Vladimir Putin’s health has been called into question again after a video showed him clutching a table during a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The video sparked new theories about his health, which has reportedly worsened since he launched Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine on February 24th.
In footage posted online by the Kremlin, the 69-year-old Russian president grabs the corner of the table with his right hand as soon as he sits down for the meeting and holds it throughout the 12-minute clip.
Mr Putin can also be seen holding the edge of the table with his left hand intermittently as Mr Shoigu reads him a statement on Mariupol, from which up to 120,000 people have failed to escape, and Russia said on Thursday that will block the Azovstal steel plant, the last stronghold of Ukrainians in the besieged city.
The Russian president said he wanted to congratulate his troops on “liberating” the Black Sea port city in southern Ukraine – which has witnessed some of the worst attacks and bloodshed during the invasion. The US State Department said Putin’s claim that he had liberated the city was “even more misinformation from a well-worn book”.
The footage shows Putin’s right thumb constantly moving as he listens to his defense minister, and it is speculated that the tremor may indicate that he is trying to hide a tremor typical of Parkinson’s disease.
Sir Richard Dirlov, a former MI6 leader, and Professor Guitian Prince, a former NATO adviser, say Putin has shown signs of a progressive nervous system disorder.
In the video, Mr Putin moves his legs up and down, looks restless and tense, and clears his throat several times as he listens to his defense minister, who reportedly suffered a heart attack recently at the age of 66.
The Russian president is also sitting slightly hunched over, with his spine pressed against the back of the chair, unlike Shoigu, who seems to be sitting more upright and without any support.
Anders Aslund, author and former adviser on Russia and Ukraine, said both men did not appear to be in good health.
“Shoigu must read his comments on Putin and throw in the evil, which suggests that rumors of a heart attack are likely. He is sitting badly. Poor performance. It’s worth watching, “he said.
The meeting with Mr. Shoigu is not the first time Putin has been spotted holding a table during a meeting. Also Thursday, he was snapped holding the corner of the table during a meeting with Nikolai Tokarev, president of Transneft, Russia’s state-owned oil pipeline company.
Mr Putin has been visited by a thyroid cancer specialist 35 times and an ear, nose and throat specialist 59 times between 2016 and 2020, according to Russia’s investigative newspaper Project.
The bloated appearance of the Kremlin leader prompted Fiona Hill, a US expert on Russia, to tell Politico in February that Mr Putin could be taking high doses of steroids for back pain he suffered from falling from a horse in 2012. – or “it could be something else,” she added.
Moscow has repeatedly denied reports that Putin was in poor health.
Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Putin had undergone surgery for thyroid cancer and said the president’s health was “excellent” and that he had not dealt with a more serious cold.
Add Comment