Vladimir Putin's Death is 'Imminent' as Moscow Scrambles to Find a Successor for the 'Terminally Ill' Russian Leader: Report
Vladimir Putin is “terminally ill” and his death is “imminent” as the Kremlin struggles to find a successor for the Russian leader, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In the latest development to come after months of rumors and reports that Putin, 71, was battling several different conditions and diseases, a Russian Telegram channel claimed that the leader’s death is “imminent.”
According to General SVR, Putin’s inner circle is “fussing” about who should be named the Russian despot’s successor.
The Telegram channel also claimed that Moscow considered placing a body double in the Russian leader’s stead to keep Putin’s allegedly imminent death a secret from the world amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“The attending doctors predict Putin's imminent death amid a sharp deterioration in his health,” General SVR reported this week. “In the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a fuss began with an attempt to create a consensus around the idea of the continuation of the existence of the Putin regime after Putin."
“There is a general understanding that for some time it is possible to use a double of the president after the death or removal from power of the real Vladimir Putin,” the channel continued. “Almost all interested parties are ready to rally around a double who can be controlled.”
“The only problem is who will control the double, and this requires mutual trust, which simply does not exist.”
Meanwhile, the "main contender for seizing power” is currently Putin’s top security aide – Nikolai Patrushev.
General SVR reported that Patrushev was one of the few individuals allowed to greet Putin on the Russian president’s 71st birthday on October 7.
Putin was rumored to be “too weak” to open presents or properly celebrate his birthday at the time.
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If Putin were to die in office, the Russian constitution reportedly states that the country’s prime minister – which is currently Mikhail Mishustin – would become acting president for three months.
The Kremlin is reportedly scrambling because Putin “refuses to leave any instructions” regarding his legacy should the 71-year-old leader pass away while still in office.
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“Putin himself refused to leave any instructions or covenants on what to do after him, preferring to withdraw into himself, and perhaps deciding that the chaos after him is the best legacy,” General SVR said.
“Be that as it may, the end will come very soon,” the Telegram channel added. “Power in Russia in a crisis situation traditionally goes to the one who turns out to be the most daring.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, a top Ukrainian military figure claimed last month that the Kremlin was already utilizing a body double and that the "real" Putin has not been seen for over a year.
Ukrainian Major-General Kyrylo Budanov raised doubts about the Russian president's whereabouts in September and even questioned if Putin was alive.