Vladimir Putin was once again seen shaking and struggling to stand during an awards ceremony at the Kremlin – sparking renewed questions about the Russian leader’s possible declining health.
Video captured the president appearing unstable, swaying back and forth, after he awarded filmmaker Nikita Mikhailov the State Prize of the Russian Federation on Sunday, the UK’s Express reported.
Putin, 69, also shook his legs as he stood near the podium with his arms straight by his side.
The alarming footage emerged after his doctors have reportedly advised him not to make any “lengthy’’ public appearances because of his “unstable health.’’
The claim was made on the Telegram channel General SVR, which is purportedly run by a Kremlin military source.
The account claimed last week that Putin appeared to become ill — suffering from “a sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness’’ — after appearing on video with advisers a few days earlier.
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Putin has been plagued by rumors that he suffers from cancer, Parkinson’s disease or early stage dementia.
“Putin is definitely sick,” an official from the office of the Director of National Intelligence told Newsweek recently, while noting, “whether he’s going to die soon is mere speculation.”
Two other officials — one from the Defense Intelligence Agency and one retired Air Force officer — also claimed to have access to a comprehensive intelligence assessment of Putin’s health, and said his outlook is bleak, according to the report.
The intelligence community also reportedly believes that Putin is increasingly paranoid about his hold on power — and that he may have survived an assassination attempt in March.
In April, the Russian leader was seen awkwardly gripping a table while meeting with his defense minister.
Rumors of Putin’s imminent demise have been reported since the early days of his invasion of Ukraine.
Putin also is said to bathe in blood extracted from deer antlers, which are hacked off while they are growing and still full of fresh blood, according to Russian investigative outlet The Project.
The Kremlin has denied any allegations that Putin is in poor health.
