LAV-ING LIFE
Sanctioned Putin crony Sergei Lavrov seen in shorts with £1k iPhone & Apple Watch after ‘mystery hospital dash at G20’
VLADIMIR Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has snapped beaming after he was reportedly rushed to hospital after landing for the G20.
Russia's top diplomat was said to have been taken for medical treatment due to a "heart condition" after landing in Indonesia.
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Lavrov later issued a statement via the Russian Foreign Ministry which decried the reports as the "height of fakery" - but did not directly address the reasons for the hospital dash.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted a video of Lavrov, Putin's foreign minister since 2004, sitting outdoors on a patio, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and reading documents.
He was pictured with what appears to be a more than £1,000 iPhone 14, an Apple Watch and his shirt emblazoned with the logo of American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Putin's crony appeared to be enjoying these Western goods despite being placed under heavy sanctions by the US and UK.
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Lavrov was taken to hospital shortly after his arrival for the key Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesian officials told .
AP reported three officials confirmed he was undergoing treatment after suffering a health problem following his arrival in Indonesia.
Two are reported to have claimed he was being treated for a heart condition.
The event was snubbed by Putin amid reports the Russian leader feared he could be assassinated.
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Bali governor I Wayan Koster later confirmed Lavrov had left Sanglah hospital after being seen for a "check-up" and was in "good health".
Asked about the report, Lavrov said Western journalists had been writing falsely for a decade that Putin was ill.
"This is a kind of game that is not new in politics," Lavrov, 72, said with a smile.
"Western journalists need to be more truthful - they need to write the truth."
It come as Russia has become an international pariah over Putin's brutal war in Ukraine.
Putin opted to skip the G20 - which is a group comprised of 19 of the world's most powerful countries and the European Union.
It was claimed last week by pro-Kremlin commentator Sergey Markov that Putin feared he could be taken out if he left Russia.
He also suggested Vlad could have missed the meeting due to the possibility of him being placed in a humiliating situation.
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Putin snubbed the meeting as Russia faced one of the most embarrassing defeats of the war as they were driven out of Kherson by Ukraine.
It was also reported Putin worried he might be literally "slapped in the face" if she showed his face in Bali.
And world leaders would instead be forced to face off with Lavrov, with Vlad instead planning to attend via video.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was also expected to attend virtually despite not being a member of the club.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak flew out to the G20 at the weekend - and he is expected to call out Putin's "utter contempt".
Mr Sunak said ahead of the summit: “Putin’s war has caused devastation around the world — destroying lives and plunging the international economy into turmoil.
“This G20 will not be business as usual.
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"We will call out Putin’s regime and lay bare their utter contempt for the kind of cooperation and respect for sovereignty forums like the G20 represent."
Mr Sunak also pledged to work with allies to “make meaningful progress solving the economic challenges we face and making lives better for our people”.
A No10 insider said the PM would not shy away from confronting Russian delegates.
The source said: “The way to alleviate these problems is for Putin to end this war.
“The PM will use the opportunity to ensure the Russian government reckons with the devastation they are causing — to Ukraine, to their country and to the world.”
Russia had foolishly expected to steamroller Ukraine and be welcomed as "liberators" - but they have faced a fierce fightback.
Cities and regions seized at the start of the war at the end of February are now being retaken by the Ukrainians.
The West is heavily supporting Kyiv - loading them up with the weapons they need to defeat Russia.
Putin's future is now seen by many to be tied to the war - especially as he officially annexed parts of eastern Ukraine.
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Kherson's liberation now opens the gateway to Crimea, the territory illegally seized by Russia in 2014.
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The return of the peninsula to Ukrainian hands would be an unprecedented failure for Putin.
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