Russian President Vladimir Putin has suffered a health relapse, according to claims from Russian telegram channel General SVR, which claims to have contact with Kremlin insiders. The account said the 70-year-old Russian President will have to undergo new treatment in early March, affecting his ability to lead Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
These claims, which cannot be verified, are just the latest in a long line of comments suggesting Putin may be suffering from health complications.
General SVR said on Telegram: “Over the weekend, Putin underwent another medical check-up.
“The recent treatment did not give the expected results and a new one, based on the results of the examination, has been scheduled and will start on March 5.
“This can and probably will seriously influence the president’s plans and decisions in the coming days.”
The channel added that Putin’s “deteriorating health condition” means an “inability to actively participate in various activities during the treatment and he will be unable to “fully participate in the governance of the [military operation in Ukraine].”
It continued: “It should be recalled that at the end of last year, due to the onset of therapy, Putin was forced to cancel a number of large traditional events and temporarily withdraw from most of the information agenda.”
The channel also said that Putin’s major speech to the Federal Assembly in Moscow “will be adjusted” as a result of the alleged health issues.
General SVR has made a number of claims about Putin’s health in the past, including that the Russian President has suffered “bouts of coughing, dizziness, sleep disturbances, abdominal pain [and] constant nausea” as well as “the manifestation of symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and schizoaffective disorder.”
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On Tuesday, Putin made his State of the Nation address in Moscow.
Putin used his speech to attack Ukraine, accusing the country’s leaders of starting the war in February 2022.
He said: “We had no doubt. Everything was prepared [for punitive action by Kyiv on Donbas]. All of this was completely against the documents accepted by the UN security council.
“I would like to repeat, they started the war, and we used force in order to stop it.”
Additional reporting by Will Stewart
