On Tuesday, the Kremlin categorically rejected any speculations regarding the health of President Vladimir Putin, affirming that he is in good health.
During a regular press briefing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the notion of the president employing body doubles, dismissing such claims as an "absurd hoax," a statement reported by Reuters.
The inquiries regarding Putin's health stemmed from an unverified report circulating on a Russian Telegram channel, which was subsequently picked up by certain Western media outlets. This report suggested that the president had experienced a significant health incident on a Sunday evening.
Rumors and speculations about Putin's health have been ongoing since 2022, with some reports suggesting that the 71-year-old leader may be contending with serious ailments, including cancer and Parkinson's disease. These rumors have been fueled by observations of Putin appearing unsteady and bloated during his public appearances.
In September, a post on a Russian Telegram channel by 'Z-blogger' Pozdnyakov reignited discussions about Putin's health. The post, which featured a picture of Putin, conveyed sentiments of concern about the president's well-being.
It is noteworthy that in a 2020 interview, Putin addressed the persistent rumors about the use of body doubles. He refuted these claims while acknowledging that he had been offered the option of using body doubles for security reasons in the past.
In April of the current year, Dmitry Peskov emphatically dismissed the notion of body doubles as "yet another falsehood" and affirmed that Putin is in excellent health.
The Kremlin has consistently and vehemently denied these kinds of rumors. For instance, in April, Dmitry Peskov dismissed the cancer rumors as "fiction and falsehood." Similarly, in July, CIA Director William J. Burns conveyed that, to the best of the agency's knowledge, Putin appeared to be "entirely too healthy."
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