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© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
A meeting of minds, and bodyguards
- A TV screen shows a report of a meeting between the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space center in Russia on September 13, 2023. The scene also includes several bodyguards surrounding the two leaders.
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
In the wake of Wagner
- Back in June 2023, Putin remarked indignantly that the armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was a "stab in the back." But ever since that infamous insurrection lead by the now deceased Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin has significantly beefed up his personal security. In fact, some reports suggest he's forming mysterious private armies across Russia to protect himself from vengeful Wagner soldiers.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
The highest level of security
- As president, Vladimir Putin is afforded the highest level of security. His bodyguards are always armed, likely with Russian-made, 9 mm SR-1 Vektor pistols loaded with armor-piercing bullets.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
Armed and dangerous
- Putin's bodyguards are reportedly also equipped with special armor-plated briefcases that serve as shields should he be attacked.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
The Federal Protective Service
- The presidential guard is comprised of a special unit within Russia's Federal Protective Service, or the FSO.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
Meet the "Musketeers"
- This pool of elite, hand-picked individuals are known as the "Musketeers." All are trained in close-contact defense tactics, and none are over the age of 35.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Armored limousine
- President Putin travels in a Russian-made, specially adapted Aurus motorcar.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
Traveling in comfort, and fear
- This armored limousine is powered by a 4.4 liter V8 engine developed by NAMI—the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Advanced security sweep
- Even on the road, Putin is protected by layers of security. In fact, before any visit anywhere, advance teams scout out his destination months ahead of time.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
Checking the layout
- If it's a trip on domestic soil, the advance party will scrutinize street layouts and carefully map walkabout routes. They will also check to see how the public will likely respond to his presence.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Fear of flying?
- A trip abroad is a far greater logistical and security challenge. The layers of security that insulate Putin in this instance are bewildering and follow carefully designed guidelines to ensure a safe and efficient visit.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Military motorcade
- On the road, Putin can expect a small army to accompany him, a convey of heavily armored vehicles operated by special military personnel armed with AK-47s and anti-tank grenade launches. The arsenal may even include portable anti-aircraft missiles.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
Other safeguards
- If staying anywhere, one of the safeguards employed to protect Putin in his accommodation is the installation of jamming devices to prevent remote detonation of bombs.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
Electronic surveillance
- To that end, technicians conduct covert electronic surveillance of cellphones, smart devices, and other appliances and apparatus in the vicinity.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Hiding in plain sight
- And out in public, he is always surrounded by a tight ring of FSO bodyguards, with others hidden in the crowds. Snipers stationed on building rooftops scan the ground below for potential assassins.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
"Operational psychology"
- Putin's bodyguards are trained to work in all weather. They undergo what's known as "operational psychology," where physical stamina and the ability to withstand cold and not sweat in heat are tested to the very limits of human capacity.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Double trouble
- And the jury's still out on whether President Putin has employed the services of a "presidential body double." In a 2020 BBC report, Putin dismissed the rumors that he uses body doubles for security.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Fit and healthy
- Since his days as a KGB operative, Putin has been obsessed with both his health and security. He is an avid judoka and remains so even after the International Judo Federation stripped him of his judo black belt in 2022 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Paranoid about health
- Putin's health concerns verge on the paranoid. In March 2020, he visited a ward in a Moscow hospital where patients infected with the COVID-19 virus were being treated. Rather than don a mask, the Russian president kitted himself out in a hazmat suit, complete with a full face respirator.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Perils of poison
- And in a practice straight out of the Middle Ages, Putin has someone sample every meal and drink he's served to ensure he's not being poisoned, according to Gilles Bragard, founder of Club des Chefs des Chefs, an elite group of chefs who cook for the world's most powerful men and women.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Virtual distrust
- Observers suggest that Putin's habit of chairing virtual meetings with his security staff is further proof of the distrust he has fostered even among his closest allies since the Wagner debacle.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Long-distance meetings
- And even when he meets advisors or heads of state face-to-face, Putin insists on conducting meetings either at the opposite end of an extremely long table, or seated at a distance in vast halls.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
The killing of Alexander II
- The Federal Protective Service can trace its roots back to the late 19th century and the assassination in 1881 of Czar Alexander II.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Russia's first bodyguards
- In the wake of the bomb that killed his father, Czar Alexander III quickly surrounded himself with guards, effectively creating Russia's first presidential protection unit.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Taking aim
- Besides avenging Wagner mercenaries, who's likely to have Putin in their crosshairs?
