‘Putin is not dying,’ Kremlin says
The Kremlin has dismissed “nonsense” claims Putin will quit the presidency amid fears for his health.
This morning The Sun reported the Russian president, 68, is ill and poised to quit amid fears he has possible symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
The Sun cited Professor Valery Solovei, a Russian political pundit, who suggested earlier this week on a Moscow radio station that Putin was under pressure from his entourage to step down due to fears for his health.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Solovei’s assertions were false: “It’s absolute nonsense,” said Peskov. “Everything is fine with the president.”
Asked if Putin was planning to step down in the near future as Solovei had suggested, Peskov said: “No”.
Putin has been at the helm in Russia’s government for the best part of 20 years. The former KGB officer first became President in 1999, holding the position until 2008. He then picked up the role again in 2012 after a four-year hiatus as Prime Minister.