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Why Putin's bodyguards carried ‘poop suitcase' to Alaska summit with Trump
Health concerns about the 72-year-old leader have often made headlines. Reuters/File Photo
Russian President Vladimir Putin's bodyguards often make headlines for various reasons. This time, it is for reportedly carrying his 'poop suitcases' to the Alaska Summit in the United States.
Reports said that his bodyguards gather his stool and take it back to Russia whenever he travels overseas.
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This is not the first time such reports have appeared about his 'poop suitcase'. The French magazine Paris Match, in 2022, reported the claim in a story written by two senior investigative journalists.
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But why is his stool collected and returned to Russia?
Let's find out:
Why Putin's bodyguards carried 'poop suitcase' to Alaska summit
At the 2025 Alaska summit with US President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin's security team was once again in the spotlight. Reports say his bodyguards carried a 'poop suitcase', a practice that has reportedly become part of his highly controlled security routine.
As per The Express US, the unusual measure is meant to stop foreign agencies from learning details about the Russian president's health.
During his talks, security around Putin was extremely tight. His bodyguards stayed close, and several measures were put in place to safeguard him and Russian intelligence.
In 2022, French journalists Regis Gente and Mikhail Rubin reported in Paris Match that the Russian President's Federal Protection Service (FPS) collects his bodily waste, including faeces, seals it in special bags, and transports it in secure briefcases.
Putin's meeting with Trump in Alaska focused on the Russia-Ukraine war. Reuters/File Photo
According to the report, such collections took place when Putin visited France in May 2017 and again during his trip to Saudi Arabia in October 2019.
Rebekah Koffler, a former officer with the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), told Fox News that Putin is worried foreign intelligence agencies might examine his biological waste to learn about his health.
Sources in West Asia cited in the 2022 report said an agent had to pack Putin's excrement into specially made pouches, leaving no trace, and carry it back home in a dedicated suitcase.
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The report further stated that 'absolute secrecy and intense pressure were used to force silence from the Russian embassy staff.'
Former BBC journalist Farida Rustamova seemed to support the claim, writing on X that she knew of a similar case in Vienna. She said Putin had used 'a special private bathroom' and a 'porta-potty' before.
Quoting a source, she added that the president has followed this practice since the start of his time in power.
Health concerns about the 72-year-old leader have often made headlines. Speculation grew last November when Putin was seen with leg tremors during a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, with doctors suggesting it could point to a condition such as Parkinson's disease.
ALSO READ | Was the US First Lady's 'peace letter' to Putin in Alaska written by AI?
There have been earlier reports of stools being used as a way to gather intelligence.
A former Soviet agent once claimed that Joseph Stalin spied on Mao Zedong, along with other leaders, by having his excrement studied in a laboratory.
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In 2016, Igor Atamenko told BBC that Stalin's secret police tried to assess Mao by creating psychological profiles from his waste in a top-secret lab.
When Mao visited Moscow for 10 days in 1949, special toilets were installed for him, according to The Independent.
These toilets were not linked to drains. Instead, his waste was collected in hidden boxes, taken to a lab, and studied for potassium and amino acid levels, which were thought to help with psychological analysis.
In another case, British intelligence agents are said to have gone through soiled toilet paper used by Soviet soldiers in East Germany during the Cold War. The claim was made by British military expert Tony Geraghty.
Putin in Alaska
Putin's meeting with Trump in Alaska focused on the Russia-Ukraine war, but the two leaders could not reach any deal to stop the fighting.
Putin at the 2025 Alaska summit with Donald Trump. Reuters/File Photo
Trump entered the talks hoping Putin would agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine, or at least agree to start negotiations.
However, Trump later admitted that 'we haven't quite got there' and added that he would speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Nato leaders about the next steps.
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