VLADIMIR Putin has called a morbidly obese general out of retirement to lead his troops in Ukraine as he is running out of senior officers, reports claim.

The Russian despot is now “scraping the barrel” and relying on 20st vodka-swilling General Pavel, 67, to revive his faltering invasion.

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He is said to be in charge of Putin’s special forces in eastern Ukraine after the unit’s former commander was seriously injured in an artillery strike, a source told the Daily Star.

The hulking veteran reportedly served in Russia’s bungled invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s and has over four decades’ experience under his straining belt.

General Pavel first became a commander of elite troops 25 years ago, but had settled into high-calorie retirement.

He reportedly scoffs five meals a day and washes it down with at least a litre of vodka.

The general was reportedly living in a Moscow suburb after hanging up his boots five years ago, but is said to have been ordered to return to the Russian army last month.

But Pavel is no longer in his prime – in fact, he is so overweight he has to have his uniform specially made.

And the 67-year-old sports two sets of body armour to cover his expansive torso.

A senior intelligence source said: “Putin is now scraping the barrel.

“Most of his best and battle-hardened senior commanders have been killed or injured fighting in Ukraine so he is resorting to sending second-rate officers to the front who don’t last very long.

“He is now dragging generals out of retirement and one of those is General Pavel.

“Putin is like a mafia boss who no one can refuse to obey.

“If a retired general gets a message from Putin saying mother Russia needs you to fight in Ukraine there is not much you can do. There is no escape from Russia thanks to the sanctions.”

The warmonger is digging up washed-up veterans to fill gaps in his fragile army after carrying out a pitiless purge of his generals.

Several of his top brass have been given the boot from key roles this week alone, as his mass clearout continues.

Some nine generals and 55 colonels have reportedly been killed during the costly war in Ukraine, leaving the dictator grasping at straws.

Russian air ace Lt-Col Sergey Gundorov, 51, died in a fireball when a Ukrainian solider shot down his helicopter.

Video showed the moment a missile hit the low-flying Mi-35M chopper, sending it cartwheeling through a field.

And another of his top commanders, Major General Andrei Simonov, is said to have been killed during a rocket strike.

The attack also reportedly destroyed over 30 armoured vehicles, including tanks, and killed around 100 Russians.

Russia is thought to have lost as many as 50,000 men during the blood-soaked conflict, prompting Putin to purge his top adviser.

Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov, 60, was ditched for the “mass casualties” among the despot’s elite paratroopers, it’s claimed. 

It comes amid fears the Russian President is may be purging his inner circle after four recent “suicides” of gas industry executives linked to the tyrant.

In April, the suicides were labelled “suspicious” by Russian sources including a former FSB colonel on the Telegram messaging channel.

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