The Kremlin on Tuesday denied reports that Vladimir Putin suffered a heart attack over the weekend – and dismissed persistent rumors that the Russian president used a body double to hide his ill health as an “absurd” hoax.
The denial came after the General SVR Telegram channel, allegedly run by a former Russian intelligence officer, claimed that Putin collapsed in his bedroom at his Moscow residence on Sunday night.
The Russian leader, who turned 71 on Oct. 7, was described as being found by his security detail “convulsed on the floor rolling his eyes.”
Medics on duty at the apartment determined that Putin “had suffered a heart attack” but was able to revive him, the Telegram channel claimed.
Putin’s doctor warned that he was “very sick and unlikely to last until the end of autumn,” the report claimed.
President Putin is said to have suffered a heart attack at his residence Sunday – a claim the Kremlin denies. AP
The channel also claims that Putin has used two bodies to stand up for him at all official meetings and functions to hide his deteriorating health, a rumor that has been made several times before.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed any concerns about the president’s health.
“Everything is fine with him, this is really another fake,” he told reporters Tuesday.
Regarding the rumor that Putin used a body double to hide his health, “This belongs to the category of ridiculous information fraud that the whole series of media is discussing with enviable tenacity,” Peskov insisted.
“This raises nothing but smiles.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reports that Putin’s alleged health threats were “just another hoax.” PAVEL BEDNYAKOV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Putin traveled to China last week to attend an international summit in Beijing. On his way home, the president stopped in the Ural city of Perm, where he was photographed meeting boxing and kickboxing athletes.
In a 2020 interview, Putin denied rumors that he had a body double, although he said he had been offered the opportunity to use one in the past for security reasons.
A Telegram channel allegedly linked to Russian intelligence services has repeatedly claimed that Putin is dying.AP
According to a recent General SVR report, which has been picked up by several Western outlets, after his latest health threat Putin installed a bedroom featuring sophisticated medical equipment.
“The president’s condition has stabilized. He is under constant medical supervision,” the channel claimed.
The cardiac arrest has raised concerns among members of Putin’s inner circle, some of whom allegedly agreed to hold a meeting on “possible actions to be taken if the president dies in the next few days.”
The Telegram channel has repeatedly claimed that Putin suffers from a variety of serious and potentially fatal illnesses, including cancer affecting his stomach and intestines, and Parkinson’s disease.
The Kremlin laughed off claims that Putin used a body doubler at public events to protect him from illness. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Last year, the outlet reported that the Russian leader fell from a short flight of stairs and soiled himself after landing on his tailbone – a claim the Kremlin later denied.
Since the start of the war with Ukraine, Putin has appeared weak and unstable on several occasions. He has been seen convulsingly clutching the side of a table or seemingly accidentally stomping his feet while in public.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
