HAS PUTIN BEEN OVERTHROWN?

The longer Putin goes without making a public appearance, the more the rumors will swirl. Nine days is a long-time for a world leader to go without making an appearance. I wish we would be so lucky here in the U.S.

Via Daily Mail

Vladimir Putin has been ‘neutralised’ by a stealthy coup as rumours about his health and well-being continue to flourish

• Vladimir Putin is supposed to hold public meetings on Monday 
• The Russian leader has not been seen in public for the past nine days
• Putin reportedly met the head of the Supreme Court on Friday for talks
• However, the video is now believed to have been taken from file footage 

By Will Stewart for MailOnline

Vladimir Putin is ‘alive’ but ‘neutralised’ as shadowy security chiefs stage a stealthy coup in Moscow, it was claimed last night.

Former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev was behind the plot, claimed chairman of the pro-Kremlin national Islamic Committee, Geydar Dzhemal.

There have been no confirmed sightings of Putin for nine days, while in the febrile atmosphere engulfing Moscow a convoy of large trucks parked outside the Kremlin fueled rumours of a flit by the president.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has not been seen in public for the past nine days fueling coup rumours

Putin, left, supposedly met the chairman of the supreme court Vyacheslav Lebedev, right, on Friday, however, it is now thought the video footage released by Putin loyalists may have been several years old

Russian state TV shows Putin for first time in days

In fact, the lorries close to St Basil’s Cathedral were more likely connected to a nationalist celebration of the first anniversary of the return of Crimea to Russia – seen by Putin’s supporters as his ultimate masterstroke.

Despite this, bloggers likened it to Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych’s treasure-grab as he fled into exile just over a year ago in Kiev.

‘I think that Putin is neutralised at the moment, but of course, he is alive,’ said Dzhemal, seen as a Kremlin loyalist.

‘He is under the control of the power-wielding agencies, who have, in my opinion, organised a coup d’etat.’

Recent pictures of Putin supposedly working during a nine day absence from public sight was ‘playing for time’ by the plotters, he claimed.

‘My information is that Patrushev met Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in Pyatigorsk on 11 March and tempted him over to his side.’

He also pointed to a recent visit by Patrushev – head of Putin’s security council – the US.

The visit came despite sanctions barring visits by most senior Russian officials.

‘I think he was offered something there that he failed to reject,’ said Dzhemal on Georgian TV channel Rustavi-2.

Several large trucks were parked near Kremlin Square fueling rumours connected with Putin’s absence

Putin has not been seen in public for nine days which has caused certain consternation in Russia

Putin failed to reappear again on Saturday – the ninth day without a confirmed sighting – as his Chechen enforcer suggested the Russian strongman is in danger of being overthrown.

Ramzan Kadyrov – a devout Muslim whose security apparatchiks are seen as being behind the brutal murder of Boris Nemtsov – said he would remain devoted to the Kremlin leader ‘whether he is in his position or not’.

This came amid a claim that pictures issued by the Kremlin on Friday of Putin meeting Supreme Court head Vyachevslav Lebedev may date from 2011.

The images were rushed out in a bid to show Putin is still at work, and followed the release of other photographs which had been taken on or before 5 March when he was last seen in public.

With feverish speculation in Moscow over Putin’s health and whereabouts, and claims of a bitter power struggle in his entourage which could even trigger an attempted coup, the head of Chechnya spoke emotionally of people ‘trying to harm the president of Russia – and Russia itself’.

And he claimed that forces were scheming ‘to break us apart’, referring to him and his guarantor Putin.

As startling has been the lack of shows of support in recent days from other senior Kremlin cardinals during an absence which has no obvious parallel in his 15 years as president or premier.

The voices of prime minister Dmitry Medvedev, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the Kremlin staff Sergei Ivanov – and Putin’s intelligence tsars – have remained silent.

Kadyrov has enjoyed extraordinary power and largesse under Putin as a reward for keeping an iron grip on the rebellious oil-rich Chechen region, scene of two bloody wars since the collapse of the USSR.

As a result he is hated by many senior Putin loyalists.

But Kadyrov’s enemies claimed yesterday that the 38 year old bearded regional potentate is in ‘panic’ because he can no longer contact his mentor.

‘He is phoning anyone he can in an attempt to arrange a talk with Putin – but he fails,’ alleged a website linked to Islamic hardliners seeking to overthrow Kadyrov.

Putin was last seen last week at meeting with Italian PM

One of the two men formally charged with killing opposition leader Boris Nemtsov is a personal friend of Kadyrov, who spoke out in his support for the second time yesterday.

‘I’ll repeat now that I knew him as a true warrior and patriot,’ he said of Zaur Dadayev, who is accused of murder.

There are allegations that a security official closer to Kadyrov ordered the Nemtsov murder, and that the FSB and Interior Ministry in Moscow have full proof.

His slaying has triggered bitter factional infighting in the Kremlin, which includes talk of defence and security service generals seeking to replace Putin.

Others believe Putin will reemerge tomorrow to stamp his authority once more on his government.

There were also unverified claims last week that Putin’s alleged girlfriend, Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva, 31, had given birth to a child in Switzerland. This was denied by the Kremlin.

The political chaos in Moscow comes after Western sanctions and a low oil price have caused mayhem to the Russian economy, with a serious fall in the rouble.

Many of the clans in Putin’s entourage became hugely rich under his rule, but now face their fortunes evaporating.

Software experts in Russia yesterday suggested the pictures of Putin meeting Lebedev, supposedly taken Friday, were created in 2011 and modified a year later.

But Putin is shown in front of the presidential flag, though he was not head of state in 2011