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
The enemy within
- Would-be assassins and coup plotters are likely to manifest from within Russia, and even the Kremlin itself. Putin probably has his eyes on the Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the former KGB, for any dissident behavior.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
General mistrust
- History has recorded that a leader's own generals can mutiny. Soon after Yevgeny Prigozhin's doomed march on Moscow, Putin launched a search for suspected traitors in the Russian military, fearful of future internal threats to his power.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
A challenge to Putin's authority?
- And Russia's Presidential Security Service, the federal government agency led by Alexey Rubezhnoy (pictured) and tasked with the protection of Putin and his prime minister, might yet throw down a challenge to his authority.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
A feminine touch
- Meanwhile in Chechnya in February 2023, the inauguration took place at the Russian University of Special Forces of the first female bodyguards training course.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Close call
- Did you know it was a woman who in 2013 got the nearest to anyone in assaulting the Russian president as he was attending the Hannover Messe industrial exhibition? While the then German chancellor Angela Merkel looked on, a bare-breasted activist lunged at Putin before one of his bodyguards shieled him from potential harm. Sources: (BBC) (CNN) (CBS News) See also: Who is Vladimir Putin, really?
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
A meeting of minds, and bodyguards
- A TV screen shows a report of a meeting between the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space center in Russia on September 13, 2023. The scene also includes several bodyguards surrounding the two leaders.
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
In the wake of Wagner
- Back in June 2023, Putin remarked indignantly that the armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was a "stab in the back." But ever since that infamous insurrection lead by the now deceased Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin has significantly beefed up his personal security. In fact, some reports suggest he's forming mysterious private armies across Russia to protect himself from vengeful Wagner soldiers.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
The highest level of security
- As president, Vladimir Putin is afforded the highest level of security. His bodyguards are always armed, likely with Russian-made, 9 mm SR-1 Vektor pistols loaded with armor-piercing bullets.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
Armed and dangerous
- Putin's bodyguards are reportedly also equipped with special armor-plated briefcases that serve as shields should he be attacked.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
The Federal Protective Service
- The presidential guard is comprised of a special unit within Russia's Federal Protective Service, or the FSO.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
Meet the "Musketeers"
- This pool of elite, hand-picked individuals are known as the "Musketeers." All are trained in close-contact defense tactics, and none are over the age of 35.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Armored limousine
- President Putin travels in a Russian-made, specially adapted Aurus motorcar.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
Traveling in comfort, and fear
- This armored limousine is powered by a 4.4 liter V8 engine developed by NAMI—the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Advanced security sweep
- Even on the road, Putin is protected by layers of security. In fact, before any visit anywhere, advance teams scout out his destination months ahead of time.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
Checking the layout
- If it's a trip on domestic soil, the advance party will scrutinize street layouts and carefully map walkabout routes. They will also check to see how the public will likely respond to his presence.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Fear of flying?
