The Kremlin has rejected claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ill after speculative media reports of a cardiac arrest.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also dismissed speculation that Putin used body doubles to cover for him during public appearances.
“Talking about Vladimir Putin’s health problems is another nonsense,” Peskov said, according to Russian state news agency Ria.ru, adding: “There is nothing wrong with him.”
Reports from the Telegram channel SVR General, which has spread conspiracy theories about Putin’s health and public appearances, were published in several British newspapers on Monday, including the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express.
Putin – who has been waging a full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022 – appeared at meetings inside and outside Russia last week, including a two-day forum in Beijing marking the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán were photographed shaking hands, an image that sparked international criticism.
Shortly afterwards, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said the images of Orbán shaking hands with Putin were “very, very unpleasant”.