Russia’s war against Ukraine started almost three months ago. It was originally supposed to be only a short “special operation.”
According to Russia’s authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin, Ukraine was full of Nazis and harming pro-Russian residents in the east. He also said Ukraine was about to invade Russian-held Crimea in the very near future.
The world soon saw Russia was planning a full assault on the whole country, but so far, they have been remarkably unsuccessful in taking over Ukraine.
Military analysts are wondering what exactly Putin is planning and why he rushed into an invasion without more planning. Now, sources are beginning to leak information that Putin may be very ill and near the end of his life.
What Are the Sources Saying?
According to journalist Michael Weiss, he has a source high up among Russia’s elite who was recorded admitting to a friend that Putin is dying of blood cancer.
Per Weiss, he was provided this recording by an unnamed person who says that the tape of this oligarch speaking was made secretly without the oligarch’s knowledge.
Is it true? That remains to be seen; this could just be a way to trick the West into thinking Putin was dying for some reason or to get us all to focus on this.
At the same time, there seems to be no real advantage for Russia and Putin to believe he is dying falsely.
US intelligence also claimed something is seriously wrong with Putin, but has not elaborated. Another piece of circumstantial evidence that may support Putin’s ill health is a note sent from Russia’s security agency internally in mid-March.
It warned everyone in Russia’s security agency that reports of Putin’s ill health were not reliable and not to believe them.
Why so defensive? This also suggests the rumors and reports of Putin having a health problem are even more widespread inside Russia than many realize in the West.
An oligarch has been recorded saying #Putin is suffering from blood cancer and only has months to live. The “5 day special operation” in #Ukraine was meant to be his legacy, the oligarch says. 🇺🇦https://t.co/znBsN0mcVo
— Michael Fabricant 🇬🇧🇺🇦 (@Mike_Fabricant) May 14, 2022
Reports of ‘Back Surgery’
The oligarch in Weiss’ recording also says Putin had surgery on his back in late 2021, before deciding to launch his invasion.
Putin has definitely looked unwell and been followed closely by a physician at all times in public. He was seen sitting with his defense chief, Sergei Shoigu, grasping the small table as if in agony and hunched over.
His face has also been noted as being quite bloated. This can be an effect of the kind of steroidal treatments sometimes used to treat blood cancer in certain forms such as myeloma.
The short version is Putin may have cancer, but there is currently no hard proof that he’s dying.
Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, in an interview with @SkyNews, in which he alleges Putin is a sick man and has cancer, among other illnesses. pic.twitter.com/5J3l7eaopH
— Michael Weiss 🌻🇺🇸🇮🇪 (@michaeldweiss) May 13, 2022
Bottom Line
Even if Putin does die, don’t get too hopeful. The next man in line is Nikolai Patrushev. He’s reportedly much more brutal and maniacal than Putin.
