Putin has developed ‘messianic obsession’ due to Covid isolation, warns ex-NATO chief

Hoda Kotb is not afraid to admit about the influence he had when it came to naming her two daughters, Haley Joy and Hope Catherine.MORE: Today stars receive years-in-the-making surprise live on-airAlongside Jenna Bush Hager, the two Today hosts recently opened up about the inspirations and meanings behind their girls' names, both having two daughters.The mom-of-two hinted at how having waited so long to have children, and going through the adoption process with both, inspired her name choices.WATCH: Jenna  'hustled' to get to Hoda after emotional Today Show episodeMORE: Hoda Kotb gets candid about dating again following split from fiancé Joel SchiffmanWith Haley, she explained: "She seemed so one in a million," which made her think of Halley's Comet, one of the most iconic space phenomena in the world, which occurs once every 75 years.Her middle name was her sister's suggestion, an idea that came easily to her when Hoda would tell her what a "joy" her new baby was.For Hope, she admitted: "It was such a no-brainer, it was such an easy pick."A post shared by TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@hodaandjenna)The hearfelt conversationReferencing being with Joel at the time, and their wish of having children, she explained: "That's what we'd been doing, was hoping, and then she came. That was just simple."MORE: Hoda Kotb returns to social media after absence - and her family photo is the sweetestMORE: Hoda Kotb is all smiles during night out supporting Jennifer LopezThe two co-hosts went on to discuss just how right their choices felt, with Jenna opening up about how she came up with the names Mila and Poppy.

Mary J. Blige announces her Good Morning Gorgeous tour presented by Hologic in partnership with The Black Promoters Collective.

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.

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.

Vladimir Putin after Russia claimed it was using a new laser weapon which can destroy drones and blind satellites. The Ukrainian President laughed away the suggestions regarding the new Peresvet weapon system, comparing Russia's claims to similar ones made by the Nazis during World War Two.

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Vladimir Putin as his ailing health has plunged the Kremlin into chaos, a former British intelligence officer has said.The Russian president is constantly surrounded by a team of doctors and requires around-the-clock care, according to Christopher Steele who used to run the Russia desk at MI6.Speaking to Eddie Mair on LBC, he said the "exact details" of Putin's ill health remain shrouded in mystery, with even the Russian leader's high-ranking colleagues being kept in the dark.But Mr Steele said it is clear the former KGB officer is seriously unwell and that his poor health is starting to have an effect on Moscow as it wages war on Ukraine.He said: "He's constantly accompanied around the place by a team of doctors. "Meetings of the security council that are shown to supposedly last for a whole hour are actually broken up into several sections, he goes out and receives some kind of medical treatment between those sections."So, clearly, he is seriously ill - how terminal or incurable it is is not clear, we can't be entirely sure."But it's certainly having a very serious impact on the governance of Russia at the moment."Speculation has been mounting over the true nature of Putin's medical issues, with some reports claiming he has been struck down with cancer and is receiving chemotherapy and steroid treatment.Other claims suggest Putin is suffering with Parkinson's disease or the early stages of dementia.

Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine are still hard to come by, the Russian media has begun to report deaths among the invading force. Russian news site Chita reported this week that crack sniper Sergei Tsarkov had been killed in combat, and has posthumously been awarded the Order of Courage medal.

Vladimir Putin after it was revealed some chiefs reckon the war in Ukraine is lost. A possible coup against the Russian despot is a possibility, a Russian analyst has claimed, while the chances of a nuclear strike are receding after Putin loses trust of top security officials.Leading security officials believe Putin will not be in power in three months time, Moscow expert and investigative journalist Christo Grozev has claimed.Speaking to Radio Liberty, Grozev said: "I think that it is the informed elite within the security forces who understand that the war is lost." Russian security officials understand Putin would need mass mobilisation to win the war, but that it would cause a "social explosion" in Russia, with others saying that "enough is enough" and it is "better not to waste" the lives of soldiers and officers.

Vladimir Putin's two daughters are kept well away from the public spotlight, with his grandchildren even more of a closely guarded secret.

Vladimir Putin is possibly the most volatile man on the planet, but luckily even he seems averse to using nuclear weaponry - at least for the moment. Due to the British government arming Ukraine with high-tech weaponry, talk of Putin bombing the UK with nuclear weapons has been ramped up on Russian state TV.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to cough and splutter, while again gripping the table, during a meeting with the boss of a state-owned defence company today (Wednesday, May 18). During the televised chat in Moscow with Sergey Chemezov of Rostec, the despot clung to the table as he did last month during a meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow, adding to rumours he is severly ill.

Vladimir Putin a night of elderly passion in exchange for peace for Ukraine. The 70-year-old, who was previously married to American artist Jeff Koons offered up the steamy evening in an Instagram post, where she offered herself to the Russian president for him to end his invasion.Russian forces first entered Ukraine on February 24, and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have continually stalled.But Cicciolina, a former politician in the Italian parliament and singer of raunchy songs, believes her offer could persuade the Russian president into bringing peace to Ukraine.Taking to Instagram, the former porn star wrote: "My message of peace, against war and for Russian President Putin.

