A Kremlin insider claims that Vladimir Putin’s relatives are “worried” about the Russian leader’s ill health (Photo: Reuters)

Relatives of Vladimir Putin are increasingly worried about the leader’s deteriorating health and are talking about his bouts of coughing, nausea and lack of appetite, it is claimed.

The Russian leader’s inner circle is reportedly concerned that his “thinness and persistent cough” are becoming noticeable and will be noticed by elites in Russia as “a sign of the leader’s rapidly deteriorating health.”

The report comes from Russian Telegram channel General SVR, which claims to have insider information on Kremlin activities and has long claimed that Putin is secretly fighting cancer.

According to the TV channel, the Russian leader has lost 18 pounds in recent months.

The news comes after rumors circulated last week that Putin may have secretly hired a doppelgänger to go and meet the soldiers at the military training.

Russian state television showed him taking part in military exercises, including firing a newly developed sniper rifle and giving a warm welcome to new recruits.

It was claimed that the doppelgänger was outsourced because of his uncharacteristically friendly approach to the troops.

A well-known Russian Telegram channel has long claimed that Putin is secretly fighting cancer and has lost 8 kg in recent months (Photo: Reuters)

The Telegram channel, which did not provide any evidence for its claims, reported: “Both Putin himself, and his relatives, as well as doctors are worried about the president’s coughing fits, as well as constant nausea and lack of appetite due to medication and a specific diet [for] oncology.

“Over the past few months, Putin has lost eight kilograms, and the president’s entourage is worried that the weight loss and persistent cough, which is clearly progressing, will be seen by the elites as a sign of the leader’s rapidly deteriorating health.”

In addition, it was alleged that Putin was ill-disposed to war, notably barking at and then cutting off Defense Minister Sergei Shaigu in online meetings.

It is believed that Putin resorted to shouting and swearing.

“After Shaiga was excluded from the video conference, Putin began to speak with other representatives of the leadership of the military bloc, but could not continue due to a fit of severe coughing, so the meeting had to be stopped, and the president needed medical attention,” the TV channel claims.

The news follows rumors that Putin sent a doppelganger to visit soldiers at a training camp earlier this week (Photo: Reuters)

Earlier at the meeting, Putin was informed that the loss of the Su-30 aircraft in which two test pilots were killed – it was hardly a diversion.

The channel does not specify which of Putin’s relatives is allegedly concerned about his condition.

The General SVR TV channel has long stated that Putin suffers from stomach cancer, Parkinson’s disease and schizoaffective disorder.

Her statements cannot be verified, but she was one of the first to give advance notice of the shape of Putin’s recent mobilization strategy.

It is reported that its author is a lieutenant general of the Kremlin, known under the pseudonym Viktor Mikhailovich.

The channel claimed that the Kremlin is seeking to ban it, but so far it has not succeeded.

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Putin’s relatives ‘concerned with his coughing fits and constant nausea’