Gavriil Grigorov / via REUTERS Accused war criminal Vladimir Putin has hidden himself away at the Kremlin and beefed up security over reports of an unexpected threat to his safety. The Federal Protective Service of Russia, essentially the secret police corps of Putin’s personal bodyguards, is said to have dramatically upped their presence around his official residence in Moscow, with pro-Kremlin military bloggers reporting a flood of armed operatives both around the perimeter and inside the Kremlin walls, along with a surge of armored vehicles throughout Red Square. Putin’s residence in Sochi has also gotten a security upgrade, according to The Moscow Times. The frantic security boost comes in the midst of an ongoing comms blackout across the Russian capital, with residents now going without mobile signal for the better part of two weeks amid mounting fears the regime may be laying the groundwork for a comprehensive internet firewall comparable to China’s. Read more at The Daily Beast.