Putin Now Wears A Bullet-Proof Vest At All Public Events

A growing number of reports reveal that Putin now wears a bullet proof vest at all public occasions. He increasingly wears buttoned up coats to conceal his personal armor. 

He is also reported to employ several doubles, to bring his own chef and food on trips and to have increased the size of his personal security detail. All of which sounds like someone who knows he isnt very popular. JL 

Isabel Van Brugen reports in Newsweek:

Vladimir Putin is now wearing a bulletproof vest at all public events. He was wearing protective clothing under his coat while attending a parade in Moscow May 9 to mark Victory Day. He was "clearly wearing concealed body armor during the parade, some form of ballistic protection." His upper body frame looked unnatural and his shoulders appeared "wide and square." Putin has a special team check his meals for poison, and takes personal chefs and groceries with him on trips. He has also been photographed at a long table with a large distance between himself and visitors. Russian officials believe the precautions are necessary.

Vladimir Putin is now wearing a bulletproof vest at all public events, two Russian officials and a source close to the Kremlin have told an independent online newspaper.

It is further evidence of perceived threat levels against the Russian president, following reports that he has a special team check his meals for poison, and takes personal chefs and groceries with him on trips. He has also been photographed at a long table with a large distance between himself and visitors.

 

Putin, for example, was wearing the protective clothing under his coat while attending a parade in Moscow last month to mark May 9, or Victory Day, which is the annual commemoration of Nazi Germany's defeat during World War II, one of the two Russian officials said.

"The Kremlin takes Vladimir Putin's security very seriously. He is protected by a whole army of visible and invisible guards," a Russian official who attended the event told the publication.

 

Putin was "clearly wearing concealed body armor during the parade," the first official said, adding that they believe the precaution is necessary.

"God protects the cautious," the second official added.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.

 

The Moscow Times asked Jade Miller, an independent British hostile environment and high-risk security consultant, to analyze footage of Putin at the May 9 Victory parade. She assessed that he was wearing a "bulletproof vest" concealed under his coat.

His upper body frame looked unnatural and his shoulders appeared "rather wide and square," while Putin appeared to be "walking in a rather rigid manner," said Miller.

"Putin is observed to keep his overcoat fastened up high and is seen to be checking that it is closed, as though he is trying to ensure no one can see an undergarment," she continued.

 

Miller added: "In my professional opinion, Putin is wearing some form of ballistic protection during his time attending the parade."

A source close to the Kremlin confirmed other precautions are taken by Putin's team to ensure his safety, such as having a special team check his meals for poison, and taking personal chefs and groceries on trips with him.

In December, an investigation by Proekt, a Russian independent media outlet banned by the Kremlin, found that Putin had been making fewer public appearances than would be expected, and that out of the meetings he held, he attempted to keep his distance from others in nearly half of them.

"And on the street, Putin's interlocutors are forced to stand at a distance of more than 10 meters [33 feet] from him, behind a specially drawn red line," said Proekt.

 

"In theory, this can be explained by the desire to protect himself from [COVID-19]. But sometimes Putin still needs to communicate with people in person, and then the Kremlin resorts to wild (from the point of view of public policy) security measures," the outlet added.