Few people have made more
enemies than Vladimir Putin, and the dictator of Russia hasn’t given them
many ways to express their grievances. Sure, they can shout it in the public square - but the
odds are the police will be right behind them. So it’s not a surprise that some of them
have resorted to other, more violent methods. But the KGB agent turned politician is
ruthless - and he’s managed to survive more than one assassination attempt. Some
of them may just put action heroes to shame. Putin didn’t take office by an election, he was
appointed to the office of Prime Minister in 1999 by Russia’s first - and some would say
only - democratic leader, Boris Yeltsin. When Yeltsin stepped down, Putin became Russia’s
new President- and he has held one of the two positions ever since, taking down every check
and balance in his way. That’s twenty-three years of him wielding increasingly tight control
over Russia while his enemies getting ever more desperate to remove him. The current laws
mean he could hold power until 2036 - and that’s if he doesn’t declare a permanent
state of emergency as a result of the war. And for many of his opponents, Mother
Russia’s deathgrip feels ever tighter. Russia is still technically a democracy - with
elections being held at regular intervals. But are these elections truly free? That’s
much trickier. Arrests of protesters, opposition leaders, and businessmen who
fall out of favor are increasingly common. And for those who Putin can’t find any legal
dirt on, he often gets to them another way. Assassinations by poisoning have become
a common trick of the trade for Putin, with noted Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko
being fatally poisoned with polonium in 2006, and a double agent as well as his daughter
being targeted with a nerve agent in 2018. While the latter two survived, what scared
the world about these two attacks is that they happened in London - meaning Putin’s agents
won’t even tolerate dissent outside of Russia. And soon enough, Vladimir Putin
would go from hunter to hunted. But Putin is notoriously secretive, rarely
appearing in public. Even when he’s in meetings with his inner circle, he often insists on being
a safe distance from them - just in case anyone thinks about returning to a common Soviet
method of settling disputes with leadership. It happened so often, in fact, that it became
a running joke - if a Soviet citizen turns on the TV and they’re playing Swan Lake instead
of news and propaganda, the odds are there has been an unexpected change in leadership.
It’s no wonder that Putin, who has ambitions of restoring much of the Soviet Union’s
territory, also employs some of its tactics. Which raises the question - how did we
find out about the attempts on his life? It started with an unusual source -
the acclaimed filmmaker and notorious conspiracy theorist Oliver Stone, who
actually got to interview Putin in 2017. While asking the Russian President questions,
Stone casually mentioned that Putin had survived five assassination attempts - which probably
wasn’t something that Putin intended to get out. While no secret police bundled Stone
off to the gulag, it probably didn’t help the case of any of the journalists
who wanted to get interviews after that. But Putin has been making close
escapes for over twenty years now. It all started in February 2000, not long after
Putin took power. While attending the funeral of the former Mayor of Saint Petersburg, Anatoly
Sobchak, Putin suddenly came under attack. Not many details are known of this attack
- because Putin keeps them close to his chest - but what is known is that his security
team quickly intervened and kept him safe. More ominously, when asked about this at
a later date, the Federal Guard Service’s press secretary would only comment that they had
identified the organization behind the attack. Which meant it wasn’t a lone wolf attack
- and more attacks were likely coming. They wouldn’t have to wait long, only August
of the same year - and on a much bigger scale. Putin was attending a summit of the former
Soviet nations at Yalta - many of whom were likely worried that the Russian bear was
looking to reclaim its old territory. But in the grand Soviet tradition, the
reports didn’t come out immediately - it would be weeks before anyone even revealed
that an assassination attempt took place, and even longer before it was revealed
that the attempt was against Putin. But once the details came out,
everything fell into place. The Commonwealth of Independent States gathering
brought a lot of grievances to the table, but one issue that wasn’t on the table was the situation
of the Chechens - a Russian Muslim minority group that had long been pushing for independence.
