Vladimir Putin ‘terrified of being killed like Gaddafi’ amid Russian civil unrest

Vladimir Putin is terrified of being killed like Libyan leader Muhammed Gaddafi, according to a leading expert.

The Russian leader fears the same fate as Gaddafi amid civil unrest in the country over the jailing of opposition leader Alexi Navalny.

Speaking to The Sun Online, Russian historian Yuri Felshtinsky says the current protests have convinced Putin there needs to be more repression.

The Kremlin strongman has come under fire after Navalny released a video revealing Mr Putin has allegedly built a secret palace worth £1 billion.

Mr Putin, who has been ruling the nation for 20 years, feels if he loosens his grip there will be a bitter end to his death.

The 68-year-old is adamant on protecting his position through brutality if need be, according to Mr Feltshtinsky.

The historian claims Mr Putin has “watched obsessively” the videos of the killing of Gaddafi who was cornered by a mob in 2011 after being shot.

Mr Feltshtinsky said: “He’s bright enough to know that under normal rules, his system of government cannot exist. He’s not an idealist.

“He knows there’s no way he can survive unless he continues to oppress.

“The lesson that Putin will have learnt after the recent events is that he should control more and that he should repress more. And that’s what we will see.”

It comes after Alexi Navalny was jailed for three years, he was arrested after returning to Moscow from Germany, where he had been recovering from a nerve agent poisoning in August 2020.

Protests became violent in January, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted: “The UK condemns the Russian authorities’ use of violence against peaceful protesters and journalists.

“We call on (the Russian government) to respect its international commitments on human rights in (the Council of Europe) and (the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe), and release citizens detained during peaceful demonstrations.”

Last year during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow, Navalny became violently ill and was taken to a hospital in Omsk after an emergency landing there, and put in a coma.

He was later evacuated from Russia to the Charité hospital in Berlin, Germany, and the use of the Novichok nerve agent was later confirmed.

After his recovery, Navalny accused President Vladimir Putin of being responsible for his poisoning.