Cancer stricken’ Putin has been ill for FIVE years & ex-MI6 spy says Vlad is losing his grip on power in Kremlin
VLADIMIR Putin has reportedly been ill for five years and is constantly surrounded by a team of doctors monitoring his health.
The Russian tyrant's rumoured health woes are now causing him to lose his grip on power in the Kremlin, an ex MI6 agent said.
Putin has routinely disappeared from the public eye and been accompanied by over a dozen top medics since 2017.
His sturdy persona has been slashed by reports he is suffering from cancer and Parkinson's Disease, with pictures showing his bloated face.
It seems his indestructible image could have been part of an elaborate ruse to keep his health conditions out of the limelight.
His alleged mystery illness is now taking a significant toll on Russia too - as ex-spy Christopher Steele claims the Kremlin is in "increasing disarray and chaos".
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Steele, who previously worked the Russia desk at MI6, said he has to bow out of meetings to undergo treatment and that he was "constantly" being followed around with doctors.
But even when he is present, the renowned control freak provides "no clear political leadership."
Putin's drastically changing appearance from strongman to sickly has also aroused suspicions he is severely unwell.
The 69-year-old has had a string of strange hiatuses over the last five years, as well as hush-hush doctor visits.
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Independent Russian media outlet Proekt analysed his large bout of absences and found he was constantly followed by an army of medics.
They compared doctors' check-in dates with Putin's schedule and calculated that between five and 13 doctors were shadowing the warmonger at all times during 2016 and 2017.
These medics reportedly included an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist, an infectious disease specialist, a neurosurgeon and an oncologist, among others.
Putin then took some time out of the public eye in November 2016 for around six days, only appearing in pre-recorded meetings.
The Proekt probe found that 12 specialist doctors checked into Sochi hospital, situated close to one of the Russian President's residences.
Neurosurgeons, his personal doctor and a rehabilitation specialist were all on hand, fuelling rumours he had been unwell.
DESPOT DISAPPEARED
Putin then vanished in August 2017, before Proekt claim top oncologist-surgeon Evgeny Selivanov began visiting him.
They said the expert cancer-doctor saw him a whopping 35 times in four years, with only ENT specialists seeing him more often.
Selivanov's thesis is entitled: "Peculiarities of diagnostics and surgical treatment of elderly and senile patients with thyroid cancer".
Putin also suffered a nasty fall in 2017 during a game of ice hockey, seeing him get checked over by his orthopaedic traumatologist.
The following year in February 2018, the warlord again disappeared.
But the Kremlin brushed off his winter break, claiming that the Russian leader "had caught a cold".
COVID FEARS
By 2019, Proekt claims he had an average of nine doctors accompanying him.
However, it was the Covid pandemic that really flagged up Putin's possible health concerns.
According to The New York Times, Putin imposed strict quarantine measures on anyone who was due to see him in person.
Visitors were forced to isolate for two weeks before their scheduled meeting, before being drenched in disinfectant on the way.
The specially created tunnel would reportedly spray guests with a sterilising aerosol, while shining UV lights on guests to further sanitise them.
Putin's health has been subject to huge scrutiny in the wake of the war in Ukraine, and rumours continued to mount in the wake of last week's military parade when the tyrant was seen with a blanket over his legs.
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In his latest video appearance, the 69-year-old appeared to sport a swollen face while fidgeting and tightly gripping the arm of his chair.
An oncologist has alleged that Putin may be suffering from "chemo brain", a cancer-related cognitive impairment brought on by treatment.
