A notable scar can be seen on Vladimir Putin's neck following claims he suffered from thyroid cancer.
The mark was seen as he held a candle at a midnight Orthodox Easter cathedral service in Moscow at the weekend.
It has led to talk over whether it is proof of credible claims last year by Proekt media that Putin has suffered from thyroid cancer.
An investigation by the independent outlet revealed that the dictator is constantly accompanied by Yevgeny Selivanov – a surgeon from Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital who specialises in the disease.
Footage shows the scar as a diagonal line upwards from left to right on his neck.
The pictures were posted by the Kremlin from the Easter service, yet the scar is not always visible.
Ukrainian media outlet Telegram channel Unian said the scar is the shape of a letter ‘Z’ - the war symbol used by Putin’s invading forces.
"A strange scar in the shape of the letter ‘Z’ has been noticed on Putin's neck,” it posted.
“The unusual shots were taken on Easter when the dictator visited a cathedral.”
It evidently took the Z-shape idea from political commentator and blogger Denis Kazaksky who posted: “What is it with Volodya [Putin]? I think I have figured out where the ‘Z’ came from.”
A comment said: "Well, he is supposed to have had thyroid cancer treatment."
In fact this or a similar scar was noticed more than two years ago in December 2020 when Russian media outlet Sobesednik pointed to a distinct marking on his neck.
At the time plastic surgeon Amjad Al-Yousef commented: "In theory, after intubation such a scar can remain, but this is only in theory.
“It often happens that not even a scar remains as the skin heals.”
He was speaking before suspicions emerged that Putin suffers from thyroid cancer.
However, there is no evidence that he has undergone surgery for removal of the thyroid gland which might involve an incision a few inches long across the front of the neck.
Al-Yousef suggested that instead it was not a scar but a mark in his loose skin - common in an “elderly person”.
In 2020 it did not appear as prominent as seen in recent days in Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.
Al-Yousef suggested that Putin - then 68 and now 70 - had undergone regular plastic surgery on his face - but this was not done on his neck.
"No plastic surgery performed on this part of the body,” he said.
“Even if we assume that this is some kind of innovation in plastic surgery, then in this case it would have been performed more professionally without such a serious mistake.
“Here is the classic neck of a 68 year old man with [low skin strength].
“With age, skin turgor changes and becomes weaker.
“Vladimir [Putin’s] face is very well-groomed, professional cosmetic care is noticeable.
“And when we see the perfect face, we naturally begin to pay attention to the skin of the neck.
“Unfortunately, there are no such effective professional treatments for the neck.
“While putting a shirt and a tie on, the throat is squeezed, the skin gathers and turns into such a fold.”
The Proekt investigative report revealed that one medic Dr Alexey Shcheglov “relentlessly” followed Putin and made 59 trips encompassing 282 days to his side.
Shcheglov was seen as a medic “who, among other things, can be the first to detect problems with the thyroid gland, including oncological ones”.
Putin was also under the attention of an ENT specialist Dr Igor Esakov who made 38 trips to Putin, covering 152 days.
Cancer surgeon Dr Selivanov made 35 trips spanning 166 days, said the report.
His expertise is “peculiarities of diagnostics and surgical treatment of elderly and senile patients with thyroid cancer".
Multiple other medics were revealed as caring for the Russian president.
Separate claims have suggested Putin suffers from abdominal cancer.
On Telegram channel, General SVR regularly claims that the Kremlin warmonger suffers “bouts of coughing, dizziness, sleep disturbances, abdominal pain [and] constant nausea” as well as “the manifestation of symptoms of Parkinson's disease and schizoaffective disorder”, it has alleged.
One version is that he has been treated with steroids, leading to a bloated look around the face and neck.
Symptoms of thyroid cancer include the appearance of a thick nodule in the thyroid area; hoarseness of voice; difficulty swallowing; pain in the neck and throat; enlarged lymph nodes in the neck; a dry cough, scratchy or scratchy feeling in the throat or behind the sternum.
The Kremlin has denied Putin suffers from health problems.
