VLADIMIR Putin faces cancer surgery and will hand power to his shadowy spy chief, a Kremlin insider has claimed.
Putin’s health has been a source of speculation amid reports he is battling abdominal cancer and Parkinson’s Disease.
But now it has been reported the Russian leader, 69, could go under the knife with power switched to hardliner Nikolai Patrushev, 70, who is a key architect of the war strategy and the man who convinced Putin that Kyiv was awash with neo-Nazis.
Meanwhile, there are fears that Putin will soon declare a full-scale world war in “payback” after Ukraine continues to stall the advance of Russian troops.
Kremlin-controlled media has been careful not to refer to the invasion as a war – instead reffering to the conflict as a “special operation”.
According to The Telegraph, a source close to military officials said: “The military is outraged that the blitz on Kyiv has failed. People in the army are seeking payback for failures of the past and they want to go further in Ukraine.”
And UK defence secretary Ben Wallace said he expected Putin to use his May 9 address to declare “war with the world’s Nazis”, telling LBC: “He is probably going to declare on May Day that, ‘We are now at war with the world’s Nazis and we need to massmobilise the Russian people’.
“Putin, having failed in nearly all objectives, may seek to consolidate what he’s got and just be a sort of cancerous growth within the country. We have to help Ukrainians and keep the momentum pushing them back.”
Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…
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Red Cross confirms evacuation from Mariupol is under way
It has been reported that the International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed that an evacuation of civilians from Mariupol is under way.
A spokesman said: “The ICRC confirms that a safe passage operation is ongoing, in coordination with the UN and the parties to the conflict.
“The convoy to evacuate civilians started on 29 April, travelled some 230 kilometres and reached the plant in Mariupol on Saturday morning, local time.
“The ICRC insists on the fact that no details can be shared until the situation allows, as it could seriously jeopardize the safety of the civilians and the convoy. Relevant local authorities are communicating with the civilians about practical details.”
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Does Vladimir Putin have cancer?
On April 30, it was reported that “Putin has discussed that he will be undergoing medical procedures.”
The Kremlin insider added: “We know very well that he has cancer, and Parkinson’s disease, as we have said many times.
“It was possible to contain it for some time, but now the course of the disease is progressing.”
In February 2020, Political analyst Valery Solovei claimed he has been told the president has been treated for cancer.
He claimed to have sources in the Kremlin who were “at the epicentre of decision making”.
Solovei claimed Putin underwent surgery and another Russian source went on to claim it was an abdominal cancer operation.
The claims that Putin has cancer and had undergone emergency surgery were not confirmed or denied by the Kremlin at the time.
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Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund
PICTURES of women and children fleeing the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities have moved Sun readers to tears.
Many of you want to help the five million caught in the chaos — and now you can, by donating to The Sun’s Ukraine Fund.
Give as little as £3 or as much as you can afford and every penny will be donated to the Red Cross on the ground helping women, children, the old, the infirm and the wounded.
Donate here to help The Sun’s fund
Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles
£3 — text SUN£3
£5 — text SUN£5
£10 — text SUN£10Texts cost your chosen donation amount (e.g. £5) +1 standard message (we receive 100%). For full T&Cs visit redcross.org.uk/mobile
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Tiny Mad Max style buggies used by Ukrainians to destroy monster Russian tanks
HERO Ukrainians are using tiny Mad Max style buggies to obliterate monster Russian tanks – and even take down planes.
Mounted with Stugna-P anti-tank guided missile systems on their roofs, the nippy two-seater vehicles are wreaking havoc for Vladimir Putin‘s forces as they are wielded by Ukrainian defenders.
Russian troops have suffered severe losses since the war began in February with Ukraine claiming it has killed more than 23,000 of Moscow’s soldiers.
The wrecks of Putin’s war machines also litter the land he ordered his forces to invade as Ukraine also claims it has destroyed more than 1,000 tanks, 2,400 armoured vehicles and 345 aircraft.
The brave defenders have been using inexpensive battle buggies amid their display of defiance that has stunned the world.
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Chernobyl getting reliable power
Ukraine’s state electricity operator Ukrenergo says it has restored reliable power to the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Ukrenergo says the last 330 kV power line has been reconnected there.
Earlier, it says, another 330kV line came back on stream, north of Kyiv, which “made it possible to improve the reliability of power supply to the capital”.
In a Facebook post, Ukrenergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said: “After the departure of the Russians, our repairmen immediately after the sappers investigated dozens of kilometres of lines, restored the resistance and other equipment.”
