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The rumor of Putin’s alleged heart attack prompted the Kremlin to issue an unusual denial.
Now the mystery surrounding the account that was the first to spread the information is growing.
– This channel has a history of disinformation and it is in the interest of the Russian state, says expert James Nixey.
Unconfirmed reports about Vladimir Putin’s health have increased in intensity since the invasion of Ukraine last year.
Among other things, the rumors have been about doppelgangers, secret cancer treatments, Parkinson’s disease and that he would have pooped after falling down a flight of stairs.
Most often they have been spread from the Telegram account “General SVR”.
The other day it was time again. Then the account claimed, in detailed descriptions, how Putin had been found in cardiac arrest on Sunday and subsequently revived.
Peskov: “Fake history”
The rumor spread widely on social media and on Tuesday led to an unusual denial from the Kremlin.
– Everything is fine with the president. This is another fake story, said spokesman Dmitry Peskov according to Reuters.
He also scoffed at reports that Putin uses doppelgangers.
– It belongs to the category of absurd information scams and evokes nothing more than a smile.
Just under a year ago, the same Peskov denied the information that Putin had pooped on a staircase.
– We can say that this is completely untrue, he said then.
That’s what SVR stands for
Who is behind “General SVR” has not been revealed, but the account claims to have inside contacts in Russian authorities. Even the choice of name is intended to signal such feelings – the intelligence service SVR is Russia’s equivalent to the CIA.
“General SVR” first appeared in 2020. Its rumors about Putin’s health have for the past year and a half led to headlines in several international media, including Aftonbladet.
James Nixey, Russia expert at the well-known British think tank Chatham House, tells The Independent that the account “has proven useful” to the Russian government:
– It is absolutely clear that this channel has a history of disinformation and it is in the interest of the Russian state. It suits the Kremlin to create confusion.
“Not an ordinary man”
James Nixey sees the fact that the information about Putin was spread in the international media as a result of wishful thinking:
– You can probably assume that his health is quite good for a 71-year-old man. That is the average life expectancy of Russian men, but he is not an ordinary man. He has access to better healthcare than anyone else and doesn’t seem to drink as much as his predecessors.
British historian and Russia expert Mark Galeotti rejects the idea that sensitive information about Putin’s health would leak from the inside.
– The probability that someone would be so deeply entrenched in his inner circle and not yet been picked up by the Russian security service is infinitesimally small, he tells The Independent.
“Not sure it’s Putin”
Mark Galeotti, on the other hand, does not rule out that Putin uses doppelgangers sometimes:
– We have seen occasions when he has walked around and mingled in crowds. Under such conditions, I am not sure that it is Putin. But the claim by “General SVR” that he would send doubles all the time, I simply do not believe.