January 1, Report: Putin To Undergo Surgery, Temporarily Transfer Power

An unconfirmed report claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to undergo surgery and temporarily transfer power to Nikolai Patrushev, former head of the Russian federal police’s Security Council.

Patrushev would retain control of the Russian government while Putin is incapacitated during and after the procedure for “a short time.”

The information comes from a mysterious Telegram account “General SVR” — purportedly operated by a former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service lieutenant general. General SVR reported that doctors told Putin he requires an operation for cancer.

“Putin is unlikely to agree to hand over power for a longer period of time,” the narrator says in the Telegram video.

However, when asked about the report, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said he’s “seen nothing that could help us corroborate that.”

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Putin to undergo cancer surgery, transfer power to ex-FSB chief: report