‘Cancer-stricken and irrational’: Claims Vladimir Putin could be killed in coup as spy bosses plot

Reports are emerging that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s days could be numbered as his failures in Ukraine mount.

Russian President Vladimir Putin could be assassinated in a coup over the shambolic Ukraine invasion as he has “no future” if the war doesn’t succeed, a former US general has warned.

Senior figures in the Russian army and security services have become increasingly frustrated with the weak and sickly tyrant’s handling of the deadly war, The Sun reports.

But General Jack Keane said Mr Putin will “do anything” to stay in power as he knows the alternative would be his “demise”.

The former vice chief of staff of the US Army told Fox News: “He’s all about staying in power. That’s his motivation. He will do anything to stay in power.

“The alternative, he knows full well, by a successor who doesn’t agree with him, could mean the end of him – his demise.

A Ukrainian serviceman walks past destroyed Russian tanks not far from the capital of Kyiv. Picture: Sergei Supinsky/AFP

“He’s fighting to stay in power and he’s determined, I think, to still accomplish his goals even though his focus is in the south [of Ukraine].

“He still wants to take the country over, topple the regime – and I take Putin seriously. I think many of us discounted him for a number of years, but he is about returning to the Russian Empire.

“I think as long as he’s in power, he will be in pursuit of it.”

He added: “He has no future beyond him being the President of Russia. That’s a fact.”

It is thought Russia’s army generals want to be let off the leash to storm Ukraine – and even go to war with NATO after accusing the West of fighting a proxy war against Moscow via its support for Kyiv.

The powerful Russian siloviki – or security bloc – have reportedly blamed Mr Putin for a “serious error” after retreating from the capital of Kyiv and concentrating on taking control of the Donbas region in the east.

A child stands with a placard drawing resemblances between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler during a protest in Budapest. Picture: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP

Russia had expected it could march across Ukraine without much of a fight – but in reality invading troops have faced a valiant resistance.

Last month, Ukrainian forces pushed Russian troops out of Kyiv and managed to reoccupy towns and defensive positions up to 33km east of the capital in a major victory.

The Kremlin declared that the first stage of its campaign to “denazify and demilitarise” Ukraine was a success despite the retreat of Russian troops – and it will now focus its efforts on breakaway province Donetsk.

The mounting frustration from Russia’s top army and intelligence chiefs over the war also comes as rumours swirl around the state of Mr Putin’s physical health.

A Kremlin insider reportedly claimed he is set to undergo an operation for cancer and will hand over power to his hard line spy chief.

It’s thought the Russian dictator could now face an uprising from his inner circle amid the unprecedented criticism and growing demand for “all-out war” and “mobilisation”.

New intelligence analysis suggested he could be ousted in a “palace coup” staged by his cronies within two years.

Russian security expert Andrei Soldatov told The Centre for European Policy Analysis: “Does it matter? It matters a lot.

There are claims Russian President Vladimir Putin could be assassinated. Picture: Alexey Danichev/Sputnik/AFP

“This is the very first time the siloviki are putting distance between themselves and the president. Which opens up all sorts of possibilities.”

Mr Putin is already bracing for a possible military coup after he purged 150 spies over the invasion of Ukraine.

He launched a “Stalinist” purge of his intelligence services – including sending Sergei Beseda, head of the fifth service of the FSB, to prison.

But the FSB – headed up by SVR boss Sergei Naryshkin – is reportedly still pushing for hard line military action in Ukraine despite the jailing of its top boss.

And Alexander Arutyunov, a veteran Russian Spetsnaz officer, shared a video in pro-military groups pleading with Mr Putin to escalate the war.

He said: “Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, please decide, are we fighting a war – or are we pleasuring ourselves?”

The ex-military intelligence commander said: “Strike them all over, completely destroy all their aerodromes.

“Turn them into moon craters so that not a single plane with a Bayraktar [military drone] can take off.

“We must destroy all their railway lines with missiles of such big size that they spend years repairing them,” he said.

“If I understand it, why don’t your top guys get it? This is beyond me.”

Russia analyst Alexey Muraviev has previously warned that Mr Putin faces a potential coup from within his military and intelligence services.

Mr Muraviev told Sky News Australia that the coup may come as they want to try to win the war – not to stop aggression in Ukraine.

He said: “I think that there have been tensions between Russia and the intelligence community and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

“Because clearly, there’s been a clear error of judgment that was made and it was probably driven by Putin himself about the situation in Ukraine.

“About the initial planning and the initial phase of the invasion where the Russian military naturally assume that they’re going there as liberators rather than the invaders.

“I think that sort of false narrative was presented to them by the Supreme Commander in Chief, and when it fired back when the Russians began taking heavy casualties, Putin began quietly blaming the security services.

“Which I don’t think went really well also because he’s coming from within the security apparatus.”

This article originally appeared in The Sun and has been reproduced with permission