Assassination Fears: Vladimir Putin Orders Special Agents to Disable Internet Coverage as Russian Leader Makes Speech in St. Petersburg
June 16 2023, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Vladimir Putin ordered his special agents to cut internet coverage during a speech this week amid the Russian president’s growing assassination fears, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In the latest development to come amid growing assassination concerns resulting from the 70-year-old Russian leader’s ongoing war against Ukraine, paranoid security operatives reportedly cut the internet in St. Petersburg on Friday as Putin gave a speech in the city.
According to Daily Mail, Russia's Ministry of Communications issued the disabling order to all St. Petersburg mobile operators shortly before Putin arrived in the city on Friday.
The surprising move was reportedly made “in order to prevent drones from attacking the forum venue during the plenary session of Putin's traditional event” at the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Meanwhile, sniffer dogs were also reportedly seen at the St. Petersburg venue this week amid the security clampdown.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov further confirmed that Putin was scheduled to make a “lengthy speech” followed by an extensive economic discussion at the forum – something that increased the assassination fears among the Russian president and his closest advisors.
“We can expect a very voluminous speech from the head of state,” Peskov said. “Indeed, a rather long speech was prepared.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Putin has grown increasingly paranoid that he will be assassinated in an effort to end the lengthy and bloody war in Ukraine.
Anders Aslund, a Swedish economist who has advised both the Russian and the Ukrainian governments, recently indicated that Putin is constantly “frightened” of potential assassination attempts and therefore refuses to “go out in public.”
“Putin doesn't dare go out in public,” Aslund said this week. “Whenever he appears, there are suspicions that he is a double.”
“Putin seems frightened,” he continued. “He has built bunkers at his three main residences. He travels the country by armored train. And at each of his three main residences, he has built special stations for his personal security.”
“The level of paranoia seems almost pathological,” Aslund concluded.
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Putin’s assassination fears allegedly intensified last month when Ukraine was accused of carrying out a kamikaze drone strike on the Kremlin.
Although Ukraine denied being behind the drone strike, Kremlin officials claimed the attack was a “planned terrorist attack” and an “assassination attempt on the president of Russia” carried out by enemy Ukrainian forces.
