Vladimir Putin continues to spark speculation that he could be dealing with a chronic illness.

A Russian oligarch with ties to Putin shared details of their conversation and said that the leader himself told him that he was very ill with blood cancer. The identity of the insider was later revealed to be former MI6 head, Sir Richard Dearlove.

Dearlove also predicted that Putin would most likely enter a facility in 2023 to seek treatment. After all, the Russian leader has allegedly been dealing with swelling on his face and shaking in his body.

According to Dr. Paul O’Connell, the swelling in Putin’s face may be caused by a liver or kidney disease. It is possible that his face has become swollen because he’s undergoing chemotherapy.

“Losing balance and bloating is likely not caused by cancer but could be from the treatment. If the footage is real then I would say he is suffering from a chronic, systemic disease of some sort but whether a specific treatment could be causing it is not known,” he told Express.

Dr. Bharat, on the other hand, said that it’s possible for Putin to be receiving a cocktail of medications including steroids.

“The round face could be something or maybe nothing. But if it is something, it is probably steroids which leads to asking the question of what he is getting the steroids for. It could be a number of conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to myalgia or maybe even serious conditions or may even be terminal,” he said.

Meanwhile, another source told Mirror UK that Putin underwent surgery on May 16 or 17. And his physicians allegedly urged him to undergo the procedure as soon as possible.

Luckily, the operation was reportedly a success but no one knows for sure what’s really wrong with Putin. As such, multiple publications are just speculating on his condition. But it’s entirely possible that his illness – if there is – is not as serious as what the insiders are claiming it to be.

In fact, some tabloids also made some over-the-top claims by saying that Putin’s days are numbered. They believe that it’s only a matter of time before the Russian leader tells the entire world what’s wrong with him because he has limited time on earth.