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<\/p>\nIt\u2019s no secret that Vladimir Putin has a few things going against him these days and as he celebrates his 71st birthday today (October 7) the question is, could it be his last?<\/p>\n
A lot of the despotic Russian president\u2019s activity in recent years hasn\u2019t been conducive to the well-being of an elderly man. Making it to 71 is no mean feat with many people who seemed invincible at the height of their powers passing away at this age.<\/p>\n
Johnny Cash, opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, Princess Margaret, Yves Saint Laurent, Lou Reed, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, Enid Blyton and Prince Philip II of Spain all died at the age of 71. Crucially though, none of these people started a war against a highly motivated, NATO-backed neighbour, or systematically killed their top generals one by one.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Crackpot Putin prepares Russia for WW3 with terrifying nuclear drill<\/b><\/p>\n
For the latest news and updates from Russia, click here.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
The point is that lots of people die age 71, and a lot of these people don\u2019t have as many things trying to kill them as Vladimir Putin. So, as the brutal autocrat revels in birthday fun today, The Daily Star takes a look at the things trying their level best to make sure he doesn\u2019t make it to 72.<\/p>\n
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If Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has achieved one thing, it has been to unify a population of roughly 40 million people in its hatred of the Russian President. Shoulder-to-shoulder in a bid to force Russian forces from their land, the people of Ukraine have more reason than most to want Putin dead. <\/p>\n
In August, the New York Times reported that around 70,000 Ukrainian troops are feared to have died in the fighting along with around 10,000 civilians. Ukraine now is dictating the tempo of the fighting since it launched acounter-offensive<\/u>of its own earlier this year, while increasing numbers of drones and bombs have been creeping over the border and into Russian territory. <\/p>\n
Reports of drone attacks hitting Russia, including the Kremlin, have circled while the Crimea Bridge has been targeted repeatedly and, in early summer, heavily armed Ukraine-affiliated forces ran riot in the Belgorod region with tanks. <\/p>\n
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The danger isn\u2019t only from distant lands for Putin, with threats much closer to home also on the list of things that could bring an end to his tyrannical reign.Reports circulated in July<\/u>that his inner circle were tiring of his approach to running the country with Russian military blogger Igor Girkin saying at the time he was on thin ice following the failed Wagner coup. <\/p>\n
That coup raised questions about the unity and stability in the Kremlin.<\/u> CIA Moscow station boss Daniel Hoffman<\/u> said he June<\/u>he suspected efforts were being made to oust Putin, with a \u201chammer blow\u201d said to have been in store for Putin from his top brass. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese guys that are going to do it are going to be so secret about it so that Putin doesn\u2019t find them and kill them first,\u201d Hoffman said. \u201cIt\u2019ll happen all of a sudden. And he\u2019ll be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
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It seems the threats from inside aren\u2019t lost on Putin either. Over the last month, a list as long as the dictator's arm has been made comprising the names of dead generals, oligarchs and members of Russian upper echelons.<\/p>\n
Reports have circulated this year thatPutin is terrified to leave Russia<\/u>over supposed attempts on his life being made. This is only made worse by an arrest warrant having been issued against him by the International Criminal Court. <\/p>\n
As drone strikes pile into his country, some allegedly aiming for him, and more and more generals getting the axe over fears of betrayal it seems Putin\u2019s paranoia has reached new heights. In the summer, an unnamed Kremlin insider told independent Russian outlet Verstka that the dictatorial leader is absolutely terrified of everything that\u2019s going on: \u201cHe has no sense of security.\u201d <\/p>\n
In fact, this is said to be so extreme that some reports claim he only moves around the country inspecial armoured trains.<\/u> <\/p>\nWagner<\/h3>\n
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When it comes to paranoia, no group is likely to keep Vlad up at night quite like the Wagner Group. This is especially true after allegedly Putin decided to kill off its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. However, Putin has since claimed the late Wagner boss caused his own plane to crash, but that is unlikely to satisfy some of his loyal mercenaries. <\/p>\n
The private army is made up of hardened and experienced fighters, many of which have seen action around the world, and are said to have been hugely loyal to Prigozhin. He is now dead, and with almost every finger in the world apart from Putin\u2019s pointing at the Russian leader. It's safe to assume that there are more than a handful of mercenary killers who wouldn\u2019t mind giving the president a taste of his own medicine.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Wagner launched their bizarre June coup attempt against the Kremlin which, along with repeated berating of the Russian top brass, is thought to have ultimately been what got Prigozhin killed. Some in Wagner would likely argue, however, that these things only happened because the group had already been wronged by the government.<\/p>\n
Former British Army officerColonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon<\/u>toldThe Sun<\/u>: "Putin has signed his death warrant here. He has upset the two most powerful groups in Russia \u2013 the oligarchs who keep him in power and the most effective fighting force Putin has ever put in the field, the Wagner Group." <\/p>\nIll health<\/h3>\n
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If all of that doesn\u2019t get him, Putin still has Mother Nature to worry about. Reports and rumours of the autocrat's awful vitality have been easy to come by over the past two years.<\/p>\n
Whispers of cancer, body doubles, shaking hands and gammy legs have been recurring themes, and while there is a chance this could all be a blend of propaganda and wishful thinking, nothing has been definitively ruled out.<\/p>\n
In September, reports came in of theformer Prime Minister trembling.<\/u> While in April, one particularly brutal rumour claimed thathe had been forced to wear adult diapers<\/u>as he had been forced to move onto stronger cancer medication. <\/p>\n
Allegedly run by a Kremlin insider, The General SVR Telegram channel said: "He was wearing only a wet white T-shirt, which he had probably tried to take off, and a black sock on his right leg.<\/p>\n
"Next to him was a torn diaper, which Putin has been using all the time lately.\u201d<\/p>\n
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