Mark Galeotti Mark Galeotti

Does Putin have blood cancer?

We need to be careful to not get carried away with speculation

Vladimir Putin (Photo: Getty)

Suddenly, we are all diagnosticians. Clips of a puffy Putin slurring his words, his hands twitching or clutching a table for grim death, have led to all kinds of speculation about his health. It does seem probable that he is suffering from some ailments, to be sure. However, we need to be careful we do not get carried away with the speculation.

Putin is notoriously private and his health is considered well off-limits. For a man who built much of his personal brand on his judo-fighting, ice hockey-playing, bare-chested horseback-riding persona, illness and ageing are obviously sensitive topics.

Nonetheless, it has long been known that he suffers from recurring back problems, and appears to have undergone surgery more than once. There has been more recent talk that he has Parkinson’s, based on his twitches. The evidence that he has repeatedly been attended by senior cancer specialist have raised thoughts of thyroid cancer. Most recently, apparently some ‘oligarch’ was recorded claiming that he is ‘very ill with blood cancer.’

The invasion of Ukraine may prove to be the first ‘roid rage’ war, given the lack of checks and balances in the system

Quite likely he is ill with something serious, and may also be on steroids, which could even account for his impatient, erratic behaviour of late. Indeed, the invasion of Ukraine may prove to be the first ‘roid rage’ war, given the lack of checks and balances in the system.

However, part of the fascination with speculating about Putin’s health also reflects a desperate hope for a deus ex machina. Whatever the Ukrainians’ current successes on the battlefield, it looks as if this conflict will last months, if not years. The high energy prices, the refugees, the cost of the torrent of weapons heading towards Ukraine, the balancing act needed to keep the western coalition together, all of these challenges will become even more difficult to manage over time.

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