Putin to increase central staff of Federal Protective Service for the fourth time since war began

Vladimir Putin is set to expand the central apparatus of the Federal Protective Service (FSO), the agency tasked with safeguarding Russia's top officials, for the fourth time since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

A draft decree published on Russia's official portal for proposed legislation would raise the maximum number of military and civilian personnel in the FSO's central staff from 785 to 812, according to the independent outlet Verstka. The change is set to take effect on 1 July.

The increase marks the fourth expansion of the FSO’s central apparatus since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. At the end of 2022, Putin raised the staffing cap from 725 to 760. In January 2024, he approved two more increases: one to 775, effective from 1 January 2024, and another to 785, effective from 1 January 2025. Before 2022, the FSO’s central staff hadn’t been expanded in nearly 13 years.

The FSO includes a unit responsible for Putin’s personal protection, whose officers accompany him on trips and guard the facilities and residences associated with him. Beyond physical security, it also handles special communications and monitors public opinion and the political situation, among other activities.

According to the outlet IStories, the agency's influence has grown considerably over the course of the war: its officers' constant proximity to Putin, combined with the sensitive information they gather on senior officials, has turned the FSO into a power centre in its own right.