The war in Ukraine has been a brutal affair costing hundreds of thousands of people their lives.
And to make matters even more concerning, there are constant rumors that Russian President Putin might be sick with Cancer or some other life-threatening ailment.
What happens if Putin is sick?
Who would take over if he died suddenly? Would the Ukraine war be over?
Does Putin Have Cancer?
Back in March, video footage of Russian President Vladimir Putin made an unannounced visit to Crimea has once again sparked speculation that he could be suffering from health problems.
The 70-year-old president appeared on video visiting Sevastopol, Crimea’s largest city that sits on the coast of the Black Sea, and appeared to be limping at some points during the visit.
The trip also marked the 9th anniversary of the annexation of Crimea – a symbolic trip for the Russians, and a significant one given Kyiv’s apparent intention to take back the territory.
On March 20, Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels shared video footage of explosions and gunfire seen and heard in Dzhanjoi.
Ukraine acknowledged the explosions, which destroyed Russian cruise missiles that were being transported through Crimea, though described the incident as “mysterious.”
What Happened In Sevastopol?
Video footage and photographs show the Russian president, wearing a turtleneck sweater and a jacket, walking indoors with Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, and six bodyguards who appeared to be wearing bulletproof vests.
As Putin walks with the men, he looks to be experiencing discomfort, walking more slowly than he did only days before when he made a public appearance in Moscow.
Putin was reportedly visiting the Tauric Chersonese museum and a children’s art school in the region.
Additional video footage of the Russian president walking outdoors, originally released by the Russian press, was shared on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. In the post, Gerashchenko said that Putin was “visibly limping.”
“A visibly limping Putin arrived in occupied Crimea Russian sources report,” Gerashchenko writes.
“Putin’s visit to Sevastopol to «celebrate» the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea Which, by the way, will be one of the items on Putin’s list of accusations at The Hague Court.”
A visibly limping Putin arrived in occupied Crimea
Russian sources report Putin’s visit to Sevastopol to «celebrate» the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea
Which, by the way, will be one of the items on Putin’s list of accusations at The Hague Court. pic.twitter.com/XPJDGqvT9e
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 18, 2023
Is Putin Sick?
This is not the first time that Putin’s health has been brought into question. Cancer rumors have been swirling since early last year.
In February, video footage showed the Russian president’s legs twitching and his feet shaking, leading some to speculate that he may be suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.
In August last year, a Russian Telegram channel – rumored to be run by a former Russian insider – claimed that Putin was warned that he could lose access to “life-saving medicines” to treat his “cancer” as a result of sanctions against Russia.
The true state of Putin’s health isn’t known and is unlikely to be revealed willingly by Kremlin officials.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
