Fear of assassination

Kremlin leader Putin always wears a bulletproof vest

Vladimir Putin has been looking particularly square lately, according to experts.(Bild: AP)

Russia's President Vladimir Putin seems to be plagued by great fears of attacks. The warlord, who is already guarded at an unprecedented level, is now only likely to be seen in public wearing a bulletproof vest. The Kremlin leader is also causing a stir with other security precautions. Particularly bizarre: he is said to have his own excrement sent home in suitcases on business trips ...

"Putin walks rather stiffly and there are no wrinkles on the back of his coat when he shakes hands with military personnel. His upper body looks unnatural, his shoulders appear rather broad and angular. The shape of his back and shoulder blades is not recognizable," British security adviser Jade Miller told The Moscow Times.

Two Russian officials and a source close to the Kremlin told the newspaper that the head of state is now actually wearing a bulletproof vest during public appearances outdoors on the urgent recommendation of the secret services.

Paranoia about possible poisoning
Putin is also always accompanied by his personal chefs, and a whole team checks all food before the Kremlin leader eats it.

This is because the course of the Ukraine war and a series of attacks on politicians around the world - including the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 and the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico - have forced the president's security service to take such steps. The international arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court and possible Islamist attacks also played a role.

Unimaginable surveillance
In general, Putin's health is being monitored to an unimaginable extent, as revealed by an investigation published in the French magazine "Paris Match". For example, his urine and faeces are collected by members of his security service when he travels abroad. The excrement was then packed in special bags and sent to Russia in a special suitcase. Incidentally, rumors to this effect were already doing the rounds in the world's largest country in terms of area long before these results were published ...