India-Russia Summit 2025: Armoured convoy, AI surveillance, snipers — Delhi turns into a fortress for Russia President Vladimir Putin

India-Russia Summit 2025: Armoured convoy, AI surveillance, snipers — Delhi turns into a fortress for Russia President Vladimir Putin

Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin Photograph: (AFP)

Story highlights

India and Russia deploy an intense five-layer security setup which includes snipers, drones, AI systems, and a flown-in Aurus Senat, as Putin set to land in Delhi for the summit

As New Delhi prepares to host Russian President Vladimir Putin for the India–Russia Annual Summit, an extraordinary, multi-layered security grid has been activated across the national capital. With elite officers from Russia’s Presidential Security Service, India’s National Security Guard (NSG), specialised snipers, anti-drone systems, and AI-powered surveillance, the city is under one of its most extensive security covers in recent years.

Putin is set to arrive in Delhi on Thursday (December 4) evening at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are expected to share a private dinner soon after the Russian President lands. On Friday (December 5) morning, he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan before paying homage at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Raj Ghat. His packed schedule also includes the bilateral summit at Hyderabad House, an event at Bharat Mandapam, and a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.

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Indian news website NDTV citing sources have reported that more than 40 highly trained Russian security experts arrived days in advance to coordinate seamlessly with Indian agencies. Their teams, along with Delhi Police and NSG officials, have been sweeping every route and venue on Putin’s itinerary. Special surveillance drones will feed real-time visuals to a central control room monitoring the Russian leader’s movement. Strategic rooftops will have snipers positioned throughout his transit, while jamming devices, facial-recognition systems, and AI-enabled analytics form the core of the tech-heavy security envelope.

The protection plan consists of a five-tier ring that activates the moment Putin touches down in Delhi. The outer layers will be managed jointly by NSG and Delhi Police, while the innermost layers will remain under the exclusive oversight of Russia’s Presidential Security Service. Whenever Putin and Prime Minister Modi appear together, commandos from the Special Protection Group (SPG), responsible for the PM’s security, will merge into the inner ring.

Putin’s hotel has undergone multiple rounds of sanitisation, and Russian security officers have already inspected all venues, including optional, unscheduled stopovers, to preempt any vulnerability. A key component of the Russian President’s security setup is the Aurus Senat, the heavily fortified state limousine that accompanies him on foreign visits. The armoured vehicle has been flown in specifically for the India trip. Earlier this year, Putin gave PM Modi a ride in the same model during the SCO summit in China.

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