A Vladimir Putin assassination plot is being investigated by Russia's secret services as they attempt to track down an agent from "within own ranks".
According to Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, an informant had told them about an "agent" boasting he had been given a "task" to "remove" the Russian president.
The Russian channel, which is claimed to have close links to security agencies and law enforcement, said the claim was discussed at a meeting in karaoke club Honey, in Chekhov, near Moscow.
It is claimed that the alleged agent showed the informant his service ID card during a "long heart-to-heart conversation about the war and future life in Russia."
According to Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, an informant had told them about an 'agent' boasting he had been given a 'task' to 'remove' the Russian president
Reuters
The informant "did not argue and changed the topic" but became "haunted" following the threat to Putin and reported it to police.
The channel continued: "The special services have been searching for several days for the unknown person who planned to ‘remove’ Putin.
"Based on his tip, operatives went to study the situation in the Honey Club, where…you can often meet employees of various [secret] departments."
Putin is known to take his security seriously and is thought to regularly changes locations and travel routes.
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Over recent weeks, Putin has been seen out and about more than in the last few years.
It is thought he will make an announcement that he will seek a new six-year term in the Kremlin as elections are due in March 2024.
He told students at the International Financial Security Olympiad in Sochi that he had many admirers in Europe who shared his traditional values.
Putin said: "I want to defend our friends. We have a lot of friends in Europe… People who believe that traditional values, including the family, have died out."
Over recent weeks, Putin has been seen out and about more than in the last few years
ReutersModernisers in the West "behave very aggressively, particularly in North America and Europe", he added.
"But there are quite a lot of people in European countries who share our values. I’d say a lot. They simply behave more quietly and don’t show off their opinion.
"That’s why I wouldn’t split everyone. On the contrary, I want to try to unite everyone around our platform."
