Vladimir Putin survived an assassination attempt just days after the start of the war in Ukraine, it has been claimed. The Express reports Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's Chief of Defence Intelligence, claimed there was an "unsuccessful attempt" against the Russian president's life around two months ago.
He told Ukrainian Pravda: "There was an attempt to assassinate Putin. He was even attacked, it is said, by representatives of the Caucasus, not so long ago.
"This is non-public information. Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really took place, it was about two months ago, once again, he was unsuccessful. There is no publicity about this event, but it took place."
Meanwhile, reports have been swirling that Putin is suffering from a serious illness, possibly cancer. Mr Budanov recently fuelled the rumours about the Russian president's health, saying he is in a "very bad psychological and physical condition and he is very sick".
The health fears have been fuelled by Putin looking bloated and gripping a table across from Sergey Chemezov, chief executive of state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec, during a meeting in Moscow. At several points during the new footage, released by Russian state TV, he appears to struggle to focus on the conversation.
Various reports have been circulating claiming he is “very ill with blood cancer". Nearly two weeks ago, on May 12, he underwent surgery, according to the Telegram channel General SVR, which is apparently run by a former Russian spy.
There were claims Putin’s surgery and subsequent recovery were covered up. This was done by using “deep fake” technology to simulate his presence in videos of a scheduled meeting of Russia’s security council.
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