Russia had cracked down on them multiple times - and that brought a group of radicals to the
summit. Ultimately, four Chechens were arrested and a number of Middle Eastern nationals with
them - but that was about all we know, because the documents were classified. It seems these plotters
were arrested without ever getting close to Putin. But the same can’t be said for later plots. If you ask the Russian security services for
more information, the answer would probably be a solid “Nyet!”, which is why much of this
information comes from third-hand sources much after the fact. But the higher-profile
the attempt, the harder it is to keep a lid on the incident. That was the case in
January 2002, when Putin was getting ready to visit the former Soviet state of
Azerbaijan. While Putin wasn’t there yet, his security forces were - and it turned out that
they knew more than the Azeri security forces did. Which makes you wonder - what else did
they know about their former subject state? The Azeri leaders didn’t have time to ponder
that - there was an assassination to foil! And this one was an international affair. The main subject of the investigation was
an Iraqi citizen, and tracking him showed he had been working with both Chechen rebels and
agents from Afghanistan. They had been planning to deliver a large number of explosives - likely to
be deployed against Putin during his visit - but once again they never got close enough to
pull it off. The plotters were arrested, with at least one being sentenced to ten years
in prison, and Putin’s eventual visit went off without a hitch - something the Azeris
were likely even happier about than he was. But not all the plots were
this competent or elaborate. It was ten months after the Azerbaijan
plot was foiled when a threat came very close to Putin - but it was far
from a competent terror assult. Like something out of an action movie - or at
least the Russian bootleg. A man drove into the Kremlin complex and demanded to address
Putin personally. His name was Ivan Zaitsev, and he had a bizarre claim - he thought he was
the legitimate President of Russia. Was this some long-lost descendent of the Romanovs, or a
Soviet loyalist next in the line of succession? No, it was just a crazy person - but
that’s where the story got wilder. Zaitsev was quickly arrested and bundled off to
the nearest psychiatric hospital for observation. While there, he continued to make one wild
claim after another - including that this was the second time he had tried to get
close to Putin? His motivation? He thought Putin was a secret Nazi who was planning
to turn Russia into a fascist state - which some might say wasn’t that far off. But
he also claimed to be an undercover spy and that he was avenging the beheading death
of his brother years ago - and he planned to cut Putin’s head off as a trophy. No evidence
was found of any of these claims, but Putin’s security forces no doubt made sure that Zaitsev
wouldn’t be getting a third chance to get close. As time went on and Putin tightened his grip
on Russia, the attacks would get more serious. It was only a few months later when Putin
was heading back to the Kremlin headquarters. A group of workers showed up at the highway
leading up to the complex, announcing that they had been hired to install new signs. Except
that the work had not been ordered by the city, and soon the area was swarming with police.
What they found was shocking - forty kilos of explosives, timed to detonate when
Putin’s motorcade would be passing. It was the most competent attempt on Putin’s life
yet, and came dangerously close to succeeding. Not that most people would know it - the explosives
were quickly removed, the plotters were no doubt tracked down, and soon the Russian government
would insist that the whole affair never happened. But Putin’s security didn’t do enough
to keep it from happening again. Assassination attempts on Putin seem to
be a yearly affair in Russia - and if he stays in power, who knows,
it might become a tradition. Someone dressed up as a plotter pulls it off,
and is foiled by the actors playing the police, while the street vendors sell the spectators
pierogies. There wouldn’t be much difference between the success rate of the plotters and the
actors, because they seem to be foiled constantly. In 2003, a plotter used the same tactic as the
previous plotter - bombs by the side of the road where Putin was supposed to be passing. This
time, though, the bomb was a small pipe bomb-like object hidden in a bag, and it’s unlikely it would
have ever exploded. When asked for more details, such as if a culprit had ever been found, the
Russian authorities once again said “Nyet!”. But as time went on, the
plotters started to get smarter. It was 2008, after a relative era of
peace, and Putin was planning to leave office - for another office. His long-time
ally Dmitry Medvedev was ascending to the office of President as Putin stepped down
to become the new Prime Minister - his old office. Many assumed this was a way for
him to maintain power behind the scenes. But some people would rather neither
be in power, and they decided to take action. While the two were walking in the
area surrounding the Kremlin, no doubt discussing their plans for Russia, a sniper
struck - reportedly firing at them. However, the security presence was able to protect the
two politicians and neutralize the threat. Once again, the identity of the shooter
and their eventual fate is unknown. But old enemies were about to strike again. It was 2012 - and sure enough, Putin was
President again. The laws involving term limits had been changed, and Putin had
taken back his old office from Medvedev and now looked to rule indefinitely. And the
Chechen radicals who had plotted against him before knew that likely meant bad things for
them. Once again they planned the often-tried tactic of a roadside bomb - and once again
they were foiled. Like with the other attempts, the security team got a tip and took action
before the bomb was detonated - and just like those other tries, the Russian authorities
remained tight-lipped about the details of the plot, but it’s likely the Chechen areas
where the attackers came from felt the impact. At least eight attacks, none of them
successful. What is Vladimir Putin’s secret? Not only did none of the attackers kill Putin,
none of them even managed to injure him or get particularly close to him. Each time, it felt like
the attackers were running behind the eight-ball, with the Russian security forces knowing
where they would be and neutralizing them before there was even a disruption. Ironically,
the closest anyone got to actually creating a major incident was the fabulist Ivan Zaitsev,
whose wild stories and unpredictable behavior likely made him much harder to
track than the organized plotters. And the failure rate comes
down to a number of factors. For one thing, Russian security is good. Very
good. While much of Russia’s military is made up of conscripts mostly consisting of draftees
