Vladimir Putin has been ill with cancer for a "long time" and will die "very fast", Ukraine's chief of defence intelligence has claimed in a rare interview. Kyrylo Budanov said sources close to Putin has confirmed that the 70-year-old leader was suffering from cancer.
He went on to claim that Putin would die quickly, adding "I hope". The new claims from Ukraine come after Putin cancelled two public events towards the end of 2022, including his annual state address, leading to speculation over his health, reports the Mirror.
In a rare interview with ABC News, Mr Budanov was asked about Putin’s health and the possibility of missile strikes in Russia and Crimea. He claimed that strikes into Russian territory would undoubtedly continue this year, though he declined to take responsibility for them on behalf of Ukraine’s defence force.
After claiming the Russian autocrat’s life was apparently in danger, Mr Budanov said the “war must end before his death”. Ukraine would emerge successful in 2023, he said, adding that the death of Putin would benefit “the whole world” and urging the West “not to be afraid”.
Asked if the tyrant was “terminally ill”, Mr Budanov said: “Of course. He has been ill for a long, very long period. I think he will die very fast. I hope. I am sure he has cancer.”
He went on to say he “just knew” that the leader was suffering from an illness as he had received the information from “sources” close to Putin. Amid swirling rumours over Putin’s health, there have been concerns over who could replace him and subsequently whether there would be actual benefit resulting from his death.
When a series of domestic Russian announcements by Putin late last year proved unfavourable with the population, former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger suggested his replacement could be what he described as “the chauvinistic, nationalistic, arguably fascistic right-wing” factions of the Kremlin.
“We have to be careful what we wish for,” he said.
In the interview, Mr Budanov also said strikes in Russian territory could occur “deeper and deeper” though he maintained the official policy of not claiming responsibility for any of the attacks. Explosions were recorded on December 5 at Russia’s Engels-2 and Dyagilevo airbases, roughly 450 miles from the Ukrainian border, destroying scores of Russian military equipment.
When probed on whether he would continue to fire missiles in Crimea, Mr Budanov said that it was “Ukrainian territory”. ”We can use any weapon on our territory,” he said.
Putin’s personal decision-making is seen as a key reason for Russian failures of the war in Ukraine.
The head of Russian analysis at the Danish Defence Intelligence Service - whose identity is so secret he was named only as Joakim - earlier said: “It wasn’t poor intelligence but Putin’s ideological convictions that led Russian soldiers to believe they would be greeted with flowers. It was because of Putin that everything was planned by a narrow circle of people and only shared through the ranks at the very last minute. Because of this, the Russian forces simply did not know what they were supposed to be doing.”
