Following a newspaper report that President Vladimir Putin could be planning to step down next year amid fears he has Parkinson’s Disease, the Kremlin has refuted theses claims, assuring the public that Putin remains in good health.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov refuted the article published by the British tabloid The Sun, which quoted “observers who studied recent footage of Putin” to suggest Putin was unwell, as well as reports that Putin’s alleged lover, the gymnast Alina Kabaeva, had been “begging” him to release his grip on power.
"No," the spokesman said in response to a question on whether the president plans to resign. "He is in excellent health,” he said. When asked to comment on the Sun article, he said, “There isn’t much to comment on here. This is pure nonsense. The president is well," Russian news agency TASS reported.
The article cited political scientist Professor Valery Solovei as claiming that footage of Putin appeared to show his legs in a state of constant motion, with Putin himself appearing in pain. Solovei also told The Sun that Kabaeva had been exerting pressure on him to resign.
Russia recently passed through legislation that would allow Putin to remain President for life, reducing the Constitutionally-mandated term limit to zero. Putin had served as either President or Prime Minister of Russia for 20 years.
