A\u00a0pickup truck fitted with an\u00a0anti-aircraft machine gun has turned up\u00a0in\u00a0Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s motorcade, according to\u00a0Telegram channels.<\/p>\n
The truck was spotted in\u00a0Vladivostok, where Putin had traveled to\u00a0attend the Eastern Economic Forum.<\/p>\n
Putin also descended from his plane in\u00a0Vladivostok using a\u00a0boarding staircase with an\u00a0arch-shaped cover. The news outlet Sibir.Realii reported<\/a> that this type of\u00a0staircase first appeared on\u00a0August 31\u00a0in Bishkek and had not been used during his trips around Russia in\u00a0early August.<\/p>\n Putin has started making regular trips to\u00a0cities across Russia as\u00a0elections to\u00a0the State Duma, the lower house of\u00a0Russia\u2019s parliament, approach. From late 2025 until early summer, he\u00a0traveled nowhere except Moscow, St. Petersburg, and his residence in\u00a0Valdai.<\/p>\n On\u00a0July 1, Putin expanded the central staff of\u00a0the Federal Protective Service (FSO) responsible for his security, the fourth such expansion since the start of\u00a0the Russia\u2013Ukraine war.<\/p>\n At\u00a0Meduza, we\u00a0are committed to\u00a0transparency about our use of\u00a0artificial intelligence in\u00a0the newsroom. The story you\u2019re reading was written by\u00a0one of\u00a0our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an\u00a0AI\u00a0model configured to\u00a0follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is\u00a0the result of\u00a0extensive testing and refinements to\u00a0ensure our English-language coverage is\u00a0timely and accurate. A\u00a0Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.<\/p>\n If\u00a0you find any errors in\u00a0this translation, please contact us\u00a0at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n