Vladimir Putin is terminally ill with cancer and will die very soon, Ukraine’s military intelligence head said.
Kyrylo Budanov said he knows the Russian despot’s death is imminent due to an ongoing illness from cancer.
Budanov, who is the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, discussed the ongoing war and the Russian leader in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday.
He added that he expects there to be a transfer of power to another Russian crony following Putin’s demise.
Kyrylo Budanov (pictured) said he knows Putin’s death is imminent due to an ongoing illness from cancer, undated
Speculation about Putin’s health has been ongoing for several years. Pictured: Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, January 2022
ABC News’ Britt Clennett asked Budanov if Putin was terminally ill, with the spy chief immediately responding ‘of course’.
Budanov, in his non-native English, added: ‘He is ill long period.’
Asked when he thinks Putin’s death will come, Budanov said that he thought it would be very soon.
‘I think very fast. I hope.’
Speculation about Putin’s health has been ongoing for several years. The 70-year-old Russian leader has been rumoured to be suffering from cancer, Parkinson’s Disease and numerous other ailments.
‘We think it’s cancer,’ Budanov said.
‘We know it from human sources’ that are close to Putin, he added.
ABC News’ Britt Clennett asked Budanov if Putin was terminally ill, with the spy chief immediately responding ‘of course’
Budanov was also asked what he thought would happen following Putin’s death, whether someone from within the Kremlin would take over and if the war in Ukraine would continue.
He responded saying he expected that there would be ‘a replacement and transfer of power’, suggesting that this would be to one of Putin’s cronies.
‘This war should be ended before [Putin] is dying,’ Budanov added.
Telegram channel General SVR, which purports to have a number of insider sources in the Kremlin, said Putin’s doctors recently noted a ‘significant deterioration in his health’ and recommended that he step away from any public appearances so he can rest.
The Telegram channel also reported that Putin now gets tired very quickly.
He is also prone to ‘frequent bouts of dizziness and headaches’, as well as ‘clouding of consciousness’, it added.
Asked when he thinks Putin’s death will come, Budanov said that he thought it would be very soon. Pictured: Putin tightly grips the desk at a meeting with head of National Guard Viktor Zolotov, the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, in August 2022
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government, via a video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on December 14, 2022
The reports of Putin’s poor health have been supported by the cancellation of a number of planned trips and public engagements.
Just last week, on December 28, Putin pulled out of a planned trip to Pskov, a city near the Estonian border. The cancellation was officially blamed on ‘unfavourable flying conditions’ but weather forecasts suggested the skies were clear.
A visit to Russia’s biggest tank plant in Nizhny Tagil, in the Ural mountains was also shelved. Even the usual appearance at an end of year meeting of his government ministers was cancelled.
Putin also refused to go-ahead with his traditional December press conference, which typically sees the president speak for up to four hours and field questions from journalists and viewers, and even cancelled his beloved end-of-year ice-hockey game.
