By Christopher Buhl
“I don’t think that reasonable people can see signs of any kind of illness or infirmity in this person.” – This is how Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ironed off a question from the television channel TF1 on Sunday about the state of health of Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin (69). . Lavrov was the first senior Kremlin official to comment on the ongoing rumours.
Immediately before, a very specific report had lured Putin’s confidant out of the reserve. Citing an anonymous Russian secret agent, the English “Mirror” reported that Russia’s ruler was suffering from a fatal disease and had not long to live.
In the past few weeks there had been repeated speculation about Putin’s health. A possible cancer was mentioned again and again; evidence included his physical appearance (bloated face, allegedly a result of his medication) or his rigid public appearances – in April, for example, he held on to the table during his entire conversation with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
According to “Mirror”, an FSB agent is now feeding the cancer theory – and making further claims that are intended to clarify: Putin is finished! The agent is said to have reported that Putin had “serious and rapidly progressing cancer”.
︎ The newspaper quotes the agent verbatim: “He only has two or three years to live.” The illness also means that Putin is gradually losing his sight.
Then a revelation that might explain Putin’s tense TV appearances: “We hear he’s suffering from a headache. When he appears on TV, he needs slips of paper with everything written in huge letters so that he can read them easily. The letters are so big that only a few sentences fit on one page. His eyesight is deteriorating dramatically.”
In addition to the cancer rumors, there were also speculations about diseases such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis (MS) in the past week. The agent said about a wobbly appearance on TV: “His limbs are shaking uncontrollably.”
The revelations stem from an alleged secret message sent by the spy to an FSB defector now allegedly hiding from Putin’s people in the UK. The note said Putin had to squint despite the large type on his manuscripts.
The agent further writes: “He does not want to wear glasses as an aid because that would be a sign of weakness. (…) He used to be easygoing with subordinates, but now he has outbursts of uncontrolled anger. He’s gone completely insane and trusts almost no one.”
Wladimir Putin Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Russian Presidential Press
The new reports cannot be conclusively proven; However, one thing is certain: For Putin, his health has been a top priority for the past few years. He took traditional antler baths, flew to Sochi dozens of times for treatments by an oncologist. Currently, a team of doctors is always at his side. Nothing indicative of excellent physical condition.
At the same time, Putin wants to maintain the appearance of the invincible ruler: suspicious television clips are censored, public performances that he attends are shortened – just to cover up his problems.
