What the Russian media summarizes about 71-year-old Nikolai Patrushev, a close associate of the Kremlin, also known as Putin’s alter ego
Opposition media in Russia are talking about an assassination attempt against Vladimir Putin’s closest associate and initiator of the invasion of Ukraine.
In particular, the 71-year-old Nikolai Patrushev, also known as the “alter ego” of the Russian President or the “Kremlin hawk”, former head of the FSB secret service and secretary of the Moscow Security Council, was reportedly rushed to the hospital in the past days after malaise, which related tests showed to be due to poisoning.
It is even noted that when there were rumors about the state of Putin’s health, he appeared as a possible replacement for the Russian president.
More specific results of toxicology tests revealed that Patrushev had been infected with a “synthetic poison”, but he ultimately survived.
It is recalled that according to the Washington Post, Patrushev appeared publicly to justify the invasion and promote Russia’s war aims, at a time when Putin seemed to be faltering during the first three months of the conflict.
In a series of interviews he gave to Russian newspapers, the 71-year-old Patrushev predicted the collapse of Europe under the weight of a global food and refugee crisis and the breakup of Ukraine into several states.
The powerful Secretary of the Security Council had served at the KGB headquarters in St. Petersburg, while he had argued that the US was behind the tensions in eastern Ukraine and that Washington’s ultimate goal was to cause the collapse of Russia.
“Our task is to defend the territorial integrity of our country and its sovereignty,” he had said, becoming the main spokesman for a hard line against the West.
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