A bloated and ill-looking Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videoconference in April. Image Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo
Experts and Analysts
It’s been no secret to the world for several months that something is very wrong with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And we’re not talking about the fact that he levied war on his neighbor, unprovoked, and called is calling it a “special military operation.” This is a medical problem.
A substantially bloated-looking Vladimir Putin at Russia’s Victory Day Parade on May 9th. Note the fact that even his hands seem to be swollen. Some chemotherapy drugs can cause fluid retention in the body. This is most noticeable in the feet, ankles, hands, and face. Photo Credit: Yuan Xinfang/Xinhua via Getty Images
What we do know for sure is the Russian leader, long known for promoting an image of health and vitality, looks like Hell. When you are a world leader, there are several people who make it their life’s work to scrutinize your every word and action; journalists, Russian experts, and the like. Many of these people have been reporting that since before the war, Putin may have cancer or some other form of a terminal illness.
As far back as 2016, the independent Russian media outlet Proekt reported that Putin traveled with a team of 5-13 doctors at all times during 2016-2017. His medical team reportedly consisted of a neurosurgeon, ENT specialist, and an Infectious Disease Specialist, among others. The Russian President disappeared from public view in mid-August 2017 when he met with surgical oncologist Evgeny Selivanov, a specialist in the treatment of thyroid cancer and a man that Proekt claims has been flown to Putin’s location 35 times over the last four years.
Just last month, May 2022, former UK intelligence officer Christopher Steele reported that Putin disrupted security council meetings to have “some kind of medical treatments between those sessions.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, towing the company line, stated during a recent interview on French TV, “I don’t think that a sane person can suspect any signs of an illness or ailment in this man.”
Ok, call me nuts. Here is footage of Putin during an interview on Russian State TV. We can plainly see him uncomfortably hunched over, exhibiting abnormal movements of his left hand and foot. And this is the footage cleared for the people to see; just imagine what they forbid showing.
Note the extreme hunched posture in this previously robust man. Also, there are abnormal movements of the left hand, arm, and foot. Video courtesy of YouTube and The Sun via Russian State TV.
Russian “Lack of Information” Campaign
We all know that Russia isn’t exactly an open book when it comes to its affairs of State. This extreme control over the press has backfired against them as it has done nothing but add fuel to the fire regarding Putin’s State of health. Telegram, a social media platform founded by a Russian entrepreneur, reported last month that the Russian President had missed numerous engagements in May due to “cancer surgery.” To be fair, that’s an unsubstantiated report from a social media source prone to misinformation due to the sometimes anonymous nature of source material. But, it is also a good example of how rumors get started and how they spread without a free press.
Keep in mind that Russia has blocked Facebook and Twitter. They have forbidden any state-associated media outlets from referring to their months-long war in Ukraine as a “war” or “invasion” of any type. The Russian government press has propagated outright lies, such as stating the massacre in the Ukrainian city of Bucha was staged.
Putin calls the evidence of a massacre in Bucha fake and compares it to past reports of “fake” massacres in Syria. This is a disgrace to the memory of all those he ordered murdered. Video courtesy of YouTube and Global News.
Present Day
Here we have a tweet from author Anders Åslund from May 23rd. The source of his information is the Telegram account General SVR, purportedly operated by a former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service official. Frequent readers of the site may recall that I wrote about the fact that Putin would be likely to transfer power to Nikolai Patrushev, head of the Russian Federation Security Council if he were to be incapacitated in any manner.
The Russian Telegram Channel General SVR claims that Putin went through surgery in the middle of the night between May 16-17. He does not state what surgery, but other rumors claim that it was abdomen cancer. Allegedly, Putin was out of reach May 17-19 for all but N. Patrushev.
Back in April, rumors of Putin’s severe illness were so rampant that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked directly by a reporter from Proekt if it was correct to say that Putin does not have cancer. “Correct,” Peskov answered, according to The Moscow Times.
That’s kind of like asking the late Michael Jackson if he ever had plastic surgery.
To answer my own question posed in the title of this article, “Is Putin’s Death Imminent?”. Well, I certainly wouldn’t be selling him any life insurance policies.
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