who are often poorly trained and underfed, the security team is the best of the best. The
Russian Presidential Regiment is all armed and trained in unarmed combat, and they patrol
the Kremlin relentlessly. The massive guard towers surrounding the complex let them see
a full range around the area. The regiment has strict entry requirements, only those with
excellent eyesight and hearing are excepted. One benchmark potential members are tested
on is being able to hear a whisper from up to twenty feet away. They’re also put
through rigorous fitness tests and need to match a certain height and weird to
be considered suitable to protect Putin. But it’s not just the security team. Putin is a paranoid man - but his paranoia is not
unfounded. He wanted advice from someone who had as much reason to fear assassination as him - if
not more - and so he went to an old friend of the Russian regime. The elderly dictator Fidel Castro,
who had ruled Cuba for close to half a century by the time Putin took power, had been targeted
more than six hundred times for assassination, all unsuccessful. Some of these attempts were
by domestic enemies, and some were by foreign governments - including the United States, which
once took aim at him with exploding cigars. So it’s no surprise he was very paranoid. In the interview with Oliver Stone, Putin
reminisced about his conversation with Castro. And the old Cuban revolutionary had one key
bit of advice - don’t be afraid to be a control freak. Castro claimed that he was always the
one to personally deal with his security forces, hand-picking them and promoting or
dismissing them when he felt like it. This gave no one on the outside the chance to
influence them and sabotage the leader’s security. The result? A security team that looks a lot
more like a private army only loyal to one man rather than the large organization
of the US Secret Service. But it’s possible for this to go too far. There are some national leaders who keep
an even tighter grip on their country than Putin - and the odds are he looks at the
leadership of North Korea and goes “Dude, lighten up”. Run since its founding in the
1940s by one family over three generations, their security forces are trained to fend off
enemies both from the general public and from ambitious agents in the government who may think
they could run things better than the son of the previous leader. Which is why the security system
in North Korea looks a little more like a cult than a government agency. Like Russia, they
have a conscript army - but unlike in Russia, being selected for the leader’s personal security
team means cutting ties with your old life. Members of the team are never allowed
to have contact with their family again, because Kim Jong-Un wants them to
have loyalty to only one person. Russia doesn’t go that far - but his
security team are no slouches themselves. In addition to physical skill, everyone
who works for Putin’s security team is highly trained in psychological profiling.
They’re not, however, trained to fade into the background - the training for Russian
bodyguards is much more offensively-focused than for the Secret Service. If something
even appears to be a possible threat, they’re supposed to take action hard and fast,
and their responsibilities extend well beyond assassins. They’re supposed to be so thorough,
in fact, that their duties begin months before Putin is supposed to appear at a location.
They’re also all under age thirty-five and trained to speak multiple languages - preparing
them to protect Putin effectively when abroad. In some ways, they’re more
like spies than bodyguards. If your country is supposed to be hosting Putin,
the odds are you won’t even know they’re there. They’ll simply make their way in, usually without
much fanfare and only with a few people in the know, to start scouting the area. This will
involve looking for any signs of criminal activity or social unrest, as well as the
presence of known enemies of Putin. These issues will usually be shared with the local
government so they can coordinate - if the Russians trust them. Beyond that, the security
will be observing infrastructure issues, looking for potential weak points. Putin likes to
have everything under control, and that includes planning for what would happen if a natural
disaster strikes during his visit. So if any super-spies are packing an earthquake device
in their next attempt, the odds aren’t great. But if all the preparation fails,
Putin is anything but defenseless. When he’s appearing in public, Putin is typically
protected by four squads. The first is his visible security detail. They’re all armed, ready to both
take a bullet - and fire a lot of them if needed. This group is Putin’s first line of defense,
similar to the ones that protect the President, and they have only the best gear - including
a pistol that can fire forty rounds a minute. But many people who observe them notice that
they don’t actually seem to do much. They’re a constant presence, but they seem to take action
less often than other Presidential security teams. That’s because they don’t have to. For every visible squad guarding Putin, there are
three other squads backing them up - and they’re largely invisible. One is in plain clothes
and is assigned to blend in with the crowd, looking for any unusual movements towards
the Russian President. If they see something, they’ll strike and take down the
assailant without them expecting it. Another group stands outside the crowd,
undercover but armed and ready to strike if someone gets past the first two lines of
defense. And in the event of a larger threat, a team of armed snipers keeps watch from
the sky, ready to shoot down any attacker. But not all of Putin’s
lines of defenses are armed. It’s revenge of the nerds, Russian-style - because
one of Putin’s biggest secret weapons is his IT team. Today, many assassination attempts
are pulled off digitally, with bombs being detonated remotely while hacking is used to
confirm the location of the target. That’s why Putin’s security team commonly places jamming
devices around his location, blocking cell phone operations and keeping remote-controlled bombs
or drones from being used in the area. It also has the side effect of letting the government
spy on any electronic device in the area, exposing assassination plots - or anyone
saying something the government disapproves of. An invasion of privacy? Probably - but don’t
say that when Putin and his men are listening. And if someone gets too close,
Putin has fail-safes in place. Not only does Putin have this
highly-trained security forces, but there is usually a convoy of
armed vehicles stationed around, ready to swoop in with backup and extract him from
the situation at a moment’s notice - and maybe plow through a hostile crowd if needed. Back at
the Kremlin, Putin has some guards with their own unique - and both tasty and terrifying - duties.
