Russian President Russian President Vladimir Putin He showed what appeared to be intravenous (IV) traces on his hands while meeting soldiers, sparking rumors he was undergoing cancer treatment.
The Russian Defense Ministry published a video clip last week showing the Russian president supervising the exercises, accompanied by a number of soldiers. Putin was once seen wearing ear protection and goggles as he practiced shooting from a sniper rifle. Standing up, Putin holds one of the soldier’s arms in his hand, a clear sign on it.
A reporter for Ukrainian news site Kyiv Post tweeted two videos from the ministry – one with several watermarks that make Putin’s hands harder to see and the other without a shot of his.
“The origin of the marks on Putin’s hand, as shown in the video provided by a Kyiv Post journalist, is unclear,” Rebecca Kovler, A former Defense Intelligence Agency officer on Russian Doctrine and Strategy and author of Putin’s Playbook, told Fox News Digital.
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The video continues to show soldiers undergoing military training and a shot of Putin examining a line of soldiers while talking to a reservist.
Putin’s health It has been in question before, with rumors circulating of his deteriorating health since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the Kremlin was quick to stop these rumors, denying the reports several times this year alone.
Experts also agree that Putin appears to be in good health despite reports to the contrary.
“He doesn’t have the appearance of someone with a chronic underlying condition like cancer. He’s not exhausted or pale, but not everyone with cancer looks like they’ve had cancer. But you can’t say that’s ruling it out,” Dr. Mark Siegel, Fox News, a medical contributor, told Fox News Digital.
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Despite the look full of scars on his hand, Siegel said Putin doesn’t look like someone with the disease. However, this placement is typical of where an intravenous line may be placed for such treatment.
“The disfigured appearance of his hands makes you think he may have received more than one treatment,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
Kovler also stated that Putin is in good health, given the lack of evidence to prove his deteriorating condition, and agreed with him CIA Director William Burns Putin is “in very good health.”
“Contrary to rumors about Putin’s deteriorating health, my assessment is that there are no anomalies in Putin’s physical or mental health that pose an immediate threat to his life,” Koffler told Fox News Digital. “I have no evidence to lead me to the conclusion that Putin is about to get rid of everything.”
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Koffler went on to note that such rumors came from opposing outlets and personalities, noting that such lies are in fact harmful to both Americans and Europeans as war with ukraine continuous.
“The effect of such false narratives is detrimental… the rumors about Putin.” [being] They get fired or become incapacitated and end up setting unrealistic expectations among themselves Americans and Europeans Who would think that if Putin leaves, the war will stop and the problem of Russia will disappear.”
Given such narratives, Kovler stated, the consequences of a world without Putin “would be equally a nightmare for the West to deal with.”
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