A significant portion of the Russian elite is increasingly fearful of the growing influence of the Federal Security Service (FSB), as President Vladimir Putin increasingly relies on this agency to maintain his grip on power amid growing concerns over the war in Ukraine.
The terrorism charges against Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, a billionaire, have become the latest evidence of the FSB’s increasing repression, according to sources close to the Kremlin who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic. Although the president has long balanced between the security forces and more moderate representatives of the economic bloc, many in Kremlin circles believe that Putin is now increasingly leaning towards supporters of stricter control over business and society.
Increasing influence of the FSB
This shift is causing tension as the FSB expands its influence without obvious restraint mechanisms, while high-ranking officials, including Sergei Kiriyenko, who is responsible for domestic policy in Putin’s administration, are losing their influence. According to sources close to the Kremlin and the government, Kiriyenko was recently blamed for the failures of Russian political operations in Armenia, Moldova, and Hungary.
Andrey Kolesnikov, a Moscow-based political analyst, stated: “The FSB has effectively become the main center of the country’s management.” According to him, the political administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the financial and economic bloc have been reduced to the role of technical staff implementing decisions made considering the position of the special services.
The explosion in the center of Moscow last weekend likely only strengthened the FSB’s arguments for stricter security measures. This has virtually deprived other influential groups in the Kremlin of the opportunity to resist further repression, despite fears that such a policy could further reduce public support for the president, which has already fallen to its lowest level since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: Bloomberg
