Story perspectives

Putin Bunkers Up Amid Security Crackdown, Corruption Probe

5/4/2026

Summary

Story summary

President Vladimir Putin has been living in underground bunkers for weeks because he fears a coup and possible assassination.
The Federal Protective Service has tightened security, requiring two-level screening, full-body searches for visitors and prohibiting staff near Putin from using internet-enabled phones, public transport, and non-FSO vehicles.
A corruption investigation led to the detention of Ruslan Tsalikov, former deputy of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, over an alleged £50 million family fortune.

History

Historical Context

In August 1991 KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov helped launch a hard-line coup that detained President Mikhail Gorbachev and lasted three days before Boris Yeltsin’s mass protests forced its collapse. The episode revealed deep mistrust among Soviet elites, a pattern echoed today as President Vladimir Putin’s Federal Protective Service tightens bunker access and bans internet-enabled phones for staff.

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Story summary

President Vladimir Putin has been living in underground bunkers for weeks because he fears a coup and possible assassination.
The Federal Protective Service has tightened security, requiring two-level screening, full-body searches for visitors and prohibiting staff near Putin from using internet-enabled phones, public transport, and non-FSO vehicles.
A corruption investigation led to the detention of Ruslan Tsalikov, former deputy of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, over an alleged £50 million family fortune.

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