The historical past of well being claims which have dogged Vladimir Putin | EUROtoday

For years, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s well being has been the topic of hypothesis and rumours – with claims he’s affected by an array of various illnesses.

A current video of the 73-year-old having a coughing match throughout a presidential handle has renewed consideration on his well being.

Putin might be seen clearing his throat earlier than having a coughing match as he gestured in the direction of his neck within the video, which was deleted by the Kremlin shortly after it was uploaded to the official Telegram channel.

Although apparently a minor incident, it follows years of reported however unconfirmed claims about Putin together with the suggestion he has Parkinson’s illness and battled most cancers.

The Kremlin has beforehand dismissed any claims that Putin has a extreme sickness.

And Putin has at all times gave the impression to be eager to point out the Russian individuals how sturdy he’s by being pictured doing bodily actions such judo, searching and horse using in propaganda photographs.

Public appearances increase issues

Speculation about Putin’s well being has been compounded by quite a lot of public appearances the place he appeared frail and tense.

In a recorded assembly with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu in 2022, Putin might be seen tightly clutching his desk all through, and never letting go for the whole lot of a 12-minute clip.

Questions have been raised after he appeared to shake “uncontrollably” throughout a gathering with Belarusian president and ally Alexander Lukashenko in the identical yr.

Putin appeared to endure from hand and leg tremors, whereas additionally at instances clutching his fist to his physique.

Parkinson’s illness

In 2024 Sir Richard Dearlove, the previous head of M16, stated that Putin has one thing “fundamentally wrong” with him and that his well being was deteriorating.

Asked on LBC in regards to the state of Putin’s well being, Sir Richard replied on the time: “I do not have a clear answer to that but I have contacts and friends still in Eastern Europe who think there is something fundamentally wrong with him medically. But I’m not a clinician.”

Expanding on what sickness Putin might have, he stated: “Probably Parkinson’s which of course has different representations, different variations, different seriousness.

“But if the man is paranoid, and I think the murder of Navalny might suggest a certain paranoia, that is one of the symptoms.”

Cancer

A former FSB officer claimed in 2022 that Putin had “no more than two to three years to stay alive”, and claimed the Russian president has “a severe form of rapidly progressing cancer”.

The unnamed officer’s speculated date has lengthy since handed although the most cancers claims have resurfaced quite a lot of instances through the years.

“We are told he is suffering from headaches and when he appears on TV he needs pieces of paper with everything written in huge letters to read what he’s going to say,” the Russian officer instructed the Sunday Mirror.

“They are so big each page can only hold a couple of sentences. His eyesight is seriously worsening.”

An analogous declare was made by a former oligarch who was recorded discussing Putin’s well being with a enterprise capitalist.

In the recording, obtained by US journal New Lines in 2022, the unnamed particular person claimed Putin had surgical procedure simply earlier than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to a report by Russian investigative information outlet Proekt in 2022, Putin has taken dozens of journeys within the firm of a most cancers specialist and it has additionally been seen by two otolaryngologists – ear, nostril and throat specialists.

The newspaper claimed that he often goes to the resort metropolis of Sochi within the firm of docs from Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital.

Mini-stroke

Putin’s former speechwriter, Abbas Gallyamov, instructed the Daily Express in 2025 that Putin “definitely has some problems”, probably even having had a mini-stroke.

“He definitely has some problems,” he instructed the newspaper. “Journalists are writing about cancer, but what we saw back in 2022 looked more like the consequences of a mini-stroke.”

Gallyamov was branded a overseas agent by the Kremlin and positioned on a most wished listing in 2023.

What has the Kremlin stated?

Putin himself beforehand dismissed hypothesis about his well being as “gossip” in 2015 after he was not seen in public for greater than 10 days.

On the events the Kremlin has commented on such hypothesis and hearsay, it at all times dismissed them.

In 2020, Russian political pundit Professor Valery Solovei claimed Putin was below strain from his interior circle to step down because of well being issues. Solovei additionally urged the Russian president may need signs of Parkinson’s illness.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov branded stories on the time as “absolute nonsense”.

“Everything is fine with the president,” Peskov stated, including that Putin was not planning to step down within the close to future and 6 years later he’s nonetheless in energy.