Ukrainian OSINT collective OSINT-Bees has identified four men it says are among Vladimir Putin's closest adjutants, all linked to the Federal Protective Service. Former Ukrainian intelligence head Valerii Kondratiuk and European intelligence reports describe tightened security for Putin's inner circle, including travel and communications limits. Analysts say the measures reflect fears of coups, assassination attempts and internal instability as the Ukraine war continues.
Ukrainian OSINT Identifies Four Men as Putin’s Closest Adjutants, Raising Security Questions
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN summit in Kazan, east of Moscow, on June 17, 2026.
A Ukrainian open-source intelligence collective has named four men it says operate at the side of President Vladimir Putin, publishing profiles as a former Ukrainian intelligence chief and European reports describe sharply tightened security around the Russian leader.
OSINT-Bees, which has previously exposed details about senior Russian military figures, politicians and propagandists, identified four aides it calls "adjutants"—describing them as the president's "closest bodyguards and servants," who sometimes sleep near him. The group says all four are from Moscow or the Moscow region, serve in the Presidential Security Service (SBP) of the Federal Protective Service (FSO), and hold ranks of lieutenant colonel or lower.
Former head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, Lieutenant General Valerii Kondratiuk, told Ukrainian outlets that security measures around Putin "have been tightened to the maximum." A European intelligence assessment reported by CNN says those closest to Putin face strict travel and communications limits, including bans on public transport and the use of phones without internet access.
Who Were Named
OSINT-Bees published names, background details and images for the four men: Alexey Melnikov, 39, an FSO Academy graduate often seen accompanying Putin on official business and photographed on holiday with his wife; Sergey Moskalenko, 43, believed to be a Golitsyn border institute graduate who has appeared alongside Putin and visiting leaders; Konstantin Panin, 43, photographed with Putin on domestic trips; and Ivan Rozhko, 38, from Barybyno in Domodedovo District and also an FSO Academy alumnus.
"These people are all going to be well-groomed, and because they're drawn from the Presidential Security Service, they're tall, big and athletic," said Mark Galeotti, author and founder of Mayak Intelligence. "They know how to behave in Putin's presence; they know not to draw too much attention to themselves."
Context And Security Concerns
The Dossier Center—an investigative outlet linked to exiled critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky—mapped the constant presence of adjutants in its April 2025 report "All the President's Men," noting these aides remained close to Putin even during COVID-19 isolation. Photographs from that period, showing distanced meetings at long Kremlin tables, fed narratives of heightened caution at the top of the Russian state.
As the war in Ukraine approaches its fifth anniversary on February 24, 2027, analysts and former officials say Moscow is increasingly focused on internal stability, coup risk and the threat of assassination attempts. Kondratiuk told Ukrainska Pravda that FSO personnel have faced restrictions on communications with relatives and other measures intended to reduce potential vulnerabilities.
Galeotti added that professional paranoia is part of security work: if officials believe an adversary might be capable of targeted violence, they will adopt stringent precautions—and dissent within the security services is harder to sustain during wartime.
Sources: OSINT-Bees; statements from Lt. Gen. Valerii Kondratiuk; Dossier Center report "All the President's Men" (April 2025); European intelligence reporting via CNN; comments from Mark Galeotti.
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