© picture alliance / Anadolu | Kremlin Press Service / Handout
In a video of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Putin looks particularly tired and pale. This has fueled speculation.
A few days ago, the Kremlin released a video of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the front lines. Almost without making eye contact, Putin, dressed in a military uniform, walks up to Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. According to the video, Putin visited a command center of the Joint Forces Group in Russia on July 3, where he met with senior army commanders.
The German newspaper Bild reported on Monday that the Russian leader looked “tired, pale, and old.” Anton Gerashchenko, former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, commented on the video on X. According to him, Putin did not visit the front lines; rather, the video was filmed on a movie set inside a bunker. “We see quite a few props in that bunker: a camouflage net has been hung inside the building. The floor, the lighting, and the acoustics all resemble those of a studio.”
According to the U.S. think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Putin and Russian commanders falsely claimed during the July 3 meeting that Russian troops had captured Kostiantynivka and had begun to break through the Ukrainian “defense belt” in the Donetsk region.
The ISW also notes that the Russian presence in Kostiantynivka remains limited to small groups of infiltrators scattered across Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also called Putin’s claim that Kostiantynivka had been captured a lie.
Footage of a pale and weary-looking Putin, 73 years old, is fueling speculation about his fragile health. In the recent past, it has been suggested that the Russian president suffers from Parkinson’s disease or perhaps even thyroid cancer. The Kremlin consistently denies that he's struggling with serious medical problems.
Picture: © picture alliance / Anadolu | Kremlin Press Service / Handout