My husband Litvinenko was killed by Putin – Wagner ‘coup’ shows why Vlad must be taken out & stopped before its too late

THE widow of a man assassinated on Putin's orders has urged world leaders that the safety of Russia rests on the tyrant's removal.

Marina Litvinenko today warned that the almost success of Wagner's extraordinary coup shows "Putin has no control" and needs to be "taken out".

Litvinenko has tirelessly campaigned for justice over the lethal poisoning of her husband in 2006.

Alexander Litvinenko was a British naturalised-defector and former officer for Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) who fled to the UK in 2000 with his family.

Known as Putin's "enemy number one", he was a staunch critic of Vlad and a UK inquiry into his death concluded he was assassinated by the FSB and that Putin had "a level of approval for the killing".

Today, Litvinenko called out world leaders for their allegedly risky strategy of allowing Putin to stay in power as the dramatic events unfold in a now shaky Russia.

The activist told Laura Kuenssberg that: “I can’t see international leaders have a strong reaction [to war in Ukraine], sure they want to help…but they still want want to keep Putin to at least to keep some control of Russia.

"But what you can see from yesterday, is that Putin doesn't control anything.

"Most importantly if you want to save Russia from collapsing, you need to take Putin out of place."

Referring to the ease in which the Wagner mercenary army stormed through eastern Russia, she stated this was a clear sign that Putin is not the leader he claims to be.

Arguing his iron fist rule is over, she said: "Putin is not the leader of this country, even nuclear weapons could be used without knowledge".

For ordinary Russians on-the-ground, Litvinenko called them "hostages" - too afraid to discuss what's happening.

"But what is happening right now might give them a sense that Putin does not give them stability at all."

A former MI6 officer today also argued that uprising suggests Vlad has "lost authority" in Russia.

Christopher Steele told Sky News: "What's changed I think is that Vladimir Putin has lost authority and legitimacy within Russia and has been challenged in a way, yes he's managed to worm his way out of it for the present.

"To see events unfold in Russia yesterday and the speed with which the situation seemed to spiral out of control must be very concerning for Putin and the people around him."

In terms of what's next, a former chief of the UK General Staff is feeling nervous over what Yevgeny Prigozhin's exile to Belarus could mean for Ukraine.

Lord Dannatt also told Sky News: "The fact that he's gone to Belarus is I think a matter of some concern."

He continued: "If he has gone to Belarus and has kept an effective fighting force around him, he then presents a threat again to the Ukrainian flank closest to Kyiv which is where all this began on February 24 last year.

"Although it would appear that this matter is closed I think it is far from closed and the aftershocks will reverberate for quite some time."

Last night, The Sun Online spoke to another sworn enemy of Putin's who warned that Prigozhin and his troops' violent uprising is "just the beginning".

Bill Browder, an American-British financier and political activist, said that: "Putin can't forgive somebody who has disrespected him in such a powerful way.

"Putin already tried to kill Prigozhin, and he [Prigozhin] understands they'll probably try it again. I think nobody trusts anyone now."

Browder continued: "Let's just say that this just says that this thing does de-escalate - there's gonna be a massive purge of the Kremlin like we've never seen before.

"Putin is going to go after everybody he distrusts in every possible way and it's going to be a total disaster for all people inside the establishment as Putin tests their loyalty - because this is the scariest thing that has ever happened to Putin."

"I don't think anything is over. I think it's just beginning," he added.