Vladimir Putin was caught having a coughing fit in a now-deleted video from the Kremlin.
In an outtake from a recorded address for International Women’s Day, the Russian president could be seen clearing his throat before repeatedly coughing and gesturing towards his neck.
Putin said, according to The Moscow Times: “You know, let me say that again, because… my throat’s a bit scratchy. Yes, a bit scratchy. I almost started coughing. I’ve been talking a lot today.”
The video of the 73-year-old Russian leader was posted to the Kremlin’s Telegram channel, then deleted without explanation, the newspaper said. A separate video of the presidential press service was then uploaded without the coughing fit.
Putin went on to give a speech for International Women’s Day, a historic day in his country after it became a flashpoint in the 1917 Revolution.
“A generous, compassionate and truly wise feminine soul makes the world a better and kinder place, and a mother’s love remains in every person’s heart for life,” Putin said.
Kremlin press pool journalist Alexander Yushanev dismissed the incident as a “weekend mistake”.
He said: “According to my information, no extraordinary investigation… is being conducted in the Presidential Administration regarding the unedited Putin’s greeting that was posted online.
“It’s just a weekend mistake, which can happen to anyone. And it’s not the first time with the Kremlin itself, by the way. Everywhere, so far, real people are working, not AI.
“Did someone seriously think that all video materials are written in one attempt?” he asked. “Or that a person can’t clear their throat after a nearly three-minute speech?”
Ukrainian journalist Denys Kazansky speculated that the Kremlin “leaked it on purpose because everyone is fed up with this ailing, senile old man”, according to The Telegraph.
This isn’t the first time concerns have been raised about Putin’s health, with numerous unverified claims over the years that he has suffered from Parkinson’s disease, cancer, a cardiac arrest and neurological decline.
Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of M16, said in 2024 that he believed Putin had Parkinson’s disease.
“I do not have a clear answer to that, but I have contacts and friends still in Eastern Europe who think there is something fundamentally wrong with him medically,” he told LBC at the time. “But I’m not a clinician.”
