With being at the helm in Russia for more than 25 years, it won’t be hard to believe that Vladimir Putin may have picked up a few enemies along the way. And it is for this very reason that the Russian president is one of the world’s most heavily guarded leaders.
In fact, the Russian strongman is known for the extreme lengths he takes to ensure his travels are secure, with his coterie of bodyguards, a reported ‘poop suitcase’ and his personal car dubbed as a ‘fortress on wheels’.
Notably, this sophisticated “security web”, as some call it, will be in the spotlight when Putin travels to India on December 4, his first visit since the beginning of the Ukraine war.
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The ‘flying Kremlin’, diversionary planes and more…
When Putin flies to India, he won’t be doing it in any regular jet, but his modified Il-96-300PU aircraft — Russia’s answer to
Air Force One. Also known as the ‘Flying Kremlin’, the plane is the perfect mix of functionality and comfort; it blends state-of-the-art communications with palatial luxury.
Putin’s aircraft is also rumoured to feature electronic countermeasures to jam enemy radar and missile systems, infrared decoys to evade heat-seeking missiles, and reinforced armour to withstand potential threats.
But it’s not just a secure airplane. It is also exceptionally luxurious, featuring leather furniture, walnut veneers, and gold trimmings. The plane also boasts of having a private office, various meeting and conference rooms, a relaxation room, a guest lounge, a mini gym, a large dining room, a bar, multiple showers, and a medical unit kitted out for many emergency treatments.
Putin’s secured aircraft is not the only precaution he takes while travelling overseas. The Russian president often deploys diversionary planes that look similar to his to avoid being tracked. In December 2022, Yahoo News reported three aircraft took off simultaneously from Moscow and St Petersburg in an effort to conceal Putin’s true route for a trip to Belarus.
While Putin will be coming to India by flight, it is reported that the Russian leader chooses train travel whenever it’s possible to evade being tracked. And for this, he has a
lavish 22-car “ghost train” that features a fully equipped gym, as well as a salon to relax. According to previous reports, many parts of the train are armoured to prevent the use of listening devices, doors and windows are made with bulletproof material, and life-saving medical equipment is always on board.
Putin’s ‘fortress on wheels’
Once Putin lands in any country, he uses his personal car to ferry himself from one location to another. Similar to
Trump’s ‘Beast’, Putin has a presidential limousine, an
Aurus Senat. Introduced in 2018, the Senat blends high protection with luxury.
The safety features in Putin’s presidential car include active cruise control, lane departure warning, electronic traction control, and advanced braking systems. The interior is luxurious, with high-end leather, wood trim, and state-of-the-art infotainment systems. The vehicle is designed to operate in extreme climates.
The Aurus Senat also has the ability to go from zero to 100 km/h in six seconds and further boasts of being able to withstand armour-piercing bullets and grenade attacks.
Notably,
Putin invited Modi for a drive in his limousine while the two attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China in September. Putin has also gifted the Aurus Senat to North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in 2024.
Putin’s Musketeers
On the ground, Putin is surrounded by his bulky bodyguards, who call themselves his ‘Musketeers’. They are tasked with ensuring that no harm is done to the Russian leader, and he is safe from any and all sorts of threats.
Putin’s bodyguards come from an elite unit known as the Federal Protective Service (FSO). Established in 1996, the primary task of this agency is to ensure the security of the president, high-ranking state officials, strategic facilities, and official events. The service is formed through a rigorous selection process inherited from the former USSR era and based on the elite structure of the KGB.
According to the Beyond Russia website, Putin’s bodyguards are hand-picked for qualities that include “operational psychology,” physical stamina and the ability to withstand cold and not sweat in heat. They’re reportedly outfitted with special briefcases that serve as shields to protect Putin and carry Russian-made, 9 mm SR-1 Vektor pistols loaded with armour-piercing bullets.
An instance when Putin’s bodyguards came into focus was when mixed martial artist
Conor McGregor threw his arm around Putin’s shoulders as they posed for cameras at the football World Cup in Moscow.
A video, which went viral, showed the man briefly stepping into view to fix McGregor with a steely gaze and gesture him to stop, prompting the fighter to quickly remove his arm and sheepishly fold his hands together.
4. Conor McGregor was given a warning for putting his arm over Vladimir Putin pic.twitter.com/qmlqBptpSN
— Scott Brooks (@scotti_brooks) August 25, 2025
It is further reported that Putin’s bodyguards are replaced upon turning 35.
There have also been reports that Putin deploys body doubles during foreign visits, but this claim has been rejected by the Russian leader himself. He has revealed that such a plan was proposed to him in the early 2000s, when Russia was fighting in Chechnya, but he “declined these body doubles” on every occasion he was offered them.
Personal chefs and food tasters
Another extreme precaution that Putin employs to ensure his safety while travelling is using his personal chef and food tasters. The Russian president’s meals are prepared by his own chefs and then tasted by a bodyguard who acts as his taster.
One Kremlin chef has been quoted as saying, “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.”
He also added that cooking for Putin is no easy task. According to reports, Putin’s chefs don’t rely on hotel kitchens, and his team removes all locally supplied food and consumables, replacing them with Russian-approved items. Moreover, all ingredients used to cook his meals are pre-checked at the Kremlin.
The poop suitcase protocol
Apart from the bodyguards and his personal chef, Putin has a rather stinky security protocol. His bodyguards collect his poop when he travels abroad and carry it back to Russia. This unusual practice is done to stop foreign governments from studying his waste to learn about his health.
The practice of the
‘poop suitcase’, as it is now known, was first reported by French magazine Paris Match, written by journalists Regis Gente and Mikhail Rubin. They reported that Putin’s security officers packed his waste in sealed bags and stored it in a special briefcase to be flown back to Moscow. This was followed by a 2022 report by The Independent. The practice was noted during Putin’s trip to France in 2017 and his visit to Saudi Arabia in 2019.
Former BBC journalist Farida Rustamova also confirmed hearing of such incidents, saying Putin sometimes used “a private bathroom” or even a portable toilet while travelling abroad.
Interestingly, Putin’s security team also reportedly used the ‘poop suitcase’ protocol when the Russian leader travelled to Alaska, where he met US President Donald Trump to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war in August.
Now, the Russian leader is coming to a friendly India. Will he be as cautious? Or will he let his guard down… just a little bit?
With inputs from agencies
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