Are Russia’s top dogs dying? Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin look and sound severely ill in televised meeting

As Russian President Vladimir Putin has gripped the world with fear of war and nuclear strikes, it seems some illness is gripping him. A slouching and bloated looking Putin can be seen in a live televised meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who himself is slurring and relying on notes, and neither of them seem to be healthy.

Following an apparent heart attack, Shoigu has since been slurring words and reading off script–neither of which were behaviors he exhibited before, which indicates that there may be some neurological damage as a result of his ailment.

Meanwhile. rumors circulate that Putin is battling with cancer due both to his appearance and to his rumored accompaniment at all times by a doctor who specializes in thyroid cancer.

We can see clearly from the image and the video that neither man is in the health that they once were, however we also have the word of  specialists. A former advisor to Ukraine and Russia, the Swedish economist Anders Aslund, said that the two men seemed “depressed and seemingly in bad health”

“Shoigu has to read his comments to Putin and slurs badly, suggesting that the rumours of his heart attack are likely. He sits badly. Poor performance.”

Additionally, a body language specialist from Texas, Erik Bucy says the following:

“It’s an astonishingly weakened Putin compared to the man we observed even a few years ago.”

“An able-bodied president would not need to keep himself propped up with a hand held out for leverage and would not be concerned about keeping both feet planted on the ground.”

“This is not a portrait of a healthy Putin but one appearing increasingly feeble and barely able to hold himself upright at a small conference table.”

Lastly, our evidence of a potential battle with cancer comes down to the apparent frequent visits between Putin and a thyroid cancer specialist.

From The Daily Mail:

Putin’s bloated face and neck has sparked claims he is undergoing steroid treatment, whilst reports have suggested Putin is ‘constantly’ accompanied by a doctor specialising in thyroid cancer.

Surgeon Yevgeny Selivanov, of Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital, has flown to the Russian leader no less than 35 times in Black Sea resort Sochi, his favourite place of residence.

The respected doctor’s thesis – showing his area of medical expertise – was entitled: “Peculiarities of diagnostics and surgical treatment of elderly and senile patients with thyroid cancer”.

The rumors that Putin is battling with thyroid cancer are unconfirmed, as are the rumors that Shoigu suffered a heart attack. However, especially in the case of Shoigu, there is a lot of evidence that this is the case.

See for yourself in the video here:

This is not the picture of health which anyone wants to see in their nation’s leadership.

Putin has no successor lined up, and so it is difficult to predict what would happen both in Ukraine and in Russia if he were to succumb to his illness, however it is likely that due to the alleged unpopularity of the war in Ukraine among Russians, including especially those oligarchs suffering direct sanctions, a successor to Putin may be more open to peace negotiations with Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy.