I don’t see whether we gain much if Putin disappears. An unstable Russia could shift to some new and even worse set of relations with the west. But he’s probably just taking a break, that recent assassination in Moscow either threw him off balance if unexpected, or unleashed the guilt complex if he was behind it. Either way, a break is understandable.
If it were known to associates that he was removed from power (or dead) then puppets like Medvedev would have said something in code and disappeared for their own safety.