Vladimir Putin health news – CIA chief breaks silence on evil tyrant's shock cancer claims and insists 'he won't win' | The Sun
THERE is no intelligence to suggest tyrant Vladimir Putin is sick or unwell, according to a CIA expert.
Despite ongoing international speculation that Putin is sick, suffering with cancer or Parkinson's disease, a CIA chief has spoken out, saying Putin looks too "healthy".
William Burns, head of the CIA and Moscow expert, made a very rare public appearance, quashing Putin health rumours.
He said: "As far as we can tell he's probably too healthy," attributing this to an "informal" judgement.
Burns addressed a security forum in Aspen, Colorado.
In total he has spent 20 years liaising with the Russian dictator, during which time he was a US ambassador for Moscow.
The chief gave a chilling statement about Putin's view on Ukraine, saying: "He insists that Ukraine is not a real country, but real countries fight back."
Currently, the US estimates that Russian casualties have reached around 15,000 killed and perhaps 45,000 wounded, Mr Burns said.
Read our Ukraine war live blog below for the latest up-to-date news…
- Lauren Lomas
Putin looks sickly as he’s forced to wait for Turkish leader
The frail 69-year-old appeared visibly uncomfortable as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan kept him waiting ahead of their sit down in Tehran.
After slowly striding into the room, the tyrant seemed to become unsteady on his feet within just a matter of seconds on Tuesday.
Putin awkwardly shifts his weight while battling to keep composure as a crowd of photographers focus on the loitering Russian leader.
His continuous fidgeting and twitching face further highlighted his instability, sparking rumours the warmonger's health has took a turn for the worse.
Putin has become a shadow of his former strongman self in recent months, amid claims he is suffering from Parkinson's or terminal cancer.
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Lomas
Russia is ready to spread war further, said Kremlin foreign minister
Sergei Lavrov made a statement in a recent Russian state television interview.
He said Russia is no longer just focused "only" on the east of Ukraine, referencing the need to protect the nation's own security.
This comes after the western nations aided Ukraine's defence efforts.
The US pledged to give Ukraine long range weapons.
Russia must ensure it's own security, the foreign minister said.
- Lauren Lomas
British missiles help Ukrainian forces to blitz Russian bases
Missiles from Britain have let Ukrainian forces bombard Russian bases deep behind enemy lines.
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Volodymyr Havrylov said that the long-range rockets were a game changer in the battle against Vladimir Putin’s troops.
Speaking on a visit to a secret UK training base, where thousands of Ukrainian recruits are learning vital soldier skills, he said: “We are able to stop the advance of Russia in the East.
“We’ve stopped them in the South. Most importantly, they now have no resources and no guts to advance.
“The contribution of Great Britain in supporting Ukraine has been crucial and very critical.”
Click here to read more.
- henry moore
Russia ‘using energy as a weapon’ EU chief claims
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that Europe is set of an energy crisis if Russia continues to block gas supplies.
“Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon. And therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial, major cut-off of Russian gas or a total cut-off of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready,” von der Leyen told a news conference in Brussels.
“We have to be proactive. We have to prepare for a potential full disruption of Russian gas. And this is a likely scenario. That’s what we’ve seen in the past,” she went on to say.
“Assuming there is a full disruption of Russian gas, we need to save gas, to fill our gas storage faster, and to do so we have to reduce our gas consumption.”
- henry moore
EU agrees seventh round of sanctions
According to Reuters, the EU has approved the seventh round of sanctions on Russia, as it continues its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Designed to damage the country’s gold industry, the sanctions also target other industries and individuals.
This comes just hours after the Ukrainian minister for foreign affairs called for a new wave of sanctions.
- henry moore
Russia reveals plans to expand invasion efforts
A top Russian official has revealed that they plan to take over far more than just the the eastern Donbas border region.
In fact, according to Russia’s foreign minister, the invading nation plans to massively expand invasion efforts following the collapse of peach talks.
The minister told a Russian news outlet: “It’s far from just the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, it’s also Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and a number of other territories.”
