Vladimir Putin's right-hand man, rumoured to be ready to take temporary charge of Russia, "could be even worse than his master", an expert claims.
Nikolai Patrushev is reported to have had a two-hour "heart-to-heart" with the Kremlin leader in recent days amid speculation he is about to or has just had cancer surgery.
Unconfirmed speculation suggests Putin could be forced to step down from power temporarily to recover from the alleged operation.