A Russian doctor made a surprising diagnosis to President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday during his first stop in Chukotka, in the country’s Far East.
The assessment was made after Putin’s arrival in Anadyr, capital of the Chukchi region, through the head of the Chukotka district hospital’s section, Denis Kloss. The Russian leader is making his first regional visit of the year.
Putin’s health has been the subject of rumor for years. In October 2023, hundreds of thousands of Russians searched for information on the country’s most popular search engine Yandex after an unfounded rumor that Putin had suffered a cardiac arrest made headlines around the globe.
Kloss Putin’s condition is “excellent”.
“Cheerful voice, cheerful walk. The way he represents thinking: it is accessible, it is understandable. There are no other political leaders abroad, not even the closest ones,” Kloss was quoted as saying by the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Dr. Putin recommends getting more rest, stating that this plays a primary role in longevity.
He also rates the 71-year-old’s fitness favorably compared to President Joe Biden’s.
“Age has a colossal effect on [Biden]. Although it turns out that he has a healthy lifestyle and diet, age has definitely taken its toll on him,” the doctor said.
Putin told the other residents of Anadyr that he spends two to two-and-a-half hours a day playing sports.
“At least two hours, a little bit more, because there’s a gym, a swimming pool, all of that together, a shower, two-and-a-half hours,” he said, adding that physical schooling had to be part of life.
“At least an hour, at least part of an hour. Everyone knows that you have to dedicate time to it,” the Russian president said.
“It is one of the greatest social signs of the progression of society,” he added.
Sharing his “secret” of life, Putin said: “You have to love the paintings you make. That’s what I like. “
Putin is on an election tour of Russia ahead of the 2024 presidential election, scheduled for March 17. Based on constitutional adjustments made before the war in Ukraine, Putin could remain in power until 2036.
Putin announced in December that he would run as a candidate. If successful, it would be his fifth term as Russia’s president.
In 2023, Agentstvo, a Russian investigative site, found that the search terms “Putin dead,” “Putin dying,” and “Putin dead” garnered more than 417,000 queries, with queries about Putin’s alleged death appearing in the 12 most sensible queries containing his name.
The rumor about Putin’s cardiac arrest and death arose after a message on Telegram from the Russian gossip channel General SVR on Oct. 26 claimed that Putin died in his Valdai at “8:42 p. m. Moscow time,” which triggered “a coup d’état in Russia. “
The Telegram account, which has close to a million subscribers, claims to have internal Kremlin data but continuously posts false data. Channel information is anonymous.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the claim that Putin had died was “just another hoax,” and that “everything is fine.”
Update 01/10/24, 10:58 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.
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Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek journalist based in Kuala Lumpur. She focuses on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel joined Newsweek in 2021 and in the past worked with media outlets such as the Daily Express, The Times, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Grazia. She holds a Master’s degree in City Press Journalism from the University of London and a BA in Russian-language journalism from Queen Mary, University of London. Languages: English, Russian
You can contact Isabel by emailing i. vanbrugen@newsweek. com or following her on X @isabelvanbrugen