Paranoid Putin's life underground with tasters checking every meal for poison

Russian despot Vladimir Putin may already be dead, British intelligence chiefs believe.Senior MI6 bosses say the Russian president has been seriously ill and that if he had died, his cronies would hush it up to keep power for as long as possible.A source told the Daily Star Sunday that Putin’s recent media appearances had very probably been pre-recorded.A body double may also have been used at public events, like the Moscow Victory Day Parade earlier this month.One intelligence source said: “Putin is very ill and when he dies his death will be kept secret for weeks, if not months.“There is also the possibility that he is already dead. It’s impossible to know.

Putin has ordered troops to fire a terrifying and “unstoppable” new hypersonic missile at targets in the White Sea, Moscow claims.The destructive Zircon weapon has been developed over a period of at least four years and is capable of hitting locations a whopping 620 miles away at a speed of 7,000mph.Russia ’s Ministry of Defence told Kremlin-backed news organisation TASS: "Today, the lead frigate of Project 22350 Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile at a sea target position in the White Sea from the Barents Sea.” They boasted their missile was able to go "so high that it prevents the opponent's air defence system from detecting its impact in time". It comes as the evil Russian President intensifies his invasion of Ukraine with a horrific “scorched earth” policy that aims to eliminate opposition in the eastern European country.

Russia's despotic President Vladimir Putin has ramped up his invasion of Ukraine, and is now employing a “scorched-earth policy”, according to a top Ukrainian commander. Petro Kuzyk has been leading the National Guard Rapid Reponse brigade in the fight to defence the embattled city of Severodonetsk.The area has become Putin's main target of violence in recent weeks, as he attempts to save face in the invasion which has gone on around three months longer than he had originally planned.Commander Kuzyk told local media that around 500 Russian shells were hitting the city every hour.He said, in a video interview showing him sitting on the floor, smoking a cigarette while surrounded by supplies: “We have intelligence that huge columns of tanks are moving in the direction of Severodonetsk.“This tactic has been tested, it does them little good, but thanks to massive shelling, they can move forward — because they are destroying positions, trenches and buildings step by step.“They did not capture Rubizhne — they wiped it off the face of the earth.“We are catastrophically short of artillery-systems, accurate, counter-battery systems that destroy enemy artillery from a long distance.“Here, they still have an advantage in artillery.”The Eastern city has become the new focus of Putin's troops.The area is now being dubbed the “new Mariupol”, after Putin's forces levelled that city early on into the invasion.Commander Kuzyk added: “We do not have enough multiple launch rocket systems that hit the target.“We need to more or less close the sky — it’s either serious air defence systems, or fighter aircraft.

Vladimir Putin’s nuclear “doomsday arsenal” could obliterate life on Earth – but the Russian President may not be able to deploy the missiles alone, an expert has claimed. With the war in Ukraine having dragged on for over three months, the threat of Putin deploying his nuclear missiles has so far prevented NATO forces from intervening directly in the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s removal from being a dictator is reportedly being discussed by the Russian elite, according to an incriminating new report.

Vladimir Putin's bluff after suggesting over half of their nuclear missiles "do not work". The news comes after a fresh threat to the West this week, with the head of Russia's space agency claimed the country has 50 new nuclear missiles.Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos and a close allay of the Russian president, said an array of Sarmat-2 missiles – measuring 14 storeys tall and weighing 208 tons – will be deployed by the autumn to remind the world of Russia's capabilities.But in March, three US officials with intelligence on Russian warheads claimed that around 60 percent of Moscow's missiles are in fact inoperative.Fears of a nuclear-armed conflict have been one of the main themes of the debate about how to deal with Russia after the Kremlin ordered its invasion of Ukraine back in early February.

