All the President’s Men
Who Protects Vladimir Putin
https://dossier.center/putinmen-en/Vladimir Putin has been ruling Russia for more than 25 years, always surrounded by a tight inner circle. Some long-time allies, like his St. Petersburg acquaintances Yuri Kovalchuk, often referred to as Putin’s “personal banker”, and billionaire Gennady Timchenko, have remained close. Others, like former Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov, have gradually fallen out of favor. Some, like his childhood friend Pyotr Kolbin, former butcher turned oligarch, have passed away. But among Putin’s closest people, one group stands apart. They do not seek high-ranking positions, yet they often attain them. They are loyal to the head of state and ready to protect him at the cost of their own lives ... They are Vladimir Putin’s bodyguards.
However, the position of adjutant is not a mandatory step for career advancement. Many have moved up the ranks without ever holding this post. One of Putin’s most well-known bodyguards, Alexey Dyumin, stated in 2016 that he was never an adjutant but worked in the travel units and eventually rose to the position of deputy head of the Presidential Security Directorate: “An adjutant is a special caste of chosen people… I was part of a group of officers ensuring security across Russia and abroad, everywhere. I was just like everyone else. We were selected, we did what needed to be done, we carried out the tasks assigned to us.” Dyumin was part of Putin’s security team from the first day he became prime minister in 1999 ...
One of Putin’s most well-known bodyguards, Alexey Dyumin, stated in 2016 that he was never an adjutant, but worked in the travel units, and eventually rose to the position of deputy head of the Presidential Security Directorate: “An adjutant is a special caste of chosen people… I was part of a group of officers ensuring security across Russia and abroad, everywhere. I was just like everyone else. We were selected, we did what needed to be done, we carried out the tasks assigned to us.”
--
“An interlocutor close to the Presidential Administration believes that Dyumin’s appointment (as an aide to the president - Ed.) is a test designed to show how ready the former security guard is to become the successor [ to Putin ].” [
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/5425 link in Russian.]