Christopher Vourlias Despite widespread calls to boycott Russian cinema in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, the Cannes Film Festival struck an uneasy compromise by banning state delegations and Russians with ties to President Vladimir Putin while allowing individual filmmakers to attend.It’s a decision iconoclastic Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov was quick to support on the eve of the world premiere of his latest feature, “Tchaikovsky’s Wife,” which bows in competition on May 18.The director was a no-show at his last two Cannes premieres due in no small part to a history of provocation and dissent against the Russian government. But Serebrennikov – who after a nearly five-year legal ordeal learned on March 28 that he could leave Russia a free man – insists that the type of subversive cinema he creates should be separated from pro-Kremlin propaganda and the “paranoid ideology” of the Putin regime. “Russian culture is about the fragility of life.

Vladimir Putin deploying his forces to move nuclear-capable missiles towards Russia's border with Finland amid fears over the latter joining NATO. A video posted yesterday (Monday, May 16) purportedly shows the deployment of mobile Iskander missiles from a motorway on the way to Vyborg, a western Russian town close to the Finnish border.

Vladimir Putin has been seen manically shuffling his feet and looking frail during a meeting with a head of state, while a body language expert claims he looks “astonishingly weakened”.

Nina Kraviz and her трип (Trip Recordings) label have been dropped from Clone Distribution after its founder alleged that she harbours “pro-Putin” views.The Russian DJ hasn’t spoken publicly about Russia’s war against Ukraine except for posting a video in February of a handwritten note with the word “peace” written in Russian.NME has contacted Kraviz’s representatives for comment about the allegations.Clone Recordings founder Serge Verschuur outlined the decision in a blog post last week (May 12) in which he criticised Kraviz for her alleged “pro-Putin” views and “CCCP/USSR sentiments”, claiming that she is “using Putin’s law as an excuse not to speak out”.A post shared by Nina Kraviz (@ninakraviz)In a recent article, Time magazine collected responses from several prominent members of the electronic music scenes in Ukraine and Russia, including the Ukrainian DJ Nastia and the Russian DJ Buttechno, who have also criticised Kraviz’s apparent “silence” and asked her to provide clarity about her views on Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war.But Kraviz’s defenders have argued that the DJ has no involvement with the war in Ukraine and that freedom of speech includes the freedom to say nothing at all. A representative for Kraviz did not respond to Time‘s request for comment.Supporters in the Time article also cited Russia’s recently introduced laws that forbid anti-war protests, slogans and independent journalism, as well as the potential threats that come with being a Russian dissident.In Verschuur’s blog post he wrote that he supports Kravitz’s right to remain silent, but added that it puts an end to their business relationship.“Let me be very clear about the fact that it is her right to do so.

Vladimir Putin fidgeting his feet has sparked more health fear of the despot's health.The Russian despot was meeting with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon yesterday (Monday, May 16) to discuss the trade and commercial connections between the two countries.During the televised rendezvous as shared by Russian media, the 69-year-old Russian leader is seen erratically moving his left foot and twisting his toes and heels while talking to Rahmon.The unusual behaviour is also spotted by Rahmon, who can be seen looking down at Putin during his odd foot movement. Putin keeps his right arm on the chair while keeping his left hand on his lap.Rumours over Putin's deteriorating health have strengthened in recent months.Last month, the Russian president was seen shaking his hands "uncontrollably" when he met his close ally, Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko.During a meeting with his defence minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin also appeared unwell as he gripped the corner of the desk throughout the entire session and appeared to be slightly slumped in his chair.People on social media also noticed a change in Putin's physical appearance, describing him as "ashen and bloated".One Royal Navy admiral claimed the president, 69, may have cancer.Retired Royal Navy Admiral Chris Parry said: "He has been using these very long tables to interview people."I think his immune system might be suppressed at the moment.

war with Ukraine, according to a human rights lawyer.The comments come as harrowing reports of sexual assault by Vladimir Putin's troops on the front line continue to grow following the army's retreat from eastern areas of the nation.Activists from Human Rights Watch claim these are not isolated crimes, but part of a Russian strategy to instil further fear in Ukrainian citizens. Some women were even reportedly raped in public in an effort to terrify locals.Last month a soldier was detained back home after vile footage of a baby being raped was wildly circulated online.Similarly, a 14 year-old girl who was raped by five men in Bucha is now pregnant.Commenting on the horrifying reports, Kathleen Hallisey, Senior Associate at Hugh James Solicitors, said: "Given the depravity already displayed by Putin and his Russian forces in wiping out large swathes of Ukraine and massacring entire communities, it is perhaps unsurprising that Human Rights Watch has just released a report detailing rape and sexual violence by Russian soldiers against Ukrainian civilians, including babies and children."She added that while rape by Russian soldiers may be something people feel they "can do little about", it was in fact important that the public put pressure on politicians to pursue justice against senior military commanders who allow it to happen.