A video of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Tuesday has triggered speculation about the state of the former’s health, as per media reports. During bilateral talks with Diaz-Canel, the British daily Express reported that Putin was seen grabbing the arm of his chair, leading it to “turn purple”. He was also seen tapping his leg unusually, the report said.
This is the latest in a series of rumours that speculated the Russian premier was not in top shape. Earlier in May, reports had emerged that a leaked audio conversation of a Russian oligarch suggests that Putin has blood cancer and that he was “very ill”. Later, during the Victory Day Parade held in Moscow, Putin was seen covering his legs with a blanket and apparent track marks were seen on his hands which could have been from intravenous drips, said the Express report.
Such claims were dismissed by Russian Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov. “I don’t think that sane people can see in this person signs of some kind of illness or ailment,” the report quoted Lavrov as saying.
Meanwhile, Putin on Friday met with a group of mothers of Russian soldiers sent to fight in Ukraine and told them their sons had not died in vain. “I would like you to know that, that I personally, and the whole leadership of the country – we share your pain,” he said, reported the news agency Reuters. “We understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son – especially for a mother,” he added.
Since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has claimed that it has lost 5,937 soldiers as of Sept. 21. However, a United States’ top general estimated on Nov. 9 that more than 1 lakh soldiers had been killed or wounded on each side.
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