Russian officials ordered to surrender watches before Putin meetings

“Phones have been banned for a long time. Now watches — both electronic and mechanical — have been added to those restrictions,” one source told the outlet.

According to the source, the new measures were introduced “around mid-April.”

The publication said officials meeting with Putin no longer appear to be wearing watches. Among them were Yevgeny Pervyshov and Sergey Kogogin, both of whom are usually seen wearing watches during official events.

The rule reportedly does not apply to Putin’s inner circle, including Sergey Chemezov, who has been friends with Putin for more than 40 years.

Putin himself has also reportedly stopped wearing a watch during private meetings in his office. However, during a meeting with Ramzan Kadyrov, he allegedly forgot to remove it and spent the meeting covering his left wrist with his hand.