Putin May Not Die From Illness But Rather From An Assassination, Experts Predict

Vladimir Putin's health has long been the subject of much speculation, but according to one expert, the dictator may not pass away from his illness but rather from an assassination.

One war expert predicts that Vladimir Putin will be killed while defending his homeland, and everyone should brace themselves for an assassination

They forecast that while he is still in power, the Kremlin tyrant may have "bullets in his back."

In September, it was reported that Putin's car had been "attacked" in what may have been an attempt on his life during the Ukraine conflict. In 2012, it was asserted that Putin had survived five close calls.

The Russian President's health has generated a lot of rumors over the years, including allegations that he has Parkinson's disease and frequently travels with a thyroid cancer specialist.

However, Nate Sibley, a Washington-based expert on Russian crime, told Express.co.uk that he thinks he knows how Putin will die.

He said, "One thing we can predict with more certainty is that, unlike so many wealthy Russians, Putin does not plan on retiring peacefully to a mansion on the French Riviera with his mistresses.

He watched carefully as other former Soviet leaders tried to extricate themselves from authoritarian regimes— and as they failed. What luxuries you can buy with vast wealth has become less important to Putin, over the years, than who and what you can control."

"Others with ambitions of their own might like to see him stripped of power, rotting in a cell, or swinging from a lamppost. Whatever his future holds, it is increasingly unlikely to be a happy ending," he said.

Sibley added: "Either of old age or with bullets in his back."

The dictator allegedly described how he evaded death in a conversation with director Oliver Stone for his 2012 documentary The Putin Interviews.

Stone said, "Three times President. Five assassination attempts I'm told.

"Not as much as [Fidel] Castro, who I've interviewed. I think he must have had 50 but there's a legitimate five [assassination attempts against Putin] I've heard about."

"Yes, I talked to Castro about that and he said to me: 'Do you know why I'm still alive?" Putin responded.

"I asked him, 'Why?' [Castro said] 'Because I was always the one to deal with my security personally.'

"I do my job, and the security officers do theirs, and they are still performing quite successfully."

Anthony Burr, a public relations expert who has lived in both Russia and the UK, fears Putin would never step down.

"Putin will be President for as long as he wants to be, or his health allows him," he said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he dies on the job. He won't give up easily and who can possibly oust him? No one. He has contrived to remove any threats to his leadership by any means necessary during the past 23 years, Mirror reported.

"His senior Government positions are all filled with cronies from his KGB days and all of the same generation.

"He even cleverly changed the constitution during his time as 'Prime Minister' which allowed him to rule indefinitely, making modern-day Russia a true autocracy."

Only Putin and his doctors will fully know the truth of his ailments, Anthony Burr said.

He added that Putin is projecting a "strongman" persona who "simply does not get sick," particularly during a war when the population is increasingly anxious and looking to their leader for stability.