Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO) has barred officials from wearing wristwatches when meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Telegram channel Mozhem Obyasnit reported.
“Phones have been banned for a long time — now watches have been added to the list, both electronic and mechanical,” a source told Mozhem Obyasnit.
The ban took effect “around mid-April,” the source said. Mozhem Obyasnit journalists reviewed footage of Putin’s meetings with Russian officials and confirmed that officials were not wearing watches.
The rule applies even to officials rarely seen without a watch in public. Mozhem Obyasnit cited Tambov Region Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov, Republic of Mordovia head Artyom Zdunov, and Kamaz CEO Sergei Kogogin as examples.
The new rules do not apply to people Putin knows well, the source said. “They also hand over their phones, but the watch rule doesn’t apply to them — at least for now. The smaller fry already can’t bring anything,” the source said. Rostec chief Sergei Chemezov, for instance, was wearing a watch at a recent meeting with Putin.
Putin himself has also begun removing his watch before meetings, Mozhem Obyasnit reported. At a meeting with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, however, he apparently forgot — footage released by the Kremlin press service shows him covering his wrist with his hand.
Mozhem Obyasnit did not specify what prompted the new FSO requirements, but pointed to a report published by European intelligence in early May, which said Putin fears an assassination attempt and has sharply stepped up his security measures. Meduza covered that report and discussed it with Ekaterina Schulmann.
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