- A trip abroad is a far greater logistical and security challenge. The layers of security that insulate Putin in this instance are bewildering and follow carefully designed guidelines to ensure a safe and efficient visit.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Military motorcade
- On the road, Putin can expect a small army to accompany him, a convey of heavily armored vehicles operated by special military personnel armed with AK-47s and anti-tank grenade launches. The arsenal may even include portable anti-aircraft missiles.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
Other safeguards
- If staying anywhere, one of the safeguards employed to protect Putin in his accommodation is the installation of jamming devices to prevent remote detonation of bombs.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
Electronic surveillance
- To that end, technicians conduct covert electronic surveillance of cellphones, smart devices, and other appliances and apparatus in the vicinity.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Hiding in plain sight
- And out in public, he is always surrounded by a tight ring of FSO bodyguards, with others hidden in the crowds. Snipers stationed on building rooftops scan the ground below for potential assassins.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
"Operational psychology"
- Putin's bodyguards are trained to work in all weather. They undergo what's known as "operational psychology," where physical stamina and the ability to withstand cold and not sweat in heat are tested to the very limits of human capacity.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Double trouble
- And the jury's still out on whether President Putin has employed the services of a "presidential body double." In a 2020 BBC report, Putin dismissed the rumors that he uses body doubles for security.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Fit and healthy
- Since his days as a KGB operative, Putin has been obsessed with both his health and security. He is an avid judoka and remains so even after the International Judo Federation stripped him of his judo black belt in 2022 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Paranoid about health
- Putin's health concerns verge on the paranoid. In March 2020, he visited a ward in a Moscow hospital where patients infected with the COVID-19 virus were being treated. Rather than don a mask, the Russian president kitted himself out in a hazmat suit, complete with a full face respirator.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Perils of poison
- And in a practice straight out of the Middle Ages, Putin has someone sample every meal and drink he's served to ensure he's not being poisoned, according to Gilles Bragard, founder of Club des Chefs des Chefs, an elite group of chefs who cook for the world's most powerful men and women.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Virtual distrust
- Observers suggest that Putin's habit of chairing virtual meetings with his security staff is further proof of the distrust he has fostered even among his closest allies since the Wagner debacle.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Long-distance meetings
- And even when he meets advisors or heads of state face-to-face, Putin insists on conducting meetings either at the opposite end of an extremely long table, or seated at a distance in vast halls.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
The killing of Alexander II
- The Federal Protective Service can trace its roots back to the late 19th century and the assassination in 1881 of Czar Alexander II.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Russia's first bodyguards
- In the wake of the bomb that killed his father, Czar Alexander III quickly surrounded himself with guards, effectively creating Russia's first presidential protection unit.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Taking aim
- Besides avenging Wagner mercenaries, who's likely to have Putin in their crosshairs?
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
The enemy within
- Would-be assassins and coup plotters are likely to manifest from within Russia, and even the Kremlin itself. Putin probably has his eyes on the Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the former KGB, for any dissident behavior.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
General mistrust
- History has recorded that a leader's own generals can mutiny. Soon after Yevgeny Prigozhin's doomed march on Moscow, Putin launched a search for suspected traitors in the Russian military, fearful of future internal threats to his power.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
A challenge to Putin's authority?
- And Russia's Presidential Security Service, the federal government agency led by Alexey Rubezhnoy (pictured) and tasked with the protection of Putin and his prime minister, might yet throw down a challenge to his authority.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
A feminine touch
- Meanwhile in Chechnya in February 2023, the inauguration took place at the Russian University of Special Forces of the first female bodyguards training course.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Close call
- Did you know it was a woman who in 2013 got the nearest to anyone in assaulting the Russian president as he was attending the Hannover Messe industrial exhibition? While the then German chancellor Angela Merkel looked on, a bare-breasted activist lunged at Putin before one of his bodyguards shieled him from potential harm. Sources: (BBC) (CNN) (CBS News) See also: Who is Vladimir Putin, really?
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
How vulnerable is Vladimir Putin?
How does the Russian president protect himself from enemies?
© Getty Images
The revelation that President Vladimir Putin is apparently forming mysterious private armies across the country to protect himself from potential attack by Wagner soldiers is telling in that it demonstrates the mistrust and paranoia overwhelming the Russian leader in the wake of the failed mutiny in June 2023. Putin has added extra layers to his own personal security, while these new units have allegedly been tasked with protecting the state border, fighting illegal armed groups, and combating foreign sabotage. So, exactly how vulnerable is Vladimir Putin feeling?
Click through and take a look at the people and apparatus charged with protecting the Russian president.
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