Putin is battling CANCER as well as Parkinson’s and had emergency surgery in February, source claims

VLADIMIR Putin has cancer - as well as symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease - and had emergency surgery in February, it was claimed today.

Political analyst Valery Solovei - whose earlier claims about the Russian strongman’s failing health were denied - also said Putin plans to announce his Kremlin exit early in the New Year.

Solovei has doubled down on Parkinson’s rumours he sparked earlier this month by revealing he has been told the president has been treated for cancer.

He claims to have Kremlin sources “at the epicentre of decision making".

Solovei said of 68-year-old Putin's twin health traumas: “One is of psycho-neurological nature, the other is a cancer problem.

“If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I'm not a doctor, and I have no ethical right to reveal these problems.

”The second diagnosis is a lot, lot more dangerous than the first named diagnosis as Parkinson’s does not threaten physical state, but just limits public appearances.

“But there is a fatal diagnosis.

“Based on this information people will be able to make a conclusion about his life horizon, which wouldn’t even require specialist medical education.”

Solovei claims Putin underwent surgery in February and another Russian source went on to claim it was an abdominal cancer operation.

Few gaps in the president’s schedule are apparent at the time but it is claimed his first appearance after the surgery was to lay flowers in St Petersburg memorial site on February 19.

Solovei is a political scientist and historian and the former head of the Public Relations Department Moscow State Institute of International Relations, one of the most prestigious universities in Russia.

He left the post last year for what he said were "political reasons".

In September, he was detained with dozens of others following a March in Moscow over the arrest of Sergei Furgal, a member of an opposition party and then-governor of the Khabarovsk Krai region.

'SUCCESSORS IN PLACE'

Solovei added that his sources suggest Putin may already be grooming his daughter Katerina Tikhonova, 34, as his successor.

The former high-kicking dancer now spearheads a major new artificial intelligence initiative and volunteered to be was one of the first to test Russia’s Sputnik V covid vaccine.

Former president Dmitry Medvedev, 55, and agriculture minister Dmitry Patrushev, 43, are also said to be among the frontrunners.

Shock cancer claims came after Kremlin watchers said recent footage showed Putin has possible symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.

Earlier this week The Kremlin issued a further denial of health problems after Putin suffered a coughing fit during a televised meeting.

The president struggled to finish his sentence while speaking to top officials about Covid-19 economic issues.

Footage of the incident was later edited so that Putin's coughing fit appeared less severe in a version posted by his office.

Analysts also claimed last night that the Russian president’s glamorous ex-gymnast lover Alina Kabaeva, 37, is now begging him to release his grip on power.

Observers who studied recent  footage noted his legs appeared to be in constant motion and he looked to be in pain while clutching the armrest of a chair.

His fingers are also seen to be twitching as he held a pen and gripped a cup rumoured to contain a cocktail of painkillers.

Speculation that his 20-year-reign - second only to that of Stalin - could be nearing an end also grew when laws were drafted to make him a senator-for-life when he stands down.

Legislation introduced by Putin himself was being rushed through parliament to guarantee him legal immunity from prosecution and state perks until he dies.

Academic Solovei said he also understood Putin’s undisclosed partner Alina was pressuring him to quit - along with his daughters Maria Vorontsova, 35, and Katerina.

Solovei said: "There is a family, it has a great influence on him. He intends to make public his handover plans in January”.

The professor predicted that Putin would soon appoint a new prime minister who would be groomed to become his eventual successor.

The president’s staff have repeatedly played down rumours that he is paving the way for a political exit.

And Putin himself has regularly released pictures of him looking fit and toned in Action Man poses hunting, shooting, horse riding and playing ice hockey.

His spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the senator-for-life move: "This is the practice that is being applied in many countries of the world, and it is quite justified.

“This is not innovation from the point of view of international practice.”

The Kremlin issued a firm denial after The Sun broke news of Solovei’s claims that Putin had Parkinson's earlier this month.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted there were no plans to quit, adding: “He is in excellent health.”

His new claims - that Putin has cancer and had undergone emergency surgery - have not yet been confirmed or denied.