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There is an explanation for Vladimir Putin’s hurry to invade Ukraine — it is rumored he has cancer.

News outlets from Belarus to Poland have reported for months that the Russian strongman has cancer of the spinal cord. But my sources say it’s pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of the disease.

Putin is allegedly being treated by an elderly doctor from the old East Germany whom Putin met decades ago while serving in Dresden for the KGB. The doctor has been trying various treatments including steroid shots, which would explain Putin’s puffy appearance.

The physician, who is 84 years old, quit recently, confiding that he hated coming to Russia and was always mistreated by Putin’s security detail.

Crispin Black, the British army veteran who reports on terrorism and intelligence, reported earlier this year that recurring rumors about Putin’s health “are back again with a vengeance.”

Writing for The Week, Black said Putin’s pardon and release of his former crony Mikhail Khodorkovsky, after 10 years in prison, was an ominous sign.

“Some have suggested [Putin] is clearing his conscience,” Black wrote.

Others say Putin has three years to live and wants to leave a legacy of expanding the Russian borders just like Peter the Great or Stalin. Take your pick.