Many people hope for a change of power in Russia. The result: wild rumors about the health of ruler Vladimir Putin. British Chief of Staff Tony Radakin is now commenting on the speculation.

Since the Russian army’s brutal attack on Ukraine, many people have been hoping for a change of power in Moscow. In this context, speculation about the health of President Vladimir Putin keeps popping up.

There is talk of a possible tumor, but also of leukemia, Parkinson’s disease or the health consequences of an alleged assassination attempt on Putin. The British army chief Tony Radakin has now said what could be behind these speculations.

According to Chief of Staff Radakin, reports of Putin’s poor health are probably based on false hopes: “Some of the comments that he is not well or that someone will surely kill him or eliminate him are wishful thinking in my opinion,” Radakin told dem US broadcaster BBC.

The military expert and his colleagues perceive “a relatively stable regime in Russia”. According to Radakin, Vladimir Putin managed to “suppress any opposition”. There are apparently no signs of a coup around the Kremlin leader’s chair: “No one at the top has the motivation to challenge him.” Vladimir Putin is undisputed within the state leadership.

There had recently been explosive statements from Ukraine about Putin’s state of health. There they seemed to be firmly convinced that the now 69-year-old was in poor health.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s intelligence agency, told USA Today that the Kremlin boss “doesn’t have a long life ahead of him”. However, it is currently not possible to independently verify how Putin’s health really is.

With regard to Russia’s military situation in Ukraine, the British army chief spoke. The Russian ground forces had lost their clout, he said. After setbacks in Ukraine, they may now pose less of a threat.

Nevertheless, there is no reason to give the all-clear. The country is “still a nuclear power”. And: Russia has “cyber skills, space skills and special underwater programs”. These programs could threaten the undersea cables that carry data across continents, the chief of staff said.

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Britain’s next Prime Minister must be clear that Russia is the UK’s “greatest threat” right now and will remain a challenge for decades to come.

The war in Ukraine will be the dominant topic at the military briefings for the successor to outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Radakin said. This probably also applies to Germany, according to the latest estimates from the federal government.

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