National Enquirer

PUTIN IS ON HIS DEATHBED!

Kremlin kingpin losing secret war with cancer and ruthless enemies

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RAVAGED by cancer, dying Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was at his weakest when the bloodthirs­ty leader of his handpicked Wagner mercenary group mercilessl­y turned on him and came within 100 miles of taking down his government!

Internatio­nal military sources exclusivel­y tell The National ENQUIRER the mercenary’s armed revolt was specifical­ly launched to expose Putin’s vulnerabil­ity and send a message to the Russian people their country is virtually rudderless!

“The Wagner Group waited until Putin was exposed as a sick and ineffectua­l man incapable of controllin­g his own military in a time of war!” reveals a well-placed internatio­nal terror source.

“Now he is more vulnerable than ever and ready to be toppled by his people and the many enemies he has within the Russian government.”

The shocking coup involved a reported 25,000 warhardene­d soldiers attached to the notorious Wagner Group, led by reputed Russian mobster — and former Putin confidant — Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Prigozhin’s ruthless army of paid killers and convicts has racked up nearly ALL of Russia’s victories in the Ukraine invasion while Putin’s struggling, dishearten­ed regular Army soldiers continue to lose battle after battle — or just surrender outright!

Prigozhin, 62, has bitterly attacked Putin, 70, and his hapless Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for their military ineptitude and inadequate delivery of supplies to his ferocious band of killers.

Before the stunning uprising, Prigozhin blasted the defense minister and Putin with expletive-ridden insults for months, accusing them of failing to provide his men with enough ammo during the hellish battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the w war’s longest and bl bloodiest siege. “W “We started our march because of an injustice,” Prigozhin ranted after targeting Moscow.

But his rebellion abruptly ended when Prigozhin suddenly turned his men around and headed to neighborin­g Belarus.

That country’s President Aleksandr Lukashenko brokered a deal for Prigozhin and his mutinous mercenarie­s to be “pardoned” by the ailing Russian president, who weakly accepted the

arrangemen­t from a hidden hospital bed.

“The message has been sent,” declares another internatio­nal intelligen­ce expert. “Putin is ripe for the plucking — and they didn’t have to kill any Russian citizens to send it.”

One highly placed military expert with close knowledge of the situation says Prigozhin’s unexpected U-turn was masterful strategy because he showed his strength but not his limitation­s.

“He knew the Russian Air Force would take out his forces before they got to Moscow,” explains retired U.S. Army Major General Paul Vallely. y.

Another source adds, “Prigozhin made it clear that he could thrust into Russia’s heartland with virtually no resistance, deeply humiliatin­g Putin and exposing the dictator and his defense ministry’s weaknesses to the Russian people.”

Sources now say the 23-year reign of the Russian strongman is “deeply compromise­d” and his repu reputation as an ironfisted leader has been left in tatters.

While most insiders believe Putin is privately plotting to ignore th the amnesty agr agreement and take o out Prigozhin, the insurrecti­on has left him looking vulnerable to the vultures surroundin­g him in the Kremlin.

“The risk of a collapsed Russia is not insignific­ant,” observes Alicia Kearns, chair of the U.K.’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

She notes oligarchs and military rivals in the defense ministry see an opportunit­y to make their own moves on the weakened leader.

“This is a really dangerous inflection point,” says Kearns.

“We don’t know how far Putin will go to keep power, but let’s consider it to be significan­t. If he’s successful, we will see purges, I think, like we have never seen before.”

She also warns “what could come next could be a lot worse.”

 ?? ?? Wagner Group soldiers leave the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don
Wagner Group soldiers leave the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don
 ?? ?? Former Putin confidant
Yevgeny Prigozhin leads the Wagner Group, an army of mercenary soldiers
Former Putin confidant Yevgeny Prigozhin leads the Wagner Group, an army of mercenary soldiers
 ?? ??
 ?? ?? Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko
 ?? ?? Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely
Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely
 ?? ?? The armed revolt was launched to expose Putin’s vulnerabil­ity, military sources say
The armed revolt was launched to expose Putin’s vulnerabil­ity, military sources say
 ?? ?? Prigozhin has bitterly attacked Russian Defense Minister Sergei
Shoigu (second from left)
Prigozhin has bitterly attacked Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (second from left)
 ?? ?? Wagner troops came within 100 miles of Moscow
Wagner troops came within 100 miles of Moscow
 ?? ?? Alicia Kearns
Alicia Kearns

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