Rebutting Rumors of Putin's Health Issues: "If He Were Sane, It Would Be Hard to Say He Is Sick"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Russian government has denied rumors about President Vladimir Putin's health issues, emphasizing that President Putin's health is perfectly normal. This comes amid concerns over the prolonged Ukraine war, where rumors linking President Putin's health problems to a possible regime change in Russia have been spreading, prompting an active response.

According to TASS news agency on the 29th (local time), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with French broadcaster TF1, "It would be difficult for sane people to say they have seen any signs of illness in President Putin," adding, "President Putin appears in public every day, shows himself on screen, and you can hear everything he says. I will leave the conscience of those spreading health rumors to themselves," strongly criticizing the speculation.

This is the first time the Russian government has officially and actively refuted rumors about President Putin's health issues. Until now, Western media have circulated various rumors including health problems, cancer treatment, and terminal illness, but the Russian government had refrained from official responses.

Earlier, major foreign media outlets cited sources from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reporting that President Putin is currently undergoing cancer treatment and is in poor condition, having been given a three-year terminal prognosis. An FSB official even reported that President Putin is losing his eyesight. He explained, "When President Putin appears at official events, he needs a script with large print," adding, "The font size is so large that only a few sentences fit on one sheet of paper." He further stated, "President Putin's eyesight is deteriorating severely, and his limbs are uncontrollably trembling."

Since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, rumors about President Putin's illness have been circulating both inside and outside Russia. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, has also raised the cancer treatment rumor in interviews with Western media. In particular, these claims have been supported by observations of President Putin gripping the table tightly in an awkward posture during meetings with ministers and aides, as well as his unnatural walking during the Victory Day event.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.