Ukraine LIVE: 'Outright villain' Sick Putin poised to hand power to 'cunning' FSB chief

Vladimir Putin is set to be handing over control of Russia to a “cunning” former federal police chief while he undergoes cancer surgery, according to an unconfirmed report.

Nikolai Patrushev, head of the Russian federal police’s Security Council, could be in control of the country for days while Putin is incapacitated, according to a video released by the Telegram channel “General SVR” on Saturday.

“Viktor Mikhailovich”, the former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service lieutenant who runs the channel, claimed that this is the “worst option”.

He said: “Patrushev is an outright villain. He is no better than Vladimir Putin. Moreover, he is a more cunning, and I would say, more insidious person than Vladimir Putin. If he comes to power, Russians’ problems will only multiply.”

source: express.co.uk