Russian President Vladimir Putin is reported to be "seriously ill with blood cancer.”

A leaked audiotape of an unnamed oligarch claimed the leader was “seriously ill”.

A recording obtained by US magazine New Lines has reportedly claimed that the oligarch, code-named ‘Yuri’, said “Putin is very ill with blood cancer”

Speculations about Putin's ill health have intensified since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In the photos and videos on social media, Putin was seen having his legs covered with a thick green cover as he sat among Second World War veterans.

The Russian oligarch in the recording obtained by New Lines magazine also said that Putin had undergone back surgery

Putin has been calling Russia's invasion of Ukraine a special operation to counter genocide allegedly taking place in Ukraine.