Wildest Vladimir Putin lacking theories from physique doubles to corpse saved in freezer

Rumours of Vladimir Putin’s ill health have been swirling for years.

The Russian President, 72, has not been seen in 12 days since he issued apocalyptic World War Three nuclear threats over the use of long-range Western missiles by Ukraine against Russian territory.

It is unclear if the Kremlin dictator is unwell, on holiday or has simply chosen to remain out of sight. According to the Faridaily Telegram channel, which monitors his appearances, “only his security and a small circle of close associates know” where Putin has been since he appeared at the Valdai Forum in Sochi on November 7 to congratulate a “courageous” Donald Trump on his US election victory.

Putin was noticeably absent from view on Tuesday when the Kremlin announced he had signed off on a new version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine. But where could he be? As suspicion is sparked about his whereabouts, the Mirror takes a look at the wildest missing theories to date…

Body doubles

Several sources have claimed three Putin lookalikes are regularly deployed as body doubles for the dictator – a theory supported by Ukrainian military intelligence. In October 2023, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shut down the claims and said: “I can tell you there are no doubles when it comes to work and so on.”

But in January of this year, theories swirled online again after an alleged body double used as a stand-in for Putin was allegedly poisoned with ‘toxic substances’. The suspected main doppelgänger was named for the first time as Yevgeny Vasilyevich, originally a carpenter from Belarus.

The Putin stand-in “developed rashes on the skin of the upper and lower extremities and on the neck, which doctors initially mistook for an allergy”, reported Telegram channel General SVR. A probe was launched by the FSB and FSO security services into a suspected assassination bid, said the channel, which claims to have inside knowledge of the Kremlin while providing no hard evidence.

Corpse in freezer

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.”

A Telegram channel, which regularly claims Putin is terminally ill with cancer, alleged: “Putin’s corpse was placed in a freezer, which previously contained deep-frozen food, at the presidential residence in Valdai.” However, the Krelim disputed the rumours and branded them ‘absurd’.

Health issues

Speculation has mounted online for years about the Russian President’s health, with claims he is allegedly suffering from terminal cancer, Parkinson’s disease and other ailments. In November 2022, reports first emerged of Putin 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 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.

Parkinson’s disease

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 cancer

In December 2022, 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.”

Nervous breakdown

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 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, 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.

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.”