A new report has stated that Putin may have to undergo cancer surgery and temporarily hand over the reins of his country to a hardline former federal police chief, Nikolai Patrushev.
The report also states that the surgery and recovery are expected to incapacitate Putin for “a short time” and therefore the ongoing war in Ukraine will be overseen by a new man. However, the latest reports seem to be fake and there are two reasons why-
- The US is in habit of spreading fake news about Putin.
- Ukraine wants to boost the morale of its troops in a time of crisis.
US habit of spreading fake news about Russia
The US, on its part, has been in habit of spreading fake news about Russia as a part of its information warfare against President Vladimir Putin.
Recently, it appeared that the United States had no evidence that Russia was preparing to use chemical weapons in the ongoing Ukraine war. Some US officials had reportedly admitted that it was just a pre-emptive move. The idea was supposedly used to deter Russia from using the banned agents.
Read more: The US admits it deliberately spread fake news to hype Putin’s war in Ukraine
The US uses such information warfare tactics with most of its rivals. This is what the US did in its attempts to undermine the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and Saddam Hussain in Iraq. The US amplifies unverified information to assassinate the very character of its rivals and create some kind of basis for economic sanctions or military action.
The US has been rumoring about Putin’s health for a long time
And when it comes to unverified news against Putin, the US has had a history of rumoring about his health and well-being. Whenever Putin starts looking strong, the US starts speculating about his allegedly ill health.
For years, there have been rumors about the Russian president’s health, with claims that he has cancer, Parkinson’s disease, or is suffering from ‘brain fog’ caused by lengthy Covid-19.
Read more: Putin hides his family in a secret nuclear bunker. That means he’s planning something big
Even in November 2020, The Sun had claimed that as per sources Putin was planning to call it quits in 2021 amid growing health fears. It was being speculated that Putin might have symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and that people close to him were pushing him to quit.
Observers had then pointed out that Putin’s body language suggested he was facing some kind of disease. Even the present speculations of Putin’s “cancer disease” are based on loose observations about his supposedly sickly appearance.
For the Biden administration officials, it makes a lot of sense to spread such propaganda. They know that most of the significant powers like India, China, ASEAN, and to some extent even the EU have refused to toe Washington’s line on the Russia-Ukraine war. These powers simply see no incentive in antagonizing Putin’s Russia. So, the US could be trying to signal that Putin isn’t going to be around and you can take a harsh line on Moscow.
Zelenskyy saving his face?
This is the other possibility. Remember, Ukraine is facing repeated setbacks. Its cities and ports are under ferocious attack by Russian forces. Even the big cities like Kharkiv and the capital Kyiv have been devastated by the Russian assault.
Moreover, Ukraine risks becoming a landlocked country due to Russia’s attacks on its strategic ports. Ukraine is staring right into a prolonged trade crisis after the war due to the cartographic changes that could occur in the country.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has been keeping his countrymen in dark. There is simply no information on where Ukraine stands as of today. Yes, Ukraine makes dubious claims of hitting Russian military equipment and killing Russian Generals, but it hasn’t been able to prove its tall claims.
As such, the morale is down in Ukraine. Zelenskyy needs to do something to save his face and boost the morale of the Ukrainians.
So, with American help, the Zelenskyy administration may have invented the cancer theory about Putin. It doesn’t help Ukraine win the war but at least creates an illusion of a weak Russia that can help Zelenskyy at a political level.
In all probability, Putin is fit as a fiddle and in the perfect position to lead Russia. And all the noise that you may be listening to about his health could as well be a mere figment of imagination.
