Vladimir Putin is reportedly being treated with chemotherapy, according to leaked Pentagon documents. What is true is hard to know – but there are many indications that something is not right in the Kremlin, says Malcolm Dixelius, Russia expert. – It is clear that the situation in Russia is very uncertain. Russian President Vladimir Putin is being treated with chemotherapy. This is reported by the German newspaper Focus and refers to the leaked Pentagon documents. “It is the clearest indication that the rumors are true,” writes the German newspaper. There has long been speculation about signs of illness in the Russian president. Malcolm Dixelius believes that this may indicate an internal power struggle in the Kremlin. – If Putin’s power fails, which there are signs of because the war is going badly, or if his health makes him unable to lead the country, then someone has to take over and there is no orderly transition after Putin. Can’t participate in meetings The main source is stated, according to Dixelius, to be the anonymous Telegram account General SVR, which claims to have access to the Russian power elite. According to the channel, Putin’s health is so bad that he could not appear in the video at the daily video conference with military commanders and security officials. – If it is true, it says something about how distanced Putin is from his surroundings and it makes it difficult for him to lead the country and get results in Ukraine. Per Enerud, Russia expert and employee at the Agency for Psychological Defense, does not want to make too much of the illness rumours. – It is possible that he is ill, but at the same time there are other signs that Putin does not seem so weak. He appeared to be in normal condition at the speech he gave in February and was on his feet when he visited Mariupol. Shifting focus from the war Speculation about Putin’s health tends to draw focus from possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine, he believes. – Now some journalists may be working with this reputation instead of digging into the Russian kidnappings of Ukrainian children. He does not want to speculate on who is behind these leaks or rumours. Enerud also does not believe that it is necessarily a well-thought-out strategy to deceive the world’s journalists, but at the same time there may be several actors who can gain from spreading such information. – There may be interest from Putin’s circle in getting world journalism to look in a completely different direction than the battlefield. But there may also be a Pentagon interest in portraying Putin as weak and out of control. See Malcolm Dixelius’ comment in the clip above.
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