Putin is strengthening his own security for the fourth time since the war.

Kremlin Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has decided, for the fourth time since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, to increase the size of the central office of the Federal Protective Service (FSO), responsible for the security of Russia’s top leadership.

This was reported by the Russian publication Verstka, citing the draft decree.

According to the document, the maximum number of military personnel and federal civil servants in the central office of the FSO should increase from 785 to 812 people.

As the publication notes, this is the first staff expansion in almost 13 years that occurs not at the beginning or end of the year, but in the middle.

Since the full-scale invasion began, Putin has already increased the size of the service’s central office several times. By the end of 2022, its staff had grown from 725 to 760. In January 2024, two more expansion phases were approved: to 775 personnel effective January 1, 2024, and to 785 effective January 1, 2025.

The Federal Protective Service is the Russian intelligence agency responsible for the security of the president, his family, the prime minister, and other officials. The FSO is also responsible for government communications, information technology support for government agencies, and the protection of strategically important state facilities.