‘Putin fears coup or assassination – with humiliated defence minister Sergei Shoigu a “potential actor” – and orders huge security boost’
Vladimir Putin fears there may be a coup or an assassination attempt against him, with a former defence minister identified as a ‘potential destabilising actor’, according to a report from a European intelligence agency.
The Kremlin has in turn dramatically increased the president’s personal security, installing surveillance systems in the homes of close staffers, following a wave of assassinations of top Russian military figures.
The report describes ‘high alert’ in the government since the beginning of March 2026, about ‘the risk of a plot or coup attempt against the Russian president’.
Putin ‘fears the use of drones for a possible assassination attempt by members of the Russian political elite,’ it reads.
The most striking conclusion concerns erstwhile Putin confidante, Sergei Shoigu, Russia‘s former defence minister and current secretary of the Security Council.
He ‘is associated with the risk of a coup, as he retains significant influence within the military high command’, the report says.
According to the dossier, cooks, bodyguards and photographers who work with Putin are prohibited from traveling on public transport, visitors to the dictator must be screened twice and those working close to him can only use phones without internet access.
The report adds that the ‘Kremlin and Vladimir Putin himself have been concerned about potential leaks of sensitive information’.
Some of the security measures were put in place in recent months following the December killing of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, who served as head of the general staff’s army operational training directorate.
He died after an explosive device detonated beneath his car, in what Moscow claimed was likely an assassination carried out by Ukraine.
The alleged assassination of Sarvarov sparked uproar in the top ranks of Russia’s security establishment, the report says, with Putin summoning key personnel three days later for an urgent meeting.
