Roving Periscope: Speculations about Putin’s ‘deteriorating’ health resurface
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “worsening health” has hit the headlines again, despite the Kremlin’s insistence for a long time that this is part of the Western media’s misinformation and propaganda against Moscow.
According to the latest media reports, Putin suffers from “blurred vision and numb tongue”, which has sent doctors into a panic over his health.
Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, President Putin’s health has been speculated upon. Now, a new report claimed that his health has worsened, as he is suffering “severe pain in his head, blurred vision, and numbness of the tongue.”
These claims were made by the General SVR Telegram channel, a Russian outlet that has long been writing about Putin’s ailing health.
It said Putin also reported “a partial loss of sensation in his right arm and leg” requiring urgent medical attention. A team of doctors performed first aid and advised Putin to take medication and rest for several days.
However, Putin reportedly refused to rest and summoned updated reports from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The President’s relatives were more worried, For them, such a sharp deterioration in Vladimir Putin’s health caused a nervous reaction, more like panic. The temporary sharp deterioration in the President’s health has already made those closest to him tense. The sudden death of Putin will put them all in front of the unknown, or rather, on the brink of survival,’” said General SVR.
In February 2023, a video of the President’s unusual foot movement also raised concern about his health. During his meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin could not control his twitching feet, as noticed in videos shared on social media.
According to the Spanish news outlet Marca, the Russian President is said to be battling cancer and Parkinson’s disease. This was confirmed by a security service insider in leaked Kremlin emails.
“I can confirm he has been diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s disease, which is already progressing. This fact will be denied in every possible way and kept hidden,” the source had said in the emails, the outlet claimed.
However, the Kremlin officials and ministers have time and again busted such health reports and said that the Russian president is in perfect health.
