A controversial European intelligence report has claimed that the Russian President Vladimir Putin has been living in an underground bunker for weeks over fears of assassination. The 73-year-old leader has amped up his security and anyone having access to him, including bodyguards, cooks and photographers need to go through an extensive screening process before getting near him. According to CNN, the staff at the president’s current residence is being forced to use devices without internet. The report claims that Putin started avoiding his residences in Moscow following unverified reports of Ukraine targeting him in his presidential palace. Ukraine has denied the allegations, while U.S. intelligence agencies say they have found no evidence supporting claims that Kyiv targeted him. Russia has experienced a wave of high-profile targeted killings, including that of General Fanil Sarvarov in December 2025, who was killed by a bomb planted under his car. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has also made claims similar to the European intelligence reports. It said that Putin and other high-ranking officials' security has been enhanced. According to ISW, the Russian forces have deployed more air defence systems between May 2023 and December 2025, near Putin’s residences in Moscow City and Valdai. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has also confirmed extra security measures, saying, “Against the backdrop of this terrorist threat, of course, all measures are being taken to minimise the danger.”