Putin’s got cancer? Handing over power? Rumor or Reality?

The New York Post is carrying an unverified report claiming that the Russian President Vladimir Putin might undergo treatment for cancer and as such temporarily hand over power to the secretary of the country’s Security Council , Nikolai Patrushev.

The New York Post cited a Telegram channel purportedly run by a former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service lieutenant general, claiming that Putin has been told by doctors that he must undergo an operation. 
As per the report, the anticipated surgery and recovery are expected to incapacitate Putin for “a short time,”. 

The report referred to Putin’s supposedly “sickly appearance and uncharacteristically fidgety behavior in public” in recent times, and said that the Russian President has been rumored to suffer from cancer and a number of other serious maladies, including Parkinson’s disease. 

On the opposite hand, a US official said that the media reports couldn’t be verified with Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby saying on Monday saying that “I have seen nothing that could help us corroborate that,”. 

Allegedly a few days ago, Mr. Putin had a two-hour-long “heart-to-heart” conversation with Nikolai Patrushev. 

“We know that Putin signaled to Patrushev that he considers him to be practically his only trusted ally and friend within the government,” the report claimed. “Additionally, the president promised that if his health takes a turn for the more severe , actual control of the country will temporarily pass into Patrushev’s hands.” 

“Patrushev is an outright villain. He is no better than Vladimir Putin. Moreover, he’s a more cunning, and that I would say, more insidious person than Putin . If he involves power, Russians’ problems will only multiply,” the owner admin of the Telegram channel which claimed about Putin’s cancer surgery has said. 

“Putin is unlikely to comply with a fork overpower for an extended period of your time ,” the Telegram channel further claimed, mentioning that the control of the country will likely be in Patrushev’s hands for no quite two to 3 days.

Russia’s Security Council , of which Patruchev is the secretary is an influential body that answers to none aside from  President Putin and issues guidance on military and security issues within Russia. Most of the council’s power is vested in Patrushev, who is widely seen and known as a staunch Putin ally.

 
Like Putin, Patrushev may be a career Russian secret agent , first with the Committee for State Security , then later with the Russian FSB. 

Last week, during a rare interview with state-run Russian paper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Patrushev accused America and Europe of backing neo-Nazi ideology in Ukraine and sought to draw the conflict out “to the last Ukrainian,”.

 
“Using their henchmen in Kyiv, the Americans, in an effort to suppress Russia, decided to make an antipode of our country, cynically choosing Ukraine for this, trying to divide essentially a single people,” he reportedly said.

 
Various Questions over the Russian President’s health have been raised in recent weeks, especially since he was seen tightly gripping a desk during his meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu last month. 

Conclusion:

 
Is this report simply a piece of fiction or a far-fetched conspiracy theory, or does it have some truth? Is the Russian President really fighting cancer, Parkinson’s’ and other diseases or is this just a piece of propaganda?

The answer to these questions remains to be found, and so does the fact of what is going to come of the ongoing Ukraine Russia conflict. The answer to all these and more is simple, time shall tell.

Read Also: After Taking Down 40 Russian Jets, The “Ghost Of Kyiv” Dies In Battle.

Published By: Aman Gupta

Edited By: Vanshika Sahu