Vladimir Putin India Visit: As India prepares to open its doors for Vladimir Putin on December 4 and 5, a great deal of attention has moved from diplomacy to something more fascinating. It is the extraordinary machinery that protects the Russian president wherever he goes.
He will attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and call on President Droupadi Murmu. This happens to be his first visit to India in four years, a gap long enough for security planners on both sides to work with an almost obsessive level of detail.
Putin lives inside a cocoon of security that operates silently but relentlessly. Every movement, every stop and every room he enters is insulated by an invisible wall built by Russia’s elite protection units. That system, refined over decades, has produced stories so unusual that they sound like scenes from a spy thriller.
He has spent years moving through the highest corridors of power, and his past as a KGB (Russian intelligence agency) officer has formed a deeply guarded approach to his personal safety. His security entourage is not merely a team but a fortress in motion.
Here are ten astonishing facts about the highly secretive security architecture that travels with the Russian president wherever he goes:
1. The Suitcase That Carries His Waste
Reports claim that when President Putin travels abroad, his urine and stool are collected by his security team, sealed inside a suitcase and flown back to Russia.
This practice stems from an insistence that no medical information about him ever be exposed. His bodyguards reportedly accompany him even during private moments, including bathroom visits, to ensure nothing that could reveal his health falls into the wrong hands.
2. His Bodyguards Retire At 35
The men selected to guard him undergo a screening far stricter than most militaries. Many come from the Federal Protective Service Academy (FSO). They clear interviews, polygraph tests and an intense background check.
Candidates must stand between 5.8 and 6.2 feet tall, weigh 75-90 kg and speak foreign languages. They train for extreme weathers and are retired at just 35 to ensure the team always consists of peak-condition personnel.
These guards have even intervened in high‑level meetings, including stopping Kim Jong‑un from getting too close to him in 2025.
3. Putin’s Body Doubles
Several reports claim that Putin occasionally uses body doubles, especially when attending large public gatherings or entering high-risk zones.
Ukrainian military chief Major General Kyrylo Budanov has said that the Russian president relies on at least three such doubles, with some allegedly undergoing plastic surgery to resemble him more convincingly.
4. A Car That Can Run Even With Four Flat Tyres
Once Putin steps off his aircraft, he travels in the Aurus Senat, a state-of-the-art armoured vehicle developed by Aurus Motors and Russia’s NAMI institute. The car is bulletproof, resists grenade attacks and cannot be set ablaze.
It carries its own oxygen supply for emergencies and is connected to an advanced command system. The most unbelievable detail is that it can keep moving even if its all four tyres are punctured. It also reaches speeds of up to 249 km/ph and remains fully equipped with luxury features.
5. His Special Telephone
Before any foreign visit, Russia’s security service studies crime patterns, terror threats, local protests and religious tensions of the host nation.
Putin does not use a mobile phone. Instead, a secure communication line, sometimes including a special telephone booth, is installed exclusively for him ahead of his arrival.
6. Food Goes Through A Personal Lab
Putin reportedly travels with a small laboratory, which is used to test food samples for poison. He avoids hotel staff and relies on his own chefs and housekeeping crew flown in from Russia. A month before his arrival, an advance team inspects the hotel, clears out food items and replaces them with supplies brought from Moscow. Even the cooks are trained military personnel.
7. A Plane That Carries A Nuclear Command Button
The aircraft that flies Putin is the Ilyushin IL‑96‑300PU. It is known as the “Flying Kremlin” and carries advanced communication systems, missile defenses, a bar, a gym, a medical unit and a nuclear command button that allows him to order a strike from the sky. It seats 262 people and can fly 11,000 km non‑stop.
8. Human Shields In Case Of Attack
If a threat emerges, Putin’s guards form a human shield around him, guiding him swiftly to the Aurus Senat and then directly to the primary or backup jet positioned at a secure location.
9. Backup Jets Always In The Air
Putin never travels with just one aircraft. One or two backup jets accompany his main plane on international tours.
Prior to departure, his bodyguards undergo a two-week quarantine to ensure they are in perfect condition for duty.
10. A Hand‑Operated Anti‑Drone Device
His security team treats drones as serious threats. One of his guards has been spotted carrying a handheld anti‑drone device capable of neutralising hostile drones instantly.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
