TWITCHY TYRANT
FRAIL-looking Vladimir Putin stoked rumours of failing health last night as he was seen biting his lips, fidgeting distractedly and appearing unsteady at a church service.
The tyrant - dogged by claims he has Parkinson's or terminal cancer - gurned while clutching a candle near the altar at a midnight mass for Orthodox Easter.
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It came days after dishevelled Putin, 69, was seen gripping a table and tapping his foot in video that Kremlin watchers claimed showed a drastic decline in his physical state.
Last night he appeared less bloated than in recent weeks as he stood unaided at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral alongside the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Brief TV footage showed little obvious sign of the telltale tremors often associated with Parkinson's.
But viewers saw the ageing autocrat appearing to shift uncomfortably, sticking out his tongue and chewing his lips.
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He also looked up to the ceiling and down at the floor during a mass led by crony Patriarch Kirill, who has supported his invasion of Ukraine.
At one point the President was seen crossing himself slowly, appearing to take great care to control the movement.
He did not speak other than to join in the congregation with the response "Truly he is risen", Reuters reports.
The public appearance came days after Putin was shown on Russian TV giving orders to defence chief Sergei Shoigu on the siege of Mariupol.
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Observers said the isolated tyrant appeared "feeble and barely able to hold himself upright" in his chair.
It was one of his most shocking appearances so far, absent of his usual strongman bravado.
Putin looked dishevelled, in pain and distracted as he told Shoigu to blockade the Azovstal steel plant, where more than 1,000 Ukrainian defenders and civilians are holed up, "so that a fly can't get in".
Experts told The Sun Online the footage is "not the portrait of a healthy Putin".
Putin is seen in the video appearing with a bloated face while deeply slouching into his chair.
His foot appears to be constantly tapping and his hand is gripping the edge of the table.
The mad tyrant sits gripping the table firmly throughout the entire 12 minute meeting.
His fingers are braced beneath the table while his thumb sits twitching on the top, and he spends most of the exchange tapping both his feet.
Vlad's health has long been the source of rumour and speculation - but its been reported that Western intelligence believe Putin is not a well man.
Kremlin officials have always denied there is anything wrong with their leader, who turns 70 in October.
Professor Erik Bucy, a body language expert from Texas Tech University, told The Sun Online: " It’s an astonishingly weakened Putin compared to the man we observed even a few years ago.
"An able-bodied president would not need to keep himself propped up with a hand held out for leverage and would not be concerned about keeping both feet planted on the ground."
He used the example of when Richard Nixon appeared during the 1960 presidential debate against JFK.
The Republican appeared weak and having to brace himself while recovering from a knee injury and exhaustion.
'INVOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS'
"This is not a portrait of a healthy Putin but one appearing increasingly feeble and barely able to hold himself upright at a small conference table," Bucy added.
"Putin’s legs also appear quite thin, as if he may be suffering from weight or muscle loss from an unannounced malady.
"Bloating in his face reinforces an unhealthy appearance, especially compared to photographs and video of the Russian premiere from a few years ago."
He added that Putin also appears to avoid Shoigu's gaze - appearing to be a man who is evasive, fearful, lacking confidence and who is uncomfortable.
Professor Patrick Stewart, from the University of Arkansas, also noted that Putin appeared highly stressed and almost exhibiting a "flight" response.
He also zeroed in on his tapping feet, suggesting this was "leakage" as Putin attempted to keep himself under control - with his leg movements possibly appearing involuntary.
"The hands being held up under the table are in an almost begging position, while holding the table is different from what I've seen previously - certainly holding tightly onto the podium is something we have seen from Putin when considering a stressful issue in front of the free press," said Prof Stewart.
Some expert observers on social media also zeroed in on Putin's strange behaviour in what may be one of his health's most telling appearances to date.
Louise Mensch, a former Tory MP, who previously reported about Putin's potential health problems, wrote: "Putin has Parkinson’s disease and here you can see him gripping the table so that his shaking hand is not visible but he cannot stop his foot from tapping."
HEALTH RIDDLE
It's not the first time questions have been raised about the Russian despot's health.
Experts have pointed that Putin looks "bloated" and "weakened" in recent public appearances and has even been seen a doctor who specialises in Thyroid cancer.
The report by investigative Proekt media - which is blocked in Russia - states that surgeon Yevgeny Selivanov, of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, had flown to the Russian leader no less than 35 times in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The respected doctor’s expertise is thyroid cancer.
The discovery backs recent theories that Putin declared war when he was suffering medical problems hidden from the Russian people.
Back in November 2020, political analyst Valery Solovei revealed the cancer and Parkinson's theory claiming that Putin also needed to have emergency surgery.
He said at the time of Putin's health issues: “One is of psycho-neurological nature, the other is a cancer problem.
“If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I'm not a doctor, and I have no ethical right to reveal these problems.
"The second diagnosis is a lot, lot more dangerous than the first-named diagnosis as Parkinson’s does not threaten physical state, but just limits public appearances.
“But there is a fatal diagnosis.
“Based on this information people will be able to make a conclusion about his life horizon, which wouldn’t even require specialist medical education.”
He added that the Russian President had undergone surgery with another source claiming it was an abdominal cancer operation.
Video footage showed Putin's leg moving constantly and his fingers twitching, backing the Parkinson's theory.
Putin also suffered a coughing fit during a televised meeting but the claims about his health were disputed by Kremlin.
The report continues to identify medics who regularly travel with Putin on trips, especially in Sochi which he prefers to Moscow.
Alongside Selivanov the Russian leader is also followed by a neurosurgeon.
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Another surgeon Dr Alexey Shcheglov "follows Putin so relentlessly that during public events he allegedly gets into joint photographs with the head of state.”
He is seen as “the doctor who, among other things, can be the first to detect problems with the thyroid gland, including oncological ones”, it is claimed.
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