(FreedomBeacon.com)- According to a recent report from Express published on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently had surgery to remove fluid from his abdomen. This comes amid ongoing rumors regarding Putin’s health.
According to the report, the operation “went well and without complications,” and the information was obtained from a Telegram channel called General SVR, linked to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
The report stated no link between the surgery “on the night of May 12 to May 13” and cancer.
As a result of the surgery, Mr. Putin was unable to attend a meeting with officials from the government. According to the report from Express, a video message that had been pre-recorded featuring the President was played at the meeting instead.
The media outlet also published a translated sentence from the Telegram message. In the notice, the officials informed the public that “PLEASE NOTE that this surgical procedure is not a surgical operation that is recommended to the President and which has yet to take place.”
The “deep fake” technology was reportedly used to cover up Mr. Putin’s surgery and recovery the following day, as reported by the New York Post.
However, NDTV is unable to confirm these claims independently.
As the conflict in Ukraine has escalated over the past few weeks, rumors regarding Mr. Putin’s health have been circulating, and a former British spy has claimed that this is an “element” of the conflict in Ukraine.
In addition to this, it has been reported that an oligarch who has close ties to the Russian leader was recorded saying that Putin is “very ill with blood cancer.”
An unnamed oligarch is heard discussing Vladimir Putin’s health with a Western venture capitalist on a recording obtained by a magazine in the United States called New Lines.
After the Russian leader appeared in poor health at several public events, including the Victory Day celebrations earlier this month, the rumors surrounding his health gained traction.
In the photographs and videos that quickly went viral on social media, Vladimir Putin could be seen sitting in Moscow’s Red Square to watch a military parade with senior dignitaries and veterans of the Second World War. Putin was seen with a thick green cover draped over his legs during this event.
