Putin Will End Up In Sanatorium And Ousted From Power By 2023, Ex- Chief Of British Intelligence Agency MI6

The former chief of British intelligence MI6 has predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be ousted from power by 2023 and end up in a medical facility for long-term illness.

Sir Richard Dearlove said that Putin could be sent to a sanatorium as part of an exit strategy amid Russia’s ongoing challenges in the war with Ukraine.

Dearlove, who headed the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6, from 1999 to 2004, made these predictions during an episode of the podcast One Decision, which he co-hosts.

Dearlove added that Moscow has no succession plan if Putin departs. However the secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev is best placed to take control, Dearlove said.

“I’m really going to stick my neck out. I think he’ll be gone by 2023. But probably into the sanatorium, from which he will not emerge as the leader of Russia,” he said, adding that the sanatorium would be a way to move Putin out of power without a coup.

The health condition of Putin has been a subject of several speculations. Rumours have swirled around in western diplomatic and intelligence circles that Russian president suffers from ailments like dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and blood cancer.

Another ex-British intelligence operative Christopher Steele claimed that Putin is seriously ill and regularly leaves meetings for medical treatment, contributing to "increasing disarray in the Kremlin."