Russian leader Vladimir Putin was seen repeatedly scratching his face on a trip outside Moscow a day after the Kremlin claimed he was healthy despite revealing he had undergone multiple hospital tests.
In an obvious attempt to demonstrate his good health, Putin appeared before a crowd in the Russian city of Ufa last night while visiting the new fencing center.
But footage of Putin meeting with sports officials shows him repeatedly rubbing and scratching his face and the back of his neck.
The Russian dictator, who is believed to have undergone repeated Botox treatments to mask his aging, had been seen dealing with similar itches a day earlier in Moscow.
It came after the Kremlin insisted there was nothing wrong with Putin’s health after the dictator revealed he was undergoing “all kinds of regular examinations” at a major Moscow hospital.
Vladimir Putin was caught on camera repeatedly poking his face during a visit to the new fencing center in Ufa.
The Russian dictator, who is believed to have undergone repeated Botox treatments to mask his aging, had been seen dealing with similar itches a day earlier in Moscow.
The reason for the mysterious itching was unclear.
Russian state media later announced that he had “no health problems” and his spokesperson said the hospital sessions were “routine.”
The reason for the mysterious itching was unclear.
Putin’s health has been the subject of intense speculation for several years, as he has been seen coughing incessantly and his hands and feet making apparently involuntary jerking movements.
Last month it was revealed that Russian scientists had been ordered to hand over details of their latest anti-aging research in an alleged attempt to rejuvenate Putin and his circle of septuagenarian cronies.
Putin has long been interested in the fight against aging, but there now seems a new urgency to pursue “active longevity,” it was reported.
Significant security measures were put in place prior to the Kremlin leader’s visit, suggesting paranoia about his safety.
Children in the city were ordered not to go to school for two days and instead take pandemic-style online classes from home.
Some schools cited the reason as the risk of viral infections in the city.
However, others said it was because Putin was present at the “Russia, a sporting power” forum, during which he was seen meeting with Paralympic athletes, complaining that they had been banned from participating in international competitions because the sport had been ” politicized” by the West.
If there was a risk of spreading viral infections, it seems strange that Putin would immerse himself in a seemingly random crowd in Ufa, which is the capital of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan.
Putin’s health has been the subject of intense speculation for several years.
Putin made a surprise visit to the city of Ufa where he met with Paralympic competitors
“On behalf of the teachers, thank you,” one admirer blurted out as Putin took his rare stroll.
The Kremlin leader complained that children from poor families were excluded from sports in Russia because parents were expected to pay, unlike in the Soviet era.
He demanded a return to the USSR system of free access to operational training for all talented children.
“I will tell you honestly, if I had to pay for everything when I actively participated in sports, I would never have become a Master of Sports of Sambo (a Russian martial art) of the USSR, and I would never have reached the level of Master of Sports of the USSR. Soviet Union in Judo.
‘My family didn’t have an extra penny to pay for everything.
‘But we have to solve this properly.
“Large and low-income families should not receive any payments.”