:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/CMCOKGF2MJHCXD4QEV6GPF4HRI.jpg)
the president of Russia, Vladimir Putinunderwent treatment for advanced cancer in April, according to a US intelligence report confirmed by Newsweek magazine.
In addition, Newsweek claims that three intelligence leaders from USA who have read the reports on Putin they maintain that Russia’s president survived an assassination attempt in March.
LOOK: The war in Ukraine, 100 days that challenged the world order
Senior officials said they were concerned that Putin is increasingly paranoid about his grip on poweraccording to Newsweek. However, they believe that it also makes the prospects of nuclear war are less likely.
“Putin’s control is strong, but it is no longer absolute”, argues one of the top intelligence officials with direct access to the reports. “Competition within the Kremlin has never been more intense during his rule, everyone feels the end is near“, it states.
LOOK: How is the Himars system that the US will send to Ukraine to stop the Russian advance?
The three officials – one from the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), another a senior retired Air Force officer and another from the Defense Intelligence Agency – warn that the isolation of the Russian leader makes it more difficult for US intelligence to accurately assess his state of health.
“What we do know is that there is an iceberg out there, albeit one covered in fog,” says the DNI official, who contacted Newsweek by email and requested anonymity.
“One of the sources of our best intelligence, which is contact with outsiders, has largely dried up as a result of the Ukraine war. Putin has had few meetings with foreign leaders”, says the DNI official. “Putin’s isolation has increased the levels of speculation,” he says.
For the DNI representative, Putin’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on February 7 at the long table in Moscow was a wake-up call. “There were no handshakes, no warm hugs, and we noticed it,” he said, according to Newsweek.
Then came the meeting Putin on April 21 with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, this time at a small table. Many focused on Shoigu, who had been missing from the public eye after the start of the war in Ukraine. But it was Putin who drew attention by slouching in his chair and gripping the table with his right hand.
Some observers inferred that Putin suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Others insisted it was just his KGB weapons training, referring to his stiff posture and the way he walked, always with his right arm ready to reach inside a jacket for a weapon. .
“He is healthy”
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended Putin’s good health, saying that no one in their right mind “can see a symptom of illness” in him.
“President Putin appears publicly every day. You can see him on the screens, listen to his speeches. I don’t think people in their right mind can appreciate a symptom of illness in this man“, said Lavrov in a televised interview on TF1 and LCI channels in France.
These statements come after information and speculation in recent months about Putin’s alleged poor health.
Source: Elcomercio
I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.
