Putin's leadership is unraveling as he takes regular breaks for medical treatment and is constantly surrounded by doctors, says British ex-spy

Christopher Steele, a former British spy, said that Putin has to take regular breaks for medical treatment as his grip on power is fading.

Steele said in an interview with British talk radio station LBC that there was increasing disarray in the Kremlin.

Steele was the head of the spy agency's Russia desk for three years.

There is no clear political leadership coming from Putin, who is increasingly ill, and in military terms, the structures of command are not functioning as they should.

He didn't cite his sources, but he was confident of his claims. The top spokesman for Putin has denied any issues.

Steele said that he is always accompanied by a team of doctors. Steele claimed that government meetings have to be broken up so that Putin can get regular treatments.

He said that it was having a serious impact on the governance of Russia.

Steele said that Putin is unlikely to withdraw from Ukraine because of the political corner he has painted himself into. He said that it was probably driving his wish to solidify his legacy.

There have been rumors about Putin's health for months. On May 14th, the head of military intelligence in Ukraine told Sky News that Putin is very sick and that a Kremlin coup is underway.

The rumors went into a frenzy after the president appeared on television. They led to speculation that the president may have a disease.

Insider has been unable to verify the existence of an anonymous Telegram account that claims to be a former high-ranking Kremlin official.

Steele said in an interview with LBC that Putin is probably ill with the disease. Steele said they don't know the exact details of his ailment.

In April, an in-depth investigation by the independent Russian outlet Proekt also found that Putin has had a medical team with him for the last decade, with up to a dozen doctors with him at any one time.

Steele is the author of the Trump-Russia dossier that included obscene allegations about the former US president.

CNN reported that no evidence has been found of that tape, and other headline claims have been discredited.