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It’s alleged Putin is suffering from symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
It is also alleged Putin is suffering from symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.
Solovei said of Putin’s twin health traumas: “One is of psycho-neurological nature, the other is a cancer problem.
“If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I’m not a doctor, and I have no ethical right to reveal these problems.
”The second diagnosis is a lot, lot more dangerous than the first named diagnosis, as Parkinson’s does not threaten physical state, but just limits public appearances.
“But there is a fatal diagnosis.
“Based on this information people will be able to make a conclusion about his life horizon, which wouldn’t even require specialist medical education.”
Observers who studied footage at the time noted his legs appeared to be in constant motion and he looked to be in pain while clutching the armrest of a chair.
His fingers are also seen to be twitching as he held a pen and gripped a cup rumoured to contain a cocktail of painkillers.
The Kremlin issued a firm denial after The Sun broke news of Solovei’s claims that Putin had Parkinson’s.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted there were no plans to quit, adding: “He is in excellent health.”
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Russian soldier ‘blown up during live stream as he bragged about killing Ukrainians’
DRAMATIC footage shared online appears to show a Russian soldier being blown up during a live stream.
The young soldier can be seen filming himself walking through a warzone as he apparently bragged about killing Ukrainians.
The unverified clip that was shared by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, shows the man talking to the camera.
He appears to be saying: “The main task is done with an A+ mark. We have a total of three wounded.”
Moments later a massive explosion knocks him to the ground.
It is currently unknown whether the soldier survived the blast.
-
Does Vladimir Putin have cancer?
On April 30, it was reported that “Putin has discussed that he will be undergoing medical procedures.”
The Kremlin insider added: “We know very well that he has cancer, and Parkinson’s disease, as we have said many times.
“It was possible to contain it for some time, but now the course of the disease is progressing.”
In February 2020, Political analyst Valery Solovei claimed he has been told the president has been treated for cancer.
He claimed to have sources in the Kremlin who were “at the epicentre of decision making”.
Solovei claimed Putin underwent surgery and another Russian source went on to claim it was an abdominal cancer operation.
The claims that Putin has cancer and had undergone emergency surgery were not confirmed or denied by the Kremlin at the time.
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Putin’s top military commander wounded in Ukraine
Putin’s top military commander has been wounded in Ukraine and was sent back to Russia just days after he arrived to take charge of the war.
The Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov had been sent by Putin to take personal control of his push to grab territory in Donbas and eastern Ukraine.
The unconfirmed claim is that Gerasimov, 66, was wounded in Izyum in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which is at the centre of intense fighting, and where Russia’s ninth general Maj-Gen Andrei Simonov, 55, was killed, according to reports today.
An unofficial Russian source reported that Gerasimov sustained “a shrapnel wound in the upper third of the right leg without a bone fracture.
“The shard was removed – there is no danger to life.”
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Putin has ‘two sons with secret gymnast lover says medic who delivered them’
Vladimir Putin has two sons with his secret gymnast lover, the doctor who delivered the boys has reportedly confirmed.
The 69-year-old Russian tyrant has long rumoured to be in a relationship with Alina Kabaeva, 38, but fresh details have now emerged about their two sons.
Alina is said to live the life of a First Lady of Russia, with a fleet of limousines at her disposal and a squad of machine gun-toting security guards for her protection.
But while Putin acknowledges his two daughters from his marriage which ended in 2013 he has kept his relationship with Kabaeva, as well as any other children, under wraps.
Now the Swiss newspaper Sonntagszeitung has revealed he has two sons by her, with one born in Switzerland in 2015 amid huge security and the other in 2019 in Russia.
The fresh detail contradicts rumours that Putin and the Olympic gold medal winner had twins in 2018.
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Putin faces disappearing for cancer surgery, insider claims
VLADIMIR Putin faces cancer surgery and will hand power to his shadowy spy chief, a Kremlin insider has claimed.
The tyrant’s health has been a source of speculation amid reports he is battling abdominal cancer and Parkinson’s Disease.
But now it has been reported Putin, 69, could go under the knife with power switched to hardliner Nikolai Patrushev, 70.
He is seen as a key architect of the war strategy and the man who convinced Putin that Kyiv was awash with neo-Nazis.
The claim was reported on dissident Russianspeaking media outlet General SVR, which first raised issues of Putin’s health 18 months ago.
