Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony marking National Unity Day in Moscow on Nov. 4, 2020.
SPUTNIK/Reuters
The Kremlin on Friday rejected as untrue a report in Britain’s mass market Sun newspaper which suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have Parkinson’s disease and be poised to quit early next year.
The Sun cited Professor Valery Solovei, a Russian political pundit, who suggested earlier this week on a Moscow radio station that Mr. Putin was under pressure from his entourage to step down due to fears for his health.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the media report based on Prof. Solovei’s assertions, which was widely picked up by other British tabloid newspapers, was false.
“It’s absolute nonsense,” said Mr. Peskov. “Everything is fine with the President.”
Asked if Mr. Putin was planning to step down in the near future as Prof. Solovei had suggested, Mr. Peskov said: “No."
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