'Don't hold your breath!' Russian envoy dismisses claims of Putin's poor health

Anatoly Viktorov told Channel 13 that the Russian leader was still able to carry out his duties despite reports from Newsweek that he had recently undergone treatment for cancer in April and survived an assassination attempt in March.

However, the report also warned against jumping to any conclusions about the state of Putin’s health.

Mr Viktorov said in reference to Putin’s supposed sickness: “Don’t hold your breath for it.

“I can say he appears on TV every day. His health allows him to continue his important work for the country.”

The Kremlin leader has appeared frail in recent public appearances, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has blasted claims he is suffering from any kind of illness.

Mr Viktorov has also slammed reports of war crimes being committed in Ukraine by Russian forces, despite evidence to the contrary.

He said: “There are no mass graves, there are no war crimes and no war crimes were committed.”

He added that he felt “humiliated” addressing claims of genocide because “it is no more than a media campaign”.

Throughout his military campaign in Ukraine Putin has maintained close contact with French President Emmanuel Macron, who said on Saturday that Western powers must not “humiliate” Russia if diplomacy is to be restored.

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He also said that he had had over 100 hours worth of conversations with Putin since December, claiming they were at the “request” of President Zelensky.

Russia’s invasion passed the 100-day mark on Friday, with little signs of an end to the fighting anytime soon.

Putin has threatened to escalate the conflict in response to Ukraine receiving long-range missiles from Western powers, after weeks of President Zelensky encouraging them to do more to help his people.

source: express.co.uk