Ex-CIA officer says Putin could be at risk of being killed or deposed by a member of his inner circle

• A former CIA officer based in Moscow said that Putin might be in danger.

• He said that Putin could get ahammer to the head.

• As long as Putin's security guards are on his side, he is safe.

A former CIA officer said that Putin could be at risk of being murdered or deposed by someone within his inner circle.

Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA officer who was once based in Moscow, told The Daily Beast that top aides to Putin might threaten him.

Three people close to Putin, including the Kremlin security council chief, Alexander Bortnikov, and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, were highlighted by the outlet.

"Would you like to leave?" is not going to be asked. It is not possible to say yes. He was killed by a hammer to the head. It's time to go to the sanatorium, according to the man. He was schwacked for it. They will do that.

Ronald Marks, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, told the outlet that if the agents protecting Putin remain loyal, he might still be safe.

Marks said that he had done a good job of getting rid of those who weren't on his side.

Marks said that such figures either drop dead in office or get removed from power.

Sir Richard Dearlove, the former British intelligence chief, speculated in May that Putin might be ousted from power in three years.

A Ukrainian intelligence official claimed that Putin was the target of an assassination attempt. Western officials said that the environment around Putin would make an assassination attempt very difficult.

Reports in April said that members of Putin's inner circle had been removed. The purges of national guardsmen in Putin's private army and the Russian military's top brass have been reported.

Business Insider has an article on it.