The outlet released a video of an anonymous former high-ranking Kremlin military figure saying: “Doctors insist Putin needs an operation but the date has not been determined.”
The source said the choice of Patrushev standing in even “for a short time” was “the worst option”. He added: “What if, all of a sudden, Putin manifests particularly severe health problems?”
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Pope Francis slams Ukraine war as a ‘regression of humanity’
Pope Francis on Sunday described the war in Ukraine as a “macabre regression of humanity” that makes him “suffer and cry”, calling for humanitarian corridors to evacuate people trapped in the Mariupol steelworks.
Speaking to thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square for his noon blessing, Francis again implicitly criticised Russia.
In Roman Catholicism, the month of May is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Francis asked for month-long prayers for peace in Ukraine.
“My thoughts go immediately to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the city of Mary, barbarously bombarded and destroyed,” he said of the mostly Russian-controlled southeastern port city, which is named after Mary.
“I suffer and cry thinking of the suffering of the Ukrainian population, in particular the weakest, the elderly, the children,” he said.
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Ninth Russian general killed in devastating Ukrainian attack
VLADIMIR Putin has lost his ninth general while fighting in Ukraine following an attack on a military base.
The tyrant’s war has taken a toll on Russia’s army as Major General Andrei Simonov became the most recent top commander to die in battle.
Simonov, head of the 2nd Combined Arms Army, was reportedly killed near the city of Izyum in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, Kyiv Post reports.
Footage shared on social media appears to show the strike from a rocket salvo.
The attack also reportedly destroyed over 30 Russian armoured vehicles, including tanks.
Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said during an interview that about 100 Russians were killed in the attack, including Simonov.
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Is Vladimir Putin ill?
Photos of Vladimir Putin have appeared to show him with a bloated face.
The images were released before Russia was slammed for bombing the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial in Kyiv.
Fiona Hill, the British former senior White House expert on Russia, told Politico: “Putin’s not looking so great, he’s been rather puffy-faced.
Hill added that it is known that the 69-year-old has back issues but it could be “something worse”.
She said: “It could be that he’s taking high doses of steroids, or there may be something else.”
On April 30, reports from a Kremlin insider claimed that Putin “will be undergoing medical procedures.”
The source confirmed that a date is yet to be confirmed as “doctors insist that he needs an operation.”
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Inside cheapskate Russian army’s shoddy equipment
Russian soldiers have been complaining bitterly about their shoddy equipment, including flimsy helmets and useless first-aid kids.
In a viral video, a soldier crushes a Russian helmet with just his foot to show how poor quality they are.
Putin‘s mercenaries have also shared pictures of their inferior first-aid kits alongside the Ukrainian one, to show the contrast in equipment.
The Ukrainian kit seems to contain a number of tools, including scissors, an intubation tube to help someone breathe with a blocked airway, and much more.
In contrast, Russian troops have been sent to war with a kit appearing to contain nothing more than several instruction manuals and something to tie off a tourniquet.
Russian mercenaries who allegedly posted the picture on social media complained: “This is what Putin and Shoigu brought us,” referring to the defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
The photo’s original source is unclear, but it’s believed it was originally shared on several popular Russian Telegram accounts and blogs, including one which is crowdfunding to buy Putin’s soldiers equipment.
-
Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund
PICTURES of women and children fleeing the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities have moved Sun readers to tears.
Many of you want to help the five million caught in the chaos — and now you can, by donating to The Sun’s Ukraine Fund.
Give as little as £3 or as much as you can afford and every penny will be donated to the Red Cross on the ground helping women, children, the old, the infirm and the wounded.
Donate here to help The Sun’s fund
Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles
£3 — text SUN£3
£5 — text SUN£5
£10 — text SUN£10Texts cost your chosen donation amount (e.g. £5) +1 standard message (we receive 100%). For full T&Cs visit redcross.org.uk/mobile
-
Tiny Mad Max style buggies used by Ukrainians to destroy monster Russian tanks
HERO Ukrainians are using tiny Mad Max style buggies to obliterate monster Russian tanks – and even take down planes.
Mounted with Stugna-P anti-tank guided missile systems on their roofs, the nippy two-seater vehicles are wreaking havoc for Vladimir Putin‘s forces as they are wielded by Ukrainian defenders.
Russian troops have suffered severe losses since the war began in February with Ukraine claiming it has killed more than 23,000 of Moscow’s soldiers.
