Putin expands personal security staff for fourth time since 2022
Vladimir Putin (Photo: Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/Kremlin via REUTERS)
Russian dictator Vladimir
Putin has signed a decree expanding the central administration of Russia’s
Federal Protective Service (FSO) for the fourth time since the 2022 invasion of
Ukraine, independent outlet The Moscow Times reported on Aug. 31.
The staffing ceiling for the FSO’s central administration increased from 785 to 812 employees. The previous increase was approved Jan. 1, 2025.
According to the publication, the staff had previously increased in late 2022, from 725 to 760 employees, and again on Jan. 1, 2024, to 775 employees. Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the FSO’s central administration had not expanded for nearly 13 years.
The Federal Protective Service is a secretive security agency responsible for protecting Russia’s top officials, including the president, prime minister, speakers of both houses of parliament, heads of the highest courts, and the prosecutor general. Its structure includes Putin’s personal protection unit, which accompanies him during trips and guards his residences and other facilities.
On Aug. 30, The Economist reported, citing sources
close to the Kremlin, that Putin had decided to escalate the war against
Ukraine because he believes his rule and life would be in danger if the war
ends without Russia capturing Donetsk Oblast.
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