New footage of Vladimir Putin bizarrely twisting his foot and seemingly struggling with jerky leg movements has further fueled rumors that the Russian president could be facing a sharp decline in his health.
The clip, taken yesterday when Putin met with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon, showed the Russian leader’s left foot repeatedly rising and falling while his knee fractured inward.
Later, Putin corrected his position in the chair and planted his foot firmly on the floor as he discussed the development of Russia-Tajikistan relations with Rahmon, but his leg seemed to keep twitching.
The strange movements caught the attention of the Tajik leader, who looked a little unnerved as he looked down and watched Putin’s foot move erratically.
There has been much speculation over the Russian president’s health in recent weeks, with health experts, politicians and even exiled Russian businessmen claiming he is likely battling a serious illness.
Parkinson’s disease — a brain disorder that affects motor skills — is a condition frequently cited by commentators that Putin may face.
Restless Legs Syndrome – an uncontrollable urge to move the lower limbs and feet – is a symptom commonly seen in people with Parkinson’s disease.
The clip, taken yesterday when Putin met with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon, showed the Russian leader’s left foot repeatedly rising and falling while his knee fractured inward
Putin later corrected his position in the chair and planted his foot firmly on the floor as he discussed the development of Russia-Tajikistan relations with Rahmon, but his leg seemed to keep twitching
Vladimir Putin (centre) watches part of the Victory Day Parade in Moscow with a blanket over his lap while geriatric war veterans sit uncovered around him
Foot twitching and leg tremors – does the Russian leader have Parkinson’s?
Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that causes tremors, tremors, and stiffness in one or more parts of the body in its victims.
Restless Legs Syndrome is a condition that triggers an overwhelming urge to move your legs and is a telltale sign of Parkinson’s disease.
People suffering from the condition typically feel unwell, regularly jerking their feet and legs and as a result shifting position – behavior Putin has demonstrated on several occasions.
Subtle changes in a person’s walking pattern, such as B. slow or unsteady steps and dragging feet, are also indicators of Parkinson’s.
Putin seemed unsteady during the May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow and also ahead of a meeting with Lukashenko in February.
Dystonia — a condition that causes stiff muscles and spasms that lead to odd twisting movements and unusual postures in affected parts of the body — is typically associated with Parkinson’s.
The constant bending and twisting of Putin’s foot, as shown in the latest May 16 clip, could well be a symptom of dystonia.
The clip from yesterday’s meeting between Putin and the Tajik President is the latest in a series of videos and images in which the Russian leader appears uncomfortable and frail.
At the Victory Day celebrations in Russia on May 9, the 69-year-old gave a speech in which he projected an image of Russian strength and military might despite the stalled war in Ukraine.
But at several points – including when he left a lectern and walked to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to lay a wreath – Putin appeared to be walking with heavy steps, as if trying to hide a limp.
During the parade itself, he was seen sitting with a heavy blanket over his knees, although geriatric war veterans sat around him with their laps uncovered.
In late April, Putin was filmed speaking with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the Kremlin, but appeared bloated and uncomfortable throughout the meeting as he clutched the table.
Putin’s unusually swollen face and neck sparked claims he is undergoing steroid treatment, while reports suggest Putin is “constantly” accompanied by a doctor who specializes in thyroid cancer.
Surgeon Yevgeny Selivanov of Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital has flown dozens of times in recent years to the Black Sea resort of Sochi — one of Putin’s favorite places to live.
The prestigious doctoral thesis, which shows his medical specialty, was entitled: “Special features of the diagnostics and surgical treatment of elderly and senile patients with thyroid cancer”.
Putin also appeared unsteady and awkward in his movements during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on February 18, days before the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian leader seemed to stagger as he strode to greet his ally, looking weak and frail next to the Belarusian.
A bloated Vladimir Putin holds on to a table and slouches in his chair during a televised meeting with his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The Russian strongman is rumored to be battling a serious illness such as cancer or Parkinson’s
Putin held on to the armrest of his chair during a meeting with Alexander Lukashenko earlier this year after footage showed his arm was shaking
Two years before he decided to invade Ukraine, rumors about Putin’s health began to circulate, including the suggestion that he had undergone cancer surgery.
Valery Solovey, a political analyst and prominent Putin critic, began spreading the rumor in late 2020 while hinting that he had Parkinson’s disease.
The rumors gained such traction that the Kremlin was forced to go on record and deny them, with Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisting his boss was in “excellent health” and any claims to the contrary were “utter nonsense.”
But the whispers have steadfastly refused to die down and have intensified since the start of the war in Ukraine, with critics pointing out that Putin looks uneasy in many of his TV appearances.
Adding to speculation about his health, Putin missed an annual ice hockey game last week, which he usually stars in.
The Russian leaders have made a habit of gliding across the ice at an annual game during the Russian Night Hockey League’s National Festival in May.
But this year he instead sent a video message wishing the competitors in Sochi “good luck in their ice battles” – despite being in the same city where the match was taking place.
It’s only the second time since 2012 that the president has missed the game, the first time due to ill health.
In May 2021, Putin boasted that ice hockey promised him a long life, and he used his looks to quash rumors about his health at the time.
What’s wrong with Putin?
Rumors that Putin was suffering from health problems have been circulating for years, and have increased since he launched his brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Critics and Kremlin sources have suggested he may have Parkinson’s disease, supported by footage showing the leader shaking uncontrollably and clutching a table for support.
He has also disappeared from public view for weeks with suggestions he is undergoing surgery.
Valery Solovey, a professor at the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Affairs, was the first to hint at Putin’s health problems, saying in 2020 Putin had undergone surgery for cancer.
Another unnamed source suggested that the operation was on Putin’s abdomen.
He said: “One is psychoneurological in nature, the other is a cancer issue.
“If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I am not a doctor and I have no ethical right to disclose these issues.
“The second diagnosis is much, much more dangerous than the first diagnosis because Parkinson’s does not threaten the physical condition, it only limits public appearances.
“On the basis of this information you will be able to draw conclusions about your life horizon that would not even require specialist training.”
The Kremlin has always denied anything wrong with Putin’s health.
Others have noticed his “gunslinger gait” – a significantly reduced swing of his right arm compared to his left, giving him a buoyant pride.
Asymmetrically reduced arm swing is a classic feature of Parkinson’s and can manifest in “clinically intact individuals predisposed to later development” of the disease, according to the British Medical Journal.
In February, Putin was seen with a shaking hand as he clutched the side of his chair for support.
The clip, taken on February 18, just before he began his invasion of Ukraine, shows him greeting fellow strongman Alexander Lukashenko in the Kremlin.
He draws his trembling hand inside his body to stop the tremors, but then almost stumbles as he walks uncertainly towards Lukashenko.
Later, Putin sits in a chair but cannot remain still, constantly fidgeting and tapping his feet while clutching his arm for support.
At a meeting last month with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin’s poor posture and apparently bloated face and neck fueled speculation.
The video showed Putin speaking to Shoigu while gripping the edge of the table with his right hand — so tightly it appears white — and constantly tapping his foot.