- henry moore
Ukrainian leadership calls for more weapons
As the war in Ukraine rages on, Dmytro Kuleba, the country’s minister of foreign affairs, has called for the west to hit Russia with more sanctions.
The official also pleaded for more weapons to be delivered.
- henry moore
Russia has ‘already lost the Ukraine war’ UK army chief claims
Russia will fail in its attempts to invade Ukraine Head of the Armed forces Sir Tony Radakin told the BBC this morning.
“What you’re seeing is a Russia, if we focus on the Donbas, that is less than 10 per cent of the territory of Ukraine and we are approaching 150 days,’ he told the BBC,” he said.
“Russia is struggling to take that territory, and it is struggling because of the courage and determination of the Ukrainian armed forces.”
- henry moore
‘Russia is blackmailing us’
The European Commission proposed a voluntary target for all EU states to cut gas use by 15% from August to March, compared with their average consumption in the same period in 2016-2021.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon. And therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial, major cut-off of Russian gas or a total cut-off of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready.”
- henry moore
EU tells members to cut gas usage amid new Putin warning
The European Union told members states on Wednesday to cut gas usage by 15% until March as part of an emergency plan.
It comes after President Vladimir Putin warned that Russian supplies sent via the biggest pipeline to Europe could be reduced further.
Deliveries via Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which accounts for more than a third of Russian gas exports to the EU, are due to resume on Thursday after a 10-day halt for annual maintenance.
- henry moore
Russia to crack down on Wikipedia
In another attempt to limit the spread of free information, the Russian government has attacked Wikipedia, the internet’s largest source of independent information.
The country’s communication watchdog reportedly slammed the website for hosting “prohibited materials, including fakes about the course of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine.”
This comes as fears among EU nation’s continue to build regarding the increasing scarcity of non-Russian oil and gas.
- henry moore
Putin HOBBLES along red carpet with his arm hanging limp
Vladimir Putin hobbled along the red carpet with his arm hanging limp by his side as he arrived in Iran today.
Footage of the Russian leader’s arrival showed him shuffling down the steps of his jet as he landed in Tehran to meet with fellow global terror master Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
With his right arm limp by his side, Putin, 69, was seen hobbling down a long red carpet rolled out for the dictator at the capital’s Mehrabad airport.
The Russian president is right-handed – but there’s speculation he’s ambidextrous as he wears his watch on his right hand.
He briefly waved to the gathered crowds before being whisked into his presidential convoy to the city.
- henry moore
Russia ‘using energy as a weapon’ EU chief claims
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that Europe is set of an energy crisis if Russia continues to block gas supplies.
“Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon. And therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial, major cut-off of Russian gas or a total cut-off of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready,” von der Leyen told a news conference in Brussels.
“We have to be proactive. We have to prepare for a potential full disruption of Russian gas. And this is a likely scenario. That’s what we’ve seen in the past,” she went on to say.
“Assuming there is a full disruption of Russian gas, we need to save gas, to fill our gas storage faster, and to do so we have to reduce our gas consumption.”
- Louis Allwood
'I am asking for weapons'
Ukraine's First Lady has put out a request during her speech to U.S. Congress for weapons to "protect one's home".
Olena Zelenska said: "I appeal to all of you, on behalf of those who were killed, on behalf of those people who lost their arms and legs, on behalf of those who are still alive and well, and those who wait for their families to come back from the front.
"I'm asking for something i would never want to ask, I am asking for weapons.
"Weapons that would not be used to wage a war on somebody else's land, but to protect one's home and the right to wake up alive in that home"
- Louis Allwood
US and its allies prepare to train Ukrainian pilots
Those supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia are considering a training program for its pilots, reports suggest.
Air force chief of staff Charles “CQ” Brown told Reuters: “You want to build a long-term plan on how do you build their air force and the air force that they’re going to need for the future.”
While discussions have begun, no decision is in place.
- Louis Allwood
Putin mocks the West
Putin has had his first trip outside the boundaries of the former Soviet Union since the invasion of Ukraine in February this week.
The Kremlin leader was seen on a video mocking the West for seeking alternatives to Russian gas and oil in protest of his war in Ukraine.