It’s a tradition going back to medieval times, but the need for it hasn’t lessened. Food tasters
sample every meal Putin eats before he digs in, and so far no one has tried to
poison him - that we know of. But one other x-factor may protect
Putin from assassination attempts. It was 2017, five years after one of the
botched attempts against Putin’s life. While it’s not known if the culprits were ever
found, one of the top suspects was Chechen radical Adam Osmayev. He had been arrested in Ukraine, but
due to a lack of evidence was never charged - and Ukraine refused to extradite him to Russia.
He was eventually released, and one day he and his wife were near a railroad crossing
when a mysterious assassin shot them both, killing his wife and wounding Osmayev.
Was it a message from Russia? If it was, they’re not saying - but everyone
knows Putin has a long-lasting memory, and if you target him and fail, the odds
are good that his security apparatus will come for you no matter how long it takes. And he
doesn’t care who gets caught in the crossfire. But now, those threats may be ramping up. The Russian invasion of Ukraine changed everything
in the conversation about Vladimir Putin, and that included who’s talking about
taking him out. While previously, only local radicals and the occasional
crazy man were thinking about it, now US Senators like Lindsay Graham are openly
talking about assassination. While most countries were staying out of the fray - especially once
Putin casually reminded everyone how many nuclear weapons Russia has - there’s no doubt that his
security forces are likely tightening their grip. So what does it look like now? It’s hard to tell, because Putin’s control over
Russia is only getting stronger. A combination of sanctions and stricter laws means most
foreign media is heading for the exits. Netflix pulled the plug on their service in Russia
due to a new law that stated they would have to carry Russian propaganda channels. Netflix doesn’t
have channels, so we’re guessing that Putin probably isn’t a fan of streaming content and may
not be up on the latest lingo. But all indications from those reporting from the inside are that
Putin’s paranoia and isolation have only deepened. And that means the biggest threat
to him may be coming from within. Could Putin’s own inner circle be plotting against
him? Early indications are that he, at least, may think so. As the war in Ukraine drags on and
Russian forces lose massive numbers of soldiers - with some even being captured and appearing on TV
to condemn the invasion - Putin gets increasingly desperate. The country is under massive sanctions
that have basically kneecapped their economy, and Russia has reportedly been forced to ask
for military aid from China to keep the invasion going. This has led many people to compare
him to Hitler in the dying days of the war. Is Putin trying to prevent
his own Operation Valkyrie? Reports out of Russia are that Putin has fired
or even arrested many of his top generals and security advisors. Some have been placed under
house arrest, some have fled the country, and others have just not been heard from in a
while. Many of his oligarch friends have found themselves personally sanctioned - even losing
their massive yachts - and had no choice but to return home to Russia. There, it’s entirely
possible that all these powerful businessmen might decide that Putin’s gone too far and
needs to be removed - by any means possible. But that is becoming more and more unlikely. As the war rages on and the bad news grows
for Russia, the odds are that more attempts on Putin’s life might come. But for those
who try, they might find themselves facing increasingly long odds. Not only is
Putin appearing in public less and less, but the list of people who get to see him in
the Kremlin is getting smaller and smaller. Even his closest advisors find themselves
kept at arm’s length - or the length of the longest table they can find. And anyone
plotting an attack knows that if they fail, it’s not just their fate at risk - it could be
their family’s, or even their whole country’s. And in a building that is starting
to look a lot more like a fortress, Vladimir Putin waits for his
enemies to make their next move. Want to know how it all began? Check out “How Vladimir Putin Went
From KGB Agent to President of Russia”, or watch “These Memes Will Get You Arrested in
Russia” for the lighter side of life under Putin.
