Sir Richard Dearlove was head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6, from 1999 to 2004. He made the predictions about Putin on Wednesday during an episode of the podcast One Decision, which he co-hosts.
“I’m really going to stick my neck out. I think he’ll be gone by 2023. But probably into the sanatorium, from which he will not emerge as the leader of Russia,” he said, adding that the sanatorium would be a way to move Putin out of power without a coup.
What happens if #Putin loses power? The former head of MI6 shares his thoughts on what happens to #Russia and Europe post-Putin. Hear it all exclusively on One Decision. #UkraineRussianWar https://t.co/lK8uvNlWdq pic.twitter.com/jNcZcxDOJA
— onedecisionpodcast (@onedecisionpod) May 22, 2022
Dearlove’s prediction is in step with other recent reports suggesting Putin is ill and could soon lose power.
Bellingcat’s Christo Grozev, an expert on Russian security, said last week top Kremlin security officials believe the war in Ukraine is “lost” and that Putin is losing his grip on power.
Ukraine military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told Sky News last week Putin was in “a very bad psychological and physical condition and he is very sick.” Budanov also said he was “optimistic” Ukraine would prevail and that the war would be “over by the end of the year.”
Former British spy Christopher Steele recently said sources told him Putin is seriously ill and regularly leaves meetings for medical treatment, contributing to “increasing disarray in the Kremlin.”
The state of Putin’s health cannot be confirmed, though his rumored conditions include ailments like dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and blood cancer.
Dearlove also said there is no succession plan in Russian leadership, but said if Putin did enter a medical facility, the most likely person to step up is Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Security Council of Russia.
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