Putin faces new health concern claims

Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured), who has previously faced rumors of health issues, reportedly experienced a cardiac arrest but was successfully revived with immediate first aid. Amid rumors about the cardiac arrest, the Kremlin released a photograph of President Putin participating in a regular meeting.

On Monday, several British tabloids, including the Mirror, cited information from the Telegram channel 'General SVR,' reporting that President Putin was allegedly discovered in a convulsing and collapsed state on the bedroom floor the previous night. It is said that he regained consciousness after receiving emergency CPR from medical personnel. General SVR was quoted as saying, "Putin's doctors have expressed concerns about his survival beyond this fall." This incident has reportedly generated significant attention within the President's Office.

The Kremlin did not issue a separate response but, a few hours later, published a photograph of President Putin in a meeting with Kazbek Kokov, the head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, in the Russian presidential office. An accompanying brief was also provided on its official website.

According to Business Insider, a U.S.-based internet media outlet that specializes in covering the American economy, the self-proclaimed anti-Putin group 'General SVR,' which emerged in 2020, asserts that it is operated by former and current members of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). General SVR has previously made claims about President Putin's alleged cancer surgery and an early-stage diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. "This channel wields significant influence, to the extent that the Kremlin has publicly refuted intriguing reports from this source," Business Insider noted. "Nevertheless, it does not furnish specific evidence, and Russian media experts generally consider its credibility low."


clearlee@donga.com