Vladimir Putin may be forced to relinquish control of the Ukraine war for a few days while he prepares for cancer surgery, a Kremlin insider has reported.
While he undergoes surgery, the Russian autocrat is expected to choose hardline Security Council head and ex-FSB commander Nikolai Patrushev to lead the invasion.
Shadowy Patrushev, 70, is regarded as a key architect of the war strategy, as well as the man who persuaded Putin that Kyiv is swamped in neo-Nazis.
The remarkable revelations were made on the popular Telegram channel General SVR, whose source is said to be a high-ranking Kremlin official. General SVR reported that Putin has abdominal cancer and Parkinson’s for 18 months ago.
The Russian President has reportedly postponed surgery, which will now take place on May 9 in Red Square as part of the Victory Day commemoration of Russia’s World War II victory. The procedure was supposed to take place in the second part of April, but it was postponed, according to SVR.
‘There appears to be no pressing need, but it cannot be postponed,’ according to the site.