RUSSIAN secret services are investigating an alleged plot from "within their own ranks" to assassinate Vladimir Putin.
The hunt is on for a supposed FSB agent who was reportedly boasting about taking down the dictator at a karaoke club in Moscow.
Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, which has close links to Vlad's security agencies, said an informant told them of the bizarre conversation.
The strange claim came from a meeting at Honey, a Moscow club and known haunt of Russian security services operatives.
And the alleged threat comes just weeks ahead of an expected announcement that Putin will seek another term as Russian president.
The source, named as Mikhail Yurchenko, said the "agent" was gloating about being given the "task" to "remove" the dictator.
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He apparently showed the informant his service ID card during a “long heart-to-heart conversation about the war and future life in Russia”.
The informant apparently told the channel that he "did not argue and changed the topic," throughout the alleged exchange.
Yurchenko was left “haunted” by the supposed threat to Putin and reported it to police, according to the channel.
The channel then said Russian special services "have been searching for several days for the unknown person who planned to ‘remove’ Putin".
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"Based on his tip, operatives went to study the situation in the Honey club, where…you can often meet employees of various [secret] departments," they continued.
Putin, who is known to take his security extremely seriously, lives in constant fear of being assassinated.
According to a former guard, the dictator does not even trust his own staff.
And the tyrant is widely reported to have become increasingly paranoid and fearful for his life as his war continues to fail in Ukraine.
He is claimed to have survived six assassination attempts since being in office.
Last year his limousine was allegedly attacked in a possible attempt on the Russian president's life.
Putin's limo was driven to safety with the president unharmed – but it was claimed his security services made multiple arrests.
It is unclear when the potential assassination attempt took place and it was not immediately possible to verify the claim.
It came after he survived a further assassination attempt earlier in 2022, at the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The country's Chief of Defence Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov said at the time there was an "unsuccessful attempt" on the Russian President's life.
His public appearances are becoming increasingly rare and stage-managed and according to reports he regularly changes locations and travel routes.
Russian security services are accused of dealing with many supposed terrorist plots to justify their effectiveness in protecting him.
In recent weeks the despot has been seen more often than he has for several years, seeking to justify his war against Ukraine and making attacks on the West.
The alleged threat comes ahead of an expected announcement next month that he will seek a new six-year term in the Kremlin.
Elections are due in March 2024.
Vlad told students recently in Sochi that he has many admirers in Europe who share his traditional values.
“I want to defend our friends,” he said.
“We have a lot of friends in Europe…
“People who believe that traditional values, including the family, have died out.”
He then attacked the West, saying they “behave very aggressively, particularly in North America and Europe".
But his talk of traditional family values sparked a backlash amongst some Russians.
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One telegram channel branded him “a divorced man living with his mistress, calling his [adult] daughters ‘one woman’ and ‘second woman’.”
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