A spokesman for Russian leader Vladimir Putin has junked claims of a British tabloid story that he is about to step down from his position early next year because of deteriorating health. The Sun reported that Putin is showing possible signs of Parkinson's disease.
The Russian president, who has already led his nation for 20 years, was granted the authority to extend his power until 2036 when Russians approved revisions to the constitution in voting this summer.
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the media reports are "complete nonsense... everything is fine with the president," DW News quoted the official as commenting and carried by state news agency TASS. Putin, he said, is in "excellent health."
The 68-year-old leader has held meetings with his top officials through livestream from a sealed underground concrete fortress, although some meetings have been held in person. During the course of his leadership, Putin has underscored his supposed illness, with images of him riding horses without a shirt, long walks on rivers, and even doing martial arts sparring.
In a Sun report, it quoted people who had examined a recent video where the Russian leader's leg appeared to be constantly moving while he seemed to be in some sort of discomfort, clutching the armrest of a chair that he was sitting on. Sources said that his fingers seemed to twitch as he held a cup believed to contain medication for pain.
The story was made public following a proposed bill by the country's lower house to draft a policy that could grant former Russian presidents immunity from being criminally charged in their lifetimes -- and not only while they are still performing their duties.
Putin also previously junked rumors about his failing health as "gossip" in 2015 after he kept a low profile and made no public appearance for over 10 days. Though Putin appeared to be physically well after his absence from the public eye, no explanation was disclosed for why he called off a series of scheduled political and social engagements.
Putin was first elected as the president of Russia in 2000. He has been in public service longer than any Russian or Soviet leader since the early 1950s, and if his health permits, could become one of his country's longest-serving presidents.
While Putin keeps an approval rating that most Western leaders would envy, those figures declined to new lows in recent weeks as a rigid lockdown impacted heavily the already strained Russian economy.
