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Video of visibly-ailing Putin's one-sided battle with a mosquito goes viral

The clip is the latest addition to the videos which appear to show the Russian president limping and struggling with limb movement

Vladimir Putin's health is once again in focus as new footage shows the Russian president seemingly unable to use his right arm. A video clip captured the moment Putin was given a tour of a military museum as part of a weekend marking Russia’s Navy Day, held on Sunday, July 31, 2022. The clip is the latest addition to the videos which appear to show an ailing Russian Supremo walking with a limp, struggling with strange ticks including odd foot and leg contortions, and un-coordinated movement. 

The video in circulation is from the same event where Russia's leader signed a new military doctrine that accuses the United States of being Moscow's greatest threat. Putin is seen speaking with Ksenia, daughter of defense minister Sergei Shoigu, when mosquitoes start flying around the right side of his face. He raised only his left arm to swat them away while his right arm remained unmoved. However, he continued to scratch and swat around his head with one arm while walking alongside Ksenia with a limp as she continued her tour. Putin has been rumored to be suffering from cancer and Parkinson's disease and is on medication, according to some sources.

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Vladimir Putin's ill health under scanner again after video shows him 'unsteady' and 'trembling'

The general SVR channel, which claims to be operated by a former officer from Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, reported via Telegram long back on Putin's supposedly worsening health. The channel also recently suggested he is sometimes replaced by a body double for public appearances in periods of particularly poor health. The channel also claims Putin was afflicted by 'severe nausea' last week, with doctors deployed to his bedside for more than three hours. Following those reports, the channel stated recently that "Putin himself and his entourage are preparing plans for evacuation from Russia," citing his awareness "of the possibility of a sharp change of mood in the country" over his invasion of Ukraine.

However, CIA director William Burns said recently that Putin was healthy and that there was no intelligence he was ailing. "There are lots of rumors about President Putin's health and as far as we can tell he's entirely too healthy," Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado earlier this month. British MI6 director Richard Moore later added, "There is no evidence that Putin is suffering from serious illness."

Speaking on Russia's Navy Day aboard a vessel in St Petersburg, Putin praised Tsar Peter the Great for making the country a great sea power and remarked upon the unique capability of new hypersonic weapons. "The delivery of these (missiles) to the Russian armed forces will start in the coming months," Putin said. "The Admiral Gorshkov frigate will be the first to go on combat duty with these formidable weapons on board. The key thing here is the capability of the Russian navy, it is able to respond with lightning speed to all who decide to infringe on our sovereignty and freedom." Russia has conducted previous test launches of the Zircon from warships and submarines over the past year. Putin did not refer to Ukraine in his speech but stressed the missiles would be deployed wherever Moscow's interests lie.