Moscow denied rumors – once more – that Russian President Vladimir Putin suffers from a debilitating illness, with one of his leading advisers stating publicly that he is not in weak well being.
“President Vladimir Putin seems in general public just about every working day,” Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov told French tv channel TF1 over the weekend. “You can see him on the screens, read through his speeches, listen to his speeches.”
“I really don’t believe sane people today can discern any sort of symptom of ailment in this gentleman,” he concluded.
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Lavrov, among quite a few leading Russian officers to come under Western sanctions given that Putin requested the invasion of Ukraine far more than 3 months back, has grow to be only the newest in a long line of Kremlin officials to answer to unsubstantiated – but persistent – rumors about the 69-calendar year-outdated leader’s well being. Even though couple of specifics about Putin’s condition have turn into general public, Moscow’s acknowledgements of these types of stories are almost definitely not comfortable for an autocrat who has worked diligently and intentionally to venture an graphic of actual physical toughness and virility throughout additional than two a long time in electric power.
Footage circulated broadly on social media and on-line in the latest weeks seems to clearly show Putin exhibiting symptoms of some sort of neurological or physiological condition. 1 unique clip from April supposedly shows him quivering uncontrollably and appearing to grip on to a desk for assistance. One more seems to demonstrate his correct hand shaking prior to he grabs it with his remaining hand times just before embracing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Christopher Steele, the previous British spy who grew to become infamous for his dossier of unsubstantiated intelligence observations relating to previous President Donald Trump, has also lobbed disturbing assessments of Putin’s overall health and grip on electric power, declaring the Russian leader is consistently surrounded by a group of medical professionals and that state business enterprise is routinely interrupted for the president to bear medical therapy. Small business Insider quoted him as saying Putin “probably” is going through Parkinson’s ailment, though he acknowledges that the specific information of any prospective ailment are unknown.
1 unique unfounded rumor, originating from an anonymously operate Telegram channel and recurring by various news stores, claimed Putin was preparing to bear extreme surgical procedure