Russian President Vladimir Putin now directs the Ukraine war effort from underground bunkers as the Kremlin escalates security protocols over assassination, coup and drone attack threats, according to Financial Times reporting citing Moscow sources and European intelligence. Putin has sharply reduced civilian engagements and no longer resides at Moscow-region residences or his Valdai estate, instead remaining for extended periods in hardened facilities including a southern Krasnodar region bunker.

The Federal Protective Service has reinforced protective cordons and tightened in-person security checks following last year’s Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian airfields and the shock of Operation Spiderweb. Security around Putin has deepened since the Covid-19 pandemic, with European intelligence sources noting Kremlin anxiety by March over coup risks and unmanned aerial threats, compounded by perceptions of vulnerability after foreign interventions abroad.

Staff permitted near Putin, including cooks, photographers and bodyguards, are barred from public transport and internet-enabled devices near the president, while security cameras have been installed in their homes. Moscow internet shutdowns are partly tied to drone-defense protocols, and FSO agents have expanded patrols along the Moscow River with dog units to counter aerial threats. Internal recriminations have erupted among Russian security chiefs over failures that led to the killings of senior officers, including Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, amid Ukraine-linked attacks.

The FSO has been ordered to protect ten generals, including three deputies, once General Valery Gerasimov completes his assignment, even as Putin publicly addressed internet restrictions and staged appearances to project normalcy. State media continues to rely on pre-recorded footage to mask his absence from civilian life, while domestic criticism mounts over internet controls, tax policies and livestock culls.