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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.

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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.

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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.

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Armed and dangerous -

Putin's bodyguards are reportedly also equipped with special armor-plated briefcases that serve as shields should he be attacked.

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The Federal Protective Service -

The presidential guard is comprised of a special unit within Russia's Federal Protective Service, or the FSO.

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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.

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Armored limousine -

President Putin travels in a Russian-made, specially adapted Aurus motorcar.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Electronic surveillance -

To that end, technicians conduct covert electronic surveillance of cellphones, smart devices, and other appliances and apparatus in the vicinity.

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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.

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Taking aim -

Besides avenging Wagner mercenaries, who's likely to have Putin in their crosshairs?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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? 

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