He also took the opportunity to allude to his hostility towards LGBTQ+ rights, telling reporters: "The [West] are big specialists in non-traditional relationships.
"So in the energy area they also decided to bet on unconventional types of energy – the sun and wind."
He then gloated: "The winter turned out to be long. There was no wind – this is it."
Putin spoke amid fears he will use energy supplies as a weapon of war this winter to play havoc with Western economies.
- Louis Allwood
Putin needed regular 'rest'
Anti-Putin Telegram channel General SVR suggested today that Putin had needed regular "rest" under medical supervision during his short visit to Iran.
It claimed Erdoğan had "publicly humiliated Putin by forcing him to wait" in front of the cameras "until the Turkish leader deigned to come out to him".
The channel continued: "If the purpose of Putin’s visit to Iran was to show how he walks unsteadily, or rather hobbles, unnaturally pressing his hand to his body, how dark spots appear on his face despite the abundant layer of makeup, how he needed to ‘rest’ four times during the visit with the presence of a medical worker and in general to demonstrate how sick and weak he is, then the visit in this regard was a 100 per cent success. "
General SVR is reportedly authored by an exiled Kremlin lieutenant-general insider who uses the alias Viktor Mikhailovich.
The channel claims to have insider knowledge from the Kremlin.
It has previously claimed that Putin is ailing from cancer and multiple other illnesses including Parkinson’s disease and a schizoaffective disorder.
- henry moore
EU agrees seventh round of sanctions
According to Reuters, the EU has approved the seventh round of sanctions on Russia, as it continues its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Designed to damage the country's gold industry, the sanctions also target other industries and individuals.
This comes just hours after the Ukrainian minister for foreign affairs called for a new wave of sanctions.
- henry moore
Russian losses as of July 20
Russia continues to lose troops, equipment and weapons as its brutal invasion of Ukraine enters a decisive phase.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia has lost over 38,750 troops.
On top of this, the country has lost 221 planes and 1,700 tanks.
- henry moore
Russia reveals plans to expand invasion efforts
A top Russian official has revealed that they plan to take over far more than just the the eastern Donbas border region.
In fact, according to Russia’s foreign minister, the invading nation plans to massively expand invasion efforts following the collapse of peach talks.
The minister told a Russian news outlet: “It’s far from just the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, it’s also Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and a number of other territories.”
- henry moore
Ukrainian leadership calls for more weapons
As the war in Ukraine rages on, Dmytro Kuleba, the country's minister of foreign affairs, has called for the west to hit Russia with more sanctions.
The official also pleaded for more weapons to be delivered.
- henry moore
Russia has ‘already lost the Ukraine war’ UK army chief claims
Russia will fail in its attempts to invade Ukraine Head of the Armed forces Sir Tony Radakin told the BBC this morning.
“What you’re seeing is a Russia, if we focus on the Donbas, that is less than 10 per cent of the territory of Ukraine and we are approaching 150 days,’ he told the BBC,” he said.
“Russia is struggling to take that territory, and it is struggling because of the courage and determination of the Ukrainian armed forces.”
- Louis Allwood
'Russia is blackmailing us'
The European Commission proposed a voluntary target for all EU states to cut gas use by 15% from August to March, compared with their average consumption in the same period in 2016-2021.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon. And therefore, in any event, whether it's a partial, major cut-off of Russian gas or a total cut-off of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready."
- Louis Allwood
EU tells members to cut gas usage amid new Putin warning
The European Union told members states on Wednesday to cut gas usage by 15% until March as part of an emergency plan.
It comes after President Vladimir Putin warned that Russian supplies sent via the biggest pipeline to Europe could be reduced further.
Deliveries via Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which accounts for more than a third of Russian gas exports to the EU, are due to resume on Thursday after a 10-day halt for annual maintenance.
- henry moore
Russia to crack down on Wikipedia
In another attempt to limit the spread of free information, the Russian government has attacked Wikipedia, the internet's largest source of independent information.
The country's communication watchdog reportedly slammed the website for hosting “prohibited materials, including fakes about the course of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine.”
This comes as fears among EU nation's continue to build regarding the increasing scarcity of non-Russian oil and gas.
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