Hopes Putin is terminally ill dashed after CIA chief says tyrant shows no signs of poor health
HOPES Vladimir Putin is terminally ill were dashed yesterday when the head of the CIA said the tyrant is “probably too healthy”.
And William Burns was backed up by MI6 spymaster Richard Moore.
The 69-year-old Russian president is dogged by claims he has cancer, Parkinson’s, body tremors and mental health issues.
His Ukrainian enemies pray he will not live long.
But, in a rare public appearance, the director of the US intelligence agency told a security forum in Aspen, Colorado: “There are lots of rumours about President Putin’s health.
“As far as we can tell he’s entirely too healthy.”
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And Mr Moore told the gathering: “There’s no evidence Putin’s suffering from serious ill health.”
This comes as Ukraine's intelligence chief, Major General Kyrylo O. Budanov said Putin "doesn't have a long life ahead of him".
In another interview with Sky News, the General insisted Putin was in "very bad psychological and physical condition and he is very sick".
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 month's military parade when the tyrant was seen with a blanket over his legs.
Footage of Putin's poor posture, shaking hands and apparent bloated face sparked speculation about the strongman's health.
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There have also been rumours Putin may have Parkinson's and suffers from "schizophrenic symptoms", although there is no proof of this.
The rumours, which first appeared on the Telegram channel General SVR also alleged that the Russian president would use body doubles to stand in for him at public appearances.
Claims from anti-Kremlin sources allege that Putin is due to have cancer surgery "at any moment".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has .