Vladimir Putin has fuelled more speculation he's battling Parkinson's or another serious illness after he appeared "unsteady and distracted" at Easter service.
The Russian President has faced concerns about his physical and mental health since launching his invasion of Ukraine in February.
Experts have suggested a number of theories ranging from cancer and Parkinson's to steroid-use and psychosis or a personality disorder.
Now footage of Putin, 69, looking shaky and anxious at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral has further stoked the rumours.
During the brief footage of the service, Putin was seen chewing his lips and fidgeting as he spoke only once in chorus with the congregation saying "truly he is risen".
The concerning clip comes just days after he was seen "barely able to hold himself upright" as he gave orders to defence chief Sergei Shoigu on the siege of Mariupol.
Former Tory MP Louise Mensch has previously reported on Putin's potential health problems.
She wrote: "Putin has Parkinson’s disease and here you can see him gripping the table so that his shaking hand is not visible but he cannot stop his foot from tapping."
In November 2020, political analyst Valery Solovei sparked theories that Putin could have cancer or Parkinson's after claiming that Putin also needed to have emergency surgery.
He said at the time of Putin's health issues: “One is of psycho-neurological nature, the other is a cancer problem.
“If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I'm not a doctor, and I have no ethical right to reveal these problems.
"The second diagnosis is a lot, lot more dangerous than the first-named diagnosis as Parkinson’s does not threaten physical state, but just limits public appearances.
“But there is a fatal diagnosis.
“Based on this information people will be able to make a conclusion about his life horizon, which wouldn’t even require specialist medical education.”
More recently Professor Erik Bucy, from Texas Tech University, told the Sun Online : "It’s an astonishingly weakened Putin compared to the man we observed even a few years ago.
"This is not a portrait of a healthy Putin but one appearing increasingly feeble and barely able to hold himself upright at a small conference table."
Professor Bucy compared the appearance to Richard Nixon's weak demeanour during a presidential debate against JFK in 1960 when he was recovering from a knee injury.
The expert also picked up on Putin's "quite thin" legs and "bloated" face - which could suggest he is experiencing weight or muscle loss from an unconfirmed illness.
University of Arkansas Professor Patrick Stewart echoed his comments on Putin's foot tapping and suggested this was "leakage" as the politician tried to control what could be involuntary movement.
Previous reports claimed that the 69-year-old was also being monitored by a specialist in thyroid cancer among the "elderly and senile" named Yevgeny Selivanov.
The surgeon, of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, was flown to see Putin at least 35 times in the Black Sea resort Sochi.
Putin has also previously been accused of taking steroids which make users more aggressive.
Former foreign secretary Lord David Owen said he suspects steroid use due to changes in the shape of Putin's face, which could be caused by muscle-boosting drugs.
Lord Owen told Times Radio: "Look at his face, see how that has changed - he now has an oval face.
"People who said, oh, it's plastic surgery or Botox, I don't believe that at all."
Although Putin had appeared less bloated in the latest Easter footage than in previous recent pictures, concerns are still rife for his mental wellbeing.
Therapists recently suggested that his decision to avoid almost all contact since the start of the pandemic brought on "signs of psychosis and a personality disorder."
A security source told the Mail on Sunday: “It is only human sources that can offer you the sort of rich picture that we have of Putin’s psyche.
“There has been an identifiable change in his decision-making over the past five years or so.
"Those around him see a marked change in the cogency and clarity of what he says and how he perceives the world around him.”
