By the end of the fourth year of the war, Kremlin elites are gripped by confusion and anxiety as the state struggles to guarantee the safety of even its most senior officials and security chiefs.
Fear is growing inside Russia’s political establishment. People close to President Vladimir Putin increasingly doubt the government’s ability to protect them, even far from the front lines, according to the independent Russian outlet “Mozhem Obyasnit”.
The latest round of debate was sparked by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s claim that Ukraine’s military had, for the first time, attacked Putin’s Valdai residence with drones. He said 91 drones were destroyed in the Novgorod region. The Kremlin did not align its account with the Defense Ministry, which earlier reported intercepting 89 drones across Russia that same night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Lavrov’s claim, saying such statements could be laying the groundwork for a strike on government buildings in Kyiv.
Media have reported that Putin’s alleged partner, Alina Kabaeva, and their children live at the Valdai residence, and earlier reporting found more than 20 air-defense positions around the site. It is considered one of the most heavily protected locations in Russia.
By contrast, other members of Russia’s elite are living in acute fear. Moscow and other major cities have seen an uptick in unexplained deaths of senior military officers and officials. In just over a year, three generals awarded stars by Putin were killed far from the front, and a transport minister he appointed died under unclear circumstances. He joins a long list of top managers and officials who either died or, according to authorities, took their own lives.
Against this backdrop, analysts point to a deepening crisis of trust within the system.
“By the end of the fourth year of the war, the elite is confused; it had hoped that a Putin–Trump meeting in Alaska would lead to an end to the ‘special military operation.’ From Putin’s recent statements, it’s clear the war will continue indefinitely,” political analyst Alexander Morozov said.
He noted that the Kremlin leader has ordered continued offensives on all fronts, including in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, which Moscow still officially recognizes as Ukrainian.
Military journalist Sergei Auslender says the threats facing Russia’s upper echelons will only grow.
“Ukrainian intelligence has expanded its capabilities and human networks. That isn’t hard; there are many Ukrainians in Russia. Many of them hate the Russian regime and are indistinguishable on the surface,” he said.
He added that Russian counterintelligence is weak and systemic security protocols are scarce. In such a climate, experts say, even senior Kremlin officials cannot feel safe.
