Vladimir Putin given ‘urgent medical help after being struck down by mystery illness’, reports claim

The Russian president apparently suffered from 'weakness and dizziness' following a lengthy meeting

Rumours are once again circulating that Vladimir Putin is suffering from illness and poor health. It was reported on Friday that Putin was given "urgent medical assistance" after an hour-and-a-half meeting earlier this week due to a "sharp sickness." The Russian President has also been urged by his doctors to not conduct lengthy interviews, according to the General SVR Telegram channel. The channel says the claims are based on inside intelligence close to Putin, but they are currently not able to be verified. According to the Sun, the channel said: "The postponement of the live [Direct Line] with the President indefinitely is due to the unstable health of Vladimir Putin.

"A week ago, the president was preparing to answer the questions of the Russian citizens in late June-early July.

"But his doctors advised him not to make any lengthy public appearances in the near future."

The channel said the advise to not make public appearances was given after a 90 minute video meeting Putin had with military leaders. After this meeting, Putin apparently "felt a sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness while trying to get up from the table." The claims come after Putin compared himself to Peter the Great at a recent public appearance. He said his invasion of Ukraine was not about taking land from the country but instead returning what is Russia's. He compared himself to Peter the Great who in the early 1700s took land from Sweden which St Petersburg was then built on. https://twitter.com/TadeuszGiczan/status/1534910119519178752 Although the latest illness reports are impossible to confirm due to the Kremlin's secrecy, this is not the first time that Putin's health has been questioned. Last month, it was claimed that the 69-year-old has "no more than two to three years to stay alive" and is allegedly suffering from "a severe form of rapidly progressing cancer." The news came from FSB defector Boris Karpichkov, who received the intel from an active agent. "We are told he is suffering from headaches and when he appears on TV he needs pieces of paper with everything written in huge letters to read what he's going to say," the spy told the Sunday Mirror. "They are so big each page can only hold a couple of sentences. His eyesight is seriously worsening." He also said that Putin's limbs are "now also shaking uncontrollably." Related links:

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy hits out at Conor McGregor over his past praise of Putin
• Vladimir Putin survived assassination attempt at start of Ukraine invasion, report claims