Mumbai, January 12: In an explosive claim, a Russian politician has said that Vladimir Putin will be killed by Kremlin insiders by October. Ilya Ponomarev, the only member of the Russian parliament to vote against the annexation of Crimea in 2014, has said that the assassination of the Russian president will be a result of growing unrest over the failed invasion of Ukraine.

The Daily Mail reported that the exiled opposition leader, Ponomarev, told a media outlet that 'Putin's power resides in his position as an alpha male, as the person who is invincible. 2022 was the year when this position started to wane. My forecast still remains that he will not see his next birthday. His testimony at a potential war crimes trial may actually be very harmful to them. He will be killed." Vladimir Putin's Throne in Danger? Russian War Analyst Claims 'Race to Grab Russian President's Crown is Underway'.

Moscow, which has been accused of 'systemic' war crimes in Ukraine, could be pulled up for its actions as they could be classified as 'crimes against humanity' which could be tried in the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Vladimir Putin Health Update: ‘Russian President Has Cancer, Will Die Very Soon’, Claims Ukrainian Intelligence Chief.

Ilya Ponomarev was a member of the State Duma from 2007 to 2016 but now lives in Ukraine. There he leads a new movement that he hopes will transform Russia into a modern democracy. Earlier, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes Russia's invasion of Kyiv would stop if his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were to die suddenly.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2023 05:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).