Russian President Vladimir Putin uses hand to stop shaky leg during 2-hour sit-down interview with Tucker Carlson as questions around 71-year-old leader’s health swirl
Russian President Vladimir Putin had to control his wandering leg during his interview with Tucker Carlson – amid rumors that his health is deteriorating.
In the two-hour interview with the former Fox News host released Thursday, Putin had to use his hand to calm his leg and prevent it from moving.
The 71-year-old Russian president also coughed and cleared his throat several times while making claims that Russia has superior “supersonic missiles” to any other country and that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is a “spy.”
Some critics questioned Putin’s health ahead of the interview, when the leader grimaced during a meeting with Belarusian President Lukashenko on January 28 and said he appeared confused.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied rumors that Putin has serious health problems, such as a cardiac arrest in the fall or that he has cancer and uses body doubles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had to use his hand to calm his nervous leg and prevent it from moving
The 71-year-old Russian president also coughed and cleared his throat several times while making bombshell claims during the speech
In October, the channel General SVR Telegram, which regularly claims that Putin is terminally ill and has cancer, claimed that he had suffered a ‘cardiac arrest’.
The channel said all of the Russian dictator’s recent appearances, including foreign visits, have been by a lookalike or double.
It claimed that doctors resuscitated Putin and that he was taken to a special intensive care unit at his official residence.
“Doctors performed CPR after previously determining that the president was in cardiac arrest,” the channel reported. “Aid was provided in time, the heart was started and Putin regained consciousness.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Everything is fine with him, this is definitely another fake rumour.”
“These types of stories belong to the category of fake news, which is covered with enviable tenacity by a number of media outlets. This brings nothing but smiles (in the Kremlin).”
Some critics questioned Putin’s health ahead of the interview, when the leader grimaced during a meeting with Belarusian President Lukashenko on January 28.
In October, the channel General SVR Telegram, which regularly claims that Putin is terminally ill and has cancer, claimed that he had suffered a ‘cardiac arrest’.
When Putin made a surprise visit to the city of Derbent in southern Russia just days after the failed Wagner Uprising in June, his interactions led some to believe he was using a body double.
In 2022, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leaked spy documents claimed Putin had early-stage Parkinson’s disease and pancreatic cancer.
The leaked documents reportedly read: ‘I can confirm that he has been diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s disease, but the disease is already progressing. This fact will be denied and concealed in every possible way.
‘Putin is regularly stuffed with all kinds of heavy steroids and innovative pain-relieving injections to prevent the spread of the pancreatic cancer he was recently diagnosed with.
“Not only does it cause a lot of pain, Putin suffers from facial bags and other side effects, including memory loss.”
Despite questions about the 71-year-old’s health, many people on X, formerly known as Twitter, thought the Russian president appeared to be in good health during his interview with Carlson.
A user named Calvin said: ‘Didn’t they say Putin had cancer and was in very poor health? Seems pretty good to me.’
‘Putin certainly seems healthy to me. What’s with all this talk about his health,” said user Rick Teed.