Putin 'has started embalming himself alive' and has 'hit Botox heavily', war studies expert claims

When keeping up appearances and preserving legacy collide

Recent reports have suggested that Vladimir Putin is "embalming himself whilst he's still alive" and that the Russian leader has been undergoing heavy Botox treatments for some time. Speaking during a Sky News Q&A on Wednesday, defence and security analyst Michael Clarke noted that the Russian President, who turns 70 on October 7, "is [already] known to hit the Botox quite heavily." Moreover, recent reports have suggested that the former KGB agent's health might be failing, having even been rumoured to have required "urgent medical assistance" after falling ill during a lengthy meeting last week. While Clarke, a King’s College London war studies fellow, suggested that there is currently "no convincing evidence" that Putin is seriously ill, he did claim that he is constantly surrounded by "a little team of doctors". [caption id="attachment_342185" align="alignnone" width="1200"]

Credit: Getty - Putin back in 1999 and in 2022[/caption]

Clarke went on to reveal that he has long believed Putin is effectively "trying to embalm himself while he’s still alive" and insists that he does take "a lot of Botox" and has done for quite a while.

In fact, this is a rumour that has followed Putin around for more than a decade, condemning the suggestion back in 2010 after appearing in Ukraine with bruised cheekbones. A couple of years later, protestors in Moscow even took to the streets holding banners reading "we demand a ban on the Botox injections into [the] brain!"

Clarke claimed that Putin "moves around with doctors. There’s known to be a little team of doctors who are never far away, and it’s said that he leaves meetings at frequent intervals to go and consult with somebody"

Like many have levelled in previous years, the war studies expert suspects the autocrat is simply a "hypochondriac" at the very least, while others believe he may struggle to survive long enough to see how the ongoing invasion pans out.

Among the sea of reports surrounding Putin's health, some have reported that he may have been hit with a potential cancer diagnosis; some also claim that he was seen coughing and huddled under a thick blanket during Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9.