A former CIA chief believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's time in power could be ended by a 'secret plot' led by those in his inner circle. Daniel Hoffman, who was chief of the US intelligence service's Moscow station, claimed Mr Putin's trusted confidantes would look to overthrow him if Russia's invasion of Ukraine fails.
Hoffman cautioned that such an attempt to overthrow Mr Putin would be 'sudden, swift and potentially deadly'. He said: "These guys that are going to do it are going to be so secret about it, so that Putin doesn’t find them and kill them first.
He told The Daily Beast: "It’ll happen all of a sudden. And he’ll be dead. Nobody’s gonna ask, ‘Hey Vladimir, would you like to leave?’ No. It’s a f***ing hammer to the head and he’s dead."
