- President Vladimir Putin has long sought to create an image of abundant good health.
- In May, Ukrainian authorities said he was hiding “very ill” with cancer.
- Rumors of health problems and covert operations have followed the Russian president for decades.
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Speculation about the health of President Vladimir Putin reached a fever on Sunday after former Russian MI6 spy Christopher Steele suggested that the Russian president may be seriously ill.
Speaking to Sky News, Steele said Putin’s health could be a factor in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
After the invasion of Ukraine, Putin had shaken media appearances and was described – with varying credibility – as suffering from everything from Parkinson’s disease to dementia.
For decades, Putin has cultivated the image of masculine masculinity at its peak – but an investigation by the independent Russian media project Proekt says this is only possible with significant deception.
Most of Putin’s health details are almost impossible to confirm. His chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has repeatedly denied any problems. Medical experts refused to give weight to the rumors, as reported by Deutsche Welle, arguing that accurate diagnoses can only be made through personal examinations.
Here is a chronology of times Putin’s health has been called into question.
October 2012: Kremlin denies upcoming operation after hang gliding accident
In the fall of 2012, Reuters quoted three government sources as saying Putin had back problems and would soon need surgery.
The Kremlin has denied this, but after Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper reported that Putin was injured while flying a hang glider, Peskov said the problem was due to a “simple sports injury” in which Putin tensed a muscle, according to The Atlantic.
November 4, 2012: The Kremlin limps Putin’s staff
By the end of December 2012, Proekt claimed that Putin wore a corset and significantly limited – or even missed – sitting commitments due to possible back problems. The publication referred to unnamed Russian officials for information.
On November 4, Russia’s National Unity Day, the Kremlin limited itself to photos of Putin’s appearance at a ceremony in Red Square, according to the Project. However, footage released by religious leaders in Moscow showed the president limping slightly.
2016-2017: At least five doctors with Putin, wherever he goes
Comparing medical registration dates with Putin’s travel schedule, Proekt found that Putin was regularly accompanied by at least five doctors during those years, a number that would later rise to 13.
Among them are an ENT specialist, an infectious disease specialist, a full-time resuscitator and a neurosurgeon, the publication reports.
November 2016: Putin disappears due to possible back surgery
Between November 25 and December 1, Putin will appear only at pre-booked meetings, the Project reported. Meanwhile, 12 specialists were suddenly registered at a hospital in Sochi near his residence, including his GPs, neurosurgeons and a rehabilitation specialist, according to the Project.
May 2017: Putin falls during a crash in ice hockey
Russian President Vladimir Putin falls while taking part in a gala match of the Night Hockey League teams at the Bolshoi Ice Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Yuri Kochetkov / Pool Photo via AP Photo
Putin, an avid ice hockey player, nearly flirted when he crashed to the ground during a match in Sochi at the age of 64, CNN reported.
According to Project, the player Pavel Bure crashed into it. An orthopedic traumatologist, who is known to regularly treat the president, was then admitted to a hospital right in front of Putin’s residence, Project reported.
August 2017: Putin disappears with cancer doctors
Between August 8 and 16 of the same year, the president disappeared from public view along with oncologist-surgeon Evgeniy Selivanov, the Project reported. The presence of an ENT doctor suggests a problem with the thyroid gland, the outcome says.
Selivanov joined Putin’s medical entourage, flying to his place 35 times in four years, the paper said. Only ENT doctors have seen him more often, the publication said.
February 2018: Putin disappears with a “cold” in the midst of the election campaign
Putin disappeared from view from February 12 to 1, 2018, just one month before election day, Project reported. Acknowledging his canceled events, Peskov said Putin had a cold, according to ABC News.
Autumn 2021: Mania for self-isolation from COVID-19
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) meets with French President Emmanuel Macron (right) on February 7, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. The Kremlin / Anadolu news agency through Getty Images
The outbreak of COVID-19 among presidential staff last September forced Putin to isolate himself for two weeks. Ten days later, he denied any illness after being seen coughing during a televised meeting.
Shortly afterwards, The New York Times reported that Putin was tightening procedures for isolating anyone who had to see him face to face – including isolation two weeks earlier and requiring him to go through a disinfection tunnel.
This happened weeks after Russia lifted most of its measures for COVID-19 across the country, the newspaper writes.
Until February 2022 – after world leaders begged him not to invade Ukraine – Putin held his personal meetings at an extremely long table.
April 2022: Shaken footage of the meeting fuels speculation
Strange footage from Putin’s April 21 meeting with his defense minister shows the president clutching the edge of the table, looking awkward and restless, Newsweek reported.
Along with his swollen appearance, the video has sparked a lot of speculation in the tabloids – none of which has been confirmed – that he may be suffering from the effects of steroid treatment or Parkinson’s disease.
—Max seddon (@maxseddon) April 21, 2022
Additional unconfirmed rumors were leaked from an anonymous Telegram account that is said to be a former Kremlin insider.
May 2022: An anonymous oligarch says Putin has blood cancer
In early May, New Lines magazine received a report from an unnamed Russian oligarch who said Putin was “very ill with blood cancer.”
The oligarch, unaware that he was being recorded, continued to criticize Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, saying “we all hope” he dies and that “the problem is in his head.”
May 14: Ukrainian military intelligence chief says Putin is “very sick” and ongoing
The head of Ukraine’s intelligence, Major General Kirilo Budanov, told Sky News on May 14 that plans to overthrow Putin were under way in Russia and that the 69-year-old was in “very poor psychological and physical condition and very ill.” “
Putin has cancer, Budanov said. He denied trying to spread the idea of propaganda in favor of Ukraine, but did not provide evidence for his claims.
May 18: MI6 experts judge by saying that Putin will be gone by 2023.
Former head of the British spy agency MI6 Richard Dirlov suggested in a podcast that Putin has a long-term illness, saying that he will leave by the end of the year and will be accommodated in the “sanatorium from which he will not emerge as Russia’s leader.” .
Former MI6 Russia bureau chief Christopher Steele also said in an interview with Britain’s LBC radio that Putin was “getting sicker” to the extent that it affected his leadership in the Kremlin and the management of the war in Ukraine.
He said Putin often had to pause meetings to get medical help.
Steele compiled the partially discredited Trump-Russia dossier, which contained the explosive claim of a “peeing tape” whose existence has never been confirmed.
May 23: Western officials pour cold water on health rumors
Western officials are questioning numerous rumors about Putin and how his health has been affected …
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