NEW DELHI: When the ‘Flying Kremlin’ and other ultra-secure aircraft touch down in Delhi this weekend, they won’t just bring Russian President Vladimir Putin and other high-profile world leaders to the Brics Summit, they will land with a fully autonomous fortress-on-wheels featuring personal food-testing labs, decoy dignitaries and armoured limousines built to survive landmines and chemical attacks.As Delhi transforms into an impenetrable, multi-layered defensive grid, security personnel are bracing for a high-stakes security operation where AI-aimed snipers scan rooftops, gesture-recognition cameras spot human posture shifts, commandos slither down ropes from hovering helicopters and anti-graffiti strike teams patrol the streets 24/7, guarding against everything from high-tech threats to stealth protest tactics.
The capital, sources said, hasn’t seen security this tight since the 2023 G20 summit, and preparations this time are even more extensive. Unmanned aerial vehicles have been categorised as one of the most potent threats, and systems that can jam drone signals or shoot them down have been installed at several locations.Every dignitary or their hotel or carcade has been assigned a code name or call sign to ensure they are guided smoothly between locations without any overlap or security glitches. Intelligence inputs have hinted at the possibility of flash protests and spray-painting of inflammatory slogans near the venues, targeting some foreign leaders. Cops have formed anti-graffiti teams for round-the-clock patrolling to thwart any such attempts.President Putin’s security grid comprises a sophisticated protective shield managed jointly by Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO) and Indian counter-terrorism forces. Ground mobility will be centred around his custom-made, heavily armoured Aurus Senat limousine, often referred to as a “rolling bunker”. Transported directly from Moscow, the state car is built to withstand chemical attacks, landmines and sniper fire, complete with run-flat tyres and an independent emergency oxygen supply.Up in the air, the Russian leader travels in a specially modified Ilyushin IL-96-300PU aircraft, known as the “Flying Kremlin”, which operates alongside decoy jets, advanced missile-defence countermeasures and secure command systems. On the ground, the innermost protective layer comprises elite officers from Russian Presidential Security Service (SBP), supported by advanced FSO teams that sanitise every scheduled and potential itinerary venue. The Russian delegation manages its own strict logistics, travelling with personal chefs, portable testing laboratories for food and drink, and measures to collect biological waste, alongside deploying dummy dignitaries in select hotels to boost operational security.Securing the designated summit hotels in central Delhi, Aerocity and Gurgaon presented one of the most formidable logistical challenges for intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Every hotel is being managed as an independent secure zone under its assigned DCP venue commander, supervised by special commissioner-rank officers overseeing broader zones.
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Within each hotel, two rooms have been repurposed into operational command posts: a primary security control room linked directly to Delhi Police’s central C4i command node and a secondary contingency room dedicated to emergency management.To prevent unauthorised access, advanced AI cameras equipped with posture-detection and intrusion-alert software monitor perimeter walls and hallways, capable of flagging unusual physical movements like crawling or wall-scaling. Hotel staff have undergone rigorous multi-round background checks conducted by special branch and special cell, with movement restricted strictly to assigned floors using specially programmed digital keycards.
