Ex-British MI6 chief predicts: Putin will 'be gone by 2023' due to health issues
May 24, 2022, 9:01 am

Ex-British MI6 chief predicts: Putin will 'be gone by 2023' due to health issues

Russian president Vladimir Putin/Facebook

Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, predicted in an interview Thursday (May 19) that President Vladimir Putin will no longer be the leader of Russia by 2023 due to health issues. His comments came amid ongoing speculation about Putin's health, even though the Kremlin has not publicly commented about it since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Dearlove said during the One Decision podcast: "I think he'll be gone by 2023, but probably into the sanatorium."

He added that that Putin, who is 69 years old, will not emerge as the "leader of Russia" anymore after coming out of the medical facility. "That's a way to sort of move things on without a coup."

During his interview, the Newsweek reported that Dearlove also predicted that the Russian regime might "break apart" over the next 12 to 18 months due to the West's sanctions imposed on the country, the war in Ukraine, and Russia's current military performance.

Sir Richard Dearlove, former British MI6 chief - Twitter account

Earlier this week, U.S. film director Oliver Stone said that the Russian president has already struggled with and overcome cancer during the time in which the filmmaker focused his work on the Russian president.

Stone said without specifying the type of cancer he had: "Remember this, Mr. Putin has had this cancer and I think he's licked it."

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The British radio station LBC reported Saturday (May 21) that the American director, who is known for famous films including JFK, Scarface, and Platoon, had multiple interviews with Putin from 2015 to 2017 on a variety of topics. However, Stone has not met Putin for three years, according to TDPel Media.

Christopher Steele, a former intelligence official in the U.K., recently made similar comments, saying that Putin left meetings to receive medical treatments.

"Meetings of the security council that are shown to supposedly last for a whole hour are actually broken up into several sections," Steele, who served in the MI6 intelligence office, said during an interview with LBC Radio. "[Putin] goes out and receives some kind of medical treatment between those sections," he mentioned.

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He added that Putin is "constantly accompanied around the place by a team of doctors," however, he didn't explain the basis of his speculation, but claimed "it's certainly having a very serious impact on the governance of Russia at the moment."

He said: "There's increasing disarray in the Kremlin and chaos, in fact, that there's no clear political leadership coming from Putin, who is increasingly ill."

Meanwhile, Visegrád 24 News posted a video on Twitter last month speculating that the Russian president might have Parkinson's Disease.

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Visegrád 24 News tweeted: "This is probably the clearest video of something being wrong with Putin's health. Look at his leg and hand tremors! Any doctor out there willing to weigh in? Parkinson?"

The Newsweek noted that one video also showed Putin gripping a table during a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, prompting social media users to question his health.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.