Questions have again been asked about Vladimir Putin’s health after the despot was seen visibly shaking as he presented a medal at the weekend.
Rumours of the Russian president’s health have been rife since the start of the “special operation” in Ukraine, with several experts claiming he has a number of ailments.
Some claim he is fighting blood, thyroid or abdominal cancer, while others experts are convinced the 69-year-old has early stage Parkinson’s disease.
Last month, when he met with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi, he was caught on camera awkwardly twisting his feet when the pair sat down for talks.
At the weekend Putin presented the State Prize of the Russian Federation to filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov at the Kremlin.
He was seen unable to stand still, seeming to sway back and forth as he listened to the recipient accept the prize.
The Express reported he also shook his legs as he appeared to make side to side movements.
Last week Putin set tongues wagging as he abruptly postponed a marathon set-piece live annual TV show where he was to answer questions from ordinary Russians.
Theories abounded he feared a hostile interrogation over the war in Ukraine , while another suggested concerns over the president’s health, and his ability to remain on TV continuously for the usual three-to-four hours, reports The Sun .
The Direct Line to Vladimir Putin event has been in June for four of the past five years, the exception being the first Covid-19 pandemic summer in 2020, when it took place in December.
The sudden delay was surprising since it had been announced five days ago that it would take place in the “foreseeable future”, implying soon after the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, which ends on 18 June.
In May a Russian intelligence source insisted Putin’s doctors say he has a maximum of three years to live.
The FSB officer said Putin “has a severe form of rapidly progressing cancer.”
He added: “He has no more than two to three years to stay alive.”
“We are told he is suffering from headaches and when he appears on TV he needs pieces of paper with everything written in huge letters to read what he’s going to say.
“They are so big each page can only hold a couple of sentences. His eyesight is seriously worsening.
“And his limbs are now also shaking uncontrollably.”
The Kremlin continues to insist Putin’s health is robust, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently denied Putin was ill.
However, the situation is seen so dire, spymasters closest to Putin are actively talking about his successor and jostling for control of the handover.