The Kremlin has been forced to issue a statement denying that Vladimir Putin has health problems after he admitted to undergoing regular examinations at a leading Moscow hospital.
The Russian dictator, 72, spoke in a televised session with his Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, aiming to encourage people to get flu shots.
“Doctors at the Central Clinical Hospital, where I regularly undergo all kinds of examinations, also recommend getting vaccinated with domestically produced drugs,” Putin said.
This apparently led to speculation about the despot’s medical condition, which his aides quickly tried to put into action.
State news agency TASS was deployed to point out that Putin “has no health problems”, as it stressed that his visits to a hospital known as the Kremlin Clinic were for normal check-ups.
The Kremlin has been forced to deny that 72-year-old Vladimir Putin has health problems after saying he is undergoing “all kinds of regular examinations” at Moscow’s elite Central Clinical Hospital.
This led to speculation about the despot’s medical condition
His spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “He meant routine medical examinations.”
During a separate televised meeting on Wednesday, Putin – who is rumored to have undergone repeated Botox treatments – appeared to have itching on his face.
Putin’s health was the subject of intense speculation several years ago, and especially at the time of the pandemic, when he took exceptional security measures, with officials routinely quarantining for two weeks or more before seeing him.
This also saw the advent of his infamous long table – when no one was allowed to sit near him.
There were reports that he was coughing incessantly and that his hands and feet were making seemingly involuntary jerky movements.
Several times it appeared as if he was limping.
Rumors focused on various types of cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
Leaks suggested he traveled regularly with a cancer surgeon present, while observers noticed prolonged and mysterious absences from view, while ‘canned’ – pre-recorded – meetings were broadcast to give the impression he was actively working.
There has been a lot of speculation about the Russian leader’s health in recent years. Pictured: Putin looked strange as he attended a press conference in Minsk in May
Putin looks weak as he sits with a blanket on his lap during the 2022 Russian Victory Day Parade
Vladimir Putin on horseback in Siberia, Russia in 2013. Putin has long been interested in anti-aging, but there now seems to be a new urgency to strive for an ‘active longevity’
Russian President Vladimir Putin sunbathes during his holiday in the remote Tuva region of southern Siberia. The photo was taken between August 1 and 3, 2017. Last month it was revealed that Russian scientists had been ordered to hand over details of their latest anti-aging research in a suspected bid to rejuvenate Putin
Nearly a year ago, the Kremlin was even forced to deny claims by Telegram channel General SVR and Russian political analyst Dr Valery Solovey that Putin had died – and been replaced by a younger and fitter doppelgänger.
Yet Putin has spent the past year regularly traveling and mingling with people at official and unofficial events.
He also campaigned in a presidential election that was widely considered rigged so he could not lose.
His health appears to be much stronger as he undertakes grueling official routes and travels much more than he did several years ago, both within Russia and abroad.
Last month it was revealed that Russian scientists had been ordered to hand over details of their latest research into the fight against aging, in a suspected attempt to rejuvenate Putin and his circle of septuagenarian henchmen.
Putin has long had an interest in combating aging, but there now appears to be a new urgency to strive for an “active lifespan,” it was reported.
The health minister could be in trouble after responding to Putin’s comments by suggesting the dictator was an “older” person.
“This year I would like to note that special vaccines with maximum protection against the flu virus have been prepared for the elderly,” Murashko said.
In May, there was a report that Putin has four doctors on permanent staff at his official main residence, Novo-Ogaryovo, which has a series of medical rooms on the ground floor.
“There are four doctors and 111 guards present at all times,” says VChK-OGPU, which has ties with the secret services.
