Russian President, Vladimir Putin has reportedly been warned he has just three to years to live as the country’s intelligence sources become increasingly worried about their ailing leader.Â
An FSB officer described the Russian president’s condition as a ‘severe form of rapidly progressing cancer’, as speculation ramped up that Putin was suffering with some form of serious illness amid the invasion of Ukraine, Daily Mail reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
The spy explained the wartime leader has ‘no more than two to three years’ left and he is also losing his sight, reports the Mirror.
News of the Russian leader’s terminal illness emerged as part of a secret message from the Russian agent to fugitive and former FSB agent Boris Karpichkov.
The message warned Putin is refusing to wear glasses over fears it would admit a form of weakness, and he is now lashing out at his subordinates with ‘uncontrolled fury’.
The developments come as news of his deteriorating health continues to leak out of Russia from a Telegram channel which claims to have sources inside the Kremlin.
Putin reportedly underwent ‘successful’ cancer surgery this month and is recovering following advice from medics that treatment was ‘essential’, according to Telegram channel General SVR.
The news emerged just hours before Putin appeared on state TV meeting with ally Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi, when he was caught on camera awkwardly twisting his feet while the pair sat down for talks.
It is the second time Putin has been filmed making the odd movement, which was caught on camera during a meeting with Tajikistan’s president a week ago, and comes off the back of rumours that he is suffering Parkinson’s.
Emomali Rahmon appeared to notice the movement during his meeting with Putin and glanced at the leader’s feet, though did not raise it in conversation.
Critics have suggested the twisting motion could be an attempt to cover up the kind of involuntary twitches caused by Parkinson’s – after Putin was seen shaking his arm and led before another meeting with Lukashenko on February 18.
Since then, he has been seen to grip the arms of chairs and corners of tables in what some believe to be an effort to disguise any shaking.
Other spooks have also hinted at the strongman’s poor health condition, warning he was unable to maintain concentration for long periods of time without taking breaks ‘for treatment’.
Christopher Steele, a former MI6 Russia desk officer explained Putin was constantly monitored and accompanied by a team of doctors, as rumours of a new Kremlin succession plan continue to swirl.
Whispers about Putin’s health began at least two years ago when he was said to be suffering both Parkinson’s and cancer, but have received renewed attention in the wake of his invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin has not commented on the latest allegations of Putin’s ill-health, but regularly denies he is suffering any kind of difficulties.
General SVR wrote last week: ‘On the night of Monday May 16 to Tuesday May 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin underwent a surgical operation.
‘The fact that Putin should be operated on as soon as possible was insisted upon by his attending physicians.
‘According to the doctors involved in the treatment of the President, the operation was successful.
‘We have already talked about the fact that Putin was personally absent from the information space from May 17 to May 19 and was not available even to his inner circle, with the exception of Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.