Putin’s assassination fear linked to Richard Gere spy film
Growing fears of Vladimir Putin’s assassination may have become so extreme Kremlin officials believe the Russian president is now drawing his latest paranoid fears from Richard Gere’s spy thriller The Double – the 2011 film featuring a Soviet assassin who kills targets using a wristwatch fitted with a hidden garrote wire.
If RadarOnline.com According to reports, the Russian belligerent (73) ordered aides attending private Kremlin meetings to remove both electronic and mechanical watches before entering secure rooms.
The extraordinary restrictions come amid heightened security concerns surrounding Russia’s war in Ukraine, continued drone strikes and fears of internal betrayal within Putin’s regime.
Sources familiar with the tense atmosphere in the Kremlin also say the president has become increasingly obsessed with the possibility of James Bond-style assassination plots involving seemingly innocent everyday objects.
A source quoted by the We Can Explore channel recently said: “Phones have long been banned (from Putin meetings), and now watches have been added to the restrictions – both electronic and mechanical.”
But security insiders were now telling it RadarOnline.com The crackdown has also been fueled by paranoia surrounding fictional assassination methods that are mainly found in spy films The Doublestarring Richard Gere.
In the little-known film, Gere plays retired CIA agent Paul Shepherdson, who is ultimately revealed to be Cassius, a legendary Soviet assassin known for killing victims using an ultra-thin wire hidden in a wristwatch.
The weapon is used repeatedly throughout the film to quietly slit the throats of targets in crowded environments.
A defense source said: “There has been specific discussion about hidden weapons hidden in watches and accessories. Putin is very concerned about unconventional killing techniques.”
Another insider added: “The watch is killing inside The Double absolutely fed with existing fears. Putin is aware of this and has raised concerns about hidden surveillance equipment, poison attacks and sabotage.
“A film in which a watch becomes a murder weapon for a Soviet assassin only reinforces that paranoia.”
The restrictions are believed to have come into effect in mid-April as Putin’s security arrangements were stepped up following renewed concerns about intelligence leaks and the possibility of an internal coup attempt.
Observers noted the absence of watches at recent meetings involving Yevgeny Pervyshov, governor of Russia’s Tambov region, and Artyom Zdunov, head of Mordovia.
Both officials, who usually wore watches in public, attended audiences with Putin with bare wrists.
Sergey Kogogin, CEO of truck manufacturer KamAZ, was also seen without a watch during talks with Putin, despite wearing a watch a day earlier during a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Sources claim Putin has become increasingly wary of objects being brought into private rooms and is now pushing for stricter security screening procedures before face-to-face meetings – after his fears were ‘inspired’ by the film.
An insider said: “There is a feeling within the Kremlin that Putin trusts less and less people. The restrictions are becoming stricter because he genuinely believes that threats are coming from multiple directions, including within Russia itself.”
The fears are said to have extended to wider concerns about hidden explosives, tracking devices and poison delivery systems disguised as everyday objects.
Security sources said comparisons have also been made to films Golden Eye, Octopus, King’s man And Uncle’s husbandall of which feature gadget-based kills with disguised weapons.
Putin himself is also said to have become cautious about wearing watches during official appearances.
During a televised meeting, viewers noticed that the Russian president deliberately covered his wrist with his hand, making it unclear whether he was wearing a timepiece.
The restrictions do not appear to apply to every member of Putin’s inner circle. Sergey Chemezov, head of the defense conglomerate Rostec and a longtime associate of Putin dating back to their KGB years, was recently seen openly wearing a watch during a meeting with the president.
The tightening security measures come as drone strikes and political instability continue to fuel unrest in Moscow.
Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky said: “Putin is physically afraid for his life because the Ukrainian drones have shown that they can strike unexpectedly.”
