Putin Orders Security Boost Following Attacks, Accuses Ukraine
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered heightened security measures for government officials and critical infrastructure, responding to a surge in attacks that Moscow attributes to Ukrainian intelligence operations. The move comes amid escalating tensions on the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
Putin directed the Federal Security Service (FSB) and other law enforcement agencies to increase protection for Defense Ministry officials, the defense industry, regional and local authorities, and essential workers like educators and social service providers. He specifically highlighted the need to safeguard public figures and volunteers who have received threats from what he termed the “Kyiv regime.”
“The FSB, together with other law enforcement agencies, needs to increase the level of protection,” Putin stated during a meeting with FSB officials, as reported by the Kremlin.
The Kremlin leader cited a “significant rise” in attacks targeting infrastructure, administrative buildings, and residential areas. He accused Ukraine of resorting to sabotage and assassination attempts against Russian officials after failing to achieve a “strategic defeat” on the battlefield.
The order follows an explosion in Moscow on Monday night that killed a police officer at a central railway station. Putin suggested the attacker may have been recruited online, highlighting concerns about the potential for unwitting involvement in terrorist acts.
Putin also alleged that planned attacks on natural gas pipelines carrying Russian gas to Turkey and Southern Europe – brokered through U.S.-led peace talks – were being orchestrated to disrupt negotiations. “They’re doing everything they can to pull off some kind of provocation and break everything that’s been… achieved in negotiations,” he said.
In 2025, Putin claimed there was an increase in terrorist acts, “undoubtedly” carried out by Ukrainian intelligence and “their foreign handlers.”
The Moscow Times, designated as an “undesirable” organization by the Russian government, continues to report on these developments despite facing increasing restrictions and risks to its staff.
