Rumors about Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s health have been circulating for a long time. The Secretary of State has now commented on this publicly for the first time – he has rejected similar assumptions about a disease.
“I don’t think reasonable people can see in this person any signs of illness or infirmity,” Lavrov said on Sunday in response to a question from French TV channel TF1.
Putin “every day” in public
Putin, who turns 70 in October, appears in public “every day”. “You can see him on screens, read and listen to his speeches,” Lavrov said, according to a statement from Russia’s foreign ministry. Putin’s health and personal life are taboo topics in Russia and are almost never discussed in public.
Wild speculations about health status
Yet there has been speculation about Putin’s health for at least ten years. Rumors circulated in 2012, for example because the Russian head of state had not traveled abroad for two months. Meanwhile, Putin himself repeatedly tried to counter the speculation with strong poses in the wild and with animals.
Putin, who has been in control of Russia’s fate for more than two decades, ordered a military operation in Ukraine on Feb. 24. Since then, thousands of people have been killed and millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee. The West has imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
