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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Benjamin Lynch

Putin's health amid Parkinson's rumours - puffy face, shaking and cancer surgeon

Speculation about Vladimir Putin's health has ramped up after recent footage of the Russian president appeared to show him in an alarming state.

Putin's invasion has made him directly responsible for the destruction of Ukrainian cities like Mariupol, the deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and the displacement of millions of refugees fleeing Russian bombs in Ukraine.

The barbaric nature of the war has led some to speculate on his motivation behind it, with plenty drawing on recent footage of the Russian leader, 69, to create their own conclusions about his health.

The Kremlin has continued to deny that their main man is sick and is unlikely to comment otherwise.

Is Vladimir Putin ill?

An Orthodox Easter service and a meeting with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu showed Putin looking unwell (AFP via Getty Images)

There has been plenty of speculation about the possible ill-health of Vladimir Putin, after recent footage of him at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral showed him looking unwell.

The "unsteady and distracted" leader reportedly did not seem his usual self during the service and it comes only days after a shaky Putin appeared to be gripping the table in an important meeting.

Talking to defence chief Sergei Shoigu, Putin was seen gripping the table in an apparent attempt to stop himself from shaking.

Former Tory MP Louise Mensch said: "Putin has Parkinson’s disease and here you can see him gripping the table so that his shaking hand is not visible but he cannot stop his foot from tapping."

Retired Royal Navy Admiral Chris Parry described Putin as being "a man in a hurry" and claimed the Russian leader has cancer.

"He has been using these very long tables to interview people," Parry said. "I think his immune system might be suppressed at the moment."

Political analyst Valery Solovei said in 2020: "One [health problem] is of psycho-neurological nature, the other is a cancer problem.

"If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I'm not a doctor, and I have no ethical right to reveal these problems.

"The second diagnosis is a lot, lot more dangerous than the first-named diagnosis as Parkinson’s does not threaten physical state, but just limits public appearances.

"But there is a fatal diagnosis."

Why does Putin have a puffy face?

Putin's puffy face has been one of the main causes of speculation about his health (Россия 24 / SWNS)

Vladimir Putin's puffy profile has led to speculation from some experts that the Russian president is ill and has to take steroids.

Steroids can give people's faces a puffy appearance, but they are also used in the medical treatment of anything from back pain to cancer.

Russia expert Fiona Hill told Politico in February: "Putin’s not looking so great, he’s been rather puffy-faced.

"We know that he has complained about having back issues. Even if it’s not something worse than that, it could be that he’s taking high doses of steroids, or there may be something else. There seems to be an urgency for this that may be also driven by personal factors."

An investigation by Proekt media, banned in Russia, suggests Putin is being followed by surgeon Yevgeny Selivanov, of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, said to have flown 35 times to see the president in Sochi.

A thesis by Selivanov was titled: "Peculiarities of diagnostics and surgical treatment of elderly and senile patients with thyroid cancer."

The reports also claimed he is regularly joined by Dr Alexey Shcheglov, a surgeon who also specialised in Ear, Nose and Throat medical training.

This has not been confirmed by any health official related to the Kremlin and any theory about the president's health is currently unconfirmed.

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