Rumors are constantly circulating about Vladimir Putin’s health, but is there anything to support the claims?
During a live question and answer session on Sky News with defense and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke, a viewer asked: Is Putin really sick or is it just an illusion?
Clarke said speculation about Putin’s health would “circulate” and people would often wonder, “Have you had cancer, have you had pancreatic cancer, do you have Parkinson’s disease?”
“When you see it in these clips that we are seeing more and more often now that COVID is over and now it is coming out of the shadows, where it is more than two years ago, and it makes it clear that it is in control, it looks good.
“I’ve talked to a number of people who say they can’t detect Parkinson’s disease from the way they walk, that they can’t detect cancer symptoms just by looking at the pictures.”
He said “there is no convincing evidence.”
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has denied any concern about Putin’s health when he was interviewed on French television in late May.
He said that “you can see him on the screens, read and listen to his performances” and “I don’t think sensible people can see signs of any kind of illness or ill health.”
Rumors about his health come from observers who have speculated about how Putin looked during the meetings, including whether he grabs the table in pain, or has a swollen face that could show evidence of steroid use. .
“I suspect he’s just a hypochondriac”
Mr Clarke said: “He will be 70 years old on October 7. He is known to have hit Botox hard, I always say he is trying to embalm himself while he is still alive; he takes a lot of Botox.
“He moves with the doctors, it is known that there is a small team of doctors who are never far away, and he is said to leave the meetings at frequent intervals to go and consult with someone.
“I suspect he’s just a hypochondriac, to be honest.”
Read more: Why the Russian leader is so determined to take Ukraine
What if the Russian leader gets sick?
“If he gets sick or gets sick, this would be a way out for Russia to say that the president has resigned and that the war will now be prosecuted by Nikolai Patrushev, who is as nasty as he is,” Clarke said. .
“At least it would be a change of face with which the West could do something, but that’s just a side possibility, really.”