Questions about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s health continued to swirl on Wednesday when he missed his beloved annual ice hockey game – instead appearing on video with mysterious spots on his face.
Putin pulled out of the Night Hockey League game he was “expected” to attend and sent a video message while broadcast in Sochi, the Black Sea resort town where the game was scheduled to take place, East2West News reported.
Adding to speculation about the strongman’s health were dark spots on his cheeks, which may have been concealed by makeup.
“I wish you luck in your ice battles and all the best,” Putin said in his message. “And as the saying goes, ‘May the best win.'”
A Moscow source told the news agency that the amateur game “was always a fixed date in his [Putin’s] diary,” adding that “something must be wrong for him not to appear.”
Regional Kuban News reported: “It had been expected that Vladimir Putin would also play for Legends of Hockey, but in early May, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov announced that the head of state would not participate in the game.
Putin used his appearance at the 2021 game to quash rumors about his health. ALEXEY DRUZHININ/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images
“It is only the second time in Gala Games history since 2012 that the President has missed this game,” the outlet added, according to East2West. “In 2013 he held a symbolic faceoff and watched the game from the stands.”
Putin’s failure to appear on the occasion was reportedly attributed to health problems.
A Moscow source said the amateur game “was always a fixed date in his [Putin’s] Diary.” ALEXEY DRUZHININ/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images
Founded in 2011, the Night Hockey League is made up of former NHL stars, oligarchs and politicians.
Putin, a judo black belt who has often showcased his athletic prowess, boasted in 2021 that ice hockey gave him longevity – and used his appearance at the annual game to quash rumors about his health.
“You extend your life, you make it of better quality and deeper meaning,” he said, according to East2West.
Some reports suggest Putin recently held dozens of secret meetings with a cancer doctor. Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
The outlet also speculated that another reason Putin skipped the game was security concerns.
A military flyover in Moscow’s Red Square was canceled amid claims the Russian leader was concerned about an “air strike” at the annual Victory Day Parade, where he was seen seated with a heavy blanket over his legs and also appeared to be limping.
Questions about Putin’s physical health have mounted after he was seen looking swollen and clinging awkwardly to a table for support in a recent clip released by the Kremlin from a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
He also appeared unsafe during an Orthodox Easter service in Moscow – although some reports suggest he wasn’t even there and that the video was manipulated by the Kremlin.
another video, posted on the Visegrad 24 Twitter page, showed Putin holding up what appeared to be a shaking hand before pressing it to his chest before a recent meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Former British MP Louise Mensch said the footage appeared to support previous reports that “Vladimir Putin has Parkinson’s disease.”
Other reports suggest that Putin has recently held dozens of secret meetings with a cancer doctor – and has become so paranoid about his health that he has turned to unconventional therapies.
The Kremlin rejects all allegations that the warmonger is in poor health.