Putin officer defects and says ‘paranoid’ president lives in a bunker and is terrified of Covid

Gleb Karakulov said he has fled Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP)

A protection officer for Vladimir Putin has defected and labelled the Russian president a “paranoid war criminal”.

Gleb Karakulov, 35, had served as an engineer in the Federal Guard Service (FSO) presidential communications unit and said he has fled Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Mr Karakulov escaped to safety via Istanbul while on a business trip to Kazakhstan in October 2022 after accompanying president Putin on more than 180 trips over the past 13 years. It is unclear where the 35-year-old is now.