Speculation about Vladimir Putin’s health has been rife since before he was catapulted into the daily news bulletins because of his invasion of Ukraine in February. The Russian leader has sparked questions about his status as reports began to emerge about him suffering from cancer. Putin appeared quite shaky on his legs as he listened to Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov accept a prize rewarding his work in the arts.
Footage from the ceremony shows Putin standing just off the podium, his arms straight by his side.
The Russian President appears to be struggling to stand still, evidently swaying back and forth in an undulating motion.
He can also be seen shaking his legs in what appear to be side-to-side movements.
Analysts observing Putin’s conduct in recent months had previously noticed the Russian leader bizarrely twisting his feet while sitting down.
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During a meeting with his Tajikistan counterpart in May, Putin’s left foot was spotted repeatedly twitching as his knee appeared to collapse inward.
He appeared to catch the moment and settled his foot firmly on the ground but the change of posture did not seem to help the lower limb stop twitching.
In addition to claims of Putin suffering from cancer, other analysts have suggested the Russian leader could be suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
The brain disorder affects motor skills and could potentially explain Putin’s struggle to keep his legs from shaking.
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He added: “Apparently, it is also our lot to return what is Russia’s and strengthen the country.
“And if we proceed from the fact that these basic values form the basis of our existence, we will certainly succeed in solving the tasks that we face.”
President Putin said earlier this month that Moscow would strike new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile rocket systems.
Russian authorities have started handing out Russian passports in two occupied Ukrainian cities – Kherson and Melitopol, Russian news agencies said. It was not known how many were distributed.
Putin calls the invasion a “special military operation” to disarm and “denazify” Ukraine.
Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked war of aggression to capture territory.