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Someone is in trouble after an outtake of Vladimir Putin in the course of a coughing fit was mistakenly released by the Kremlin.
The Russian President normally portrays a robust man image, fishing in bear-infested forests or riding horses topless, but he was caught meekly spluttering his way through a bit to camera for International Women’s Day.
Coughing and struggling over his words the 73-year-old points to his own throat and croaks at a cameraman: ‘You realize, let me say that again, because… my throat’s a bit scratchy.
‘Yes, a bit scratchy. I almost began coughing. I’ve been talking quite a bit today.’
The video of the 73-year-old Russian leader was posted to the Kremlin’s Telegram channel, then mysteriously deleted.
One other video was then uploaded with the coughing fit edited out.
Putin went on to provide a speech for International Women’s Day, a historic day in his country after it became a flashpoint within the 1917 Revolution.
‘A generous, compassionate and truly smart feminine soul makes the world a greater and kinder place, and a mother’s love stays in one and all’s heart for all times,’ Putin said.
Kremlin spokesperson Alexander Yushanev moved to dismiss the discharge as a ‘weekend mistake’.
He said: ‘In accordance with my information, no extraordinary investigation… is being conducted within the Presidential Administration regarding the unedited Putin’s greeting that was posted online.
‘It’s only a weekend mistake, which might occur to anyone. And it’s not the primary time with the Kremlin itself, by the way in which. All over the place, to date, real individuals are working, not AI.
‘Did someone seriously think that each one video materials are written in a single attempt?” he asked.
‘Or that an individual can’t clear their throat after a virtually three-minute speech?’
The Russian leader has long been dogged with rumours about his health over reports of mysterious disappearances, trembling hands and more.
He has also made little secret of his fascination with prolonging life, and on Wednesday showed no reluctance to repeat his private musings on longevity at a press conference.
‘Modern means and methods of improving health, even various surgical [operations] involving organ alternative, allow humanity to hope that … life expectancy will increase significantly,’ Putin told reporters in Beijing.
Former intelligence skilled Christopher Steele, who headed MI6’s Russia desk between 2006 and 2009, told LBC in 2024 that he thought Putin could possibly be seriously sick.
He said: ‘What we do know is that he’s continually accompanied across the place by a team of doctors.
‘Meetings of the safety council which are shown (on TV) to supposedly last for an entire hour are literally broken up into several sections.
‘He goes out and receives some form of medical treatment between those sections. So, clearly, he’s seriously sick – how terminal or incurable it’s just isn’t clear, we will’t be entirely sure.
‘Nevertheless it’s actually having a really serious impact on the governance of Russia for the time being.’
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