France 24: Putin was under heavy security in Novosibirsk
During his trip to Novosibirsk on August 11, 2026, Vladimir Putin was under heavy security, despite widespread claims on social media that his security detail was minimal. This was reported by France 24, which analyzed video footage of the meeting between the president of the Russian Federation—an aggressor state—and people near a gas station.
A pro-Russian user, X, claimed that Putin interacted freely with people without a significant number of bodyguards, contrasting this with the security measures taken during trips by French President Emmanuel Macron. At the same time, a security expert interviewed by France 24 stated that the crowd was controlled and that the road had been blocked off before the motorcade’s arrival.
According to France 24’s count, at least 13 members of the presidential security detail were visible near Putin in the video. Three men in military gear, equipped with night-vision devices and assault rifles, had “SBP” insignia on their uniforms. Political analyst Benjamin Graviss, author of the Red Samovar blog, explained that this is an abbreviation for “Security Service of the President of the Russian Federation.”
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The motorcade consisted of at least 23 vehicles, including police cars and an armored Aurus Senat limousine. According to the manufacturer Aurus, the vehicle has BR5-level protection, equivalent to the European VPAM VR10 standard. Small domes were spotted on the roof of one of the security vans, which, according to Graviss, could be components of a drone-countermeasure system or satellite communication equipment.
The security expert described the security arrangement as a three-zone system: the innermost zone was secured by the Presidential Security Service, the second by the Russian military police, and the third by the local police. Near the Siberian Ring Photon Source, police directed people away from the bus stop and asked them to wait for the motorcade in a ditch by the road. The Russian-language media outlet Ateo Breaking, which is critical of Putin, also released a video of a TIGR armored vehicle with a machine gun, which appeared to be pointed toward the sky. France 24 geolocated the vehicle near the Novosibirsk Hydroelectric Power Plant but was unable to determine whether it had been deployed specifically for Putin’s visit.
