The health of Vladimir Putin remains under intense scrutiny amid swirling rumours that he's critically unwell - and could be set for surgery.
Over the past two and a half months Russian forces have laid waste to great tracts of Ukraine under the orders of Putin, who has long enjoyed a reputation as a shrewd geopolitical operator.
As the invasion falters and the Russian army falls far short of its aim to take Kyiv in four days however, that reputation has fallen under intense scrutiny.
The apparently reckless and ill thought-out invasion have led many to wonder whether a man once considered to be a master strategist has been diminished by poor health.
One rumour that has hung over the 69-year-old leader since long before the invasion of Ukraine is that he has some kind of central nervous system condition, such as Parkinson's.
Last week such speculation reached a new intensity when a video of Putin from mid-February welcoming Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko began to circulate.
In it the former KGB operative is seen holding one hand to his chest while the other is held in a fist.
As his hand begins to tremor uncontrollably, Putin pulls it close to his chest, in an apparent attempt to stop the shaking.
Despite his efforts, as he walks toward his long-time ally and fellow election stealer he wobbles unsteadily as his legs continue to tremble.
While the secretive Russian leader - who says he "does not permit" any form of intrusion into his personal life - is unlikely to release reliable medical records for himself anytime soon, arm-chair physicians were quick to speculate about possible Parkinson's.
Parkinson's is a condition in which the brain loses nerve cells, causing problems like shaking and stiffness that get worse over time.
Although there are now treatments to dampen its affects, there is no cure for the condition, which can lead to memory loss and make people more susceptible to deadly infections.
Some medical professionals have poured cold water on the Parkinson's theory however.
John Hardy, a neurogeneticist at the UK Dementia Research Institute, told German news platform Deutsche Welle that the video did not suggest Parkinson's to him.
"No sign of parkinsonism in my view. He did not look well…but not Parkinson's disease," he said.
Ray Chadhuri, a neurologist at the University of London, agreed, saying: "Looking at the short clip, I can find no evidence that I can tell of parkinsonism in Putin."
Caroline Rassell, chief executive of Parkinson's UK, said it is too complex of a condition with over 40 symptoms, both physical and mental, which would be impossible to judge by such a short clip.
Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of M16, has pushed speculation that Putin is indeed ill, even if the exact condition is difficult to determine.
He told GB News last month: "What’s also worrying is the speculation, and it is speculation, that maybe Putin’s behaviour, maybe his rationality is prejudiced or compromised by illness."
He said he had spoken to "several neurologists" who said "loss of restrain, psychosis, are very common Parkinson’s symptoms".
When asked whether the blood-soaked leader has Parkinson's, a spokesperson for the Kremlin dismissed the rumours as "absolute nonsense."
Over the weekend Putin health watchers turned their attention away from the neurological disease towards cancer as a possible route cause of his seemingly declining health.
It was reported that the Russian dictator will nominate hard-line Security Council head and ex-FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev to take control of the invasion while he undergoes cancer surgery.
The extraordinary claims appeared on popular Telegram channel General SVR, which says its source is a well-placed figure in the Kremlin.
The mysteriously sourced claims tally with speculation that Putin's increasingly puffy face and round seeming head are the result of steroid use - a drug which can lead to inflammation and swelling, and is commonly used in the treatment of cancer.
The cancer claims are by no means new.
Back when Putin's army first moved into Ukraine to take Crimea in 2014, speculation was rife that he had either spinal cord cancer or pancreatic cancer.
Since then thyroid cancer, bowel cancer and a brain tumour have been added to the list of potential illnesses.
Angus Dalgleish, professor of Oncology at St George's, University of London, is a proponent of both the Parkinson's and cancer theories.
He has said that the "flatness" of Putin's face and the clear "absence of emotion" he exhibits show that he is a Parkinson's sufferer.
Professor Dalgleish has also speculated that Putin has a thyroid issue, perhaps as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
“Also due to his judo etc, it is claimed that he has a very bad back and you can tell this by the way he walks," the professor told GB News.
“If he has had a very bad back for a long time, he is likely to have taken opiates which is a painkiller which had some effect on him."
Professor Dalgleish also speculated that Putin may have a brain tumour due to the way he had “acted and changed” in the last few years.
He said: “Looking at him 2 or 3 years ago and now, there is a symmetry to his face.
“Which raises the question in my mind and the way he’s acted and changed his behaviour, his disconnect and cognitive problem is whether he has a brain tumour.
“Where he’s followed not just by a thyroid cancer specialist but that he’s being followed by a neurosurgeon."
Whether such speculation proves to be true, or merely the consequence of hope from those who desperately want his bloody reign to come to an end, will only become clear with time.
