Vladimir Putin has today been seen with red eyes and a mystery bruise on his hand, fuelling further speculation of his deteriorating health.
The Russian despot, today seen calling a 15-year-old girl from Ukraine’s Donetsk region called Arina Porkhal as part of the New Year Tree of Wishes nationwide charity campaign, was seen with weary eyes and bruise on his hand.
It is not known why the 72-year-old Russian leader has this bruise, but he is believed to have long been in ailing health.
In November, strange footage showed Putin’s legs twitching uncontrollably at a public event yesterday amid rumours he has Parkinson’s disease.
The 72-year-old Russian leader appeared unable to control his movements as he gave an hour-long speech at a podium in Astana, Kazakhstan.
In the clip, the twitching seems to start in his left foot before affecting both his legs and feet.
Putin then took a wider stance but continued to rock back onto his heels and move his legs.
And back in October, the Kremlin was forced to rush out a statement denying Vladimir Putin has health problems after he admitted undergoing regular examinations at a top Moscow hospital.
Vladimir Putin (pictured) was today seen calling a 15-year-old girl from Ukraine’s Donetsk region called Arina Porkhal as part of the New Year Tree of Wishes nationwide charity campaign
It is not known why the 72-year-old Russian leader has this bruise, but he is believed to have long been in ailing health
The Russian dictator, 72, was speaking in a televised session with his health minister Mikhail Murashko aimed at encouraging people to have flu jabs.
‘Doctors at the Central Clinical Hospital, where I undergo all sorts of regular examinations, also recommend getting vaccinated with domestically produced drugs,’ said Putin.
This evidently led to speculation over the despot’s medical condition – which his aides acted quickly to quash.
State news agency TASS was deployed to insist that Putin ‘has no health problems’ as it emphasised 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.’
In a separate televised meeting on Wednesday, Putin – who is rumoured to have undergone repeated botox treatments – appeared to be itching his face.
Putin’s health was the subject of intense speculation several years ago, and particularly at the time of the pandemic when he took exceptional security measures with officials routinely quarantining for two week or longer before seeing him.
This also saw the advent of his notorious long table – when no-one was allowed to sit anywhere near him.
There were reports of him coughing incessantly, and his hands and feet making seemingly involuntary jerky movements.
On several occasions, he appeared to walk with a limp.
Rumours focused on several types of cancer and Parkinson’s Disease.
Leaks suggested he regularly travelled with a cancer surgeon in attendance while observers noted lengthy and mysterious absences from view, with ‘canned’ – pre-recorded – meetings broadcast to give the impression he was actively working.