shades fills you in

Rumors about Vladimir Putin’s health have circulated for years. The Center for European Policy Analysis says the rumors are conflicting and often all over the place -- and tend to pop up when Russia’s causing geopolitical issues

The speculation has varied wildly over the years -- from back injuries to Parkinson’s to various cancers. There’s even a persistent rumor that Putin bathes in blood from deer horns to boost his heart health. Politico collected a bunch of rumors -- here

In a video, The WSJ looks at some of the more recent incidents that prompted speculation -- like a coughing fit in Tehran and a strange limp. Watch it for yourself here

And remember that absurdly long table Putin used for meetings? The Guardian says that could’ve been a power move -- or it could’ve been because of Putin’s paranoia about COVID and his health

In May, 2022, on a secretly recorded call, a Russian oligarch said Putin has “blood cancer”. New Lines Magazine agrees it’s possible -- but points out that this might also be purposeful misinformation from discontented oligarchs

The cancer rumors picked up again after Putin was seen on video in October 2022 -- with what appear to be IV track marks on the back of his hand. Does this suggest he’s undergoing treatment? -- Fox News

Proekt, an independent Russian media outlet, says Putin’s definitely been sick. Records show he’s constantly attended by teams of doctors, and he often disappears from public view for periods of time -- probably to undergo treatment

On the other hand, Prof Michael Clarke told Sky News that Putin keeps all those doctors around because he’s a hypochondriac -- and some changes in his appearance are just because of Botox

And The Guardian warns against wishful thinking -- even if Putin is ill, he’s probably not going away any time soon

And what about his mental health? WaPo says that in the past decade, Putin’s earned a new reputation for being unstable -- maybe even crazy?

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice agrees. At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she told Fox News that Putin’s now more “erratic” and “delusional” than he’s been before

But this Hill Op doesn’t think so -- he invaded Ukraine because he had bad intel and is a bad person. But he’s not crazy, and saying so doesn’t help the West’s cause. Plus, it stigmatizes people who are actually mentally ill

And the CIA director shot down all the theories about Putin being sick: He’s perfectly healthy, folks!

Of course, the Kremlin emphatically agrees. After Putin canceled a trip in July, the Kremlin said that any and all rumors of Putin’s ill health are just Western fake news

In the end, The Economist sees two options: Either Putin really is sick, or this is just a whole lot of wishful thinking from people who want to see him gone. Either way, it shows how fragile Putin’s regime is