Putin has chronic pain and was having cancer treatment at start of war, says ... trends now
Vladimir Putin was having hormone treatment for cancer when he invaded Ukraine which may have clouded his judgement, Danish intelligence has claimed.
An agent for the Danish Defence Intelligence Service FE, named only as Joakim, said the Russian tyrant is also suffering from chronic pain which explains why he has been seen throughout the war tightly gripping tables and chairs for support.
The official, who leads Denmark's intelligence gathering on Putin, said the 70-year-old's cancer diagnosis is not terminal but his prescribed medication may have given him 'delusions of grandeur'.
He told German news outlet Berlingske: 'This is chronic pain that he has suffered from for quite some time now.
Vladimir Putin is pictured tightly gripping a table while appearing ill at east during a meeting in April with Sergei Shoigu
'That's why he tends to sit and grab things tightly. It's to ease the pain.'
In addition, the secret service believes the Russian president was given strong medicine to nullify the pain, which may be a result of a fall or a sporting injury.
Putin was plagued by rumours about his ill health throughout 2022, fuelled by his public appearances where he seemed ill at ease and unsteady, often clutching at surfaces for support.
Danish spies at FE also believe Putin previously had cancer and was undergoing treatment at the start of the war.
Joakim said: 'Delusions of grandeur are one of the known side effects of the type of hormone treatment that he was on.
It is believed the Russian tyrant is also suffering from chronic pain which explains why he has been seen throughout the war tightly gripping tables and chairs for support
JULY 26: Putin listens to Yury Borisov, the chief executive of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, while he grips his desk with his right hand
AUGUST 25: Vladimir Putin is seen gripping the same desk with his right hand during a meeting with Head of the Federal Taxation Service Daniil Yegorov
'It's not something I can say for certain, but I think it did affect his decisions when he launched the war in Ukraine.'
Joakim said the war-mongering leader's drooped face was another sign of this hormone treatment, adding it is likely he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
The claims back up other intelligence reports which suggest Putin has become more paranoid and unstable.
CIA director William Burns said last year: 'I had dealt with and watched President Putin for many years and what I've seen, especially over the last decade, is him in a way stewing in a very combustible combination of grievance and ambition and insecurity [that] are all kind of wrapped together.'
The intelligence chief said Putin's narrowing inner circle and his grip on power have both tightened, making him more isolated and deluded about the true reality of war.
A recent report by the Wall Street Journal also claimed Putin has shunned the internet for fear of Western surveillance and he is fully dependent on reports from his personally appointed advisers who are afraid to speak the truth.
Some of the updates from the battlefield can even take days to arrive on his desk, meaning the information is no longer relevant.
His willing lapdogs frequently highlight Moscow's successes and downplay its many failures in the war, giving Putin confidence that he will still push on to victory.
US intelligence claims there is not one senior Kremlin figure with Putin's ear who is prepared to upset him or counter his warped worldview.
JULY 19: Russian president Vladimir Putin is seen hobbling from his presidential plane during the welcoming ceremony in Tehran
The tyrant was recently spotted with apparent track marks from IV treatment on the back of his hand
