility since the beginning of 2026, although such visits were routine in previous years. To project business as usual, the Kremlin is making extensive use of prerecorded videos that are released to the public as if they were filmed in real time.
In the crosshairs: The former 'close friend'
The most explosive part of the report concerns Sergei Shoigu, who served for years as defense minister and one of Putin's closest confidants. Shoigu, who now serves as secretary of the National Security Council after being removed from his previous post, is identified in the report as posing a "coup risk." Although sidelined, Shoigu still holds considerable influence within the senior military command.
Tensions peaked with the arrest of Ruslan Tsalikov, Shoigu's deputy and close associate, on March 5 on corruption charges. European intelligence officials assess that the arrest was a "violation of the tacit protection agreements among the elites," a move that weakens Shoigu and signals that he himself could be the next target of a legal investigation or arrest.
The Russian president has already survived an attempted coup in June 2023, when Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group, led an armed march toward Moscow.
Infighting at the top and a scaled-back Victory Day parade
The Kremlin's paranoia was fueled by a fierce confrontation late last year between Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Federal Security Service chief Alexander Bortnikov, following the assassination of a senior Russian general in Moscow.
The report described how Gerasimov accused the security services of failing to protect senior officers, prompting Putin to expand the powers of his Federal Protective Service to include senior military commanders as well.
The security concerns will also be reflected in the traditional Victory Day parade in Red Square on May 9. The Kremlin has already announced that this year's parade will be held without heavy equipment such as tanks and missiles, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov openly acknowledging, "In light of the terrorist threats, all measures are being taken to minimize the danger."
