- Russian President Putin's foreign trips involve highly secretive and cautious security measures
- The Federal Protective Service manages his security, including elite guards and intelligence units
- Strict food safety protocols include chefs' hygiene checks and bodyguards tasting all meals first
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India has once again put the spotlight on the meticulous and secretive measures surrounding his foreign travel. While host nations organise their own arrangements, Putin's journeys are defined by extreme caution, strict logistical control and a security network that operates largely out of public view.
The Federal Protective Service (FSO), one of Russia's most clandestine security agencies, oversees these arrangements, ensuring every detail, from transportation to personal safety, is safeguarded.
Invisible Security Web
Putin's visible bodyguards are only the surface of a far more complex protective network. The FSO, shaped by KGB protocols, oversees a vast security apparatus, according to Modern.az.
His personal guards come from the elite Presidential Security Service (SBP), selected through a stringent process. Candidates must be under 35, over 180 cm tall, physically fit, combat-ready, and psychologically resilient. Foreign language skills, thorough background checks, and loyalty tests are mandatory.
Former bodyguard Gleb Karakulov, who fled Russia in 2023, described Putin's closed lifestyle, including avoiding mobile phones and sometimes travelling by special train. The network also includes snipers, drone operators, electronic-intelligence specialists and communication units.
Food, Laboratories, Hygiene
The primary rules for chefs include wearing gloves, changing uniforms multiple times a day and having their hands inspected for cuts. Every ingredient entering the presidential kitchen is carefully examined. Despite these stringent controls, all dishes prepared for the president are first tasted by his bodyguards, ensuring that if a poisoned meal were made, the guards would be affected before him, reported Modern.az.
One chef told the film Our Service, “Wherever the leader is, we are there. That is, whether it's a business trip, a vacation, or a private ceremony, we are always there. When there's a big event, we also supervise it.”
In Our Service, Putin's preferences are also highlighted. He avoids fast food and limits meat at night. He favours eggplant appetisers, Olivier salad and game liver, drinks rosehip or ginger tea at official events, and rarely consumes alcohol.
Vehicles And Aircraft
Abroad, Putin travels in the bulletproof Aurus Senat limousine, designed with grenade-resistance, emergency oxygen, fire suppression and advanced communications. His Ilyushin IL-96-300PU aircraft, dubbed the “Flying Pluton,” contains secure communication systems, a gym, medical centre, conference rooms and equipment to authorise nuclear strikes.
Poop Suitcase
One of the more unusual elements of Putin's travel routine involves his bodily waste. Reports detail how his waste is collected, sealed and flown back to Russia. This measure prevents foreign intelligence agencies from analysing his health.
Bodyguards reportedly handle the waste, placing it in a sealed briefcase that returns to Moscow. The practice has been observed during Putin's 2017 visit to France, his 2019 trip to Saudi Arabia, and the recent Alaska Summit in the United States.
Former BBC journalist Farida Rustamova also confirmed these precautions and added that during one such visit abroad, he used a private bathroom that included a portable toilet. She added that, according to a source, the president has followed this practice since the start of his leadership in 1999.
