The head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin faces one of two options for his fate, Ukrainian Pravda reports.

“He played around, climbed up, became impudent. This is a bunker within a bunker. He really lives in his painful world and he will have two options: either a tribunal in The Hague or an inglorious death somewhere in a bunker in Altai,” Malyuk said in an interview with one of Kyiv’s TV channels.

Malyuk also said that the SBU, together with other law enforcement agencies, has already collected a “unique collection” of evidence for future international criminal courts that will consider Russia’s war crimes.

“Ukrainian Pravda” reminds that in an extensive investigation published in early December by the Russian weekly “Sobesednyk”, it was claimed that Vladimir Putin owns a huge network of secret bunkers stretching from Moscow to the Ural Mountains, and that the Russian authorities continue to build underground storage facilities in the country .

Maluk’s comments on Wednesday came after Putin canceled two of his traditional events this year: a year-end marathon news conference and a speech to Russia’s parliament, the equivalent of his “state of the nation” address. They take American presidents to Congress in Washington.

Is Vladimir Putin isolating himself from the Russians?

Putin has held his press conference every year without a break since 2010, while his address to the legislature in Moscow has been postponed just once during that period to early next year.

Ukrainian journalists also note that Putin has canceled his traditional New Year’s Eve plans and will not play hockey in Red Square this year, in what some analysts say is his growing isolation among close advisers.

Maluk’s comments came before Putin approved the expansion of Russia’s armed forces by 350,000 new soldiers during a televised meeting at the Defense Ministry in Moscow on Wednesday.

In a speech he delivered immediately after Putin, Shoigu said that the size of the Russian armed forces should be increased to 1.5 million people, including 695,000 contract servicemen.

Currently, the total number of types of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is determined by the decree of the President of the Kremlin dated October 25 – 1 million 150 thousand 628 servicemen, that is, Russia must mobilize another 350 thousand people.

“I agree with your proposals for other structural changes in the Armed Forces. After the discussions, report to the council, and we will talk about it again in detail,” Putin replied.

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