Russia Denies Rumors Putin Is Sick

Topline

The Kremlin denied Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is sick following months of speculation that he’s battling a serious illness.

Key Facts

Putin has been rumored to have multiple diseases, from thyroid cancer to Parkinson’s, with videos emerging of the Russian leader seemingly struggling to stay awake and shaking uncontrollably.

An independent Russian media outlet, Proekt, claimed that Putin travels with an oncologist specializing in thyroid cancer.

Putin coughed during a public appearance on Wednesday, and Interfax news agency quoted him as saying he caught a cold while visiting Iran, according to Reuters.

When asked about Putin’s health at a security forum on Wednesday, CIA Director William Burns said the Russian president was “entirely too healthy.”

Key Background

There have been rumors about Putin’s health for years, but they’ve picked up since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Rumors also spiked when Putin was photographed sitting across from world leaders at comically long tables to avoid contracting Covid-19.

Crucial Quote

“Everything is fine with his health,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of Putin, according to Reuters. “You know that Ukrainian information specialists, and American and British ones, have been throwing out various fakes about the state of the president’s health in recent months – these are nothing but fakes.”

Further Reading

Kremlin says Putin is fine, denying health rumours (Reuters)

CIA Director: Putin ‘too healthy’ (Politico)

Putin’s Long Tables Explained: Why He Puts Some Leaders, Including Germany’s Scholz, At An Extreme Distance (Forbes)