The wrecks of Putin’s war machines also litter the land he ordered his forces to invade as Ukraine also claims it has destroyed more than 1,000 tanks, 2,400 armoured vehicles and 345 aircraft.
The brave defenders have been using inexpensive battle buggies amid their display of defiance that has stunned the world.
-
Chernobyl getting reliable power
Ukraine’s state electricity operator Ukrenergo says it has restored reliable power to the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Ukrenergo says the last 330 kV power line has been reconnected there.
Earlier, it says, another 330kV line came back on stream, north of Kyiv, which “made it possible to improve the reliability of power supply to the capital”.
In a Facebook post, Ukrenergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said: “After the departure of the Russians, our repairmen immediately after the sappers investigated dozens of kilometres of lines, restored the resistance and other equipment.”
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Evacuation from other parts of Mariupol postponed
Earlier it was reported that Mariupol City Council had invited residents to gather at a mall at 1600 local time as an evacuation could be possible.
But now the council has said in a post on Telegram that this evacuation has been postponed for security reasons until 0800 local time tomorrow.
-
It’s alleged Putin is suffering from symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
It is also alleged Putin is suffering from symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.
Solovei said of Putin’s twin health traumas: “One is of psycho-neurological nature, the other is a cancer problem.
“If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I’m not a doctor, and I have no ethical right to reveal these problems.
”The second diagnosis is a lot, lot more dangerous than the first named diagnosis, as Parkinson’s does not threaten physical state, but just limits public appearances.
“But there is a fatal diagnosis.
“Based on this information people will be able to make a conclusion about his life horizon, which wouldn’t even require specialist medical education.”
Observers who studied footage at the time noted his legs appeared to be in constant motion and he looked to be in pain while clutching the armrest of a chair.
His fingers are also seen to be twitching as he held a pen and gripped a cup rumoured to contain a cocktail of painkillers.
The Kremlin issued a firm denial after The Sun broke news of Solovei’s claims that Putin had Parkinson’s.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted there were no plans to quit, adding: “He is in excellent health.”
-
Russian soldier ‘blown up during live stream as he bragged about killing Ukrainians’
DRAMATIC footage shared online appears to show a Russian soldier being blown up during a live stream.
The young soldier can be seen filming himself walking through a warzone as he apparently bragged about killing Ukrainians.
The unverified clip that was shared by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, shows the man talking to the camera.
He appears to be saying: “The main task is done with an A+ mark. We have a total of three wounded.”
Moments later a massive explosion knocks him to the ground.
It is currently unknown whether the soldier survived the blast.
-
Does Vladimir Putin have cancer?
On April 30, it was reported that “Putin has discussed that he will be undergoing medical procedures.”
The Kremlin insider added: “We know very well that he has cancer, and Parkinson’s disease, as we have said many times.
“It was possible to contain it for some time, but now the course of the disease is progressing.”
In February 2020, Political analyst Valery Solovei claimed he has been told the president has been treated for cancer.
He claimed to have sources in the Kremlin who were “at the epicentre of decision making”.
Solovei claimed Putin underwent surgery and another Russian source went on to claim it was an abdominal cancer operation.
The claims that Putin has cancer and had undergone emergency surgery were not confirmed or denied by the Kremlin at the time.
-
Putin’s top military commander wounded in Ukraine
Putin’s top military commander has been wounded in Ukraine and was sent back to Russia just days after he arrived to take charge of the war.
The Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov had been sent by Putin to take personal control of his push to grab territory in Donbas and eastern Ukraine.
The unconfirmed claim is that Gerasimov, 66, was wounded in Izyum in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which is at the centre of intense fighting, and where Russia’s ninth general Maj-Gen Andrei Simonov, 55, was killed, according to reports today.
An unofficial Russian source reported that Gerasimov sustained “a shrapnel wound in the upper third of the right leg without a bone fracture.
“The shard was removed – there is no danger to life.”
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First group of 100 people leaves Azovstal
The Ukrainian president has tweeted that the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal steelworks in the southern city of Mariupol has begun.
He has said that a group of about 100 people the first to leave.
They’re expected to arrive in the town of Zaporizhzhia tomorrow.
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UN confirm evacuation
A United Nations spokesperson has confirmed that the evacuation of civilians from the southern port city of Mariupol is taking place.
Ukrainian officials say there about 1,000 civilians and more than 500 wounded soldiers trapped at the industrial complex.
There are also an estimated 100,000 residents living without water, gas or communications in the wider city.