Vladimir Putin appeared fidgety and grimacing as he looked sweaty and bloated during a lengthy speech on stage.
Vladimir Putin appeared fidgety and grimacing as he looked sweaty and bloated during a lengthy speech on stage.
Russia’s tyrannical ruler was appearing at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum while making a speech and then engaging in a lengthy discussion.
Putin appeared to be uncomfortable, shifting constantly in his seat and fiddling with his hands.
He sat slumped in his chair, often resting at odd angles and curling around his hands in clawlike positions.
And he continually twists and turns both feet as his legs seem to twist and jerk.
Russia’s leader also appeared with his now characteristic puffy face as he spoke on a wide range of topics, including his war in Ukraine.
Health rumors continue to swirl around him as unconfirmed reports suggest he may be undergoing cancer treatment or even suffer from Parkinson’s.
Each of Putin’s public appearances is now being scrutinized as the aging leader, who turns 70 in October, appears to look more frail and weak than ever.
Kremlin officials consistently deny there is anything wrong with him, but the ailing Putin these days seems a long way from his efforts to be seen as the world’s strongman.
However, despite speculation, he appeared on stage and spoke for several hours, ignoring some reports that he is now only able to make very brief public appearances.
Putin has been seen in the past with his legs covered in a thick blanket at a parade and appeared to shake uncontrollably during a meeting with Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
And today he appeared on stage alongside Kazakhstan’s leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Chinese President Xi Jinping also delivered a video message.
Vlad ranted about the West and, unsurprisingly, defended its disastrous and barbaric invasion of the Ukraine.
He also claimed that Russia’s invasion was not the cause of the world’s economic problems, but instead blamed the West.
“What is happening is not the result of the last few months, much less the result of a special military operation,” Putin lamented.
“The rise in prices, inflation, the food problem, fuel prices… are the result of systematic errors in the economic policy of the current US administration and the European bureaucracy.”
Putin complained that Moscow’s military action has become a “lifeline” for Western countries “allowing them to blame their own miscalculations on others, in this case Russia.
It comes as Putin reportedly received “urgent medical assistance” last week after being struck by an “acute illness”.
The tyrant is said to have fallen ill while speaking to his military bosses and suffered “weakness and dizziness” when he got up from his desk after a 90-minute virtual session.
And meanwhile, Putin’s annual Q&A TV appearance was suddenly postponed indefinitely despite being announced just days before.
Unconfirmed claims often appear on the General SVR channel on the Telegram messaging app, which is allegedly run by an insider with ties to the Kremlin.
He has made repeated claims in the past about Putin’s alleged medical problems, including cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
These claims, which according to the channel are based on internal intelligence, are impossible to verify, especially amid the fog of war surrounding Ukraine.
Moscow has gotten into the rumours, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov put it: “It is absolute nonsense.
“Everything is fine with the president.”
And experts remain skeptical of those trying to diagnose Putin based on still images and video.
However, Professor David Clarke told Sky News that he thinks Putin “looks good”, and refutes claims that you can diagnose someone by looking at the photos.
He said there is “no convincing evidence” that Putin has any health problems.
“On October 7, he will be 70 years old. He is known to use quite a lot of Botox, I always say he is trying to embalm himself while he is still alive, he takes a lot of Botox,” Professor Clarke said.
“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 meetings at frequent intervals to go consult with someone.
“I suspect he’s just a hypochondriac, to be honest.”
Putin continues to wage a disastrous war in Ukraine that has dragged on for more than 100 days and has seen more than 30,000 Russian soldiers die.
This story originally appeared in The Sun and has been reproduced with permission.
Originally published as Russian President Vladimir Putin appears ill at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
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