Vladimir Putin suffered a coughing fit and experienced chest pains when trying to record his extraordinary TV broadcast, it is claimed.
Rumours from the Kremlin suggest doctors were called to the Russian President amid behind the scenes chaos that saw his address on the escalations of the bloody Ukraine war delayed by 13 hours.
Adding to the delay was said to be objections raised by key Kremlin figures who are believed to have disagreed with the warmonger's decision to partially mobilise the Russian people in his faltering invasion.
Putin, who is 70 next month, began preparations for his speech to the Russian nation on Tuesday night, but it was delayed without explanation
Now the General SVR Telegram channel has claimed: “Several attempts to start recording an appeal were frustrated due to coughing."
The Telegram Channel is apparently run by a former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) lieutenant general and counters Russian information with intel from inside the Kremlin.
The post said: "Shutting himself down to write the text of the appeal, Putin lingered by the time the recording began.
"When the president came out and preparations for filming began, he began to cough frequently.
“After the fourth unsuccessful attempt to record an appeal, doctors were called to the president, to whom Putin also complained of chest pains."
Finally speaking on Wednesday morning after a 13-hour delay, Mr Putin claimed that the West has engaged in nuclear blackmail against Russia and that he is unafraid to retaliate with "lots of weapons."
In a major escalation, the Russian President appeared to threaten possible nuclear strikes in response to what he called attacks on his territory.
The brute also announced that he had signed a decree stating that Russian reservists will be conscripted into Russia's military from Wednesday, which is Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two.
“There is an opinion of people from the president's inner circle that Putin feigned a health problem in order to reschedule filming and rethink his decision-making", the Channel claimed.
It continued: "The doctors advised to postpone the shooting and leave with them for examination, which was done.
“People close to the president know his pathological indecision and uncertainty in making decisions, especially key ones.”
Three key figures threatened to resign last night over his mobilisation decision, it has also been reported.
They include respected Elvira Nabiullina, head of the Russian central bank who has been crucial to keeping the economy afloat amid Western sanctions, it is claimed.
Two other top officials who reportedly threatened to resign were not named.
One account said: “Putin was informed about the unrest in the elites and ‘quiet panic’ in most of the establishment” over his mobilitation move.
His top political and security officials reportedly “met the president's decision without enthusiasm”.
Putin was informed of this by his security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, said the Telegram channel which had predicted the mobilisation move by the warmonger president.
It is thought Putin will now privately confront Nabiullina - who would be a major loss if she quit.
"The terminally ill Putin has an overwhelming desire to take millions of people to the grave with him," the Channel continued, "Today Putin has brought war into every Russian's home."
Bus tickets out of the country were sold out on Wednesday as well as flights from Moscow to Istanbul as Russians fear being conscripted or imprisoned if they do not obey orders.
Defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that 300,000 reservists will be called up.
He also gave what will be widely seen as fictitious statistics on Russia’s war dead at 5,937 - ten times fewer than many conservative expert estimates.
The palpably bogus figure was even disputed today by uber-loyalist Russian pro-war bloggers.
It would mean Russia had lost only 4,586 troops since the end of March when Shoigu’s ministry reported a 1,351 death toll.
One source dismissed the death toll claimed as “a terrible lie to the Russian people”.
Anti-Putin General SVR channel claims it has inside knowledge from the Kremlin.
The channel has long claimed that Putin is suffering from serious illnesses including cancer, Parkinson’s disease and a schizoaffective disorder.
The channel has claimed that the Kremlin is seeking to ban it but has so far failed.
