Vladimir Putin has quelled numerous health fears by delivering a rambling and "impressive" 72-minute speech, an expert has claimed.
In a speech to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Americans of "declaring they are sent by God to Earth with their sacred interests".
All eyes were on the Kremlin brute, looking for any signs he may be suffering from a fatal illness.
The unconfirmed rumours of the Russian President 's ill-health have been wide-ranging from mental illnesses, cancer, and Parkinson's.
While medical scans would confirm any abnormalities, doctors have analysed his movements during speeches to make their assumptions.
But today Putin will have been keen to "play down the swirling rumours about his health", Keir Giles, senior fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, told The Mirror.
"A 72-minute speech as a test of stamina, even though it doesn't compare with his previous marathon press conferences, is still going to be impressive for those who said he was at death's door", he continued.
Putin declared in his speech, which was delayed for an hour by a suspected Ukrainian cyber attack, that Russia has hypersonic missiles that no one else in the world has and that sanctions against Russia were a double-edged sword and would only harm the West.
Mr Giles said that Putin is merely demonstrating he is "deep as ever, down the rabbit hole of his own conspiracy theories."
While threats of hypersonic missiles may appear of concern, the rhetoric that we heard in the speech, Mr Giles said, is weirdly familiar.
Mr Giles continued: "Threats like this sometimes get an excited reaction in Western countries but anybody that has been listening to President Putin for more than the last three months, knows that this is a standard.
"Putin came out with standard Putin-isms. Anybody looking for a change of course, or a realisation of how disastrous Russia's war on Ukraine will be for the country in the long term, will be disappointed."
In the speech, he once again pledged to conquer Ukraine and make it a part of Russia: "All tasks of the special operation will, of course, be solved. And the guarantee of this is the courage and heroism of our soldiers."
Mr Giles said all the Kremlin leader is doing is "driving Russia further down the road of isolation and hostility."
He continued: "Russia is retreating itself into its historical comfort zone of aggression against the rest of the world and against its own population.
"That's bad news, not only for Ukraine but also for Russia's own future. "
"The fact that Russia has the Taliban there instead of its previous western partners, is a good indication of how Moscow needs to grope for more friends and allies around the world."
The warmonger ended his speech on a menacing note, saying: "Russia is entering a new era as a powerful, sovereign country, and will become even stronger."
