Is Vladimir Putin ill?
THE health of Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to be questioned as he is taken for emergency medical attention.
Varying conditions have been mentioned in connection to Putin but the latest intel suggests he has suffered from a dizzy spell.
Is Vladimir Putin ill?
On June 10, 2022, the news came that Putin had fallen ill during a meeting with his military chiefs and went dizzy upon leaving the 90-minute virtual call.
He suffered a "sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness" at the end of the meeting and had to get urgent medical assistance from doctors.
The messaging app Telegram, which is purportedly run by a Kremlin insider, said this illness was the reason behind the postponement of the dictator's annual "Direct Line" broadcast.
No rescheduling plans have been announced for the event, during which ordinary Russians can ask questions of their president - Putin has only missed this twice in 20 years.
General SVR from Telegram said: "The postponement of the live [Direct Line] with the President indefinitely is due to the unstable health of Vladimir Putin.
"A week ago, the president was preparing to answer the questions of the Russian citizens in late June-early July.
"But his doctors advised him not to make any lengthy public appearances in the near future.
"The latest argument in favour of not speaking to the public was an incident after a recent one-and-a-half hour video-link meeting with representatives of the military bloc…
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"After the meeting Putin felt a sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness while trying to get up from the table."
Suspicion about his health has been lingering for a long time now, with cancer, dementia and Parkinson's all suggested as ailments.
Photos of the president in the first half of 2022, have appeared to show him with a bloated face.
Fiona Hill, the British former senior White House expert on Russia, told : "Putin’s not looking so great, he’s been rather puffy-faced."
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Hill added that it is known that the 69-year-old has back issues but it could be "something worse".
She said: "It could be that he’s taking high doses of steroids, or there may be something else."
On April 30, 2022, reports from a Kremlin insider claimed that Putin "will be undergoing medical procedures".
The source confirmed that a date is yet to be confirmed as "doctors insist that he needs an operation".
What health problems is Vladimir Putin alleged to have had?
Putin is as tight-lipped about his health as he is about his whereabouts.
Ex-Russian spy Boris Karpichkov, told The Sun: "He is - or at least acts - insane and obsessed by paranoia ideas.
"He sees literally everyone, including those inside the Russian security services and even inside his close inner circle, to be 'traitors'.
"He is so suspicious and so obsessed with his paranoia ideas that he can be now compared with Stalin tyrant."
Body language experts have claimed that Putin could be suffering from a "serious disease and on the verge of a breakdown".
An investigation by Proekt media revealed the tyrant is “constantly” accompanied by a doctor specialising in thyroid cancer.
The report states that thyroid cancer specialist surgeon, Yevgeny Selivanov, has flown to be beside the Russian leader no less than 35 times in the Black Sea resort Sochi.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the world's press kept a close eye on Putin as he met more than once with people who would go on to test positive for the virus.
And he was forced to self-isolate in September 2021, after several people close to him went down with the virus.
There has been much speculation about his health over the years, with researchers in 2015 claiming they identified signs in Putin's gait which could point to Parkinson's disease.
The team spotted how the Russian had a tendency to keep one arm pinned to his side.
It has also been claimed the President had been treated for cancer.
Political analyst Valery Solovei claimed Putin underwent surgery in February 2020 and another Russian source went on to claim it was an abdominal cancer operation.
Solovei also went on to suggest that Putin is suffering from symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
What has the Kremlin said?
It is rare for the Kremlin to comment on Putin's health, but it did issue a firm denial of the Parkinson's disease claims.
Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for Putin, has continued to insist that the Russian President's health is "excellent", despite claims to the contrary.
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It called the rumours "absolute nonsense."
They have denied any allegations about Putin's health and insist that “everything’s fine”.
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