An equally cruel tyrant could take control of Russia should Vladimir Putin become seriously ill, a defence analyst has warned.
Michael Clarke, a Professor of Defence Studies at King's College London, said former KGB spook Nikolai Patrushev would succeed his longtime pal Putin if the rumours of the tyrant being riddled with cancer or suffering with Parkinson's are true.
He said: "If he is ill, or becomes ill, that would be one way out for Russia.
"To say that the President has stepped down and the war will now be prosecuted by Nikolai Patrushev who is every bit as nasty as he [Putin] is.
"But at least it would be a change of face which the West might be able to do something with.”
The defence expert claimed there was "no convincing evidence" to suggest Putin's health is failing, and that Parkinson's can't be detected from the "way he walks" or cancer by "looking at the photographs", Sky News reports.
But over the weekend, Putin was again seen visibly spasming as he presented a medal during an award ceremony.
Some claim he is fighting blood, thyroid or abdominal cancer, while others experts are convinced the 69-year-old has early stage Parkinson’s disease.
Last month, when he met with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi, he was caught on camera awkwardly twisting his feet when the pair sat down for talks.
If his apparent illness worsens or he dies death, Patrushev will take the top spot, a Russian Foreign Intelligence Service lieutenant general revealed earlier this year .
The former Russian spy added that Patrushev - known as the despot's right-hand man and partner in criminal atrocities - “is no better than Vladimir Putin ".
He added: "If he comes to power, Russians’ problems will only multiply.”
Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer, said he is the "most influential person in the Kremlin bureaucracy" and the "only person" Putin trusts.
Writing for the New York Post, Mr Koffler said: "Both men have likely authorised the poisonings and killings of many Russian 'enemies."
She explained, some believe the pair of them ordered FSB officials to bomb apartment buildings in Moscow, killing up to 300 civilians in 1999.
This was supposedly done to frame Chechen terrorists and give pretext for war on Chechnya.
The following March, Putin's popularity was such he secured the presidency.
Ms Koffler said that Patrushev is also a "rabid anti-American propagandist" who recently accused the US of planning to nuke Ukraine and blame Russia.
"There’s an old Russian saying. Literally translated, it means: 'Two boots make a pair'.
"And Putin and Patrushev fit together perfectly," she added.
