As I have mentioned in the past, I have been wondering whether or not this invasion into Ukraine by Russia is something of a last-ditch effort on the part of Vladimir Putin.
Sir Richard Dearlove, a former head of MI6, claims that the individual seems to hint that this could very well have been the case because his condition is getting the best of him.
According to rumors, Putin just underwent surgery for some type of cancer or fluid from his abdomen (the jury is still out on this one). Many others have commented on his conduct, pointing out how he may be having trouble acting normally and highlighting instances in which he held on to a table because he may not be able to keep his hand steady enough. Others have speculated that he may be suffering from a mental illness.
Dearlove said on the One Decision podcast that Putin, 69, could be sent to a sanatorium as part of an exit strategy amid Russia’s struggling effort to invade neighboring Ukraine.
“I’m really going to stick my neck out. I think he’ll be gone by 2023,” Dearlove, a co-host of the podcast, forecasted. “Probably into the sanatorium, from which he will not emerge as leader of Russia.”
Putting Putin to the medical facility would be the “elegant” alternative to a coup, said Dearlove, who was head of the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1999 until 2004.
Dearlove also pointed out that there is no solid plan going forward if Putin is to leave office, but suspects that Nikolai Patrushev, who is the secretary of the Security Council of Russia would likely succeed him.
Again, none of these claims have bene verified and I doubt that they will since he’s in the middle of a war right now and it would be seen as weakness by the world if Putin or any of his officials were to say anything concrete about his declining health.
Sources:
NY Post