Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hands are starting to look black on top, a likely sign he’s had a spate of injections for serious illnesses, a former British army chief has said.
Lord Richard Dannatt highlighted the possible sign in a discussion of leaked Kremlin emails allegedly confirming the 70-year-old warmongering leader has Parkinson’s and pancreatic cancer.
Recent photos also appeared to show signs of numerous IV marks on Putin’s hands, which he often covers up on official dates.
“Attentive observers are now noticing that his hands look quite black on top, which is a sign that injections are being given when other parts of the body cannot receive injections,” Dannett told Sky News, according to The Sun, which first revealed the leaked E -Mails.
“It’s interesting to see that and just to see if he’s as fit and good as he would like to be,” said Dannett, who was Chief of Staff of the British Armed Forces from 2006 to 2009.
Former British Army chief Lord Richard Dannatt said that Putin’s “hands look quite black on top, which is a sign that injections are being given when other parts of the body cannot take injections”.
The ex-army chief’s comments come after images emerged showing IV tags in Putin’s hands.
“It’s an interesting area to watch,” he said.
Putin has faced escalating speculation about his health for years, with his hands regularly being a perceived giveaway.
For months he has been seen holding onto tables when he speaks, otherwise with twitching hands. A recent propaganda video also apparently showed suspicious marks on Putin’s right hand as he grabbed a soldier’s arm.
Putin regularly grabs tables and seems to have trouble containing twitching hands and feet.Kremlin
The Kremlin reportedly released a manipulated version with numerous watermarks obscuring the view of the hand.
Online watchers suggested this was either a sign of IV tracks or bulging veins from a serious illness.
On Tuesday, The Sun reported that leaked Kremlin emails confirmed that Putin is “already progressing” with both Parkinson’s disease and pancreatic cancer and is suspected of also having prostate cancer.
Putin also regularly covers his hands, as here at a meeting on Wednesday.via Portal
“Putin is routinely dosed with all manner of heavy steroids and innovative painkilling injections to stop the spread of pancreatic cancer, with which he was recently diagnosed,” a Russian intelligence source wrote in the allegedly leaked document.
But that’s not the only reason Putin is hiding his hands — he’s also afraid of being poisoned, the same outlet said.
“In rare meetings with the public and journalists, Putin tries not to touch anything with his hands because he doesn’t trust anyone,” The Sun quoted a Russian security service insider as saying.
“He’s afraid of poisoning himself by touching objects – if he drinks any liquid, all bottles and glasses are immediately confiscated by his bodyguards and tested.”
According to reports, Putin has Parkinson’s and pancreatic cancer and lives in fear of being poisoned
Aside from his health, Putin’s leadership is faltering due to catastrophic mistakes made during his war against Ukraine, Western officials believe.
“People are talking more about succession and imagining life beyond Putin,” a Western official told the Times of London.
“The Russian system is very opaque, but it has been weakened by this truly catastrophic failure,” said an official at the outlet.