All Vladimir Putin 'dead' rumours from body doubles to corpse stored in freezer
It's a question the whole world is asking: Is Vladimir Putin really dead?
Speculation has mounted online for years about the Russian President's 'ill health', with claims he is allegedly suffering from terminal cancer, Parkinson's disease and other ailments. Last month, a controversial Telegram channel alleged Putin suffered a cardiac arrest and was reportedly found by security convulsing in his private bedroom - a claim the Kremlin was forced to strongly deny.
Then rumours swirled again when drastic reports claimed the dictator had died and his "corpse was placed in a freezer, which previously contained deep-frozen food". Once again, the Kremlin released a statement to insist he was alive and said: "We have only one Putin." As BBC One's documentary Putin and Ukraine's Stolen Children airs on television tonight, the Mirror takes a look at the ruler's rumoured health battles in full, including claims Putin has been replaced by a doppelganger.
'Corpse in freezer'
In October, there was claims the body of Putin had allegedly been stored in a freezer following rumours of his death, according to a Telegram channel which regularly alleges Putin is terminally ill with cancer. The channel alleged: "Putin's corpse was placed in a freezer, which previously contained deep-frozen food, at the presidential residence in Valdai."
It further claimed that senior aides were preparing a body double to take over as the president, so he could rule without question. However, the Krelim disputed the rumours and branded them 'absurd'. It comes after General SVR has continued to claim that Putin's health has deteriorated over the years.
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'Cardiac arrest'
Prior to his alleged 'death' last month, the Telegram channel alleged he suffered a 'cardiac arrest' at his residence in Moscow on Sunday, October 22. They said the despot was found lying on the floor next to an overturned table of food and drinks before being taken into a nearby room equipped with medical facilities where he was given CPR.
"Doctors performed resuscitation, having previously determined that the president was in cardiac arrest," reported the channel. "Help was provided on time, the heart was started and Putin regained consciousness." The channel - which never posts any solid proof behind such claims - also said all recent appearances by the Russian dictator, including foreign visits, have been by a body double or doubles.
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said in response: "I can tell you there are no doubles when it comes to work and so on." Specifically on the heart problems, he continued: "He is well - this is no more than just another canard. These [kinds of stories] belong to the category of fake news, discussed with enviable tenacity by a number of media outlets. This brings nothing but a smile [in the Kremlin]."
'Terminal cancer'
The Russian leader was spotted with a blanket over his legs at the end of 2022, when rumours of his cancer diagnosis and schizoaffective disorder emergedIn November 2022, reports first emerged of the president suffering from Parkinson's disease and pancreatic cancer. These claims are said to have come from leaked Kremlin spy documents and the information shared by General SVR. Putin was said to have lost 18lb, while the reported emails also said there were rumours he had prostate cancer.
It was claimed around the same time that the leader had been diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder, as he was seen at a public event with a blanket over his legs. A source, said to be well placed within Putin's circle, told General SVR that Putin had delayed surgery ahead of that year's Victory Day parade. The channel reported: "Putin was recommended to undergo surgery, the date of which is being discussed and agreed. There seems to be no particular urgency, but it cannot be delayed either."
In December last year, a Danish senior spy claimed Putin had suffered megalomania induced by cancer drugs and that this had been a factor in his decision to invade Ukraine. They said "delusions of grandeur" and the Kremlin leader's "moon-shaped face" in early 2022 were signs of the side effects of hormone treatment for oncology.
The head of Russian analysis at the Danish Defence Intelligence Service - whose identity is so secret he was named only as Joakim - said: "Delusions of grandeur are one of the known side effects of the type of hormone treatment that he was on… It's not something I can say for certain, but I think it did affect his decisions when he launched the war in Ukraine."
In April 2023, there were reports that Putin had suffered a temporary "nervous breakdown" after changing to stronger cancer medication. At the time, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not outright deny the doppelganger, but referred to the suggestions as "quite strange". Several Russian sources claimed the warmongering leader had changed the medicine he was taking for cancer and was in a more serious condition than widely understood.
"He is now undergoing a third course of treatment," said political analyst Valery Solovey, a former professor at Moscow's prestigious Institute of International Relations [MGIMO], a training school for spies and diplomats. "The previous two were extremely unsuccessful."
Following his alleged nervous breakdown, it was claimed medics injected an "antipsychotic drug" which led to a rapid improvement. "The president felt better, he was washed, changed and put to bed," Solovey added. The doctors are said to have then "cancelled a new drug they had just prescribed for the president" because of the debilitating "side effects" even though it was the basis of his new therapy.
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'Parkinson's disease'
Putin was spotted fidgeting his feet and shaking his legs during public appearances in 2022, and it was claimed he had Parkinson's disease (Kremlin)In April 2022, reports noticed Putin was unable to stand still, twisting his feet and shaking his legs during public appearances, and it was suggested he had Parkinson's disease. When the Russian brute met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi, he was caught on camera awkwardly twisting his feet when the pair sat down for talks. Then he was seen unable to stand still, seeming to sway back and forth, and shaking his legs, when he presented the State Prize of the Russian Federation to filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov at the Kremlin.
A medical professor examined the footage and reported to the Mirror at the time that Putin likely had Parkinson's disease. "Tremors would be consistent with Parkinson's and certainly the tremors he has in his hands are all consistent with the disease," Professor Angus Dalgleish of St George's, University of London, said, adding: "I would put my money on the fact that he's got about Parkinson's." The medical professor also said Putin often presents with a "deadpan face" which is "classic Parkinson's".
'Terminal prognosis'
In May 2022, the Mirror exclusively reported a Russian intelligence source's claims that Putin had a maximum of three years to live. The FSB officer said the Russian president "has a severe form of rapidly progressing cancer". And he added: "He has no more than two to three years to stay alive." The spy said the disease means Putin is also losing his sight.
He revealed: "We are told he is suffering from headaches and when he appears on TV he needs pieces of paper with everything written in huge letters to read what he's going to say. They are so big each page can only hold a couple of sentences. His eyesight is seriously worsening. And his limbs are now also shaking uncontrollably."
- Putin and Ukraine's Stolen Children airs on BBC One at 9pm tonight on Thursday, November 23
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