Andrij Jusow, a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency, suspects that the recently circulated false reports about the alleged death of Russian President Vladimir Putin could serve to test the reactions of the Russian population, the leadership, and state propaganda channels.
This was outlined in a report by ‘Ukrainska Pravda’, citing Jusow’s statements on NV Radio. The reports of Putin’s death are also seen as a tool to influence Putin himself and are part of a specific strategy. Putin and his spokesperson are forced to respond and prove the opposite. However, such false reports are likely of little benefit to Putin personally, as there are ‘many conspiracy theory enthusiasts’ in Russia, as the German news website n-tv.de reports.
Speculations about the president’s health status regularly surface, as reported by the German news website Frankfurter Rundschau. It is repeatedly claimed that Putin has cancer. In November 2022, a Russian intelligence officer told the tabloid The Sun that Putin actually suffers from Parkinson’s and pancreatic cancer. The British newspaper referred to emails from the insider. He wrote: ‘I can confirm that he has Parkinson’s in an early stage. However, the disease is progressing.’ Recently, there were reports about leaked documents that should confirm Putin’s cancer diagnosis. So far, such information about Putin’s health condition could not be independently verified. The Kremlin has always denied such reports.
Image: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, Vladimir Putin (23-04-2021).jpg, via Wikimedia Commons (no changes made)
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