Putin’s Shriveled Hand Video Sparks New Fears About Health

Vladimir Putin’s latest public appearance has reignited long-simmering rumors that the aging Russian president is gravely ill — after video surfaced showing what critics described as a “shriveled” and “painful-looking” right hand.

The footage, filmed last week at a Moscow conference, shows the 73-year-old strongman standing stiffly beside a basketball hoop, his hand clenched and veins protruding sharply against frail, wrinkled skin. The images immediately went viral, prompting widespread speculation about what’s really happening to the Kremlin leader behind closed doors.

What's with Putin's hands in this video? https://t.co/hF5yqgEFei pic.twitter.com/xl5Wopj2ID

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 9, 2025

“Social media users are puzzled by what happened to the hands of the Russian dictator — they look extremely painful,” reported the Ukrainian outlet Nexta, which first shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter).

Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry, joined in, writing, “What’s with Putin’s hands in this video? Apart from being covered in blood metaphorically, they’re bulging with veins — something is clearly wrong.”

Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gordon told The Mirror that Putin’s hands “look swollen and sore, with veins bulging prominently on one hand,” adding that the leader appeared to clench them into tight fists to disguise discomfort.

Others online were blunter. “Putin, apart from being mentally sick, might also be physically sick,” wrote user Jürgen Nauditt. “His hands are bloated and the veins look terrible.”

The Kremlin has not commented on the footage, though this isn’t the first time Putin’s health has been under the microscope. Reports in recent years have linked him to serious illnesses — from Parkinson’s disease to cancer — though none have been officially confirmed.

Back in October 2024, Gerashchenko pointed to similar footage showing Putin’s hands “not moving and looking like they are separate from his body.” Around that time, the Kremlin admitted the Russian president had been briefly hospitalized in Moscow after vanishing from public view for more than two weeks.

The controversy over Putin’s appearance comes just weeks after an unsettling moment in Beijing, where he was reportedly overheard telling Chinese Premier Xi Jinping that “human organs can be continuously transplanted” and that “at 70, you are still a child.”

According to those present, Putin claimed future technology could allow leaders to live up to 150 years — a bizarre remark that fueled rumors he’s obsessed with defying death.

Observers have compared the scrutiny surrounding Putin’s hands to similar speculation about President Donald Trump, whose hands have also drawn attention for visible bruising.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently told reporters that Trump’s marks are “consistent with minor tissue damage from frequent handshaking” while on an aspirin regimen for cardiovascular prevention.

“President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which can cause temporary swelling or bruising in the limbs,” Leavitt said in February, after makeup was spotted covering a bruise on the back of his hand during a state visit.

Despite repeated appearances meant to project strength, Putin’s increasingly frail movements and now his withered hand are stoking fears that Russia’s longest-serving leader may be fighting a serious, undisclosed illness.

As one Moscow-based analyst told Novaya Gazeta: “Every time Putin vanishes, people assume the worst. The fact that the Kremlin never explains anything only deepens the mystery.”

[Source: Nexta, The Mirror, AFP, Getty Images]