The secret lives of Putin’s personal servants

They are the men closest to President Vladimir Putin who follow him everywhere from the bathroom to Beijing, protect his secrets and sleep next door. Little is known about the select group of personal servants to the president who are officially known as adjutants. The Kremlin does not disclose their identities, their duties, or how they are chosen. But they handle “even the most delicate” matters for the President, with one veteran said to have served as a point of contact for his secret lovers and undeclared children. They often go on to join the ranks of Russia’s elite. Shorts New research sheds light on these men, what they do for Putin and their gilded private lives. The Russian leader currently employs four adjutants, according to OSINT Bees, a Ukrainian open-source investigation group with a long record of exposing personal details of Russian military chiefs, politicians and propagandists, based on recent documents recovered from an email account associated with a Kremlin aide, seen by The i Paper. The men, Alexey Melnikov, Sergey Moskalenko, Konstantin Panin and Ivan Rozhkov, with ages ranging from 38 to 43, were also included on a longer list of possible aides identified by Russian dissident billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Dossier Centre media outlet last year. It is not known how long they have served in the role. Ivan Rozhkov (back row, left, behind Putin) in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, in 2023 (Photo: Kremlin.ru) Sergey Moskalenko (far right) with Putin on a trip to China in May (Photo: Kremlin.ru) Photos show them with Putin at a range of events in recent years, including trips to military installations, occupied Crimea and carefully curated meetings with the public. They appear in images from trips abroad, including a visit to Abu Dhabi in 2023 and to a summit with President Xi Jinping in China last May. Rozhkov appeared in a 2019 video accompanying Putin to a bathroom in Paris, which was followed by claims from journalists that the President’s closest aides are required to collect his excrement to prevent foreign countries gaining information about his health. The work of an adjutant is shrouded in mystery. They are drawn from the ranks of the presidential protection unit of Russia’s Federal Guard Service (FSO). One of Putin’s former bodyguards, Aleksey Dyumin, described them as a “select caste” above the regular protection officers. A former FSO agent told Russian independent outlet Important Stories: “An adjutant is an officer for special assignments who is always by the President’s side, accompanies him on all trips, sleeps in adjoining rooms and fulfils his every, even the most delicate, request.” Dossier Centre reported that a former adjutant, Boris Chalov, served as a point of contact for Putin’s lovers and children. The Russian leader is widely reported to have two unacknowledged sons with former gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Mark Galeotti, an author and expert on Russian history and politics, said the adjutants were close personal aides similar to the “body man” of a US president, with tasks ranging from organising a schedule to more discreet, private work. “They are in a position of great trust, and also get a lot of face time with the boss,” he said. Alexey Melnikov (far left) attends a military parade with Putin in Moscow (Photo: Kremlin.ru) The servants “most favoured” by Putin can earn positions of power, Galeotti added. One former aide, Dmitry Mironov, was elevated from the role to deputy interior minister, and then governor of the Yaroslavl region, and now serves as one of the President’s top advisers. Another former adjutant, Alexander Kurenkov, is now a government minister. Documents obtained by OSINT Bees appear to show the intimacy of the arrangement. A floor plan for Putin’s summer residence in Sochi, which the group said was obtained via the email account of an FSO officer, shows two VIP rooms for the President next to three rooms designated for personal servants, in a complex with dozens of bedrooms, a salon and a massage room. The i Paper and independent experts were unable to verify the document. Putin reportedly abandoned the residence in 2024 over security issues. The Ukrainian group also obtained what appears to be a rota used by the aides, which shows them alternating shifts and rarely all on duty at the same time. Floor plan said to show Putin’s former summer residence in Sochi Putin’s attendants enjoy lives of luxury, according to documents and photos seen by The i Paper, which are full of holidays in far-flung destinations and expensive cars, and show the men’s relationships with wives and partners – whose identities we are not publishing. Melnikov is pictured with his wife on numerous beaches, on a boat and skydiving. Documents show Rozhkov and his partner taking frequent flights to and from Moscow. Panin and his wife share ownership of a property in the Russian capital and an Audi car. A spokesperson for OSINT Bees said the findings showed the aides “love to travel to exotic places and love good autos”. Melnikov and his partner on holiday (Photo: Social media/supplied) Photos obtained from social media accounts of partners and family show Melnikov with a BMW X5, Moskalenko with a Mercedes-Benz, and Rozhkov with a Toyota Land Cruiser. The Ukrainian group, which has exposed personal details about a Russian naval commander and revealed the identity of a prominent Russian military blogger in previous investigations, describes its mission as “identifying war criminals… and assisting in their punishment”. The spokesperson noted that the personal servants “are so close to Putin that they can do anything,” adding that this could mean to “isolate or arrest him”. Andrei Soldatov, a leading expert on Russia’s security services, said the revelation of personal information about Putin’s closest aides “could make him feel nervous”. But he said the idea they could be used in a plot against the President was “wishful thinking”.