Russian president Vladimir Putin is currently experiencing "aching back pain", according to new reports that suggest that the leader's health is being impacted by his decisions.
For months, rumours have been flying that the bloodthirsty dictator is suffering with an array of illnesses, including stomach cancer, Parkinson’s disease and a schizoaffective disorder.
Footage of Putin with hand tremors, looking puffy and bloated and appearing to stumble has done nothing to quell the speculation.
Although Putin delivered a long, fiery speech last week, rumours on his ill-health are currently circulating on social media app Telegram.
The “General SVR” channel claims the Russian leader, who will turn 70 years old today (October 7), was complaining about back pains before critical war room meetings.
The app said Putin “complained of aching pain in the abdominal cavity, which could not be quickly stopped, and he held the meeting leaning forward, trying to maintain a natural posture".
These reports have not been confirmed by the Kremlin.
Earlier this week, Putin held meetings with Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko and was reportedly experiencing pain, with images showing the Russian president leaning forward and fidgeting with his hands, which could be a coping mechanism.
The channel went on to explain that key decisions on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine are often determined by the state of Putin’s health.
The site said: “ Putin’s oncology is progressing and, despite adequate treatment lately, the pain is not always completely relieved.
“It must be understood that the deplorable state of the president’s physical and mental health affects the adoption of key decisions.
"Putin doesn’t want to change history, he wants to end it."
However, this is not the first time that Putin's health has faced speculation.
Earlier this year, the Russian president was pictured shivering at Russia's Victory Day Parade as a thick blanket was draped across his legs.
Before the images were taken, the leader appeared to limp as he walked to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
On February 18, Putin was also seen in a resurfaced video shaking his hands uncontrollably before welcoming Mr Lukashenko at the Kremlin.
During his nearly 40-minute speech on September 30, Putin accused "Western elites" of adopting "outright Satanism" and blamed them for the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts.
He said during the speech in Moscow: "The dictatorship of the Western elites is directed against all societies, including the peoples of the Western countries themselves.
"This is a complete denial of humanity, the overthrow of faith and traditional values.
“Indeed, the suppression of freedom itself has taken on the features of a religion: outright Satanism."
He later took to a stage in Moscow's Red Square as he delivered a message to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
In the message, he stated: “We call on the Kyiv regime to immediately end hostilities, end the war that they unleashed back in 2014 and return to the negotiating table.
“We are ready for this … But we will not discuss the choice of the people in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson... Russia will not betray them.”
The two speeches came after Russia was forced to withdraw its soldiers from a Ukrainian town after advancements from the war-torn nation's defiant troops.
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