Vladimir Putin has retreated to living in bunkers where he works amid new fears of a coup, according to a Western intelligence agency.
Security has been massively increased around Putin, who has abandoned his favourite palaces, fearing they could be targets of drone strikes by his own entourage.
The new analysis cites an unnamed Western intelligence agency and was first revealed by Russian news outlet Important Stories.
‘Since the beginning of March 2026, the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin have been concerned about a leak of sensitive information and, at the same time, about the risk of a plot or coup attempt against the Russian president,’ it’s been claimed.
‘In particular, he fears the use of drones for a possible assassination attempt by members of the Russian political elite.’
Putin’s Security Council Secretary, Sergei Shoigu, who was Minister of Defence for the first years of the war, is allegedly associated with the risk of a coup attempt.
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The Kremlin has already tried to weaken Shoigu’s power, arresting his former deputy last month under suspicion of corruptly making over £50 million in family assets.
Fears of another coup, after the Wagner rebellion in 2023, are growing for Putin, with the Federal Protective Service saying it has ‘significantly tightened security measures’ around Putin.
Any visitors to the Presidential Administration now undergo two levels of screening and a full body search.
Putin has also slashed the number of location she visits – avoiding his usual haunts in Novo Ogaryovo and his Valdai palace.
Putin lives with his glamorous Olympic gymnast partner Alina Kabaeva, 42, and their sons Ivan, 11, and Vladimir, six. The children use the family name Spiridonov.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Putin has often taken refuge in renovated bunkers, particularly in the Krasnodar region, where he may work for weeks, the report added.
The Krasnodar region is often attacked by Ukrainian drones, but also the location of Putin’s £1 billion clifftop Gelendzhik palace, equipped with multiple underground floors.
To up his security, Putin has also stopped visiting military locations.
The level of paranoia is clear from the claims that ‘personnel working near Putin are now prohibited from using mobile phones — they must use devices without internet access.’
Surveillance systems have also been installed at the homes of cooks, photographers and bodyguards of the despot.
‘The extreme level of Putin’s fear of an assassination attempt or conspiracy is also indirectly indicated by the fact that this year not a single deputy of the State Duma [member of parliament] received an invitation to the Victory Day parade on Red Square,’ the report said.
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