A former US general has said Vladimir Putin has “no future” if the war doesn’t succeed, following claims from experts that the Russian tyrant will be kicked out of power by his inner circle.
As senior figures in the Russian army and security services have become increasingly frustrated by Putin’s handling of the deadly war, speculation has risen about his state of health.
Interviewed by Larry Kudlow on Fox Business Live, General Jack Keane said the Russian tyrant would do “anything” to stay in power.
He said: “All these things are sort of coming out but what I’m focused on is Putin’s determination.
"He’s all about staying in power, Larry, that’s his motivation.
“The alternative, he knows full well, by a successor who doesn’t agree with him, could mean his demise,” he said.
The former Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army told Mr Kudlow that Putin still seemed “determined to achieve his goals”.
“He still wants to take this country over, topple the regime, and I take Putin seriously.
"I think many of us discounted him for a number of years, but he is about the return to the Russian empire.
“I think that as long as he’s in power, he will be in pursuit of it.”
Mr Kudlow put to General Keane that “as a war criminal and a crook”, if Putin lost power he would be “gone”, according to Fox Business Live.
“I totally agree with that,” General Keane said.
“He has no future beyond him being the president of Russia - that’s a fact.”
Asked about swirling rumours about the Russian tyrant’s state of health, following public appearances in which he looked to be unwell, General Keane said he didn’t know what to believe.
The health of Putin remains under intense scrutiny amid swirling rumours that he's critically unwell - and could be set for surgery.
One rumour that has hung over the 69-year-old leader since long before the invasion of Ukraine is that he has some kind of central nervous system condition, such as Parkinson's.
Over the weekend Putin health watchers turned their attention away from the neurological disease towards cancer as a possible route cause of his seemingly declining health.
It was reported that the Russian dictator will nominate hard-line Security Council head and ex-FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev to take control of the invasion while he undergoes cancer surgery.
The extraordinary claims appeared on popular Telegram channel General SVR, which says its source is a well-placed figure in the Kremlin.
They said: "Putin has discussed that he will be undergoing medical procedures.
"We know very well that he has cancer, and Parkinson's disease, as we have said many times.
"It was possible to contain it for some time, but now the course of the disease is progressing."
The mysteriously sourced claims tally with speculation that Putin's increasingly puffy face and round seeming head are the result of steroid use - a drug which can lead to inflammation and swelling - and is commonly used in the treatment of cancer.
The former general’s musings about Putin’s future comes just weeks after Intelligence analysts Dragonfly predicted Vladimir Putin could be kicked out of power within two years.
The group claimed Putin could be ousted if the West ramps up sanctions that trigger a financial crisis.
Western sanctions imposed since the invasion began in February have hit Russia hard, with crippling food shortages reported across the country.
Last week a Russian politician accidentally revealed that Vladimir Putin plans to seize food in parts of occupied Ukraine to fill empty shelves in his own nation.
As Western sanctions hit Russian businesses and homes, Putin finds himself under pressure to keep his key advisers on side amid uncertainty over what happens when he can no longer guarantee their financial security.
In a Dragonfly briefing, intelligence analysts said "it’s likely to highly likely that President Putin will not be in the position he is within the next two years",.
Putin's fate reportedly lies in the hands of six of his closest allies - Sergei Naryshkin, head of the foreign intelligence service, defence minister Sergei Shoigu, former head of the FSB internal security service Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, head of state-owned Rostec Sergei Chemezov and oligarch Igor Sechin.
Dragonfly suggests rather than a military coup, "what we would be more likely to see a group of squat men in ill-fitting suits walking into the Kremlin.
"President Putin then being explained as either ill or having to step down for other reasons – family reasons and so on."
Speculation has been rife over Putin's health and state of mind with some experts suggesting he may be taking steroids as a treatment for cancer - which can trigger nasty side effects, including rapid mood swings, behavioural changes, confusion and altered cognitive patterns
In recent public appearances, Putin - known in Russia for his "strong man" image - has looked "bloated" and noticeably "weakened" when compared to earlier images.
The decline in his physical state has led outsiders to wonder if he's battling a serious illness as others claim his decisions relating to the Ukraine war may be caused by "psychological instability".
