Putin ‘had vital surgery to drain fluid from abdomen in cancer scare forcing Kremlin to fake TV footage’, insider claims

VLADIMIR Putin had emergency surgery to drain fluid from his abdomen, forcing the Kremlin to manipulate footage of a recent TV appearance, a Kremlin insider has claimed.

The Russian president was seen hosting a virtual meeting of the country's security council on Friday, sparking a number of comments about his bizarre appearance.

An anti-Putin channel on the messaging app General SVR, which is reportedly run by a Kremlin insider, shared the allegations about Russia's leader on Tuesday.

It insisted in the post that "Vladimir Putin did not hold this meeting in real-time".

The post went on: "The introduction was pre-recorded and the closed part was played using computer graphics and Deepfake technology to create the illusion of Putin's presence."

Explaining the reason for Putin's absence on Friday, it added: "On the night of Thursday, May 12 to Friday, May 13, Putin underwent a surgical procedure to remove fluid from his abdomen.

"The procedure went well without complications."

It isn't known whether this abdomen-draining procedure was part of cancer treatment.

The abdomen naturally contains peritoneal fluid, but it can build up excessively as a result of certain conditions.

These include cancer, cirrhosis, infection, or inflammation.

Putin's face appeared particularly "bloated" during Friday's security council meeting, with some commenters claiming that his head seemed too big for his body.

General SVR earlier claimed that canned footage had been made of Putin in meetings and signing decrees in a "cover-up" to make it seem as if he is working.

It went on: "The possibility of a lookalike walking in public has been prepared. Everything is basically ready."

A number of viewers watching Putin's meeting agreed, with one commenter writing under the clip: "His face and head look so bloated, especially his cheeks and around the back of his head.

"He looks photoshopped onto his body. It's clearly him, but what a strange look."

Another wrote: "Either his clothing is too tight around the neck, or he sits in an unfortunate position."

On the night of Thursday, May 12 to Friday, May 13, Putin underwent a surgical procedure to remove fluid from his abdomen

General SVR Telegram channel

The post claimed that many top security officials were too "afraid" of Putin to say anything about the faked TV footage, although one of his key Security Council members, Nikolai Patrushev, was notably not involved.

Patrushev - who has been seen by some as a potential successor to Putin - reportedly didn't want to take part in the "circus".

As well as the online appearance with ministers, Putin also spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

General SVR's post said the conversation with between Putin and Scholz had taken place over the phone, and so he hadn't been part of the faked TV stunt.

This follows earlier reports on the General SVR channel that Putin is due to have cancer surgery at any moment, and may use body doubles to hide his health crisis from the people.

In the post, it is claimed canned footage has been made of Putin in meetings and signing decrees in a "cover-up" to make it seem as if he is working.

"The president's movements, if necessary, will be imitated by one of the two lookalikes," the post went on. "The possibility of a lookalike walking in public has been prepared.

"Everything is basically ready."

Putin appeared on TV again yesterday, looking astonishingly weakened as he spoke to his counterpart from neighbouring Tajikistan.

In the meeting with his ally President Emomali Rahmon, the 69-year-old slouched over and tightly gripped the arm of his chair.

He was seen continually tapping his feet while gripping the arm of his chair with his right hand in the short clip released by Russian TV.

His left hand stayed in his lap as he moved his feet erratically during the meeting.

This follows claims that Putin's chaotic invasion of Ukraine could be due to his receiving chemotherapy.

An oncologist alleged Putin may be suffering from "chemo brain", a cancer-related cognitive impairment brought on by treatment.