Russian president crouched and held on to the table during the meeting (Photo: AFP / Russian President’s Press Center)
Vladimir Putin was filmed squeezing into a corner of a table during a televised meeting, sparking speculation about his health.
The Russian president was filmed holding a meeting with Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, during which the two discussed the “liberation” of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
But Mr Putin’s posture and general appearance during a rare television appearance raised questions about his health.
The Russian president appears to be hugged in his chair and seems to lack energy for someone who is claiming victory.
He also refuses to let go of the corner of the table where he and his defense minister are sitting – he appears to be using the furniture to stabilize himself.
The staff raised additional questions about Putin’s health, which some say deteriorated rapidly after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th.
Mr Shoigu, who is believed by some to have been removed due to ill health or disagreements over the war, read his brief address to Putin on a piece of paper.
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Mr. Putin was holding on to the table through the video from the short meeting (Photo: Press center of the Russian president)
Anders Aslund, a Swedish economist and former adviser to Russia and Ukraine, said neither Putin nor Shoigu looked well, describing both as “depressed and seemingly in poor health.”
“Shoigu needs to read his comments on Putin and blaspheme, which suggests rumors of a heart attack are likely. He is sitting badly. Poor performance, “he added.
The meeting with Mr. Shoigu is not the first time the Kremlin leader has been spotted holding a table during a meeting.
Mr Putin was also photographed grabbing the corner of the table during a meeting with Nikolai Tokarev, president of Transneft, Russia’s state-owned oil pipeline company, on Thursday.
Speculation about Mr Putin’s health has been widespread since the start of the war.
One report suggests that the Russian leader has been under near-constant monitoring by cancer experts, while his noticeably swollen appearance has led to speculation that he may be on steroid treatment.
Putin, left, also grabbed a table during a meeting with Transneft President Nikolai Tokarev on Thursday (Photo: AP)
Some have cited Mr Putin’s strange use of long tables during talks with other world leaders and ministers as an indicator of clinical vulnerability, suggesting that the comical seating arrangement may be due to the Russian leader’s use of immunosuppressants.
There have also been various unverified reports of the president’s psychological health, leading to speculation that the president may be mentally “compromised.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied reports that Mr Putin has suffered from deteriorating health – many of them grouped around five stays in the last decade, when he has not been seen in public for several days, while official broadcasts of his meetings appear in advance. recorded. .
His personal life is shrouded in secrecy, and many rumors about his love life and reports of illegitimate children are difficult to uncover.
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