Vladimir Putin seriously ill, Russia headed for a coup?

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seriously ill and faces the threat of a coup, Ukraine's head of military intelligence Major General Kyrylo Budanov has claimed.

In an interview with Sky News, Major General Budanov said Putin suffers from cancer and a number of other ailments. He further said that the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia would reach a breaking point in the second half of August. 

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Putin is in a very bad physical and psychological condition, he added. When prodded on whether there could be a coup, Major General Budanov said "Yes. They are moving in this direction and it is impossible to stop it."

Denying that he was spreading Ukrainian propaganda against Russia, Major General Budanov said his country will be able to take back control of territories captured by Russia, including the Donbas and Crimea regions.

The Ukrainian spy chief's statement comes days after the New Lines Magazine claimed citing an oligarch close to Kremlin as stating that the Russian president had blood cancer. The media outlet claimed to have a recording in which the oligarch is heard expressing deep frustration about the state of the country's economy. The oligarch accused Putin is Russia's economy and claimed that many like him in Moscow wanted Putin dead.

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Speculation over the Russian president's health intensified since the Ukraine war began in February after Putin seemed to appear weak at public events, including the country's Victory Day celebrations. In photos and videos circulating on social media, Putin, wrapped in a thick green coverall at his feet, sat among World War II veterans and senior dignitaries to watch the military parade in Moscow's Red Square.

Putin was also spotted coughing in a black bomber jacket. In fact, he was sole person in the gathering who required additional covering to manage the relatively mild weather of 9-degree Celsius. Recently, a video meeting between Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu showed the former holding the table tightly.

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