Desperate Putin draws up 'Noah's Ark' plan to flee to South America if regime collapses

16 December 2022, 15:00

Vladimir Putin is plotting to flee to South America if the war in Ukraine keeps getting worse for him, his ex-speechwriter has claimed.

Alleged details of the so-called "Noah's Ark" plan have been revealed as the Russian autocrat pulled out of his annual Q&A session and a hockey game amid suggestions they could be derailed by his opponents.

Abbas Gallyamov, a political analyst who used to write Putin's speeches, said he has been told by a Kremlin source that a plot to flee to Venezuela or Argentina has been drawn up, invoking the biblical ship that survived the great flood.

Israel-based Mr Gallyamov, writing on the social media app Telegram, said: "[Putin's] entourage has not ruled out that he will lose the war, be stripped of power, and have to urgently evacuate somewhere."

His comments come after Putin scrapped his appearance at a yearly question session, a mammoth televised affair that is largely staged and designed to boost his credentials.

He has also pulled out of a hockey game he usually plays in Red Square with bodyguards and those close to him.

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He may also cancel or postpone an upcoming state of the nation to the Russian parliament, which he is obliged to do once a year.

There were suggestions the Kremlin feared the Q&A could be derailed by a Ukrainian attack on Russia, with Kyiv launching strikes deeper into Russian territory, while media friendly to his government have claimed he is too busy conducting the war for such appearances.

Putin's health is also under intense scrutiny amid claims he is regularly visited by a cancer specialist and often appearing frail and bloated in public appearances.

The so-called "Noah's Ark" plot is said to be managed by the head of state oil company Rosneft, Igor Sechin, who is closet to Venezuelan despot Nicolas Maduro.

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Venezuela and Russia have been closely aligned and it could be a destination for Putin to flee to if his government collapses.

Argentina has also been suggested but Mr Gallyamov said China was ruled out because the government there hates "losers".

Putin is severely under pressure. Kyiv has used drones to attack bases deep within Russian territory, and with hundreds of thousands of Russians called up to fight, the war – still dubbed a "special military operation" by the Kremlin – has got closer to home.

His survival will likely depend on whether he can keep the elites happy, with authorities brutally clamping down on dissent and opposition to the war.