Vladimir Putin of Russia might step down voluntarily from his position as president of Russia very soon. A Kremlin expert dropped a bombshell in an interview published as part of an article on a pro-Kremlin website. According to Valery Solovey, Russian historian, political analyst, and Kremlin expert, Putin might be forced to step down early from his position as president of Russia due to “certain circumstances” believed to be health issues.

In an article published on the pro-Kremlin website Moskovsky Komsomolets (MK), under the title “Thunderstorm 2017: Maybe Putin will be replaced by a successor in several months,” Solovey said that the Russian president might be forced to quit his position as president due partly to “certain circumstances” believed to be linked to undisclosed health issues and partly because of “geostrategic considerations.”

Solovey, professor and dean of the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Affairs, dropped a hint that Putin, 64, was considering stepping down voluntarily from office due to health issues when he said that “certain circumstances” would force him to “avoid publicity in 2017 for several months or will appear very rarely,” the Daily Mail reports.

He also hinted that Putin was considering stepping down to allow a successor who has a better relationship with the West to take over.

Putin may soon quit as president of Russia [Image by Slavko Sereda/Shutterstock]

But the article was taken down within hours of its publication after more than 50,000 had viewed it, Gazprom-owned Ekho Moscow radio reported, according to the Daily Mail.

Many Russians protested on social media after the article was taken down.

“Why did the editor freak out? What was so special in what this guy said? Or we can’t speak about anything at all now?”

But soon after the story was taken down Solovey took to social media, insisting that his revelations were accurate and that confirmation would come by December.

“Before the end of the year, the respected audience will get confirmation of everything mentioned in the much talked-about interview.”

Analysts are taking Solovey’s disclosure seriously because he is believed to have access to well-placed sources inside the Kremlin.

“As you see, this hypothetical situation [Putin stepping down from office] is very nervy from the point of view of Russian policy,” he said.

“Let me not say more, I have said enough,” he said in response to a question whether he meant that Putin had health problems.

“And let me stress once again: this information is not absolutely reliable. Still, it should be considered,” he added.

Also commenting on possible replacements for Putin, he mentioned the current Russian Prime Minster Dmitri Medvedev, who had served as the third President of Russia from 2008 to 2012.

Russian premier Dmitri Medvedev is being considered as replacement for Putin [Image by Anton Romanov/Shutterstock]

Solovey also mentioned 44-year-old Alexei Dyumin, a former Putin bodyguard and former deputy defense minister whose career Putin had promoted by appointing him governor of Tula region.

Dyumin had played a key role in the Ukrainian crisis and in the Russian takeover of Crimea. He was present in Ukraine during the crisis that ended in the toppling of the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. He reportedly escorted Yanukovych out of Ukraine.

According to Solovey, plans were being considered to hold an early presidential election in 2017, ahead of the end of Putin’s current six-year-term in 2018.

Solovey explained that early elections would be held “partly because of geostrategic considerations.”

He went on to clarify the relevant “geostrategic considerations,” saying that Putin was considering stepping down to allow a successor who has a better relationship with the West.

“Putin is convinced that as long as he is the president, it would not be possible to improve relations with the West,” he continued. “So in order to change this situation it is necessary that Russia is represented at the negotiations by a different person.”

“If we suppose that improvement of relations with the West is considered by Vladimir Vladimirovich to be a national necessity, it is easy to predict who his successor will be,” Solovey said, pointing out that Medvedev could be deemed as having a better relationship with the West than Putin.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin is stoking the flames of speculations by refusing to comment on Solovey’s claims. There were rumors about a brewing bitter power struggle between Medvedev and Dyumin supporters within the Kremlin hierarchy.

Many analysts are also speculating about the motives underlying Kremlin’s timing of the story, pointing out the fact that it came a day after the election of the Donald Trump as the next U.S. president.

[Featured Image by Frederic Legrand/Shutterstock]