Vladimir Putin’s growing fear of assassination is said to have grown so extreme Kremlin officials believe the Russian president is now drawing his latest paranoid fears from the Richard Gere spy thriller The Double – the 2011 film featuring a Soviet assassin who murders targets using a wristwatch fitted with a hidden garrote wire.
As RadarOnline.com has reported, the Russian warmonger, 73, is understood to have 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, ongoing drone attacks and fears of internal betrayal inside Putin’s regime.
Sources familiar with the Kremlin’s fraught atmosphere also say the president has become increasingly obsessed with the possibility of James Bond-style assassination plots involving seemingly harmless everyday objects.
A source cited by the We Can Explain outlet 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 now told RadarOnline.com the crackdown has also been fueled by paranoia surrounding fictional assassination methods depicted in espionage films – particularly The Double, starring Richard Gere.
In the little-known movie, Gere plays retired CIA operative Paul Shepherdson, who is ultimately revealed to be Cassius, a legendary Soviet assassin known for killing victims using an ultra-thin wire concealed inside a wristwatch.
The weapon is used repeatedly throughout the film to silently slit targets’ throats in crowded environments.
One defense source said: “There has been specific discussion about concealed weapons hidden in watches and accessories. Putin is deeply anxious about unconventional assassination techniques.”
Another insider added: “The watch killings in The Double absolutely fed into existing fears. Putin is aware of it, and he has spread worries about hidden surveillance devices, poison attacks and sabotage.
“A film where a watch becomes a murder weapon for a Soviet assassin only reinforces that paranoia.”
The restrictions are said to have started in mid-April as Putin’s security arrangements intensified following renewed concerns about intelligence leaks and the possibility of an internal coup attempt.
Observers noticed the absence of watches during recent meetings involving Yevgeny Pervyshov, governor of Russia’s Tambov region, and Artyom Zdunov, head of Mordovia.
Both officials, usually seen wearing watches in public, attended audiences with Putin bare-wristed.
Sergey Kogogin, chief executive of truck manufacturer KamAZ, was also seen without a watch during talks with Putin despite wearing one days earlier while meeting Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Sources claim Putin has become increasingly distrustful of objects carried into private rooms and now insists on tighter security screening procedures before face-to-face meetings – after his fears were “inspired” by the movie.
One insider said: “There is a feeling inside the Kremlin that Putin trusts fewer and fewer people. The restrictions are becoming more severe because he genuinely believes there are threats coming from multiple directions, including inside Russia itself.”
The fears are said to have extended beyond watches to broader concerns about hidden explosives, tracking devices and poison delivery systems disguised as everyday items.
Security sources said comparisons have also been drawn with films including GoldenEye, Octopussy, Kingsman and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., all of which feature gadget-based assassinations involving disguised weapons.
Putin himself is also said to have become cautious about wearing watches during official appearances.
During one televised meeting, viewers noticed the Russian president deliberately covering his wrist with his hand, obscuring 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 defense conglomerate Rostec and a longtime Putin associate 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 attacks and political instability continue to fuel anxiety inside Moscow.
Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, said: “Putin is physically scared for his life because the Ukrainian drones have demonstrated their ability to strike unexpectedly.”