As the invasion of Ukraine fails, and the army he commands Vladimir Putin fails to achieve his goal of taking kyiv, the Russian leader’s reputation as an infallible strategist comes under intense scrutiny. Seemingly reckless and poorly executed, Putin’s plan could be marred by ill health. And such a line of thought drives the rumor that the new tsar, 69 years old, has long suffered from some type of disease of the central nervous system, such as Parkinson’s.
Last week, such speculation reached its peak when a video from mid-February began to circulate, showing Putin welcoming Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. There you see the former KGB agent with one hand on the chest while the other is clenched into a fist. When her hand begins to shake uncontrollably, Putin brings it closer to her chest, in an apparent attempt to stop the shaking.
Parkinson’s
Despite his efforts, as he walks towards his former ally, he staggers unsteadily as his legs continue to tremble. In tune, various medical sources were quick to speculate about possible Parkinson’s, a condition in which the brain loses nerve cells, causing tremors and stiffness that worsen over time. Although various treatments now exist to blunt its effects, there is no cure for the condition, which can cause memory loss and make people more susceptible to deadly infections.
In contrast, several international analysts dismissed it: “It is unlikely that the Russian leader, who says he does not allow any form of intrusion into his personal life, publish a video that gives such indications of his health, especially if he is in a serious condition, ”said Nicholas Brenton.
Furthermore, John Hardy, a neurogeneticist at the UK Dementia Research Institute, told German news platform Deutsche Welle that the video did not suggest Parkinson’s disease to him. “From my point of view, no signs of parkinsonism. He didn’t look good… but he didn’t have Parkinson’s disease,” she analyzed.
And Ray Chadhuri, a neurologist at the University of London, agreed: “Looking at the short clip, I can’t find any evidence that you can talk about Parkinsonism in Putin.” Finally, Caroline Rassell, executive director of Parkinson’s UK, pointed out that Parkinson’s is a very complex condition with more than 40 symptoms, both physical and mental, and that it would be impossible to judge by a clip So short.
Cancer
The version that Putin is really sick, even if the exact condition is difficult to determine, was promoted by Richard Dearlove, former head of the British M16. The benchmark for British espionage told GB News: “What is worrying is the speculation that perhaps Putin’s behavior, and his rationality, is impaired or compromised by illness.”
Dearlove revealed that he had spoken with “several neurologists” who assessed that “the loss of control and psychosisare very common symptoms of Parkinson’s.
But when a Kremlin spokesman was asked days ago if the Russian leader has Parkinson’s, dismissed the rumors as “absolute nonsense”. Over the weekend, though, Putin’s health watchers turned their attention from neurological disease to cancer as a possible cause of his apparent decline in health.
The claims appeared on the popular General SVR Telegram channel, which says its source is a well-placed figure in the Kremlin. And they coincide with the speculation that the increasingly puffy face and Putin’s apparently round head, are the result of steroid use, a drug that can cause inflammation and swelling, and is commonly used in cancer treatment.
According to the British newspaper The Sun, which cites Kremlin experts as a source, the Russian president would soon undergo surgery to remove a tumor. The report indicates that Putin’s illness is not serious, and Putin’s personal doctors reportedly stated “is progressing” and that the operation would be necessary to avoid future complications.
Replacement
This is not the first time that Putin’s health problems have come to light. The Sun recalls that these rumors appeared a year and a half ago. At that time, General SVR, also reported that the president would be operated.
In any case, the same sources today point out that Vladimir Putin’s absence would be brief, and that his distance from the front line in terms of making decisions about the invasion to Ukraine might not be particularly noticeable.
But the former KGB would have already defined that in his absence, his current chief of espionage, Nikolai PatrushevI would replace it. Although Patrushev’s name is unknown to the general public, he is a very important figure in the invasion of Ukraine. In fact, he played a decisive role in starting the waraccording to The Sun, convincing Putin that Ukraine was full of Nazis and needed to be subdued.
“He is a heavyweight who came in 2017 to strengthen relations in technical-military cooperation between Russia and Argentina, a great and important link for police agencies,” explained a source from the intelligence area about the visit of Patrushev and his meeting with Mauricio Macri.
hard line in the Security Council -the Siloviki that makes up Putin’s inner circle-, and former head of the FSB (Russian Federal Security Service, the main successor organization of the Soviet KGB from 1999 to 2008), Patrushev, 70, would take control of the invasion of Ukraine while his boss undergoes cancer surgery.
Putin’s top adviser is seen as the key architect of the Ukraine war. He promoter of the theory that “the West tries to destabilize the Russian socio-political situation.” “They are trying to inspire and radicalize the protest movement, and erode traditional Russian spiritual and moral values,” he told the Rossiiskaya gazeta newspaper in March 2021. The paranoid profile hawk it would be a double alert in a possible escalation of the conflict.