Vladimir Putin’s closest allies has issued a bizarre vision of a "new world order" to the UN. Since Russian President Putin invaded Ukraine in February he’s been blacklisted by almost every major country, except a handful, such as Belarus.Now the country's president Alexander Lukashenko has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres to explain Putin’s sordid reasoning for violating Ukraine’s sovereignty.According to Belarussian TV, the letter, dated May 18, urged the UN to welcome in a "new world order" where all sovereign states have "security guarantees" and warned that the Ukraine conflict would have "devastating consequences" if not.Lukashenko repeated Putin’s threat that, unless “security guarantees” were forthcoming, the Ukraine war would become “protracted with devastating consequences”.He reportedly said: “Belarus calls on the countries of the world to unite and prevent the regional conflict in Europe from escalating into a full-scale world war.”He went on to stress that the US and NATO were violating Putin’s grand ‘new world order’ by sending weapons to Ukraine.He continued: “Together and each in our role, we can do a lot today: refrain from the supply of weapons.”“Today, the world, unfortunately, forgets that Belarusians have never been a threat to any of their neighbours.“We are not aggressors, as some states try to present us.

Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine by unanimously chanting ‘f*** the war’. Footage has emerged of the of the defiant scene which is thought to have taken place at a show for Russian band Kis-Kis on Friday night.Shortly after Russian troops moved in on Ukraine, Putin introduced new legislation targeting free speech.At least 2,000 people have been fined and 133 others are facing prison time for their supposed non-compliance.However, in spite of the legislation, this hasn't stopped the defiance as the events in St Petersburg came hot on the heels of Russian singer Yuri Shevchuk, from 1980s band DDT, charged with "discrediting" Putin’s military for sharing his opposition to the war at his show last week.

Russia does not win the war in Ukraine. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been consistently backed by state TV stooges, with one raving that nuclear missiles could wipe out in the UK in “202 seconds”.And, as the war draws on into its fourth month, and with little signs of Russian progress, a US senator recently warned that Putin could launch a nuclear attack out of desperation.Now, addressing how long the war might continue for on Russian state TV, Margarita Simonyan issued a stark threat to any doubters about Russia’s ability to take on the West.“They all believe that we will lose and the West will win,” she began, in a clip translated and shared on Twitter by Julia Davis.“They don’t understand that it’s simply impossible, it will never happen.“Either we win, or this will end badly for all of humanity.

Vladimir Putin will soon unleash a bloody barrel bomb campaign in Ukraine after he brought in troops linked to the brutal Syrian army.The under-pressure Russian president has taken on 50 lethal weapons specialists to work alongside his own officials as they prepare to begin a new stage in the conflict, according to European intelligence officers speaking to the Guardian.Barrel bombs, containers packed with explosives and projectiles that are dropped from helicopters, killed more than 11,000 civilians in Syria after the outbreak of civil war in 2012 — including 1,821 children.Human rights groups have since accused airborne forces from Bashar al-Assad's government of using the weapon indiscriminately to unleash fear and terror upon entire populations.Now it is being claimed that the Russian army is planning to bring in men from its Middle Eastern allies to revive the flailing war effort in Ukraine, though some experts believe significant differences between the two conflicts may doom them to failure.Asserting that the western-backed and air-equipped Ukrainian army would be a much more difficult foe than the rebel groups in Syria, one European official told The Guardian: “This is probably why we haven’t seen them cross the border”“We know the capacity is there, but if they use it, they lose; we will know who’s done it, and they will likely be killed anyway.”Intelligence sources claim around 800 and 1,000 Syrian troops have volunteered to fight for the Russian army.Those wishing to travel to Europe to serve are said to have been promised salaries of $1,500 - $4,000 (£1200 - £3200) when they join the frontline, which is around ten times more than they would earn in their own country amid a prolonged economic crisis.Back on

Vladimir Putin underwent "successful" cancer surgery last week as the Kremlin used "deepfake" technology to pretend that he was still working, it has been claimed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin survived an assassination attempt two months ago, Ukraine intelligence claims. A hit on the tyrant at the start of his invasion on Ukraine fell through and proved to be nothing more than an "unsuccessful attempt" on his life, according to Ukraine's Chief of Defence Intelligence.Kyrylo Budanov has claimed Putin was attacked in the Caucasus in an assassination plot which has remained hidden under wraps since it happened.In an interview which will be broadcast in full tomorrow (Tuesday, May 24), Mr Budanov told Ukrainian Pravda: "Putin was assassinated…"He was even attacked in the line of, as they say, representatives of the Caucasus not so long ago."This is non-public information.

