President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has laughed off rumors that the warmongering leader is terminally ill — insisting he’s fighting fit and even playing sports.
Kremlin diplomat Dmitry Peskov dismissed the rumors after NBC News’ Keir Simmons pointed to recent clips showing the president “limping, shaking and gripping a table.”
“What I suggest is that you watch his performance,” he said, insisting Putin spoke and answered questions for more than three hours on Friday.
Peskov even chuckled as he insisted, “Yesterday in the afternoon, actually, he played hockey.”
Putin has for months been plagued by rampant rumors that he suffers from cancer, Parkinson’s disease or early-stage dementia.
His love for hockey even played a part in raising speculation after he skipped an annual game in May as he was seen with a blotchy face.
Putin is said to bathe in blood extracted from deer antlers, which are hacked off while they are growing and still full of fresh blood, according to Russian investigative outlet the Project.
Peskov’s chat was just the latest time the Kremlin has denied the ongoing rumors.
