Vladimir Putin’s health is in the spotlight once again after footage showed the 69-year-old’s legs buckling as he gives a speech.
Fears about the Russian leader’s mental and physical wellbeing have come into sharp focus since he invaded Ukraine nearly four months ago.
There is speculation he is suffering from terminal cancer or Parkinson’s following reports of trembling hands and mysterious disappearances.
A video has now emerged from an awards ceremony on Sunday showing the tyrant’s shaky legs.
As he listens to Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov accepting a prize, Putin stands just off the podium, swaying back and forth with his arms straight by his side, evidently unable to stand still.
While later giving a speech, his legs appear to buckle several times as he grips the podium with his hand for support.
The Kremlin has repeatedly insisted Putin’s health is robust, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denying any illness.
But it is understood the tyrant’s appearances are heavily stage-managed and some may even be fake.
Putin’s latest outing comes after sensational reports that his bodyguards allegedly bag up his poo while he is abroad so it can be taken back to Russia.
It is claimed members of the Federal Protection Service (FPS) collect the excrement in special packets which are then stored in a dedicated briefcase for the trip home, according to Paris Match.
The grim exercise is allegedly undertaken to ensure foreign powers can’t get their hands on information about Putin’s health or potential treatments.
The question is, how is his mental capacity? After all, we had a President in a wheel chair and we accepted that.
I would remark that everyone knew that FDR had polio which, I’m pretty sure, was not thought to affect one’s mental capacity in any way. With Parkinson’s, I believe, that may not always be strictly true, and there are other aging diseases where mental losses are involved. When the news about a leader’s health is not forthcoming, folks suspect all sorts of worst case scenarios for instance if cancer is the culprit, is it cancer of the brain?
Could be a “good” sign…….