Officials Meeting With Putin Required To Surrender Wristwatches
- 8.05.2026, 14:02
The master of the Kremlin himself also began to take off his chronometer.
The Federal Security Service has tightened the requirements for Vladimir Putin's visitors - now they are obliged to hand in their wristwatches before one-on-one meetings. Two sources familiar with the situation told "We Can Explain" about it.
"Phones have been prohibited for a long time, now watches - both electronic and mechanical - have been added to these requirements," one of the sources told "We Can Explain." He added that these requirements became effective "around the middle of April."
"MO" has verified that officials who meet with Putin are indeed not wearing watches. For example, the head of the Tambov region Evgeny Pervyshov "forgot" to wear a watch, as evidenced by the video of his meeting with Putin. Although he wears a watch both in ordinary life and at official events - for example, during a speech in the State Duma. The head of the Tambov region, Artem Zdunov, was not wearing a watch either.
This detail in the appearance of Putin's visitors is particularly striking in the example of Kamaz CEO Sergey Kogogin. At his meeting with the Kremlin host, both his hands were free of any chronometers, according to a recording published by the Kremlin press service on May 5. However, during a meeting with Prime Minister Mishustin on October 22, 2025, a highly visible watch was present on Kogogin's hand. And in his normal life he wears it regularly, a journalist covering Kamaz confirmed.
The new strict requirements do not concern members of Putin's close circle - that is, people who have known him for a long time, the MO interlocutor said. "They are also handing in their phones, but the watch story doesn't concern them - at least not yet. Smaller scum can't do anything," the source says. His words are confirmed by a recording from Putin's meeting with Rostec head Sergey Chemezov. The head of the state corporation is seen wearing a watch on his left hand, unlike ordinary officials and governors. Chemezov and Putin have been friends for more than 40 years.
Checking the sources' words, "MO" noted that Putin himself has also begun to remove his watch during one-on-one meetings in his office. But at one such audience - with Chechnya's head Ramzan Kadyrov - there was an embarrassment. Putin, apparently, forgot to take off his chronometer. And as a result, he sat through the entire meeting, covering them with his left hand. This is clearly visible on the 5-minute video published in the Kremlin channel on RuTube. For almost 4 minutes, Putin sits in front of Kadyrov and the video cameras, covering his watch.
On May 4, CNN, the Financial Times and Important Stories published a European intelligence report that said Putin was afraid of an assassination attempt and a coup. Because of this, the FSO has significantly increased security measures around the Kremlin chief. Among other things, employees working near Putin are now banned from using cell phones; they are required to use devices without internet access.
In November 2024, the Kremlin press service began removing metadata from all videos featuring Putin. They allowed them to recognize "canned" videos passed off as fresh recordings.