Vladimir Putin is battling cancer and Parkinson’s, had to undergo emergency surgery in February: Sources
Russian President Vladimir Putin has cancer, is showing symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, and had emergency surgery this year in February, political analyst Valery Solovei's sources claimed. Solovei also speculated that the Russian strongman plans to announce his exit from Kremlin early next year. The fresh claims about Putin's ill health come after Solovei's earlier claims about the Kremlin leader's failing health were rubbished by the Kremlin.
The political analyst has now doubled down on the Parkinson's rumors he sparked earlier this month by claiming he has been told that Putin has been treated for cancer. Solovei claimed his Kremlin sources are "at the epicenter of decision making". While talking about Putin's apparent health issues, the analyst said: "One is of psycho-neurological nature, the other is a cancer problem. If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I'm not a doctor, and I have no ethical right to reveal these problems," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.
"The second diagnosis is a lot, lot more dangerous than the first-named diagnosis as Parkinson’s does not threaten physical state, but just limits public appearances," he continued. "But there is a fatal diagnosis. Based on this information people will be able to make a conclusion about his life horizon, which wouldn’t even require specialist medical education.” Solovei also claimed that the Russian president underwent surgery in February and cited another Russian source as claiming that the surgery was for abdominal cancer treatment.
The analyst's sources reportedly also claimed that Putin's first appearance after his surgery was to lay flowers in St Petersburg memorial site on February 19. Solovei said that his sources suggest that the Russian leader may already be grooming his 34-year-old daughter Katerina Tikhonova, a former dancer, to be his successor. She now spearheads a major new artificial intelligence initiative and was among the first to test Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, 55, and agriculture minister Dmitry Patrushev, 43, are also believed to be among the frontrunners for the position.
The Kremlin, earlier this week, had denied that the Russian president suffered from health issues. The statement was made after Putin suffered a coughing fit during a televised meeting. During the meeting, Putin, at one point, struggled to finish his sentence while he was speaking to top experts on economic issues linked to coronavirus. The clip was reportedly later edited by his office to make Putin's coughing appear less severe. Analysts have reportedly also claimed that the Russian strongman's lover, 37-year-old former gymnast Alina Kabaeva, has been begging him to step down to take care of himself.
Some observers, who reportedly studied recent footage of the Russian leader, noted that his legs appeared to be in constant motion and he seemed like he was in pain as he clutched the armrest of a chair. His fingers reportedly were also seen twitching as he held a pen and gripped a cup, which is rumored to have contained a cocktail of painkillers. Putin, who took over the presidency from Boris Yeltsin in 1999, is Russia's longest-serving Kremlin leader since Stalin.