A BIZARRE Putin-themed calendar containing only old photos of the Russian despot has fuelled fresh speculation about his health.
None of the images chosen by the pro-Kremlin paper that produced the calendar were taken within the last two years.
AFPRumours sparked by Putin’s public appearances, especially since the invasion of Ukraine, have fuelled speculation about his health[/caption]
A pro-Kremlin paper released the calendar for 2024 which included 12 pictures of the Russian president
None of them were taken in the last two years, and no references to Putin’s war against Ukraine were included
Rumours based on Putin‘s public appearances, especially since the invasion of Ukraine, have fuelled speculation about his ‘failing’ health.
Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda released the calendar for 2024 which included 12 pictures of the Russian president.
When BBC journalist Steve Rosenberg picked one up, he noticed none of them predated February 2022, when the Kremlin’s brutal war against Ukraine began.
A refusal to acknowledge the war may suggest a lack of support among the Russian people, or an attempt to hide recent problems with his health.
Rosenberg wrote: “Clearly the people who put this calendar together at the pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda want Russians to see Putin as a strong man, cool man, father of the nation.”
“But not Putin as the man who started a war. If the invasion of Ukraine had truly rallied the Russian nation behind the president, if it enjoyed support across the board here, you would think it would feature somehow, somewhere in this calendar.”
Some of the pictures included Putin petting one of his dogs against a snowy background, while another saw him surrounded by young athletes.
One even pictured him in a judo outfit, but none showed him with Kremlin soldiers, or in any that seemed to reference the war at all.
Just days ago, his public meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping raised some of the same questions.
A body language expert dissected the exchange for The Sun Online – revealing the subtle messages Putin and Xi may not have realised they were sending.
Video captured the moment Putin arrived to meet Xi, as his face fell and he pulled at his sleeves while walking up a steep flight of stairs.
Body language expert Judi James noted some of his gestures looked “a little jerky” – with some hand twitching as he posed for a group photo and some small movements of his mouth.
She said: “These could be prompted by anxiety or health issues but they don’t look pronounced.”
And a series of chilling “clues” fuelled speculation Putin may be suffering from serious health problems including cancer.
He was spotted with a mystery red blotch on his forehead only a few weeks ago.
The Russian tyrant was seen with the unexplained red patch just under his hairline as he marked his newly declared Day of Reunification.
Experts even agreed his 71st birthday on October 7, 2023 could have been his last – whether by coup, suicide, regime collapse, or failing health.
Other signs have pointed to the dictator’s faltering health, including bombshell spy documents seen by The Sun in 2022.
A Russian intelligence source close to the Kremlin seemed to confirm that Putin had been diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s and pancreatic cancer.
And various footage of the tyrant, particularly since the war, has led to further speculation, including a clip of him greeting Belarusian President Lukashenko at the Kremlin.
Released in April 2022, the warlord can be seen trembling violently in the clip as he goes to shake Lukashenko’s hand.
Other photos and clips released in the last year have also led Kremlin watchers to speculate over a drastic decline in his physical state.
One of the images, Putin petting his dog in the snow, was even ten years old
EPAPutin’s recent public meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping raised some of the same questions about his health[/caption]
And other footage of his public appearances since the invasion of Ukraine have fuelled rumours
East2WestHe was spotted with a mystery red blotch on his forehead just a few weeks ago during his newly declared Day of Reunification[/caption]