Putin ‘wants to take the world with him when he dies’ says expert behind claims over his health

Vladimir Putin wants to take the world with him when he dies, and has already taken the decision to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, an ‘expert’ on his ‘failing health’ has said.

Political scientist Valery Solovey, a former professor at Moscow’s prestigious Institute of International Relations [MGIMO], made the sensational claims ahead of the Russian despot marking his 70th birthday on Friday.

This comes as Russian Orthodox churches have been ordered to hold special prayer services for his health on Saturday, despite the Kremlin insisting he is healthy.

‘The decision in principle about the use or demonstration of tactical nuclear weapons has been made,’ said Dr Solovey, who has been consulted by Western embassies in Moscow after making claims over Putin’s medical condition.

‘The question is how, when and where. I have no doubts we will end up on the edge of death, but I know we will be able to back off. We will be able to go through this.’

He claimed the current situation is more dangerous and closer to ‘nuclear apocalypse’ than during the Cuban missile crisis during the Cold War.

‘The cause is the Russian president Vladimir Putin who seriously intends to demonstrate the capabilities of nuclear weapons – tactical nuclear weapons,’ he said. ‘Putin cannot allow himself to be defeated. He has two tools left in his sleeve – mobilisation, which he is using [and] nuclear weapons.’

Dr Solovey said Putin is in ‘very poor physiological health’.

He has long claimed that the Russian warmonger is suffering from serious illnesses including cancer, Parkinson’s disease and a schizoaffective disorder. 

This has been disputed by Western intelligence, with the director of the CIA William Burns saying in July that Putin is ‘entirely too healthy’, although acknowledged this was an informal assessment of the Russian leader’s health.

Speculation around Putin’s health has been rife in recent years, especially with the increased attention he has recieved since ordering the invasion of Ukraine.

In July, the Russian president was pictured awkwardly swatting mosquitos from his face. Similarly, at a huge Victory Day parade in Moscow in May, he appeared to walk with a limp and had a blanket over his lap, while in April he was seen gripping a table during a televised meeting with his defence minister.

Ever since Vladimir Putin ordered his military forces to invade Ukraine on February 24, rumours have been swirling about the state of his health. In April, the Russian president (left) was seen gripping a table during a televised meeting with his defence minister

At a huge Victory Day parade in Moscow in May, the 69-year-old appeared to walk with a limp and had a blanket over his lap (pictured)

Meanwhile, fears are growing that Putin may resort to more drastic measures in an attempt to win the war he began on February 24.

Even as the Kremlin moved to absorb parts of Ukraine in a sharp escalation of the conflict, the Russian military suffered new defeats that highlighted its deep problems on the battlefield and opened rifts at the top of the Russian government.

The setbacks have badly dented the image of a powerful Russian military and added to the tensions surrounding an ill-planned mobilization. They have also fueled fighting among Kremlin insiders and left Putin increasingly cornered.

‘The president is not able to adequately assess the situation and make proper decisions,’ Solovey said in a new video as Putin marks in 70th birthday in his home city St Petersburg. ‘The state of his health is such that he has a very strong desire to take the world with him.

‘He knows that he will pass away in a limited time – and how is it possible for the world to carry on without him? Why should the world exist without its genius leader Vladimir Putin?’ he asked sarcastically.

Dr Solovey warned the West in a new video he posted not to rely on senior Kremlin officials intervening to stop him going nuclear.

Political scientist Valery Solovey, a former professor at Moscow’s prestigious Institute of International Relations [MGIMO], has sensationally claimed the Kremlin leader is dying – and wants to take the world with him

‘Don’t be deluded, do not hope that someone in the Russian establishment will stop Putin,’ he said. ‘These people are resigned [to the idea] Putin will take this first step.’

Russia has multiple options on firing tactical – or battlefield – nuclear weapons if Putin gives the order despite the strongest warnings from the West that he will face immense retaliation. One possibility is his nuclear capable Iskander missiles.

In May some were moved close to the border with Finland, while they have also been deployed with conventional warheads during the Ukrainian war.

Dr Solovey – who is not a medical doctor but claims to have sources in high Kremlin circles – claimed last week that Putin’s health is ‘dramatically deteriorating’.

‘Modern therapy, targeted therapy for oncological diseases, is of such quality that you will be working until literally the last few hours,’ he said.

He was asked about CIA director William Burns saying that Putin – far from being ill – was ‘too healthy’.

Solovey replied this was a ‘perfect example of Anglo-Saxon sarcasm’ adding: ‘The Americans know what’s happening to [Putin].

‘They know the real situation, and they are actually concerned because of it.’

Solovey’s comments came as reports said that the Orthodox Church, led by close Putin supporter Patriarch Kirill, is to hold special prayer sessions for the president’s health the day after his 70th birthday.

Putin is due in St Petersburg to meet leaders of ex-Soviet states on his birthday.

The Kremlin has said Putin is in good health.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky defiantly said Thursday that his country must fend off Moscow’s invasion ‘so that Russian tanks do not advance on Warsaw or again on Prague’.

Addressing a meeting in Prague of European heads of state convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, Zelensky also called on Western capitals to supply his army with more weapons ‘to punish the aggressor’.

The EU on Thursday imposed its latest round of sanctions on Russia, expanding bans on trade and individuals over Moscow’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

The measures, which came into force with their publication in the bloc’s official administrative gazette, also pointed the way to an oil price cap on Russian crude transported around the world but only after details are worked out within the G7 group of nations.

On the ground in Ukraine, relying on Western-supplied weapons, Ukraine has followed up on last month’s gains in the northeastern Kharkiv region by pressing deeper into occupied areas and forcing Russian troops to withdraw from the city of Lyman, a key logistical hub.

The Ukrainian army has also unleashed a broad counteroffensive in the south, capturing a string of villages on the western bank of the Dnieper River and advancing toward the city of Kherson.

The Ukrainian gains in the Kherson region followed relentless strikes on the two main crossings over the Dnieper that made them unusable and forced Russian troops on the western bank of the Dnieper to rely exclusively on pontoon crossings, which also have been repeatedly hit by the Ukrainians.

Phillips P. O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews, predicted more Russian failures in Kherson, noting that it’s ‘hard to stabilize a line when your logistics are stretched, your troops are exhausted and your opponent is much, much smarter.’

Pressed against the wide river and suffering severe supply shortages, Russian troops face a looming defeat that could set the stage for a potential Ukrainian push to reclaim control of the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.