MI6 spies claim Vladimir Putin could be dead and a body double is taking his place at public events

Senior British intelligence officials believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin may already be dead.

MI6 posses claim Putin has been seriously ill and that if he was dead, The Kremlin would keep it under wraps for as long as possible to keep power. A source told the Daily Star that Putin's recent media appearances had probably been pre-recorded.

And at public events like Moscow Victory Day, which took place earlier this month, a body double may have been used in the 69-year-old's place.

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An intelligence source said: "Putin is very ill and when he dies his death will be kept secret for weeks, if not months. There is also the possibility that he is already dead.

"It’s impossible to know. It is believed that Putin has employed body doubles in the past when he has been unwell and the Kremlin could be doing so now.

"Putin is the head of a small group of senior officials who are completely loyal to him. The real fear (for his cronies) is that once his death is announced there could be a Kremlin coup and Russian generals will want to withdraw from Ukraine.

"Putin’s death will leave them powerless and vulnerable so they have a vested ­interest in saying that Putin is alive – when the reverse could be true."

It is clear that Putin's health has deteriorated in recent months, and it's widely believed that he is either taking steroids or receiving cancer treatment, leaving him 'puffy-faced.' He has appeared less mobile, with some observers suggesting he could have blood cancer.

Ukraine's head of military intelligence Major General Kyrylo Budanov has claimed that Putin is seriously ill with cancer, while a Russian oligarch with close Kremlin links said Putin is "very ill with blood cancer" and had surgery before the invasion of Ukraine.

Fiona Hill, a Russian affairs expert who has met Putin in the past, said he was "not looking so great," and could be taking "high doses of steroids."

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