Vladimir Putin death rumours surge after bizzare speech by ‘successor’

NEW DELHI: The rumours about Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s health have intrigued the world for the last few months, especially since the February 2022 conflict in Ukraine.
The rumours gathered momentum recently after a Telegram channel claimed that the Russian President suffered a massive heart attack and died.
Kremlin has repeatedly denied these claims.
Now, a recent speech of the man tipped to be Putin’s successor has again caught everybody’s attention since he referred to the Russian President in the past tense.
According to the Daily Express, Nikolai Patrushev, the former head of Federal Security Service who has been backed to succeed Putin, made bizarre references to the Russian President in his recent speech.
Notably, Patrushev referred to Putin in the past tense and was dressed in all black as he made the speech.
The Secretary of Russia’s Security Council said: “Tired of the dashing 1990s, [Russian] society was waiting for the solution of social and economic problems and strengthening of national security.
“It required a leader who could put the welfare of the population at the top of the agenda, display the highest human and organisational qualities, will, and dedication.
“Such a leader was Putin, who first served as Prime Minister, then was elected President and, in accordance with the Constitution, became Chairman of the Russian Security Council.
“He knew in detail the state of affairs in the country, had a clear programme of action, saw the goal, imagined the tasks that should be solved to achieve it, the sequence of steps, as well as the necessary forces, means and resources.
“At the same time, he realised the critical importance of an evolutionary approach as opposed to revolutionary leaps, always weakening the Russian state.
“He believed in people and the reliability of their support and backing, realised and consciously assumed all responsibility for the salvation of the Fatherland.”
Gennady Gudkov, an opposition politician and former FSB colonel, reacted to the bizarre video on X, writing to his 250,000 followers, “Patrushev, dressed in black, makes a speech about the great comrade Putin in the past tense: He was, he became, he led, he inspired,” Express, UK reported.
“Has the memorial service begun? Is it ‘Vasilyevich’ on the throne? Have Valery Solovey’s predictions come true?”
The last comment is in reference to previous claims made by Russian political analyst Solovney – a former professor at Moscow’s prestigious Institute of International Relations, a training academy for spies and diplomats – who claimed Putin died on the evening of October 26, the report said.