According to an astounding report out of Russia, Vladimir Putin will 'vanish' soon as he undergoes cancer surgery. According to rumours, the Kremlin leader began experiencing health concerns such as abdominal cancer and Parkinson's disease about 18 months ago. The surgery was supposed to take place in the second half of April, but it was pushed back. Putin is thought to have hastily picked his hardline security council security secretary Nikolai Patrushev, 70, to take over while he is sidelined. Patrushev, a former KGB counterintelligence officer widely regarded as a significant figure in Ukraine's devastating attack.