Russia-Ukraine War Will End With Putin's Death, Top Spy Says

The war in Ukraine may only come to an end with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s death, a top military spy for Ukraine said Monday.

Speaking during an interview on The New Voice of Ukraine, Ukrainian military spy Kyrylo Budanov said the war is unlikely to end with Putin still alive. However, he did not offer any potential details of how the Russian president, who he called a “war criminal,” could be offed.

“Leaving him a way to retreat is one of the strategies, but it is almost unrealistic,” Budanov said. “He is a war criminal for the whole world. This is his end, he drove himself into a dead end.”

Budanov added that Russia could take one of two options once Putin is out of power. The first option is that the country could be divided into multiple parts. The second option is the “relative preservation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation when changing the country’s leadership.”

The comments from Ukraine’s top military intelligence official come as Putin is rumored to be undergoing cancer surgery soon, according to a video published on the Telegram channel “General SVR.” The Russian president is also rumored to temporarily hand over control of the country’s government to former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev while he recovers from the procedure.

Speculations about Putin’s health come after the Russian leader appeared to be unsteady and fidgety during a church service on Orthodox Easter. The president was also seen swaying and biting his lips during the occasion.

The week before Orthodox Easter Sunday, Putin was also seen looking bloated and was recorded tightly gripping the table with his right hand as soon as he sat down during his meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

News about the Russian president’s rumored illness comes days in advance of May 9, the day Russians celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. Military analysts, including Ukraine’s intelligence agency, have warned that the Kremlin could order mass mobilization in Ukraine on that day.

As of Monday, Russian forces have made little progress in their attempt to take over the Donbas region of Ukraine. Russian troops have, however, continued their attack on several Ukrainian cities, including a missile strike in the southern city of Odesa.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits the Almaz-Antey Air Defense plant in Moscow July 28, 2008. To match Special Report UKRAINE-CRISIS/RUSSIA-SANCTIONS Photo: Reuters / RIA Novosti