I have been reading non-US sources that have observed that Putin has superficially declined in health and there are rumors that he is in poor health.

I agree the Putin is "not Russia", but he is a strongman, and Russia has a history of very strong autocrats. I really hope you are right about the Russian military and those officers in charge of the nuclear armament.

We'll see, this will be a fascinating chapter of post-Cold-War history.