Vladimir Putin has shocked Kremlin officials by ordering a nuclear war evacuation drill amid acute tension with the West, a source has claimed.
It also claimed that the Russian death toll in the Ukraine war was higher than Kyiv’s estimates with over 17,000 casualties in 23 days of fighting.
A “depressed” loner Putin “often pours his anger out on those close to him,” says new account.
They say: "He has no deep conversations with almost anyone, and limited contact even with his children - not only his [adult] daughters but also his [undisclosed] children with [Olympic gold medal winning gymnast, 38] Alina Kabaeva”.
The source is a Telegram channel supposedly linked to an ex-Kremlin intelligence insider who claims to retain close links to those in Putin’s circle.
While initially it was dismissed as unreliable, lately briefings attributed to Western intelligence have echoed its assertions over Putin’s supposed health issues.
In a recent post, the channel General SVR said that senior political figures “were warned on behalf of the president that, perhaps in the near future, they will participate in practising evacuation in case of a nuclear war.
“All who were contacted with this warning were seriously surprised and concerned about this initiative by the President.
“But all, without exception, confirmed their readiness to participate.
“The general mental state of Vladimir Putin has recently caused alarm among people in the president's inner circle.”
Repeating earlier claims about his alleged condition - previously dismissed by the Kremlin - the post said: “When Vladimir Putin, who suffers from oncology, Parkinson's disease and schizoaffective disorder, invites members of the government and the heads of the State Duma and the Federation Council [the lower and upper houses of parliament] to take part in preparing for evacuation in case of a nuclear war …it becomes not fun at all”.
The only person who might trigger Armageddon is Putin, said the account.
It names ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, who now has a security role, along with the speakers of the two houses of parliament - Vyacheslav Volodin and Valentina Matviyenko - as among those allegedly told there would be a drill for nuclear war.
A schizoaffective disorder is a mental health condition including schizophrenia symptoms, for example, hallucinations or delusions, and mood issues like depression or mania.
The channel today claimed Russia had logged the death toll as 17,000 including 12,949 service personnel.
The rest were from private military armies - or mercenaries, backing the Kremlin and supposedly deployed in Ukraine.
Russia has not given its estimated death toll in Ukraine for more than two weeks.
Earlier reports have said Putin had moved unidentified members of his immediate family either to a luxury mountain villa in neutral Switzerland or to a hi-tech underground bunker in the Altai Mountains of Siberia.
Political scientist Valery Solovey, 61, linked to the Telegram channel, said earlier this month: “In fact, it is not a bunker, but a whole underground city, equipped with the latest science and technology.”
He warned: “I hope this means something to you?
“That the President sends his family to this bunker.”
He did not identify Putin’s family members but previously alleged Kabaeva is his secret spouse, and Russia’s hidden first lady.
“This is his real family, and Alina is capable of influencing his decisions,” he said last year.
A former professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) - a training ground for future top diplomats and spies - Solovey’s home was recently searched and he was quizzed for eight hours.
The channel has also claimed that Putin and defence minister Sergei Shoigu - in charge of the faltering military invasion of Ukraine - attended a shamanic ritual in Siberia which involved the sacrifice of a black wolf in a rite to improve the president’s health.
It said: "A piece of white fabric was soaked with the wolf's blood and burned. They allegedly saw a black raven in the smoke that circled for a long time. For some reason, this sign was explained to Putin as a great success.”
Quizzed over his claims that Putin had a serious illness, strongly denied by the Kremlin, Solovey said: “I do not use the expression 'terminally ill' and I have never used it.
“I use a euphemism: personal circumstances of compelling force.”
Putin has two adult daughters Dr Maria Vorontsova, 36, a geneticist, and Katerina, 35, a high-kicking ‘rock’n’roll’ dancer-turned-mathematician.
He is also reported to have a daughter Luiza Rozova, an 18-year-old heiress also known as Elizaveta Krivonogikh, from a previous relationship with cleaner-turned-multimillionaire Svetlana Krivonogikh, 45, now a part-owner of a major Russian bank.
Unconfirmed rumours denied by the Kremlin said he has children with Kabaeva.
An element of Russian plans for a nuclear war is a fleet of “flying Kremlins” - Ilyushin Il-80 Maxdomes, on permanent standby.
These “doomsday” planes are seen as ageing and due to be replaced by adapted Ilyushin 96-400M’s allowing the Russian leader to control troops and missiles during an atomic catastrophe.
However, the ultramodern bunker in the sky is not believed to be ready yet.
