The European press is full of rumors that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not in good health; Guardian claims That according to “unconfirmed and unconfirmed reports”, he is suffering from cancer or Parkinson’s disease.
There is also talk that the Russian leader “survived the coup attempt or, as some tabloids think, he is already dead and replaced by a double body.”
But, the paper says, this may be just wishful thinking for many of Putin’s critics, who appear ready to adopt conspiracy theories of divine vengeance or a palace coup for his relentless assault on Ukraine.
Guardian Citing an interview with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, where the foreign minister was forced to dismiss speculation that Putin was ill or dying.
“President Vladimir Putin appears in public every day,” Lavrov said in an interview with French television. “You can watch them on the screen, read and listen to their performances. I don’t think sensible people can see any kind of disease or signs of ill health.”
On Monday, Putin spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan and chaired his Security Council meeting. Both the meetings are said to have been held remotely.
Last week, Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrlo Budanov said he believed Putin was seriously ill and had survived a recent coup attempt, adding only that the attackers had come from the Caucasus region. .
A report from the Proekt investigation website said that Putin is believed to have thyroid cancer or some other disease.
The report was based on leaked travel documents that showed Putin had received regular visits from an oncologist and two otolaryngologists, whom the outlet said would often be the first diagnoses of thyroid conditions. The Kremlin has not confirmed any reports about Putin being ill, saying the Russian leader is in excellent health.
Meanwhile, Valentin Yumashev, the son-in-law of former Russian leader Boris Yeltsin, who helped Vladimir Putin rise to power, has quit his role as a Kremlin adviser, two people familiar with Yumashev’s thinking told Reuters.
Published in Dawn, May 31, 2022