New claims being made by a secretive Russian channel on the Telegram platform indicate Russian President Vladimir Putin could leave the public eye for a short time as he is going to undergo surgery linked to cancer and has named his hardline security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev to "control" Russia and the war in Ukraine.
The claims come from the General SVR Telegram channel and have not been confirmed, The Mirror reported, noting the same channel, purportedly operated by a retired Kremlin military officer, had raised health issues about Putin, including reports of abdominal cancer and Parkinson's Disease, over a year ago.
They come amid speculation Putin will use the country's May 9 Victory Day commemoration of the defeat of Adolph Hitler to announce all-out war on Ukraine, in a change from Russia's insistence the brutal hostilities have been a "special military operation" and not a war.
According to British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Putin will have to tell the Russian citizens the conflict is a war so the country can force more military-age men to be mobilized to fight in Ukraine.
The Mirror reported the claims about Putin's health indicate he has already postponed his surgery from the end of April and it likely will not take place before the May 9 celebration.
"Putin was recommended to undergo surgery, the date of which is being discussed and agreed," the Telegraph report said. "There seems to be no particular urgency, but it cannot be delayed either."
The Kremlin has continued to report the 69-year-old leader is in excellent health and has no medical problems.
But according to the Telegram report, Putin is more likely to use Patrushev as a "charge d'affaires" to control Russia and the war effort rather than transfer power while he is incapacitated.
However, under Russia's constitution, power would pass to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who is not known to have links to Russia's military, said the Telegram page.
According to recent investigative reports by exiled Russian journalists, Putin reportedly has been under treatment for thyroid cancer.