Putin falls ill while talking to military chiefs, given ‘urgent medical help’

Moscow: Russia President Vladimir Putin has been advised by doctors not to make any “lengthy” public appearances after he fell ill amid discussions with his military chiefs, media reports said citing a Kremlin insider.

The Russian President felt “a sharp sickness, weakness, and dizziness”, while getting up from his desk following a recent video conference with advisers and military leaders, has claimed, Daily Mail reported citing Telegram channel General SVR.

“The President needed urgent medical assistance,” claimed the channel which purports to have sources in the Kremlin and has made repeated claims over Putin’s alleged medical problems, including cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

The claims are impossible to verify, but the theory that the despot is struggling with a litany of health issues is gaining currency in the West, Daily Mail reported.

Myriad photos and videos have emerged in recent weeks in which the Russian leader appears bloated and uncomfortable, while other clips have shown him experiencing seemingly uncontrollable leg tremors and walking with poor co-ordination.

The channel also cited the “dizziness” incident to explain an abrupt announcement this week that Putin’s annual ‘Direct Line’ live broadcast – a marathon Q&A when he answers questions from ordinary Russians over several hours – was postponed with no replacement date fixed.

It had been pencilled in for the second half of June or early July, but now no date is specified, Daily Mail reported.

General SVR claims to be authored by an exiled Kremlin Lt-General insider, known by the alias Viktor Mikhailovich, who purportedly has access to information the Kremlin refuses to publish.

It was the first outlet to suggest Putin was suffering from cancer.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Sambad English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)