Over the years there have been several rumours about Vladimir Putin’ s health, with reports suggesting that he is suffering from cancer and Parkinson's disease - and more recently that he’s been affected by ‘brain fog’ due to long Covid.
Fears over the Russian leader’s state of mind once again arose after US Senator Marco Rubio appeared to suggest that 'something is off' with Putin, following Russia ’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
The Republican Senator for Florida wrote: "I wish I could share more, but for now I can say it's pretty obvious to many that something is off with #Putin. He has always been a killer, but his problem now is different & significant It would be a mistake to assume this Putin would react the same way he would have 5 years ago."
Here's a breakdown of reported paranoid behaviour from the Russian president.
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Putin's Covid fears
While some amount of fear and paranoia over Covid is valid, claims have emerged that Putin reportedly only had contact with his close inner circle during the pandemic.
Even those in his trusted group were asked to present faecal samples several times a week to check for infection and, in some cases, instructed to isolate for two weeks before face-to-face meetings.
He has also insisted on meeting dignitaries across a ludicrously five-metre long table to maintain social distance.
The isolated president went to extraordinary lengths to avoid catching the virus from the start of the pandemic, even donning a full hazmat suit at Russia's main coronavirus clinic.
Putin withdrew into himself, mostly staying out of the public eye, with officials and journalists having to self-isolate before meeting the president.
Full-time food taster
With increased notoriety, it should be no surprise that the chances of someone poisoning your food also goes up. Putin is known to have had a professional food taster on his full-time staff for years, to prepare and taste all his meals to make sure would-be assassins haven't slipped in poison.
Previously, it was reported that he had every dish inspected by a medically qualified professional sampler, who makes sure that it is completely safe to eat.
Many infamous figures including Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein used tasters to check their food. The revelation on Putin came from Gilles Bragard, founder of an elite group of chefs who cook for the world’s most powerful men and women, who claimed: "Tasters still exist but only in the Kremlin, where a doctor checks every dish with the chef."
Genocide accusations against Ukraine
Most recently, Putin accused Ukraine of massing forces on the borders of the breakaway Donbas region to carry out a “genocide” against Russian-speaking citizens, mirroring his own intentions.
The Russian leader has ranted in several nationwide television addresses branding Ukraine’s elected leaders as drug-addicted neo-Nazis, leading even supportive Russians to question his mental and physical health.
Erratic, aggressive behaviour
His erratic behaviour and attitude was also reportedly noticed by Western officials who have dealt with him.
For instance, Finnish president Sauli Niinistö, who has maintained a regular dialog with the Russian leader for years, observed a new, aggressive tone when he pushed back in defence of Finland’s sovereignty during a recent phone conversation.
He spoke on CNN's State Of The Union: "That was a change in his behaviour, and I want to guess, and from that I guess that he wants to be very decisive, wants to sound like one. It was a different kind of behaviour."
Veteran dissident and co-founder of the outlawed Russian human rights organisation Memorial, Lev Ponomaryov also noted: "The Kremlin leader is steeped in a paranoid mentality in which he believes that Ukraine should not exist and that Russia should dominate the world, if not all of it then at least part of it," telling Italy’s La Repubblica: "It can drag us into a third world war or even into a nuclear conflict."
