Vladimir Putin spluttered and struggled to deliver a speech in a video described as showing a rare glimpse behind the Russian president’s carefully managed public image.Â
Putin is seen coughing, clearing his throat and gesturing toward his neck as he tried to get to the end of a message to mark International Women’s Day which was on Sunday, March 8.Â
In the clip reported by the BBC and the Telegraph, and noted by Russian Telegram channels, Putin, 73, said: “let me say that again, because my throat is a bit scratchy,” adding, “I’ve been talking a lot today.”Â
The original video was posted to the Kremlin’s Telegram channel for several minutes then deleted without explanation, the Telegraph reported. Â
Newsweek has found that running the clip through an AI detector shows that the footage is likely to be real. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment. Â
An edited version appeared on the Kremlin website in which the Russian president praised women’s contribution to society, without any coughing. Â
“We always celebrate this holiday with the brightest, warmest feelings, and admire our beautiful women. Speaking from the bottom of our hearts we wish you words of love, appreciation and gratitude,” said Putin in the address.Â
The Russian leader also praised the women who perform tasks “in the zone of a special military operation, who work in very difficult conditions in the Donbas and in Novorossiya, in our border regions,” referring to the Kremlin term for the parts of Ukraine it has declared as annexed but does not fully control.
There was speculation that the video was intentionally leaked. East European news outlet NEXTA posted on X: “propagandists just brutally set Putin up!” adding that it was “own goal of the year!”Â
Ben Tavener, a BBC producer, posted next to the clip. “Looks like someone is getting fired…Several outlets say the Kremlin accidentally published this unedited video of Vladimir Putin coughing and asking to re-record his 8 March address.”Â
Tavener noted that Putin often coughs during speeches and so it was not unusual, but Anton Gerashchenko, a former Ukrainian internals affairs adviser, posted on X that neither the Russian administration nor journalists of the Kremlin’s circle noticed this episode and published the video on all social media. “I don’t know whether that team will ever be seen again. It would be so nice not to see Putin again,” Gerashchenko wrote.Â
Putin’s health has been the topic of speculation especially since the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There have been unverified claims he suffers from Parkinson’s disease, cancer and neurological decline.Â
However, Western intelligence officials have said Putin does not appear to be seriously unwell and the Kremlin has repeatedly said that he is in good health. Â
