A Russian politician who fled to Ukraine said Putin would be killed before his birthday, amid growing concern over the failed invasion. Ilya Ponomarev claims that Putin’s inner circle will eliminate the leader. He believes the president could face a war crimes trial in The Hague
Vladimir Putin will be killed by Kremlin associates by October, an opposition politician living in exile in Ukraine has claimed. Ilya Ponomarev, the only Russian member of parliament who voted against the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and fled to Ukraine, believes the support and fear of a potential war crimes trial could see Putin assassinated this year by his inner circle.
The politician was a member of the State Duma – Russia’s parliament from 2007 to 2016, but now lives in Ukraine, where he is leading a new movement that he hopes will transform Russia into a modern democracy. he told Newsweek: “Putin’s power is great, he is an invincible man, 2022 was the year in which this position began to fade. My prediction still stands that he will not see his next birthday.”
“My personal dream is of course to see him in The Hague, but I don’t think he will succeed. Those around him will not allow him to go to The Hague, because his testimony could actually harm them greatly, he will be killed.”
Many think the only way Putin will ever step down is due to his health, which has been a source of rumors for years. Those close to him say he has suffered from cancer in the past, but his recent public appearances in which he has appeared unsteady and unsteady, often clutching things for support, have raised further questions.