Putin's bodyguards look agitated as Russian leader briefly steps out of his bulletproof car to greet crowd - highlighting Kremlin's fear of assassination

• The Kremlin leader was out of his Aurus limousine for no more than 15 seconds 
• Putin’s motorcade stopped to greet well-wishers as he left Nakhimov School 
• The Russian president did not go close to the modest crowd behind a barrier

The sheer alarm shown by Vladimir Putin’s armed bodyguards when he made an 'impromptu' stop to greet a crowd shows their fears of an assassination attempt against the warmonger Kremlin leader.

Putin was out of his official bulletproof Aurus limousine for no more than 15 seconds in what may have been a prearranged stunt.

But his bodyguards - two close to Putin, and two more nearer to the crowd, and others not seen by the cameras - appeared agitated at his unusual spontaneous close contact with ordinary folk.

The scene was in Kaliningrad - Russia’s met westerly point, an exclave wedged between NATO countries Poland and Lithuania - boasting a huge Baltic Sea naval base and missiles targeted at the West.

Putin’s motorcade stopped to greet well-wishers as he left Nakhimov School, a major naval academy.

Putin is barely visible in the footage, and the Russian president - paranoid about avoiding Covid - did not go close to the modest crowd behind a barrier.

He shouted: 'All fine?'

A voice replied: 'All fine.'

He asked: 'Doesn’t the governor [of Kaliningrad] offend you?'

'No,' replied the loyal onlookers.

'Good luck,' said Putin.

The loyalists then said 'Goodbye', 'Thank you', and 'Well done' to the departing president.

The 5ft 7inch Putin hoisted himself momentarily in his car doorway to bid farewell over the limo’s roof to the small crowd.

Moments later he was swept away for weekend engagements that mean he is too busy to attend tomorrow’s funeral of the man who changed the world, ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

In past years, Putin would meet and greet people, getting up close.

During the war he unleashed on Ukraine, his rival Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the frontline but Putin has seldom ventured out on public events.

This has raised questions over Putin’s health, with unverified claims he is suffering from cancer, Parkinson’s disease and a schizoaffective disorder.

Next week he intends to visit war games in Russia’s Pacific coast in an attempt to show he is active and healthy.

It was previously reported that Putin survived an assassination attempt not long after starting his war in Ukraine, the country's intelligence chief claimed. 

Kyrylo Budanov said Putin was 'attacked.. by representatives of the Caucasus' - a region that includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and parts of southern Russia.

'[It was an] Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really happened… It was about 2 months ago,' Budanov said. 'I repeat, this attempt was unsuccessful. There was no publicity about this event, but it took place.'

If true, it would be the only known attempt on Putin's life since he launched all-out war against Ukraine on February 24. 

Budanov did not directly link the assassination attempt to the Ukraine war, and Putin has a number of well-established enemies in the region from previous conflicts.