Vladimir Putin 'fine', Kremlin says amid more reports of illness - and comments on body double rumours

The latest rumors about the poor health of Russian leader Vladimir Putin have been denied by the Kremlin. They have also labeled the claims of him having a double as a ridiculous lie.

Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov shared his thoughts following statements made by the General SVR Telegram channel which regularly suggests that Mr Putin is terminally ill with cancer. The channel stated that Mr Putin experienced a "cardiac arrest" on Sunday evening.

During his usual press conference on Tuesday morning, Mr. Peskov affirmed that the reports were completely false and that there was nothing wrong with him.

Afterwards, he dismissed the idea that the Russian leader utilizes a decoy as a "ridiculous deception."

There has been speculation about the existence of a Putin double for many years.

Last year, the 71-year-old confessed that he had been given an option to employ a stand-in bodyguard for his safety earlier. However, he turned down the suggestion.

Diana Magnay, a correspondent based in Moscow for Sky News, responded to a reader's query about this matter in our blog on the War in Ukraine.

The inquiry was about whether Putin actually has a stand-in or not. Some people think he might, as he appeared to move around Russia quite rapidly following his meeting with Kim. It's worth considering, especially given that Putin is supposed to not fly.

In reply to the statement made by Magnay...

It's a well-known idea that autocrats may sometimes use body doubles, and there may be some truth to it in certain cases. However, when it comes to Putin, we have no concrete proof beyond a couple of strange pictures."

The Kremlin is denying the claims, which is not surprising. However, the rumors and theories are often originating from Ukrainian sources or sensational media, which are not always trustworthy when it comes to reporting on Russia.

If you want to get from Vladivostok to Moscow by plane, it takes a little more than eight hours normally. However, Putin doesn't use a commercial airline and has his own personal plane - the Ilyushin Il-96. He used this jet to fly to Vladivostok on September 11th, where he met with Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome on the 13th, and then back to Moscow for a security council meeting on the 14th. I have to watch a lot of Kremlin live telegram feeds of Putin at these events, and he always appears and speaks in a way that is very unique to him.

Many are asking if he would have taken the chance of joining large groups of people and embracing little ones in locations such as Dagestan, given that he had spent a considerable amount of time isolated during the COVID period and seated at the far end of lengthy tables.

Putin is very versatile and desires affection from his citizens. Following Prigozhin's takeover, the Kremlin's approach was to elevate Putin and make him the central figure, a role he embraced enthusiastically.

Naturally, the Ukrainians and individuals such as Alexey Navalny enjoy portraying him as a scared individual concealing himself in his bunker. However, the truth is that he likely possesses more courage than they acknowledge.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin put out fresh photographs of Mr Putin following his encounter with the Deputy Prime Minister and Industry and Trade Minister, Denis Manturov at the Kremlin.