Vladimir Putin was seen today with red eyes and a mysterious bruise on his hand, fueling further speculation about his deteriorating health.
The Russian despot, who today met a 15-year-old girl from Ukraine’s Donetsk region named Arina Porkhal as part of the nationwide New Year Tree of Wishes charity campaign, was seen with tired eyes and bruises on his hand.
It is not known why the 72-year-old Russian leader has this bruise, but it is believed that his health has been poor for a long time.
In November, strange footage showed Putin’s legs shaking uncontrollably at a public event yesterday, amid rumors he has Parkinson’s disease.
The 72-year-old Russian leader appeared unable to control his movements as he delivered an hour-long speech on a stage in Astana, Kazakhstan.
In the clip, the twitching appears to start in his left foot before affecting both his legs and feet.
Putin then took a wider stance, but continued to rock on his heels and move his legs.
And in October, the Kremlin was forced to issue a statement denying that Vladimir Putin had health problems after he admitted to undergoing regular examinations at a leading Moscow hospital.
Vladimir Putin (pictured) was seen today calling a 15-year-old girl from Ukraine’s Donetsk region named Arina Porkhal as part of the nationwide New Year’s Tree of Wishes charity campaign
It is not known why the 72-year-old Russian leader has this bruise, but it is believed that his health has been poor for a long time
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.
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.