Speculation about Russian President Vladimir Putin's dementia has resurfaced once again.
On the 20th (local time), the American news weekly Newsweek reported that recently, especially among opposition supporters, claims have emerged that President Putin is experiencing cognitive decline or dementia.
These claims are based on Putin's repeated verbal slips.
Anti-Putin blogger Yuliana Yaparova shared a video of President Putin attending an event of a nonprofit organization on the 19th, noting that Putin could not properly remember what he had just heard from the other party.
President Putin asked Ivan Stokman, the deputy mayor of Nizhny Novgorod, about the age of his children, and Stokman replied, "The youngest is 9 years old." However, during the conversation, Putin mistakenly said that Stokman's youngest child was "3 years old."
His demeanor during the conversation was also described as awkward, such as looking up at the ceiling or mumbling something.
Furthermore, Newsweek reported that President Putin made strange remarks during a recent video conference with Igor Kobzev, governor of Irkutsk.
In response to Governor Kobzev’s mention of soldiers from Irkutsk who died in Ukraine, Putin said, "Please convey my respects to them." This was criticized as nonsensical, akin to wishing health to the deceased.
President Putin has been consistently surrounded by rumors of health problems over the past several years. Thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer, and Parkinson’s disease have been mentioned, but the Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed any health issues.
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