A congregation in a Ukrainian church has been filmed praying for Russian President Vladimir Putin ’s death.
A young boy is seen on a video speaking into a microphone and saying: “Stop Putin's plans. If he has a disease, then we pray the Russians will not come up with a cure for it that could stop it. [God] be with us. Amen.”
The young boy named Mikhailo stood up in front of a large congregation of adults and children in a religious ceremony in Lutsk, in northwestern Ukraine, say reports.
He also prayed to stop the war, saying before mentioning Putin: “God, thank you for this day, that we are still alive. Stop the war. God be with us."
The service was at the Church of the Gospel in the city and young boy was wearing a Ukrainian national shirt.
His mother, wearing a headscarf, stands beside him as he prays and recitea Psalm 26 before saying his prayer that Putin should die from an incurable disease.
The extraordinary scene comes amid tens of thousands of deaths on both sides from Putin’s war in Ukraine.
It comes amid rumours over the state of Putin's health in recent months. During a televised meeting with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu last month, the President was seen slouching and tightly gripping a table.
Former government intelligence professional Christopher Steele told LBC Radio that the Russian leader is now constantly surrounded by doctors.
Mr Steele, who ran the Russia desk at MI6 in London between 2006 and 2009, told LBC that the "exact details" of his condition were still not known but many claim he is unwell.
There has been a string of claims about the health of the Kremlin leader, with some reports suggesting he is suffering from cancer, undergoing chemotherapy and steroid treatment among other ailments.
The latest British Ministry of Defence update has said Russia has fired senior commanders who are considered to have performed poorly during the opening stages of its invasion of Ukraine.
It continued: "Many officials involved in the invasion of Ukraine will likely be increasingly distracted by efforts to avoid personal culpability for Russia’s operational set-backs.
"This will likely place further strain on Russia's centralised model of command and control, as officers increasingly seek to defer key decisions to their superiors. It will be difficult for Russia to regain the initiative under these conditions."
Putin falsely claimed that his "military operation", his framing of the bloody war, in Ukraine was to liberate Russian-Ukrainians in the country.
The video was filmed during a two-hour service on Sunday May 15.
