Vladimir Putin‘s body doubles have been placed on standby while doctors said they’re “ready to resuscitate” the terminally ill Russian leader, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Putin, 71, has reportedly taken a downward turn amid rumors of his deteriorating health — and physicians were said to be staying in the room next to his in case of a medical emergency.
According to the Daily Star, a Telegram post to General SVR claimed that a group of “medical experts” were “in the room next” to Putin and ready to swoop in to administer aid at a moment’s notice.
The post additionally claimed that Putin’s infamous body doubles were being used for photo ops and to take calls with world leaders.
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Body doubles allegedly connected with several world leaders on the phone, including Egyptian, Syrian, Iranian, and Palestinian heads of state. The post also claimed that a body double was sent to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as Putin wasted away in solitude. The real Putin did, however, have a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Nonetheless, the Telegram post slammed the Kremlin and said Putin was turning the “country into a circus.”
“The Russian leadership is gradually turning the process of governing the country into a circus,” the post began. “A man resembling Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on operational issues for people who are well aware that they are taking part in a farce and for the director of the Federal Service of National Guard Troops, Viktor Zolotov.”
“The double, on behalf of Putin, held telephone conversations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah Khalil Al-Sisi, naturally, under the control of curators, but, in principle, he could have handled it himself.”
The Telegram post came as reports of a successor being chosen by the ailing Putin’s inner circle.
A source familiar with the matter told the Daily Mail that a replacement was selected over the weekend as the terminally ill leader had “only a matter of time.”
The same Telegram channel alleged that Putin’s rumored battles with cancer and Parkinson’s advanced significantly in recent weeks — and his death is “imminent amid a sharp deterioration in his health.”
Putin’s inner circle did not disclose details on the successor’s identity.