Putin shifts power to FSB as Russian elites fear agency’s growing control

Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved to consolidate power under the Federal Security Service (FSB), abandoning a previous strategy of balancing between financial experts and intelligence agencies. The shift follows setbacks in foreign policy and rising unease over the war in Ukraine. A newly enacted law now allows the state to freeze bank accounts, seize property and deny consular services to Russian expatriates, extending repression beyond the country’s borders.

The FSB’s influence has expanded into digital governance, with its Second Service taking control of the Russian internet, known as the Runet. The agency now treats the internet as a potential threat, imposing bans, restrictions and information filtering. Former top presidential official Sergei Kiriyenko has faced internal criticism for diplomatic failures in Armenia, Moldova and Hungary, according to reports. Bloomberg, cited by Dagens.com, reported that a specialised FSB division engineered terrorism charges against Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov to force the platform into compliance.

Russian elites, including business leaders and civil servants, have expressed fear of the FSB’s growing power. Sociologist Ella Paneyakh and Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center analyst Tatiana Stanovaya described a climate of intimidation where past loyalty offers no protection. Stanovaya added that the Kremlin appears increasingly detached from domestic administration, focusing instead on the war in Ukraine.

What the reports agree on

All reports confirm that Putin has shifted authority to the FSB, sidelining technocrats and expanding surveillance. The new law targeting expatriates is mentioned in the full report by Dagens.com and corroborated by digests. The internal blame directed at Sergei Kiriyenko for setbacks in Armenia, Moldova and Hungary is reported by Dagens.com and szru.gov.ua. The fear among Russian elites over the FSB’s unchecked influence is described in all digests and the full report.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mentioned the new law allowing the state to freeze bank accounts, seize property or deny consular services to Russian expatriates. The right-rated digest did not report the diplomatic setbacks attributed to Sergei Kiriyenko or the FSB’s control over the Runet. The full report by Dagens.com was the only source to detail the FSB’s role in engineering terrorism charges against Pavel Durov.