The deranged Putin has ALREADY attempted to detonate a nuclear bomb but failed at the last minute due to “sabotage,” insiders claim

MAD Vlad Putin has already attempted to detonate a nuclear bomb and may have been “sabotaged” by his own top brass, insiders claim.

The desperate tyrant, 70, is feared by NATO that his finger is getting ever closer to the trigger, ready to launch a nuclear show of force.

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The mounting concerns prompted Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace to cancel his plans and fly to Washington this week for crisis talks.

Analysts feared Putin would detonate a warhead in the Black Sea, possibly triggering tsunamis and a toxic gas cloud.

It was also claimed that plans were afoot to test a tactical nuclear bomb in the Arctic before dropping one on the battlefield in Ukraine.

In recent days there have been a number of notam messages – short-term warnings to aircraft – and Russian navigational warnings indicating sharp fire drills in the Barents Sea near the border with Norway.

It’s the same area where Russia’s giant City Killer submarine Belgorod, armed with nuclear torpedoes, was sighted days ago.

The warnings continue into Saturday, although there has reportedly been little evidence of major testing so far.

Meanwhile, reports claim Putin ordered two nuclear tests earlier this month that did not actually take place.

Insiders claim the launches failed due to “technical failure” or even the reticence of military chiefs.

This could be a sign that Putin’s authority is waning, said Varlery Solovey, a former professor at Moscow’s renowned Institute of International Relations, a training center for spies and diplomats.

He said: “Putin’s decision to use tactical nuclear weapons [in the Ukraine conflict] would no doubt meet resistance.

“I don’t know how effective the resistance will be, but I will note that in the last two weeks nuclear tests should be carried out – one in the Barents Sea under water and the second underground in the Arkhangelsk region.

“Both times the tests were not carried out.

“The reason for this is that before launching, or more precisely before using tactical nuclear weapons, it is necessary to ensure that these weapons are fully functional.

“They needed to be tested.”

Solovey, an expert on the president and his inner circle, claimed that Putin made a policy of using nuclear weapons.

But both tests recently ordered by Putin have been “disrupted,” he claimed.

He continued, “The president got reports that there was an emergency, that it didn’t work out” — indicating technical flaws.

“But the thing is, once is an accident, twice is a coincidence.

“If the third trial ends the same way, with nothing, [it will look like] Sabotage…failing to carry out the Commander-in-Chief’s orders.”

This would be the “resolution of [Putin’s] authority, the Russian executive,” he said.

“Increased Threat”

His comments echoed reports on the General SVR Telegram Channel claiming to be releasing information from a Kremlin insider.

A nuclear test had been ordered by Putin for October 13 and prepared “under the strictest secrecy”.

But the Kremlin leader “was informed of the need to postpone the date and time of the test.”

It added: “Supposedly they didn’t have time to prepare properly.

“This is the second time in the past two weeks that a nuclear test has been postponed.”

A nuclear test – even in an unpopulated area – would be a major escalation and would increase fears of all-out nuclear conflict.

Earlier this week, Mr Wallace canceled at short notice to testify before MPs and flew to the US capital to speak with his American counterparts.

A security source told The Sun: “The threat has increased recently.”

And Defense Secretary James Heappey acknowledged: “We are at a time when these kinds of talks are necessary.”

The head of the GCQH spy agency said his eavesdroppers would be watching closely for Putin’s ability to launch a nuclear bomb.

And this week, two RAF fighters escorted a “Nuke Sniffer” surveillance plane over the Black Sea near Crimea.

The RC-135W “sucks” in enemy signals and can test the atmosphere for signs of radioactivity.

Western officials warn that Putin and his generals are increasingly desperate after seismic battlefield casualties in Ukraine and “significant failures of military leadership”.

Putin said last month Moscow was ready to use nuclear weapons to defend its “territorial integrity” — including Ukraine’s illegally annexed regions.

US President Joe Biden has warned that the world is closer to Armageddon than at any time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

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