A leaked intelligence report suggests Russian President Vladimir Putin has been living in fortified underground bunkers for much of the Ukraine war — not just to command his military, but out of a genuine fear that someone close to him might try to kill him. The Kremlin has pushed back hard, but the details in the report are difficult to ignore.
What Does the Intelligence Report Actually Say?
The report, shared by CNN this week and attributed to an unnamed European intelligence agency, paints a striking picture of a Russian president increasingly cut off from public life and deeply paranoid about his own survival.
According to the dossier, Putin has spent significant stretches of time in upgraded underground bunkers located hours from Moscow, a pattern that reportedly began when the Ukraine war escalated in 2022. He has allegedly stopped using both his Moscow residence and his summer property in the town of Valdai after Ukrainian forces were reported to be targeting him at his personal addresses.
Perhaps most notably, the report claims Putin has not visited a single military facility in 2025 so far, a sharp contrast to his regular appearances at such sites throughout last year.
Why Drones Are at the Center of Putin’s Fears
The Weapon He Fears Most
The report specifically highlights Putin’s wariness of drones — not from Ukraine’s military, but from within Russia’s own elite circles. The concern, according to the dossier, is that powerful figures inside Russia could use drone technology to stage an assassination with plausible deniability.
This isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. Drone warfare has transformed modern conflict precisely because it removes the assassin from the equation. If Russia’s own military and intelligence apparatus has access to advanced drone capabilities, and it does, then the threat doesn’t have to come from outside the country’s borders.
Who Does Putin Fear Most? The Shoigu Factor
A Former Ally Turned Potential Threat
The report singles out Sergei Shoigu as the greatest risk of a coup. Shoigu served as Russia’s Defense Minister for over a decade before being removed from that post and reassigned as Secretary of the Security Council, a demotion widely noted by Kremlin watchers at the time.
The dossier states that Shoigu “retains significant influence within the military high command,” which makes him a uniquely dangerous figure in Putin’s calculus. He knows the system, he has relationships inside it, and he has reason to be disgruntled.
It’s worth noting that the report does not present direct evidence of any coup plot involving Shoigu. The characterization appears to be a risk assessment based on his position and influence, not on confirmed activity.
How the Kremlin Responded
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the report with a pointed non-answer. When asked about the European intelligence agency behind the findings, Peskov said: “What ‘European intelligence agency’ are you referring to? I am not aware that such an agency exists. Unfortunately, I don’t know what it is.”
That response — deflecting by questioning the source rather than addressing the substance, is a well-worn Kremlin playbook move. It neither confirms nor denies the claims while casting doubt on credibility.
Whether that’s a sign of genuine dismissal or careful message control is a judgment call, but seasoned observers of Russian state communication will recognize the tactic immediately.
Why This Story Matters Beyond the Headlines
The Bigger Picture on Russian Political Stability
Reports of a bunker-dwelling, drone-fearing Putin matter because they speak directly to the question of Russian political stability, something global markets, NATO allies, and Ukraine’s negotiating position all depend on.
A leader who trusts no one and moves constantly is a leader who may be making decisions in an increasingly isolated information environment. History shows that isolated autocrats tend to double down rather than de-escalate, which has direct implications for how the Ukraine conflict evolves.
The report also raises questions about succession and power dynamics inside Russia. If Shoigu, or others in the military high command, are being assessed as coup risks, it suggests the post-war political landscape inside Russia is far less settled than the Kremlin’s public messaging implies.
What We Still Don’t Know
The intelligence report remains unattributed. Without knowing which European agency produced it, assessing its reliability is genuinely difficult. Intelligence products can reflect the biases, gaps, and agendas of the agencies that produce them, and in a conflict as politically charged as the Ukraine war, the information environment is especially noisy.
That said, the specific and operational nature of the claims, bunker locations, drone concerns, and named individuals lends it more texture than a simple propaganda document would typically contain.
TL;DR: A leaked European intelligence report claims Putin has been living in remote bunkers since 2022, fears assassination by drone from within Russia’s elite, and views former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as a potential coup risk. The Kremlin dismissed the report by questioning the source. The claims remain unverified but align with broader patterns of Putin’s reduced public visibility.
