Mystery how the ‘sick’ Putin cuts short the trip to the tank factory at the last minute after canceling the State of the Union address

VLADIMIR Putin has suddenly canceled a trip to the tank factory at the last minute – further fueling speculation that he is either in hiding or ill.

Mad Vlad abruptly canceled the visit, even though all security arrangements were in place and his limousine, along with his entourage, had been taken to the city of Nizhny Tagil.

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No reason has yet been given for the visit – but it comes after canceling his State of the Union address, annual hockey game and year-end press conference.

Before Putin’s visit, snow had been cleared from the streets for the first time this winter.

Locals said Vlad should oversee increased tank production for his vicious war in Ukraine.

Ural media company E1 said three sources confirmed its sudden last-minute cancellation.

Putin was due to fly to the regional capital, Yekaterinburg, before visiting industrial Nizhny Tagil.

The abrupt cancellation fueled speculation about his health issues, perceived security threats, and his efforts to evade a war review.

The city had been preparing for Putin “for days”.

It is believed that Vlad thought he could have rolled over Ukraine in days – but he ended up enduring a long, bloody battle in the trenches.

Russia’s advances have been set back by a valiant effort by heroic Ukrainians, backed by the West.

And now it’s believed the 70-year-old’s future is tied to the success or failure of his invasion.

Putin has been warned that if he fails to achieve something in Ukraine, he could face an internal uprising.

It follows claims by senior Ukrainian figures that Putin fears being killed if he loses the war in Ukraine and is therefore “fighting for his life”.

And secret Russian spy documents revealed by The Sun Online revealed fears for Vlad’s health.

Putin’s condition was the subject of feverish speculation – he appeared nervous, unsteady on his feet and occasionally out of breath.

It has been suggested he may have stomach cancer – or maybe even Parkinson’s.

Mad Vlad was seen clutching a thick blanket as he watched a parade earlier this year and last week was seen swaying and slurring as he spoke with a glass of champagne.

Security at Moscow airports was high, and flights to the Urals, apparently, were connected with his trip.

His fleet of the president’s Aurus cars were seen being prepared for departure from Yekaterinburg, observers said.

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The vehicles had previously been brought to the city for the expected visit to Nizhny Tagil, it said.

The plant, which is now using prison workers to boost production of tanks and flamethrowers, was told at midday that Putin had canceled.

A report said: “The roads along the route proposed by the President have been cleaned [of snow] down to the asphalt.

“Learner drivers were banned from the streets and even the opening of the Christmas tree in the Dzerzhinsky district was canceled, where, as planned, the workshops of Uralvagonzavod would be inspected [Putin].”

E1 previously quoted a local as saying: “They clean up and even carry away the snow, something incredible.

“I drove past this morning [tank plant] — They even cleaned everything on the curbs, the snow is being removed from the lawns.”

The outlet reported “unprecedented security measures” in the city ahead of Putin’s expected visit.

“County officials will screen anyone who has a gun registered with them, that will be the biggest focus.

“Particular attention is paid to former snipers and sappers, those who dealt with explosives, as well as the indigenous people of Ukraine.

“They’re going to look at if they have guns and what condition they have, where they work and who they live with, and how they’re doing mentally.

“They will also come with an inspection to residents whose windows overlook the intended route of the motorcade.”

Two months ago, Putin’s ally, Dmitry Medvedev, visited the plant and “yelled at the plant’s CEO Vladimir Roshchupkin,” threatening criminal prosecution if tank production wasn’t boosted for the war, it said.

A month later, convicted local criminals were deployed at the factory.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had planted in August in a futile attempt to boost production.

Yesterday, Putin was on his feet for 49 minutes answering questions from licensed journalists who suggested there were no health problems at a time when his officials were being swept away by the flu.

There are many rumors that Putin is suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses.

Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Podyom that Putin’s trip was not announced as an event planned in his schedule, so “it shouldn’t have been expected.”

However, this was contradicted by local officials, who clearly expected this.

Putin had foolishly expected to roll over Ukraine and welcome its soldiers as “liberators” – but they faced stiff resistance.

Cities and territories captured at the beginning of the war in late February are now being recaptured by the Ukrainians.

The West is heavily supporting Kyiv – equipping them with the weapons they need to defeat Russia.

Ukraine’s recent advances are now opening the door to Crimea, territory illegally occupied by Russia in 2014.

And returning the peninsula to Ukrainian hands would be an unprecedented failure for Putin.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky was greeted like a hero on a visit to Washington DC – he sat down with Joe Biden to agree a deal worth around £1.5 billion on arms.

Putin also suffered further humiliation as more than 100,000 of his soldiers are believed to have died on Ukraine’s battlefields.