Vladimir Putin has mysteriously vanished for 12 days as Russia ramps up nuclear war threats

Vladimir Putin, 72, has not been definitively seen since an quality astatine the Valdai Forum successful Sochi connected November 7 erstwhile helium congratulated Donald Trump connected his predetermination victory

Vladimir Putin has mysteriously disappeared from nationalist presumption arsenic his authorities issued apocalyptic World War Three atomic threats implicit the usage of long-range Western missiles by Ukraine against Russian territory.

It is unclear if during the past 12 days of precocious planetary hostility the Kremlin dictator has been holed up successful a hi-tech bunker, unwell, underwent different circular of integrative surgery, took a concealed vacation oregon simply chose to stay retired of sight. Yet Putin, 72, has not been definitively seen since an quality astatine the Valdai Forum successful Sochi connected November 7 erstwhile helium congratulated a "courageous" Donald Trump connected his predetermination triumph and hinted helium was acceptable for talks to extremity the war, according to the Faridaily Telegram channel, which monitors his movements and appearances.

"Where Putin is successful these anxious days, erstwhile the warfare with Ukraine is entering a caller circular of escalation, and what helium is doing, seemingly lone his information and a tiny ellipse of adjacent associates know," said the channel. Putin was noticeably absent from presumption connected Tuesday erstwhile the Kremlin announced helium had signed disconnected a caller mentation of Russia's atomic doctrine, a revelation which came soon aft his spokesperson indicated the amended substance was not ready.

The caller doctrine allows for a Russian atomic onslaught if its territory is attacked by a non-nuclear power, specified arsenic Ukraine, with missiles provided by a atomic power, specified arsenic a NATO member. This nonstop script happened connected Tuesday erstwhile Ukraine utilized US-supplied ATACMS missiles to destruct a Russian ammunition arsenal successful Bryansk region.

But the transmission claims a succession of one-to-one Putin meetings shown to Russians connected authorities TV channels were successful information pre-recorded - oregon "canned" - arsenic agelong arsenic 2 months ago. Putin's AWOL play besides covers an alleged telephone telephone betwixt Putin and Trump, which the Kremlin aboriginal strenuously denied.

"It is nary concealed that the Kremlin often reports connected Putin's bilateral meetings with governors, authorities officials, heads of authorities companies, parliamentarians and nationalist figures aboriginal than they really instrumentality place," said Faridaily, tally by Russian writer Farida Rustamova. "This technology, which successful journalistic slang is called 'canned goods', helps the Russian president to vanish from the nationalist abstraction unnoticed.

"Meanwhile, the Kremlin property work uses the 'canned goods' to make the illusion that the president is moving non-stop." The caller standard of usage of pre-recorded meetings is "astonishing", says the outlet. This besides happened respective years agone erstwhile rumours were rife astir Putin's health.

There are give-away moments successful the caller Putin appearances which amusement they were recorded earlier, according to Faridaily. For example, connected November 19, Putin was seen gathering person of the New People faction, Alexei Nechayev, who said his MPs had conscionable supported the archetypal speechmaking of the national fund which surges immense spending to the Russian subject machine.

But the fund had its archetypal speechmaking connected October 24 and has already had its 2nd speechmaking which wasn't mentioned. Nechayev has besides since had a haircut, indicating the footage could beryllium old. He was besides seen astatine a parliamentary accumulation earlier connected the time helium supposedly met Putin, which would mean helium had not undergone the expected 5 time quarantine earlier face-to-face sessions with the tyrant.

Another caller televised gathering showed Putin with hardline Liberal-Democrat Party person Leonid Slutsky, who told the dictator astir parliamentary predetermination results - but these were successful September. On November 14, erstwhile Putin met Slutsky, helium spoke publically earlier the alleged league with the president, meaning he, too, could not person undergone quarantine astatine that time.

Yet different politician, United Russia's Vladimir Vasiliev, was seen talking to Putin astir preparing the fund - which matched events successful September. Similar inconsistencies were seen with a televised Putin gathering with Yevgeny Balitsky, politician of occupied Zaporizhzhia region. "The Kremlin has not reported immoderate nationalist events with Putin for astir 2 weeks – the past clip helium appeared successful nationalist was connected November 7 astatine the Valdai Forum," stated the channel.

"Since then, the Kremlin has lone published video messages and bilateral meetings, galore of which are 'canned'. Where Putin is successful these anxious days, erstwhile the warfare with Ukraine is entering a caller circular of escalation, and what helium is doing, seemingly lone his information and a tiny ellipse of adjacent associates know. Perhaps it does not adjacent see property caput Dmitry Peskov, who respective hours earlier the work of the caller atomic doctrine, assured that it was not yet ready."

Meanwhile, Putin's concealed person Alina Kabaeva, 41, a erstwhile Olympic champion, has turned up successful Qatar, wherever videos amusement her with her rhythmic gymnastics starlets for a tournament. Putin's vanishing enactment betwixt November 8 and 19 comes amid precocious planetary hostility with his Kremlin information assembly lawman Dmitry Medvedev - Russia's president from 2008-2012 - bluntly informing that a atomic World War Three could beryllium triggered.

He said connected Tuesday: "The usage of the Alliance missiles successful this mode tin present beryllium qualified arsenic an onslaught by the bloc countries connected Russia. In this case, the close arises to motorboat a retaliatory onslaught with weapons of wide demolition connected Kyiv and the main NATO facilities, wherever they are. And this is already World War Three."

Calculations are underway successful Moscow and Kyiv arsenic to whether the caller Trump presidency volition extremity the war, and how. Ukrainian person Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to usage long-range US missiles amid the anticipation helium has besides received support to usage British Storm Shadows and French SCALPs. But helium warned that helium volition suffer the warfare if Trump cuts subject assistance to Kyiv.

He told Fox News: "If they cut, I deliberation we volition lose. Of course, we volition proceed to combat anyway. We person our ain production, but it is not capable to person an advantage. And I deliberation it is not capable to survive." He added: "But if this is America's choice, past we volition determine what we request to do." When Putin travelled to Sochi, helium was reported to person not stayed the nighttime successful the Black Sea resort, which is successful scope of Ukrainian drones.