‘Putin is Dying of Cancer’ Report and Russia’s Pardoning Heinous Crime to Mobilize Former Afghan Soldiers

A surprise statement from a senior Ukrainian official came on January 4. In an interview with the U.S. media outlet ABC News, Kirillo Budanov, the head of the General Directorate of Information, said, “I have received information from a person close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

I received this information from a person close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Putin is suffering from cancer. It is very advanced, and he is probably close to death.

If what DG Budanov said is true, then Putin’s inexplicable behavior makes sense. The sudden invasion of Ukraine, the partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists in a panic over the unexpectedly difficult war, and the repeated suggestions of the use of nuclear weapons. None of these seem like common-sense decisions, and I sense a strong sense of urgency. Itsuro Nakamura, professor emeritus at Tsukuba University and an expert on the situation in Russia, said.

It is said that Vladimir Putin has been suffering from an illness for about six years. As his illness worsens, he loses his sense of physical and mental balance. Perhaps he is unable to make normal decisions. Mr. Putin is now 70 years old. In Russia, where the average life expectancy for men is said to be around 65 years, he is quite old. He has clearly deteriorated both physically and mentally, and we believe that Mr. Putin is becoming impatient.

No more rapes.

There are a number of measures that are difficult to understand. The appointment of thugs by Wagner, a Russian private military company, is probably one of them. On January 6, Radio Suvoboda, a Ukrainian media outlet, subsequently revealed a shocking fact: “The thugs were sent to the front lines for a period of six months,” the report said.

The thugs had been fighting for six months, and according to the media outlet, “about 20 of them returned from the front lines. The video presented shows the head of “Wagner” shaking hands with them and saying.

“‘You guys have been on adrenaline for six months, so you won’t have any incidents for a month. Don’t drink too much. Don’t use drugs. Don’t rape anymore.'” The thugs will be pardoned and exempted from punishment, and they will return to their daily lives with the general public,” said a reporter from the international section of a national newspaper.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported at the end of 2022 on the recruitment of former Afghan Special Forces.

The Special Forces are elite soldiers who received special training from the West after the Taliban regime collapsed in 2001. They have a vast experience in fighting the Taliban. It is said that there are 30,000 Special Forces members. However, when the Taliban was restored to power in 2021, many of them fled to Iran and other countries. Many of the soldiers have no jobs and are living in poverty.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, Russia, with the cooperation of Iran, is eagerly recruiting former Afghan soldiers by sending them messages on social networking sites. They are paid about 200,000 yen a month and are provided with housing for their families. Afghanistan was invaded by the former Soviet Union in 1979, resulting in many casualties. There must be a great deal of distrust toward Russia. However, it is believed that not a small number of soldiers are willing to accept the offer in order to break out of the current situation where they are having trouble making a living.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, it is estimated that more than 100,000 Russian troops have been killed. President Putin is growing impatient as his time of death approaches. The end is not in sight for his shameless fighting and mobilization of his troops.