Since Russia invaded Ukraine there has been much speculation about the health of its president Vladimir Putin. Some rumours have suggested the 69-year-old has cancer while others point towards a Parkinson's disease diagnosis.
The leader prompted the biggest war in Europe since World War Two on the basis that Western-leaning Ukraine was a threat and that Russia could not feel "safe, develop and exist". Since the invasion began on February 24, thousands have died while towns and cities lie in ruins. Around 13 million people have left where they called home.
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Although Putin has been a prominent leader on the world stage for over two decade, this horrific war has increasingly thrown him into the spotlight. As he appears on our screens more than ever before, many have been speculating that the Russian leader may not be in the best of health.
It comes as Putin used his country’s biggest patriotic holiday to again justify his war in Ukraine but did not declare even a limited victory or signal where the conflict is headed. The Russian leader oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Monday, with troops marching in formation and military hardware on display to celebrate the Soviet Union’s role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.
It should be stressed that there is no hard evidence to confirm these rumours. However, given the impact he is having on world events at the moment it is worth at least looking at what people are saying.
'Putin to have surgery for cancer'
It has been claimed that leading military and security officials - as well as Putin's own cronies - believe the leader to be dying or to be gravely ill. It is alleged Putin is due to undergo surgery, possibly for cancer, according to reported leaks from within the Kremlin, the Mirror reported. It comes after Telegram channel General SVR - allegedly run by an ex-Russian Foreign Intelligence Service lieutenant general - said the president has been informed by doctors the op will incapacitate him "for a short time".
Supposedly, he will briefly hand over the reigns of power to an aide. There has been no official confirmation in relation to Putin being in ill health, but in recent public appearances it has been said he seems shaky with a puffy face. Some rumours suggest his face is puffy due to steroid-based medication used to treat cancer.
Investigative journalist Christo Grozev also told Ukraine-24 TV that Putin is no longer trusted by billionaires close to him, who believe he is suffering from cancer. "I have no exact data about his health condition, but…people who are close to him, including oligarchs [believe he has cancer]," said Christo, who is associated with British-based Bellingcat open source research group which has run investigations on Russian corruption.
"One oligarch…close to him [has told] about Putin's serious oncological disease. Once again, I cannot tell you this is really so, but I can say they talk about it. People next to him believe he has such a disease. It becomes a factor in Russian inner politics. Because people do not believe Putin any more, do not believe he can be their guarantor [in future]. And this is [the feeling] throughout the elites."
The news follows supposed intelligence reports from the Pentagon that suggested the Russian leader has been diagnosed with bowel cancer. According to the Star, an ex-military intelligence officer now working at the Pentagon said analysts have been studying Putin and believe he is gravely ill. The source said: “In the past we have seen him smile, but in 2022 there are few pictures of him looking happy.
"His look suggests he is in pain and our people suggest his angry look is most likely as a result of him being in agony. “Our people are confident he is ill – he is concerned about Covid as he keeps his staff at a distance.”
On Russia's Victory Parade this week, Putin sparked more rumours after being seen coughing at the event with a blanket draped over his legs, the Mirror reports. While it was a slightly chilly 9C in Moscow, none of the other senior Kremlin dignitaries watching the march-past felt the need for a blanket.
'Shakiness may be Parkinson's or dementia'
Another rumour is that Putin's shakes are the result of Parkinson's disease. This rumour has been circulating for several years after historian Professor Valery Solovei claimed that Putin had the degenerative disease. Others believe his apparent tremors point towards dementia.
In late April footage circulated of the 69-year-old apparently looking shaky and anxious at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral. Footage from the service showed Putin chewing his lips and fidgeting as he spoke only once in chorus with the congregation saying "truly he is risen".
Other images of Putin sat at a table have shown him gripping it tightly throughout meetings, suggesting he is struggling to stay upright. Professor Erik Bucy, from Texas Tech University, told the Sun Online : "It’s an astonishingly weakened Putin compared to the man we observed even a few years ago. This is not a portrait of a healthy Putin but one appearing increasingly feeble and barely able to hold himself upright at a small conference table."
In this video Putin can been seen greeting someone but being unsteady on his feet and almost losing his balance:
'Putin's psychiatric health is bad'
An oligarch close to Vladimir Putin has warned friends that his "psychiatric health is bad" and there is a "very real" threat he could use nuclear weapons, MailOnline reported. The trusted source told MailOnline: "People who personally know [this oligarch close to Putin] and other [insiders] have told me that big business closely affiliated to power are sitting as quiet as mice because the emperor's madness is real, and the nuclear strike's threat is very real, too.
"Those 'most strongly opposed to the war' in the elite 'have shut up' because of the dangers of challenging him. They told me that Putin's psychiatric health is bad indeed, and stories about him going bonkers are not a joke. There is some really serious trauma there, with everyone scared of its consequences."
It has also been suggested that an order by Putin to strike Ukraine or the West with nuclear weapons would be ignored by his top commanders. On the threat of nuclear weapons, journalist Christo Grozev said: "I believe this factor - that people close to him think that he is not all right health-wise - diminishes the risk of them obeying his order to kill foes, like they did in the past. The same reason makes it unlikely that someone will press the nuclear button, with the understanding that if he is gone in three or six months, who will protect them from a trial in Nuremberg?"
