Vladimir Putin’s paranoia has surged to an all-time high—the Russian president now reportedly spends his days and nights shuttling between underground bunker complexes, terrified of drone strikes and assassination plots. State media is broadcasting pre-recorded footage from the Kremlin to maintain the illusion that Putin’s daily activities are normal, while the dictator himself hides dozens of feet beneath the earth’s surface.
Putin Might Be In a Sort of Hiding over the Ukraine War
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s paranoia has surged to an all-time high recently, with him spending more time than ever out of sight and increasingly isolated. The former KGB Lt. Col. has always fancied himself a master of intrigue, but reports from Moscow say he spends his days and nights in fear of assassination plots hatched by someone who is better at the art of conspiracy than he is.
The security arrangements for his personal safety have recently been markedly tightened. For months now, many experts claim Putin has been shuttling between underground bunker complexes and spending progressively more time underground – apparently on the basis that it is harder to hit a moving target.
His demands for access to him being limited exceed those that he maintained during the pandemic. Back then, the Russian president was so afraid of contracting the viral pathogen himself that official visitors were seated at opposite ends of a ridiculously long 20-foot table to maximize their distance.
During the months he has been almost locked down inside of these facilities, Putin reportedly has become obsessed with micromanaging the war in Ukraine and has, bit by bit, become disinterested in any of the country’s domestic affairs. His disengagement from Russia’s internal workings comes at an inopportune moment, as economic conditions in the nation continue to worsen and negatively affect his popularity.
Putin is reportedly so fearful of attempts on his life – particularly attacks by drones – that he has eschewed the official residences of the President. This includes his palatial estate at Valdai. This is despite the fact that the complex is now surrounded by 27 specially built towers with air defense batteries mounted at the top of each one.
Angry Public – No Place is Safe
More recent developments that have stoked Putin’s fears include vituperative public reactions to the increasing internet blackouts imposed as of late.
“The internet restrictions have turned a large number of people against the ruling class, if not against Vladimir Putin personally,” said Mikhail Komin, a political scientist who is an analyst at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). “That’s why we’re seeing approval ratings drop and people who never spoke out on political issues suddenly getting political.”
“The attack on the internet is viewed as an attack on private life,” said a former Kremlin speechwriter who left Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “People are losing the most basic services. This creates a very strong resentment.”
Image: Russian Federation Government.
For the ruling order that Putin sits at the top of the pyramid of, the increasing ability of Ukraine’s military to hit almost any target – and evade most of the Russian military’s air defense assets in the process – has become the new terrifying reality. On Monday, a Ukrainian drone struck one of the most high-priced and elite luxury residences in central Moscow, the Mosfilm Tower.
“The hit on the tower did not cause massive damage to the building, and reportedly no one was killed or injured,” said a former US Congressional staffer who was charged with supporting sanctions legislation against the old USSR. “But people at that income level will think they are ‘special’ – that they are somehow supposed to be immune from the impact of the war.”
“What his drone strike has done, however, is it has sent these people a message that says, ‘all the money you have is not going to keep you from getting killed’. Putin is not going to keep you safe, and he is buttoned up in an underground bunker somewhere, so he is not bothered about what happens to you. If you are someone in that elite class, you have to now ask if this war has, as more are saying now, gone on too long. For most of them, this is a rude awakening.”
No End of Security Measures
Meanwhile, the 50,000-strong army that guards Putin every moment of his life and provides security for his residences, vehicles, and public appearances is constantly devising new security measures. This organization is the Federal Protective Service (FSO), which is one of the most powerful entities in the country today.
The FSO was formed in 1996 and evolved from the old Soviet-era KGB 9th Directorate, which was charged with protecting senior Communist Party officials. Since its creation, both the charter and the organization’s size have expanded considerably.
In the weeks leading to what has become one of Putin’s more important events of the year – the 9 May Victory in WWII Parade – the FSO has moved into high gear.
Staff in the president’s inner circle – to include cooks, photographers, and bodyguards- have been barred from using any public transport and using mobile phones or internet-enabled devices whenever they are around him. Surveillance systems have been installed in their homes to enforce compliance.
The ordinary Russian public has now been informed that not only will there be no mobile internet service for their smartphone as of today, but also through the end of Saturday. Additionally, there will now be no internet service at all for these five days. “That means no wi-fi, no mobile phone service to even make phone calls with,” said a colleague in Moscow. “The only way you will be able to talk to someone for these five days is if you still have a landline phone.”
Meanwhile, Russian state media outlets are broadcasting pre-recorded footage from the Kremlin to maintain the illusion that Putin’s day-to-day activities are carrying on as usual, instead of him hiding dozens of feet beneath the earth’s surface. Just how long the Kremlin can keep up these illusions is what Putin worries about. The May 9 parade may turn out to be an interesting event – both for him and his increasingly unadoring public.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
