Mystery as ‘sickly’ Putin aborts trip to tank factory at last minute after cancelling state of the nation address

VLADIMIR Putin suddenly cancelled a trip to tank factory at the last minute – further fuelling speculation he is either in hiding or sick. Mad Vlad abruptly axed the visit even as all the security was in place and his limo had been moved to Nizhny Tagil along with his entourage. GettyPutin is rumoured to be in poor health[/caption] No reason has yet been given for the visit – but it comes after he cancelled his state-of-the-nation address, his annual hockey game and his end of year press conference. Snow had been cleared on streets for the first time this winter ahead of the visit by Putin. Locals said Vlad was due to oversee boosted tank production for his vicious war in Ukraine. Urals media outlet E1 said three sources had confirmed his sudden last minute cancellation.  Putin had been expected to fly to regional capital Yekaterinburg before visiting industrial Nizhny Tagil. The abrupt cancellation is fueling speculation over his health problems, perceived security threats and his efforts to dodge scrutiny over the war.