Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – That strange tremor in his leg, his right arm "more static" than his left, his monotonous voice, his vacant look, his swollen face, an unexpected absence. A leader's body is constantly under the spotlight. Videos and photographs are incessantly scrutinized, the resumes of those accompanying him are scrutinized in minute detail, unusual changes in routines are subjected to all sorts of speculation.
And when it comes to Vladimir Putin, given his impact on global equilibrium, the phenomenon is amplified to the nth degree. The anatomy of his head becomes a novel to which endless pages can be added. But despite rumors and warnings about his health—always denied—having been circulating for well over a decade, today the "tsar" turns 74, and this is his 22nd birthday as president of the Russian Federation.
Hypotheses about the illnesses he suffered from even fueled scientific studies published in prestigious journals. The theory surrounding his strange gait is unforgettable: it wasn't a sign of early Parkinson's disease—the current rumor circulating at the time—but rather a "gunslinger" stance, a bearing inherited from military discipline and youthful KGB training, the authors concluded after analyzing an extensive video review.
It was 2015. What sparked the analysis was his asymmetrical gait: when Putin walks, the authors explained in the paper published in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, his right arm doesn't swing like the other. This distinctive feature was examined by a team of neurologists from the Netherlands, all experts in movement disorders. To reach their conclusion, they even expanded the scope of their investigation to include then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and other high-ranking Russian officials. And that's when the realization hit: that gait was a very common trait. And unless they were all in the early stages of the disease, the researchers postulated, there had to be another explanation. Hunting for a lead, the experts stumbled upon an old KGB training manual, which instructed operatives how to move in the field: "When moving," it instructed, "you must keep your weapon against your chest or in your right hand. And you should walk with one side, usually the left, slightly turned in the direction of movement." For them, it was the ultimate test.
But the speculation never stopped. "He has cancer," "he has only a few months to live," "he's diabetic," "he underwent secret operations abroad." The rumors intensified significantly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, it has been a constant barrage of theories, especially oncological ones, a constant mystery. But going back over the years, as early as 2016-2017, global media outlets had noted how, in recent years, Putin had often been accompanied on his trips abroad by a large team of doctors. During those years, his trips outside Russia reportedly saw him surrounded by as many as five doctors, later increasing, in some circumstances, to as many as 13 at a time. Among them were resuscitators, neurosurgeons, general practitioners, and oncologists. Since one of them was known for his research on thyroid cancer, and Putin—according to media reports—visited him 35 times in Sochi, this was long a popular theory. Then there was a period when it was speculated that he suffered from a severe form of diabetes, due to his swollen face on several occasions; before that, he had developed early-stage Parkinson's disease, which led to the onset of dementia. Spinal problems caused by a fall from a horse also dominated the news for a while, worsening after an injury while playing hockey. Discussions shifted to a hypothetical rampant leukemia, as well as Asperger's syndrome. Alongside the diagnoses, wild rumors about possible treatments also circulated: from the more traditional ones—which would be supervised by the specialists surrounding him—to more alternative ones such as deer blood compresses, which, according to some experts interviewed, would have "effects bordering on the miraculous." And then there is the chapter of secret operations carried out outside Russia, of which count has now been lost.
But it's the leader's absences in particular that are one of the sparks that most frequently ignite wild rumors, such as when Putin missed the annual live-television "Direct Line to Vladimir Putin" in 2022, during which the president answers questions from citizens. Although analysts believed the reason was a desire to avoid potential hostile questions about the war, one of the most popular theories has been that the president's staff may have been concerned about his health. More recently (August 2025) was the anecdote according to which, during the Alaska summit with Trump, Putin's bodyguards carried a special "feces container" designed to collect and return to Russia any biological traces of the leader. The supposed purpose of this strange detail was to prevent foreign powers from obtaining information on the president's health through analysis of his organic matter. This, incidentally, is apparently a long-standing precaution. This obviously further fueled rumors about his true medical condition.
Over the years, there have even been rumors of heart problems and irritability due to cortisone treatments, and it's virtually impossible to list in detail every time Putin's health has made headlines. Likewise, the number of times his entourage has launched a denial is innumerable. In April 2023, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, denouncing what he called "lies" spread about his "boss," also sought to refute one of the most recurring theories: that he has lookalikes. No, Peskov objected, not only is he not ill and not dying, but he also has no lookalikes acting for him, and it's not true that he's hiding in a bunker. He "has always been super-active," and "those who work alongside him can hardly keep up with him." His health? "Enviable."
The deluge of rumors from the early years of the war in Ukraine fills a chapter of its own. In June 2022, as the conflict raged, US intelligence sources cited by Newsweek reported that the Kremlin incumbent had undergone treatment in April for advanced cancer. Around that time, Israeli journalist Mark Kotlyarsky added further details: Russian President Putin was suffering from pancreatic cancer, not thyroid cancer, as previously thought, a type of tumor that was therefore difficult to treat. This escalated, leading in early 2023 to statements by Kyrylo Budanov, then head of Ukrainian military intelligence: "He has been ill for some time" and "will die soon." Three years have passed since then, and in 2026, impervious to everything, the "tsar" blows out his 74th birthday.
international/foreign
webinfo@adnkronos.com (Web Info)