It is believed senior officers and officials close to Putin are alarmed by biting Western sanctions and the failing economy caused by war.

Some Kremlin figures are also concerned about the increasingly alarming risks being taken such as fighting at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

The approach is likely to have been made to CIA contacts or Western diplomats, behind Putin’s back.

The Daily Mirror understands the leaked “situation report” is being taken seriously by intelligence agencies.

The document says: “A representative of Putin’s inner-circle sent a signal to the West about the desire to negotiate. The mood of the Kremlin elite is panic.”

The amazing claims goes on to label the unnamed Kremlin insider as “one of the pillars of the regime”.