Russian President Putin Is 'Seriously Ill', Claim Ex-Spy, Others: Reports

"It's not clear exactly what this illness is – whether it's incurable or terminal," the former British spy said.

File photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin

(Photo: PTI)

Eighty-two days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, several reports have surfaced suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "seriously ill."

A former British spy, Christopher Steele, who ran the Russia desk at MI6 in London between 2006 and 2009 and worked there in the 1990s, has reportedly said that Putin is "seriously ill," and that it is an "element" of what is happening in Ukraine.

He added, "It's not clear exactly what this illness is – whether it's incurable or terminal, or whatever. But certainly, I think it's part of the equation," Sky News reported.

Steele, who had written a dossier on Donald Trump alleging Russian interference in the 2016 US election campaign, further said, "Certainly, from what we're hearing from sources in Russia and elsewhere, is that Putin is, in fact, quite seriously ill."

The spy's comments also come after Ukrainian Major General Kyrylo Budanov told Sky News that the Russian leader was seriously ill with cancer and that a coup to remove him was underway in Russia.

Meanwhile, an oligarch with close ties to Putin has reportedly been recorded as saying that "Putin is very ill with blood cancer."

In a recording obtained by a US magazine New Lines, the oligarch was heard discussing Putin's health with a Western venture capitalist.

Speculations around the Russian president's health come after public appearances in which he was said to have looked visibly weak.

(With inputs from Sky News.)