With his international and domestic reputation in tatters, there’s been much speculation Vladimir Putin’s card is marked – and one expert thinks his daughters might be the ones to ‘off him’.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, there have been whispers that those in the upper echelons of the Kremlin have been looking to depose him with former KGB agent Alexander Bortnikov tipped to take over.
Of course, Ol’ Vlad would be unlikely to leave willingly leading some experts to theorize he could be assassinated.
Australian expert Dr Leonid Petrov, has now speculated that if Vlad were to get the chop, it’d be someone incredibly close to him doing the chopping.
Speaking to news.au he said: “I believe that if there is an assassination attempt, that might come from a female. Maybe a member of his family, his mistress, his daughter, his ex-wife – somebody who knows him and could actually get close to him.
“The possibility (of assassination) is increasing.”
So, taking in Dr Petrov’s theories, who are the candidates?
Although the 69-year-old despot keeps his private life incredibly private, it is public knowledge that he shares two daughters with his ex-wife Lyudmila Putina, who he separated from in 2013 after 30 years of marriage.
These are 36-year-old Maria Faassen and her sister 35-year old Katerina Tikhonova.
He is also rumoured to be the father of 18-year-old Luiza Rozova, though in charming Putin fashion he has never publically acknowledged his suspected progeny, reports the Mirror.
A stacked roster of candidates then, but you suspect it’s a long shot as if any of them even had the inclination to take on the job they’d struggle to get close to him.
Paranoid Putin is flanked 24/7 by a team of highly trained bodyguards armed with bulletproof briefcases who are permitted to kill anyone they perceive as a threat to him.
So if you did want to get close to Putin with nefarious intentions, you wouldn’t have much luck.
-Daily Star