Vladimir Putin, described as ‘fearful and paranoid’, is once again under scrutiny regarding his health, following recent appearances that reveal a noticeably swollen and aged face.
This past weekend, Russia marked the 81st anniversary of its triumph over Nazi Germany. However, this year’s Victory Day parade was notably subdued, lacking the usual display of armored vehicles and ballistic missiles.
While Putin spoke in Moscow, defending Russia’s military efforts against Ukraine as a ‘just’ war against ‘aggressive forces,’ many observers were more intrigued by his puffier appearance than his rhetoric.
Ukrainian commentator Anton Gerashchenko highlighted a less-than-flattering photo of the 73-year-old former intelligence officer, sarcastically remarking, “The face of a ‘victor’ and the leader of a ‘superpower’.’
He humorously added, “It seems sanctions have even affected Putin’s Botox.”
Meanwhile, the monitoring organization Crimean Wind noted, “History often shows that many dictators appear visibly older before their regime’s downfall or their own demise.”
‘Scientists link this to chronic stress, paranoid fear of losing power, and isolation, which accelerate the body’s ageing.’
Putin’s health has long sparked debate. In late 2025, eagle-eyed watchers spotted bulging veins and unusual fist-clenching as he shook hands with a health expert.
Vladimir Putin is facing yet more questions over poor health after he was seen with a swollen and ‘visibly aged’ face during a Victory Day parade in Moscow
Over the weekend, Russia celebrated the 81st anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in 1945 with an unusually muted parade
Putin met Yekaterina Leshchinskaya, 22, chairwoman of the Russian Healthy Fatherland movement, to discuss the possibility of banning the sale of e-cigarettes.
As he reached to shake the woman’s hand, the Russian leader’s right fist was seen with bulging veins, prominent tendons and thin, wrinkled skin.
Footage showed the Russian leader nervously move his fingers and clench them into a fist under his blazer sleeve.
Following the clip’s circulation on X, and later in Polish media, Ukrainian sources suggested he may be suffering from pain.
Putin foe Leonid Nevzlin saw last weekend’s ‘shrinking’ parade with no military hardware for the first time in almost two decades as symbolic of Putin’s loosening grip.
He has created ‘a state in which the main ritual is contracted around one ageing man, shrinking together with his capacities.
‘The regime is structured so that the question of its future has turned into the question of one old man’s health.
‘Not about elections, not about political course, not about a split in the elites.
‘About a cardiogram, about the appearance of decrepit hands.
‘These are the only places where change is still possible in the country. For this body, like any other, has a deadline.’
Ukrainian analyst Ivan Yakovina said: ‘One can assume this parade will be his last.’
And Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky accused him of hijacking the Soviet defeat of the Nazis in the Second World War for his own propaganda purposes.
‘On an empty square, with almost no [military] equipment, beneath an electronic warfare dome, he tries to privatise someone else’s victory in order to justify his own shameful, criminal war,’ he said.
‘Instead of a nationwide holiday, we got a personal “special operation” of one deeply frightened, ageing dictator.
‘A celebration for one person at the expense of the entire country.’
Ukrainian commentator Alexey Kopytko said Putin is losing his fanatical pro-war cheerleaders.
Many commentators focused on Putin’s bulging cheeks, saying the regime relies on his health
Putin’s wellbeing has long sparked debate, with many believing the Russian is on his last legs
‘At the parade, the centre of attention was not the leader of a superpower, but a tired old man with shifty eyes whom they still tolerate. And he senses it.
‘His experience and skills still help him put on the right mask when interacting, but the moment he’s left alone with himself – everything shows on his face.
‘A short, decrepit man bending under the weight of a burden he can no longer lift.
‘The strained, sorrowful faces of Putin’s entourage periodically appeared on camera.
‘In general, no enthusiasm, no celebration.’
Never before have security operatives hovered around Putin so closely, he said.
‘You can search for comparison with parades of previous years.
‘Security is always there, that’s protocol, but there has never been such hovering.
‘Either Putin himself is afraid, or he’s being wound up and intimidated this way – which causes him to become fearful and paranoid.’
He appears ‘alone and isolated’ inside his security bubble.
This came as the toll in the past month has seen Putin lose 7,480 personnel – killed, wounded, and captured – over the first week of May.
This amounts to one loss every 80 seconds.
