Russia has placed the heads of major television channels under increased security protection as concerns grow over potential Ukrainian attacks, the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo reported, citing four sources familiar with the measures.
The initiative reportedly came from Viktor Zolotov, the head of Russia’s National Guard, known as Rosgvardia.
An employee of a federal television channel told Agentstvo that Rosgvardia officers now accompany almost all senior television executives. Some reportedly resent the measure because the protection also amounts to constant surveillance by security forces.
The new security measures reportedly extend to television presenters as well. One presenter recently attended a birthday celebration in Moscow accompanied by a security vehicle, according to a source.
Another source familiar with the leadership of Russia’s propaganda outlets said senior executives had previously been accompanied only occasionally by security officers under Rosgvardia. Their presence has now become much more visible.
Propagandists already targeted
Security around Russia’s most prominent war propagandists began increasing during the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but initially focused only on the highest-profile figures.
RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan publicly acknowledged receiving additional protection after Darya Dugina, daughter of Russian ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin, was killed in a car bombing in Moscow Region in August 2022.
In April 2023, pro-war Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was killed by a bomb at a café in St. Petersburg.
A month later, a bomb exploded in the vehicle of Russian writer and pro-war figure Zakhar Prilepin. Prilepin was seriously wounded and his driver was killed.
Russian security agencies have also claimed to have foiled alleged assassination attempts against prominent state media figures, including Simonyan, Vladimir Solovyov, Olga Skabeyeva, and Dmitry Kiselyov.
The latest reported measures come as Ukraine has increasingly demonstrated the ability to conduct long-range drone strikes deep inside Russia, including against military, industrial and energy targets.