"Thyroid cancer" and "steroid mania" in Putin?

Explosive speculation - that's the background

Created: 4/4/2022 4:51 am

By: Florian Naumann

Has Vladimir Putin got cancer?

The British Yellow Press suspects that. This is based on data research by Russian journalists.

Moscow/London - What could a way out of the Ukraine war look like?

There is also a lack of concrete scenarios in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

One or two contemporaries may hope for Vladimir Putin's resignation all the more.

Not only - but at the forefront - declared US President Joe Biden.

Vladimir Putin: Thyroid Cancer?

Russian investigative medium publishes research

On Friday (April 1) the British media fueled hopes like this: With the thesis that Putin is not only regularly surrounded by several doctors, but may even suffer from "thyroid cancer".

The

took up the topic, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov apparently felt compelled to deny it when asked by a well-known Russian journalist.

However, the reports should be treated with caution.

Not only that, in view of the Ukraine conflict, the wish could be the father of the idea in the West and in Ukraine: So far, it has primarily been the notorious British Yellow Press that has indulged in speculation.

, which is blocked in Russia and received the “Free Media Award” from the Zeit Foundation in 2020

.

However, this formulates its findings somewhat more cautiously.

disease possible?

Share it with us.

Cancer in Putin?

Website analyzes doctor's visits in Sochi - allegedly cancer expert there

Proekt

bases his research on data - as well as on information from a source of a "VIP clinic" in Krylatskoe near Moscow.

In Krylatskoe there is a "department of personal physicians" of Putin, the informant allegedly reported to the medium.

Most of the time, however, the doctors traveled to see Putin: publicly available contracts showed that, for example, in 2016/2017 an average of four to five doctors traveled to Putin's stays in the holiday resort of Sochi.

At other times, however, this number had increased "dramatically" - at the same time, the researchers pointed out a potentially meaningful selection of medical specialists.

Relaxation near Sochi?

Vladimir Putin (right) receives the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko on his yacht in the Black Sea in May 2021.

© Sergei Ilyin/Kremlin Pool/Imago

A presumably explosive thesis of the authors of the article: within four years, the oncological surgeon Evgeny Selivanov flew to see Putin 35 times and spent a total of 166 days in the Russian president's circle - also during a phase in 2017, when Putin was out of the public eye for a long time had disappeared.

Ear, nose and throat doctors Igor Esakov and Alexei Shcheglow traveled to Putin even more frequently.

All three have been together in Sochi at least 18 times.

Vladimir Putin: suspected cancer - Yellow Press draws conclusions from research

conclusions, which are only hinted at

, have to be placed in the realm of speculation: thyroid diseases, including thyroid cancer, are mostly diagnosed by ENT doctors, writes the medium, citing Israeli expert Michael Fremderman.

In July 2020, Putin also spoke to Ivan Dedov, head of the National Research Center, about thyroid cancer and subsequent hormonal medication.

At the same time, the authors refer to an indisputable fact: Putin had recently gone into isolation and demonstratively kept his distance from interlocutors - for example during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The reason is the fear of a corona infection.

Public appearances by Putin have recently been rare.

A surprising exception was a speech at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

However, in "medical circles" there is another thesis, as

writes, citing an acquaintance of a chief physician of one of the hospitals allegedly involved: the belief that Putin endured complicated treatment as a result of a thyroid disease.

From this report and the alleged presence of a cancer expert, the British media in particular concluded that Putin could suffer or have suffered from thyroid cancer.

Putin sick?

Kremlin spokesman denies according to "Pravda" - rumors also about "steroid mania"

The Kremlin denied the reports, according to

.

The paper cited Alexei Venediktov, the editor-in-chief of the now defunct Echo Moscow radio station.

"When asked 'Do I understand correctly that Vladimir Putin does not have cancer?' Peskov replied: 'You do,'" Venediktov wrote on his Telegram channel.

Nevertheless, the speculation quickly became a hot topic on social media.

Under a posting by the Ukrainian

, a person who claims to have survived thyroid cancer himself spoke up: the type of cancer is one with good chances of recovery.

At the same time, the thesis could explain a lot: “Thyroid hormones that are out of balance can trigger temporary psychoses until they are stabilized again.” The

, for example, processed considerations of this kind to conclude that Putin may be suffering from a steroid-induced “madness”.

Russia in the Ukraine war: Putin's health is always the subject of speculation

In its research, the Russian investigative medium also referred to a history of hidden health problems for Putin: The long-term president fell off his horse around 2012, as reported by an “acquaintance”.

The Kremlin then stopped video recordings of a flower laying ceremony with the orthodox patriarch Kirill, an important domestic ally of Putin - the reason was that Putin was limping noticeably.

As a result, only photos were allowed to be distributed.

Nevertheless, a video was leaked to the public:

Proekt

also noted other events of Putin's "disappearance" from public view.

In March 2015, for example, only "recorded meetings" of the president were made public, and in August 2017 the Kremlin only distributed "canned" pictures for a week.

When Putin canceled several appearances during the election campaign in February 2018, spokesman Peskov admitted he had a "severe cold".

The subtext is probably that statements by the Kremlin on Putin's health issues should not be trusted.

Reports of Putin's cancer are not a new phenomenon.

 Valery Solowei, a prominent critic of Putin, told

the British 

However, Solowei cannot be considered a reliable source either.

At the same time, another thesis of the Kremlin critic has already been invalidated: He reported at the time that Putin was planning his resignation in early 2021 and had his daughter Katerina Tikhonova in mind as his successor.

This thesis did not become reality.

All the more, however, Putin seems to be pursuing the goal of erecting a geopolitical monument.

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