Security Strengthened as Mainland Threatened by Drone Attacks
Preparing for Possible Arrest by Foreign Agencies Abroad
Security costs for Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, have reportedly increased significantly.
On the 1st (local time), the American news weekly Newsweek cited data from the Russian Ministry of Finance and local media reports, stating that "from January to May this year, expenditures for the safety and security of President Putin and his aides reached 14.8 billion rubles (approximately 239 billion KRW)."
Considering wartime conditions, Russia had set the budget for the president and the presidential administration's activities at 19.1 billion rubles this year, a 30% increase from last year. In other words, about 77% of the annual allocation for this budget item in the Russian government’s budget was spent within just five months.
This is analyzed as the Kremlin strengthening security measures as the war with Ukraine prolongs and even the mainland, including the capital Moscow, faces threats.
The Russian media outlet Moscow Times reported that since last winter, when the Russian mainland began to be attacked by drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) presumed to have been launched by Ukrainian forces, the Kremlin has enhanced security measures, leading to a sharp increase in President Putin’s security.
In fact, recently, President Putin’s office and residence have been exposed to drone attack risks. On the 3rd of last month, two drones exploded consecutively over the Senate Palace in the Moscow Kremlin, where President Putin’s office is located.
On the 30th of last month, several drones were shot down near Novo-Ogaryovo, on the western outskirts of Moscow, where the presidential residence is located. The Russian Ministry of Defense explained, "Five out of eight drones were shot down, and the remaining three deviated from their flight paths due to electronic jamming." This attack caused minor damage to three apartment buildings in Moscow, the capital of Russia.
Russia has pointed to Ukraine as behind the drone attacks, but Ukraine denies this. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stated, "It is certain that the Ukrainian regime is behind the incident," and claimed, "This attack demonstrates the necessity of the 'special military operation.'"
However, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian presidential office, denied involvement, saying, "We have nothing to do with the drone attacks."
Meanwhile, Russian security authorities are reportedly also concerned about the possibility of President Putin being arrested by foreign agencies during overseas visits.
On March 17, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber posted a statement on its website announcing that "based on a prosecutor’s request on the 22nd of last month, there are reasonable grounds to believe that President Putin is responsible for war crimes involving the illegal deportation of children from occupied territories in Ukraine," and issued an arrest warrant.
This is the first time since the outbreak of the Ukraine war that the ICC has officially identified a top Russian official as a suspect. Furthermore, the issuance of an arrest warrant for a head of state is the third case, following former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
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