Vladimir Putin's second-in-command 'survives assassination attempt by poison'
Vladimir Putin's touted second in command, Nikita Patrushev was reportedly rushed to hospital after being targeted by a 'synthetic poison' shortly after arriving at his Moscow home
Vladimir Putin's second in command has been the target of an attempted assassination attempt by poisoning, it has been claimed.
The former head of the FSB secret service, Nikita Patrushev, 71, is secretary of the Kremlin’s security council and is seen as the man to whom Putin hands power when he is absent for medical treatment.
Like Mad Vlad, Patrushev was also a key architect of the war in Ukraine and Russian officials now believe he has been targeted by a 'synthetic poison.'
“Recently, an attempt on the life of the secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Patrushev, was made,” said Telegram channel General SVR which claims to have insider sources in the Kremlin.
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“Information about both the assassination attempt itself and the investigation into this assassination attempt is kept in strict secrecy.
“It is known that Nikolai Patrushev felt unwell in the evening after work, almost immediately after he went home.
“Security quickly worked, immediately calling a team of doctors to him.”
He was then rushed to hospital by officers of the FSO, which guards the Russian elite, it is claimed.
“After rendering assistance, Patrushev was taken home in a stable condition.
“The results of his analysis confirmed that the toxic substance was a synthetic poison.”
The report claimed that Patrushev “was saved by timely medical care and, probably, by an insufficiently high concentration of the poisonous substance that entered the body through the skin”.
Putin was told of the alleged attack only “when Patrushev's life was no longer in danger”, it was claimed.
“Who is behind the assassination attempt, what are the motives and how it became possible in general to organise an actually completed assassination attempt on a representative of such a high level of power, remains to be seen.”
The channel pointed to in-fighting within Putin’s circle - “this is only the beginning of a big redistribution in the elites”.
“Knowing the details of what happened, we can say with confidence that it was not a staging,” said General SVR.
“Over time, we will publish detailed material on the topic of this assassination attempt, with rather interesting details.”
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