Russian President Vladamir Putin once again is prompting concerns about his health.
At a church service on Sunday in Moscow, Putin appeared to be unsteady and fidgety, at times biting his lips and making awkward faces.
“Fresh theories surrounding Vladimir Putin’s health are circulating after a recent appearance by the Russian president showed him biting his lips, fidgeting and appearing unsteady,” Sky News reported. “Mr Putin’s appearance at a church service has now sparked rumours that he is unwell after he seemed unable to stand still during the service.”
Putin’s latest appearance follows another last week, when the 69 year old appeared bloated as he firmly gripped a table during a Kremlin meeting with his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu. Both men appeared in ill health, with Shoigu slurring his words following a stroke he suffered earlier this year.
“Putin’s meeting with Shoigu today shows both depressed & seemingly in bad health. Shoigu has to read his comments to Putin & slurs badly, suggesting that the rumors of his heart attack are likely. He sits badly. Poor performance. Worth watching,” Anders Åslund wrote on Twitter.
Putin's meeting with Shoigu today shows both depressed & seemingly in bad health. Shoigu has to read his comments to Putin & slurs badly, suggesting that the rumors of his heart attack are likely. He sits badly. Poor performance. Worth watching.https://t.co/SHRRxZxbJf
— Anders Åslund (@anders_aslund) April 21, 2022
In another video, Putin’s hand tremors seem clearly visible.
This is the clearest clip where you see Putin’s hand and leg tremors! from UkraineWarVideoReport
“Former UK politician Louise Mensch said the footage appeared to back earlier reports that ‘Vladimir Putin has Parkinson’s disease,'” the New York Post reported. “Other reports have suggested that Putin has recently had 35 secret meetings with a cancer doctor — and has become so paranoid about his health that he has turned to unconventional therapies.”
“PS: I reported, Vladimir Putin has Parkinson’s disease and here you can see him gripping the table so that his shaking hand is not visible but he cannot stop his foot from tapping,” Mensch wrote on Twitter.
The Daily Mail reported that Putin also ‘Appeared to chew the insides of his mouth, shifting uncomfortably, adding to a swirl of commentary that the pressure of Russian setbacks over the war in Ukraine was getting to him. A dry mouth can be a symptom of Parkinson’s Disease — a condition which the Kremlin was forced to deny Putin was suffering from last year.”
The Mail also offered another theory, this one from conspiracy buffs.
“Questions have emerged on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin really attended an Orthodox Easter service in Moscow this past weekend after pictures issued by the Kremlin bore a startling resemblance to images from last year. The images, purportedly taken one year apart, appear to show Putin dressed in the same suit and look extremely similar — the only clearly discernible difference being the colour of his tie.”
“But images and video footage of the event have been seized upon by opposition media in Russia and Ukraine, suggesting the new clips were faked from last year’s service on May 2, 2021,” the Mail reported.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.