The Russian military is requesting concrete physical protection for its senior generals from the Federal Security Service (FSB), a move that has been rejected by the security agency.
This refusal highlights a growing fracture within Russia's security apparatus, as high-ranking commanders express fear not primarily from Ukrainian forces, but from internal threats or unspecified dangers within their own ranks.
The request for FSB protection comes against a backdrop of a series of assassinations targeting senior Russian military commanders.
These incidents have exposed significant vulnerabilities in the protection of Russia's leadership and suggest that the threat environment for top officials has deteriorated sharply.
The FSB's decision to decline the request underscores the complex and often adversarial relationship between the military and the security services in Moscow.
This internal discord coincides with escalating external pressures on Russian infrastructure.