Russian President Vladimir Putin could be forced into isolation in a bunker east of the Ural Mountains due to a major flu outbreak in the Kremlin. Putin, who is known to be extremely concerned about threats to his health, has already called off his end-of-year press conference. The latest development, in all likelihood, will send him looking for ways to guard himself.
Putin usually delivers a speech to Russians via a pre-recorded New Year message that is broadcast at midnight across his country’s 11 time zones.
He had earlier famously set up an extremely long table during the pandemic to talk to colleagues and world leaders that helped him maintain distance from others.
Rumours of Putin suffering from a condition as serious as cancer are also doing rounds. The condition is apparently being kept a secret.
Novaya Gazeta Europe quoted Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying ‘many people in the Kremlin were down with flu’. According to Russian media outlets, Putin is likely to cancel his address in Parliament as "he has nothing new to say on the war".
The spike in the flu patient numbers comes as Ukraine managed to hit targets deep inside Russia. The outlet also reported that Putin and his rumoured lover Alina Kabaeva (39) will spend the New Year in a bunker.