Russian President Vladimir Putin showcased what seemed to be intravenous (IV) track marks on his hands while meeting with soldiers, sparking rumors of his undergoing cancer treatment.
The video was released by Russia’s Ministry of Defense last week of showing the Russian president overseeing drills while accompanied by several soldiers. Putin at one point is seen donning ear protection and glasses as he practices shooting a sniper rifle. After standing up, Putin grabs one of the soldier’s arms with his hand, with a visible mark showing.
A reporter for the Ukrainian news website the Kyiv Post tweeted two videos out from the ministry — one with several watermarks making Putin’s hands harder to see and another with no shot of his hand.
“The origin of the marks on Putin’s hand, as displayed on the video supplied by a Kyiv Post journalist, is unclear,” Rebekah Koffler, former Defense Intelligence Agency officer for Russian Doctrine & Strategy and Author of Putin’s Playbook, told Fox News Digital.
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The video continues on to show soldiers undergoing military exercises and a shot of Putin examining a line of soldiers while speaking with a reservist.
Putin’s health has come under question before, with rumors of his declining health gaining momentum since Russia invaded Ukraine. However, the Kremlin has been quick to shut down such rumors, denying reports several times this year alone.
Experts also concur Putin looks to be in good health despite reports to the contrary.
“He doesn’t have the look of someone with a chronic ongoing condition such as cancer. He is not debilitated or pale, but not everyone who has cancer looks like they have cancer. But you can’t say that rules it out,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News medical contributor, told Fox News Digital.
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Despite the scarred look on his hand, Siegel said Putin does not look like someone with the illness. Such placement is, however, typical of where one would put an intravenous line for such treatment.
“The scarred appearance of his hands makes you think it’s possible that he’s had more than one treatment,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
Koffler also stated Putin was in good health, given the lack of evidence proving his deteriorating state, and agreed with CIA Director William Burns that Putin is “entirely too healthy.”
“Contrary to the rumors of Putin’s deteriorating health, my assessment is that there are no anomalies in Putin’s physical or mental health that present an immediate danger to his life,” Koffler told Fox News Digital. “I have no evidence that would lead me to conclude that Putin is about to kick the bucket.”
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Koffler continued on to note that such rumors came from opposing outlets and figures, stating that such falsities are, in fact, harmful to both Americans and Europeans as the war with Ukraine continues.
“The resulting effect of such false narratives is harmful. The rumors about Putin [being] ousted or about becoming incapacitated end up setting up unrealistic expectations among Americans and Europeans who might think that if Putin were gone, the war would stop and the Russia problem would go away,” Koffler told Fox News Digital.
Koffler stated that given such narratives, the consequences of a world without Putin “would be equally a nightmare for the West to deal with.”
