Vladimir Putin 'will undergo cancer operation in the near future' and is set to 'hand over power to hardline ex KGB chief while he is incapacitated', insider claims
- Russian leader set for surgery, which officials insist is 'of no particular urgency'
- Power over Ukraine war will transfer to ally and Security Council chief Patrushev
- Putin has cancer, Parkinson's and 'schizophrenic symptoms': Telegram channel
- Patrushev claimed NATO support for Kyiv will cause 'disintegration of Ukraine'
- News comes as Putin expected to launch all-out assault and mobilise nation
Vladimir
Putin may be forced to give up control of the war in
Ukraine for days as he is set for cancer surgery, a 'Kremlin insider' has claimed.
The Russian dictator will reportedly nominate hardline Security Council head and ex-FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev to take control of the invasion while he is under the knife.
Shadowy Patrushev, 70, is seen as a key architect of the war strategy so far - and the man who convinced Putin that
Kyiv is awash with neo-Nazis.
The extraordinary claims appeared on popular Telegram channel General SVR, which says its source is a well-placed figure in the Kremlin.
General SVR reported that Putin has abdominal cancer and Parkinson's 18 months ago.
He has reportedly delayed surgery, which will now not take place before the Victory Day commemoration of Russia's World War Two victory in Red Square on May 9.
The news comes amid speculation Putin will launch an all-out war across Ukraine and order mass mobilisation of military-age men, a considerable political risk.
The surgery had been scheduled for the second half of April but was delayed, SVR claimed.
'Putin was recommended to undergo surgery, the date of which is being discussed and agreed,' the outlet stated.
'There seems to be no particular urgency, but it cannot be delayed either.'
It went on: 'The Russian President Vladimir Putin has oncology, and the latest problems identified during [his latest] examination are associated with this disease.'
He also suffers from 'Parkinson's disease and schizoaffective disorder', which carries symptoms of schizophrenia including hallucinations and mania.
The Kremlin has always strongly denied Putin has medical problems and portrays he is in robust health, even as he has been mysteriously absent in recent years.
In a video detailing the General SVR claims, the outlet's source - supposedly an anonymous former high-ranking Kremlin military figure - said: 'Putin has discussed that he will be undergoing medical procedures.
'Doctors insist that he needs an operation, but the date has not yet been determined.'
The source went on: 'I don't know for exactly how long [he will be incapacitated after the surgery]…
'I think it'll be for a short time.'
Putin was 'unlikely to agree to transfer power' but was ready to put in place a 'charge d'affaires' to control Russia and the war effort.
They continued: 'So, while Putin has the operation and comes to his senses…likely two or three days…the actual control of the country passes only to [Nikolai] Patrushev.'
Such a move would be surprising since under the constitution, power should pass solely to the prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin.
The 56-year-old is a low-profile technocrat without known military or secret service links.
The outlet said the choice of spymaster Patrushev - which came after a two-hour 'heart to heart' with Putin - was the 'worst option'.
'What if, all of a sudden, Putin manifests particularly severe health problems?
'It was possible to contain it for some time, but now the course of the disease is progressing.
'I do not want to voice any forecasts now, so as not to reassure you once again, because in this situation you should not be very hopeful.'
In another post, the outlet said: 'We know that Putin made it clear to Patrushev that he considers him almost the only truly trusted person and friend in the system of power.
'Further, the president promised that in case of a sharp deterioration of his (Putin's) health, the actual management of the country would be transferred, temporarily, to Patrushev.'
The latest post on the suspected medical problems said: 'Putin's doctors insist on the need for him to undergo surgery in the near future.
'And although Putin did not give his consent in principle and the date of the operation was not agreed, he hurried to explain himself and get Patrushev's reaction and agreement.'
Earlier it claimed Putin had been 'prescribed new drugs' from the West and given heavier doses.
'According to our information, one of the new medicines recommended by doctors after oral administration caused side effects in Putin in the form of severe dizziness and weakness,' said a post earlier this month.
'The doctor who recommended this medicine has been removed from the treatment process and is being tested.
'The drug itself, which was imported from one unfriendly state, is also being tested.'
Recent investigative reports by exiled Russian journalists have suggested Putin has thyroid cancer, and indicated he is constantly surrounded by a team of top doctors.
Attention has focused recently on his behaviour to control a seeming involuntary shake in his hand - renewing speculation of Parkinson's first highlighted in 2020 by General SVR.
At a meeting with Defence minister Sergei Shoigu, he was seen firmly gripping a desk.
The channel said: 'Many drew attention to the sickly appearance of the president, his puffy, swollen face and hands tightly clasped around the table top.
'There is nothing surprising here.
'Putin's health has recently deteriorated, we have already written about this, and the president's unhealthy appearance only confirms this.
'For more than a month, the attending physicians have not been able to convince Putin to change the drugs that suppress the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, since the old ones no longer give the desired effect, and the president is simply afraid to experiment with new ones.
'Clinging to the table with his hands is a way to hide a small but quite noticeable tremor.'
The channel has been linked to Professor Valery Solovey, 61, who in February, was held for a seven hour interrogation apparently possibly linked to the regular claims about Putin's supposed medical and mental condition .
Solovoy was a professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) - attended by future top diplomats and spies.
Vladimir Putin is set to transfer power to fearsome ally and head of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev as he undergoes cancer surgery. The dictator has reportedly delayed the operation.
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