Speculations surrounding the health of Russian president Vladimir Putin have been in the air for a while, as several people claimed that the world leader is not in a good shape over the past few years. 

And now, Ukraine's intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov has claimed that Putin is terminally ill with cancer, and is on the verge of his death. 

"He has been sick for a long time. I am sure he has cancer. I think he will die very quickly. I hope very soon," Budanov told ABC News. 

He added: "He is ill for a long period. We think it's cancer. We know it from human sources that are close to Putin." 

Even though speculations regarding Putin's ill health are going viral on the internet, Kremlin has not given an official confirmation regarding the issues faced by the president. 

It has been previously reported that Putin, a few weeks back, fell down the stairs at his official residence in Moscow. The president's close aids and security guards were there during the time of the incident, and they soon informed inhouse doctors who gave him the initial first aid. 

Some other reports suggest that Putin is currently battling Parkinson's disease. 

Meanwhile, Putin recently ordered a temporary ceasefire during Orthodox Christmas. Ukraine however called this act a clever move by the Russian president to gain time to regroup his forces.