Vladimir Putin is struggling with another wave of massive military losses in Ukraine. It comes as military chiefs in Ukraine say their army killed 'hundreds' of Russian troops as they attempted to advance across the strategically vital Seversky Donets River in the east of the nation.

Vladimir Putin could soon be admitted to a sanatorium, one former MI6 boss claims.

Vladimir Putin could be shipped off to a sanatorium to avoid a coup in the Russian government, the former boss of MI6 has claimed. The brutal Russian leader is rumoured to be suffering with cancer and Parkinson's disease and theories have circulated that he will soon lose his grip on power.

Christopher Vourlias Russia may have been cut off from much of the international film community, but here at Cannes, members of the country’s media business are quietly trying to line up deals.Nearly three months into the war in Ukraine, the leadership of the film festival has spent its opening week fielding questions about its stance on Russia. Festival chief Thierry Frémaux, for instance, was grilled over the inclusion of competition title “Tchaikovsky’s Wife,” a movie with financial ties to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Vladimir Putin faced further humiliation after Russian missile strikes on Odesa succeeded in only destroying a public toilet on a beach.The Black Sea port plays a vital role in Ukraine's overall economy and is currently under a Russian naval blockade. The city is a key strategic target for the Russians and has been subjected to heavy bombardment.However, Russian commanders appeared to get their targets confused after wiping out a beach toilet in the city instead.The destruction of the public bathroom was confirmed in a statement issued by Ukraine's southern operational command.They said: "Another missile strike with the use of aircraft was inflicted on the Odesa region."With air-based missiles, the enemy significantly 'damaged the air' in the southern Odesa region."The beach toilet was destroyed.

Ukraine invasion, an independent investigation has found that he has been ill for five years. Independent Russian media outlet Proekt looked into Vladimir Putin's lengthy public absences and medical visits from 2017, surmising that he has been ill since then.

dog ­callously abandoned by Russian soldiers has swapped sides and is now saving Ukrainian lives.Three-year-old Max was found starving and close to death in an area which has seen some of the worst fighting since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion.The Belgian Malinois was nursed back to health and handed over to Ukrainian troops.He has been trained to understand Ukrainian and now has a new life ­sniffing out booby traps and unexploded mines. A member of the National Guard of Ukraine, named Dmitry, said: “From now on, Max will serve on the right side, defending Ukraine and nibbling Russian asses.” His comrade added: “Max has become a real favourite with the guards.“We can’t understand why the Russians would leave behind such as lovely animal.“Ukrainians love dogs, they regard them as part of the family.”Max belonged to Kremlin troops who had captured a village in the Mykolaiv region close to the Black Sea.He was dumped when Mad Vlad’s ­forces retreated, and survived by eating ­rotting food.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here. When he was found he was still wearing a camouflage collar ­issued to Russian military dogs.

Vladimir Putin claims the Russian President has suffered from cancer.American filmmaker and Oscar-winner Oliver Stone was previously granted unprecedented access to Putin over a two-year period.As a result, he can give a better insight into the Kremlin leader than most. During a podcast, Stone claimed that Putin has previously been diagnosed with and overcame cancer.

Putin looks “puffy” with physical signs of “weariness” as his brutal war in Ukraine continues to stall amid Russian military failures, claims a body language expert. The bonkers Russian dictator was seen leaning with his hands on a table as he spoke to a Security Council meeting earlier today (May 20).Reports coming from Ukraine following his country’s bloody invasion haven’t been good for the former-KGB agent, with his top generals reportedly starting to plan for a loss in eastern Europe after heavy casualities.Putin’s health has also been called into question with top officials in the Kremlin considering ousting their leader.Body language expert Judi James told The Mirror that he looked drained in his latest appearance.She explained: “His body pose suggests lowered energy levels.