Vladimir Putin is considering giving a "radioactive poisoner" approval to lead one of Russia 's major political parties, sources have claimed.
Ex-spy Andrei Lugovoy, 55, is wanted in London for the murder of Putin foe Alexander Litvinenko after allegedly spiking his tea with deadly polonium-210 in 2006.
Now sources have said Lugovoy could end up leading Russia's ultranationalist Liberal-Democratic Party.
The party's current leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, had spent two months "seriously ill" in hospital days after he predicted the start of Putin's invasion of Ukraine eight weeks before it began.
Sources have claimed the 75-year-old politician has been now hit by Covid and remains in a "serious" condition.
Reports of his death were denied last week.
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If he is ill long-term, Lugovoy - an MP in his anti-Western party - could be given Putin’s nod to succeed Zhirinovsky, said business newspaper Vedomosti, citing sources close to Putin’s administration.
While ostensibly an opposition party, it supports Putin on all key questions and is part of the ultra-obedient Russian parliament.
Vedomosti named ex-KGB guard Lugovoy as a successor under consideration for the country’s fourth-largest party.
A radioactive trail followed Lugovoy and co-accused Dmitry Kovtun back to Russia, which refused to extradite the pair to face a murder trial in Britain.
‘Poisoner’ Lugovoy later became a Russian MP and is married to singer Ksenia Lugovaya, 32, currently performing to the exodus of wealthy Russians in Dubai.
The MP risks extradition to Britain if he leaves Russia.
Others vying for the leadership of the Liberal-Democratic party are prominent politician Leonid Slutsky, accused four years ago of sex abuse by a prominent woman TV presenter, and Mikhail Degtyarev, parachuted by Putin to the role of governor of the Khabarovsk region to halt a wave of protests.
Zhirinovsky was struck down with illness soon after forecasting on December 22, 2021 that the invasion would start on February 22 and heralding a “new direction in Russian foreign policy”.
In fact, Putin announced his “special military operation” in the early hours of February 24.
Zhirinovsky, a candidate in all but one post-Soviet presidential election in Russia, told MPs before falling ill: “Russia will finally become a great country again.
“And everyone has to shut up and respect our country.
“Otherwise they will shut us up, and destroy Russians first in the Donbas, and next in the west of Russia.
“So let’s support the new direction in Russia’s foreign policy.”
