Vladimir Putin has bolstered the elite security unit tasked with protecting him amid mounting fears of assassination attempts.
More than two dozen additional officers will be added to the central apparatus of Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO), increasing its strength from 785 to 812.
It marks the fourth time Putin has strengthened the force since ordering the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as concerns over his personal safety have grown.
The move comes as the war in Ukraine continues, with Russian strikes on Kyiv killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 50 on Thursday.
The FSO is responsible for protecting Russia’s senior leadership, with its duties ranging from guarding the president and his residences to securing state communications and accompanying him on official trips.
The agency is also responsible for protecting members of Putin’s family and inner circle.
The wider organisation is believed to employ more than 50,000 people.
The latest expansion, which came into force on Wednesday, follows years of steadily increasing security around the Kremlin leader as he cowers in bunker palace.
Before the invasion of Ukraine, the number of officers in the FSO’s central apparatus had remained largely unchanged for more than a decade.
European intelligence assessments suggest the FSO has introduced increasingly strict security procedures this year in response to the growing threat posed by long-range Ukrainian drones, as well as fears of a possible coup or assassination attempt.
According to The Telegraph, staff working in Putin’s immediate vicinity have been banned from using mobile phones or other internet-connected devices or using public transport.
They have also had security systems installed inside their homes.
Even wristwatches have been blacklisted, with officials ordered to take them off in Putin’s presence since around mid-April, according to a source speaking to the Telegram channel Mozhem Obyasnit.
